User guide

Tracktion 4 Reference Manual
70
To create a new track inside a folder:
• Click on the name of the folder track to which you wish to add a new track. The folder track will
be selected.
• Click on the
insert new tracks button in the properties panel. A pop-up menu will be displayed.
• Select the
insert 1 new track option from the pop-up menu.
Keyboard shortcut: CTRL + T (CMD + T for Macs).
To move existing tracks into a folder:
• Click on the name of the track you wish to move. The track will
be selected.
• Drag it until it is located over the folder track. Note the arrow
that shows where the track will be dropped (Fig. 3.3.3). The ar-
row should be pointing straight forward, otherwise your track
will be placed either side of the folder track.
• Release it when it is correctly located.
Navigating Around In The Arrangement Area
Now that we’ve looked briey at tracks, let’s move on to the arrangement area, or track section. By
now you will be aware that the arrangement area is where your song will be composed and arranged.
By recording, editing and placing clips, a complete song can be realized with ease. The arrangement
area is basically a time-line that spans from the start of the song on the left hand side, to the end of the
song at some point to the right of that. The position of a clip on this time-line therefore determines when
it will play.
If you press the play button in the transport section, you will notice a vertical line moving across the
arrangement area. This line is the play-head cursor, and it denotes the the position that section of song
that is currently being heard. The play-head cursor also forms an important part of the editing process.
Many functions will use the play-head cursor position to dene the region on which they will operate.
If you click on the play-head cursor and drag it left or right, you will notice that it follows your mouse
movements exactly. This then is one method that can be used for navigating around an edit, and for
many purposes, it may be the most powerful. You can, for example, use this method for real-time
‘scrubbing,’ which allows you to zero in on a section of song by sound. In addition to dragging the
play-head cursor however, you can also quickly relocate it just by clicking on an empty area on the ar-
rangement area. Try clicking on any area within the track section that does not contain a clip. Notice
how the play-head cursor jumps straight to the location under your mouse.
In addition to moving the play-head cursor with the mouse, you can move forwards and backwards
through your edit by use of the LEFT ARROW and RIGHT ARROW keys.
In addition to the play-head cursor, you will see two other vertical lines in your edit. One has the let-
ter “I” at the top and the other has the letter “O.” These are the in and out markers and are used with a
number of different editing commands, as well as during recording and rendering. They can be clicked
and dragged to any position desired (Fig. 3.3.4).
Figure 3.3.3
Figure 3.3.4