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Recording
• To record in cycle mode, you can start recording from
the left locator, from before the locators or from within the
cycle, in Stop mode or during playback.
As soon as the project cursor reaches the right locator, it will jump back
to the left locator and continue recording a new lap.
• The results of cycle recording depend on the selected
cycle record mode and are different for audio (see “Re-
cording audio” on page 80) and MIDI (see “Recording
MIDI” on page 83).
Audio recording specifics
Selecting a recording file format
The format for recorded files is set in the Project Setup di-
alog on the Project menu. There are three settings: Sam-
ple Rate, Bit Resolution, and Record File Type. While the
sample rate is set once and for all when you start working
on a new project, the bit resolution and file type can be
changed at any time.
Record File Type
The Record File Type setting determines which type of
files will be created when you record:
• If you select Broadcast Wave File or AIFF format, you
can specify Author, Description and Reference text strings
that will be embedded in the recorded file.
This is done on the Record–Audio–Broadcast Wave page in the Prefer-
ences dialog.
Bit Resolution
The available options are 16 bit, 24 bit, and 32 bit float.
Use the following guidelines:
• Normally, select the record format according to the bit
resolution delivered by your audio hardware.
For example, if your audio hardware has 20 bit A/D converters (inputs),
you may want to record at 24 bit resolution to capture the full bit resolu
-
tion. On the other hand, if your hardware has 16 bit inputs, it is pointless
to record with a higher bit resolution – this will only make the audio files
larger, with no difference in audio quality.
• The higher the bit resolution, the larger the files and the
more strain is put on the disk system.
If this is an issue, you may want to lower the record format setting.
Setting up the track
Creating a track and selecting the channel configuration
Audio tracks can be configured as mono or stereo tracks.
This allows you to record or import a file containing multi-
ple channels and treat it as one entity, with no need to split
it up into several mono files, etc. The signal path for an au-
dio track maintains its channel configuration all the way
from the input bus, via EQ, level and other Mixer settings
to the output bus.
You specify the channel configuration for a track when you
create it:
1. Select “Add Audio Track” from the track list context
menu or the Project menu (or, if an audio track is already
selected, double-click in an empty area of the track list).
A dialog opens with a channel configuration pop-up menu.
2. Select the desired format from the pop-up menu.
You can choose between mono and stereo.
• The Browse item in this dialog allows you to browse
your disks for created track presets, which can be used as
a basis (or template) for tracks.
This is described in detail in the chapter “Working with track presets” on
page 221.
3. Click the Add Track button.
A track is added, set to the specified channel configuration. In the Mixer,
a corresponding channel strip appears. You cannot change the channel
configuration for a track.
File type Description
Wave File Wave files have the extension “.wav” and are a common
file format on the PC platform.
Wave 64 File Wave 64 is a proprietary format developed by Sonic
Foundry Inc. Audio-wise it is identical to the Wave format,
but the internal file structure makes much larger file sizes
possible. This is useful for long live recordings, where the
audio files can become huge.
Broadcast
Wave File
In terms of audio content, the same as regular Wave files,
but with embedded text strings for supplying additional
information about the file (see below).
AIFF File Audio Interchange File Format, a standard defined by Ap-
ple Inc. AIFF files have the extension “.aif” and are used
on most computer platforms. Like Broadcast Wave files,
AIFF files can contain embedded text strings (see below).
!
For further information on the options in the Project
Setup dialog, see
“The Project Setup dialog” on
page 44.