User guide

Tracktion 4 Reference Manual
133
Chapter 6: The Time-line, Synchronisation,
And Snap To Grid
Chapter Contents
6.1 : The Time-line, And Snap-To-Grid Quantising
6.2 : The Global Track, And Setting Tempos, Keys, And Time Signatures
6.3 : The Markers Track, And Markers
6.4 : The Timecode Button Options
6.5 : The Click Track, And The Click Track Button Options
6.6 : Synchronising Tracktion With External MIDI Devices
Working With MIDI Clock
Working With MIDI Timecode
MIDI Machine Control (MMC)
6.7 : The Movie Window, And The Movie Button Options
6.1 : The Time-line, And Snap-To-Grid Quantising
Tracktion’s time-line bar serves two purposes. The rst, and most obvious, is to give you a visual
reference by which you can arrange your songs. The second, and for people familiar with other se-
quencers, perhaps rather surprising purpose, is that the time-line also controls the grid that snap-to-grid
utilises.
Figure 6.1.1 shows the time-line bar.
Note: Right-clicking on the time-line bar shows a pop-up menu that offers the same options as are
available from the timecode button in the control panel. Section Four of this chapter details those op-
tions.
When snap-to-grid is enabled, the size of the grid is automatically adjusted to match the divisions
shown on the time-line bar. If you want snapping to work at 1/16 resolution, simply zoom in such that
the time-line divisions are no larger than 1/16th.
Figure 6.1.2 shows how it works. In the image on the left, the snap resolution is 1/16 of a beat. As
you can see, the area between the rst and second beats of bar one is divided into 16 tick marks on the
time-line. Equally, the second image shows a snap resolution of 1/4 of a beat, and as such there are
four visible tick marks for each beat.
Figure 6.1.1
Figure 6.1.2