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Trimming Fading is simpler - just useful to achieve a seamless transition into and out of the event. Audio often carries background noise, and if the full volume of that noise pops in and out of the mix instantaneously, it is often quite noticeable. A <u>trim</u> is simply removing some of the beginning or ending of the audio event. Just click drag from the beginning or ending edge of the event, not on the corner. This will cause part of the audio to seemingly disappear. The DAW is not actually shortening the underlying audio file; only the playback inside the DAW is affected. If you click-drag the opposite direction, you'll see the trimmed audio reappear. This is useful to remove leading/trailing noise from an event.
''<u>Slicing'' </u> is a DAW feature that cuts an audio event into two or more independent events. For example, if you have an audio event of knocking on a door then someone saying, "Who's there?"; you may want to use the knocking and "Who's there?" in different locations in your song. Or you may want to widen the delay between them. Or you may want to move one to another track to apply a plugin on one to it but not the other. Or you may want to level them differently than how it was recorded.
''<u>Plugins'' </u> are software algorithms designed to process audio or MIDI, similar to stomp boxes or fx units. Plugins are more flexible, however, since they can be altered after the original audio recording and automated by the DAW. They are most often found as [[#Inserts|inserts ]] for tracks. Plugins cover the same ground as most guitar effects:
''<u>Virtual Instruments'' </u> (or ''VSTi''s (Virtual Studio Technology - VST Instruments) are software algorithms that act as [[synthesizers ]] or [[samplers]]. They usually take [[MIDI ]] information as input and require an independent track in the workspace, generating audio output.
MIDI can also be edited directly inside the DAW's (or an external) MIDI editor software. Double-clicking a MIDI event will open the DAW's MIDI editor. This typically appears as classical musical notation with a 5-line staff and a clef and the notes taking whole, half, quarter, etc. form. It can also appear as a ''<u>piano roll'' </u> grid where the y axis appears like a piano keyboard turned sideways. Each row corresponds to a specific note and each column is a unit of horizontal space represents time. Notes appear as rectangular blocks (similar to events in the DAW workspace), whose length indicates the note duration. There may also be a specialized piano roll for <u>drum editing</u>, where notes appear as small diamonds. For drums, since duration is meaningless, but aligning hits exactly at the right moment in time is crucial. Below the grid is often a small view for ''<u>velocity''</u>, representing how strongly each note is struck. Click -dragging is used to select multiple notes, which can then have their pitch, timeline location, duration, and velocity altered at the same time.
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This covers the basic functionality of most professional ''<u>DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)'' </u> software. It's probably nothing new to anyone already making productionsproducing music, although some sections might be interesting. This is a quick overview for the noobs.
== Timeline View/Transport ==
== Audio ==
Audio clips in the workspace are typically called ''<u>audio events''</u>. Each audio track may contain a number of audio events, even overlapping ones (although only one of them will playback in this case). Each event appears as a colored (or themed) rectangular box with a black or white visual representation of the audio waveform inside it.
=== Fade/Trim ===
Most DAW software provides quick ways to ''fade'' or ''trim'' audio events. A <u>fade </u> is a transition from no volume to full volume (or vice versa). It typically involves click dragging from the top corner at the beginning or end of the audio event towards the other end. This usually creates a ''linear'' fade over that time, which is visually represented by a diagonal line on top the audio. There is often a click point in the middle of the line allowing it to be warped into a curve, changing how the fade processes. More advanced fading is typically available through a specialized fading tool.
=== Level Adjustments ===
Similar to quickly editing fades and trims, an audio event can be click -dragged from a click point at the top of the event directly at its center. This adjusts its volume, capable of quickly normalizing your events visually, regardless of their source. Each event can be edited independently, even if they reside on the same track. Further ''track-wide '' volume adjustments can then be fine-tuned in the mixer or through automation. ''NOTE: if your peaks are visually exceeding the event box, you likely have digital clipping in the recording. Lowering the event's level will not remove the clipping but make it less noticeable. Clipped recordings should be deleted and re-recorded with proper levels - they cannot be fixed.''
=== Slicing ===
== Plugins ==
* Compression/Limiting
* Noise Gating
Many plugins come with their own graphical user interface (GUI), which often resembles their real life counter-part. For example a plugin simulating a specific distortion pedal may use a visual mock-up of the pedal with virtually knobs and switches that rotate and switch via click dragging.
The term ''<u>VST'' </u> is often synonymous with plugin. VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology{{tm}}, which is one of the most popular API's for programming plugins. However, there are other types of plugins, such as ''<u>Audio Units (AU)''</u>, ''<u>Real-time Audio Suite (RTAS)''</u>, and ''<u>Rack Extension (RE)''</u>. For a complete list of plugin format compability with DAWs, see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_multitrack_recording_software#Plugin_support here]. Also, a piece of VST software may be a synthesizer /sampler rather than a plugin, although these are technically called VSTi's, a type of [[#Virtual Instruments|virtual instrument]].
== Virtual Instruments ==
The most clear-cut application is to act as standalone [[synthesizers]], with selectable/editable waveforms, cutoff filters, resonance, and envelopes. However, their use in studios also created some strong incentives to develop complex yet simple-to-use [[samplers]]. Multi-sampling instruments at a number of different pitches and volume points and interpolating allows samplers to successfully emulate real instruments. Piano, orchestra, drum, and bass virtual instruments are exceedingly common. Orchestra VSTi's are particularly welcome, as the cost/space necessary to record an entire orchestra is far beyond the budget of most productions.
== MIDI ==
Like audio, DAW's feature [[MIDI ]] tracks and events. MIDI events are blocks of classical musical notation, with each note being described by pitch, duration, and velocity. Additional data such as pitch bend or modulation can also be recorded.
MIDI input is often assisted by a piece of hardware called a [[Computer Setup#MIDI Controller|MIDI controller]]. This typically has at least a small keyboard and pitch and mod wheels. It may also include vertical sliders, drum pads, knobs, a ribbon controller, a touchpad (also called xy pad), or other specialized controls.
MIDI events can be recorded from a midi controller (or the compuer computer keyboard acting like a keyboard (although this approach will not capture note velocity)). MIDI can also be edited directly inside the DAW's (or an external) MIDI editor software. Double-clicking a MIDI event will open the DAW's MIDI editor. This typically appears as [[Classical Notation and Sight-Reading|classical musical notation]].
== Quantization ==
Most DAWs feature ''<u>quanization'' </u> of time, in terms of tempo, attempting to keep everything lined up with the beat. This essentially means that timeline selections and MIDI data are snapped to the nearest unit of time instead of being placed exactly as specified. For example, if I set ''quantize'' to the nearest quarter note and try to set the timeline cursor a bit later than the 1st beat of a measure, the DAW will actually set the cursor to directly on the 1st beat. If I click a bit after halfway in the 1st beat, it will set it to exactly the 2nd beat, which is the nearest quarter note. This affects moving and slicing audio events as well.
MIDI recordings can be quantized as well. So if I'm playing in a slight swing feel but have quantize turned on, the recorded MIDI will not reflect the swing feel - those slightly delayed notes will be snapped back to their non-swing locations. The same will happen with editing MIDI using the mouse or keyboard.