Sony Acid Music Studio 9 Manual

							STARTING PROJECTS | 15
Extracting media files from CD
You can extract 44,100 Hz, 16-bit, stereo data from CDs. Extracted CD tracks are added to new tracks in your ACID project.
1.Insert a CD in the CD-ROM drive.
2.From the File menu, choose Extract Audio from CD. The Extract Audio from CD dialog is displayed.
3.If you have more than one CD drive, choose the CD drive that contains the audio you want to extract from the Drive drop-
down list.
4.From the Action drop-down list, choose how you want to extract audio:
• Choose Read by track and select each track you want to extract. Each track is extracted to a new track in your project.
• Choose Read entire disc to extract the current CD to a single file.
• Choose Read by range and enter a starting time and ending time (or a starting time and length). The time range is 
extracted to a new track in your project.
Click Play to preview your selection. In order to preview, your CD drive’s audio output must be connected to your sound card, 
or you can connect headphones to the front of the CD drive.
5.Click the MusicID button if you want to obtain CD information using Gracenote MusicID.
If CD information is not available, you can click the CD Info button to display a dialog box where you can edit the CD 
information and submit it for inclusion in the Gracenote Media Database.
6.From the Speed drop-down list, choose the speed at which you want to extract audio.
7.Click OK. The Save As dialog appears.
8.Enter a file name and choose a location for the new file(s).
9.Click Save to start extracting audio.
CD data extraction begins and a progress meter is displayed. If the file is longer than 30 seconds, the Beatmapper™ Wizard 
appears.
10.Use the Beatmapper Wizard or choose to open the file as a one-shot. The extracted file is added to a track.
You can also double-click a .cda file in the Explorer window (or drag it to the timeline) to extract a CD track without opening 
the Extract Audio from CD dialog.
Tip: Extracted tracks can be automatically named for you. From the Options menu, choose Preferences, and on the General tab, 
select the Autoname extracted CD tracks check box.
Note: When adding media from multiple CDs, you may need to press F5 to refresh the Explorer window to view the new CD’s 
contents. 
						

							16 | CHAPTER 3
Downloading media files from the Web
The Get Media from the Web command allows you to view and download various audio and video files available on the Internet.
1.From the File menu, choose Get Media from the Web.
2.Choose an icon from the left frame to specify the media provider from which you want to download files.
3.Preview the file, select the file you want to open and click Download. The Browse for Folder dialog appears.
4.Select a folder for the download. The selected file is downloaded to the folder specified in the Destination box.
5.When you are finished downloading, close the Get Media from the Web dialog. The file is added to your project.
Click Show Details to display additional information about your download. In this mode, you can add files to a download queue, 
specify where the downloaded files should be stored, and monitor the progress of your downloads. Click Start to begin 
downloading queued files, or click Hide Details to return to basic mode. 
						

							WORKING WITH PROJECTS | 17
Chapter 4Working with Projects
This chapter provides the basics you need to begin working with events and tracks.
Adding and editing events
You have added media to the project, and tracks have been created for the media files. Now you can add events to 
the timeline. The following sections describe three basic techniques used when working with audio events: painting, 
deleting, and moving.
Painting events
After you add a media file to your project, you must paint it on the timeline in order to hear it. When you paint on the 
media file’s track, you create an event that displays the file’s waveform. You can paint events on the timeline using 
either the Draw tool (
) or the Paint tool ().
Clips can also be painted on the timeline with the Draw and Paint tools.
You can add one or multiple clips to a track.
Adding clips to tracks
Drag a file from the Explorer window to an existing track in the timeline to add a clip to the track and add an event 
where you drop the clip. The new clip is set as the active clip for creating events with the Draw (
) or Paint () 
tool.
You can drag single-stream MIDI files to a track to add clips. When you drag multistream MIDI files to a track, tracks 
and events are created.
You can also record into a track to create a new clip.
If a track has multiple clips, events will be created using the active clip.
Setting the active clip and creating events
It is simple to set active clips and create events with ACID.
1.Click the Paint Clip Selector button in the track header. A menu is displayed to list the track’s current clips.
2.Choose a clip from the menu. The selected clip is used for creating events with the Draw or Paint tool.
Note: Media files must be added to the project before either of these tools can be used to paint events.
Tips:
• The Draw tool adds events to a single track at a time.
• You can drag the Paint tool across multiple tracks to create events on several tracks at once.
Tips:
• When the Paint tool is selected, hold Ctrl while clicking to paint the entire media file as an event.
• When painting MIDI or one-shot clips, you can click the down arrow next to the Paint tool to set the length of events 
that will be created when you drag with the Paint tool. 
						

							18 | CHAPTER 4
Placing events with the Draw tool
The Draw tool is the most common method of placing events on the timeline. This tool allows you to add track-specific events, one 
at a time. In addition, you can use the Draw tool to select, edit, and move events.
1.Click the Draw Tool button () or choose Editing Tool from the Edit menu and choose Draw from the submenu. The pointer 
displays as a pencil icon.
2.Place the Draw tool at the left edge of any track containing a media file.
3.Click and hold the mouse button while dragging the Draw tool to the right. A waveform representing the event appears on the 
timeline as you drag the mouse.
Notice that if you are placing a loop file on the timeline, small indentations appear along the top and bottom edges of the 
event indicating the start and end points of each individual loop.
4.Release the mouse button to end the event.
5.Click the Play from Start button () on the transport bar. The event plays back.
Painting events with the Paint tool
Unlike the Draw tool, the Paint tool allows you to quickly paint multiple events across several tracks. This can be useful when you 
need to quickly add several seemingly random events to a project. The Paint tool is also best used for painting multiple one-shot 
events that will be evenly spaced on the grid lines.
1.Click the Paint Tool button () or choose Editing Tool from the Edit menu and choose Paint from the submenu. The 
mouse pointer displays as a brush icon.
2.Click and hold the mouse button while dragging the Paint tool randomly across the several tracks. Notice that events are 
painted in every grid space the Paint tool contacts.
3.Release the mouse button to stop adding events.
4.Click the Play from Start button () on the transport bar. All new events play back.
Note: Events can be also be drawn from right (end) to left (beginning).
Tip: With the Paint tool selected, you can use Ctrl+click to paint an entire event for one-shot, Beatmapped, and MIDI tracks.
Place the Draw Tool on 
the timeline where you 
want to add an event.Drag the Draw Tool on the 
timeline to draw the 
event.
Place the Paint Tool on 
the timeline where you 
want to add an event.Drag the Paint Tool on 
the timeline to paint 
the event. 
						

							WORKING WITH PROJECTS | 19
Changing the length of events
After an event is painted on the timeline, you may discover that it is too long or not long enough; however, ACID Music Studio 
software makes it easy to change the length of an event. You may find it helpful to turn snapping options on by choosing Snapping 
from the Options menu and choosing Enable from the submenu.
To alter an event’s length, click the Draw Tool button () and drag either end of the event. When you drag the event past the end 
of the file, looped files repeat, but one-shot and Beatmapped tracks draw silence.
Erasing sections of events
Occasionally you may need to delete only specific sections of an event and leave the rest of it intact. The easiest method of deleting 
a section of an event is to use the Erase tool.
1.Click the Erase Tool button () or choose Editing Tool from the Edit menu and choose Erase from the submenu. The pointer 
displays as an eraser icon.
2.Drag in the timeline to delete event data.
Moving events
The position of the left edge of an event indicates when the event becomes audible during playback. You can move events along 
the timeline either individually or as a group.
In addition, you can stack events on top of one another. A longer event placed over a smaller event conceals the smaller event and 
makes it inaudible. A smaller event placed over a larger event is audible and renders the section of the longer event it covers 
inaudible.
1.Click the Draw Tool button ().
2.Click the event to be moved. The event is highlighted to indicate that it is selected.
3.Drag the event to a new location on the track.
Tip: With the Erase tool, you can delete an entire one-shot, Beatmapped, or MIDI event. Just hold Ctrl while you click the event.
Tip: You can hold Ctrl or Shift to select multiple events.
Original event Drag the end of the 
event......to increase its length.
Place the Erase Tool 
on the event that 
you want to erase.Click the Erase Tool 
on the event to 
erase the event. 
						

							20 | CHAPTER 4
Making selections
You must select events before you can move or edit them.
Selecting an event
1.Click the Draw Tool button ().
2.Click an event. The event is highlighted.
Selecting multiple events
You have several methods for selecting multiple events:
• Press Ctrl or Shift while clicking events.
•Use the Select All on Track command.
•Use the Select Events to End command.
•Use the Select All command.
•Use the Selection tool.
Working with events
In this section, you’ll learn about basic event editing techniques such as cutting, copying, pasting, trimming, splitting, and joining 
events.
Prior to performing the procedures in these sections, verify that the Ripple Edits function is turned off. Ripple Edits are an 
extremely powerful editing option and their scope is beyond that of this chapter. Verify that Ripple Edits is not selected in the 
Options menu.
Copying events
Copying an event, a time selection, or event within a time selection places an exact copy of the selected event(s) on the clipboard, 
but leaves the timeline unchanged. Events copied to the clipboard can be pasted in the project an unlimited number of times. In 
addition, clipboard content remains on the clipboard until replaced by new content.
1.Select the event data you want to copy or make a time selection. For more information, see Making selections on page 20.
2.Click the Copy button () (Ctrl+C) on the toolbar.
Pasting events
The clipboard’s contents can be pasted in a project an unlimited number of times. However, an event is always pasted in the track it 
was copied/cut from. In addition, pasting the contents of the clipboard over an existing event results in the pasted event 
overlapping the existing event. To avoid pasting over existing events, you have two options:
•Use the Paste Insert command.
• Turn on ripple editing.
When events are cut/copied to the clipboard and subsequently pasted into a project, the time data inherent in the cut/copied 
events is maintained and pasted as well. For example, if you select two events on the same track that are separated by five seconds 
of silence, copying and pasting these events results in the five seconds of silence also being pasted into the project.
Selected event
Original events
Pasted events 
						

							WORKING WITH PROJECTS | 21
Taking this concept a step further, if you select discontinuous events from several tracks, copying and pasting these events results in 
any selected time data being pasted into the project as well. This maintains the relative position of events in the project.
Using the Paste command
1.Place the cursor at the desired position on the timeline.
2.Click the Paste button () (Ctrl+V ) on the toolbar.
Cutting events
Cutting an event, a time selection, or an event within a time selection removes the audio data from the timeline and places it on the 
clipboard. Once data is placed on the clipboard, it can be pasted back into the project an unlimited number of times. Clipboard 
content remains on the clipboard until it is replaced by new data.
1.Select the event data you want to cut or make a time selection. For more information, see Making selections on page 20.
2.Click the Cut button () (Ctrl+X) on the toolbar.
All selected events are removed from the timeline and placed on the clipboard.
Deleting events
Deleting an event, a time selection, or an event within a time selection removes the data from the timeline and discards it. Deleted 
events are not placed on the clipboard and do not replace or interfere with current clipboard content. In addition, deleted events 
cannot be pasted back into a project.
1.Select the event data you want to delete or make a time selection. For more information, see Making selections on page 20.
2.Press Delete.
All selected events are removed from the timeline and discarded.
Working with tracks
A new track is automatically created for each media file added to a project, and all events placed on the track derive from that file. 
Because of this, you can use track-level functions to affect every event on the track. The following sections explain several basic 
track functions and features.
Understanding clip types
When you add media to a project, a new track is created for the file. Depending on the type of media you add, one of four clip types 
is created to accommodate it: loop, one-shot, Beatmapped, or MIDI. You can identify a track’s type by looking at the paint clip 
selector icon in the track header.
Note: Deleted data can only be replaced in a project using the Undo command. For more information, see Using undo on page 24.
Clip type icons
Loop
One-shot
Beatmapped
MIDI (if Loop button is selected () in the Clip Pool)
MIDI (if Loop button is not selected ()in the Clip Pool)
Original events Pasted events 
						

							22 | CHAPTER 4
You can also add multiple clips to one track. If you want to use one track for all the guitar loops in your project, you can create a 
single guitar track and add each guitar loop as a separate clip. When a track has multiple clips, the Draw and Paint tools create 
events using the active clip. 
For more information, see Setting the active clip and creating events on page 17.
A single audio track can contain any combination of loops, one-shots, or Beatmapped clips. MIDI tracks can contain only MIDI clips.
Loops
Loops are small chunks of audio that are designed to create a continuous beat or pattern when played repeatedly. They are usually 
one to four measures long. Loops are the type of file that you will use most frequently.
One-shots
One-shots are chunks of audio that are not designed to loop, and they are streamed from the hard disk rather than stored in RAM if 
they are longer than three seconds. Things such as cymbal crashes and sound bites could be considered one-shots.
Unlike loops, one-shots do not change pitch or tempo with the rest of a project.
Beatmapped
When you add a file that is longer than thirty seconds to a project, the Beatmapper™ Wizard starts, allowing you to add tempo 
information to the file. As a result, these tracks respond to tempo and key changes just like loops.
MIDI
A MIDI track is created when you open a MID, SMF, or RMI file. You can use MIDI tracks to record data from and play back through 
synthesizers and other MIDI-compliant equipment.
Reordering tracks
When building an ACID Music Studio project, you may want to reorder the tracks to place similar instruments in proximity to one 
another. For example, placing all drum loops together in the timeline makes it easier for you to fine-tune the mix of the song’s 
overall drum sound.
1.Drag the track header to a new location in the track list. A heavy black horizontal line appears on the track list to indicate where 
the track will be placed.
2.Release the mouse button. The track is dropped in the new location and the entire track list/timeline adjusts accordingly.
Renaming tracks
To rename a track, right-click the track name and choose Rename from the shortcut menu, or double-click the track name. 
Renaming a track applies to the project only and does not change the file associated with the track.
Duplicating tracks
To duplicate a track, right-click it and choose Duplicate Track from the shortcut menu. An exact copy of the track and its events are 
created and added below the original track in the project. The words “Copy of ” appear before the name of the duplicate track to 
identify it in the track list.
Deleting tracks
You can delete unnecessary tracks from a project by selecting the track and using any of the following methods:
•Choose Delete from the Edit menu.
• Right-click a track and choose Delete from the shortcut menu.
• Press Delete.
Tip: You can reorder multiple tracks by holding Ctrl or Shift while selecting tracks and dragging the tracks as a group. 
						

							WORKING WITH PROJECTS | 23
Copying, cutting, and pasting tracks
Copying a track places an exact copy of the selected track on the clipboard, but leaves the timeline unchanged. To copy a track, click 
the Copy button (
) (Ctrl+C) on the toolbar.
Cutting a track removes it from the timeline and places it on the clipboard. To cut a track, click the Cut button () (Ctrl+X) on the 
toolbar.
Tracks that are copied or cut to the clipboard can be pasted back into the current project or into a different project an unlimited 
number of times. This is a useful way to share tracks between different compositions. To paste a track, in click the Paste button (
) 
(Ctrl+V ) on the toolbar.
Adjusting the mix
Use the sliders to adjust the mix of a specific track.
Click the slider label to choose what you want to adjust.
Once you have chosen what you want to adjust, drag the fader to adjust the level. You can hold Ctrl or Shift to select multiple tracks 
and move the faders together as a group.
Muting tracks
Each track has a Mute button (). Clicking this button shades the corresponding track (to indicate that it is muted) and renders it 
inaudible during playback. Clicking the Mute button a second time returns the track to its original level in the mix. Toggle-muting a 
track is an effective way of determining whether a track contributes to the overall sound of a project.
You can also press Z to mute a track or group of tracks.
Soloing tracks
Located next to the Mute button, the Solo button () allows you to isolate tracks in a project during playback. When you click this 
button during playback, the corresponding track remains audible and all other tracks are muted. Clicking the Solo button a second 
time returns all tracks to their original levels in the mix. Toggle-soloing a track is an effective method of configuring and previewing 
isolated track effects against how they sound in the project.
You can also press X to solo a track or group of tracks.
FunctionDescription
VolumeControls how loud a track is in the mix. A value of 0 dB means that the track plays with 
no boost or cut from ACID Music Studio software. Dragging the fader to the left cuts 
the volume; dragging to the right boosts the volume.
PanControls the position of a track in the stereo field. Dragging the fader to the left places 
the track in the left speaker more than the right, while dragging the fader to the right 
places the track in the right speaker.
Because true stereo panning is used, you can introduce clipping when panning a track 
to the left or right. Unlike a left/right balance control—which simply decreases the 
volume of one channel—the default panning mode actually adds the audio from one 
channel to the other. When panning a track, adjust the track volume accordingly.
Note: When adjusting the mix of your tracks, remember to look at the meters on the mixer. Because you are adding the volumes of 
all the tracks together, it is easy to clip the audio output. Make sure that the meters never display the red clip indicator during 
playback.
Tip: Press Ctrl and click the Mute button to mute only the selected track (and restore any other muted tracks). If the selected track is 
already muted, press Ctrl and click the Mute button to restore all tracks.
Tip: Press Ctrl and click the Solo button to solo only the selected track (and restore any other soloed tracks). If the selected track is 
already soloed, press Ctrl and click the Solo button to restore all tracks.
Volume sliderPan slider 
						

							24 | CHAPTER 4
Working with groups of tracks
Select a group of tracks by holding the Ctrl key while you click the track header of the desired tracks. Now you can adjust the 
volume, panning, track color, and other track attributes simultaneously.
Using undo and redo
You have unlimited undo and redo capabilities in ACID Music Studio projects. Each edit you perform is added in the project to an 
undo history, which allows you to quickly restore the project to any of its previous states. In addition, undoing an edit automatically 
places it in the project’s redo history where it can be quickly re-performed. However, any new edit performed on the project 
overwrites the redo history.
Using undo
To undo an edit, click the Undo button () on the toolbar or press Ctrl+Z. Edits are undone in the reverse order they were 
performed.
Undoing a series of edits
Clicking the down arrow next to the Undo button () displays the project’s undo history. The history displays as a drop-down 
list with the most recent edit located at the top. Undoing an edit in the list requires all subsequent edits to be undone as well.
1.Click the arrow to the right of the Undo button (). The undo history appears.
2.Locate the edit to be undone. Notice that all subsequent edits are automatically selected and the total number of edits to be 
undone is indicated at the bottom of the drop-down list.
3.Click the edit to be undone. The project is restored to the state it was in prior to the selected edit.
Undoing all edits
Choosing Undo All from the Edit menu undoes all project edits and automatically adds them to the redo history.
Using redo
To redo an edit, click the Redo button () on the toolbar or press Ctrl+Shift+Z. Edits are re-performed in the reverse order they 
were undone.
Redoing a series of edits
Clicking the down arrow next to the Redo button () displays the project’s redo history. The history displays as a drop-down list 
with the most recently undone edit located at the top. Redoing an edit in the list requires all subsequently undone edits to be re-
performed as well.
1.Click the arrow to the right of the Redo button (). The redo history appears.
2.Locate the edit to be redone. Notice that all subsequently undone edits are automatically selected and the total number of 
edits to be redone is indicated at the bottom of the drop-down list.
3.Click the edit to be redone. The project is restored to the state it was in prior to the selected undone edit.
Clearing the undo history
You can clear the undo and redo histories without closing the project or exiting the application. After the histories are cleared, new 
ones are created as you continue building the project.
1.From the Edit menu, choose Clear Undo History. A confirmation dialog appears, alerting you that this action permanently 
deletes the current edit histories.
2.Click Ye s to clear the edit histories or No to retain the current edit histories.
Note: The undo and redo histories are cleared when you close the project or exit the application.
Note: Clicking the desktop outside the drop-down list cancels the redo operation.