Each track in your ACID project can contain multiple, distinct media files, called clips. Use the Clip Pool tab in the Track Properties window to add, remove, and preview clips.
For more information about using clips with tracks, please see Using Clips with Tracks.
The General tab displays information about the file associated with a track and allows you to change the ACID type, apply pitch shifting to all events on the track that use the same clip, and adjust time-stretching for Beatmapped clips.
Changing ACID type
Choose a setting from the ACID Type drop-down list to change how the clip’s media is handled in your ACID project.
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ACID Type |
Description |
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Loop |
When Loop is selected, the clip will be transposed to the project key and stretched to fit the project tempo. Loops can be drawn across the track and will repeat end-to-end. |
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One-shot |
When One-shot is selected, the clip is streamed from the hard disk rather than being stored in RAM, will not change tempo with the rest of the loops, and will not be transposed to the project key. The Stretch tab is not available when One-shot is selected. |
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Beatmapped |
When a file that is longer than thirty seconds is added to a project, The Beatmapper Wizard starts to allow you to add tempo information to the file. You cannot choose Beatmapped for very short media files. A file must be at least one measure long at 300 BPM to be Beatmapped. |
Adjusting pitch shift
Enter a value in the Pitch shift box (or use the spinner control) to adjust the pitch of all events that use the same clip.
Track pitch shifting is not saved to the media file when you click the Save button 
.
Adjusting time-stretching (Beatmapped tracks only)
ACID provides two time-stretching methods for Beatmapped tracks: Classic and �lastique. Classic is the standard time-stretch method used by ACID.
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Select the Preserve pitch when stretching check box if you want your track to maintain its pitch when your project tempo changes.
When the check box is cleared, the clip’s pitch will raise and lower with tempo changes. When the check box is cleared, you cannot change the pitch of a Beatmapped event.
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Choose a setting from the Method drop-down list to determine the time-stretch method to use.
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Method |
Description |
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Classic |
Classic is the standard time-stretch method used by ACID. |
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�lastique |
The �lastique method uses technology from zplane.development, and provides enhanced real-time time stretching and pitch-shifting capabilities. The �lastique method also allows you to preserve and shift a track�s formants, which are the characteristic resonant frequencies of a sound. |
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Choose a setting from the Mode drop-down list to choose the stretching method best suited to your media.
The �lastique Pro mode provides the highest quality stretching but requires more RAM usage and CPU power. The �lastique Efficient mode uses fewer resources while still producing great time-stretching quality for polyphonic audio. The Soloist (Monophonic) and Soloist (Speech) provide good quality for monophonic audio with little effect on system resources.
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Select the Preserve formants when stretching check box if you want your track to maintain its characteristic resonance when your project tempo changes. Formant preservation is most often used to avoid the “chipmunk effect” in vocal performances.
This option is only available for �lastique Pro and Soloist (Monophonic) modes.
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Type a value in the Formant shift (semitones) box (or use the spinner control) to adjust the formants of all events that use the same clip.
Formant shifting can be used to deepen the tone of a vocal performance without changing the pitch.
For �lastique Pro mode, this amount represents the number of semitones to shift the timbre in addition to the offset required to compensate for any pitch shifting. For example, a setting of 0.000 applies formant correction with no additional shifting, while a setting of -7.000 will apply formant correction and deepen a sound by 7 semitones.
This option is only available when the Preserve formants when stretching check box is selected.
The Stretch tab allows you to specif
y how to handle pitch shifting and time stretching for loops or Beatmapped tracks.
Click the Redetect Beats button to apply the ACID beat-detection algorithm to existing media.
You’ll notice that the Stretch tab looks similar to the Groove Editor window. Both windows contain beat anchors 
and markers; however, the markers on these windows perform complementary functions:
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On the Stretch tab of the Clip Properties window, the beat markers
indicate beats in the media, and the beat anchors indicate the adjustment that is required to quantize the media to straight time before applying a new groove.
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In the Groove Editor window, a beat anchor
represents the beat that will be adjusted, and a groove marker 
represents the point in time when that beat will be played when the groove is applied. A groove marker can occur before or after the beat anchor. A line connects a groove marker to its associated beat anchor.
If you want to hear the results of editing beat anchors and markers, select the Play Quantized button 
at the bottom of the Clip Properties window and use the Clip Properties transport controls to preview the loop. Playing the clip in Play Quantized mode demonstrates how the track sounds when the Quantize to Straight groove is applied. Click the Play button 
to hear the original loop.
After you’ve edited a clip’s properties, click the Save button to embed ACID information in the file.
Hold Ctrl while clicking the Save button to save your changes to a new file.
If you save stretching properties to a new file, the changes will also be applied to the current clip and saved with the ACID project; the changes are not saved to the original file.
If you edit a file in another audio-editing program, it is possible that the ACID data will be removed. Simply edit the settings on the Stretch tab to optimize the file again.
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Item |
Description | ||||||
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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 clip transposed to the project key (a clip that contains a drum sample, for example) choose Don’t transpose. | ||||||
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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 will cause the loop to play at a different speed than normal. For example, specifying a length of 8 beats for a 4-beat loop will cause the loop to play at half speed at any given tempo. | ||||||
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Stretching method |
Stretching properties determine how time compression and expansion is performed on audio events. If you hear audio anomalies due to time compression, try editing the stretching properties of the track.
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Transient sensitivity |
Type a value in the box or use the spin control to adjust the sensitivity for beat detection. When you set the control to 100, beat markers As you decrease the setting, markers are created for only strong transients. Increasing this setting can be advantageous when working with audio that has complex rhythms. Lower settings are more suitable for synthesizer pads and other basic material. | ||||||
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Timing tightness |
Choose a setting from the drop-down list to choose the resolution for beat anchors Quantized beat anchors are displayed as | ||||||
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Stretch spacing |
Choose a setting from the drop-down list to specify how many stretch markers Audio that contains rapid notes such as drum rolls will benefit from setting the divisions at a smaller fraction of a beat. Slower-paced material, however, may actually suffer from high resolution. | ||||||
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Redetect beats |
Click to automatically detect the beats in the current file. Use this button to reapply the ACID beat-detection algorithm to existing media. | ||||||
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Stretch markers |
Stretch markers correspond to subdivisions of beats in the audio file. These markers tell ACID software where to divide the audio when performing time stretching to match tempo. Accurately detecting these beats is the key to making the time-compression process sound good.
As a general rule, markers that are excessively close to each other may cause clicks in the audio. However, markers should not be more than one second apart, or pitch and echo artifacts may result. You can add, move, and delete stretch markers on the Stretch tab. If snapping is enabled, markers will snap to the current grid spacing. Moving markers You can drag any marker to a new location. If you move a combination stretch/beat marker Adding markers Double-click the marker bar at the bottom of the waveform display to create a new marker. It is advantageous to add new markers if the software does not detect any quick subdivisions in beats. The biggest cause of audio artifacts due to time compression is a lack of beat detection. Make sure that you add markers anywhere the application fails to put one on a pronounced beat. Deleting markers You can remove a user-defined marker by right-clicking and choosing Delete from the shortcut menu. Double-click a combination stretch/beat marker Reset stretching markers Click the Reload button | ||||||
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Beat anchors and markers |
Beat anchors Beat anchors and markers are used only when a groove is applied to a track. Offsets between beat anchors and beat markers indicate that the beat represented by an anchor is actually played at the marker position, which may occur before or after the beat. This mapping represents the difference required to remove an existing groove from a media file and return the media to straight machine time so that grooves can be applied accurately. If you want to hear the results of editing beat anchors and markers, select the Play Quantized button
In most cases, you won’t need to edit beat anchors.
You can add, move, and delete beat anchors and markers on the Stretch tab. Moving anchors You can drag beat anchors and stretch markers to map the sample data in the waveform to a specific beat:
Adding anchors Double-click the marker bar (above or above the beat ruler) to create a new anchor and marker. Deleting anchors You can remove a marker by right-clicking and choosing Delete from the shortcut menu (or by double-clicking it). Reset beat anchors Right-click the beat marker bar and choose Reset All from the shortcut menu to reset the markers to their last-saved positions. |
and stretch-only markers
.
. If the you choose a resolution from the 
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and 
buttons to change the magnification of the waveform.
Grooves are not applied using the markers on the Stretch tab. Autodetected stretch markers are used to establish a baseline for applying other grooves with the 
Use the Stretch tab to quickly edit Beatmapper information for a clip without starting the Beatmapper Wizard. After you’ve edited a clip’s properties, click the Save button to embed ACID information in the file.
Hold Ctrl while clicking the Save button to save your changes to a new file.
Notes:
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If you save stretching properties to a new file, the changes will also be applied to the current clip and saved with the ACID project; the changes are not saved to the original file.
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If you edit a file in another audio-editing program, it is possible that the ACID data will be removed. Simply edit the settings on the Stretch tab to optimize the file again.
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Support for multitempo clips is available for clips that are recorded or rendered in ACID or by adding Beatmap markers on the Clip Properties dialog.
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The ruler on the General tab is fixed, and the ruler on the Stretch tab is stretched to represent measures of varying lengths. In the following image, you can see how the beat ruler has been compressed to change the lengths of the measures as we switch from the Stretch to the General tab:
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Item |
Description |
|
Initial root note |
Choose a note from the drop-down list to set the first root note for clips 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. |
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Initial tempo |
Displays the starting tempo of the clip as determined by the Beatmapper Wizard. Type a value in the box or use the spin control to adjust the tempo. |
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Initial time signature |
Choose settings from the Beats per measure and Beat value controls to set the starting time signature of your clip. Time signature changes in the clip will be marked by Beatmap markers. |
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Ignore root note changes |
Select this check box if you do not want to transpose the Beatmapped clip when stretching. Root note changes in the Beatmap will be ignored. When the check box is cleared, pitch-shifting will be applied so the clip will conform to your project key |
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Beatmapper Wizard |
Click the Beatmapper Wizard button to use the Wizard to adjust a track’s tempo information. More. . . |
The waveform display shows tempo changes and measures:
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The blue marker
represents the first downbeat.
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Tempo changes are indicated with Beatmap markers
. These markers can be added manually or are added by ACID when recording or rendering.
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Orange markers
represent measures.
You can adjust tempo by dragging measure or Beatmap markers:
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Dragging a measure marker that occurs before the first Beatmap marker sets the clip’s initial tempo. |
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Measure markers between Beatmap markers cannot be moved. |
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Dragging a Beatmap marker adjusts the tempo of the Beatmap marker you drag and the previous marker. The length of the measures between the Beatmap markers is adjusted as you drag. |
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Dragging a measure marker that occurs after the last Beatmap marker sets the clip’s final tempo. |
You can add Beatmap markers to signal a tempo change: just double-click a measure marker or a blank area of the Beatmap marker bar to add a marker.
To remove a Beatmap marker, double-click an existing marker.
To edit a Beatmap marker, right-click it and choose a new setting from the Root Note or Time Signature submenu.
For more information about using the Stretch tab to add Beatmap information to a clip, please see Fine-Tuning Beatmapped Clips.
Click the Reload button 
in the Clip Properties window to reload the last-saved version of a media file. All events remain in the timeline, but changes made in the Clip Properties window since the file was last saved are discarded.
When you edit a clip in an external editor, changes to the sound file will be reflected immediately after you save the file in the external editor.
Click the Replace button 
to replace the current clip with another file. The events and envelopes in the timeline remain intact, but the audio will be replaced with the new file.
Drag a file from the Explorer to the track name in the track list to quickly replace the active paint clip with another file.
If a clip’s media was created from an ACID project and rendered with the project path reference in the file, you can click the Edit Source Project button 
to open the source project in a new ACID window.
If you render the edited file using the same file name and location as the track’s original media, your project will automatically be updated to use the latest rendered media file.
Click the Add to Groove Pool button 
to make the selected clip available in the Groove Pool so you can apply its timing to other tracks.
Groove cloning can extract grooves from loop tracks only.
Click the Save File button to save the current clip and clip properties.
Click the Save File As button 
to save the current clip and clip properties to a new file. The clip is updated to use the new file.
Clip pitch shifting is not saved to the media file.
Editing Audio Clip Properties |
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From the View menu, choose Clip Properties to display the Clip Properties window. The contents of the Clip Properties window will change to display properties for the currently selected clip in the timeline.
For information about MIDI clip properties, click here.
Notes:
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If you adjust a clip’s properties and do not click the Save button
, the new properties are saved in your ACID project only (the media file is not modified).
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If you adjust a clip’s properties and click the Save button
, the modified properties are embedded in the media file if possible (you will be prompted to save to a different file if necessary).
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When you load a project, the clip properties saved in the ACID project are displayed first. If clip properties have been edited since the project was saved or if the clip was modified in an external editor, you can click the Reload button
to load the properties saved in the file.
What do you want to do?
Manage a track’s clips
Adjust general properties for a loop, one-shot, or Beatmapped clip
Adjust stretching properties for a loop
Adjust stretching properties for a Beatmapped clip
Reload a clip
Replace a clip with another media file
Edit a clip’s source project
Add a clip to the Groove Pool
Save changes to clip properties
