Timeline & Waveform

[Guest Yachtsman1]

I've downloaded the latest beta of 8 & tried assembling a show for a commission I have for a new Kampro lamp. Now the ability to spread the waveform as it was in 7.07 has disappeared, I find it difficut to see the line projected down from the slide flag to the waveform. The timer pointer line is quite defined & no problem to see. I have a blue waveform as that is what I have been used to. I don't remember this being mentioned before. My screen shot is at 200% to enable viewers to see what I'm talking about.

Yachtsman1

[Lin Evans]

Eric,

There is no difference in the ability to "spread the waveform" between 7.0 and 8.0 beta 5. As you spread the timeline with CTRL Mouse Wheel, the waveform spreads accordingly just as it did in 7.0. The space allocated for the waveform also allows seeing multiple audio tracks simultaneously now.

Change the color of the audio waveform via the settings, preferences, timeline, color of audio clip, waveform, to a contrasting color and the line projected downward from the slide flag will be easy to see.

Best regards,

Lin

[PGA]

Eric,

There is greater ability to "spread the waveform" in v8 than in any previous version.

To expand/contract the timeline horizontally:

Ctrl+F11/Ctrl+F12 or Ctrl+MouseWheel

To increase/decrease the height of the Slide thumbnails track:

Select a thumbnail and then Ctrl+MouseWheel

To increase/decrease the height of the audio tracks:

Select an audio track and then Ctrl+Mousewheel (note: you cannot change the height of just one audio track, they all change together)

To increase/decrease the area available to the slide thumbnails and audio files:

Hover the mouse pointer over the lower edge of the middle toolbar until it shows double-ended white arrow and then left click drag

All the control you need is there.

To see precisely or to position precisely within a waveform, use the "timer pointer" to mark, visually, where you want to be.

To be able to place keypoints on audio tracks you need to click on the "zig-zag" line button on the centre toolbar. That will change the appearance of the audio tracks to the style that you have seen in other people's posts and will enable audio keyframes.

regards,

Peter

[davegee]

Hi Peter,

Have we not agreed that points on the envelope are 'Keypoints" and positions on the O and A line are "Keyframes"?

That is the terminology that Igor wants and it avoids misunderstanding.

DG

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Peter, this my 3rd attempt at answering your post due to my PC problems!!!!

There is greater ability to "spread the waveform" in v8 than in any previous version.

"Not in my opinion, see screen shots"

To expand/contract the timeline horizontally:

Ctrl+F11/Ctrl+F12 or Ctrl+MouseWheel

"That function is there in 7.07"

To increase/decrease the height of the Slide thumbnails track:

Select a thumbnail and then Ctrl+MouseWheel

"Hadn't picked up that the track/slide had to be selected, thank you."

To increase/decrease the height of the audio tracks:

Select an audio track and then Ctrl+Mousewheel

"Not to the extent as 7.07, see screen shots"

To increase/decrease the area available to the slide thumbnails and audio files:

Hover the mouse pointer over the lower edge of the middle toolbar until it shows double-ended white arrow and then left click drag

"Not to the extent as 7.07"

All the control you need is there.

"Not in my opinion"

To see precisely or to position precisely within a waveform, use the "timer pointer" to mark, visually, where you want to be.

"IMO that is a workaround & needs the flag line to have more definition."

To be able to place keypoints on audio tracks you need to click on the "zig-zag" line button on the centre toolbar. That will change the appearance of the audio tracks to the style that you have seen in other people's posts and will enable audio keyframes.

"Haven't got that far yet, haven't had the programme 24 hours ;)/> "

Finally, after comparing the screen shots of both versions IMO, the waveform is mushy & doesn't have the definition of the earlier version I'm using. The screen shots are obvious, but for new users TL 1 & 2 refer to the current beta minimum & maximum vertical extension, PTL 1 2 & 3 are the previous versions.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[PGA]

Eric,

Your PTL3 is not from the Timeline it is from the Slides view. The "give away" is the AB button: this appears only in the Slides view. So that is irrelevant to any discussion about the Timeline and Waveform. When you have declared your topic please then stay on it in your discussion.

In any case, I think you are missing the point of the design of the Timeline and its capabilities in v8. With heights set at maximum, it let's the user see the slide thumbnails (at a size large enough to see what each one is) together with up to three tracks of audio (again at a reasonable size) and gives the user the functions of applying a fade in/out on each audio clip, trimming the audio clip at either or both ends, enveloping the audio clip via keypoints. It will build a cross-fade automatically if you drag one audio clip partially over its neighbour. It allows horizontal expansion of the timeline until you can see every 1/1000th of a second - which allows for very precise positioning of audio keypoints. The Slide Options button gives easy access to change the transition type. The Slide duration can be adjusted by dragging one edge of the slide. The Slide position can be changed by dragging (note that this also moves all slides lying to the right of the chosen slide). The transition duration can be adjusted by dragging the left edge of the grey bar.

N.B. If the heights of the slide thumbnails and the audio tracks are not all set to maximum, then one can fit several more audio tracks into the view.

What more capability do you need?

No, it isn't the same as your beloved v7.07. Yes, it is very different from previous versions of PTE. You state that you have had the program less than 24 hours. There is so much new in v8 that you need more time to absorb it all. Give it a fair chance before you knock it.

If you were following the debates on the forum last year and earlier this, you might recall statements from me that I doubted I would use the new Timeline features but would stay with Audacity. My most recent sequence has been assembled entirely using PTE v8 to mix together 20 voice clips and 5 location ambience clips. I'm a convert, in part because I have been prepared to investigate and experiment with the new features in order to find out which were useful to me and which weren't. I have learned that, once the slide images have been prepared in your favourite image editor and the audio files have been prepared in your favourite audio editor, the entire assembly can now be done using just PTE.

regards,

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Eric,

Your PTL3 is not from the Timeline it is from the Slides view. The "give away" is the AB button: this appears only in the Slides view. So that is irrelevant to any discussion about the Timeline and Waveform. When you have declared your topic please then stay on it in your discussion.

Hi Peter, if you had read the previous posts I declared there that you can't see the WV & slides togetherin 7.07 so I wasn't trying to pull the wool as you appear to believe?, I was pointing out the difference in expanding the slide view. This partisan acceptance of the programme as it is will do nothing to improve it for those who use it regularly.

In any case, I think you are missing the point

I'm not missing the point just pointing out that IMO I cannot use it to do what I want.

N.B. If the heights of the slide thumbnails and the audio tracks are not all set to maximum, then one can fit several more audio tracks into the view.

My shows invariably use multi tracks, but I don't see the point of seeing multi tracks if they are too small to define.

What more capability do you need?

I think that is obvious.

Give it a fair chance before you knock it.

I'm not knocking it I'm pointing out what I've found in 24 hours, again partisan defence will not improve the programme.

If you were following the debates on the forum last year and earlier this, you might recall statements from me that I doubted I would use the new Timeline features but would stay with Audacity.

You also mentioned in a post in the past 2 weeks, that you rarely use music in your shows, you are in the minority there.

regards,

Peter

Finally I use quite a bit of video in my shows, some shot using the cameras sound recording facility, which I then improve in Audacity, with things as they are I don't believe it would be possible to lip sync those tracks as I could before with the current audio facility.

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Since posting the above, I have found the slides in the slide view can be expanded vertically by dragging, the same as 7.07. :o/>

Yachtsman1.