StudioSound
StudioSound
StudioSound is a 32 track audio sequencing studio, allowing several hours of audio to be sequenced amd mixed, using an intuitive visual cutting desk.
That's how the original manual described StudioSound when it was released by Oregan back in 1996-1997. StudioSound was developed by Henrik Bjerregaard Pedersen.
StudioSound is now available as a PackMan package, and runs freakishly fast on a Raspberry Pi 2.
Features
StudioSound allows you to:
- Position sample files on 32 editing tracks and then move them about
- Change the volume of each track or sample file
- Apply realtime, non-destructive DSP effects
- Cut out parts of each file
- Much more
Recommendations
Anything slower than a StrongARM is too slow.
A fast harddisc / flash drive is important.
Make sure you get the latest version!
Getting started
Install the StudioSound package and the StudioLib package.
Make sure the audio output / HDMI cable is connected to something which can playback sound.
Start StudioSound, then click on the icon on the iconbar, and create an 8 track project.
Double-click on the !StudioLib icon. This will only a window with a bunch of sample files. Drag one of the sample files to the StudioSound window; it should appear as a small coloured rectangle. Do the same with a few more files, then press Play in the StudioSound window.
Library
Click Adjust on the iconbar icon to open the Library. This holds the sample files that can be used in the projects. Any file you drag to the project window will also be added to the Library, assuming the file is in a supported format.
You may save the content of the Library, so that it is available every time you start StudioSound. Click Menu in the Library and select "Save as default".
Click Menu over an item in the Library and select Copy to make a copy of the item. This doesn't use any extra disc space. The copy simply contains information about which part of the original file to use.
If you double click on an item in the Library, the item will be displayed in a View window, where you can play it. If the item is a copy then you may change which part is used, by dragging a selection with the mouse. You may also open a view from a Project window, by Shift+double click on a segment.
The following icons ara available in the View window:
- Play selection
- Play around selection
- Scrub
- Stop
- Zoom in
- Zoom out
- Save the selected part
- Save the non-selected part; this is only available if the View was opened from a Project.
Project
Click Select on the iconbar icon to create a new project - simply fill in the fields and click Create.
At the top of the project window are a number of project icons. Below them are the tracks, and below the tracks is the timeline. To the right of the tracks are a number of icons for each track.
Track icons
The are 5 icons for each track. From left to right:
- Track number - click on it to change the height of the track.
- Stereo position; click Adjust to reset.
- Volume; click Adjust to reset.
- DSP - this opens the DSP effects window.
- Active - this controls if the track is active; if inactive the track will be muted and copy/cut/paste operations will ignore the track. Click Adjust to "solo" the track.
Project icons
At the far left is the StudioSound logo. At the far right are the input fields for specifying the selection.
First row, from left to right:
- VU meter.
- Project volume.
- Playback direction.
- Playback speed.
- Play selection.
- Play entire track.
- Stop.
- Pause.
- Loop.
- Selection mode; in all modes you can change the selection by dragging the timeline.
- Move mode - this will move a single segment.
- Move all mode - this will move all following segments on the active tracks.
- Adjust segment mode.
- Envelope mode.
- Repeat.
- Move selection.
- Quantize.
Second row:
- Select all track
- Deselect all tracks.
- Toggle tracks.
- Playback speed indicator.
- Zoom in.
- Zoom out.
- Snap.
- Undo and Redo
- Copy.
- Cut.
- Paste.
- Paste insert.
- Paste overwrite.
- Save project - this will save the project as an EDL (Edit Decision List), which takes up very little space; use the menu to save the project as a sample file.
- Goto previous flag.
- Set flag - drag the icon to the timeline below the tracks to add a flag.
- Goto next flag.
Timeline
The timeline displays the time codes and the flags.
Drag the timeline to change the selection.
Drag whilst holding down the Shift key in order to change the start or end of the selection.
Drag whilst holding down the Ctrl key in order to move the selection.
DSP
The DSP window allows up to 4 realtime effects to be applied to each track.
For each effect there is an on/off button, an effect select button (to scroll through the available effects), and adjust buttons for each of the parameters supported by the selected effect. Obviously the DSP effect use a fair amount of CPU, so don't expect to be able to apply effects to all tracks at the same time.
Project submenu
Track submenu
Selection submenu
Segment submenu
Utilities submenu
Loading files
Load sample files
You can load samples files by dragging them to the library, or dragging them to a Project window.
Load EDL
You can load a previously saved EDL by double-clicking on it, or by dragging it to the icon on the iconbar.
If the EDL references sample files that do not exist then a window is opened allowing you to specify replacements for the missing files. Missing files will be shown in red. Specify a replacement file by dragging to to the red file name.
Load text EDL
StudioSound can load EDL in a homemade text format. This allows other programs to generate projects for StudioSound. The text EDL format is described below.
Choices
The Choices window is accessed from the iconbar menu. At the moment some of the choices are obsolete, they will be removed at some point in the future.
Keyboard shortcuts
THIS SECTIONS NEEDS TiDYING ...
Hotkeys in the project windows
Ctrl+F1 'Select' mode
Ctrl+F2 'Move segment' mode
Ctrl+F3 'Move all' mode
Ctrl+F4 'Adjust cue' mode
Ctrl+F5 'Envelope' mode
F3 Save EDL
Shift+F3 Save samples
Shift+F7 Zoom in
Shift+F8 Zoom out
F8 Undo
F9 Redo
Ctrl+A Select all
Ctrl+C Copy selection
Ctrl+D Silence selection
Ctrl+L Toggle loop on/off
Ctrl+M Set marker
Ctrl+P Start playback from cursor/stop and set cursor
Ctrl+Q Drop project
Ctrl+V Paste
Ctrl+X Delete
Ctrl+Z Clear selection
Space Play selection/stop
Escape Stop playback
Enter Whilst playing: set marker at cursor
Mouse operations in the project windows
Ctrl+double-click on segment opens segment control window.
In select mode
Drag
Shift+drag
Ctrl+drag Set selection in various ways
In select mode, clicking on a segment:
Double-click Open segment viewer
Shift+double-click Set selection to cover segment
Text EDL format
The format of a text EDL file is:
EDL1 <projectduration, seconds> <frequency, 8000 - 48000 Hz> <number of tracks>
then follows any number of special fields for the project, terminated by an empty line
[<special fields>]
and then for each track:
<number of segments, max 8160> <pan position, -255 to 255> <volume, -90 to 20 dB>
then follows any number of special fields for the track, terminated by an empty line
[<special fields>]
and then for each segment on the track
<filename of samplefile> <startposition in file, seconds>,>endposition in file, seconds> <startposition on track, seconds>,<endposition on track, seconds> <volume, -90 to 20 dB>
followed by any number of special fields for the segment, terminated by an empty line
[<special fields>]
Finally, an arbitrary number of special fields follow: [<extra fields>] The special fields are optional - StudioSound may choose to ignore them. Fields start with a string informing StudioSound of the type of the field, then follows any number of lines of data. The field is terminated by the same string. Currently StudioSound ignores all special fields. Comments can be included as special fields, see the example below. Lines can be no longer than 200 chars and must be terminated by a linefeed.
Example:
EDL1 45.80 seconds 44100 Hz 4 tracks 2 segments on first track 0 stereo position -3 dB <StudioSound$Dir>.^.Samples.HiTom 0,0.5 0,0.5 -6 dB <StudioSound$Dir>.^.Samples.HiTom 0,0.5 1,2 -6 dB comment this segment will be played at half speed comment 0 segments on second track -255 0 dB 0 segments on third track 255 0 dB 0 segments on fourth track 0 -12 dB
