Track Pilot error or Sequencer bug?

[sjmiller]

After attending the Mini in Sacramento a few weeks back - Fabian's (gordonlights.com) explaination of using tracks got me to try them again.

My current method is to open a new music sequence and just set up Track 1 with a .05 sec timing. I read in my .lcc file, save, then duplicate the track (no timing).

When I'm using any of the wizards - the sequencer spreadsheet and waveform do not scroll - I'm not a musician and it would be easier for me to recognize a visual (waveform) sound coming up then "know" it's coming up. Pilot error - or not available?

I use the beat wizard on incremental sections of the song on track 2 until I like the overall beat.

Next I dup track one to create track 3, and use the VU wizard on incremental parts of the song to get the peaks into the timing scheme.

Here is where I'm having a problem - is it pilot error... I dup track 1 to create track 4. Now I use the tapper wzard to tap out the song for a particular instrument. Now I have to save the taps to see if I like it with the visualizer/waveform. If I don't like what it looks like - and delete the track then redo the tapper wizard. The old timing is still on all tracks in addition to the redo. It appears like the channel 'on' events from a given track is propagated to all tracks - and deleting the original track doesn't remove them.

Right now it looks like I need to delete the track - then go to track 1, select that entire channel and turn all cells off - then I can dup the track to a new one and tap out a sequence.

Am I doing something wrong, or s that just the way it works?

[bob]

The way you describe, where an "on" event (or whatever) in a channel is put into all copies of that channel, is the way it's supposed to work.

Instead of deleting the new track when you're unsatisfied with the Tapper Wizard's changes, I would suggest just hitting the "undo" button.

[-klb-]

I generally do not use the wizards for inserting timing marks, so I my recollection of the options may be out in left field.

If you are using the wizard to insert on events only, then you should only need to delete the contents of that channel, in the range you want to rework.

If you used the wizard to insert timing marks into the new track, you want to delete the track.

If it did both, you will want to clean up both.

[Steven]

As was mentioned above, when a channel is on, it's on in all tracks. Since channels normally represent lights, it wouldn't make sense to have a light on in one track but off in another.

Use the tapper wizard or the beat wizard in a track with no timings, and select "Insert a timing event into the track for each beat/tap." When you have a timing event for each beat, then you can use Copy and Paste Multiple to get a channel to pulse with the downbeat. This saves a bunch of time. Trying to do this with .05 timing will result in the channel being off the beat.

[sjmiller]

Maybe I tried to supply to much detail of how I got to where I am. If I use a wizard on a particular track to add channel "on" timing to a sequence, and delete that track - is it unreasonable to expect the timings to be deleted from the entire sequence?

It doesn't.

[-klb-]

Channel on/off events are not timing marks. The only association a channel has with a track is that it is a member of a track. There is no record of which track that a channel was associated with was used to create animation effects, and thus no way to automatically delete those events that were created in one track, when that track is deleted.

Besides, later on, when you have done more sequencing, would you really want to be wondering what all would disappear from your sequencing if you delete that track that you don't think you used?

Also, personally, I have a tendency to create duplicate tracks, sequence for a while, delete that track, duplicate it again, and divide the timings up differently. But I definitely want my work to remain.



I think the one way that it might behave more like you were expecting was if the channel only existed in the track that you are deleting. Then, when you delete the track, there would be no other occurrences of the channel, and I think it would get dropped from the configuration. Of course, this channel would only exist in that one track. I suppose once you were happy with it, you could then copy that channel into the other tracks, so those marks were then visible in the other tracks.

[bob]

Again, if you're not happy with the results of the Tapper Wizard, I would suggest just hitting "undo".

That will accomplish what I think you want: getting rid of all of the things added by the Tapper Wizard, no matter what track or tracks they are in.

It will also have the advantage of leaving the new track in place, so that you don't have to re-add it before you try the Tapper Wizard again.

Also, I think the concept that is confusing here is this:

I think you're thinking that you're using the Tapper Wizard to add "channel on" effects to a track. But that's not really what you're doing. There's no such thing as adding "channel on" effects to a track.

Rather, you're using the Tapper Wizard to add "channel on" effects to a channel.

That channel happens to be in a particular track. It may happen to be in more than one track. If you delete a track that the channel is in, that channel is still in all of the other tracks that it had been in. And it still has all of the effects that you've ever added to it. Effects have nothing to do with tracks.

Anyway, again, I suggest trying "undo".

[sjmiller]

Final thoughts on this topic, if I took the time to create a track so I could tap out a particular channel and for what ever reason decide to delete the track to get rid of timing/"lights on" be it in ten seconds or two tears from now - deleting the track should delete the track and ALL associated light controls. It's really that simple....

Undo doesn't work after you have saved a sequence - I save every sequence after any changes....