User guide

Tracktion 4 Reference Manual
61
To the right of the quick nd panel, you will see a vertical strip that contains the
names of tracks, as well as a collection of arrow shaped icons (Fig. 3.1.3). This sec-
tion is called the input section. From this section you can select and manage tracks.
In addition, you can assign inputs to them ready for recording.
You will learn about working with the track name aspect of the input section in Sec-
tion Three of this chapter. The recording inputs are discussed in Chapter Five, which
details recording with Tracktion.
You can temporarily hide the input icons when not in use, for example during mix-
ing. We will look at the component that allows you to show, or hide, user interface
elements next.
Directly below the minimize/maximise/close buttons at the top-right
corner of the Tracktion window, you will see a cluster of toggle buttons
(Fig. 3.1.4). These buttons comprise the show / hide section, and they
provide an easy way to hide areas of the Tracktion display that you are
not currently using. Temporarily hiding areas allows you to maximize
the amount of screen space available to you for mixing and arranging.
The global button toggles whether the global track, used for showing tempo, and key changes, is
visible. If you toggle this button on, you will see a track located above the all other tracks. This track is
the global track, and we will learn more about it when we come to look at tempos and the time-line. For
now, just be aware that it can be hidden when you do not need it by clicking the global button.
The marker button has a very similar role to the global button described above. When it is toggled
on, a special marker track will be visible at the head of the track list. This marker track is used to insert
event marks into the time-line. Typically markers would be used to ag chorus, or verse sections of a
song, which can aid visual navigation of an edit. We will look at the marker track, and markers more
closely in Chapter Six.
The show inputs button is located just to the right of the global button. This button allows you to
toggle whether the input device icons are shown in the track name and input section.
The racks button controls whether the rack editor is visible. Racks, and the rack editor, are described
in Chapter Nine.
The show lter section button is the right-most of the top four buttons. This button collapses the
entire lter section, creating a great deal more room for tracks. This can be particularly handy when
working on arrangements, when it can be useful to see a great deal of the song at one time.
The show bottom section button is the last button in this section. It is the large horizontal button to
the right of the marker button. This button hides the entire bottom section of the edit page, including
the control panel, the properties panel, and the transport section. This can be handy when mixing or ar-
ranging, as more tracks can be shown on screen at one time.
To the left of the show / hide buttons, you can see the new lter.. draggable. This special icon is
used to add new lters to tracks. We will look at this icon in detail in Section Four of this chapter.
Figure 3.1.3
Figure 3.1.4