User Guide

EDITING IN DIRECT MODE
Whenever you open a file in Sound Forge XP, a backup copy is created so that
the original file is not affected until you select to save your work. When you
open a file as read-only or direct, Sound Forge XP will not create a backup
copy of the file, which makes opening files quicker and uses less disk space. In
fact, editing in direct mode can make opening a file almost instantaneous.
Direct mode can only be used on files that are 16-bit and stored in the
Microsoft Wave format.
The first time you open a file in direct mode Sound Forge XP will scan the file
to create a peak file.This also allows Sound Forge XP to display the data in the
file extremely quickly.This peak file is stored in the same location as the wave
file with the same name as the wave file but with the extension .sfk. After a
peak file is created Sound Forge XP automatically keeps it updated when you
edit the file. The only time the peak file may need to be regenerated is if you
modify the file with an application other than Sound Forge XP. This allows
Sound Forge XP to instantaneously load the file next time you open it.
The only drawback to editing a file in direct mode is that you no longer have
the security of a backup file. In most cases this is not a problem, since all
changes can be undone (with ample disk space). But if, for some reason,
Sound Forge XP terminates improperly, the file would remain in its edited
state.
FAST FILE SAVING
When creating a new file Sound Forge XP creates a temporary file that
contains all of your new sound data. When you are ready to save the file,
Sound Forge XP must copy this data into the file you specify in the Save As
dialog (File menu). If you are saving the sound data as a 16-bit Microsoft Wave
file, Sound Forge XP can make this process almost instantaneous by quickly
moving the file rather than copying the data to a new file. In order for this to
work, the new file into which you are saving your data must be on the same
drive as your temporary storage folder.Therefore, it is recommended that you
keep your temporary storage folder on the same drive where you keep most
of your sound files. You can set your Temporary storage folder on the Performance
page in the Preferences folder (Options menu).
APPENDIX A
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