Files

Opening Files
  1. Soundfiles on the hard disk can be displayed in Fast Edit by using the Open command. This brings up the Open Dialog Box (Figure 2-11).
Figure 2-11 Open Dialog Box
  1. Fast Edit uses a standard Windows "Open" dialog.
  2. When you open a soundfile, it is displayed in the Read Only window. Sounds from this file are now available for your editing work, without altering the original soundfile.
  3. If you intentionally want to do a destructive edit (that is, alter an existing soundfile), you can use the "Open for Modify" command. This command will load the soundfile into the Modify window. You can now modify the soundfile, and then use the "Save" command to replace the original soundfile with the modified soundfile. The original soundfile is not altered until the "Save" command is used to rewrite the file.
Saving a Soundfile
  1. When you have finished an editing session, and you want to save your work, you can use the "Save As" command. A dialog box will appear to ask you for a soundfile name (Figure 2-12).
Figure 2-12 The Save As command asks you for a soundfile name.
  1. When you type in a soundfile name and click on "SAVE", Fast Edit will convert the entire Modify window into a new soundfile, and store it under the name you gave it, but with a ".wav" extension added.
  2. If you gave it the name of an existing soundfile, a dialog box will appear to warn you (Figure 2-13). You will then need to select whether you want the existing soundfile to be written over (i.e. replaced by the new soundfile).
Figure 2-13 If you choose an existing soundfile name for the Save As command, it will warn you that you would be overwriting an existing soundfile.
  1. If you are doing destructive editing using the Open for Modify command, you can save your modifications by using the Save command. It will remember the name of the file that was opened into the Modify window, and automatically overwrite the original soundfile when the Save command is used.
  2. If you are saving with the "Save Selection" command, a dialog box will appear to ask you for a soundfile name. You can save selected portions of soundfiles from either the Read Only window or the Modify window. If you are saving a selection from the Read Only window, you are not allowed to overwrite an existing file.
Closing Soundfiles
  1. The Close command is used to clear the Modify or Read Only window, whichever is active. If the top window is active, and a sound is displayed in the top window, Fast Edit will ask you if you want to save the sound (Figure 2-14).
Figure 2-14 When you close the top window, Fast Edit will ask you if you want to save the sound.
  1. The "New" command works like the Close command, but it only works on the Modify window.
Deleting Soundfiles
  1. It is always best to delete unwanted soundfiles using Fast Edit's? "Delete Soundfile" command, than to do it from DOS or Windows. The Delete Soundfile command not only deletes the soundfile, but also the associated metasample file.
  2. Also, if the soundfile is necessary for an Editlist, Fast Edit will warn you before you delete it (see See Editlists.).
Recording Soundfiles
  1. The "Record" command on the "File" menu produces the Record File dialog box which includes fields similar to those in the Open dialog box (see Figure 2-11 on Open Dialog Box) for setting the file name and path for the new sound file.
Figure 2-15 Record Dialog Box.
  1. Next, a Record Dialog Box appears (see Figure 2-15). The name of the file being recorded is displayed, along with the current sample rate, sample size, and channel settings. The elapsed time of the recording is displayed, as well as the total remaining time available on the hard drive.
  2. The level meters indicate the amplitude of the input signal. When recording a Mono source, the sound is sampled from the left channel only, and the right channel is disabled. The meters are green up to 6 dB below clipping, and then yellow up to the clipping level, which is red. The red clipping indicator is displayed each time the maximum sample value is detected, and remains on the level display for a few seconds.
  3. When the Midi Enable is set, the specified Channel and Note will start the recording. You can use the Listen button to fill in these values.....when the Listen button is active, any channel and note information that comes into the Midi input will be placed in the Channel and Note windows.
  4. When the Record dialog box appears, recording has not yet started, although the level meters will be active. Recording starts when you click on the Record button, and stops when you click on the stop button. If you click on the Record button again, the recording will resume.
  5. Markers are dropped during recording with the Drop Marker button (see See Creating and Modifying Markers.).

 

  1. The Close button ends the record session. The new soundfile is opened in the Read Only sound display window, along with any markers that may have been placed.
Simultaneous Play and Record
  1. The Simultaneous Play and Record feature of Fast Edit lets you listen to one stereo soundfile while recording another. For instance, if you are producing a voice-over, you can listen to the music bed while you are recording the voice track.
  2. First, you put the recording that you want to listen to into the top window. Next you call up Play and Record, in the Files menu. A window asks you for a filename for the recording you are about to make. Then a Record Dialog box comes up (see Figure 2-16.).
Figure 2-16 The Record/Play Dialog Box
  1. At first, the bottom line of the Dialog Box says "Press Queue Record to enable recording." When you click on the Queue Record button, the bottom line changes to "Press Start or play waveform to begin recording." At this point, you can either click on the Start Record button, or you can start the playback of the bottom window by any usual method, such as clicking inside the bottom window with the right mouse button.
  2. Playback and recording will both start immediately. The outputs of your soundcard will play back the top window, but will not monitor the inputs. If you want to monitor the inputs at the same time, you will need to do this through your mixing board.
  3. When you have finished recording, you must manually stop the recording. Do this by clicking on the Stop button, or hit the Enter key. The new recording will appear in the bottom window.
Sample Rate selection
  1. The sample rate, sample size and channel are set using the Sample Rate/Channels command in the Options dialog, which you will find at the bottom of the Display menu (see Figure 2-17).
Figure 2-17 The Sample Rate dialog
Editlists
  1. Editlists are a feature of Fast Edit designed to save time and disk space.
  2. In cut-and-paste editing, the entire sound in the Modify window is a duplicate of sounds in the other soundfiles from which they were copied. Rather than saving the top window as a soundfile, which will take time and disk space to duplicate the sounds from all the original source soundfiles, the Editlist feature saves the Modify window as a very short file of pointers to those sound segments in the original soundfiles. As long as all the original source soundfiles are on the hard disk, and not altered, the edited sound can be reloaded as an Editlist.
  3. Saving the Modify window as an Editlist is most useful when the editing is primarily cut-and-paste. It is less useful in saving time and disk space when the editing contains long segments of Mixes, Fades, Crossfades, EQ, Sample Reversal, Gain Change and Normalize.
  4. When you save an Editlist, Fast Edit remembers all of the original soundfiles that the Editlist refers to. Also, Fast Edit saves all of the temporary files that are necessary to reload the Editlist.
  5. If you use Editlists, always be sure to use Fast Edit anytime that you want to delete unwanted soundfiles. The Delete Soundfile command will warn you if the soundfile you want to delete is necessary for the reloading of one of your saved Editlists.
  6. To save the Modify window as an Editlist, choose the "Save Editlist" command in the File menu. A dialog box will appear that will ask you for a name for your Editlist. The Editlist will be stored on the hard disk using your name, with a ".els" filename extension.
  7. The "Load Editlist" command works very much like the Open command works for soundfiles. The Load Editlist Dialog Box (Figure 2-18) lists all files in the directory that have the ".els" filename extension.
Figure 2-18 The Load Editlist Dialog Box.
  1. The Editlist will load into either the Modify window or the Read Only window, whichever is active.
  2. Whenever you want to delete an Editlist, it is important to use the "Delete Editlist" command in the File menu. This command not only deletes the Editlist selected, but also notifies the appropriate soundfiles that they are no longer referenced by the Editlist being deleted. The Delete Editlist also deletes any temporary soundfiles that were needed for the Editlist.
Exiting Fast Edit
  1. To exit Fast Edit, select Exit under the Files menu, or double click on the upper left-hand corner of the main Fast Edit screen. If you have an edited sound in the Modify window, Fast Edit will ask you if you want to save it to a soundfile.