Multiedit 2.00 by Grekim Jennings --------------------------------- Multiedit was designed primarily to edit drum takes into one set of tracks. Naturally, it could be used for any group of tracks recorded in multiple takes. It will build a new corresponding set of tracks using your base file names with the addition of a "_bld.wav" extension. If you would prefer a different extension, just add it as the command line argument. The program is intended for a workflow such that you might record many takes and then go back and listen and make notes. You might prefer take 3 for the first chorus and take 5 for the second verse and so on. Once you know the times where these parts transition, this program will do the edits extremely efficiently. Requirements: ------------- The program is under 20 kB and runs in the command terminal on a Linux OS. The only thing needed would be a very basic text editor. There is no audio playback and therefore no soundcard configuration needed. The program only reads mono or stereo wave files. Setup: ------ The source tracks need to be organized such that there is a base file name that is unique for each track, followed by a take name or number. Any decent DAW (including Recorder7) will organize the file names of takes for you. The files should be continuous (also known as consolidated). The takes should all be at the same sample rate and bit rate. All takes with the same base name should have the same number of channels. It is common to have drum overheads or room mics recorded as stereo tracks while the other tracks are all mono. This is fine. What you should not do is change your format between takes from stereo to dual mono, for example. The program will determine the specifications (sample rate, bit depth, number of channels) to be used for the output files by checking the format of the first take selected. Again, it is possible to have some output files be stereo and others mono based on the format of the takes being built to a particular output file. In a file called base.txt, make a list of the base file names such as overheadL overheadR kick snare tom1 tom2 hhat In this case, we have 7 base file names specified. We will then get 7 output files built and we can have hundreds of takes to choose from as long as they base use this these base names. In a file called points.txt, list edit points (in seconds) followed by the name of the take to use with a tab between. The name of the take could be just a number or letter with perhaps an underscore or a dash in front, such as _1 or -2. For example, 0 _2 23.5 _4 47 _1 The above would mean that at the song start or 0 seconds, we will select audio from take "_2" which corresponds to an existing set of files all ending with _2. They would be overheadL_2.wav, overheadR_2.wav, kick_2.wav, snare_2.wav, etc. Then at 23.5 seconds we will use a take ending with _4. Generally, these edit points would be the times at which a new song part begins. The edit times need to be placed in order. Finally, you would want to specify a time value near the end (or after) the length of the song. And just enter in the name of the last take. This is necessary because each edit point that you enter is only an edit start point. The edit end point is automatically taken from the next edit point. So in effect, you are designating edit "boundaries" throughout the song. If the last time value is beyond the length of the song, the program will readjust the time to match the end of the song. Run the program in the command terminal. The program is extemely fast, but you will get a print out of the progress for toubleshooting purposes. Remote Control File: -------------------- To set crossfade parameters (see below), a file called "multirc.txt" is used. This file will be created automatically if it is not present. Crossfades - About: ------------------- Version 2 of Multiedit introduces crossfades. Crossfades allow for a smooth transition from one segment to the next, without clicks in the audio from unmatched waveforms. A crossfade of width 1000 is a 1 second crossfade, with 500 msec on either side of the splice point. The fade will begin 500 msec before the splice point (the insert position) and continue for 500 msec after the splice. Note that this requires both files involved in the splice to have data available for the crossfade space before (and after) the splice. The fades are currently of 4 types: Type 1 achieves an exact 50/50 mix of both files at the splice point with an overall increase in gain to achieve an equal power effect. It is best used on non-correlated material, such as you would find in a mix file. Type 2 also achieves a 50/50 mix at the splice point, but without power compensation. It has a linear slope with respect to "voltage". Type 3 begins with a slow fade of the file to the left of the splice and then fades more quickly with time. Type 4 begins with a fast fade of the file to the left of the splice and then fades more slowly with time. Crossfades - Setting: --------------------- Parameters for crossfades are set in a file called multirc.txt. Crossfades are set for each build file. For example, if you are comping drums and bass guitar, you will probably want the crossfade width for the drums to be short while the width for the bass guitar should be long. Crossfades are turned off by default. You can set general crossfade parameters with one command and then tweak a few tracks as necessary. To set the general parameters use the command "xf_all". This is followed by the crossfade width in milliseconds and then the type 1-4. All data is tab separated. For example, xf_all 200 1 This will set all crossfades in all build files to 200 milliseconds in width and curve type 1 (equal power). Suppose you wish that all the tracks/build files except track 4 to have those parameters. The "xf_tr" command is used to set the parameters of an individual track. With the xf_tr command, the track number is specified first, then the crossfade width, and finally the crossfade type. All data is tab separated. So, to set the parameters of track 4, you would enter: xf_tr 4 500 1