Using the pencil and editing

byucougar · Post by **byucougar** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 6:36 am

Okay.

I realize there are several or more ways to edit a piece. I was running into problems on a pop piece I did due to vocal spikes at the front. One was huge.

When I used the volume automation, without pencil--it wasn't specific enough to handle it. I tried using the pencil and stretching it out a lot and weeding out the spikes or double spike as it looked when I stretched the hell out of it... Nothing seemed to sound natural.

Since the mix was not in balance enough--that stupid part kep sending the master out into clipping or distortion(past the red). I don't want this, of course.

What is a better way to edit something like this? I even used some compressor and whatnot to try and tame it down-but didn't sound real natural. IN some cases, maybe the best thing to do is just delete and try again to get a good waveform.

I noticed you can also edit in the sample clip, by double clicking on the track and goping to editing or volume(Envelope). Somehow I got the pencil to act more like a paintbrush and this came very close to editing it better-making it a possibility to keep the sample. Usually the pencil makes these square blocky edits, but this other one somehow "painted." I like that. How do I do that again? I was just messin around and it started doing that with the pencil tool.

Other thing is-how can I do a better job on that-like just cutting the bad spots out with tiny editing? What do I do? I'm not that familiar with the clip/sample editing area and moving stuff around. The manual isn't all that helpful sometimes either or the tutorials.

zstowasser · Post by **zstowasser** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:02 am

to answer the blocks/paintbrush part it has to do with the grid setting you're on. it could be zoom dependent or fixed. right click and choose what you want.

byucougar · Post by **byucougar** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 6:04 pm

I'm working in Live 4.0. Maybe you have a higher version OR there is some setting that I have failed to enable, but yeah-when I right click-it does nothing. I wish it did. I am used to using the right click a bit in cakewalks MC2...

I know I can change the grid look by zooming OR by hitting ctr + 1 or 2 or 3, etc.. to make it wider, narrower.

Not sure how to use the editing area when you double click on a clip though. Like when I go to edit-it says choose sample editor and I don't think I have one, so that's not an option.

maybe I could ask tech suppt.

Jomdom · Post by **Jomdom** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 10:08 pm

It's CMD on a Mac to do the finer envelope drawing with the pencil tool, so it's prolly CTRL on a Windows machine.

byucougar · Post by **byucougar** » Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:50 pm

Okay- i figured it out by trying to hold down or hit a button.

It's not CTR, it's "ALT." This will make the pencil more like a paintbrush of lines instead of choppy blocks... This will allows you to be more precise in those edits...