How to move audio clips as a group?

[goddi]

Greetings,

Some time ago, I asked a similar question but I mistakenly used the word 'track', instead of 'clip'. So the responses did not really address my question.

So let me try again. Is there a way to highlight a group of audio clips in their track and then move the highlighted group as one group?

For example, say I have 8 audio clips in a track. All have been positioned in a good way. But, then I want to move clips 3-8 as a group to the right or left. I'd like to be able to highlight clips 3-8 with a 'Ctr+key+End' (for example), without the screen position moving, and then be able to move that group left or right.

Now, I have to move clip #3, then clip #4, then clip#5, etc., with the potential of disrupting an already perfected arrangement of the audio clips.

Is there a way now to do this? I have searched the Forum but can't find anything along this line.

Thanks... Gary

[Lin Evans]

Hi Gary,

Go to Projects Options, Audio Tab and link each that you wish to move as a group to slide one (don't try to do it from the timeline) then when you drag the first audio in the timeline from the beginning the others will be attached and not overlap or change their relative positions vis the other audios. There really is no downside to doing this that I can think of.

Best regards,

Lin

[goddi]

Lin,

Thanks for the info. But don't think this is a good solution to what I am trying to do. These steps might be useful if you have only a few audio clips but I've got 17 audio clips in this show. When you highlight a group of the audio clips in the Audio Tab, the 'Link to Slide' feature disappears. To have to link and unlink these clips one by one is not too intuitive or easy.

Why not have a feature where you can just highlight the audio clips you want to move as a group within the Timeline's audio track? The better way, as I see it, is to be able to do this as I stated in my posting above. I'd like to be able to highlight a consecutive group of audio clips in the Timeline with a 'Ctr+key+End' (for example), without the screen position moving, and then be able to move that group left or right.

Is this not possible?

Gary

[Lin Evans]

Hi Gary,

You asked if there was a way: "So let me try again. Is there a way to highlight a group of audio clips in their track and then move the highlighted group as one group?" The answer is yes. As I said, you should not even try to do this from the timeline. It's exceedingly easy to do. I can move seventeen or twelve or three or whatever number in less than 20 seconds. Click once to highlight the clip, click again to link it to slide one. Click, click, click, click. It's not difficult unless you make it difficult.

Put your suggestion in the Suggestions for Next Version section of the forum and I'm sure it will be considered.

Best regards,

Lin

[goddi]

Hi Gary,

You asked if there was a way: "So let me try again. Is there a way to highlight a group of audio clips in their track and then move the highlighted group as one group?" The answer is yes. As I said, you should not even try to do this from the timeline. It's exceedingly easy to do. I can move seventeen or twelve or three or whatever number in less than 20 seconds. Click once to highlight the clip, click again to link it to slide one. Click, click, click, click. It's not difficult unless you make it difficult.

Put your suggestion in the Suggestions for Next Version section of the forum and I'm sure it will be considered.

Best regards,

Lin

Lin,

From looking at the Help files, perhaps we are not taking about the same thing(?). When I see 'Link to a slide', that is not what I want to do. I have been saying 'Audio clips' but I don't mean 'commentary clips' that you would want to link to a particular slide (so when moved the slide, the commentary clip moves with it). I am working with full music files.

I have been able to link a music file(s) to a slide and when the slide is moved, the audio file moves with the slide, as you pointed out. But this is not what I am looking for. I just want to be able to move a contiguous group of audio files in the Timeline as a group.

I'll make this suggestion in the Forum.

Thanks... Gary

[Lin Evans]

Gary,

Listen carefully - Link all audio you want to move to slide one then drag the first audio clip linked in the timeline and the others will move with it.... You are overthinking this... It will do exactly what you want to do.

Lin

[goddi]

Gary,

Listen carefully - Link all audio to slide one then drag the first audio clip linked in the timeline and the others will move with it.... You are overthinking this... It will do exactly what you want to do.

Lin

Lin,

I listened. It does not work. The only way the linked audio files will move is if I move the slide. Then they move with the slide. If I go into the Timeline after linking several audio files to a slide, and I move, say the first linked audio file, only that audio file moves, not the others.

Gary

[Lin Evans]

Gary,

It works perfectly. Just wait a few minutes and I will make you a short video to show you exactly how it works. I don't know what you are doing wrong, but if you follow the instructions to the letter it "will" work perfectly... Give me a few minutes...

Lin

[goddi]

Gary,

It works perfectly. Just wait a few minutes and I will make you a short video to show you exactly how it works. I don't know what you are doing wrong, but if you follow the instructions to the letter it "will" work perfectly... Give me a few minutes...

Lin

Lin,

Here is a video of what I am doing. What am I doing wrong???

Gary

Audio Link.zip

[Lin Evans]

Gary, just wait a few more minutes, the video explanation is uploading now. I'm just guessing that you are trying to move the linked audio stream by clicking and dragging from the wrong place - you have to go to the beginning of the first audio to be moved to click and drag. You can't click and drag from the end or near the junction of the adjacent audio clip. Wait a few minutes and I'll modify this answer with the link to the brief

tutorial/explanation... Done...

Click link below:

http://www.lin-evans.org/pte/gary2.zip

Best regards,

Lin

[PGA]

The very fact that you two gentlemen are having this discussion about a convoluted "solution" to a simple problem is, to me, proof-positive that PTE's design is fundamentally flawed.

PTE should provide the intuitively obvious function of moving, in either direction along the timeline, and whilst preserving synchronization between them, any number of audio clips spread across any number of tracks. That should be achieved by the simple expedient of selecting them all and then dragging and dropping them as a group.

Why make life so damned complicated! It is these arcane work-arounds that get PTE labelled as a complicated piece of software to use. Let's get back to basics and "KEEP IT SIMPLE".

If it isn't simple now, get the design changed so that it is!

Peter

[Lin Evans]

So Peter, post the suggestion in the proper place with Gary's and perhaps it will be instituted in a future version. Gary asked if there was a way. There is and I created a brief video showing how to do it. This isn't the place to debate suggestions or critique work-arounds, that belongs in the suggestions section. Right now the way he and you would like it to be done is not available. This doesn't mean PTE's "design" is fundamentally flawed. What it means that the feature doesn't exist yet. Sorry if every possible solution to every conceivable issue which users might want isn't available yet. If you want to see what convoluted is like, use some of the features of Photoshop CC. All good software products are continually being upgraded with new features being added and existing features being refined.

Best regards,

Lin

[goddi]

Gary, just wait a few more minutes, the video explanation is uploading now. I'm just guessing that you are trying to move the linked audio stream by clicking and dragging from the wrong place - you have to go to the beginning of the first audio to be moved to click and drag. You can't click and drag from the end or near the junction of the adjacent audio clip. Wait a few minutes and I'll modify this answer with the link to the brief

tutorial/explanation... Done...

Click link below:

http://www.lin-evans.org/pte/gary2.zip

Best regards,

Lin

Lin,

I took a look at your video. And thanks very much for taking the time to show me that you method works for you. BUT...I followed your steps and it does not work for me. I tried it several times but something is different somewhere. You can see in the video I posted that I dragged the first audio file from the beginning portion, as you did. I don't think many users would have figured out that these steps are the ones you would use since it it is labeled as 'Linking to Slide', not for linking audio files in the Timeline. I will give it a few more shots, but I think we need a better, or more intuitive way. If it worked for you, if should work for me, but I can not see the difference in our techniques.

Thanks,

Gary

[Ken Cox]

Peter

Lin's answer #2 describes how to do it with existing program does it not?

it may be

PEBKAC RELATED

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_error

KEN

[goddi]

Lin,

I just noticed that if you have some cross-fade set between audio file #1 and #2, before you do a 'Link to Slide' to these two files, the setting of 'Link to Slide' makes the cross-fade disappear. I wonder if this happens when you do it. And when you remove the Link to Slide settings, the cross-fade returns.

Gary

[Lin Evans]

Hi Gary,

No, it's not related to the fade or not fade. The thing which you haven't yet grasped is that you need to click on a specific area on the audio link to drag it and drag the other linked audio files. It's not a matter of clicking on the first linked audio file, it's a matter of "where" on that first linked audio file you click and hold to drag.

Think of it this way, go to the extreme left side as you look at the audio in the timelilne. Go to the earliest relative time on the timeline corresponding to the audio file being dragged. Click on the audio file immediately underneath. I don't know how to say it any differently. If you click and drag where you did on your sample it won't work. Look at my video again. I cover it carefully...

Best regards,

Lin

[goddi]

Hi Gary,

No, it's not related to the fade or not fade. The thing which you haven't yet grasped is that you need to click on a specific area on the audio link to drag it and drag the other linked audio files. It's not a matter of clicking on the first linked audio file, it's a matter of "where" on that first linked audio file you click and hold to drag.

Think of it this way, go to the extreme left side as you look at the audio in the timelilne. Go to the earliest relative time on the timeline corresponding to the audio file being dragged. Click on the audio file immediately underneath. I don't know how to say it any differently. If you click and drag where you did on your sample it won't work. Look at my video again. I cover it carefully...

Best regards,

Lin

Lin,

I understand completely about where you want me to click and drag the first linked audio file. For whatever reason, yours is working differently from mine. Even the fact that the crossfade disappears when I even set up the Link to Slide is different. I know in my sample video I did not click where you wanted me to but no matter where I click, it does not do as you example does. I would hope other would give it a try to see what gives here. I hope Igor will come up with a better solution.

Thanks for your help.

Gary

[MUR]

After following carefully, everything said about this issue I created a AV with 3 slides and 2 audio clips. both linked to slide 2, if I move the slide both audio clips move synchronously with the slide, but can not find how to move them as a block without moving the slide

MUR

[Lin Evans]

Hi Mur,

O.K. I think there is something else going on here. I believe what I suggested will not work. Because of the length of the audio selections I used in my sample it "appears" that the slides are moving together but in reality they are not. What is happening is that the first audio selection is being diminished by the amount it is moved. That is the back end of the audio is being effectively removed. when clicking on the front end of the audio block to move it. When the end close to the junction is dragged you see an overlap. When the front end is moved the back end just disappears. Let me investigate further. Let's assume for now that I am totally wrong because I interpreted the lack of overlap as evidence that the audio files were moving in sync. I made short mp3's of about 15 seconds and that doesn't appear to be happening.

Best regards,

Lin

[MUR]

OK, try this, keep the shift key pressed and click anywhere in an audioclips and all that are from this audioclip to the right in the same track, moves together.

It is not necessary to link them to a slide

MUR

[Lin Evans]

Mur,

You have solved the problem. No need for a suggestion to implement a new feature to move all in sync.

Best regards,

Lin

[Lin Evans]

Gary,

Did you read MUR's solution? Just hold down the Shift key, click on the audio you wish to move everything to the right and including the one dragged and drag.

Thanks Mur - that's a solution - no need for a suggestion, the feature is already in PTE>

Best regards,

Lin

[MUR]

thanks

MUR

[goddi]

Gary,

Did you read MUR's solution? Just hold down the Shift key, click on the audio you wish to move everything to the right and including the one dragged and drag.

Thanks Mur - that's a solution - no need for a suggestion, the feature is already in PTE>

Best regards,

Lin

Lin, and thanks Mur,

Glad we sorted that out. I had tried everything but that!!! I was trying to be able to highlight selected audio files, then move them, sort of like we have be trained to do in Windows.

However, there is still something missing. This method only allows for the movement of a group of audio files to the right of the clicked-on audio file.

What if you want to move a selected group on the left side of the clicked-on audio file?

Or a selected group of audio files only in the center of the Timeline?

Almost there...but...

Gary

[MUR]

Hi Gary

You can move the group that is to the right of the selected audioclip, to the right or the left, the problem is select a group in the middle of the time line;

MUR