Sony Acid 7 Manual

							CHP. 3GETTING STARTED
39
Tip: You can change the length of the file that starts the 
Beatmapper in the 
Audio tab of the Preferences dialog. For 
more information, see Using the Audio tab on page 181.
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 131.
Adding and editing events
You have added media to the project, and ACID has created tracks for the media files. Now you can add 
events to the track view. The following sections describe three basic techniques used when working with 
audio events: painting, deleting, and moving.
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.
Note: Media files must be added to the project before either 
of these tools can be used to paint events.
Placing events with the Draw tool
The Draw tool is the most common method of placing events on the timeline. This tool allows you to add 
track-specific events, one at a time. In addition, you can use the Draw tool to select, edit, and move events. 
For more information, see Adding and editing events on page 39.
1.Click the Draw Tool button ( ) or choose Editing Tool from the Edit menu and choose Draw from the 
submenu. The pointer displays as a pencil icon.
2.Place the Draw tool at the left edge of any track containing a media file.
3.Click and hold the mouse button while dragging the Draw tool to the right. A waveform representing the 
event appears on the timeline as you drag the mouse. 
Notice that if you are placing a loop file on the timeline, small indentations appear along the top and 
bottom edges of the event indicating the start and end points of each individual loop.
Tip: Events can be also be drawn from right (end) to left 
(beginning).
4.Release the mouse button to end the event.
5.Click the Play from Start button ( ) on the transport bar. The event plays back. 
						

							40
GETTING STARTEDCHP. 3
Painting events with the Paint tool
Unlike the Draw tool, the Paint tool allows you to quickly paint multiple events across several tracks. This 
can be useful when you need to quickly add several seemingly random events to a project. The Paint tool is 
also best used for painting multiple one-shot events that will be evenly spaced on the grid lines.
1.Click the Paint Tool button ( ) or choose Editing Tool from the Edit menu and choose Paint from the 
submenu. The mouse pointer displays as a brush icon.
2.Click and hold the mouse button while dragging the Paint tool randomly across the several tracks. Notice 
that events are painted in every grid space the Paint tool contacts.
3.Release the mouse button to stop adding events.
4.Click the Play from Start button ( ) on the transport bar. All new events play back.
Tip: With the Paint tool selected, you can use  +click to 
paint an entire event for one-shot, Beatmapped, and MIDI 
tracks.
Changing the length of events
After an event is painted on the track view, you may discover that it is too long or not long enough; 
however, ACID makes it easy to change the length of an event. You may find it helpful to turn snapping 
options on by choosing 
Snapping from the Options menu and choosing Enable from the submenu.
To alter an event’s length, click the 
Draw Tool button ( ) and drag either end of the event. When you drag 
the event past the end of the file, looped files repeat, but one-shot and Beatmapped tracks draw silence.
Erasing sections of events
Occasionally you may need to delete only specific sections of an event and leave the rest of it intact. The 
easiest method of deleting a section of an event is to use the Erase tool.
1.Click the Erase Tool button ( ) or choose Editing Tool from the Edit menu and choose Erase from the 
submenu. The pointer displays as an eraser icon.
2.Drag in the track view to delete event data.
Tip: With the Erase tool, you can delete an entire one-shot, 
Beatmapped, or MIDI event. Just hold  while you click 
the event.
Ctrl
Original event
Drag the end
of the event......to increase its length.
Ctrl 
						

							CHP. 3GETTING STARTED
41
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.
1.Click the Draw Tool button ( ).
2.Click the event to be moved. The event is highlighted to indicate that it is selected.
Tip: You can hold   or   to select multiple events.
3.Drag the event to a new location on the track.
Note: Multiple selected events move in relation to the event 
being dragged.
Using the cursor
ACID’s cursor is a flashing vertical line that spans the track view of the entire project. The cursor position 
determines where events split, where playback/recording starts, and where clipboard contents are pasted. In 
addition, the positioning of the cursor is essential to the creation of time selections.
Positioning the cursor with the mouse
1.Click the Draw Tool button ( ).
2.Click in the track view to position the cursor.
Positioning the cursor with the keyboard
While using the mouse to position the cursor in the timeline is quick and intuitive, it is not always precise. 
For example, you may want the beginning of a guitar solo to coincide with a snare drum hit, or background 
vocals to enter exactly 3 minutes and 24 seconds into a song. For these reasons, ACID also allows you to 
position the cursor using your keyboard. For more information, see Cursor placement commands on page 20.
CtrlShift 
						

							42
GETTING STARTEDCHP. 3
Positioning the cursor with the Go To command
The Go To command is used to place the cursor at a specific location in the ACID project.
Press   to position the cursor based on the position displayed on the beat ruler. Specify a position 
(in measures.beats.ticks format) in the box that appears in the time display and press  .
Press   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  .
Tip: You can also open the boxes in the time display by 
double-clicking the desired value.
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.
Selecting multiple events
ACID provides you with several methods of selecting multiple events:
Press   or   while clicking events.
Use the 
Select All on Track command.
Use the 
Select Events to End command.
Use the 
Select All command.
Use the Selection tool.
Note: Unless stated otherwise, selections can only be made 
using the Draw tool.
Ctrl+G
Enter
Shift+G
Enter
Selected event
Ctrl
Shift 
						

							CHP. 3GETTING STARTED
43
Selecting multiple events using the keyboard and mouse
Holding   while clicking events allows you to select multiple, nonadjacent events that reside on any 
track. This method is useful when you need to move several scattered events by an equal amount within the 
project.
Holding   allows you to select multiple, adjacent events. Selecting any two events while holding   
automatically selects all events located between the selected events. Events may be selected from the same 
track or across tracks. This method is useful when you want to move several adjacent events by an equal 
amount within the project.
Selecting multiple events using the Select All on Track command
Right-clicking any track in the track view and choosing Select All on Track from the shortcut menu selects 
every event on the track.
Selecting multiple events using the Select Events to End command
Right-clicking an event in the track view and choosing Select Events to End from the shortcut menu selects 
every event on the track after the selected event. 
You use this command across multiple tracks by holding   to click events on several tracks and then 
right-clicking and choosing 
Select Events to End from the shortcut menu.
Selecting events using the Select All command
Choosing Select All from the Edit menu selects all events in a project.
Selecting multiple events using the Selection tool
You can drag the Selection tool across the track view to select events across multiple tracks. This tool allows 
you to select events using three methods: vertical, horizontal, and free selection. 
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.
Method Description Displays as... 
Ve rticalAllows you to select all events on all 
tracks within an interval of time.Parallel dashed line spanning the vertical 
length of the project.
Horizontal Allows you to select all events on a track 
or several adjacent tracks.Parallel dashed line spanning the 
horizontal length of the project.
Free selectionAllows you to select a group of adjacent 
events on adjacent tracks. This is ACID’s 
default selection method.Dashed line box.
Ctrl
ShiftShift
Ctrl 
						

							44
GETTING STARTEDCHP. 3
Creating time selections
ACID does not limit you to selecting events. Frequently, you may want to select only audio events occurring 
within a time selection. You can do this using the Time Selection tool. 
1.Click the Time Selection Tool button ( ) or choose Editing Tool from the Edit menu and choose Time 
Selection 
from the submenu. The pointer displays with an adjacent cursor ( ).
2.Drag the mouse in the track view. The selection area is highlighted on the track view.
3.Release the mouse button. A time selection is created and all events within it are selected.
Note: If the selection area is automatically snapping to the 
track view’s grid lines, ACID’s snapping feature is turned on. 
You can turn snapping off by pressing  .
Creating event selections within time selections
ACID also allows you to select specific events within a general time selection. This technique is useful for 
selecting individual instruments from a particular section of a song. For example, you may want to copy all 
percussion events from a song’s bridge and re-use them in the coda.
1.Click the Time Selection Tool button ( ) or choose Editing Tool from the Edit menu and choose Time 
Selection 
from the submenu. The pointer displays with an adjacent cursor ( ).
2.Drag the mouse in the track view. The selection area is highlighted on the track view.
3.Release the mouse button. A selection is created and all events within it are selected.
4.Hold   and click any event that extends beyond the time selection. The entire event appears 
highlighted; however, only the section of the event contained within the time selection is actually 
selected.
Tip: You can select additional events within the time selection 
by continuing to hold   while clicking events. In addition, 
holding   allows you to select the events of multiple 
adjacent tracks within a selection.
Working with tracks
ACID automatically creates a new track for each media file added to a project, and all events placed on the 
track derive from that file. Because of this, you can use track-level functions to affect every event on the 
track. The following sections explain several basic track functions and features.
F8
Ctrl
Ctrl
Shift 
						

							CHP. 3GETTING STARTED
45
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.
Tip: You can reorder multiple tracks by holding   or  
while selecting tracks and dragging the tracks as a group.
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. 
Tip: You can set the default height for all new tracks by right-
clicking the newly resized track in the track list and choosing 
Set Default Track Properties from the shortcut menu. For 
more information, see Setting default track properties on page 
178.
Changing track colors
As mentioned previously, ACID automatically creates tracks to accommodate new media files. ACID also 
supplies these tracks with a default color. However, you can change track colors to organize the tracks in 
your project. To change the color, right-click the track in the track list, choose 
Color from the shortcut 
menu, and choose the desired color from the submenu.
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 187.
CtrlShift 
						

							46
GETTING STARTEDCHP. 3
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 .
Copying, cutting, and pasting tracks
Copying a track places an exact copy of the selected track on the clipboard, but leaves the track view 
unchanged. To copy a track, select the track and do one of the following:
Click the 
Copy button ( ) on the toolbar.
Choose 
Copy from the Edit menu.
Right-click the track header and choose 
Copy Track from the shortcut menu.
Press .
Cutting a track removes it from the track view and places it on the clipboard. To cut a track, select it and do 
one of the following:
Click the 
Cut button ( ) on the toolbar.
Choose 
Cut from the Edit menu.
Right-click the track header and choose 
Cut Track from the shortcut menu.
Press .
Tracks that are copied or cut to the clipboard can be pasted back into the current project or into a different 
project an unlimited number of times. This is a useful way to share tracks between different compositions. 
You can paste a track in one of the following ways:
Click the 
Paste button ( ) on the toolbar.
Choose 
Paste from the Edit menu.
Right-click the track view and choose 
Paste Track from the shortcut menu.
Press .
Adjusting the mix
Use the multipurpose slider to adjust the mix of a specific track.
Delete
Ctrl+C
Ctrl+X
Ctrl+V 
						

							CHP. 3GETTING STARTED
47
Click the slider label to choose what you want to adjust.
Once you have chosen what you want to adjust, drag the slider to adjust the level. You can hold  or  
to select multiple tracks and move the sliders together as a group.
Note: When adjusting the mix of your tracks, remember to 
look at the meters on the mixer. Because you are adding the 
volumes of all the tracks together, it is easy to clip the audio 
output. Make sure that the meters never display the red clip 
indicator during playback.
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   to mute a track or group of tracks.
Tip: Press   and click the Mute button to mute only the 
selected track (and restore any other muted tracks). If the 
selected track is already muted, press   and click the 
Mute 
button to restore all tracks.
Function Description
Vo lu m eControls 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 103.
FXControls 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. 
CtrlShift
Z
Ctrl
Ctrl 
						

							48
GETTING STARTEDCHP. 3
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   to solo a track or group of tracks.
Tip: Press   and click the Solo button to solo only the 
selected track (and restore any other soloed tracks). If the 
selected track is already soloed, press   and click the 
Solo 
button to restore all tracks.
Working with groups of tracks
Select a group of tracks by holding the   key while you click the track header of the desired tracks. Now 
you can adjust the volume, panning, track color, and other track attributes simultaneously.
Using undo and redo
ACID provides unlimited undo and redo capabilities. ACID adds each edit you perform in the project to an 
undo history, which allows you to quickly restore the project to any of its previous states. In addition, 
undoing an edit automatically places it in the project’s redo history where it can be quickly re-performed. 
However, any new edit performed on the project overwrites the redo history.
Note: The undo and redo histories are cleared when you 
close the project or exit ACID.
Using undo
To undo an edit, click the Undo button ( ) on the toolbar or press  . Edits are undone in the reverse 
order they were performed. 
Tip: You can also undo the most recent edit by choosing 
Undo from the Edit menu.
Undoing a series of edits
Clicking the down arrow next to the Undo button ( ) displays the project’s undo history. The history 
displays as a drop-down list with the most recent edit located at the top. Undoing an edit in the list requires 
all subsequent edits to be undone as well.
1.Click the arrow to the right of the Undo button ( ). The undo history appears.
2.Locate the edit to be undone. Notice that all subsequent edits are automatically selected and the total 
number of edits to be undone is indicated at the bottom of the drop-down list.
3.Click the edit to be undone. The project is restored to the state it was in prior to the selected edit.
X
Ctrl
Ctrl
Ctrl
Ctrl+Z