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How can I add some pickup notes right before my entire track starts?

Thanks in advance.

Comments

DonnyThompson Tue, 10/11/2016 - 04:25

Kuroneku, post: 442056, member: 46597 wrote: How can I add some pickup notes right before my entire track starts?

Your question is a little vague...

Are you an experienced PT user? Or is at least someone who is comfortable with editing tracks in a project?

Are you looking at adding pickup notes to a project that currently starts right at the beginning of a song, ( 01:01:00) on your time line?

Are they audio or midi based notes?

Option 1 is that you could highlight all of your existing tracks and move ( slip) them a measure or two back so that they start a measure or two later( this would be towards the right), and then record your desired pickup notes before the current tracks start...

This may (or may not) effect any mix automation you've already written, though... things like fades or other changes in mix parameters might not happen where you'd originally intended them to, if you're moving these existing tracks...

Or, Option 2; if you've already got a mix you like and that you don't want to mess with, you could always mix down ( "bounce to disc" in PT) what you have now, save it as a 24 bit stereo wav file, then open a brand new project file, and import the mix, and place it on the timeline wherever you feel is the sufficient number of measures to add your pickup notes, and then save that mix as your final.

It would help us to help you more, if you could be more a bit more specific with your level of experience, and with your question(s). ;)

-d.

Kuroneku Tue, 10/11/2016 - 13:27

DonnyThompson, post: 442062, member: 46114 wrote: Your question is a little vague...

Are you an experienced PT user? Or is at least someone who is comfortable with editing tracks in a project?

Are you looking at adding pickup notes to a project that currently starts right at the beginning of a song, ( 01:01:00) on your time line?

Are they audio or midi based notes?

Option 1 is that you could highlight all of your existing tracks and move ( slip) them a measure or two back so that they start a measure or two later( this would be towards the right), and then record your desired pickup notes before the current tracks start...

This may (or may not) effect any mix automation you've already written, though... things like fades or other changes in mix parameters might not happen where you'd originally intended them to, if you're moving these existing tracks...

Or, Option 2; if you've already got a mix you like and that you don't want to mess with, you could always mix down ( "bounce to disc" in PT) what you have now, save it as a 24 bit stereo wav file, then open a brand new project file, and import the mix, and place it on the timeline wherever you feel is the sufficient number of measures to add your pickup notes, and then save that mix as your final.

It would help us to help you more, if you could be more a bit more specific with your level of experience, and with your question(s). ;)

-d.

Thank you kind Sir!

I'm a somewhat more experienced PT user, I work with multiple DAW's and work with Computer's for a living. I apologize for my question not being too specific!

This was one of those moments where I didn't want to assume that there isn't a specific feature for Pickup Notes just because I couldn't locate such feature on the internet :)

I thought of the two options you answered me with, but that would lead me to a further question:
Is there any way to manipulate the Bars/Beat numbering?

If I were to have 2/4 in Pickup Notes, then my actual 4/4 piece would start between 1 & 2 (at 1.5 if you will). The second chord progression would start between 2 & 3 (at 2.5 if you will).

Does that make sense? I wish I could make the Bars/Beat numbering start when my actual piece stars and not with the Pickup Notes :D

Kuroneku Tue, 10/11/2016 - 14:49

DonnyThompson, post: 442085, member: 46114 wrote: No, move your current content a full measure, then your pick up notes would start on the 3&4 of the first measure, and your song would start normally at a 1 count on the next measure. No key sig changes are necessary. Follow?

I'm with you, but at the same time the first half of the first measure would be empty?
I just tried it and bounced the track, PT will start from the very start and not from where the first notes start.

I guess I could do this while I'm working on the track, and then when I want to bounce it, just pull everything to the left/beginning.

kmetal Tue, 10/11/2016 - 15:55

Can't you change the key signature using the conductor track? So you could program a 2/2 bar then 4/4?

Sorry it's been a while since I used PT, and my music theory skills are dismal at best.

Also as far as bouncing the track, you should be able so highlight what you want to bounce and use the ' bounce selection' option.

As long as you have a marker or the grid, you can select from the same consistent starting point.

I used to do this all the time when my sessions would start w an 8 note click count off. So when it was time to bounce I selected the start and ends points by highlighting where I wanted to bounce. By not selecting from the session start it didn't include the click count off/blank space.

You'll want to do the highlighting from the timeline at the top. This will automatically select all the tracks in the edit window for you. Otherwise it will only bounce whatever tracks are highlighted.

Kuroneku Tue, 10/11/2016 - 16:18

kmetal, post: 442094, member: 37533 wrote: Can't you change the key signature using the conductor track? So you could program a 2/2 bar then 4/4?

Sorry it's been a while since I used PT, and my music theory skills are dismal at best.

Also as far as bouncing the track, you should be able so highlight what you want to bounce and use the ' bounce selection' option.

As long as you have a marker or the grid, you can select from the same consistent starting point.

I used to do this all the time when my sessions would start w an 8 note click count off. So when it was time to bounce I selected the start and ends points by highlighting where I wanted to bounce. By not selecting from the session start it didn't include the click count off/blank space.

You'll want to do the highlighting from the timeline at the top. This will automatically select all the tracks in the edit window for you. Otherwise it will only bounce whatever tracks are highlighted.

Highlighting! Thank you :) Why did I not think of something as simple as that hehe

DonnyThompson Thu, 10/13/2016 - 06:55

kmetal, post: 442094, member: 37533 wrote: I used to do this all the time when my sessions would start w an 8 note click count off. So when it was time to bounce I selected the start and ends points by highlighting where I wanted to bounce. By not selecting from the session start it didn't include the click count off/blank space.

Kyle beat me to it. ;)

That's one of the cool features of working with a DAW; in that it has these types of editing features... one of which is that you can select only the region you want to render ( IIRC, in PT it's "bounce to disc", while in Samplitude it's "export file", I think Sonar is - or used to be - "mix to file"... different DAW's have different nomenclature(s) for the same command.)

Or, you could also edit out the silence at the beginning. using a 2 track editing program, (like Wavelab or Soundforge).

There are several ways to skin that particular cat. :)

-d.

DonnyThompson Thu, 10/13/2016 - 06:59

kmetal, post: 442094, member: 37533 wrote: I used to do this all the time when my sessions would start w an 8 note click count off. So when it was time to bounce I selected the start and ends points by highlighting where I wanted to bounce. By not selecting from the session start it didn't include the click count off/blank space.

Kyle beat me to it. ;)

That's one of the cool features of working with a DAW; in that it has these types of editing features... one of which is that you can select only the region you want to render ( IIRC, in PT it's "bounce to disc", while in Samplitude it's "export file", I think Sonar is - or used to be - "mix to file"... different DAW's have different nomenclature(s) for the same command.)

Or, you could also edit out the silence at the beginning. using a 2 track editing program, (like Wavelab or Soundforge).

There are several ways to skin that particular cat. :)

-d.