Sony Acid 7 Manual

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Snapping to all elements
With snapping turned on, you may choose to snap to all elements. From the Options menu, choose 
Snapping, and choose Grid Only from the submenu. The button image next to the Grid Only command 
appears deselected when snapping to all elements.
Tip: Press   to toggle between grid only and all 
elements.
Changing tempo, time signature, and key
You can set a tempo, time signature, and key for your ACID project. You can also make adjustments during 
playback.
ACID allows you to add specific tempo, time signature, and key changes within a project using tempo/key/
time signature change markers. These markers appear on the marker bar above the track view. When the 
cursor passes over one of these markers, the master project tempo, key, and/or time signature changes in real 
time.
Changing project tempo
With ACID, you can change the tempo of a project without affecting the project’s key.
Changing tempo using the Project Tempo slider
Drag the Project Tempo slider at the bottom of the track list. Dragging the slider to the left slows the tempo, 
while dragging it to the right speeds the tempo.
Tip: Double-click the tempo value 
next to the 
Project Tempo slider to 
enter an exact value. Press   
when you are finished.
As you drag the 
Project Te m p o slider, a colored bar appears under each track’s name to represent the amount 
a track is being stretched to match the project tempo. The mark in the center of the bar represents the 
original tempo of a file. When the bar appears to the right of the mark, the project tempo is faster than the 
original file; when the bar appears to the left of the mark, the project tempo is slower than the original file. 
The amount of change also displays as a percentage at the right end of the bar.
Ctrl+F8
Set the tempo, time signature, and key for the whole project... ...or change these elements dynamically in the timeline.
Project Tempo 
slider
Project Key
Project Time Signature
Project Tempo
Enter 
						

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WORKING IN THE TRACK VIEWCHP. 5
Changing project tempo to match file tempo 
Each track’s shortcut menu contains the option Use Original Tempo. The original tempo of the file used on 
the track appears to the right of this option in the shortcut menu. To change the project’s tempo to match 
the original file tempo, simply choose 
Use Original Tempo from the shortcut menu.
Changing project time signature
Click the Project Time Signature control and select a time signature from the menu to adjust a project’s time 
signature. Select 
Other from the menu to enter a custom time signature.
Changing project key
Click the Project Key control and select a key from the menu to adjust a project’s key. 
This feature makes it possible to use media that are in different keys in the same project: each loop that has a 
specified root note is transposed to the key indicated by the 
Project Key control.
For example, if three loops have root notes of A, B, and C, and your 
Project Key control is set to D, ACID 
pitch-shifts the loops by five, three, and two semitones, respectively.
Note: If the root note for a track is set to Don’t Transpose in 
the Track Properties window, the track does not pitch shift 
with the rest of the project.
Project tempo is slower 
than file tempo.
Project tempo is faster 
than file tempo. As you drag the slider, a colored bar appears for each track.
Project Tempo slider
Project Key control 
						

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Working with tempo/key/time signature change markers
Tempo/key/time signature change markers allow you to make changes to the tempo, key, and/or time 
signature at specified points in your project.
Note: Time signature changes must occur on the first beat of 
a measure.
Adding tempo/key/time signature change markers
1.
Position the cursor where you want the change to occur.
2.From the Insert menu, choose Tempo/Key/Time Signature Change. The Tempo/Key/Time Signature 
Change dialog appears.
3.Select the check boxes for the types of changes you want to 
occur at the cursor position.

Key Change changes the key of all tracks until ACID 
encounters another tempo/key/time signature change marker.

Tempo Change changes the tempo of all tracks until ACID 
encounters another tempo/key/time signature change marker.

Time Signature Change changes the time signature of all tracks 
until ACID encounters another tempo/key/time signature 
change marker.
4.Specify the desired change information and click OK to close the dialog. A marker appears in the marker 
bar at the cursor position that displays the change information.
Editing tempo/key/time signature change markers
There are several ways to edit the tempo/key/time signature change marker:
Position the cursor on or after the marker and adjust the 
Project Tempo, Project Time Signature, or Project Key 
controls. The marker’s text reflects the change.
Right-click the marker, choose 
Edit from the shortcut menu, and enter the appropriate change in the 
Tempo/Key/Time Signature Change dialog.
Double-click the marker and enter the appropriate change in the Tempo/Key/Time Signature Change 
dialog.
Adjusting tempo to match cursor to marker 
Position the cursor, right-click the marker tab, and choose Adjust Tempo to Match Cursor to Marker from the 
shortcut menu. The project tempo changes so that the cursor position matches the selected marker.
Deleting tempo/key/time signature change markers
To delete a marker, right-click the marker and choose Delete from the shortcut menu. 
						

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WORKING IN THE TRACK VIEWCHP. 5
Changing a track’s key
You can change the key of an entire track without affecting the project’s key. For creative ways to use track key 
changes, see Detuning paired tracks on page 187.
1.Right-click the track and choose Properties from the shortcut menu. The Track Properties window 
appears.
2.On the General tab, enter the number of semitones by which to adjust the key in the Pitch Shift box or use 
the spinner control. Use the minus (-) key for negative values.
3.Close the Track Properties window. The pitch shift displays in the track’s icon.
Tip: Another way to change the key of the track is to select 
the track in the track list and press  or   on the numeric 
keypad.
Changing an event’s key
You can change the key of an individual event without affecting the pitch of the track or project.
Right-click the event in the track view, choose 
Pitch Shift from the shortcut menu, 
and choose 
Up Semitone or Down Semitone from the submenu. The pitch shifts one 
semitone in the direction specified, and the amount of shift displays on the event 
itself.
You can also change an event’s key using keyboard shortcuts. For more information, see Event commands on 
page 20.
Adjusting time
ACID provides two commands for adjusting your project’s timeline: Insert Time and Fit to Time.
Inserting time
Use the Insert Time command to insert a specified amount of blank space into the project at the current 
cursor position. This feature can be used to create space in the project for new events.
1.Position the cursor where you want to insert time.
2.From the Insert menu, choose Time. The Insert Time dialog appears.
3.Enter the amount of time you want to insert and click OK.
Note: The Insert Time dialog uses the measures.beats.ticks 
format used by the beat ruler.
+- 
						

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Fitting to time
The Fit to Time command allows you to adjust the project’s overall length to a specified amount of time.
Note: The maximum and minimum length is limited to 
reduce the possibility of creating audible artifacts through the 
compression/expansion process.
1.From the Edit menu, choose Fit to Time. The Fit to Time dialog appears with the current project length 
displayed in the 
New length box.
2.Enter the new project length in the New length box. The length is always entered in time format, 
regardless of the format used on the time ruler.
3.Click OK. The dialog closes and ACID adjusts the tempo to alter the project’s length. 
						

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							6
CHP. 6USING THE CHOPPER
CHAPTER85
Using the Chopper
The Chopper allows you to quickly create slice-and-dice effects. For creative ways to use the Chopper, see 
Slicing and dicing in the Chopper on page 193.
Working in the Chopper window
Selecting a track automatically places it in the Chopper where it can be immediately manipulated and 
inserted into the track view.
Viewing the Chopper
To display the Chopper, choose Chopper from the View menu or press  .
Changing the Chopper grid
The Chopper’s grid uses the same increments available on the track view. To change the grid display, right-
click the waveform area of the Chopper, choose 
Grid Spacing from the shortcut menu, and choose the 
desired display from the submenu.
Changing Chopper snapping options
The snapping behavior of the track view and Chopper are linked. To enable snapping in both components, 
choose 
Snapping from the Options menu and choose Enable from the submenu, or press  .
When snapping is turned on, you can choose between snapping only to the grid or snapping to all elements. 
For more information, see Using snapping on page 78.
Toolbar
Beat ruler
Transport bar
Time ruler
Alt 
+2
F8
6 
						

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USING THE CHOPPERCHP. 6
Magnifying the Chopper
There are three ways of adjusting the magnification of the Chopper.
Click the 
Zoom In Time () and Zoom Out Time ( ) buttons located in the lower-right corner of the 
window.
Click within the Chopper and use the mouse wheel.
Quickly magnify a selection by right-clicking and choosing 
Zoom to Loop Region from the shortcut menu.
Previewing in the Chopper
The Chopper contains a dedicated transport bar that can be used to preview selections prior to inserting 
them into the project. 
Using Chopper toolbar and keyboard commands
In addition to the transport bar, the Chopper contains a toolbar that is designed to make creating selections 
quick and easy. The following table briefly describes the toolbar buttons and the associated keyboard 
commands.
Button Keyboard Function
 or 
Inserts the Chopper selection in the track view at the current cursor 
position.
 (comma)Shifts the track view’s cursor position to the left by the length of the 
increment arrow. 
 (period)Shifts the track view’s cursor position to the right by the length of the 
increment arrow. 
Links the length of the increment arrow with the length of the selection. 
When toggled on, the length of the increment remains equal to the 
length of the selection. When toggled off, you can configure the 
increment independently of the Chopper selection.
 (semicolon)Halves the length of the Chopper selection.
 (apostrophe)Doubles the length of the Chopper selection.
 or  (comma)Shifts the Chopper selection to the left by the length of the selection.
 or  (period)Shifts the Chopper selection to the right by the length of the selection.
 (comma)Shifts the selection left by the increment length.
 (period)Shifts the selection right by the increment length.
 (semicolon)Doubles the length of the increment arrow.
 (apostrophe)Halves the length of the increment arrow.
Inserts a region.
Inserts a marker.
Marks the start point of a loop region.
Marks the end point of a loop region. Once the endpoint is established, 
the loop region becomes highlighted.
/A
Ctrl+,
Ctrl+.
N
;
‘’
.
Ctrl+Shift+,
Ctrl
+Shift+.
Ctrl
+;
Ctrl
+
‘’
R
M
I
O 
						

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Inserting markers and regions in the Chopper
When working with events in the Chopper, you can drop markers and create regions just like in the track 
view. For more information, see Using project markers and regions on page 71.
These markers and regions are saved with the project when it is saved. They can also be saved back to the 
original media file by clicking the 
Save File button ( ) in the Track Properties window. For more 
information, see Saving file properties on page 109.
Creating selections in the Chopper
After you place a file in the Chopper, you can use the toolbar, transport bar, and mouse (or their keyboard 
equivalents) to create and preview selections within the file. When have made the selection you want, you 
can insert the selection into the track view.
Placing files in the Chopper
To place a file in the Chopper, do any of the following:
Select a track in the track list.
Select an event.
Right-click an event and choose 
Select in Chopper from the shortcut menu.
Note: If you choose Select in Chopper on an event that 
contains only a portion of a file, ACID places the entire 
contents of the file in the Chopper. The part of the waveform 
selected, however, matches the contents of the selected event. 
This allows you to see the event in the context of the entire 
media file.
Creating selections
To create a selection, drag the mouse, or hold   while pressing the arrow keys. A shaded region appears 
in the Chopper to indicate the current selection, and its start point, end point, and length display at the 
bottom-right corner of the window in measures.beats.ticks format. You can preview the selection at any time 
by clicking the 
Play button ( ) on the Chopper’s transport bar or pressing  .
Shift
Space
Increment 
Start  End
Length 
						

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USING THE CHOPPERCHP. 6
Note: In addition, an increment arrow appears on the track 
view above the selected block. For more information, see 
Inserting increments on page 88.
As you make a selection in the Chopper, a colored block appears in the track view. This block indicates 
where the selection will be placed on the track view when you insert it from the Chopper. 
Creating selections of a specific musical length
You may want to create a selection with a length corresponding to a musical value. You can easily do this in 
ACID using the Chopper’s selection shortcut menu.
1.Create a selection or place the cursor in the Chopper. For more information, see Creating selections on page 
87.
2.Right-click and choose the desired musical length from the shortcut menu. ACID creates a selection 
equal to the specified musical length.
Inserting increments
In addition to creating selections, the Chopper allows you to configure the sections of silence between 
selections painted on a track. When you click the 
Link Arrow to Selection button ( ), ACID links the 
increment arrow length with the selection length. This forces the increment and selection lengths to remain 
equal, thereby allowing you to insert selections seamlessly, end-to-end, in the project.
When the 
Link Arrow to Selection button is toggled off, the increment arrow is displayed in black and you are 
able to establish a increment length that is independent of the selection length. The increment arrow can be 
set by dragging either end of the arrow or by using the increment shortcut menu.
When the increment length is greater than the length of the selection, ACID inserts an appropriate amount 
of silence following the selection when you insert it in the track view. This affects the track’s insert position 
and allows you to paint selections separated by the specified increment.
Chopper selection inserted end-to-end three times
Selection and increment length 
Increment greater than selection
Selection inserted with specified increment three times