range mute macro.

Cubase
1

Hi guys,

I need your help.
I have been trying to create a macro that allows me to cut and mute a part of an audio event using the range selection tool and a keyboard shortcut.

So the idea is to select a short piece of an event with the range tool (for instance, silence between tom hits) and then cutting and muting this range with the use of one keyboard shortcut.

The cutting is not an issue. The problem is that the cut event is not selected after the cut, so the ‘mute event’ command does nothing, since no event has been selected.
I tried setting the locators to the cut event, moving the cursor to the first locator and then use the command ‘select event under cursor’ before the ‘mute event’ command, but that doesn’t work.

Is there any other way of doing this?

1 Like
2

you should consider some commands with Project Logical Editor to select your event.

Cheers.

3

And how would I do that?
Are Project Logical Editor commands available for macro’s?

If it only were possible to use the mute tool the same way as the range tool (i.e. dragging the mute tool over a part of an event cuts the range and mutes it)…
Would be very handy, in my humble opinion.

4

yes, sure all commands of the PLE are available for macros. Search in the Key Commands Menu.

5

Thanks, I’ll have a look as soon as I’m sober again :wink: .

6

Can’t seem to figure this out (is it even possible?).

Any other suggestions?

7

It sounds like you want to mute an event you just cut, but after you cut the event, where is the event to mute?

Or do you mean split?

In any case, wouldn’t simply cutting the range selection of the event leave silence?

Otherwise you could make a macro using Auto select Events Under Cursor and set quantize and nudge cursor.

8

Why don’t you just hit the “delete” key once you make your range selection? This would basically accomplish the same thing as muting the event.

You can even use the “Detect Silence” function and strip out the sections between tom hits somewhat automatically.

9

This is easy, just did it. Selected a range, split it at beginning and end and muted the selection.

10

And you stayed in the range tool? What command did you use to mute the event?

11

First try I only had one track. For a project with many you have to use a couple of steps.

12

The mute events and mute/unmute object commands only work in the select tool. which is why I asked if you switched tools, or what?

The only way I see to do this with one keystroke (not including the range tool key) is range tool, select range, delete. Which sounds like what the OP is after. Is there another way?

13

Macors like this are dependent on selection behavior. In other words, fire a command to split the reange and then take note of what if anything on the track is still selected after that, and complete the macro steps accordingly. If nothing is selected after that action it might not be so easy, but if something is still selected there you should be able to get back to the part you just split and mute it.

But like someone said earlier, why not just hit delete? What’s the advantage of having a muted clip of silence on the timeline?

14

That is exactly my problem.

Never though about deleting actually.
I’ll give it a try tomorrow.

Thanks for your time, guys.

15

I did mean ‘split’.
The ‘auto select event under cursor’ as the cursor could be anywhere in the song (not necessarily at the spot I’m editting). Or am I misunderstanding?

Sorry for the noobish kind of questions, but I have never dealt with the macro side of Cubase much.

16

Well, ya gotta starts somewheres.

I left out a step. The above should have read:

Otherwise you could make a macro using Auto select Events Under Cursor, > locate selection> , and set quantize and nudge cursor.

But really the simplest way for this particular thing is just: range select, delete.

But making macros is fun and useful!

Please see this as a fish. Later you will extrapolate and garner many more on your own as you learn to be your own proper fisherman. :laughing: :unamused: :mrgreen:

17

This would be bad for two reasons.

  1. If you have lanes and there is an audio event that is smaller then the selection and you hit delete you are not going to get that back as an option to check out later.

  2. If you have multiple punch-ins on the track and you just hit delete then you are not going to be able to come back later and drag out your selection to get back what you had.

There are many times I want to mute a region because it is visually more helpful then mute automation but later a producer or artist says they want something back or say I don’t remember telling you that I didn’t want that.

The best solution I have come up with so far is

  1. Range Selection Tool
    1.2) Make selection
  2. Cut selection
  3. Transport Locate selection
  4. Object selection
  5. Paste
  6. Range Selection Tool

The problem with this is for audio events the snap point is where it will paste to at the cursor location and if you don’t select right on the bar that will shift the audio. Works just fine with MIDI regions.

I have a macro that includes some pre-steps and post steps to this to allow me to make the edits while I am still playing and return to where I was playing from but this is not flawless which is why I came looking yet again for a solution to this problem. Another one of those things as was pointed out in Pro Tools I do all the time separate and then mute (two key strokes which are made into a single command with a 3rd party macro since I do that all the time).

Is there some sort of preference that says object selection pastes at cursor and range selection pastes at range selection.

This problem would be simple if when you pasted the cut range selection the events/regions were selected (object selected).

http://theaudiocave.com/pics/msx.gif