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Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder 3.0 - User Guide and FAQ
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Mixing down a project to a single track
To "free up" (or empty) tracks so they can be used for new recordings you may want to mix two or more tracks down to a single track. You can do this by using the "Mix Down to Track" feature located under the "Tools" pull down menu (see visual aid 1). For example, if you have audio on all eight tracks and need to "free up" some tracks, you can mix down tracks 5, 6, 7 and 8 to track 5. This will give you tracks 6, 7 and 8 free to record new material.
Mixing down a project to a Wave or MP3 file
When you're satisfied with the overall sound of your Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder project you may want to mix it down to a wave or MP3 file. There are two easy ways to do this: One is to simply select "Save As Wave" from the "File" pulldown menu. The other way is to select the "Mix Down to Wave" or "Mix Down to MP3" option from the "Tools->Mix Down" pulldown menu
Editing Audio with the Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder
The Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder includes many editing and tool features. For ease of use, we've designed these to all work in a similar way. If you want to edit only a portion of the audio, select that section of the waveform and use the pulldown menus to select the desired operation. If you want the edit operation to apply to the entire file, there is no need to select a waveform section. Simply select your desired operation from the pull down menus. The dialog box of the selected operation will allow you to select specific editing parameters.
Frequently Asked Questions - Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder
- What is the Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder most often used for?
The Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder can be used for a variety of recording, editing and mixing needs. Musicians and bands are frequent users of our software because it's multitrack abilities are great for recording songs. However, our customer base is not limited to those wishing to exclusively record music projects. People from a wide variety of occupations and interests find the Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder useful. If you're looking to create any sort of professional sounding audio production, chances are, the Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder will be an excellent tool.
- When I try to play audio all I get is silence, why?
Make sure your speakers or headphones are plugged into the audio output adapter which is usually located in the back of your computer. If you're using external speakers make sure they are plugged in and turned on. Make sure your system volume level is turned up high enough. You can get to the system volume by double clicking on the small speaker icon located in tray. The tray is located in the lower right hand corner of your screen - just to the left of the clock. Also, if your system has multiple audio devices make sure you're using the correct one by going to "Settings=>Application Settings" on the pulldown menu system and selecting "I/O Audio Devices".
- Why is it that when I play audio it sometimes breaks up, is slow or has a static sound?
Real-time multitrack recording and playback requires a good amount of processing speed and system memory and also requires ongoing processor attention. If other programs are running while using the Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder they can possibly take enough system processing power and memory to disrupt the playback or recording of audio. This can result in the audio breaking up, sounding a bit like static or the recording of a track to be off tempo. While using the Multitrack Recorder, it's best to close other applications to free up these vital system resources. Also, note that anti-virus software can possibly (although rarely) disrupt the playback/recording of audio since they will at times, halt the system for a split second while they scan a file.
- How do I record audio from the microphone or line in input of my computer?
Audio recording settings are controlled at the operating system level (Windows) and not the application level (Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder). To change your audio settings you'll need to open the Windows Sound Manager by double clicking on the small speaker icon located in tray. The tray is located in the lower right hand corner of your screen - just to the left of the clock. See visual aid 1. After the Windows Sound Manager has opened, select "Options" and then "Properties" from the pull down menu system.
Select the "Recording" radio button and press "OK", this will bring up the Recording Control. If you're trying to record from the microphone, make sure microphone is selected as the recording input device. Likewise, if you're attempting to record from the line-in input of your audio device, make sure line-in is selected as the recording input device. Also make sure the input volume level is turned up high enough.
- Why is it that when I record audio it is sometimes not precisely on tempo?
Note that every PC audio input/output device has it's own timing system. These devices must round and approximate time units. When recording a device that keeps a BPM tempo you may notice the tempo lags between this recorded device and the Multitrack Recorder's metronome - especially when you get past a few minutes time. This is due to the rounding approximation. This will be more likely to occur with lower quality audio devices. Fortunately, the amount of lag due to the rounding is constant. Therefore, everything that plays back and is recorded will be at the same tempo.
Also, real-time multitrack recording and playback requires a good amount of processing speed and system memory and also requires ongoing processor attention. If other programs are running while using the Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder they can possibly take enough system processing power or memory to disrupt the playback or recording of audio. This can result in the recording of a track to be off tempo. While using the Multitrack Recorder, it's best to close other applications to free up these vital system resources. Also, note that anti-virus software can possibly (although rarely) disrupt the playback/recording of audio since they will at times, halt the system for a split second while they scan a file.
- How do I put one of my Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder projects onto an audio CD?
Practically all CD writers or computers that come equipped with CD writers include writing software. Most all writing software will write an audio file (either wave or MP3) to a CD as an audio track. To save your Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder project as an audio file, simply go to the pulldown menu item "Tools->Mixdown" and select "Mixdown to Wave" or "MP3" (see visual aid 1). All tracks in your project will be saved to a single audio file but the Multitrack Recorder project will remain in separate tracks. After mixing down the project, feel free to use the CD writing software to write the wave or MP3 file to an audio CD.
- What is the audio folder and why is it needed?
The audio path holds all audio associated with Multitrack Recorder projects as well as temporary audio files needed to accomplish editing tasks. The temporary files are removed when you are done using the Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder. You can change the location of the audio path at any time by going to "Settings->Applications Settings" from the pulldown system.
- How do I import an audio track from a CD into the Acoustic Labs Multitrack Recorder?
In order to import an audio track from a CD into the Multitrack Recorder you will first have to extract the CD track from the CD to an audio file (either Wave or MP3). Once you've extracted the track as an audio file you can easily import it into the Multitrack Recorder by choosing "File->Open" from the pull down menu system.
There are numerous free software products that will allow you to extract the audio tracks of a CD to audio files. One of the easiest to use is "FreeRip". You can find it on the web by simply searching for "FreeRip" at your favorite search engine. After the CD audio track has been extracted to an audio file you can import it into the Multitrack Recorder by selecting either "File->Open" or "Tools->Import Audio" from the pull down menu system.
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