Sony Acid 7 Manual

APPENDIX BACID TIPS AND TRICKS
189
Adding depth with assignable effects
You can add depth to your mix by panning a dry signal (no effects) to one side and a wet signal (with effects 
such as chorus or reverb) to the other. You can pan the dry and wet signals by adding an assignable effects 
chain to your project.
1.Add an assignable effects chain containing an effect such as chorus or reverb to your project. For more 
information, see Adding assignable effect controls on page 113.
2.Press   to view bus...

190
ACID TIPS AND TRICKSAPPENDIX B
Constructing the wall of sound
As mentioned previously, it is sometimes preferable to color and thicken mixes without resorting to effects 
and other digital processing. Working without the benefit of multitrack recording, music producer Phil 
Spector colored his songs by having several instruments play slightly different parts. For example, he might 
have an acoustic bass, an electric bass, and a piano play slight variations on the same basic riffs. These 
variations,...

APPENDIX BACID TIPS AND TRICKS
191
Adding build ups
If you are attempting to build projects that escape the perceived limitations of computer-generated loop-
based music, you should concentrate on reproducing the subtle (and not so subtle) dynamics associated with 
live instrumentation.
One of the simplest, but most effective examples of this is the build up. When musicians play live, there is a 
tendency to increase dynamics as a song enters a chorus or refrain. Think of how a drummer uses accents,...

192
ACID TIPS AND TRICKSAPPENDIX B
2.Click the Envelope Tool button ( ) to select the envelope tool.
3.Right-click the first point on the envelope and choose Hold from the shortcut menu.
4.Add several more points by double-clicking the envelope. Note that each new point also has the hold fade 
curve.
5.Set each point to a different level. For more information, see Adjusting individual envelope points on page 100.
You can repeat the pattern by copying and pasting the envelope points repeatedly. For more...

APPENDIX BACID TIPS AND TRICKS
193
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...

194
ACID TIPS AND TRICKSAPPENDIX B
5.Select the new tracks and from the Tools menu, choose Render to New Track to render the tracks to a 
single track. The Render to New Track dialog appears. 
6.Complete the information in the Render to New Track dialog and click Save. For more information, see 
Mixing multiple tracks to a single track on page 109.
ACID saves the new composite loop and adds it to your project as a new track.
Creating drum-roll build ups
1.Place a file in the Chopper. For more...

APPENDIX BACID TIPS AND TRICKS
195
8.Place the file from track two in the Chopper.
9.Repeat steps four through six to insert events from track two.
10 .Select all events on the two beatmapped tracks in the track view.
11.Press  . ACID creates crossfades between your events.
Creating pseudo-granular synthesis
1.Create a sixty-fourth note (or shorter) selection in the Chopper.
2.Click the Insert Selection button ( ).
3.Use the Shift Selection Left () and Shift Selection Right ( ) buttons to move the...

196
ACID TIPS AND TRICKSAPPENDIX B 

C
APPENDIX CGLOSSARY
APPENDIX
197
Glossary
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-zipAn 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 CodeThis number is based...

198
GLOSSARYAPPENDIX C
Audio Interchange 
File Format (AIFF)An audio file format developed by Apple Computer.
Audio Proxy File 
(.sfap0)See Proxy File.
BandwidthWhen 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...