Audio
An audio track's sound goes through a chain of effects: there are 11 of them, from normalize and compressor to echo and reverb. The chain, speed and volume are set in the audio track inspector
Audio track inspector
Shows the selected audio track's clip, its speed, the fader volume and the chain of effects. The effects: lowpass, highpass, echo, reverb, chorus, pitch shifter, distortion, flange, compressor, normalize and a parametric equalizer
Speed and Volume are sliders, not input fields. That way the allowed range is visible
The volume here is a fader. Keyframed volume is a separate track on the local timeline. During playback the two are multiplied
More: Preparing the track
Normalize
Constantly pulls the signal toward a target loudness. That way clips from different sources sound equally loud without manual adjustment. Use it if the level's tracks were not mixed together
It works on the overall loudness level. The dynamics inside a track are changed by Compressor
Lowest Volumekeeps it from pulling silence and noise up into hissMaximum Amplimits how much it can boost
The reset next to this button returns every field to its default, Mix Level included. Its default is the -80 dB floor, so the reset also turns the effect off
More: Preparing the track
Compressor
Pushes the loud parts down so the quiet ones can sound higher. A compressed track is heard under everything else in the level and does not clip. It is usually used to fix a song that gets lost behind its own effects
Threshold- where it starts workingAttackandRelease- how fast it clamps down and lets go. Too fast and you cut the attacks or get audible pumpingMake Up Gaingives back the volume it took away
The reset next to this button returns every field to its default, Mix Level included. Its default is the -80 dB floor, so the reset also turns the effect off
More: Preparing the track
Lowpass
Lets the lows through and cuts everything above Cutoff Freq. Sounds like it is coming from under water or through a wall
Lower the cutoff frequency: the track loses its air first, then its clarity, and in the end everything but the bass. At the top of the range the filter is almost transparent. The track sounds the same as the file
The effect chain belongs to the track and is not animated with keyframes. It cannot change smoothly over time. Cut the track where the change is needed and set up the halves differently
The reset next to this button returns every field to its default, Mix Level included. Its default is the -80 dB floor, so the reset also turns the effect off
More: Preparing the track
Highpass
The mirror of Lowpass: lets the highs through and cuts everything below Cutoff Freq
Raise the cutoff frequency: the track thins out to a tiny speaker or a phone call. It is usually used to make things sound small before everything opens up
The effect chain belongs to the track and is not animated with keyframes. It cannot change smoothly over time. Cut the track where the change is needed and set up the halves differently
The reset next to this button returns every field to its default, Mix Level included. Its default is the -80 dB floor, so the reset also turns the effect off
More: Preparing the track
Param EQ
One parametric band: boosts or cuts a chosen part of the spectrum. Unlike Lowpass and Highpass it can also add. That is why it is used to clear room in the mix rather than to make an effect
Center Freq- where the band sitsOctave Range- the width of the band. Narrow for a precise fix, wide for overall colouringFrequency Gainbelow 1 cuts, above 1 boosts
The reset next to this button returns every field to its default, Mix Level included. Its default is the -80 dB floor, so the reset also turns the effect off
More: Preparing the track
Distortion
Clips the waveform. The sound fills with harmonics it did not have: dirty, overdriven, angry.
The simplest effect here: one knob, Level - how hard the clipping bites
As a side effect it flattens the dynamics. A heavily distorted track loses its quiet parts. Where a section should sound relentless, that is useful. Where it should not, it is destructive
The reset next to this button returns every field to its default, Mix Level included. Its default is the -80 dB floor, so the reset also turns the effect off
More: Preparing the track
Echo
Repeats the signal at equal intervals. Each repeat is quieter than the previous one. An echo is rhythmic, and the repeats can be counted. That is what sets it apart from the blurred tail of Reverb: you hear separate copies, not a room
Delay- the distance between copies in millisecondsDecay- what share of each copy goes into the next one
Take the delay from the song's tempo, and the echo will land on the beat instead of smearing it
The reset next to this button returns every field to its default, Mix Level included. Its default is the -80 dB floor, so the reset also turns the effect off
More: Preparing the track
Reverb
Puts the track into a space. First come the early reflections from the nearby walls, then a fading tail. This is the biggest effect here: its fields describe a room, not a repeat. Repeats are the job of Echo
The main sound is set by three fields:
Decay Time- how big the room isRoom- how much of it is heardRoom HF- cut it and the walls sound soft and absorbent
The rest is fine-tuning. Move on to it once these three fields are right
The reset next to this button returns every field to its default, Mix Level included. Its default is the -80 dB floor, so the reset also turns the effect off
More: Preparing the track
Chorus
Layers three slightly delayed copies with a wavering pitch over the signal. One source sounds like several. The result is width and thickness, not a repeat. The delays are too short to be heard separately
The three copies set it apart from Flange, where one copy sweeps
Rate- the speed of the waveringDepth- the range of the waveringFeedback- raise it and the sound moves toward a flanger
The reset next to this button returns every field to its default, Mix Level included. Its default is the -80 dB floor, so the reset also turns the effect off
More: Preparing the track
Flange
Mixes a very short, wavering delay of the signal into the signal itself. The two cancel each other out at frequencies that move along with the delay. That creeping notch is the jet engine whoosh. The effect comes from cancellation, not from a copy
It is the same family as Chorus. But there is one copy and the delay is shorter, so you hear a sweep, not width
The notch is deepest when Dry Mix and Wet Mix are set close to each other
The reset next to this button returns every field to its default, Mix Level included. Its default is the -80 dB floor, so the reset also turns the effect off
More: Preparing the track
Pitch Shifter
Changes the track's pitch without changing its speed.
That is the whole point: the level's timing is tied to the song. So the track cannot simply be resampled, the way the track's own Speed field does it
Pitch- a multiplier. 1 changes nothing, 2 raises it by an octaveFFT SizeandOverlaptrade quality for cost
With a large shift the sound will still be heard as processed
The effect chain belongs to the track and is not animated with keyframes. It cannot change smoothly over time. Cut the track where the change is needed and set up the halves differently
The reset next to this button returns every field to its default, Mix Level included. Its default is the -80 dB floor, so the reset also turns the effect off
More: Preparing the track