"Merge Clip"

[warhenk@yahoo.com]

Hi kids, Happy holidays! I know the answer, but it's so critical, that I just need some corroboration from you. When I do my saxophone solo to finish-off a tune, I might take a dozen passes on it. I will typically delete the sucky takes, then begin to edit the best of the clips into one solid performance. When done, I use the Merge command to create, one continuous track, then delete the unused Lanes. Because I've 'merged,' say, six takes into one "Merge Clip," It's perfectly safe to delete the individual WAV recordings of the six tracks that comprise it, correct? I realize that this will prevent me from returning to them if needed, but as an obsessive minimalist, I do not want them cluttering up the project folder. It would be nice to somehow have Mixcraft assist in this effort, without having to look for 12 files to delete. Thank you!

I also wish that backups would not be written upon every single save! Oh, and did I forget to say, Mixcraft is freaking AWESOME! What a wonderful DAW!!

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

Yes, you can delete the other audio files if you want. Merging creates a new merge file audio file that is distinct from the original files. Of course, be careful that you know exactly what you are deleting or your project may end up with missing audio files.

The backup project files don't take up too much space, since they don't have any audio in them. You can turn that feature off completely in Project preferences if you want, but you might be sorry some day if you do that. Hard drive space is cheap these days!

Greg

[warhenk@yahoo.com]

Thank you Greg. I like having some backup, but I save very often, and I find all of the backups annoying, given my obsessive minimalism. :>) Thanks pal!

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

Tip: don't look in the Backup folder unless you need to.

Greg

[warhenk@yahoo.com]

LOL. My life is a nightmare, Greg. I delete unneeded emails from my inbox, sents, trash, probably 10x daily. :>)

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

When you finish with a project, you could load it up, then click on the File menu and select "Copy Project Files to..." This will gather up all the files you used in that project and put them in a new folder or zip file. Once you're sure it loads properly from the new location, you can delete the old project folder with all its nasty unused audio files and backup files.

Of course, there are those who want to preserve all the alternate takes, and they should not do this.

Greg

[jwarv]

Since we're on the topic of merging. I too am an OCD folder cleaner!

However, I like to rename my merge file with the name of the track followed by the given instrument or vocal it represents, (Example: "Happy Hamburger Lead Guitar"), but in so doing the audio clip that's already in the timeline goes mute. I've been adding a second lane then dragging the newly named merge file into the time line, lining it up with the original and then deleting the original that was in the first lane. Along with all those messy stems laying around from my many takes.

All well and good. But I lose all automation in that first lane. Is there a way to maintain my automation?

I don't want to mix to a new audio clip as that will glue down my automation. I want to be able to see/tweak my edits.

The idea I have is to make it possible to right click on the audio clip and in the drop down list be able to choose "replace audio". Then comes a pop up browser allowing me to pick the newly named file, slap it in there and all the automation is preserved.

In my fantasy world anyway.

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

You can copy and paste automation.

Another tip for file organizers out there: name your recording track something useful, and all files recorded on that track will include that name, instead of being called Audio Track whatever.

Greg

[Rolling Estonian]

Another tip for file organizers out there: name your recording track something useful, and all files recorded on that track will include that name, instead of being called Audio Track whatever.

That's a great tip!

M

[jwarv]

Hi,

You can copy and paste automation.

Another tip for file organizers out there: name your recording track something useful, and all files recorded on that track will include that name, instead of being called Audio Track whatever.

Greg

Thanks Greg. The problem with naming tracks is that it only works before you start recording. Naming it afterward won't retroactively rename the audio files. I ALWAYS forget to name them first. LOL. Besides there are still a bunch of stems laying around.

Now, how does one copy and paste automation?

[Anorax]

Very carefully.

2020-02-01.png (38.85 KiB) Viewed 8630 times

First, select an area of automation, then right-click in your selection and click "Copy".

Then, move the playhead/carat to where you want to paste the automation, then right-click in the automation lane and click "Paste".

So in the above screenshot, I've selected the track volume automation from Track 1, and can paste it to Track 2 at measure 5 because that is currently where the carat is unless I move it to somewhere else.

(While it's pretty obvious that WYSIWYG, but Automation Copy/Paste only applies to whatever automation destination you are currently working on: if you are trying to copy all of the automation from, say, one Instrument track with ME80 v2 to another Instrument track with ME80 v2, you have to copy-paste each automation destination one-at-a-time.)

[jwarv]

Oh, that's interesting. The automation you're showing is in the separate automation lane envelope. Whereas, the automation I lost was on the audio clip itself. Is there a difference between the two?

[jwarv]

Never mind. I experimented and now see that you can do it with both audio clip and automation lanes. When you highlight the automation you want, all the points turn bright purple. Like in your screen shot. But only when you hover the cursor over the selected area.

[bigaquarium]

Morning,

I don't know if this situation is changed, but "Mix to New Clip" does not glue down/make the automation permanent, if that's what it used to do. I can't figure out if there is any difference between "Merge" and "Mix to New Clip".

Copying clip automation can be done but since the copy/paste process cannot be singled out to automation only I think it's probably a MIDI-only operation at this point. To copy automation I will copy the whole clip, paste it into a new lane on another track with the clip I want to paste it to, delete out the MIDI notes of the pasted clip, and then merge the MIDI clips together.

Best,
Nathan