User guide
Tracktion 4 Reference Manual
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You can see the level of the incoming audio at a glance just by looking at the input icon, as it has a
small level meter. Typically this meter is too low resolution to be useful for monitoring though, and it is
of most use as a quick verication that signal is reaching the input without problem.
If you click on the input device, the properties will be shown in the properties panel. There you can
nd a larger meter that is better suited to the task of setting levels. Chapter 2.1 discusses the options
you will nd in the properties panel when an audio input device is selected.
If you need to monitor levels visually from some distance, or you need large views for more than one
track at a time, Tracktion has a large meter mode. To activate it, click the options button in the control
panel, and choose the show big input level meters menu option. You can also toggle the large meter
mode by using the keyboard shortcut: CTRL + ALT + M (or for Mac users, CMD + CTRL + M).
To hear the audio, arm the input, click on it to display its properties, and ensure the enable end-to-
end option is selected. This will allow you to hear the audio received by the input even when playback
is stopped. If you can see from the input meter that audio is being received by this input, but even with
enable end-to-end active you can’t hear anything, check that the e-to-e option in the transport section
is also active.
Now that you can audibly and visually monitor you input, the nal step is to adjust your levels for the
optimum gain structure. While it is possible to adjust the input gain on the input properties, it is far bet-
ter to adjust the signal level at source. If the signal reaching Tracktion is too quiet, increasing the gain
will raise the noise-oor too. If, on the other hand, the signal is too loud, digital clipping will occur at the
analogue to digital converters (ADCs) of your audio input device. Once this clipping is present, it cannot
be removed, and will still be present even if you lower the input gain control in Tracktion. Digital clip-
ping is extremely unmusical, and should be avoided wherever possible.
To get the ideal recording level, start by setting Tracktion’s input gain to 0 dB, and adjusting the levels
of the source material such that the signal in Tracktion never reaches the 0 dB line on the input meters.
With modern 24-bit audio converters, leaving yourself 5 dB of headroom will not dramatically lower the
resulting quality, but will give you a good amount of protection against peaks and spikes in the recorded
material.
Tip: By setting the trigger level parameter of the audio input’s properties, Tracktion can be set to start
recording only when the incoming signal rises above the specied threshold.
If you want to record along to a click-track, you can start the click at any time by selecting the turn on
click track option from the click track button’s pop-up menu. You can also use the keyboard shortcut
key C to toggle the click-track on and off.
The other options available from the click track button allow you to set the click to your taste. In par-
ticular, you may want to check the pre-record count-in length value, as this denes the amount of
time click track plays before recording starts. More information on working with the click-track can be
found in Chapter Six.
OK, you’re ready to begin recording. Section Three of this chapter explains the various record
modes available to you, and how to use them.