Previewing/Auditioning a Selected Part of an Audio Clip

[79imp]

As a relative newbie to PT, I'm hoping there's a simple solution to this...

Here's the thing... generally when editing vocals (and indeed other parts), I like to have a loop set up over the section of the song I'm working on (e.g. the chorus). I often find it necessary to select part of a clip (using the selector tool in Slip Mode) and hear it on its own so I know where it needs separating (e.g. I may need to separate an individual word or phrase from a vocal take) or to hear that particular section more closely. My background (albeit some years ago now) was with Digital Performer and I'm pretty sure with this, it was a simple case of selecting the part of the clip you wanted to hear and you'd hear it as solo straightaway.

The only workarounds I've come up with so far are either too long-winded and/or don't do the job in a reliable way:

1. Linking Timeline & Edit Selection for the bit I want to check and potentially separate, and soloing the track I'm editing, thus then losing the loop I have over the section of the song, meaning I then have to go back and uncheck timeline/edit linking, switch back to Grid mode to get a clean loop, and then go over the same process again. It can also get quite annoying to have to listen to what might be a very short loop over and over again and actually makes doing the separation more difficult than I think it could/should be.

2. Using the Scrubber tool. This doesn't seem a reliable way of knowing exactly where the separation needs to be because dragging with the mouse so it plays back at normal speed straightaway seems impossible. For the first second or so I get the slow-motion thing which then makes hearing the actual word/start of phrase difficult (if there was a way of setting the Scrubber so it just started normally, that would be a help). It also means then switching between edit modes which would be nice to avoid because by then you've probably lost the exact starting point anyway.

I do fear I'm being over-picky and falling into the well-worn trap of moving from other DAWs and getting annoyed at PT not doing what I'm used to, but if DP3 (circa 2001) could do something as simple as this without all the fannying around with edit/grid modes etc. and the dodgy Scrubber tool, I'd be amazed if PT11 can't.

Any help or advice would be very very gratefully received. Thank you!

[john1192]

i think what you are looking for is Dynamic Transport .. take a look for that in the manual ..

[The Weed]

"thus then losing the loop I have over the section of the song"

Try Unchecking "Timeline Insertion Follows Playback" in Preferences or hitting the "N" key when in Commands Focus Mode.

Unlinking Timeline & Edit allows you to select one area to play while editing another area, but, if "Timeline Insertion Follows Playback" is in effect, you still lose the play selection because the cursor goes to where you stop, not back to where you started.

Hitting the "N" key by mistake is easy to do, I've done it many, many times, but recognize what I've done by how the cursor is placed when I stop play.

Cheers,

[joachim]

Make a selection of the loop.
Deselect Link Timeline and Edit Selection. Deselect Insertion follows Playback.
Make a selection of the part of an audio clip, you want to audition. Not in the timeline, directly on the track.
For Playback of loop : space = Playback Timeline Seelection.
For Auditioning the part (Solo) : stop via space , then Start + 5 numeric keypad = Playback Edit Selection.

Change the loop : in the timeline. Or : make a selection within a track and hit "O" = convert Edit Selection to Timeline Selection
Change the part : in the edit track.

(numeric keypad in Transport Mode)

[john1192]

will they also need to turn off Scrolling so everything stays in one place for them .. thie way it is being explained is probably easier than the Dynamic Transport ..

[79imp]

Thanks all very very much for your time and advice.... very much appreciated.

It would seem that there isn't really the function in PT that there was in DP whereby you could simply select part of the audio clip and hear it without losing your looping points (PT obviously has different fundamentals when it comes to looping... in DP it was basically a 'hold loop' function).

The only thing I can't quite get my head around here is Joachim's suggestion of changing edit selection to timeline selection (as this sounds like this could be a solution). I don't have a keyboard with numeric keypad (an oversight I'll be putting right today!!)... is there a way of doing this without the numeric keypad?

I do always have 'insertion follows playback' deselected, and realise that deselecting the 'link timeline and edit' tab means I can select other parts of the track without changing the loop points selected previously. However, the minute I want to play what I've selected, I can't find any way of doing this without linking the timeline and edit again. Yes, dynamic transport is a possibility, but this doesn't easily allow for the type of close and time-accurate editing I need. That involves trial and error on getting the right separating points and doesn't select the relevant point in the track because timeline and edit is unlinked, although in fairness the little yellow bars (which I still haven't properly worked out what they signify!) help a bit with that. I guess what I really need is a way of hearing whatever is between those little yellow bars in the timeline that appear once part of a clip is selected without it mucking up the blue marked loop points.

Oh for a simple 'hold loop' option as there was in DP. Don't get me wrong, PT is brilliant and a massive step up on what I used before, but not having this option does seem a small step backwards.... maybe something they'll put right in PT13? All it needs is a button on the transport stuff at the top and/or a separate bar on the timeline (a bit like what happens when you bring up dynamic transport) that is specifically for loop points. Think I'll make that little suggestion to Avid.

[joachim]

Originally Posted by 79imp

I don't have a keyboard with numeric keypad (an oversight I'll be putting right today!!)... is there a way of doing this without the numeric keypad?

For playback of edit selection you can use " [ " (the key right of " p " on a US keyboard ( or " ß " on a German Win keyboard)).
However, that will not solo.
" Shift S " to solo, with the part of the clip selected, as this selects the track to be soloed as well ( with Link Track and Edit Selection enabled).

To maintain a certain timeline selection as a loop, or better, to not having to make the same precise loop selection again after auditioning some part within that loop on some track;
for some workflows, I create a dummy midi track, consolidate the loop selection as a clip there.
After auditioning something, a single click onto the midi clip restores the loop selection.
(No shift-clicking of clips, no click-and-hold-dragging.)

[The Weed]

"However, the minute I want to play what I've selected, I can't find any way of doing this without linking the timeline and edit again."

Not in front of PT right now, going from memory.

IIRC, with Link Timeline And Edit Selection unchecked and Insertion Follows Playback unchecked, you have to choose the Timeline/Playback section above the Tracks, in the Timeline where the Blue Arrows are. Now hit the Space Bar and the Playback selection delineated by the Blue Arrows should playback and be loopable and you should be able to edit tracks independent of the Playback selection.

Cheers,

[joachim]

Originally Posted by 79imp

The only thing I can't quite get my head around here is Joachim's suggestion of changing edit selection to timeline selection (as this sounds like this could be a solution). I don't have a keyboard with numeric keypad (an oversight I'll be putting right today!!)... is there a way of doing this without the numeric keypad?

" O " (Oh, the O in Obama) to convert edit selection to timline selection, is right on the alphanumeric keyboard. Page 5 of the PT Shortcuts Guide.
Not to be confused with " 0 " (zero, null) : timeline selection to edit selection.
Auditioning a part of a clip, marked in the edit track is the shortcut, for which you need a numeric keypad ("Start 5" (the " 5 " on the numeric keypad)).

[john1192]

Originally Posted by joachim

" O " (Oh, the O in Obama) to convert edit selection to timline selection, is right on the alphanumeric keyboard. Page 5 of the PT Shortcuts Guide.
Not to be confused with " 0 " (zero, null) : timeline selection to edit selection.
Auditioning a part of a clip, marked in the edit track is the shortcut, for which you need a numeric keypad ("Start 5" (the " 5 " on the numeric keypad)).

Start 5 ???? is that a PC thing ??? numeric keyboard in transport mode is Loop Playback

KB covers makes overlays of the pro tools keyboard for any keyboard - 30 bucks .. i have one on laptop and one on macpro .. screw those Gule ON Stickers .. nasty ..