ACID40 Manual
ACID40 Manual
Registration assistance
If you do not have access to the Internet, registration assistance is available. Please contact our Customer
Service Department.
Registration assistance is currently available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central
Standard Time (CST) by dialing the following numbers:
Telephone/Fax Country
1-800-577-6642 (toll-free) US, Canada, and Virgin Islands
+800-000-76642 (toll-free) Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, UK,
Netherlands, and Japan
+608-204-7703 All other countries
1-608-250-1745 (fax) All countries
Customer service/sales
For a detailed list of customer service options, we encourage you to visit www.sonicfoundry.com. Use the
following numbers for telephone support during normal office hours:
Telephone/Fax/E-mail Country
1-800-577-6642 (toll-free) US, Canada, and Virgin Islands
+800-000-76642 (toll-free) Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, UK,
Netherlands, and Japan
+608-204-7703 All other countries
1-608-250-1745 (fax) All countries
[email protected]
Technical support
For a detailed list of technical support options, we encourage you to visit www.sonicfoundry.com/support.
• To listen to your support options, please call 608-256-5555.
• Customers who have purchased ACID Pro receive 60 days of complimentary phone support. The
complimentary support begins when the Pro product is registered. (Registration is required to receive this
complimentary support.) Please call (608) 204-7704 if you need assistance with your Pro version product.
The information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a
commitment on the part of Sonic Foundry. The software described in this manual is provided under the
terms of a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement. The software license agreement specifies the terms
and conditions for its lawful use.
Sonic Foundry and ACID are registered trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. ASIO is a trademark and VST is
a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies AG. AC-3 is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories.
Other brands and products named here are the trademarks or registered trademarks of Sonic Foundry, its
affiliates, or their respective holders.
Copyright © 2002 Sonic Foundry, Inc. This user guide can be reproduced for noncommercial reference or
personal/private use only and may not be resold. Any reproduction in excess of fifteen copies or electronic
transmission requires the written permission of Sonic Foundry.
A special note concerning the use of the Dolby Digital trademark:
Dolby Laboratories encourages use of the Dolby Digital trademark to identify soundtracks that are encoded
in Dolby Digital. This is an effective way to inform listeners of the soundtrack format, and the use of a
standard logo promotes easy recognition in the marketplace. However, like any trademark, the Dolby Digital
logo may not be used without permission. Dolby Laboratories therefore provides a standard trademark license
agreement for companies who wish to use Dolby trademarks. This agreement should be signed by the
company that owns the program material being produced. Recording studios or production facilities which
provide audio production or encoding services for outside clients generally do not require a trademark
license.
If you would like more information on obtaining a Dolby trademark license, please contact Dolby
Laboratories Licensing Corporation. Information on trademark licensing plus instructions for using the
Dolby Digital trademark and marking audio formats can also be found on-line at http://www.dolby.com.
Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
100 Potrero Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94520 USA
Phone: 415-558-0200
Fax: 415-863-1373
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.dolby.com
3
Table of Contents
Introducing ACID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Welcome to Sonic Foundry ACID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
System requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Installing ACID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Using online help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Online help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
What’sThis? help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Help on the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Overview of ACID. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Main interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Track list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Track view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Window docking area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Keyboard command reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Audio signal flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
MIDI signal flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
What’s New?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Mixing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Plug-in effects automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
5.1 surround mixing and surround pan automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Alternate time signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
ASIO driver support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Loop Cloning in the Chopper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Bus tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Enhanced time stretching for Beatmapped tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
New audio panning types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
New envelope fade types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
MIDI. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
MIDI piano roll editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
MIDI step recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
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MIDI event list editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
VSTi support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Yamaha OPT support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Optimized DLS and VSTi soft synth controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Workspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Multiple media file previewing and Explorer enhancements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Hotkey commands for track muting and soloing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Optimized ACID playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Autosave crash recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Customizable default track properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Video . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Windows Media Audio and Video import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Enhanced video handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Starting projects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Setting project properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Opening existing projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Getting media files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Previewing media from the Explorer window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Adding media to the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Understanding track types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
One-shots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Beatmapped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Adding and editing events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Painting events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Changing the length of events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Erasing sections of events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Moving events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Using the cursor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Positioning the cursor with the mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Positioning the cursor with the keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Positioning the cursor with the Go To command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Making selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Selecting an event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Selecting multiple events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Creating time selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Creating event selections within time selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
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Working with tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Reordering tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Resizing tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Changing track colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Renaming tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Duplicating tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Deleting tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Copying, cutting, and pasting tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Adjusting the mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Muting tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
Soloing tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Working with groups of tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Using undo and redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Using undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Undoing all edits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Using redo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Clearing the undo history . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Playing the project. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Using the transport bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
Using playback options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Using the Mixer window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Viewing the Mixer window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Using the mixer toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Renaming mixer controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Using the mixer’s faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Saving, rendering, and delivering projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Saving projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Rendering projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Publishing to the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Writing to CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Editing Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Copying events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Pasting events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Using the Paste command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Using Paste Repeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Using Paste Insert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Cutting events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Deleting events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Trimming events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
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Splitting events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Splitting at the cursor position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Splitting an event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Splitting multiple events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Splitting a time selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Splitting events within a time selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Joining events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Ripple editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Cutting events in ripple editing mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Deleting events in ripple editing mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Pasting events in ripple editing mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Slipping and sliding events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Shifting the contents of (slipping) events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Slip-trimming events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Sliding events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Changing event properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Using event envelopes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Setting an event’s volume envelope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Setting an event’s fade-in and -out envelope curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Creating crossfades between events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
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Recording multiple takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Reviewing and saving takes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
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Adding panning keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
Working with keyframes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Rendering surround projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
Burning AC-3 files to DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
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Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .i
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CHAPTER
Introducing ACID
1
Welcome to Sonic Foundry ACID
Congratulations on purchasing a revolutionary software application for Windows. Using Sonic Foundry
ACID® you can create great music by simply picking, painting, and playing.
System requirements
In order to use ACID, your computer must satisfy the following minimum specifications:
• 300 MHz processor (400 MHz processor required for video scoring)
• Microsoft Windows 98SE, Me, 2000, or XP
• 64 MB RAM (128 MB recommended)
• 60 MB hard-disk space for program installation
• Windows-compatible sound card
• CD-ROM drive (required for installation from CD-ROM)
• Supported CD-recordable drive (required for CD burning)
• DirectX 8.0 (included on CD-ROM)
• Internet Explorer, version 4.0 or higher (version 5.0 included on CD-ROM)
Installing ACID
Prior to installing ACID, we recommend that you exit all open applications and temporarily turn off any
virus protection.
1. Insert the ACID CD-ROM. The ACID Installation screen appears if CD-ROM AutoPlay is enabled.
Online help
To access online help, choose Contents and Index from the Help menu or press F1 .
Tabs
The Contents tab provides a list of available help topics. Double-click a closed book ( ) to open the pages
and then click a topic page ( ).
The Index tab provides a complete listing of the help topics available. Scroll through the list of available
topics or type a word in the Type in the keyword to find box to quickly locate topics related to that word. Select
the topic and click .
The Search tab allows you to enter a keyword and display all of the topics in the online help that contain the
keyword you have entered. Type a keyword in the Type in the word(s) to search for box and click .
Select the topic from the list and click .
The Favorites tab allows you to keep topics that you revisit often in a separate folder. To add a topic to your
favorites, click on the Favorites tab.
What’sThis? help
What’sThis? help allows you to view pop-up window descriptions for ACID menus, buttons, and dialog
boxes. Choose What's This? from the Help menu, press Shift + F1 , or click the What’sThis? help button ( ) on
the toolbar and then click any ACID item. To use What’sThis? help in a dialog box, click the question mark
button ( ) in the upper-right corner of the dialog box and then click an item in the dialog box.
Overview of ACID
ACID is designed to be a powerful and flexible, but easy-to-use music creation application. Many of the
ACID operations, menu items, and shortcut keys are common to other Sonic Foundry applications.
The following sections provide a tour of the ACID work area.
Main interface
The work area includes three main areas: the track list, the track view (or timeline), and the window
docking area. The other parts of the interface are tools and features used while creating and working with
your project. You can resize the track list, track view, and window docking area by dragging the dividers
between them.
Divider
Divider
Window
docking
area
Opens a new project. You will be prompted to Locks envelope points so they move with an
save any changes to the current project. event when it is moved along the timeline.
Displays the Open File dialog. From this Activates the Draw tool to add and edit events.
window, you can browse all of the available
drives to select an ACID project or audio file
to open.
Saves any changes to the current project. Activates the Selection tool to select multiple
The first time you save a project, the Save As events.
dialog appears.
Opens the Publish wizard so you can share Activates the Paint tool to insert events across
your ACID creation on the Web. multiple tracks.
When used in conjunction with the Ctrl key, the
Paint tool can paint an entire one-shot, MIDI, or
Beatmapped media file to an event with one
click.
Clears the selected items from the track view Activates the Erase tool to erase events or parts
and places them on the ACID clipboard. You of events.
can then paste them to a new location. When used in conjunction with the Ctrl key, the
Erase tool can erase an entire one-shot, MIDI
track, or Beatmapped track event with one click.
Creates a copy of the selected items from the Activates the Envelope tool to select and modify
track view on the ACID clipboard. You can envelope points.
then paste them to a new location.
Inserts the contents of the ACID clipboard at Activates the Time Selection tool to quickly select
the current cursor position. The pasted items all events within range of time.
cover any existing events. To make room for
pasted events, choose Paste Insert from the
Edit menu.
Reverses the last action performed. ACID Opens a dialog where you can download media
supports unlimited undos, allowing you to from the Internet.
restore the project to any state since the last
save.
Reverses an undo. Opens a frequently updated Web page containing
special offers, tips, tricks, and other good stuff.
Turns the snapping feature on or off. With Activates What’sThis? help to obtain information
snapping enabled, you can decide whether to about a specific option, menu, or part of the
snap to the grid or to all elements (markers, ACID window.
regions, etc.).
Track list
This list identifies the track order in your project and contains the track’s controls. The following sections
identify and briefly explain the controls located in the track list.
Bus assignment
Track number/type Track FX
Track name Mute
Solo
View buttons
These buttons control the track’s appearance (size) on the track list and the track view.
Loop
One-shot
Beatmapped
MIDI
Track name
When you add a file to a project, the track name is initially the same name as the file’s name. Right-click the
track name and choose Rename from the shortcut menu (or double-click) to change the track name.
Bus assignment
Clicking the Bus Assignment button ( ) and selecting a letter from the menu allows you to assign the
corresponding track to the specified output bus. However, the button is only available in projects containing
multiple busses. For more information, see Adding busses to the project on page 107.
On a MIDI track, the Device Selection button ( ) appears instead of the Bus Assignment button. This button
allows you to route a MIDI track to a soft synth or MIDI device. For more information, see Routing MIDI tracks
to MIDI devices or soft synth controls on page 138.
Track FX button
The Track FX button ( ) accesses the Audio Plug-In window from which you can add, edit, and apply effects
to the track. The button image changes ( ) to indicate when an automatable effect is present. For more
information, see Using track effects on page 89.
Solo button
Clicking the Solo button ( ) isolates the track during playback by muting the project’s remaining tracks. For
more information, see Soloing tracks on page 47.
Surround panner
In 5.1 surround projects, the surround panner allows you to view and edit surround panning settings for a
track. Double-click a surround panner to view the Surround Panner window and make fine panning
adjustments. For more information, see Working with 5.1 Surround on page 147.
Multipurpose slider
This multipurpose slider allows you to control the following:
• A track’s volume relative to the project’s other tracks.
• A track’s placement in the stereo spectrum (panning).
• The level of the track’s signal being routed to each of the project’s busses.
• The level of the track’s signal being routed to an assignable effect control.
The multipurpose slider defaults to displaying a track’s volume control. ACID tracks are preset to -6.0
decibels (dB), but the volume range is -inf. to 12 dB. Each track’s slider position is independent from the
others; however, you can move sliders simultaneously by selecting multiple tracks before making your
adjustment. If you do not see this slider, expand the track.
You may choose what the slider controls by clicking the slider label. Changing the slider type for one track
changes it for all tracks so you can compare levels of the same control across the project. For more
information, see Adjusting the mix on page 46.
Track view
In the track view, you can view and edit the events in a track. The area in which events display is the
timeline. The track view contains other elements which are described in the following sections.
Beat ruler
Zoom controls
Beat ruler
The beat ruler allows you to place events in reference to the musical time of bars and beats. This ruler is
fixed and does not update when you change the tempo. This allows the events in the tracks to maintain
their size when you adjust the tempo.
Time ruler
The time ruler provides a timeline for your project. This ruler can show real time in many different formats.
For more information, see Changing the time ruler format on page 161. The ruler changes with tempo, since the
number of beats and beats per second of real time changes with tempo.
Transport bar
The transport bar contains the playback and cursor positioning buttons frequently used while working on
your project.
ACID also includes keyboard shortcuts for these playback commands. For more information, see Playback
commands on page 21.
Zoom controls
To the right of the horizontal scroll bar are the time zoom controls. Clicking the Zoom In Time button ( )
increases the horizontal magnification of the project. To decrease the level of magnification, click the Zoom
Out Time button ( ).
Directly below the vertical scroll bar are the dedicated track height zoom controls. Clicking the Zoom In Track
Height button ( ) increases the vertical magnification of the project. To decrease the level of magnification,
click the Zoom Out Track Height button ( ).
Click the Zoom Tool button ( ) in the corner of the track view to temporarily change the cursor into the
Zoom tool. After you select an area of the track view to magnify, the cursor reverts to the previously active
tool.
Explorer window
The Explorer window works similarly to the Windows Explorer. You can use the Explorer window to locate,
preview and select media files to be added to your project. You can also use the Explorer window to perform
common file management tasks, such as renaming files or creating folders.
Mixer
The Mixer window provides access to output levels, as well as advanced features such as busses, assignable
effect chains, and soft synth controls. For more information, see Using the Mixer window on page 49.
Chopper
The Chopper isolates audio events so that you can dissect them and reinsert them into a project to produce
elaborate slice-n-dice effects with minimal effort. Display the Chopper by choosing Chopper from the View
menu or pressing Alt + 2 . For more information, see Using the Chopper on page 81.
Video
This window displays prerendered video files that can be imported and synchronized with an ACID project.
The video file displays during project playback and can be rendered with the project to an appropriate
format. Display the Video window by choosing Video from the View menu or pressing Alt + 4 . For more
information, see Using the Video window on page 145.
Audio Plug-In
This window displays plug-ins and settings for track, assignable, bus, and soft synth effects chains. Display
the Audio Plug-In window by clicking any FX button ( ) or by pressing Alt + 5 . For more information, see
Using track effects on page 89 and Adding effects to mixer controls on page 115.
Track Properties
This window allows you to change track attributes and edit MIDI tracks using OPT plug-ins. Display the
Track Properties window by double-clicking a track’s icon or by pressing Alt + 6 . For more information, see
Configuring track properties on page 101 and Working with MIDI on page 123.
Surround Panner
This window allows you to control panning in a 5.1 surround project. Display the Surround Panner window
by double-clicking the surround panner on a track or mixer control or by pressing Alt + 7 . For more
information, see Working with 5.1 Surround on page 147.
Playback commands
Selection commands
Description Keys Description Keys
Range selection (events) Shift+click range of events Select all Ctrl+A
Multiple selection (events) Ctrl+click individual events Unselect all Ctrl+Shift+A
Select loop region Shift+Q (when Time Selection
tool is selected)
Event commands
View commands
MIDI commands
Chopper commands
For more information, see Using Chopper toolbar and keyboard commands on page 82.
Miscellaneous commands
Description Keys
Online help F1
What’sThis? help Shift+F1
Shortcut menu Shift+F10
Refresh screen F5
Description Keys
Zoom in on timeline Default mouse wheel behavior
Horizontal scroll Shift+wheel
Vertical scroll Ctrl+wheel
Move by video frames Ctrl+Shift+Alt+wheel
Move the cursor in grid increments Ctrl+Shift+wheel
Auto-scrolling Press mouse wheel and move
the mouse in the desired
direction
Move fader Wheel over a fader
Make fine fader adjustments Ctrl+wheel over a fader
Move pan point front/back in Default mouse wheel behavior
Surround Panner window (when pan point is selected)
Move pan point left/right in Shift+wheel
Surround Panner window (when pan point is selected)
Assignable FX
Bus pre/post volume pre/post volume
Track FX
Pre Pre
Post Post
Bus send Track volume Assignable FX send
Pan track†
Assignable FX
Input Chain Output
Mute track
Mute (Pan)‡
Hardware Hardware
output output
Mute track
External
MIDI
device
MIDI
DLS VST
voice set instrument
Audio
Hardware Hardware
output output
What’s New?
2
This chapter is intended for experienced ACID users. It simply addresses the question on everyone’s mind:
“What’s new in this version of ACID?”
Mixing
For more information, see Working with 5.1 Surround on page 147.
Bus tracks
You can now view any mixer control (bus, assignable effect, or soft synth) on a track at the bottom of the
track view. This allows you to add envelopes to any of these controls. Want to pan several tracks as a group?
Route the tracks to a bus and pan the bus using a pan envelope on the bus track. Want your assignable effect
parameters to change over time? Add an effect automation envelope to the bus track for the assignable
effect. For more information, see Automating mixer controls in track view on page 118.
MIDI
VSTi support
You can route MIDI tracks in an ACID 4.0 project to a VST® instrument (VSTi) using the new soft synth
controls in the Mixer window. For more information, see Using soft synth controls on page 111.
Workspace
Video
In addition, the Video window now provides an option to display square pixels to compensate for any spatial
distortions due to non-square pixel aspect ratios. For more information, see Using the Video window on page
145.
Getting Started
3
Now that you have an understanding of ACID’s interface and controls, you are ready to begin learning the
techniques needed to pick, paint, and play ACID projects. In this chapter you will learn the skills that will
allow you to create music in ACID, from locating media files to writing the finished project to CD.
Starting projects
Double-clicking the ACID icon on the desktop starts ACID. You can immediately begin building your
ACID project using the application’s default project properties. However, you may prefer to customize the
project properties prior to beginning the project.
Item Description
Title Enter the name or title of the project.
Artist Enter the name of the narrator, band, or artist(s) being recorded into the project.
Engineer Enter the name(s) of the people who mixed and edited the project.
Copyright Enter the date and ownership rights of the project.
Comments Enter information that identifies and describes the project.
Start all new projects with these Select this check box if your projects’ requirements do not change or you want consistent
settings settings for future projects.
Item Description
Master bus mode Choose either Stereo for a standard audio project or 5.1 Surround for a surround
project.
Number of additional stereo busses Enter the number of stereo busses that you want in your project. You may add up to 26
busses. The busses appear in the Mixer window. For more information, see Using busses
on page 107.
Sample rate Choose a sample rate from the drop-down list or enter your own rate. The sample rate
range is 2,000 Hz to 192,000 Hz. Higher sample rates result in better quality sound,
but also mean larger audio files.
Bit depth Choose a bit depth from the drop-down list. A higher bit depth results in better quality
sound, but also means larger audio files.
Enable low-pass filter on LFE Select this check box to limit the audio sent to the LFE channel in a 5.1 surround project.
For more information, see Working with 5.1 Surround on page 147.
Cutoff frequency for low-pass filter Enter a low-pass cutoff frequency value for 5.1 surround projects. ACID limits audio sent
to the LFE channel to frequencies lower than the value you enter. Applying a low-pass
filter approximates the bass-management system in a 5.1 decoder and ensures that
you’re sending only low-frequency audio to the LFE channel.
Low-pass filter quality Choose a setting from the drop-down list to determine the sharpness of the low-pass
filter’s rolloff curve. Best produces the sharpest curve.
Start all new projects with these Select this check box if your project requirements do not change or you want consistent
settings settings for future projects.
Any changes you make to the project are saved to the files in this temporary folder until you save the .acd-zip
file again. For more information, see Saving projects on page 52.
Be aware that the temporary files folder is cleared when you close ACID. However, files are not cleared from
the folder if ACID closes inappropriately.
Loops
Loops are small chunks of audio that are designed to create a continuous beat or pattern when played
repeatedly. They are usually one to four measures long. Loops are the type of file that you will use most
frequently.
One-shots
One-shots are chunks of audio that are not designed to loop, and they are streamed from the hard disk rather
than stored in RAM if they are longer than three seconds. Things such as cymbal crashes and sound bites
could be considered one-shots.
Unlike loops, one-shots do not change pitch or tempo with the rest of a project.
Beatmapped
When you add a file that is longer than thirty seconds to a project, the Beatmapper Wizard starts, allowing
you to add tempo information to the file. As a result, these tracks respond to tempo and key changes just like
loops. For more information, see Using the Beatmapper on page 99.
MIDI
ACID creates a MIDI track when you open a MID, SMF, or RMI file. You can use MIDI tracks to record
data from and play back through synthesizers and other MIDI-compliant equipment. For more information,
see Working with MIDI on page 123.
Painting events
After you add a media file to your project, you must paint it on the timeline in order to hear it. When you
paint on the media file’s track, you create an event that displays the file’s waveform. You can paint events on
the timeline using either the Draw tool or the Paint tool.
Moving events
The position of the left edge of an event indicates when the event becomes audible during playback. You can
move events along the timeline either individually or as a group.
In addition, you can stack events on top of one another. A longer event placed over a smaller event conceals
the smaller event and makes it inaudible. A smaller event placed over a larger event is audible and renders
the section of the longer event it covers inaudible.
• Press Shift + G to position the cursor based on the time displayed on the time ruler. Specify a time in the
box that appears in the time display and press Enter.
Making selections
You must select events before you can move or edit them.
Selecting an event
1. Click the Draw Tool button ( ).
2. Click an event. The event is highlighted.
Selected event
1. Click the Selection Tool button ( ) or choose Editing Tool from the Edit menu and choose Selection from
the submenu.
2. Place the pointer on the track view. The pointer displays as an arrow with an adjacent dotted box ( ).
3. Drag the mouse on the track view. A dashed rectangular box appears on the track view and all events
within and adjacent to it are selected.
4. While holding the left mouse button, click and release the right mouse button (referred to as toggle-
clicking). The selection method changes to vertical and again, all events within and adjacent to the
selection area are selected.
5. Toggle-click the mouse once more. The selection method changes to horizontal and all events within and
adjacent to the selection area are selected.
Reordering tracks
When building an ACID project, you may want to reorder the tracks to place similar instruments in
proximity to one another. For example, placing all drum loops together in the track view makes it easier for
you to fine-tune the mix of the song’s overall drum sound.
1. Drag the track header to a new location in the track list. A heavy black horizontal line appears on the
track list to indicate where the track will be placed.
2. Release the mouse button. The track is dropped in the new location and the entire track list/track view
adjusts accordingly.
Resizing tracks
ACID allows you to change the height of a track, thereby affecting how many tracks display in the track
view. This is especially useful when building a project with a large number of tracks. In addition, you can
decrease the track’s height until only the multipurpose slider, Track FX button, Mute button, and Solo button
are visible.
1. Drag the bottom edge of a track up or down in the track list. The pointer displays as a vertical stretch
icon ( ).
2. Release the mouse button to establish the track’s new height.
Renaming tracks
To rename a track, right-click the track name and choose Rename from the shortcut menu, or double-click
the track name. Renaming a track applies to the project only and does not change the file associated with
the track.
Duplicating tracks
To duplicate a track, right-click it and choose Duplicate Track from the shortcut menu. ACID creates an
exact copy of the track and its events and adds it below the original track in the project. The words “Copy
of” appear before the name of the duplicate track to identify it in the track list.
For creative ways to use duplicate tracks, see Playing with duplicate tracks on page 173.
Deleting tracks
You can delete unnecessary tracks from a project by selecting the track and using any of the following
methods:
• Choose Delete from the Edit menu.
• Right-click a track and choose Delete Track from the shortcut menu.
• Press Delete .
Function Description
Volume Controls how loud a track is in the mix. A value of 0 dB means that the track plays with no boost or cut from
ACID. Dragging the fader to the left cuts the volume; dragging to the right boosts the volume.
Pan Controls the position of a track in the stereo field. Dragging the slider to the left places the track in the left
speaker more than the right, while dragging the slider to the right places the track in the right speaker.
Because ACID uses true stereo panning, you can introduce clipping when panning a track to the left or right.
Unlike a left/right balance control—which simply decreases the volume of one channel—ACID’s default panning
mode actually adds the audio from one channel to the other. When panning a track, adjust the track volume
accordingly.
You can choose among five panning types to determine how ACID pans a track. For more information, see
Choosing stereo pan types on page 98.
FX Controls the level of the track sent to each of the assignable effect chains that you have created. Dragging the
fader to the left cuts the volume; dragging to the right boosts the volume.
Bus Controls the level of the track sent to each of the additional busses that you have created for your project.
Dragging the fader to the left cuts the volume; dragging the fader to the right boosts the volume.
Once you have chosen what you want to adjust, drag the slider to adjust the level. You can hold Ctrl or Shift
to select multiple tracks and move the sliders together as a group.
Muting tracks
Each track has a Mute button ( ). Clicking this button shades the corresponding track (to indicate that it is
muted) and renders it inaudible during playback. Clicking the Mute button a second time returns the track to
its original level in the mix. Toggle-muting a track is an effective way of determining whether a track
contributes to the overall sound of a project.
You can also press Z to mute a track or group of tracks.
Soloing tracks
Located next to the Mute button, the Solo button ( ) allows you isolate tracks in a project during playback.
When you click this button during playback, the corresponding track remains audible and all other tracks
are muted. Clicking the Solo button a second time returns all tracks to their original levels in the mix.
Toggle-soloing a track is an effective method of configuring and previewing isolated track effects against
how they sound in the project.
You can also press X to solo a track or group of tracks.
Using undo
To undo an edit, click the Undo button ( ) on the toolbar or press Ctrl + Z . Edits are undone in the reverse
order they were performed.
Using redo
To redo an edit, click the Redo button ( ) on the toolbar or press Ctrl + Shift + Z . Edits are re-performed in
the reverse order they were undone.
The function of the bus, assignable effect, and soft synth controls are beyond the scope of this chapter. For
more information, see Using the Mixer on page 107.
Button Description
Displays the Project Properties dialog.
When you are finished building a project, ACID allows you to render projects in a variety of formats. You
should determine the project’s final format (or formats) based on how you will deliver the media. For
example, you would render your project to a streaming media format if you plan to publish it to the Internet.
Saving projects
An ACID project file (.acd) is the default file format for saving a new project and should be used for saving
unfinished projects. There are two ACID project file types.
1. To save a file, display the Save As dialog using any of the following options:
• Click the Save button ( ) on the toolbar.
• From the Edit menu, choose Save.
• Press Ctrl + S .
2. From the Save in drop-down list, choose the drive and directory where the file will be saved.
3. Enter a name for the project in the File name box.
4. From the Save as type drop-down list, choose the desired ACID project file type.
5. If you want ACID to save a copy of each of the project’s media files to the same location as your project
file, select the Copy all media with project check box. This is available when saving as an ACID project file.
6. Click Save. ACID saves the project.
Rendering projects
Rendering refers to the process of converting the ACID project into a file that is formatted for a specific
playback method. Possible playback methods include media player applications, Internet streaming media,
CD-ROM, and CD audio. When an ACID project is rendered, it is not overwritten, deleted, or altered and
you are able to return to the original project to make changes and re-render.
1. From the File menu, choose Render As. The Render
As dialog appears.
2. From the Save in drop-down list, choose the drive and
folder where the file will be saved.
3. Enter a new name for the project in the File name box.
4. From the Save as type drop-down list, choose the
desired file format.
5. If the selected file type supports it, you can choose an
encoding template from the Template drop-down list,
or click Custom to create a new template. For more
information, see Creating custom rendering settings on
page 54.
6. Select or clear the following check boxes as needed:
• Select the Render loop region only check box if you
want to save only the portion of the project that is
contained within the loop region. The loop region
does not need to be active for this option to work.
• If the selected file type supports it, you can select the Save project markers with media file check box to
include markers and regions in the rendered media file.
• Select the Save each track as a separate file check box if you want to render each track in the project to its
own file. The File name box changes to Folder, which displays the name of the folder in the Save in box.
• Stretch video to fill output frame (do not letterbox): Selecting this check box stretches the source video frame
if the destination frame size differs. When this check box is cleared, ACID uses letterboxing or
pillarboxing to keep the frame aspect correct.
• Fast video resizing: Selecting this check box speeds the process of saving video. When this check box is
cleared, the time required to save the file can increase dramatically. Clear this check box only when you
have critical material where nothing but the highest quality video rendering will do.
7. Click Save. A progress dialog appears.
When rendering is complete, you can choose one of the following options:
• Click Open to start the associated media player and play the newly rendered file.
• Click Open Folder to open Windows Explorer and display the location of the newly rendered file.
• Click Close to close the progress dialog and return to the ACID window.
Publishing your project to the Internet involves two distinct procedures: creating a personal account and
uploading the project.
Uploading a project
Publishing a project file copies your media to the Web so you can share it with other Web users. The
following procedure assumes you already have an account set up with a publish provider. If not, you will first
be redirected to set up an account. After successfully creating an account, you will be directed back to the
Publish feature.
1. From the File menu, choose Publish. The Publish dialog appears.
2. Select the appropriate radio button to specify whether the song to be published is the current ACID song
or a different song.
• To publish your current ACID song, choose a streaming format and bit rate.
• To publish a different song, enter the path to the song or click Browse to locate the file. This song must
already be in a streaming format.
3. Click Next. If you are publishing the current ACID song, ACID renders it in the format and bit rate you
specified. A window appears from the publish provider with directions for completing the publishing
process.
4. Follow the instructions provided by the publish provider. ACID begins uploading the file to the provider.
A progress dialog informs you when the upload is finished.
5. Click OK. The publish provider provides a link to the song on their Web site; however, this may vary
depending on provider.
Writing to CD
ACID allows you to burn your projects to CD using supported CD-R/CD-RW drives. ACID renders your
project so it can be played on consumer CD players; however, the disc must be closed before it can be played
in a CD player.
Editing Events
4
In this chapter, you’ll learn about basic event editing techniques such as cutting, copying, pasting, trimming,
splitting, and joining events. You’ll also learn how to use ripple editing to expand the possibilities of timeline
editing. Finally, you’ll take a look at advanced editing techniques such as slipping and sliding events,
changing event properties, and adding event envelopes.
Copying events
Copying an event, a time selection, or event within a time selection places an exact copy of the selected
event(s) on the clipboard, but leaves the track view unchanged. Events copied to the clipboard can be
pasted in the project an unlimited number of times. In addition, clipboard content remains on the clipboard
until replaced by new content.
1. Select the event data you want to copy or make a time selection. For more information, see Making
selections on page 42.
2. Copy the event data using any of the following methods:
• Click the Copy button ( ) on the toolbar.
• Choose Copy from the Edit menu.
• Right-click the selection and choose Copy from the shortcut menu.
• Press Ctrl + C .
Pasting events
The clipboard’s contents can be pasted in a project an unlimited number of times. However, an event is
always pasted in the track it was copied/cut from. In addition, pasting the contents of the clipboard over an
existing event results in the pasted event overlapping the existing event. To avoid pasting over existing
events, you have two options:
• Use the Paste Insert command. For more information, see Using Paste Insert on page 58.
• Turn on ripple editing. For more information, see Ripple editing on page 62.
When events are cut/copied to the clipboard and subsequently pasted into a project, ACID maintains and
pastes the time data inherent in the cut/copied events. For example, if you select two events on the same
track that are separated by five seconds of silence, copying and pasting these events results in the five
seconds of silence also being pasted into the project.
Taking this concept a step further, if you select discontinuous events from several tracks, copying and pasting
these events results in any selected time data being pasted into the project as well. This maintains the
relative position of events in the project.
Cutting events
Cutting an event, a time selection, or an event within a time selection removes the audio data from the
track view and places it on the clipboard. Once data is placed on the clipboard, it can be pasted back into
the project an unlimited number of times. Clipboard content remains on the clipboard until it is replaced by
new data.
1. Select the event data you want to cut or make a time selection. For more information, see Making selections
on page 42.
2. Cut the event data using any of the following methods:
• Click the Cut button ( ) on the toolbar.
• Choose Cut from the Edit menu.
• Right-click the selection and choose Cut from the shortcut menu.
• Press Ctrl + X .
All selected events are removed from the track view and placed on the clipboard.
Deleting events
Deleting an event, a time selection, or an event within a time selection removes the data from the track
view and discards it. Deleted events are not placed on the clipboard and do not replace or interfere with
current clipboard content. In addition, deleted events cannot be pasted back into a project.
1. Select the event data you want to delete or make a time selection. For more information, see Making
selections on page 42.
2. Delete the event data using any of the following methods:
• Choose Delete from the Edit menu.
• Right-click the selected event and choose Delete from the shortcut menu.
• Press Delete .
All selected events are removed from the track view and discarded.
Trimming events
Whereas deleting allows you to select event data to be removed from the project, trimming allows you to
select the data that remains. Trimming is performed by creating a time selection or selecting an event within
a time selection and subsequently deleting all unselected data.
1. Create a time selection or select specific events within a time selection. For more information, see Creating
time selections on page 43.
2. Press Ctrl + T to trim the data within the selection. All unselected event data is removed from the track
view and discarded.
Splitting events
Splitting is a quick way to create independently functioning events from a single one. You might consider
splitting an event if you want to adjust a small part of the track. For example, you may want to apply pitch
shift to a guitar track for a few measures and then return the track to its original setting.
Splitting occurs at the cursor position or at the in and out points of a time selection. When you split an
event, ACID creates a new ending point for the original event and creates a starting point for the newly
created event.
When you split an event, the newly created events abut each other. If Quick fade edges to prevent clicks is
selected in the Event Properties dialog, ACID adds fades at the split point. For more information, see Changing
event properties on page 66.
However, you may move either of the events, which creates a gap.
Splitting at the cursor position splits all selected events that the cursor crosses on all tracks.
1. Select the event(s) that you want to split.
2. Place the cursor where you want the split to occur or make a time selection.
3. From the Edit menu, choose Split or press S . The result of the split depends on how events were selected.
Splitting an event
Selecting a single event prior to splitting prevents other events from being split at the cursor’s position.
Cursor position
and split point
Cursor position
and split point
Joining events
You may join events on ACID tracks that have been segmented along the timeline. Joining events is an
efficient way to redraw an event and remove any splits or silent regions between events.
You would want to join events if you decided that the event should play uninterrupted over the specified
time range.
1. Select the events or range of events that you want to join. For more information, see Selecting multiple events
on page 42.
2. From the Edit menu, choose Join or press J . The selected events are joined.
Ripple editing
ACID includes a ripple editing feature. This feature is a timeline-based procedure that allows you to cut,
delete, and paste events or portions of events within a time selection and simultaneously adjust the position
of all later events on a selected track. The existing events’ timeline position adjusts by the total amount of
the time selection that is being cut, deleted or pasted from the clipboard.
You may turn on ripple editing mode by choosing Ripple Edits from the Options menu or pressing Ctrl + L .
1. From the Options menu, choose Ripple Edits to enter ripple editing mode.
2. Move the cursor to the desired timeline location.
3. Place the cursor within the track where you want to paste the event.
4. Click the Paste button ( ) on the toolbar to paste the event into the track.
Clipboard information is pasted at the cursor’s position on the track. Existing events or portions of events
after the cursor adjust to occur later in the project. The amount of adjustment is based on the total length of
the information being pasted.
Slip-trimming events
Hold Alt while dragging the right or left edge of an event. The slip-trim cursor appears ( ).
As you drag the event edge, the media moves with the event edge.
Sliding events
Hold Ctrl + Alt while dragging an event. The slide cursor appears ( ).
As you drag, the relative position of the media remains fixed on the track, and the event position changes.
You can use this technique when you want to maintain an event’s length but want the event to play a
different section of the source media file at a different point in your project.
Item Description
Start offset The Start offset for an event specifies a playback starting position that is
different than the beginning of the file. This is especially useful for loops; you
can change the feel of a loop by simply starting on beat two rather than beat
one.
Pitch shift The Pitch shift value specifies a pitch shift for the selected event. Event-based
pitch shift is calculated after the project key and any pitch shift assigned to a
track. For more information, see Changing tempo, time signature, and key on
page 77.
Speed The Speed setting allows you to change the playback speed of an event on a
one-shot track. Changing the speed also changes the pitch.
Quick fade edges to When you add an offset to an event so that it does not end on a loop point, you
prevent clicks can introduce an audible click at the edges of the event. Select the Quick fade
edges to prevent clicks check box, and ACID performs a quick fade-in or
fade-out on the event edges.
To adjust a quick fade, zoom into the event and hover over the upper-left or
upper-right corner of an event until the cursor is displayed as . Drag the
edge of the fade to adjust its duration. For more information, see Setting an
event’s fade-in and -out envelope curve on page 67.
For creative ways to use crossfades, see Creating DJ-style crossfades on page 180.
Working in the
5 Track View
This chapter introduces you to several ACID features that increase your productivity, such as markers,
regions, and snapping options. You’ll also learn about the different ways to change a project’s tempo, key and
time signature. Finally, you’ll learn several options for adjusting the project timeline.
Regions Regions subdivide your project into time segments. Regions have in and out
points, which allow them to function as permanent time selections.
Placing markers
Markers are placed at the cursor position. You may place a marker in one of the following ways:
• From the Insert menu, choose Marker.
• Right-click the marker bar, choose Markers/Regions from the shortcut menu, and choose Insert Marker
from the submenu.
• Press M . You may use this method to place a marker while the project is playing.
Marker Marker bar
Naming markers
ACID allows you to name markers in your project. You may want to name markers based on parts of the
project. For example, you may want to identify choruses, refrains, bridges, or instrument solos as reference
points along the timeline.
1. Place the mouse pointer on the marker to be named. The hand cursor ( ) appears.
2. Right-click the marker and choose Rename from the shortcut menu. A box appears next to the marker.
3. Type a marker name in the box and press Enter to save the name.
Navigating to markers
While you are working on your project, you may have scrolled to a portion of the project where the cursor is
not visible. There are two ways to move the cursor directly to the selected marker:
• Right-click the marker and choose Go To from the shortcut menu.
• Click the marker once.
• Press the number key (not on the numeric keypad) corresponding to the marker number.
Deleting markers
You may remove markers from the project at any time. Because markers are automatically numbered when
they are placed, ACID does not renumber the remaining markers when one is deleted. Rather, the remaining
markers retain their numbers. However, if you add markers later, ACID begins numbering to fill the
sequence gap.
For example, if you have five markers in your project and delete markers three and four, the remaining
markers are listed as one, two and five. When you add markers again, ACID begins numbering the markers as
three and four.
1. Place the mouse pointer on the marker to be deleted. The hand cursor ( ) appears.
Time marker
1. Position the cursor where you want to place the command marker.
2. From the Insert menu, choose Command, or press C .
3. Complete the Command Properties dialog:
• From the Template drop-down list, choose a custom
template. For more information, see Saving command
properties as a custom template on page 72.
• From the Command drop-down list, choose the type of
command. For more information, see Defining streaming
media commands on page 73.
• Enter parameters in the Parameter box to define the
behavior of the command.
• Enter your own notes or comments in the Comment
box.
• Specify the timing of the command in the Position box. Command markers are automatically set to the
current cursor position unless you change this value.
4. Click OK. The new command marker appears on the command bar.
After you create a command marker, you can move the marker by dragging it to a new location.
After you place a region, you may change its position by dragging the region tag to the desired position.
Naming regions
ACID allows you to name the placed regions in your project. You may want to name regions based on parts
of the project or to define the amount of time that the regions encompass. For example, you may want to
identify introductions, solos, or special time-related features in your project as reference points.
1. Right-click the region’s start tag and choose Rename from the shortcut menu. A box appears next to the
tag.
2. Type a region name and press Enter to save the name.
Selecting regions
You may use the region’s start and end tags to make a time selection across all tracks in your project. The
information within the time selection can then be used for playback or editing.
To select a region, right-click a region tag and choose Select Region from the shortcut menu. The loop bar
appears between the region tags and the tracks are highlighted.
Loop bar
Deleting regions
You may remove regions from the project at any time. Because regions are automatically numbered when
they are placed, ACID does not renumber the existing regions when one is removed. Rather, the existing
regions retain their numbers. However, if you add regions later, ACID begins numbering to fill the sequence
gap that exists.
For example, if you have six regions in your project and delete regions four and five, the remaining regions
are listed as one, two, three and six. When you add regions again, ACID begins numbering the regions as
four and five.
To remove a region from a project, right-click the region tag marker and choose Delete from the shortcut
menu.
Using snapping
Snapping helps you to align events in your project with other items. ACID is preset to snap event edges to
the project’s grid lines as you drag an event along the track. If snapping is enabled and the Grid Only option
is turned off, the event’s edges automatically align to these designated snap points:
• Cursor position
• Grid lines
• Markers
• Regions start and end points
• Loop region (time selection) in and out points
Set the tempo, time signature, and key for the whole project... ...or change these elements dynamically in the timeline.
Project Key
Project Tempo Project Time Signature
slider
Project Tempo
As you drag the Project Tempo slider, a colored bar appears under each track’s name to represent the amount
a track is being stretched to match the project tempo. The mark in the center of the bar represents the
original tempo of a file. When the bar appears to the right of the mark, the project tempo is faster than the
original file; when the bar appears to the left of the mark, the project tempo is slower than the original file.
The amount of change also displays as a percentage at the right end of the bar.
As you drag the slider, a colored bar appears for each track.
This feature makes it possible to use media that are in different keys in the same project: each loop that has a
specified root note is transposed to the key indicated by the Project Key control.
For example, if three loops have root notes of A, B, and C, and your Project Key control is set to D, ACID
pitch-shifts the loops by five, three, and two semitones, respectively.
Adjusting time
ACID provides two commands for adjusting your project’s timeline: Insert Time and Fit to Time.
Inserting time
Use the Insert Time command to insert a specified amount of blank space into the project at the current
cursor position. This feature can be used to create space in the project for new events.
1. Position the cursor where you want to insert time.
2. From the Insert menu, choose Time. The Insert Time dialog appears.
3. Enter the amount of time you want to insert and click OK.
Fitting to time
The Fit to Time command allows you to adjust the project’s overall length to a specified amount of time.
1. From the Edit menu, choose Fit to Time. The Fit to Time dialog appears with the current project length
displayed in the New length box.
2. Enter the new project length in the New length box. The length is always entered in time format,
regardless of the format used on the time ruler.
3. Click OK. The dialog closes and ACID adjusts the tempo to alter the project’s length.
Toolbar
Beat ruler
Time ruler
Transport bar
< or , (comma) Shifts the Chopper selection to the left by the length of the selection.
> or . (period) Shifts the Chopper selection to the right by the length of the selection.
Ctrl + Shift + , (comma) Shifts the selection left by the increment length.
Ctrl + Shift + . (period) Shifts the selection right by the increment length.
R Inserts a region.
M Inserts a marker.
O Marks the end point of a loop region. Once the endpoint is established,
the loop region becomes highlighted.
Creating selections
To create a selection, drag the mouse, or hold Shift while pressing the arrow keys. A shaded region appears
in the Chopper to indicate the current selection, and its start point, end point, and length display at the
bottom-right corner of the window in measures.beats.ticks format. You can preview the selection at any time
by clicking the Play button ( ) on the Chopper’s transport bar or pressing Space .
Increment
As you make a selection in the Chopper, a colored block appears in the track view. This block indicates
where the selection will be placed on the track view when you insert it from the Chopper.
Inserting increments
In addition to creating selections, the Chopper allows you to configure the sections of silence between
selections painted on a track. When you click the Link Arrow to Selection button ( ), ACID links the
increment arrow length with the selection length. This forces the increment and selection lengths to remain
equal, thereby allowing you to insert selections seamlessly, end-to-end, in the project.
Selection and increment length Chopper selection inserted end-to-end three times
When the Link Arrow to Selection button is toggled off, the increment arrow is displayed in black and you are
able to establish a increment length that is independent of the selection length. The increment arrow can be
set by dragging either end of the arrow or by using the increment shortcut menu.
When the increment length is greater than the length of the selection, ACID inserts an appropriate amount
of silence following the selection when you insert it in the track view. This affects the track’s insert position
and allows you to paint selections separated by the specified increment.
Increment greater than selection Selection inserted with specified increment three times
Increment less than selection Selection overlaps when inserted three times
Creating increments
1. Verify that the Link Arrow to Selection button ( ) is toggled off and the increment arrow is displayed in
black.
2. Drag the point of the arrow to configure an increment of the desired length.
Dragging selections
You can drag a Chopper selection from the Chopper to the track view. Release the mouse at the location
where you want to insert the selection.
3. In the File name box, enter a name for the new file.
4. From the Save as type box, choose a file format for the new file.
5. From the Template drop-down list, choose a template for rendering the file, or click Custom to create
custom rendering settings. For more information, see Creating custom rendering settings on page 54.
In addition, you can use effect plug-ins in the Mixer window by applying effect chains to busses or soft
synths, or by creating assignable effect chains and routing tracks to them. For more information, see Using the
Mixer on page 107.
2. Click the Edit Chain button ( ) to display the Plug-In Chooser dialog.
Chain area
3. Select the plug-ins that you want to add. There are three ways to add a plug-in to the chain:
• Double-click the plug-in.
• Drag the plug-in to the chain area.
• Select the plug-in and click the Add button.
4. Rearrange the order of plug-ins as needed by dragging plug-ins to different locations in the chain or by
selecting a plug-in and clicking the Shift Plug-In Left ( ) and Shift Plug-In Right ( ) buttons.
5. Click OK. The Plug-In Chooser dialog closes. The Audio Plug-In window displays the plug-in chain and
the settings for the plug-in last selected on the Plug-In Chooser dialog.
6. Click a specific plug-in and adjust the effect’s parameters manually, or choose one of the presets from the
drop-down list. For more information about effect parameters, click the Plug-In Help button (
Preset ) in
the Audio Plug-In window.
Once you have created custom presets for effects or effect chains, you can use the Preset Manager to back up,
transfer, or delete custom presets from any of the plug-ins you use in ACID. For more information, see Using
the Preset Manager on page 118.
1. Click the Track FX button ( ). The Audio Plug-In window appears.
2. Click the Edit Chain button ( ) to display the Plug-In Chooser dialog.
3. Add and arrange plug-ins to create a plug-in chain and click OK.
4. Click a specific plug-in and adjust the effect’s parameters manually, or choose one of the presets from the
drop-down list. For more information about effect parameters, click the Plug-In Help button (
Preset ) in
the Audio Plug-In window.
5. Click the Save Chain Preset button ( ). The Save Plug-In Package dialog appears.
Envelope line
Adjusting envelopes
To adjust the overall level of an envelope, simply drag the envelope line up or down. A tooltip displays the
amount of the adjustment as you drag. You can adjust envelopes in real time.
You can also change the level of an envelope over time by adjusting individual envelope points that you
place along the envelope line.
Flipping envelopes
You can flip an envelope to invert the envelope around its center.
1. Right-click a track that has an envelope. A shortcut menu appears.
2. From the shortcut menu, choose Flip Envelope, and choose the type of envelope to flip from the submenu.
1. Click the multipurpose slider label and choose Pan. The pan slider appears.
Once you modify the properties of a track, ACID saves the information with your project, but does not alter
the original media file. If you want, you can save your changes to the media file as well. For more information,
see Saving file properties on page 104.
If you cannot or do not wish to embed ACID information with the file, you can set the properties to suit your
needs, and they will be saved with the ACID project (but not with the file). This means, however, that you
must set the properties for every project where you use the loop. Configuring the stretching properties and
clicking the Save File button ( ) allows you to “set and forget” the properties so the properties will be set for
any project.
If you edit the file in another audio-editing program, ACID-specific data may be removed. If this occurs,
simply set the stretching properties again and click the Save File button ( ).
Item Description
Root note Choose a note from the drop-down list to set the base note for loops that you want to conform
to the project key.
If you do not want a track transposed to the project key (a track that contains a drum sample,
for example) choose Don’t transpose.
Number of beats Choose a setting from the drop-down list to specify the length of the original file. Selecting a
value that does not match the actual file causes the loop to play at a different speed. For
example, specifying a length of 8 beats for a 4-beat loop causes the loop to play at half-speed
at any given tempo.
You can misinform ACID regarding the beat length of a loop for creative ends. For more
information, see Playing double time/half time on page 175.
Stretching method Stretching properties determine how ACID performs time compression and expansion on audio
events. If you hear audio anomalies due to time compression, try editing the stretching
properties of the track.
Looping segments is the default stretching method, and it works well with most types of
material.
Choose Nonlooping segments for sustaining material such as synthesizer pads and held
notes.
Choose Pitch shift segments to shift the pitch of the track to adjust for increases or
decreases in tempo. Using this option, you can eliminate some of the problems that occur with
extreme tempo changes. For example, if you have slowed the project tempo down and hear
echo artifacts, choosing Pitch shift segments can eliminate these artifacts.
You can adjust stretching properties creatively. For more information, see Overriding
compress/expand on page 178.
Force divisions at Choose a setting from the drop-down list to adjust the resolution of beat detection. Higher
settings increase resolution and lower settings decrease resolution. Audio that contains rapid
notes—such as drum rolls—benefits from setting the divisions at a smaller fraction of a beat.
Slower-paced material, however, may actually suffer from high resolution.
Item Description
Additional transient Enter a value in the box or use the spin control to adjust the amount of extra beat detection
detection that ACID performs for the beat subdivision specified by the Force divisions at setting.
A higher percentage detects a greater number of transients. Increasing this number can be
advantageous when working with audio that has complex rhythms. Lower numbers are more
suitable for synthesizer pads and other basic material.
Setting markers
You can use the mouse to add, move, disable, and delete markers from the track’s beat ruler. The following
table briefly describes each of these actions.
Action Description
Clicking Resets all markers to their default state, but also
sets all other values on this page back to default.
Dragging a marker Moves markers on the beat ruler. Moving an auto-
detected marker ( ) causes it to become a custom
marker ( ).
Double-clicking an empty Adds a new custom marker ( ) to the beat ruler.
section of the marker ruler
Double-clicking an existing Disables the marker.
marker
Double-clicking a disabled Enables the marker and toggles it back to its default
auto-detected marker ( ) color ( ). Auto-detected markers cannot be
removed.
Double-clicking a disabled Removes the marker from the beat ruler.
custom marker ( )
Item Description
Root note Choose a note from the drop-down list to set the base note for tracks that you want to
conform to the project key.
If you do not want a track transposed to the project key, choose Don’t transpose.
Original tempo Displays the original tempo of the track as determined by the Beatmapper Wizard. Enter a
value in the box or use the spin control to adjust the tempo.
Downbeat offset Displays the location of the track's first downbeat as determined by the Beatmapper wizard.
Enter a value in the box or use the spin control to adjust the location.
Beatmapper Wizard Click the Beatmapper Wizard button to adjust a track's tempo information. For more
information, see Using the Beatmapper on page 99.
Reloading files
Clicking the Reload button ( ) restores all settings from the media file. Any setting changes made on
the Stretch tab of the Track Properties are discarded.
Clicking this button also updates the Track Properties window when changes are made to the properties from
an external editor.
Replacing files
Clicking the Replace File button ( ) displays the Replace File dialog and allows you to replace the
audio file on the current track with a new audio file. This feature only replaces the actual audio. All track
timing, effects, and envelopes remain.
After ACID mixes down the new track, it appears at the bottom of the track view. If you mixed down the
entire project, you may delete or mute the other tracks from the project, as they are all contained on the
new track.
5. Use the Draw ( ) tool to paint the waveform on the new track.
Exporting loops
From the File menu, choose Export Loops to create new loops using the original loop media files in your
ACID project.
A new loop file is created for every tempo change in the project, which can result in multiple loop files being
created from a single loop media file.
1. From the File menu, choose Export Loops. The Export Loops dialog appears.
2. From the Save in drop-down list, choose the drive or folder to which the new files will be saved.
3. From the Save as type drop-down list, choose the file format.
4. From the Template drop-down list, choose an audio format, or click Custom to create custom rendering
settings.
Using busses
Think of busses as virtual pathways where signals from multiple tracks or effects can be mixed. You can add
as many as 26 busses to the Mixer window, which provides you with a great deal of flexibility and mixing
power.
Busses are the last stage of the ACID signal flow and as such can be used to output audio signals to specific
hardware. For more information, see Routing busses to system hardware on page 108.
To route busses to hardware, you must first verify that you are using Windows Classic Wave Driver or an
ASIO driver as your audio device. Then you can choose the appropriate hardware device in the Mixer
window.
1. From the Options menu, choose Preferences and click the Audio tab.
2. From the Audio device type drop-down list, choose Windows Classic Wave Driver or an ASIO driver.
3. Click OK to close the Preferences dialog.
4. In the Mixer window, click the Playback Device Selector button ( ) on the bus you want to route.
5. Choose a hardware device from the menu that appears.
Deleting busses
Just as you can add busses to a project at any time, you can also delete superfluous busses. When you delete a
bus from a project, tracks assigned to it are reassigned to the Master bus.
Deleting a bus
Right-click the bus in the mixer and choose Delete from the shortcut menu.
3. Click OK. The Plug-In Chooser dialog closes. The Audio Plug-In window opens and displays the plug-in
chain.
4. Click a specific plug-in and adjust the effect’s parameters manually, or choose one of the presets from the
Preset drop-down list. For more information about effect parameters, click the Plug-In Help button ( ) in
the Audio Plug-In window.
2. Drag the fader to adjust the level of the track sent to the assignable effect chain.
If you set the Dry Out faders in your effect chain to -inf, you can adjust the wet/dry balance using the volume
and assignable effect settings on the multipurpose slider. The volume fader adjusts the dry signal and the
assignable effect fader controls the effect signals.
Loads an instrument preset. Choose an Loads an instrument bank. Choose an .fxb file to
.fxp file to replace the current replace the current instrument bank.
instrument preset.
Saves the current instrument settings as Saves the current instrument settings as a new
a new instrument preset. instrument bank.
If the VST instrument you want to use appears in this box, select its check box. If the VST instrument
does not appear in the box, continue with the following steps to locate the instruments for use in ACID.
3. Click the Browse button next to the Alternate VSTi search folder 1 box. The Browse for Folder dialog
appears.
Adjusting faders
You can adjust mixer control levels during playback and preview the results in real-time. In addition, the
stereo faders are split into two channels. This allows you to adjust the levels of the left and right channels
independently of one another. For more information, see Adjusting split faders in the mixer on page 51.
Assignable effect controls contain two distinct faders, each of which is split into two channels. The left fader
adjusts the level of the input signal entering the control, while the right fader adjusts the output level.
Setting levels
When signals are routed through a mixer control, the signal levels may cause the meter to clip. If the meter
clips, the level is displayed in red at the top of the meter and the audio is distorted. You can lower the mixer
control level and click the red display to reset the meter. A better way to reduce clipping, however, is to
adjust the volume of each track.
3. Click OK to close the Plug-In Chooser dialog. The Audio Plug-In window opens and displays the plug-in
chain.
4. Click a specific plug-in and adjust the effect’s parameters manually, or choose one of the presets from the
Preset drop-down list. For more information about effect parameters, click the Plug-In Help button ( ) in
the Audio Plug-In window.
Plug-in chain
You can select multiple, nonadjacent controls by holding the Ctrl key while clicking each control’s name.
You can select multiple, adjacent controls by clicking the first control and holding the Shift key while
clicking the last control in the range.
Recording in ACID
9
ACID is a loop-based audio-production tool. It is not designed for multi-track recording projects. However,
the application does allow you to record audio from your system’s sound card. This limited recording
capability makes it possible for you to record audio or MIDI from an external source and place it in your
project.
This feature actually makes ACID an excellent tool for recording song demos. You can build a backing track
of the appropriate length and tempo using a variety of loops and combine the backing track with a one-shot
vocal or guitar track that you record.
Recording audio
If you are familiar with other Sonic Foundry applications, recording in ACID should be fairly intuitive. The
following procedure briefly outlines the steps involved in recording audio.
1. Connect the audio source or MIDI device to your computer.
2. For audio recording, verify that the card is properly configured for the audio source (microphone, line
level, etc.).
3. Place the cursor in the track view at the position where recording will begin. To record multiple takes,
create a loop region instead. For more information, see Recording multiple takes on page 122.
4. Click the Record button ( ) on the transport bar. The Record dialog appears.
5. Set the desired recording properties. For more information, see Setting ACID’s recording properties on page
120.
6. Set the recording level. For more information, see Setting recording levels on page 121.
Record type
Use these radio buttons to specify the type of recording you are about to make.
File name
This box allows you to name the recorded file prior to actually recording it. If you do not specify a name,
ACID provides the default name “Record Take” and appends a unique number to identify it. ACID saves
recorded audio as a WAV file and saves MIDI as a MID file.
Record folder
This box displays the path to the folder where recorded files are stored. If you want to specify an alternate
location, click Browse and specify the new folder.
Free space
This value indicates the amount of available free space in the current record folder.
Time recorded
This value provides you with a running summary of the length and size (in megabytes) of the audio currently
being recorded.
Record from
By default, ACID begins recording at the cursor position when you click the Record button ( ). However,
you can use the Record from radio buttons to specify an alternate starting point for recording.
• Selecting the Start of project radio button configures ACID to start recording at the beginning of the
current project.
• Selecting the Position radio button allows you to enter the recording start position in measures and beats
format.
Record device
This drop-down list allows you to choose the hardware device and channel that ACID uses to record your
audio.
Monitor
Selecting this check box turns on the record meters, which display the incoming audio level for the specified
recording device.
Loop region
4. From the MIDI Thru drop-down list, choose the output device or soft synth control to use for monitoring
the incoming MIDI. This allows you to hear the MIDI input as you record.
5. In the File name box, enter a name for the recorded file.
Renaming tracks
1. Double-click a track name and type a new name.
2. Press Enter to rename the track.
Velocity
Previewing MIDI
You can preview the entire MIDI file, a loop selection, or single notes using the piano roll editor.
Previewing notes
Before you paint a note, you can click a key on the keyboard to preview its sound. You can also preview notes
as you draw, paint, or select them.
1. Select the Enable Real-Time MIDI button ( ) at the top of the Track Properties window.
2. In the piano roll editor, click the Monitor button ( ) to turn on the note monitor.
You can choose to hear the notes as you add them. For more information, see Previewing notes on page 127.
Changing pitch
With the Draw tool selected, drag a note event to a new row.
Changing length
With the Draw tool selected, drag the edge of a note event to a new location.
Changing velocity
With the Draw tool selected, drag the top of a velocity bar up or down to change the note-on velocity value.
You can also drag across multiple bars to change their values at the same time.
To enter a specific velocity value, right-click a note event, choose Velocity from the shortcut menu, and
choose the appropriate command from the submenu.
Command Description
Set to Maximum Sets the velocity to 127.
Set to Default Sets the velocity to 64.
Set to Minimum Sets the velocity to 0.
Set to... Allows you to enter a custom velocity
value.
Saving MIDI
When you create or edit MIDI in the piano roll editor, ACID saves the MIDI information in the project, but
does not save the information to a MIDI file. You can save the MIDI information to a MIDI file by clicking
the Save File button ( ). For more information, see Saving, reloading, or replacing MIDI files on page 138.
Toolbar
Events
Previewing MIDI
You can preview individual events or the MIDI file as a whole within the list editor.
Previewing events
You can preview individual note events within the MIDI file.
1. Select the Enable Real-Time MIDI button ( ) at the top of the Track Properties window.
2. In the list editor, click the Monitor button ( ) to turn on the event monitor.
3. Click anywhere in an event row to play the event.
2. Select the check box for an event type to hide that type, or clear the check box to display that event type.
3. Click OK. The list is filtered according to the criteria you selected.
Editing events
Once you have located a particular event, you can edit the parameters of the event as needed.
1. Click in the event row you want to edit.
2. Click the Edit Event button ( ). The Edit MIDI Event dialog appears.
3. Edit the values in the dialog. For more information, see Event parameters on page 132.
4. Click OK. The event updates to the new values.
Event parameters
The table below describes the editable event parameters for different event types.
Pitch MIDI Key Frequency Pitch MIDI Key Frequency Pitch MIDI Key Frequency
C 0 0 8.176 G 3 43 97.998 D 7 86 1174.7
C#-0 1 8.662 G#3 44 103.82 D#7 87 1244.5
D 0 2 9.177 A 3 45 110.00 E 7 88 1318.5
D#0 3 9.723 A#3 46 116.54 F 7 89 1396.9
E 0 4 10.301 B 3 47 123.47 F# 7 90 1480.0
F 0 5 10.913 C 4 48 130.81 G 7 91 1568.0
F# 0 6 11.562 C#4 49 138.59 G#7 92 1661.2
G 0 7 12.250 D 4 50 146.83 A 7 93 1760.0
G#0 8 12.978 D#4 51 155.56 A#7 94 1864.7
A 0 9 13.750 E 4 52 164.81 B 7 95 1975.5
A#0 10 14.568 F 4 53 174.61 C 8 96 2093.0
B 0 11 15.434 F# 4 54 184.99 C#8 97 2217.5
C 1 12 16.352 G 4 55 195.99 D 8 98 2349.3
C#1 13 17.324 G#4 56 207.65 D#8 99 2489.0
D 1 14 18.354 A 4 57 220.00 E 8 100 2637.0
D#1 15 19.445 A#4 58 233.08 F 8 101 2793.8
E 1 16 20.601 B 4 59 246.94 F# 8 102 2960.0
F 1 17 21.826 C 5 60 261.63 G 8 103 3136.0
F# 1 18 23.124 C#5 61 277.18 G#8 104 3322.4
G 1 19 24.499 D 5 62 293.66 A 8 105 3520.0
G#1 20 25.956 D#5 63 311.13 A#8 106 3729.3
A 1 21 27.500 E 5 64 329.63 B 8 107 3951.1
A#1 22 29.135 F 5 65 349.23 C 9 108 4186.0
B 1 23 30.867 F# 5 66 369.99 C#9 109 4434.9
C 2 24 32.703 G 5 67 391.99 D 9 110 4698.6
C#2 25 34.648 G#5 68 415.31 D#9 111 4978.0
D 2 26 36.708 A 5 69 440.00 E 9 112 5274.0
D#2 27 38.890 A#5 70 466.16 F 9 113 5587.7
E 2 28 41.203 B 5 71 439.88 F# 9 114 5919.9
F 2 29 43.653 C 6 72 523.25 G 9 115 6271.9
F# 2 30 46.249 C#6 73 554.37 G#9 116 6644.9
G 2 31 48.999 D 6 74 587.33 A 9 117 7040.0
G#2 32 51.913 D#6 75 622.25 A#9 118 7458.6
A 2 33 55.000 E 6 76 659.26 B 9 119 7902.1
A#2 34 58.270 F 6 77 698.46 C 10 120 8372.0
B 2 35 61.735 F# 6 78 739.99 C#10 121 8869.8
C 3 36 65.406 G 6 79 783.99 D 10 122 9397.3
C#3 37 69.295 G#6 80 830.61 D#10 123 9956.1
D 3 38 73.416 A 6 81 880.00 E 10 124 10548.1
D#3 39 77.781 A#6 82 932.32 F 10 125 11175.3
E 3 40 82.406 B 6 83 987.77 F# 10 126 11839.8
F 3 41 87.307 C 7 84 1046.5 G 10 127 12543.9
F# 3 42 92.499 C#7 85 1108.7
Creating events
In addition to editing existing events, you can also create new events.
1. Click the Insert Event button ( ). The Insert MIDI Event dialog appears.
2. Choose a track from the Track drop-down list.
3. Choose an event type from the Event type drop-down list.
4. Enter a start time in the Start time box.
5. Enter values for the remaining event parameters.
6. Click Insert. The new event is inserted at the designated start time.
4. Choose the total duration from the start of one note to the start of the next from the Step size drop-down
list.
6. Input the MIDI using an external device, or specify settings for each note you want to record:
• In the Start time box, enter the point at which you want to start recording.
• Select the Auto advance on insert and record check box if you want to automatically increase the Start time
setting by the current step size each time you click Insert or play a note on a MIDI input device. Clear
the check box to adjust the Start time manually (when creating chords, for example).
• In the Channel box, enter the MIDI channel you want to play the note.
• In the Note box, enter the note you want to play. You can enter the note as a numeric value (69) or as a
pitch (A5).
• In the On velocity box, specify the speed of the note's attack (0-127). Low values produce a soft attack;
high values produce a strong attack.
• In the Off velocity box, specify the speed of the note's release (0-127). Low values produce a soft release;
high values produce a staccato release.
• In the Duration box, specify the length of the note's sustain in measures.beats.ticks.
• Click Insert to record the note.
7. Repeat step six as needed to record each note.
8. Click Add to add the notes to the MIDI and continue step recording, or click OK to close the MIDI Step
Recording dialog and add the notes to the MIDI in the list editor.
Quantizing events
You can use the MIDI Quantize dialog to force events to align with musical beats based on the parameters
you specify.
1. To quantize only specific events, select the events you want to quantize.
3. From the Quantize resolution drop-down list, choose the beat to which you want the selected events to be
quantized.
4. Choose the appropriate options for quantizing:
• Select the Start times check box to snap event start times to the beat selected in the Quantize resolution
drop-down list.
Deleting events
Click an event row and click the Delete button ( ).
Saving MIDI
When you create or edit MIDI in the list editor, ACID saves the MIDI information in the project, but does
not save the information to a MIDI file. You can save the MIDI information to a MIDI file by clicking the
Save File button ( ). For more information, see Saving, reloading, or replacing MIDI files on page 138.
1. Double-click the MIDI icon ( ) on the track header to open the Track Properties window.
2. Click the MIDI Editors button ( ). The OPT MIDI Editor Plug-In Chooser dialog appears.
3. Choose a MIDI editor plug-in in the Available editor plug-ins pane and click the Add button to add it to the
Connected editor plug-ins pane.
4. Click OK. The new plug-in appears as a tab in the Track Properties window.
You also have the option of reloading the original (unmodified) MIDI file or replacing the MIDI file with
another file. For more information, see Reloading files on page 104 and Replacing files on page 104.
Volume and pan changes made in the General tab of the Track Properties window are not saved to the file
when you click the Save File button. The MIDI file retains its original volume and pan settings; however, the
volume and pan changes made in the General tab are retained in the ACID project file. This means that
when you reload a MIDI file, the volume and pan changes are not reset but are retained. For more
information, see Changing track volume and pan on page 125.
1. Click the Device Selection button ( ). A menu displays available MIDI devices and soft synth controls.
• If a soft synth for a particular DLS set or VST instrument does not appear in the menu, choose Insert Soft
Synth to add a soft synth control to the project and route it to a DLS set or VST instrument. For more
information, see Adding soft synth controls to projects on page 111.
• If a MIDI device does not appear in the menu, choose External MIDI Device Preferences to make MIDI
devices available on the MIDI tab of the Preferences dialog. For more information, see Using the MIDI tab
on page 169.
6. Click OK.
1. In the Mixer window, double-click the soft synth icon on a control ( ). The Soft Synth Properties
window appears.
2. Click the External MIDI Input Port button ( ) and select the MIDI input device from the menu.
ACID begins generating MTC wherever you click the Play button ( ).
Managing video
ACID makes it easy to add video to a project and work with the video track.
Toolbar buttons
Shortcut menu
Background
Status bar
Button Description
Copies the current frame to the Windows
clipboard.
Sends the preview to an external
monitor.
Item Description
Copy Frame Copies the current frame to the Windows clipboard.
Default Background Sets the background color of the Video window to the default color.
Black Background Sets the background color of the Video window to black.
White Background Sets the background color of the Video window to white.
External Monitor Sends the preview to an external monitor.
Display Square Pixels Compensates for any spatial distortions due to non-square pixel aspect ratios.
Display at Media Size Displays video at the native resolution, clipping if necessary.
Show Toolbar Toggles the display of the Video window toolbar.
Show Status Bar Toggles the display of the Video window status bar.
7. Place the cursor at the point to which you want to synchronize your time marker. For example, you might
want the frame that you marked in step six to coincide with a downbeat.
8. Right-click the time marker and select Adjust Tempo to Match Marker to Cursor from the shortcut menu.
The new tempo appears in the track list.
9. Press T to insert a tempo change marker. ACID detects the adjusted tempo and inserts it in the tempo
marker’s box. The tempo change marker preserves synchronization between the time marker and location
on the beat ruler as you perform editing further down the timeline. For more information, see Adding tempo/
key/time signature change markers on page 78.
10.Repeat steps six through nine to synchronize the rest of your video.
ACID allows you to create 5.1-channel mixes to wrap a listener in your remixes or prepare audio for cinema,
DVD-Video, DVD-Audio, or DTS 5.1 Music projects.
5.1 surround includes five main channels... ...and a sixth channel for low frequency effects.
Left Right
Surround Surround
The LFE channel is commonly used in motion pictures to enhance low audio frequencies for effects such as
explosions or crashes. Audio in this channel is commonly limited to a range from about 25 Hz to 120 Hz.
Unlike the five primary channels, the LFE channel adds no directional information. Depending on the
speaker setup and audio levels, the sound assigned to the LFE channel may be routed among the five main
speakers or to an additional subwoofer.
Your system must also have an appropriate sound card setup such as:
• 5.1-compatible sound card
• Sound card with three stereo outputs
• Three stereo sound cards
There are several ways to set up your system, depending on the sound card and speaker setup you are using.
5. Click OK.
Surround
panner
Track routed
to LFE
Track routed
to Bus
MIDI track
routed to
soft synth
To change a track or mixer control back to surround panning, right-click the LFE indicator and choose
Surround Pan from the shortcut menu.
Panning audio
You can pan audio in a 5.1 surround project in two ways:
• Pan tracks individually using the Surround Panner window.
• Route tracks to mixer controls (busses, assignable effect chains, or soft synths) and pan the mixer controls
using the Surround Panner window.
Panning tracks
1. Double-click the surround panner on the track you wish to pan. The Surround Panner window appears.
Double-click to display
the Surround
Panner window
2. Adjust the panning settings. For more information, see Using the Surround Panner window on page 152.
3. Close the Surround Panner window.
1. Add a mixer control to the project. For more information, see Using the Mixer on page 107.
2. Route tracks to the mixer control. For more information, see Using the Mixer on page 107.
3. Double-click the surround panner on the mixer control to display the Surround Panner window.
Double-click to display
the Surround
Panner window
Pan point
= Muted channel
2. Drag the pan point to position the sound within the sound field. For more information, see Moving the pan
point on page 153.
3. Click the center speaker icon to include the center channel and drag the Center fader to apply a gain to
the center channel.
Applying a gain to the center channel may make dialogue more present in the mix.
4. Drag the Smoothness slider to adjust the smoothness of the interpolation path between panning
keyframes. The smoothness setting appears only when you are automating panning using keyframes. For
more information, see Adjusting the Smoothness slider on page 156.
Method Description
Click to toggle through three options for constraining pan point motion as
you drag: Move Freely ( ), Move Left/Right Only ( ), and Move
Front/Back Only ( ).
Double-click Double-clicking the pan point resets it to the center front of the surround
panner.
Double-clicking in the Surround Panner window moves the pan point to
the double-click location.
Ctrl+drag Makes fine adjustments.
Shift+drag Constrains motion to vertical, horizontal, or diagonal motion at 45 degree
increments.
Alt+drag Constrains motion to a constant radius from the center of the surround
panner.
Shift+Alt+drag Constrains motion to the maximally inscribed circle (a constant radius at
the greatest possible distance from the center of the surround panner).
Arrow keys Moves front/back/left/right.
Ctrl+Arrow keys Makes fine adjustments.
Page Up/Page Down Moves front/back.
Shift+Page Up/Page Down Moves left/right.
Numeric keypad 1-9 Jumps to a corner, edge, or center of the surround panner.
Ctrl+Numeric keypad 1,3,7, 9 Jumps to a location on the maximally inscribed circle (a constant radius at
the greatest possible distance from the center of the surround panner).
Mouse wheel Moves front/back.
Shift+mouse wheel Moves left/right.
Ctrl+mouse wheel Makes fine front/back adjustments.
Ctrl+Shift+mouse wheel Makes fine left/right adjustments.
Automating panning
You can automate panning on a track or mixer control by adding keyframes. Keyframes are similar to
envelope points in that they mark specific locations in the track where settings change. However, unlike
envelope points, keyframes appears just below the track to which they apply.
To add panning keyframes to a mixer control, you must first view the mixer control in track view. From the
View menu, choose Show Bus Tracks to view the bus track at the bottom of the track view. For more
information, see Viewing bus tracks on page 118.
Keyframe
New keyframe
As you add keyframes to a track or bus track, the Surround Panner window shows the path of the panning
keyframes. The Smoothness slider controls the smoothness of the interpolation path between the
keyframes. For more information, see Adjusting the Smoothness slider on page 156.
The Surround Panner window shows the path of the panning keyframes.
Moving keyframes
Drag a keyframe to a new position below its track.
Duplicating keyframes
Hold Ctrl and drag a keyframe to a new position below its track.
Hiding keyframes
1. Select the track for which you want to hide keyframes.
2. From the View menu, choose Show Envelopes, and choose Surround Pan Keyframes from the submenu.
Deleting keyframes
Right-click a keyframe and choose Delete from the shortcut menu.
1. From the File menu, choose Render As. The Render As dialog appears.
2. From the Save in drop-down list, choose the drive and folder where the file will be saved.
3. Enter a new name for the project in the File name box.
4. From the Save as type drop-down list, choose the desired file format (AIFF or WAV). If you have the
Sonic Foundry AC-3 Encoder, you can choose AC-3 from the list as well.
5. If necessary, click Custom to customize the rendering settings. For more information, see Creating custom
rendering settings on page 54.
6. Click Save.
Rendering the surround project SampleProject.wav... ...results in six WAV files.
Customizing ACID
A
You can customize ACID to suit your project needs and working preferences. You may change these settings
at any time. If you use the same settings for all of your projects, you may set ACID to use your settings as
defaults.
In this chapter, you will find information about functions that allow you to customize ACID and set the
application’s preferences.
Tabs
Docking windows
1. If the window is floating on the workspace, grab the window by its title bar and drag it below the track
view. As you drag the window, the window’s outline appears.
2. Position the window’s outline in the docking area where you want it and release the mouse.
Floating windows
You may float a window so that it does not appear in the docking
area.
Handle
1. Grab the window by its handle (the border along the left side) and
drag the window to the workspace. As you drag the window, the
window’s outline appears.
2. Position the window anywhere in the workspace and release the
mouse. You can move the floating window by dragging it to a new
position or docking it again.
2. On the Current toolbar buttons pane, select the button that you want to move and click Move Up or Move
Down.
3. Click Close to save the toolbar changes and close the dialog.
4. Click Add. The new button is added above the selected button on the Current toolbar buttons pane.
5. Click Close to save the toolbar settings and close the dialog.
4. Click Close to save the toolbar settings and exit the dialog.
Once you make your selection from the shortcut menu, a box appears for the appropriate time display. Enter
the cursor’s new position and press Enter .
Within ACID, the time display settings work in conjunction with your project’s properties and MIDI setup
options.
1. Right-click the time display window to display a shortcut menu.
2. From the shortcut menu, choose the type of MIDI monitoring for ACID to display.
Once you have made your selection, the time display window displays both the MIDI code being input or
output and a status message.
4. Click OK.
Item Description
Automatically open last project on Select this check box if you want ACID to reopen the project that was open the last
startup time ACID was closed. When you clear this check box, ACID starts with a blank
project.
Show logo splash screen on startup Select this box if you want the ACID logo splash screen to display when ACID starts.
Use Net Notify to stay informed When you select this check box, ACID periodically displays information from Sonic
about Sonic Foundry products Foundry at startup. Clear the check box to bypass the Net Notify dialog.
Draw contents of events Select this check box if you want ACID to draw waveforms in events. Clearing the
check box can improve performance on some systems.
Create undos for FX parameter Select this check box if you want ACID to create Undos when you change a plug-in
changes parameter.
Confirm media file deletion when When you select this check box, a message box appears asking if you want to delete a
still in use media file that is currently in use by the project.
Close media files when ACID is not When you select this check box, you can edit files in external editors while the files
the active application are contained in events in ACID.
Close audio and MIDI ports when Select this check box if you want ACID to close audio and MIDI ports when you
ACID is not the active application switch to another application.
Clear the check box if you want to leave ports open. For example, if you have a MIDI
keyboard routed to a soft synth in ACID, clearing the check box allows you to
continue to hear the soft synth while you work with a sequencer.
Enable multimedia keyboard When you select this check box, you can use a multimedia keyboard to control
support playback of a project.
Automatically render large Wave The WAV format is limited by a maximum file size of ~2GB. When you select this
files as Wave64 check box, you can render larger files as Sonic Foundry Wave64 files.
Prompt for region and marker When you select this check box, a box appears so you can name markers and regions
names if not playing as you place them.
Item Description
Create project file backups on save When you select this check box, ACID makes a backup of project files when you open
(.acd-bak) them. Backup files are stored in the same folder as your project and use the same file
name with the extension .acd.bak. You can use backup project files to revert to a
project’s previous state.
Preserve pitch for new Beatmapped Select the check box if you want ACID to maintain the pitch of Beatmapped tracks
tracks when tempo changes when the project tempo changes.
Automatically start the Beatmapper Select the check box if you want ACID to start the Beatmapper Wizard when you add
Wizard for long files a file that is longer than 30 seconds to your project.
Use slower updates to prevent Select this check box if you want ACID to update the audio engine more slowly.
playback clicks during editing Selecting this option can prevent unwanted artifacts during timeline editing.
Enable autosave Select this check box to create a temporary project file that can aid in crash recovery.
ACID autosaves your project information every five minutes without overwriting
your project file.
Allow floating windows to dock Select this check box if you want to allow floating windows (such as the Explorer and
Chopper) to dock in the window docking area. You can press the Ctrl key while
dragging a window to prevent a window from docking.
Clear the check box if you want to prevent windows from docking. You can press the
Ctrl key while dragging a window to allow a window to dock.
Use ASPI for CD burning and Select this check box if you want ACID to use ASPI (Advanced SCSI Programming
ripping Interface) when burning and ripping CDs. ASPI enables host adapters and device
drivers to share a single SCSI hardware interface.
Use SPTI for CD burning Select this check box if you want ACID to use SPTI (SCSI Pass-Through Interface) to
communicate with your CD burning drive.
Autoname extracted CD tracks Select this check box if you want ACID to automatically assign file names to tracks
that you extract from CDs.
File names include the CD's ID number and track number.
Autoname new MIDI tracks Select this check box if you want ACID to automatically name and save new MIDI files
as you create them. ACID names the file New MIDI track X and saves it to the
recorded files folder designated in the Record dialog.
When this check box is cleared, ACID prompts you to specify a name and location for
each new MIDI file as you add it to your project.
Recently used project list Select the check box and enter a number in the box if you want ACID to list your
most recently used projects at the bottom of the File menu.
Temporary files folder Displays the folder where ACID stores temporary files. Click Browse to specify a
new folder.
When you add a media file to a project from a removable device, ACID stores a copy
of the media file in a temporary files folder. This keeps the media file available for
use even if the source of the media is no longer accessible.
Be aware that this folder is cleared when you close ACID. However, the temporary
files are not cleared if ACID closes inappropriately.
Free storage space in selected folder This value displays the amount of space available in the folder specified in the
Temporary files folder box.
Default All Restores all general preferences to the default settings.
Item Description
Audio device type Choose a driver type from the drop-down list. The Microsoft Sound Mapper is the
default setting. If you want to activate specific sound cards, choose Windows
Classic Wave Driver or an ASIO driver and choose a device from the Default
Stereo and Front playback device drop-down list.
Item Description
Audio devices This list displays all of the audio devices that are installed in your computer. Selecting
a device allows you to set the options for that device.
Interpolate position When you select this check box, ACID attempts to compensate for inaccurate devices
by interpolating the playback or recording position. If you notice that your playback
cursor is offset from what you are hearing, select this option for the playback device.
Position bias If the position of playback or record does not match what you hear after you enable
Interpolate position, you can attempt to compensate using the Position bias
slider. Moving this slider offsets the position forward or backward to compensate for
the inaccuracies of the device.
Do not pre-roll buffers before When you select this check box, ACID does not create buffers prior to starting
starting playback playback. Some devices do not behave properly if you clear this check box. If your
audio stutters when you start playback, try selecting this option.
Item Description
Make these devices available for In the Port column, select the MIDI devices that you want to be available for track
MIDI track playback and Generate playback (pg. 138) and generating MIDI clock (pg. 141).
MIDI Clock In the MIDI Thru column, right-click an entry and choose a MIDI device from which
the device selected in the Port column will accept incoming MIDI.
Make these devices available for In the Port column, select the MIDI devices from which you will accept incoming
MIDI input MIDI data for MIDI recording (pg. 123), step recording in the list editor (pg. 135),
or controlling a soft synth (pg. 139).
In the MIDI Thru column, right-click an entry and choose a MIDI device to which the
device selected in the Port column will send MIDI output. You can choose more than
one device to accept MIDI output.
Default All Restores all MIDI preferences to the default settings.
Item Description
Show source frame numbers on Choose a setting from the drop-down list to change the format used to display frame
video thumbnails as numbers in the video track, or choose None to turn off frame numbering.
External monitor device Choose a DV output device from the drop-down list. This is the interface to which
your video device is connected.
Details Displays information about the device selected in the External monitor device
drop-down list.
If project format is invalid for DV If your source media does not conform to DV standards, choose a setting from the
output, conform to the following drop-down list. ACID adjusts the video to display properly on your external monitor.
Sync offset (frames) If your audio is not synchronized with your external monitor, you can configure an
offset for your hardware. Drag the slider to synchronize audio and video.
This setting affects synchronization for previewing on an external monitor. Audio and
video synchronization in your ACID project is unaffected.
Default All Restores all video preferences to the default settings.
Item Description
Project tempo range Use the up and down arrows or enter a value in the boxes to specify the minimum
and maximum tempo available in the ACID project. Changing this option affects the
resolution of the Project Tempo slider.
Editing Application X Enter the name of each editor you want to display in the track list shortcut menu.
Right-click a track in the track list and choose Edit in [editor name] to edit the
media file associated with a track.
You can specify any editing tool you want to use; however, this feature was designed
for use with destructive audio/MIDI editors.
Browse Click Browse and select the .exe file for each editor you want to have available in
the track list shortcut menu.
Name Enter the name that you want to use to identify each editor. The name is displayed in
the track list shortcut menu and the Tools menu.
Clear Removes the specified editor from the Editing tab.
Check for Sonic Foundry editors When you select this check box, ACID automatically searches for available Sonic
Foundry editors on your computer. If ACID locates one, it appears as an available
editor in the Editing Application X box.
Default All Restores all editing preferences to the default settings.
MTC Input
Free-wheel for timecode loss Select this check box if you want ACID to continue to play if timecode is lost.
Enabling this option can compensate for infrequent losses in timecode. If you
frequently lose timecode, you should perform troubleshooting to determine the
cause of the problem.
Free-wheel slack time Use the up and down arrows or enter a value in the box to specify the amount of
time that timecode can be lost before the free-wheel playback time starts. A longer
time is more tolerant of breaks in the incoming timecode.
Free-wheel playback time Use the up and down arrows or enter a value in the box to specify the amount of
time that ACID plays back after the free-wheel slack time has been exceeded.
MTC Input
Synchronization delay time Use the up and down arrows or enter a value in the box to specify the amount of
time it takes for ACID to synchronize itself to incoming timecode.
On slower computers, this time should be set to approximately two seconds. On
faster computers, it may be set lower.
Setting this value too low can sometimes result in audible pitch shifting at the start of
playback.
Offset adjust If ACID is consistently behind or ahead of your MTC generator, enter a value in the
box to adjust a synchronization offset with quarter-frame accuracy.
If ACID is behind, set this value to a negative number. A setting of - 4 is a common
offset.
If ACID is ahead, set this value to a positive number. A setting of +4 is a common
offset, although it is rare that ACID will sync ahead.
MTC Output
Full-frame message generation Select a radio button to determine when ACID sends full-frame timecode messages
while Generate MIDI Timecode is active. Full-frame messages are used by some
external synchronizable audio devices to seek to a proper location prior to actually
starting synchronization. Tape-based recorders especially benefit from seeking to
full-frame messages because of the time it takes to move the transport to the proper
location. However, full-frame messages are ignored by some devices, and may
actually cause unexpected behavior in other devices.
Refer to your hardware documentation to find out if your hardware supports full-
frame messages.
MIDI Clock Output
Send Start instead of Continue Select this check box if you want ACID to send a Start command rather than a
when beginning playback Continue command when Generate MIDI Clock is activated.
When the check box is cleared, ACID sends a Continue command, as this type of
command allows the chasing device to start from a specific time. However, some
older sequencers that support MIDI Clock chase do not support the Continue
command and must start playback from the beginning every time.
Song Position Pointer generation Select a radio button to determine when ACID sends Song Position Pointer messages
while Generate MIDI Clock is active.
Song Position Pointer messages are used by MIDI applications and devices to seek to
a proper location prior to starting synchronization.
Item Description
Envelope color preference Select an envelope from the drop-down list in order to customize the envelope’s
color. Choose Default to accept the standard envelope color, or choose Custom and
use the Red, Green, and Blue sliders to create a custom color.
Enable multiple-selection preview in Select this check box if you want to preview multiple selected files in the Explorer.
Explorer window Enter values in the Number of times to repeat each Loop, Seconds of each
One-Shot to play, and Number of Beatmapped measures to play boxes to
specify how ACID previews different file types.
1. Right-click a track and choose Duplicate Track from the shortcut menu. ACID adds a copy of the track to
the track list.
2. Hold while dragging the waveform of the duplicate track. Notice that the waveform moves within the
Alt
event, which retains its size and position on the timeline.
3. Experiment with different offsets between the duplicate tracks.
Pan the track hard left... ...match the assignable effect ...and set the assignable effect send to
send level to the track volume... Pre Volume.
Overriding compress/expand
One of the most powerful features of ACID is its ability to compress or expand a loop while maintaining the
loop’s original pitch. However, you can override this feature in order to produce specific effects in your
projects.
1. Right-click a track in the track list to view the track’s Track Properties window.
2. Click the Stretch tab.
3. From the Stretching method drop-down list, choose Pitch shift segments. The track’s pitch will change in
relation to the tempo of the project.
While this may seem like just a way of producing old school effects, it actually has practical applications as
well. For example, specifying Pitch shift segments can actually improve the fidelity of drum loops recorded at
a tempo near the project tempo. In addition, overriding the compress/expand feature allows you to create
great bass grooves by slowing drum loops.
5. Complete the information in the Chop to New Track dialog and click Save.
ACID saves the selection and adds the file as a 3/4 loop to a new track in the project. For more
information, see Saving Chopper selections as new files on page 86.
Building scales
Though it is well outside the intended scope of the application, you can use ACID to build unique scales
from audio loops. To do this, you must first isolate a note and determine what pitch it is. You can easily do
this using Sound Forge’s Spectrum Analysis tool. Once you isolate and identify the note, choose Save As
from the File menu in Sound Forge to save the note as a new WAV file with a unique name. Finally, add the
file to the ACID project and use pitch shifting to create all remaining notes in the scale.
Glossary
C
The glossary contains terms and their definitions that you may come across in the manual. This glossary not
only includes terms associated with ACID, but also includes relevant industry terms.
.acd-zip An ACID project file that contains all information regarding the project
including track layout, envelope settings, and effects parameters. In addition, all
audio files used in the project are embedded into the project file.
Activation Code This number is based on the Computer ID number of the computer on which
ACID is installed. Each computer has a unique number, similar to a license plate.
When you register ACID, Sonic Foundry generates an activation code for you
based on the Computer ID number. Once you enter the activation code, ACID
will not time out. Since the activation number is based on the Computer ID, it is
important that you have ACID installed on the computer where you will be
using it.
Adaptive Delta Pulse A method of compressing audio data. Although the theory for compression using
Code Modulation ADPCM is standard, there are many different algorithms employed. For example,
(ADPCM) Microsoft's ADPCM algorithm is not compatible with the International
Multimedia Association's (IMA) approved ADPCM.
Aliasing A type of distortion that occurs when digitally recording high frequencies with a
low sample rate. For example, in a motion picture, when a car's wheels appear to
slowly spin backward while the car is quickly moving forward, you are seeing the
effects of aliasing. Similarly, when you try to record a frequency greater than one
half of the sampling rate (the Nyquist Frequency), instead of hearing a high
pitch, you may hear a low-frequency rumble.
To prevent aliasing, an anti-aliasing filter is used to remove high-frequencies
before recording. Once the sound has been recorded, aliasing distortion is
impossible to remove without also removing other frequencies from the sound.
This same anti-aliasing filter must be applied when resampling to a lower sample
rate.
Attack The attack of a sound is the initial portion of the sound. Percussive sounds
(drums, piano, guitar plucks) are said to have a fast attack. This means that the
sound reaches its maximum amplitude in a very short time. Sounds that slowly
swell up in volume (soft strings and wind sounds) are said to have a slow attack.
Audio Compression The Audio Compression Manager from Microsoft is a standard interface for audio
Manager (ACM) compression and signal processing for Windows. The ACM can be used by
Windows programs to compress and decompress WAV files.
APPENDIX C GLOSSARY
184
Bandwidth When discussing audio equalization, each frequency band has a width associated
with it that determines the range of frequencies that are affected by the EQ. An
EQ band with a wide bandwidth affects a wider range of frequencies than one
with a narrow bandwidth.
When discussing network connections, refers to the rate of signals transmitted;
the amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time (stated in
bits/second): a 56 Kbps network connection is capable of receiving 56,000 bits of
data per second.
Beatmapped track A file that has tempo information added to it as a result of going through the
Beatmapper Wizard.
Beats Per Minute The tempo of a piece of music can be written as a number of beats in one minute.
(BPM) If the tempo is 60 BPM, a single beat occurs once every second.
Bit The most elementary unit in digital systems. Its value can only be 1 or 0,
corresponding to a voltage in an electronic circuit. Bits are used to represent
values in the binary numbering system. As an example, the 8-bit binary number
10011010 represents the unsigned value of 154 in the decimal system. In digital
sampling, a binary number is used to store individual sound levels, called samples.
Bit Depth The number of bits used to represent a single sample. For example, 8- or 16-bit
are common sample sizes. While 8-bit samples take up less memory (and hard
disk space), they are inherently noisier than 16-bit samples.
Bus A virtual pathway where signals from tracks and effects are mixed. A bus's output
can be a physical audio device in the computer from which the signal is heard.
Byte Refers to a set of 8 bits. An 8-bit sample requires one byte of memory to store,
while a 16-bit sample takes two bytes of memory to store.
Clipboard The clipboard is the location where data cut or copied from ACID is stored. You
can then paste the data back into ACID at a different location.
Clipping Occurs when the amplitude of a sound is above the maximum allowed recording
level. In digital systems, clipping is seen as a clamping of the data to a maximum
value, such as 32,767 in 16-bit data. Clipping causes sound to distort.
Codec Coder/decoder: refers to any technology for compressing and decompressing data.
The term codec can refer to software, hardware, or a combination of both
technologies.
Compression Ratio A compression ratio controls the ratio of input to output levels above a specific
(audio) threshold. This ratio determines how much a signal has to rise above the
threshold for every 1 dB of increase in the output. For example, with a ratio of
3:1, the input level must increase by three decibels to produce a one-decibel
output-level increase:
• Threshold = -10 dB
• Compression Ratio = 3:1
• Input = -7 dB
• Output = -9 dB
Because the input is 3 dB louder than the threshold and the compression ratio is
3:1, the resulting signal is 1 dB louder than the threshold.
GLOSSARY APPENDIX C
185
Compression Ratio The ratio of the size of the original noncompressed file to the compressed
(file size) contents. For example, a 3:1 compression ratio means that the compressed file is
one-third the size of the original.
Computer ID Each computer has a unique number, similar to a license plate. Sonic Foundry
creates an activation number for ACID based on that number. Since the
activation number is based on the Computer ID, it is important that you have
ACID installed on the computer where you will be using it. The Computer ID is
automatically detected and provided to you when you install ACID.
The Computer ID is used for registration purposes only. It doesn't give Sonic
Foundry access to any personal information and can't be used for any purpose
other than for generating a unique activation number for you to use ACID.
Crossfade Mixing two pieces of audio by fading one out as the other fades in.
DC Offset DC offset occurs when hardware, such as a sound card, adds DC current to a
recorded audio signal. This current results in a recorded wave that is not centered
around the zero baseline. Glitches and other unexpected results can occur when
sound effects are applied to files that contain DC offsets.
Decibel (dB) A unit used to represent a ratio between two numbers using a logarithmic scale.
For example, when comparing the numbers 14 and 7, you could say 14 is two
times greater than the number 7; or you could say 14 is 6 dB greater than the
number 7. Where did we pull that 6 dB from? Engineers use the equation dB = 20
x log (V1/V2) when comparing two instantaneous values. Decibels are
commonly used when dealing with sound because the ear perceives loudness in a
logarithmic scale.
In ACID, most measurements are given in decibels. For example, if you want to
double the amplitude of a sound, you apply a 6 dB gain. A sample value of 32,767
(maximum positive sample value for 16-bit sound) can be referred to as having a
value of 0 dB. Likewise, a sample value of 16,384 can be referred to having a
value of -6 dB.
Device Driver A program that enables Windows to connect different hardware and software.
For example, a sound card device driver is used by Windows software to control
sound card recording and playback.
Digital Rights A system for delivering songs, videos, and other media over the Internet in a file
Management (DRM) format that protects copyrighted material. Current proposals include some form
of certificates that validate copyright ownership and restrict unauthorized
redistribution.
Digital Signal A general term describing anything that alters digital data. Signal processors
Processing (DSP) have existed for a very long time (tone controls, distortion boxes, wah-wah
pedals) in the analog (electrical) domain. Digital Signal Processors alter the data
after it has been digitized by using a combination of programming and
mathematical techniques. DSP techniques are used to perform many effects such
as equalization and reverb simulation.
Since most DSP is performed with simple arithmetic operations (additions and
multiplications), both your computer's processor and specialized DSP chips can
be used to perform any DSP operation. The difference is that DSP chips are
optimized specifically for mathematical functions while your computer's
microprocessor is not. This results in a difference in processing speed.
Downbeat This term is used in the Beatmapper to refer to the first beat of the first measure.
Downloadable A DLS file stores a custom sound set that you can load into your soft synth,
Sound (DLS) giving you another set of voices for MIDI playback.
APPENDIX C GLOSSARY
186
Drag and Drop A quick way to perform certain operations using the mouse. To drag and drop,
you click and hold an item, drag it (hold the left mouse button down and move
the mouse) and drop it (let go of the mouse button) at another position on the
screen.
Dynamic Range The difference between the maximum and minimum signal levels. It can refer to
a musical performance (high-volume vs. low-volume signals) or to electrical
equipment (peak level before distortion vs. noise floor). For example, orchestral
music has a wide dynamic range, while thrash metal has a very small (always
loud) range.
Envelopes Envelopes allow you to automate the change of a certain parameter over time. In
the case of volume, you can create a fade out (which requires a change over time)
by adding an envelope and creating a point in the line to indicate where the fade
starts. Then you pull the end point of the envelope down to -inf.
Equalization (EQ) Equalizing a sound file is a process by which certain frequency bands are raised or
lowered in level. EQ has various uses. The most common use for ACID users is to
simply adjust the subjective timbral qualities of a sound.
Event An instance of a media file on a track. An event may play an entire media file or
a portion of the file.
File Format A file format specifies the way in which data is stored. In Windows, the most
common audio file format is the Microsoft WAV format.
Frame Rate Audio uses frame rates only for the purposes of synching to video or other audio.
To synchronize with audio, a rate of 30 fps (frames per second) is typically used.
To synchronize with video, 29.97 fps drop is usually used.
Frequency The frequency spectrum of a signal refers to its range of frequencies. In audio, the
Spectrum frequency range is basically 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. The frequency spectrum
sometimes refers to the distribution of these frequencies. For example, bass-heavy
sounds have a large frequency content in the low end (20 Hz-200 Hz) of the
spectrum.
Hertz (Hz) The unit of measurement for frequency or cycles per second (CPS).
Insert Increment Sections of silence between selections that you can create using the Chopper and
insert into the track view.
Insertion Point The insertion point (also referred to as the cursor position) is analogous to the
cursor in a word processor. It is where markers or commands may be inserted
depending on the operation. The insertion point appears as a vertical flashing
black line and can be moved by clicking the left mouse button anywhere in the
track view.
Loop Loops are small audio clips that are designed to create a repeating beat or pattern.
Loops are usually one to four measures long and are stored completely in RAM
for playback.
MIDI Channel An informational pathway over which MIDI data can travel.
Media Control A standard way for Windows programs to communicate with multimedia devices
Interface (MCI) such as sound cards and CD players. If a device has an MCI device driver, it can
easily be controlled by most multimedia Windows software.
Media File Files that may be placed within the ACID project. After a media file is placed
into the project, it is referred to as an event.
MIDI Clock A MIDI device-specific timing reference. MIDI Clock is not absolute time like
MIDI timecode (MTC); instead it is a tempo-dependent number of ticks per
quarter note. MIDI clock is convenient for synchronizing devices that need to
perform tempo changes mid-song. ACID supports MIDI clock out, but does not
support MIDI clock in.
GLOSSARY APPENDIX C
187
MIDI Port A MIDI port is the physical MIDI connection on a piece of MIDI hardware. This
port can be a MIDI in, out or through. Your computer must have a MIDI-capable
card to output MIDI timecode to an external device or to receive MIDI timecode
from an external device.
MIDI Timecode MTC is an addendum to the MIDI 1.0 specification and provides a way to specify
(MTC) absolute time for synchronizing MIDI-capable applications. MTC is essentially a
MIDI representation of SMPTE timecode.
Musical Instrument A standard language of control messages that provides for communication
Device Interface between any MIDI-compliant devices. Anything from synthesizers to lights to
(MIDI) factory equipment can be controlled via MIDI.
Normalize Refers to raising the volume so that the highest level sample in the file reaches a
user defined level. Use normalization to make sure you are using all of the
dynamic range available to you.
Nyquist Frequency The Nyquist Frequency (or Nyquist Rate) is one half of the sample rate and
represents the highest frequency that can be recorded using the sample rate
without aliasing. For example, the Nyquist Frequency of 44,100 Hz is 22,050 Hz.
Any frequencies higher than 22,050 Hz produce aliasing distortion in the sample
if no anti-aliasing filter is used while recording.
Offline Media A media file that cannot be located on the computer. If you choose to leave the
media offline, you can continue to edit events on the track; the events point to
the original location of the source media file.
One-Shot One-shots are chunks of audio that are not designed to loop, and they are
streamed from the hard disk rather than stored in RAM if they are longer than
three seconds. Things such as cymbal crashes and sound bites could be considered
one-shots.
Unlike loops, one-shots do not change pitch or tempo with the rest of a project.
OPT Plug-In A plug-in that uses Yamaha’s Open Plug-in Technology (OPT) standard. OPT
plug-ins provide tools for working with MIDI such as edit views, effect processors
and filters, arpeggiators, and real-time panel automation.
Pan To place a mono or stereo sound source perceptually between two or more
speakers.
Peak Data File The file created by ACID when a file is opened for the first time. This file stores
the information regarding the graphic display of the waveform so that opening a
file is almost instantaneous. This file is stored in the directory where the audio
file resides and has a .sfk extension. If this file is not in the same directory as the
audio file or is deleted, ACID recalculates it the next time you open the file.
Proxy File Working with certain types of media files with particular audio compression
schemes can be inefficient and slow. To compensate for this, ACID creates audio
proxy files for these formats to dramatically increase speed and performance.
The file is saved as a proprietary .sfap0 file, with the same name as the original
media file and the same characteristics as the original audio stream. The
conversion happens automatically and does not result in a loss of quality or
synchronization. You can safely delete audio proxy files at any time since ACID
recreates these files as needed.
APPENDIX C GLOSSARY
188
Pulse Code PCM is the most common representation of uncompressed audio signals. This
Modulation (PCM) method of coding yields the highest fidelity possible when using digital storage.
PCM is the standard format for WAV and AIFF files.
Quantization The correction of rhythms to align with selected note lengths or beats in a MIDI
sequence.
Real-Time A proposed standard for controlling broadcast of streaming media. RTSP was
Streaming Protocol submitted by a body of companies including RealNetworks and Netscape.
(RTSP)
Redirector File A metafile that provides information to a media player about streaming media
files. To start a streaming media presentation, a Web page includes a link to a
redirector file. Linking to a redirector file allows a file to stream; if you link to the
media file, it downloads before playback.
Windows Media redirector files use the .asx or .wax extension; RealMedia
redirector files use the .ram, .rpm, or .smi extension.
Region A region in ACID is a section of time used to subdivide your project into
segments.
Rendering The process in which ACID saves the project to a specific file format like WMA
or MP3.
Resample The act of recalculating samples in a sound file at a different rate than the file
was originally recorded. If a sample is resampled at a lower rate, sample points are
removed from the sound file, decreasing its size, but also decreasing its available
frequency range. Resampling to a higher sample rate, ACID interpolates extra
sample points in the sound file. This increases the size of the sound file, but does
not increase the quality. When down-sampling, one must be aware of aliasing.
Sample The word sample is used in many different (and often confusing) ways when
talking about digital sound. Here are some of the different meanings:
• A discrete point in time which a sound signal is divided into when digitizing.
For example, an audio CD-ROM contains 44,100 samples per second. Each
sample is really only a number that contains the amplitude value of a waveform
measured over time.
• A sound that has been recorded in a digital format; used by musicians who
make short recordings of musical instruments to be used for composition and
performance of music or sound effects. These recordings are called samples. In
this manual, we try to use sound file instead of sample whenever referring to a
digital recording.
• The act of recording sound digitally, i.e., to sample an instrument means to
digitize and store it.
Sample Rate The sample rate (also referred to as the sampling rate or sampling frequency) is
the number of samples per second used to store a sound. High sample rates, such
as 44,100 Hz provide higher fidelity than lower sample rates, such as 11,025 Hz.
However, more storage space is required when using higher sample rates.
Sample Value The sample value (also referred to as sample amplitude) is the number stored by a
single sample. In 16-bit audio, these values range from -32768 to 32767. In 8-bit
audio, they range from -128 to 127. The maximum allowed sample value is often
referred to as 100% or 0 dB.
Secure Digital Music The Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) is a consortium of recording industry
Initiative (SDMI) and technology companies organized to develop standards for the secure
distribution of digital music. The SDMI specification was created to answer
consumer demand for convenient accessibility to quality digital music, enable
copyright protection for artists' work, and enable technology and music
companies to build successful businesses.
GLOSSARY APPENDIX C
189
Shortcut Menu A context-sensitive menu that appears when you right-click certain areas of the
screen. The functions available in the shortcut menu depend on the object being
right-clicked as well as the state of the program. As with any menu, you can
choose an item from the shortcut menu to perform an operation. Shortcut menus
are used frequently in ACID for quick access to many commands.
Society of Motion SMPTE timecode is used to synchronize time between devices. The timecode is
Picture and formatted as hours:minutes:second:frames, where frames are fractions of a second
Television Engineers based on the frame rate. Frame rates for SMPTE timecode are 24, 25, 29.97 and
(SMPTE) 30 frames per second.
Soft Synth A soft synth is a software-based synthesizer. Downloadable Sounds (DLS) and
Virtual Studio Technology Instruments (VSTi) are two types of soft synths.
In ACID, you add a soft synth control in the Mixer window for each software
synthesizer you want to use in a project.
Tempo Tempo is the rhythmic rate of a musical composition, usually specified in beats
per minute (BPM).
Threshold A threshold determines the level at which the signal processor begins acting on
the signal. During normalization, levels above this threshold are attenuated
(cut).
Time Format The format by which ACID displays the time ruler and selection times. These
can include: time, seconds, frames, and all standard SMPTE frame rates.
Track A discrete timeline for audio data. Audio events sit on tracks and determine
when a sound starts and stops. Multiple audio tracks are played together to give
you a composite sound that you hear through your speakers.
Track List The track list contains the master controls for each track. From here you can
adjust the mix, select playback devices, and reorder tracks.
Track View The majority of the track view is made up of the space where you draw events on
each track.
µ-Law µ-Law (mu-Law) is a companded compression algorithm for voice signals defined
by the Geneva Recommendations (G.711). The G.711 recommendation defines
µ-Law as a method of encoding 16-bit PCM signals into a non-linear 8-bit
format. The algorithm is commonly used in European and Asian
telecommunications. µ-Law is very similar to A-Law, however, each uses a
slightly different coder and decoder.
Undo/Redo These commands allow you to change a project back to a previous state or
reapply changes after you have undone them.
Virtual MIDI Router A software-only router for MIDI data between programs. ACID uses the VMR to
(VMR) receive MIDI timecode and send MIDI clock. No MIDI hardware or cables are
required for a VMR, so routing can only be performed between programs running
on the same PC.
VST Instrument A Virtual Studio Technology instrument (VSTi) is software synthesizer plug-in
(VSTi) technology for outputting MIDI developed by Steinberg Media Technologies
AG.
APPENDIX C GLOSSARY
190
WAV A digital audio file format developed by Microsoft and IBM. One minute of
uncompressed audio requires 10 MB of storage.
Waveform Display Each event shows a graph of the sound data waveform. The vertical axis
corresponds to the amplitude of the wave. For 16-bit sounds, the amplitude range
is -32,768 to +32,767. For 8-bit sounds, the range is -128 to +127. The horizontal
axis corresponds to time, with the leftmost point being the start of the waveform.
In memory, the horizontal axis corresponds to the number of samples from the
start of the sound file.
Windows Media A Microsoft file format that can handle audio and video presentations and other
Format data such as scripts, URL flips, images and HTML tags. Advanced Streaming
Format files can be saved with .asf, .wma, or .wmv extensions.
GLOSSARY APPENDIX C
i
Index
5.1 Surround Plug-In Pack, 147, 157, 158 Bus tracks, 118
5.1 Surround, See Surround Busses, 107–109, 113–118
Adding, 107
A Adjusting levels sent from tracks, 93–98, 108
Assigning tracks to, 17, 107
AC-3 Encoder, 147, 157, 158 Deleting, 108
Add channels panning model, 99, 153 Panning, 151
Routing assignable effects to, 110
Adding Routing to hardware, 108
Assignable effects, 109 Using effects, 115
Busses, 107 Using the control, 113
Events, 39
Media to projects, 36
C
MIDI tracks, 123
Soft synth controls, 111 CD
Video, 143 Extracting media, 37
Adjusting the mix, 46 Writing media, 55
INDEX
ii
Tracks, 45 Fading edges for offsets, 67
Fading in and out, 67
D Joining, 62
Moving, 40
Deleting Painting, 39
Assignable effects, 110 Pasting, 57, 64
Audio from a video, 144 Pitch shifting, 67
Busses, 108 Properties, 66
Events, 40, 59 Selecting, 42–44
In ripple mode, 63 Shifting the contents of, 66
Soft synth controls, 113 Sliding, 66
Tracks, 45 Slipping, 66
Video, 143 Slip-trimming, 66
Detuning tracks, 173 Snapping, 75
Speed, 67
DLS sets Splitting, 60
Changing patches, 111 Start offset, 67
Routing tracks to, 113, 138 Trimming, 59
Using, 111 Volume, 67
Docking windows, 160 Explorer window, 35–37
Downloading media from the Web, 38 Exporting loops, 105
Drawing events, 39 External devices
Duplicating tracks, 45 Playing MIDI from, 139
Routing busses to, 108
DVD burning, 158
Routing MIDI tracks to, 138
Routing video to, 146
E
External monitor, 146
Editing preferences tab, 170
Extracting media from CD, 37
Effects
Assignable, 115 F
Automating, 93–98
Bus, 115 Faders, Mixer, 50, 113
Managing effects, 117–118 Fading edges of events, 67
Preset Manager, 118
Project, 115 Fading in/out
Saving plug-in packages, 92, 117 Events, 67
Saving presets, 90, 115 Mixer controls, 118
Soft synth, 115 Tracks, 93–98
Track, 89–92 Filtering MIDI events
Envelopes During playback, 126
Customizing colors, 171 In the list editor, 131
Envelope tool, 96 Fitting to time, 80
Event, 67
Flipping, 96 Flipping envelopes, 96
Mixer controls, 118 Floating windows, 160
Track, 93–98
Frame numbering, 144
Erasing events, 40, 176
Events G
Changing length, 40
General preferences tab, 166
Changing pitch, 80
Copying, 57 Getting media from the Web, 38
Crossfading, 68 Glossary, 183
Cutting, 59, 63
Deleting, 59, 63 Go to, 41
Editing in ripple mode, 62–65 Grid, 162
Envelopes, 67
Erasing, 40
INDEX
iii
H M
Hardware Main window, 15
Playing MIDI from, 139
Markers, 69–73
Routing busses to, 108
Command markers, 71
Routing MIDI tracks to, 138
In the Chopper, 83
Routing surround to, 149
Marker bar, 19
Routing video to, 146
Tempo/key/time signature markers, 78
Setting up for surround, 148
Time markers, 71
Help, 14–15
Media files
Hiding/showing Adding to projects, 36
Bus tracks, 118 Downloading from the Web, 38
Toolbar, 163 Exporting loops from projects, 105
Track envelopes, 97 Extracting from CD, 37
Video tracks, 143 Previewing in Chopper, 82
Windows, 159 Previewing in Explorer, 35
Reloading, 104
I Replacing, 104
Saving track properties to, 104
Inserting time, 80
Meter resolution, 114
Installation, 13
MIDI, 123–142
J Adding tracks, 123
DLS sets, 138
Joining events, 62 List editor, 130–137
Notes and frequencies, 134
K OPT plug-ins, 137
Panic button, 139
Key changes Piano roll editor, 126–130
Event, 67, 80 Playback devices, 138
Marker, 78 Playing from external devices, 139
Project, 78 Preferences, 169
Track, 79 Quantizing, 129, 136
Keyboard shortcuts Recording, 123
Chopper window, 82 Rendering, 139
General, 21 Resetting ports, 139
Routing to hardware, 138
Keyframes, 154–156 Setting device preferences, 138
Signal flow, 27–28
L Step recording, 135
LFE channel, 147, 150 Timecode synchronization, 140–142
Track properties, 124–125
List editor, 130–137 Tracks, 39
Creating MIDI events, 135 VST instruments, 138
Deleting MIDI events, 137
Editing MIDI events, 132 Mixer window, 49–51, 107–118
Filtering MIDI events, 131 Automating controls, 118
MIDI event parameters, 132 Routing surround through, 149
MIDI notes and frequencies, 134 Working with mixer controls, 113
Previewing MIDI events, 131 Working with multiple controls, 118
Quantizing note events, 136 Mixing to a single track, 105
Step recording MIDI, 135
Monitor for video editing, 146
Undoing and redoing, 137
Moving
Looped playback, 49
Events, 40
Loops Tracks, 44
Creating in the Chopper, 86
Multipurpose slider, 18, 46
Exporting from projects, 105
Stretching properties, 102, 102–103 Muting
Tracks, 38 Mixer controls, 114
INDEX
iv
Tracks, 18, 46 VST Instruments, 169
Tracks in MIDI files, 125
Preset Manager, 118
O Presets
Managing, 118
Offsetting tracks, 174 Saving, 115
One-shots Previewing media
Selecting in the Chopper, 87 Adjusting preview volume, 50
Tracks, 38 Chopper window, 82
Online help, 14 Explorer window, 35
Opening Projects
Media files, 36 Adding media, 36
Projects, 34 Key, 78
Opening, 34
OPT plug-ins, 137 Playing, 48
Other preferences tab, 171 Properties, 33
Publishing to the Internet, 55
P Rendering, 53
Saving, 52
Packages, Saving, 92, 117 Starting, 33
Painting events, 39, 40 Tempo, 77
Time signature, 78
Panic button, 139
Properties
Panning Event, 66
Pan types, 98, 153 MIDI track, 124–125
Surround, 150 Project, 33
Tracks, 18, 46, 93–98 Recording, 120
Tracks in MIDI files, 125 Track, 101–104
Pasting Proxy file, 187
Events, 57
In ripple mode, 64 Publishing projects, 55
Tracks, 45
Q
Piano roll editor, 126–130
Adding note events, 128 Quantizing MIDI
Deleting note events, 130 In the list editor, 136
Editing note events, 128 In the piano roll editor, 129
Previewing MIDI, 127
Quantizing note events, 129 R
Selecting MIDI tracks, 128
Selecting note events, 129 Recording, 119–122
Undoing and redoing, 130 MIDI step recording, 135
MIDI tracks, 123
Pitch shifting Multiple takes, 122
Events, 67, 80 Properties, 120
MIDI tracks, 124 Setting levels, 121
Projects, 78
Tracks, 79 Redo, 48
INDEX
v
Mixer controls, 50 Adding, 111
Tracks, 45 Assigning tracks to, 113
Tracks in MIDI files, 125 Deleting, 113
Routing to DLS sets, 111
Rendering
Routing to VST instruments, 112
MIDI projects, 139
Projects, 53 Soft Synth Properties window, 21
Supported formats, 54
Soloing
Surround projects, 157
Mixer controls, 114
To new tracks, 105
Tracks, 18, 47
Using custom settings, 54
Tracks in MIDI files, 125
Reordering tracks, 44
Splitting events, 60
Replacing
Start offset, 67
Media files, 104
MIDI files, 138 Step recording MIDI, 135
Resetting MIDI ports, 139 Streaming media commands, 71
Resizing Stretching properties, 100–104
Tracks, 44 Summary properties tab, 33
Windows, 161
Surround, 147–157
Ripping tracks from CD, 37 Automating panning, 154–156
Ripple editing, 62–65 Hardware setup, 148
Cutting events, 63 Keyframes, 154–156
Deleting events, 63 LFE channel, 147, 150
Pasting events, 64 Panning, 150
Rendering, 157
Ruler offset, 162
Surround Panner window, 20, 152
S Sync preferences tab, 170
Sample rate, 34 Synchronizing audio and video, 143
Saving System requirements, 13
Changes to MIDI files, 138
Plug-in packages, 92, 117 T
Presets, 115
Projects, 52 Takes, recording multiple, 122
Track properties to media files, 104 Technical support, 1
Scoring video, 146 Tempo changes
Selecting events, 42–44 Marker, 78
Project, 77
Shortcut keys, 21
Temporary files, 36, 167
Signal flow
Audio, 25–26 Time
MIDI, 27–28 Fitting projects to time, 80
Inserting into projects, 80
Sliding
Events, 66 Time display, 165
Video events, 144 Time markers, 71
Slipping Time ruler, 19, 161
Events, 66
Video events, 144 Time signature changes
Marker, 78
Slip-trimming Project, 78
Events, 66
Video events, 144 Timecode synchronization, 140–142
INDEX
vi
Track Properties window, 20, 101–104, 124–125 Volume
Event, 67
Track view, 18
Project, 49, 114
Tracks Recording, 121
Adjusting bus send levels, 108 Track, 18, 46
Adjusting mix, 46 Tracks in MIDI files, 125
Adjusting several simultaneously, 47
VST Instruments
Assigning to busses, 17, 107
Preferences, 169
Assigning to effect chains, 110
Assigning to soft synth controls, 113 VST instruments
Changing color, 45 Loading banks and presets, 112
Changing pitch, 79 Locating for use in ACID, 112
Copying, cutting, pasting, 45 Routing MIDI tracks to, 113, 138
Default properties, 166 Using, 112
Deleting, 45
Duplicating, 45 W
Effects, 89–92
Envelopes, 93–98 Wall of sound, 175
Muting, 18, 46 What’s new?, 29–32
Panning, 18, 46, 93–98, 150
Properties, 101–104, 124–125, 166 What’sThis? help, 15
Renaming, 45 Window docking area, 20
Reordering, 44
Windows
Resizing, 44
Audio Plug-In, 20, 89–92
Soloing, 18, 47
Chopper, 20, 81
Stretching properties, 100–104
Docking/floating, 160
Types, 38, 101
Explorer, 20, 35–37
Volume, 18, 46
Hiding/showing, 159
Transport bar, 19 Main, 15
Transposing Mixer, 20, 49–51, 107–118
Beatmapped tracks to the project key, 104 Soft Synth Properties, 21
Keys within a project, 78 Surround Panner, 20, 152
Loop tracks to the project key, 102 Track Properties, 20, 101–104, 124–125
MIDI tracks to the project key, 124 Video, 20
Project keys, 78 Writing to CD, 55
Trimming events, 59
Z
U Zoom controls
Undo, 47 Chopper window, 82
Main window, 19
Undo history, 48
V
Video, 143–146
Adding, 143
Editing events, 144
Frame numbering, 144
Hiding/showing, 143
Removing, 143
Removing associated audio, 144
Scoring, 146
Synchronizing with audio, 143
Video preferences tab, 169
Video window, 20, 145
Voices
Patch changes for DLS sets, 111
VST instruments, 112
INDEX