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DVD Studio Pro 4 User Manual Copyright © 2009 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Your rights to the software are governed by the accompanying software license agreement. The owner or authorized user of a valid copy of Final Cut Studio software may reproduce this publication for the purpose of learning to use such software. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, such as selling copies of this publication or for providing paid for support services. The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Use of the “keyboard” Apple logo (Shift-Option-K) for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of Apple may constitute trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate. Apple is not responsible for printing or clerical errors. Note: Because Apple frequently releases new versions and updates to its system software, applications, and Internet sites, images shown in this manual may be slightly different from what you see on your screen. Apple 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 408-996-1010 www.apple.com Apple, the Apple logo, Apple Cinema Display, DVD Studio Pro, Exposé, Final Cut, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Studio, FireWire, GarageBand, iDVD, iMovie, iPhoto, iTunes, Keynote, LiveType, Logic, Mac, Macintosh, Mac OS, Panther, PowerBook, QuickTime, Soundtrack, SuperDrive, and Tiger are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. DVD@CCESS and Finder are trademarks of Apple Inc. AppleCare and iTunes Store are service marks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Adobe and Photoshop are trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the U.S. and/or other countries. “Dolby,” “Pro Logic,” and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Confidential Unpublished Works, © 1992–1997 Dolby Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. Other company and product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective companies. Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the performance or use of these products. Preface 11 Welcome to DVD Studio Pro 11 About DVD Studio Pro 11 About DVD Studio Pro Documentation 11 Additional Resources Chapter 1 13 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro 13 Moving from iDVD to DVD Studio Pro 14 About Standard and High Definition DVDs 15 About DVD Studio Pro and HD Resolution DVDs 17 HD Video Assets 19 Brief Overview of the DVD Creation Process 25 What Makes a DVD Authoring System? 25 Hard Disk Storage 25 SCSI Devices 26 DVD Burners 29 DLT Drives 29 External Video and Audio Monitoring 31 Audio and Video Assets Chapter 2 33 Planning Your Project 33 Investigating Existing DVDs 34 Determining Your Target Audience and Playback Device 34 Deciding Which DVD Standard to Use 35 Deciding Which Video Standard to Use 35 Deciding What Content to Include 35 Creating a Storyboard 37 Designing the Menus and Buttons 37 Making Sure Your Content Will Fit 42 General DVD Limitations Chapter 3 45 How Do You Do That? 45 Creating a Simple DVD 47 Creating a Play One or Play All Project 50 Grabbing a Still Image from Your Movie 3 Contents 51 Adding Easter Eggs to Your Menus Chapter 4 53 Preparing Video Assets 53 Introduction to Preparing Video Sources 54 NTSC or PAL? 55 Using 24 fps Video 56 Choosing an Aspect Ratio 60 About MPEG Video 61 Encoding Video Materials for DVD 68 Using the Integrated MPEG Encoder 74 Encoding Video for Multi-Angle Tracks 76 Adding Markers to Your Video 80 About H.264 Video 81 About HDV Video 82 DVD Video Source Settings Summary Chapter 5 87 Preparing Audio Assets 87 Introduction to Preparing Audio Sources 88 Audio Formats Not Supported by the DVD Specification 88 Audio Formats Supported by the DVD Specification and DVD Studio Pro 91 Using Multiple Audio Formats in Your Project 91 Required Audio Formats for SD Projects 92 DVD Audio Source Settings Summary Chapter 6 95 Preparing Menu Assets 95 Introduction to Preparing Menu Sources 96 What Is a Menu? 96 Creating a Menu 97 Creating Graphics to Use in Menus 101 Creating Overlays 106 Creating a Layered Menu 106 Creating Video for Motion Menus 107 Defining the Menu Loop Point 108 Creating Shapes 112 Creating Graphics for Drop Zones and Buttons Chapter 7 113 Preparing Slideshow Assets 113 Slideshow File Formats 114 Aspect Ratio and Resolution 114 Colors 114 Audio Chapter 8 115 Preparing Alpha Transitions 115 Introduction to Preparing Alpha Transitions 4 Contents 116 Transition Asset Folder 117 Asset Movie 118 Asset Matte Movie 119 Background Matte Movie 119 About Alpha Transition Durations 120 About NTSC and PAL Alpha Transitions Chapter 9 121 Starting a Project 121 Opening DVD Studio Pro 124 Setting DVD Studio Pro Preferences 138 Creating a New Project 143 Opening an Existing Project 145 Video Standards of the World 145 Changing a Project’s Video Standard 146 Changing a Project’s DVD Standard Chapter 10 149 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 150 Introduction to the DVD Studio Pro Interface 152 Configuring the Interface 154 Working with the Quadrants 157 Working with the Tabs 161 Overview of the Quadrant Tabs 167 Inspector 168 Palette 174 Toolbar 177 Drop Palette 177 Comparing the Outline and Graphical Project Views 178 Using the Outline Tab 180 Using the Graphical Tab 190 Managing Elements Using the Outline and Graphical Tabs Chapter 11 195 Importing and Managing Assets 195 How DVD Studio Pro Manages Assets 201 About the Assets Tab 207 Importing Assets 213 Removing Selected Assets 213 Renaming Assets 214 Refreshing Still and QuickTime Assets 216 Opening Assets in Their Editor 216 Identifying an Asset 216 Previewing Assets 218 Asset Inspector Contents 5 Chapter 12 219 Introduction to Creating Menus 219 About Menus 224 About the Menu Editor 231 Starting and Working with a Menu Chapter 13 241 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 242 About Standard Menus 243 Choosing the Menu’s Background 246 Choosing the Menu’s Overlay 248 Understanding Color Mapping 256 Configuring the Menu Inspector for Standard Menus 265 Adding Buttons to Your Menu 281 Configuring Button Navigation 285 Adding Drop Zones to Your Menu 288 Working with Assets in Buttons and Drop Zones 288 Adding Text Objects to a Menu 291 Adding Audio to a Menu 292 Configuring the Menu’s Drop Shadow Settings 293 Configuring Motion Menu Settings 296 Options in the Drop Palette for Standard Menus 296 Drop Palette for Standard Menus—Dragging Assets 304 Drop Palette for Standard Menus—Dragging Project Elements 309 Drop Palette for Standard Menus—Dragging Templates and Styles Chapter 14 313 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 313 Introduction to Templates, Styles, and Shapes 314 What Are Templates and Styles? 316 Templates and Styles in the Palette 321 Applying a Template or Style 323 Setting Default Styles 324 Creating a Template or Style 326 Importing Templates and Styles 327 Deleting Templates and Styles 329 Managing Shapes Chapter 15 335 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 335 About Layered Menus 336 Choosing the Menu’s Background 338 Choosing the Menu’s Overlay 338 About the Menu Inspector for Layered Menus 343 Adding Buttons to Your Layered Menu 344 About Layered Menu Button Properties 6 Contents 348 Options in the Drop Palette for Layered Menus 349 Drop Palette for Layered Menus—Dragging Assets 353 Drop Palette for Layered Menus—Dragging Project Elements Chapter 16 357 Using Advanced Menu Features 357 Adding Intro and Transition Clips to Menus 364 Using Languages with Menus Chapter 17 369 Creating and Editing Tracks 370 About Track Limits in a DVD 370 Working with a Track’s Assets 371 How Many Tracks Should You Have? 371 About Subtitle Streams 371 DVD Studio Pro Tools for Working with Tracks 372 Creating Tracks 373 Opening Tracks 373 Setting Track Properties 377 About the Track Editor 377 Configuring the Track Editor 380 Understanding Time Information in the Track Editor 384 Supported Asset Types 386 Adding Video and Audio Assets 390 Editing Video and Audio Clips 392 Setting Stream Properties 393 Exporting an MPEG Clip 393 Working with Markers 394 About Marker Placement 395 Creating and Editing Markers 397 Adding Markers to a Track Without a Video Clip Assigned 397 Importing Markers from an Editor 399 Importing Markers from a Text List 399 About the Marker Types 401 Setting Marker Properties 403 Introduction to Stories 404 Creating a Story for a Track 404 Using the Story Editor 405 Setting Story Properties 407 Setting Story Entry Properties 407 Simulating a Story 408 Adding Alternate Video Streams 410 Using Still Clip Transitions 413 Viewing a Track Contents 7 Chapter 18 417 Creating Slideshows 417 Introduction to Slideshows 418 Want Your Slideshows to Do More? 418 File Formats for Slideshows 419 Adding a Slideshow to Your Project 420 Creating a Slideshow Using the Menu Editor 421 Working with Slides in a Slideshow 424 Adding Audio to Your Slideshow 427 Working with Slideshows 437 Setting Slideshow Properties 440 Setting Slide Properties 441 Previewing a Slideshow 442 Simulating a Slideshow Chapter 19 443 Creating Subtitles 443 Introduction to Subtitles 445 Importing Older DVD Studio Pro Subtitles 445 Subtitles and Overlays 445 About Subtitles and Closed Captions 446 Subtitle Stream Basics 448 Subtitle Inspector 454 What Happens with Different Aspect Ratios? 455 Viewing Subtitles 457 Creating Subtitles with DVD Studio Pro 463 Importing Graphics Files for Subtitles 464 Creating and Importing Subtitle Files 465 Importing a Subtitle File 467 Creating an STL Format Subtitle File 471 Creating Buttons over Video 473 Configuring a Button over Video Subtitle Clip Chapter 20 477 Creating Scripts 477 Introduction to Scripts 478 Pre-Scripts 479 Scripting Overview 480 The Scripting User Interface 481 About the Script Tab 484 About the Script Inspector 485 About the Script Command Inspector 486 Creating and Testing Scripts 489 Script Command Details 499 System Parameter Register Memories List 8 Contents 500 System Parameter Register Memories Details 511 Using Bit-Wise Operations 512 General Purpose Register Memories 517 Scripting Examples 525 Language Code Table Chapter 21 531 Establishing Connections 531 About Connections 532 Connections Tab 533 Connection Items 537 Making Connections 540 Connection Details 540 Source Details 547 Target Details Chapter 22 549 Finishing a Project 549 About the Final Steps of DVD Creation 550 Should You Burn, Build, Format, or Build and Format? 552 Options for Testing Your Project 552 Simulating Your Project 559 Setting Disc Properties 566 Building Your Project 575 Emulating Your Project Using DVD Player 577 Setting Disc Format Properties 577 About DVD-ROM Discs 580 About Dual-Layer Discs 584 About Two-Sided Discs 584 Formatting Your Project 590 Reading a DLT Drive Chapter 23 591 Using Advanced Features 591 VTS Editor 598 DVD@CCESS 602 User Operations 607 Display Condition 612 Remote Control Settings 614 Line 21 Settings for Closed Captions Appendix A 617 Keyboard Shortcuts 618 General Interface and Application Controls 619 General Project Controls 620 Adding Project Elements 621 Scrolling Through Lists Contents 9 622 Assets Tab 622 Connections Tab 623 Graphical Tab 624 Log Tab 624 Menu Tab (Menu Editor) 626 Outline Tab 627 Palette 627 Script Tab (Script Editor) 627 Simulator 628 Slideshow Tab (Slideshow Editor) 628 Story Tab (Story Editor) 628 Subtitle Editor 629 Track Tab (Track Editor) 631 Viewer Tab Appendix B 633 Importing Other Projects 633 Importing DVD Studio Pro 2 and DVD Studio Pro 3 Projects into DVD Studio Pro 4 Appendix C 635 Calculating Disc Space Requirements 635 Calculating a Project’s Disc Space Requirements 640 Using the Calculated Bit Rate Appendix D 641 Transition Parameters 641 Transition Duration 641 Video Transition 642 Alpha Transitions 642 Standard Transitions Glossary 647 10 Contents DVD Studio Pro is software for authoring DVD-Video titles. It is both powerful and easy to use. This preface covers the following: • About DVD Studio Pro (p. 11) • About DVD Studio Pro Documentation (p. 11) • Additional Resources (p. 11) About DVD Studio Pro DVD Studio Pro lets you work with audio, video, graphics, and text materials that you have already created and edited and orchestrate them into a DVD that can be played on a DVD player or a suitably equipped computer. If you have used such production tools as Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Media 100, or Discreet cleaner, DVD Studio Pro will be easy for you to learn. You can use DVD Studio Pro for everything from constructing sophisticated training materials, corporate presentations, sales tools with web links, or high-quality event videos, to preparing a motion picture for release on DVD. About DVD Studio Pro Documentation DVD Studio Pro comes with documentation that will help you get started as well as provide detailed information about the application. • DVD Studio Pro User Manual: This is a comprehensive document that describes the DVD Studio Pro interface, commands, and menus, and gives step-by-step instructions for creating DVD Studio Pro projects and for accomplishing specific tasks. It is written for users of all levels of experience. Additional Resources Along with the documentation that comes with DVD Studio Pro, there are a variety of other resources you can use to find out more about the application. 11 Welcome to DVD Studio Pro Preface DVD Studio Pro Website For general information and updates, as well as the latest news on DVD Studio Pro, go to: • http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/dvdstudiopro Apple Service and Support Websites For software updates and answers to the most frequently asked questions for all Apple products, go to the general Apple Support web page. You’ll also have access to product specifications, reference documentation, and Apple and third-party product technical articles. • http://www.apple.com/support For software updates, documentation, discussion forums, and answers to the most frequently asked questions for DVD Studio Pro, go to: • http://www.apple.com/support/dvdstudiopro For discussions forums for all Apple products from around the world, where you can search for an answer, post your question, or answer other users’ questions, go to: • http://discussions.apple.com 12 Preface Welcome to DVD Studio Pro DVD Studio Pro plays a key part in delivering your video projects to your viewers. This chapter covers many of the basics you need to know about to author and burn successful DVDs. This chapter covers the following: • Moving from iDVD to DVD Studio Pro (p. 13) • About Standard and High Definition DVDs (p. 14) • About DVD Studio Pro and HD Resolution DVDs (p. 15) • HD Video Assets (p. 17) • Brief Overview of the DVD Creation Process (p. 19) • What Makes a DVD Authoring System? (p. 25) • Hard Disk Storage (p. 25) • SCSI Devices (p. 25) • DVD Burners (p. 26) • DLT Drives (p. 29) • External Video and Audio Monitoring (p. 29) • Audio and Video Assets (p. 31) Moving from iDVD to DVD Studio Pro The Apple entry-level DVD authoring application is iDVD. It allows you to create simple DVD-Video titles with some of the most popular features found in Hollywood-style releases, without having to know any technical details about the process. The interface and feature set are configured to make the process nearly foolproof. Eventually, however, you will find yourself requiring features beyond those that iDVD offers. DVD Studio Pro gives you access to a wide range of professional features outlined in the DVD specification: • Support for multiple video, audio, and subtitle streams, making it easy to create discs that support multiple languages or add features such as a director’s commentary 13 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro 1 • Additional menu functionality. For example, you can create and add up to 36 buttons, control the navigation between them, and have more flexibility when assigning their functions. • Alternate ways to play back movies. You can use the DVD Studio Pro story feature to control how a movie plays. • Support for web interactivity. You can embed links to websites or other documents into your DVD title. • Many advanced features supported by the DVD specification, such as dual-layer discs and copy protection DVD Studio Pro offers several workflows and work styles for creating DVD projects, including templates and the drag-and-drop method used within iDVD. This makes DVD Studio Pro easy to learn while still providing the advanced features you need. About Standard and High Definition DVDs Standard definition (SD) DVDs provided most viewers with their first digital video experience. The great video quality, interactive menus, and surround sound audio found on current DVDs set a high standard for viewer expectations. Meanwhile, the establishment of high definition (HD) video format standards and the increasing availability of HD broadcasts have led to more and more viewers having HD video monitors, and even higher expectations for DVDs. These expectations, along with the development of improved compression technologies and a blue laser technology that greatly increases a disc’s storage capacity, have led to the ability of recording HD video onto a DVD. 14 Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro But Aren’t DVDs Already High Definition? In addition to traditional 4:3 aspect ratio video, traditional DVDs support widescreen 16:9 video, which is often mistaken for being high definition. The 16:9 video used on current DVDs, however, is the same resolution as the 4:3 video, which is the same as the standard NTSC and PAL broadcast resolutions. The 16:9 video must be anamorphic, which makes it appear horizontally squashed when viewed on a 4:3 monitor. This leads to a logical next question—what constitutes high definition video? While most HD video formats use a 16:9 aspect ratio, what generally defines whether or not they are HD is the resolution. Video resolutions that result in more pixels per frame than are used in SD-based DVDs are considered high definition. There are two common HD vertical resolutions: 720 lines and 1080 lines (used for both NTSC and PAL). These compare to NTSC’s 480 lines and PAL’s 576 lines for SD video. As with SD-based DVDs, the scanning method used on HD-based DVDs can be interlaced, with a video frame containing one field with the odd lines and another field with the even lines, or progressive, where each frame is complete. Not all HD formats support progressive scanning, however. See Supported Video Resolutions for details on supported SD and HD video formats, including frame rates and scanning methods. See About DVD Studio Pro and HD Resolution DVDs and HD Video Assets for more information about creating HD projects in DVD Studio Pro. About DVD Studio Pro and HD Resolution DVDs In addition to supporting standard definition (SD) format video DVDs, DVD Studio Pro supports creating high definition (HD) format video DVDs. With the exception of support for HD video resolutions and the number of buttons on menus and button over video subtitles, HD projects in DVD Studio Pro have the same limits as SD projects. There are two aspects to creating DVDs with HD content: what you can put into the DVD video zone and the DVD disc media. DVD Video Zone with HD Content While the contents of the DVD video zone for an HD-based DVD (HVDVD_TS) are similar to those of an SD-based DVD video zone (VIDEO_TS), there are some important differences: • HD-based DVDs support a broad range of video resolutions, including most of those used in SD-based DVDs. See Supported Video Resolutions for a complete list of supported resolutions. Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro 15 • In addition to supporting SD MPEG-2 video encodes, HD-based DVDs support HD MPEG-2 and H.264 video encodes. These are discussed in HD Video Assets. Blue Laser Disc Media Due to the improved video resolution possible with HD video, the encoded video files for HD resolution DVDs can be larger than those used with SD resolution DVDs. For that reason, a media format based on a blue laser was designed specifically for DVD projects containing HD video. See the following table for a comparison of SD and HD disc sizes. Disc Red laser capacity Blue laser capacity Single-sided, single-layer 4.7 GB 15 GB Single-sided, dual-layer 8.54 GB 30 GB In addition to blue laser based DVD media, an HD project’s DVD video zone can be written to DVD media based on the red lasers used by traditional DVDs. (The obvious limitation is that you will not be able to fit as much video data on the disc.) Important: SD-based DVD players are not able to play DVD projects containing HD content, whether they are on red or blue laser media. Additionally, only HD projects on special 3x DVD-ROM red laser media are officially supported in the HD DVD specification. You can burn HD projects to traditional red laser media on your system; however, the discs might not play in all HD DVD players. Supported Video Resolutions All video resolutions supported by SD-based DVDs are also supported by HD-based DVDs. This means that an HD-based DVD can use an HD video resolution for the main feature, then use an SD video resolution for extras. The following list includes the SD and HD video resolutions supported by DVD Studio Pro. Note: MPEG-1 encoded video files are not supported in HD projects. NTSC Frame rates with an “i” indicate the interlaced scanning method; those with a “p” indicate the progressive scanning method. Resolution Frame rate Aspect ratio Notes 352 x 240 29.97i 4:3 Also known as SIF format 352 x 480 29.97i 4:3 Also known as 1/2 D1 704 x 480 29.97i 4:3, 16:9 Also known as Cropped D1; 16:9 is anamorphic 720 x 480 29.97i 4:3, 16:9 Also known as Full D1; 16:9 is anamorphic 720 x 480 59.94p 16:9 HD only, also known as 480p; is anamorphic 1280 x 720 59.94p 16:9 HD only, also known as 720p 1440 x 1080 29.97i 16:9 HD only; 16:9 is anamorphic 16 Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro Resolution Frame rate Aspect ratio Notes 1920 x 1080 29.97i 16:9 HD only, also known as 1080i PAL Frame rates with an “i” indicate the interlaced scanning method; those with a “p” indicate the progressive scanning method. Resolution Frame rate Aspect ratio Notes 352 x 288 25i 4:3 Also known as SIF format 352 x 576 25i 4:3 Also known as 1/2 D1 704 x 576 25i 4:3, 16:9 Also known as Cropped D1; 16:9 is anamorphic 720 x 576 25i 4:3, 16:9 Also known as Full D1; 16:9 is anamorphic 720 x 576 50p 16:9 HD only, also known as 576p; is anamorphic 1280 x 720 50p 16:9 HD only, also known as 720p 1440 x 1080 25i 16:9 HD only; 16:9 is anamorphic 1920 x 1080 25i 16:9 HD only, also known as 1080i Using 24P Video Formats Both SD and HD projects can use assets encoded at 24 fps, as long as they are encoded specifically with NTSC or PAL flags set. Note: For NTSC, 24 fps is actually 23.976 fps, although it is most often referred to as 23.98 fps Video at 24 fps has two main advantages: it matches the film frame rate, and, in the case of NTSC, provides much smaller files due to having six fewer frames per second. See Importing 24 fps Assets for more information. HD Video Assets There are a variety of sources for HD video assets to use in your HD projects, with the most common being DVCPRO HD and HDV camcorders. • With DVCPRO HD, once you have finished editing the video, the result will need to be encoded to the HD MPEG-2 or H.264 video format. • With HDV, which is already compliant MPEG-2 HD video, you can edit the video in Final Cut Pro and import the result directly in your HD projects. Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro 17 DVD Studio Pro supports HD video encoded using the HD MPEG-2 codec and the H.264 codec. Both of these formats are playable with the Apple DVD Player. You can use Compressor to encode video to either of these formats. When you import HD resolution QuickTime video, such as DVCPRO HD video, into DVD Studio Pro, it is HD MPEG-2 encoded using the integrated MPEG encoder. Using HDV Assets The HDV format uses MPEG-2 encoding to store HD video on a standard DV or Mini DV tape. Two video resolutions supported by the HDV format: • 1280 x 720 (720p) at 19 Mbps • 1440 x 1080 (1080i or 1080p) at 25 Mbps (which is anamorphic 16:9) Imported HDV assets have the video and audio separated into elementary streams (the HDV format combines the video and audio into a single file), but are not otherwise processed or converted. Important: The HD DVD specification does not support all HDV frame rates. See About HDV Video for more information. Using H.264 Assets You can use the H.264 for HD DVD presets included with Compressor to encode several supported HD and SD video resolutions for use in your HD projects. The H.264 encoder is twice as efficient as the standard MPEG-2 encoder. When compared to encoding with MPEG-2, this means that with the H.264 encoder: • You can use a lower bit rate to get the same quality, resulting in smaller files. • You can use the same bit rate and get better quality with the same file size. See About H.264 Video for more information. Using DVCPRO HD and Uncompressed HD Assets Another source of HD assets for your HD projects is video encoded with the DVCPRO HD compression types or uncompressed video. DVCPRO HD video, like DVCPRO SD video, and uncompressed video cannot be used directly in your DVD Studio Pro projects. You can import them, however, and DVD Studio Pro will automatically encode them to compatible HD MPEG-2 assets using the integrated MPEG encoder. You can also encode them to HD MPEG-2 or H.264 using Compressor or QuickTime. Note: Using the Animation codec with HD resolution video can significantly reduce your computer’s performance and should be avoided if possible. An alternative is to use the Apple Intermediate Codec. 18 Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro Brief Overview of the DVD Creation Process You can create many different styles of DVDs with DVD Studio Pro, from corporate presentations to training materials to event videos to feature films. While the content and structure of each style may vary considerably, they all use the same basic DVD creation process. Edit raw sources • iMovie • Final Cut Pro • Final Cut Express Author the DVD with DVD Studio Pro DVD burner (SuperDrive) DLT drive Replication facility Encode assets. Create menus, tracks, slideshows. Build and format the project. Duplication facility Other sources • Compressor • Motion • Soundtrack Pro • Color • LiveType • Logic Pro • GarageBand • iTunes • iPhoto • Keynote There are four stages to the DVD creation process: Stage 1: Creating Your Source Material The first part of the DVD creation process is to create or assemble your source material. See Creating Source Material for more information. Stage 2: Encoding Audio and Video to Compatible Formats Once you have created your source materials, they must be encoded to comply with the DVD specification. See Encoding Video and Audio for more information. Stage 3: Authoring Your DVD Title You use DVD Studio Pro to orchestrate your video, audio, and graphics material into an interactive DVD-Video title, complete with menus, buttons, subtitles, and alternate languages or soundtracks. See Authoring with DVD Studio Pro for more information. Stage 4: Building the Project and Creating Your Disc Creating a disc involves two steps: building the DVD-formatted video zone and formatting it for how you intend to deliver it. See Creating a Disc for more information. It’s important to understand the entire process, and how DVD Studio Pro is used in the process, before you begin your DVD projects. Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro 19 Creating Source Material The first part of the DVD creation process is to create or assemble your source material. This might mean shooting video, recording voice or music tracks, designing graphics to be included, and planning the general functionality of your project. If you are converting an existing video program into a DVD, you may only need to gather your original video and audio material and design graphics for the menus that will weave them together. You can use whatever tools you prefer for creating your video and audio material, as long as the resulting files are compatible with the MPEG or H.264 encoder that you plan to use. In most cases, your video and audio assets will be created and saved as QuickTime movie files or in standard sound file formats like AIFF, WAVE, or SoundDesigner II. Your program material should be completely edited, including any special effects, audio fades, and scene transitions, before you encode it. Menu graphics can be still image files, multilayer Photoshop files, or full-motion video. To create the menu graphics, you can use virtually any graphics program. DVD Studio Pro includes extra support for Adobe Photoshop (PSD) files, taking advantage of Photoshop’s “layers” feature to simplify the creation of backgrounds and overlays. Also included is support for the menu loop point you can set in Motion. If you plan to include alternate-language subtitles in your DVD project, you will want to have your soundtrack transcribed and translated. The most important thing you can do when preparing your assets is to use the highest-quality settings available. Any flaws in your material will be revealed on DVD much more quickly than in any other medium. Once they are encoded into a DVD-compliant format, DVD Studio Pro does not improve or degrade the quality of your source material in any way; if you use high-quality source materials, you’ll get high-quality results. Here are some guidelines to help you maintain high quality. • Capture and edit your video material at the same resolution that you will use on the DVD (typically 720 x 480 at 29.97 frames per second [fps] for NTSC or 720 x 576 at 25 fps for PAL for SD-based DVDs). • When recording and editing audio, use a 48 kilohertz (kHz) sample rate and no compression. This assures the best quality whether you use the uncompressed audio on the DVD or decide to use the Compressor AC-3 encoder to compress it. Important: When creating DVDs, your audio must have either a 48 kHz or 96 kHz sample rate. You cannot use the 44.1 kHz sample rate found on standard audio CDs. In most cases, the DVD Studio Pro embedded AIFF encoder will convert your audio to the correct sample rate if necessary. 20 Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro • When saving video material to the QuickTime format, either specify no compression (which requires a lot of disk space) or use a high-quality compression codec like DV or Motion JPEG. Encoding Video and Audio Once you have created your source materials, they must be encoded to comply with the DVD specification. DVD Studio Pro can use materials encoded using its integrated MPEG and AIFF encoders, as well as materials encoded using the Apple Compressor application and other methods. What Is Needed for DVD? Before video or audio material can be used on a DVD, it must be prepared in one of the formats defined in the DVD specification. This usually means MPEG-2 format for video and Dolby AC-3 format for audio files (although you can also use standard PCM audio formats, such as AIFF files, DTS format files, and MPEG-1 Layer 2 formatted files). SD projects also accept the older MPEG-1 video format, most commonly seen in web-based applications. Because MPEG-1 is about one quarter the resolution of MPEG-2 (352 x 240 as opposed to 720 x 480 for NTSC or 352 x 288 versus 720 x 576 for PAL) and utilizes much lower data rates, the quality is significantly lower. However, MPEG-1 is useful for very long programs if the picture quality is not of primary importance. Using MPEG-1 encoding, you can fit many hours of material on a single DVD. Important: You cannot use MPEG-1 formatted video assets in HD projects. MPEG encoding performs extremely complex calculations on your source material to determine what can be safely “thrown away” with minimal impact on the visual quality. As a result, MPEG encoding can produce files that are less than ten percent the size of the source files, while still looking great. Using the DVD Studio Pro Tools DVD Studio Pro includes integrated MPEG and AIFF encoders. When you add a QuickTime asset directly to your DVD Studio Pro project, it is automatically encoded to be DVD-compliant. You can choose whether the asset is encoded in the background while you continue authoring or whether the encode waits until you build your project. Also included with Final Cut Studio is Compressor, an encoding tool that provides additional MPEG encoding configurations and can process batches of video and audio clips in one step. Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro 21 For many projects you will probably want to use a Dolby-certified AC-3 encoder (such as the AC-3 encoder included with Compressor). An AC-3 encoder can be used to encode multichannel surround soundtracks for inclusion on a DVD, as well as for stereo or mono soundtracks. Using AC-3 encoded audio results in smaller files and a lower playback bit rate. Uncompressed PCM audio formats (WAV or AIFF) have significantly larger file sizes and generally do not support specialized soundtrack formats, such as surround channels. Using Pre-Encoded Sources Many other available tools, including software and hardware encoders, produce MPEG streams. You can use any MPEG encoder you prefer, as long as it creates DVD-compliant elementary streams. This means that the audio and video information is contained in separate files (the streams). Important: DVD Studio Pro cannot use MPEG multiplexed System, Program, or Transport streams for DVD projects. See About MPEG Video for more information on DVD-compliant requirements. Authoring with DVD Studio Pro You use DVD Studio Pro to orchestrate your video, audio, and graphics material into an interactive DVD-Video title, complete with menus, buttons, subtitles, and alternate languages or soundtracks. DVD Studio Pro gives you complete control over every aspect of your DVD and lets you view its elements and simulate your DVD in real time as you create it. You can easily create menus, add buttons, and specify the actions that occur when the buttons are activated. You can define powerful linking and scripting functionality with just a few clicks. And the Inspector gives you a complete picture of all the characteristics of any item in your project. Authoring in DVD Studio Pro consists of these basic steps: Stage 1: Setting the DVD and Video Standard You can use DVD Studio Pro to author traditional SD-based DVDs or HD-based DVDs using either NTSC or PAL frame rates. It is important to set this before importing your assets because these settings control what happens when QuickTime assets are imported. Stage 2: Importing Assets Import your video, audio, graphics, and subtitle assets into DVD Studio Pro. If they are not already DVD-compliant, the integrated MPEG encoder automatically encodes them. Stage 3: Creating Menus Create one or more menus to define the structure and navigation of your DVD. The menus can rely completely on the supplied templates and styles or can use your own graphics. 22 Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro Stage 4: Adding Buttons to the Menus Add one or more buttons to your menus. The display mode (4:3, 16:9 Letterbox, and so on) and DVD standard (SD DVD or HD DVD) determine the maximum number of buttons each menu can have. Each button can initiate a wide variety of actions, the most common being to open a different menu, play a track, or run a script. This hierarchy of menus and buttons gives you tremendous flexibility in constructing an “interactive” program in which the viewer has numerous options to choose from. Stage 5: Creating Tracks and Slideshows Create one or more tracks, each consisting of one or more video streams, audio streams, subtitle streams, chapter markers, and stories. Create one or more slideshows, each consisting of still images and, optionally, audio. Tracks and slideshows can also be created by dragging assets to the Menu Editor and choosing options from the Drop Palette. Stage 6: Linking the Project Elements Set up the various actions and links that will make your project work as it should when viewed. For example, you can set what happens when a DVD player first starts playing the disc, what happens when a track finishes playing, and what happens if the player sits idle at a menu for a specific amount of time. Stage 7: Simulating Your Project View your elements and test your project as you go using the real-time DVD Simulator built in to DVD Studio Pro. This process allows you to verify the links between the project elements. Stage 8: Building and Burning Your Project Build the completed project and either send it to a replication facility or burn a DVD on your own system. Creating a Disc Creating a disc involves two steps: building the DVD-formatted video zone (VIDEO_TS for SD-based DVDs and HVDVD_TS for HD-based DVDs) and formatting it for how you intend to deliver it. Building the Video Zone When you build your SD-based DVD project, a set of files is created and stored on your hard disk in a folder named “VIDEO_TS” (video title set). The contents and structure of this folder are strictly defined by the DVD specification. HD projects store their files in a folder named “HVDVD_TS.” When you build your project within DVD Studio Pro, it combines all the material you’ve included (video, audio, and subtitles for the menus and tracks) into a single stream and writes it to this special folder. Using DVD Player, which is included with your operating system, you can open and play the contents of this folder, just as if it were on a DVD disc. Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro 23 Formatting and Burning Depending on the quantity of DVD discs you need, you can: • Burn one or more DVDs on your system (if properly equipped): This is a quick way to create a test disc. Note: You cannot add high-end features such as copy protection. • Send a burned disc to a duplicator who can burn additional copies for you: This allows you to create more discs than you would want to burn on your own system at a lower cost than using a replicator. Because the copies are based on a disc you burn on your system, the duplicated discs have the same restrictions as when you burn on your system. • Prepare suitable files to send to a DVD replication facility: Use a replicator to make copies that are compatible with all DVD players, to create larger quantities of discs, and to include specialized features not supported by your system’s DVD burner. If you are using a DVD replication facility, you can deliver your project to the facility in several ways: • DLT: Digital Linear Tape (DLT) is the preferred method for sending an SD DVD project to a DVD replication facility. DVD Studio Pro supports writing directly to a DLT drive. DLT is well suited to transporting DVD projects because of its reliability and very high capacity. Important: You cannot write HD DVD projects to a DLT drive. • Burned DVD: Many DVD replicators accept DVD discs that you’ve burned on your system for replication. There are special requirements if you want to include high-end features such as dual-layer and copy protection. See DVD Burners for more information on using burned DVD discs for replication, including information about the Cutting Master Format (CMF). • Hard Disk: You can format your SD or HD project to an external hard disk and send the hard disk to your replicator. By selecting a CMF or DDP format, you can also include advanced features such as copy protection. This method works especially well for large HD projects. • Electronic Copy: Some replicators have provisions that allow you to transfer the project’s build files directly to their server using the Internet. See Output Devices for information on using these methods for delivering projects to replicators. 24 Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro What Makes a DVD Authoring System? The DVD Studio Pro installation booklet lists the minimum hardware and software requirements for using DVD Studio Pro to build DVD titles. However, you may find you need additional items beyond the minimum requirements to make up your DVD authoring system. Depending on the types of DVD titles you intend to create, your DVD authoring system can be an off-the-shelf Mac Pro with a SuperDrive or a specialized system with additional drives and hardware. See the following for more information: • Hard Disk Storage • SCSI Devices • DVD Burners • DLT Drives • External Video and Audio Monitoring Hard Disk Storage No matter what sort of titles you intend to create, you will be working with very large files. You should have at least twice as much hard disk storage space as the size of your project. (For DVD-5, for example, which can hold about 4.4 GB, you need 4.4 GB for the MPEG-2 encoded asset files and another 4.4 GB to hold the built, or compiled, project. An HD project can require about 60 GB to hold the asset and built project. Original asset files, such as DV format video, require much more space than the MPEG-2 encoded versions used in your DVD project.) For best build performance, dedicate two or three Ultra Wide A/V or FireWire hard disks to your project. (Make sure they contain only your media and no other programs that might fragment the disk and decrease performance.) If you have three disks, use one for video assets, one for audio assets, and the third for the finished files. If you have two disks, use one for source assets and one for final files. SCSI Devices Depending on your needs, you may need to add external devices—such as hard disks and DLT drives—that require SCSI support. To use SCSI devices, you must either have your Mac properly equipped when ordering it or add a third-party SCSI PCI card to your existing desktop computer. Contact your Apple Authorized Reseller or see the Support area of the Apple website for a list of suggested SCSI cards and devices. Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro 25 DVD Burners Being able to burn a DVD is useful for both proofing your titles on set-top DVD players and burning the finished project (when only a small number of discs are required). You can also burn a disc for a duplication or replication facility to use as a master when larger quantities are needed. You cannot burn discs that support Macrovision copy-protection or Content Scrambling System (CSS) encryption. These must be created at a replication facility. Note: For best results, it is recommended that you supply the replication facility with a DLT tape or hard disk instead of a burned DVD disc. Be sure to confirm with the facility what formats it supports. Choosing a DVD Burner When choosing a DVD burner for your system, you have the option of using an Apple SuperDrive or other drives. Your choice depends in part on which media you want to use: whether you intend to burn on red laser or blue laser media and, in the case of red laser burners, whether to use general or authoring media. Note: You cannot burn SD projects to blue laser media. General Versus Authoring Media The first drives created to write DVD-R discs used a special red laser and expensive media and are known as authoring media drives. The most common DVD drives, however, use a less expensive red laser and media. Such drives are known as general media drives. Red laser DVD drives can write to either general or authoring media—not both. The SuperDrive supplied with many Apple systems supports only general media. To use authoring media, you need to connect a special DVD-R drive. Important: Be sure you write only to media supported by your drive. If the media is not labeled either general or authoring, it was likely manufactured before the existence of general drives and can be assumed to be authoring-compatible. The type of media you use only affects the writing of the disc. Both types of DVD drives and most DVD-ROM drives and set-top DVD players can read and play both general and authoring media. For most projects, there is no significant difference between a DVD created using general or authoring drives and discs. However, if you intend to use a replicator and require high-end features such as Macrovision copy-protection and CSS data encryption, you must use authoring media with an authoring drive. 26 Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro Even with authoring media, you cannot burn a DVD that supports any of these high-end features on your own system. However, authoring media supports the Cutting Master Format (CMF), which can be used to add information required by the replicator to put these features on your discs. General media does not support CMF. See The Cutting Master Format for more information on the CMF standard. An Alternative Way to Use General Media While you cannot use the CMF format directly on general media discs, you can still use general media discs to deliver DVD projects with high-end features to your replicator by using them as data discs. In general, you format your project to your hard disk using a CMF or DDP format. You can then copy the resultant Layer 0 and Layer 1 folders to your DVD media (each layer to its own disc). While these discs are not DVD-Video discs and cannot be played in a DVD player, they do contain all the information the replicator needs to create the final discs. See Output Devices for more information about formatting to your hard disk. Important: Be sure to check with your replicator before making the discs. About the Different Types of General DVD Media There are several types of DVD media available that DVD Studio Pro can use. The type you should use depends on your requirements. For example, • If playback compatibility is a primary concern: Burning discs that can be played back on most set-top DVD players is often a high priority. Several variables affect this, including the media type, the brand of media, and the DVD player itself. In general, newer DVD players can play a wider variety of media types; however, there are exceptions to this. You should always test your burned DVDs on a variety of DVD players to verify compatibility. • If rewritable media is more efficient for you: Using rewritable DVD media can be very useful when you want to burn a test disc of a project to verify various aspects of it. For example, you might want to burn a disc just to verify that a menu or script works correctly on a set-top DVD player or to see the video quality of a clip on a variety of external monitors. Being able to make a change to the project and then reuse the disc to burn it saves having to use a new disc each time. • If you need to burn a dual-layer project: Being able to burn a dual-layer project to a DVD disc can be very useful. You should be aware, though, that there are big differences between DVD+R double-layer and DVD-R dual-layer media. Following is some general information on the types of media you are able to choose from. DVD-R and DVD+R These are “write-once” discs that tend to be the most widely compatible with DVD players. Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro 27 DVD-RW and DVD+RW These rewritable discs can be erased and reused multiple times. While they cost a bit more than “write-once” discs, the ability to use them multiple times to verify various aspects of your project as you work on it can be very useful. However, rewritable discs tend to not be as compatible with DVD players as “write-once” discs. When you use DVD-RW and DVD+RW media, DVD Studio Pro first checks to see if the disc contains any files. If it is empty, the format proceeds. If there are files on the disc, an alert appears warning you that the disc will be erased if the format continues—you can then continue or cancel the format process. DVD+R Double-Layer You can use DVD+R double-layer media, often referred to as DVD+R DL, for burning your dual-layer projects. With DVD+R double-layer media, DVD Studio Pro places the layer break point and sets the switch point to be nonseamless as specified in your project. DVD+R double-layer discs require you to use the Opposite Track Path (OTP) direction setting when burning the disc. This means that the first layer must be larger than the second layer. See Setting the Dual-Layer Direction for more information. While DVD+R double-layer discs allow you to burn your dual-layer projects, they tend to have more compatibility issues than the other types of DVD media. DVD-R Dual-Layer If your system contains a DVD drive that can write to the new DVD-R dual-layer media, you can burn your DVD project to it with DVD Studio Pro. However, there are several issues: • Because currently DVD Studio Pro has no way to identify DVD-R dual-layer media as having two layers, burning a dual-layer project to it results in the appearance of an alert message telling you that the DVD media may have insufficient room to hold the project. This message is based on the assumption that the disc is single layer. Both layers of the disc will be written to as needed, however, when you click Continue. • If you are burning a dual-layer project, the break point you set will not affect where the layer break actually occurs. Instead, the first layer is written to until filled, at which point the drive switches to writing to the second layer. • The switch between layers is a seamless layer change not supported by some DVD players, which may stop playing the disc when the switch point is reached. Important: Do not use DVD-R dual-layer media unless these issues do not impact your project. Determining Which Media Types Your DVD Drive Supports Before using any of the media types described in About the Different Types of General DVD Media, you should verify that your DVD drive supports that type. 28 Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro To verify the media types supported by your DVD drive 1 Choose Apple menu > About This Mac. 2 Click the More Info button in the About This Mac window. 3 Click the disclosure triangle next to Hardware to show the list of hardware devices. 4 Select the Disc Burning item in the hardware list. The DVD-Write line that appears in the information pane lists the supported media types. DLT Drives Digital Linear Tape (DLT) drives are the most reliable way to deliver SD DVD content to a replicator. They are also a good way to back up completed projects so that you can remove them from your hard disks and make room for your next project. SD DVD data written to DLT drives with DVD Studio Pro can use Data Description Protocol (DDP) version 2.0 or version 2.1. You can also write using CMF version 1.0. Important: You cannot write HD DVD projects to a DLT drive. External Video and Audio Monitoring You can configure your system to support external video and audio monitors. This makes it possible to more closely simulate a viewer’s environment before you build the project and burn a test DVD. When using external monitors, keep the following in mind: • External video monitors are only used during simulation. • External audio monitors are active during simulation and while playing from the Assets tab or any of the editors (Track, Story, Slideshow, and Menu Editors). • When you are using an external video monitor, the Simulator window on your computer is inactive. • You cannot use the pointer to click buttons on the external video monitor. You must control the simulation by using the Simulator window’s controls. • Depending on your system and the video being simulated, frames may be skipped during playback to maintain synchronized playback with the audio. The Simulator pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains settings that control whether the external video and audio monitors are used. Additionally, the Simulator contains settings that allow you to change the display mode (4:3 Pan-Scan, 4:3 Letterbox, or 16:9) and resolution (SD, HD 720, or HD 1080). See Simulator Preferences and Simulating with an External Video and Audio Monitor for more information. Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro 29 Connecting an External Video Monitor When simulating your project on your computer’s video monitor, you do not see video exactly as a viewer would when playing the video using a set-top DVD player connected to an NTSC or PAL monitor. There are two primary differences: • Pixel aspect ratio: Computer monitors always use square pixels, while SD video uses rectangular pixels. When viewed on the computer’s monitor, the Simulator scales the pixels to make them fit the 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio, which can affect the video appearance. • Color space: Computer monitors generally use RGB color space for their displays while most monitors used to view DVDs use the YUV color space. The advantage of connecting an external video monitor is that, depending on the monitor you connect and whether your project’s assets are already encoded for use on a DVD, you are able to see the video as the viewer would see it. The external video monitor uses the second monitor as configured in the Displays pane of System Preferences. You must set the resolution and refresh rate to match the external monitor. There are two common approaches to connecting an external video monitor: • Connecting a video monitor to your computer’s S-Video output (if present) • Connecting a second monitor to your system (if supported) For example, you could connect an NTSC or PAL monitor to the S-Video output of a PowerBook G4 system. Note: When connected to an NTSC or PAL monitor, this video output provides only an approximation of what the video will look like when burned to a disc and played on a DVD player. Due to rendering, rescaling, and interlacing issues, you should not rely on this output as a true representation of the video quality, especially with SD projects. Connecting an External Audio Monitor There are two primary issues with monitoring your project’s audio using the computer’s built-in audio system: • The built-in system cannot play surround sound audio. The audio is first downmixed to stereo, then played. • The built-in system cannot play DTS audio. There are two common approaches to connecting an external audio monitor: • Connecting a suitable AC-3 or DTS decoder to the computer’s optical digital audio output (also known as an S/PDIF output) • Connecting a suitable AC-3 or DTS decoder to the computer’s FireWire or USB port 30 Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro Audio and Video Assets Audio and video assets can come from a wide variety of analog and digital sources. You must have an equally wide variety of ways to capture these sources on your authoring system. When bringing your assets into DVD Studio Pro, you should keep in mind the following issues. Have the Assets Been Edited Yet? DVD Studio Pro is not an editor. You can use it to link assets together on a timeline, as with an editor, and even trim an asset’s start and end, but you cannot add effects, such as dissolves and text credits, or perform any audio mixing. Your assets need to be already edited using an application such as Final Cut Pro. If you are editing the assets on your authoring computer, you need to capture them in a format required by your editing software. Once edited, the assets can be imported into DVD Studio Pro (if they are in a QuickTime-supported format) or encoded into DVD-compliant MPEG and audio formats, using either Compressor or third-party applications. Capturing from an Audio or Video Player Often your assets will be edited at a post-production facility and you will capture them directly from a video- or audiotape player. In this case, you must have a third-party capture card that supports the video and audio formats used. This video must be captured using Final Cut Pro (or a similar application) in a QuickTime format that the DVD Studio Pro integrated MPEG encoder can convert to DVD-compliant formats, or captured directly as DVD-compliant MPEG and audio sources. Chapter 1 Overview of Using DVD Studio Pro 31 Before you start authoring your DVD title, it is highly recommended that you set aside time to plan your project. Spending time in the beginning to outline the various aspects of the project will lead to a smoother production with minimal surprises. This chapter covers the following: • Investigating Existing DVDs (p. 33) • Determining Your Target Audience and Playback Device (p. 34) • Deciding Which DVD Standard to Use (p. 34) • Deciding Which Video Standard to Use (p. 35) • Deciding What Content to Include (p. 35) • Creating a Storyboard (p. 35) • Designing the Menus and Buttons (p. 37) • Making Sure Your Content Will Fit (p. 37) • General DVD Limitations (p. 42) Investigating Existing DVDs A very effective way to start planning your project is to spend some time viewing existing DVDs. This process provides you with examples of ways others approached various aspects of their DVD projects, such as using slideshows or providing language selections. It can also help you understand how frustrating the viewing experience can be when a disc has poorly conceived menus or confusing interactivity. Not all DVD titles are Hollywood releases—be sure to look at a variety of titles, especially those that best match the goals of your project. Keep in mind that, while DVD Studio Pro provides the tools needed to create highly complex DVDs, most Hollywood-style titles have teams of specialists who work on each project. Before you set out to create a complicated DVD, make sure you understand all aspects of what is involved, and are prepared to deal with them. 33 Planning Your Project 2 Determining Your Target Audience and Playback Device As with any media project, you must have a clear idea of who the viewers are and what their expectations will be. You may need to create a title that simply plays a movie as soon as the DVD is loaded, with no viewer interaction at all. Or, you may need to create a title with highly customizable languages or display types. Another major consideration is whether your DVD will be played on a computer. When a DVD is played on a set-top DVD player, the arrow buttons on the remote control provide the primary navigation controls. However, when a DVD is played on a computer, viewers typically use the pointer for navigation. This distinction affects menu designs because you need to make it obvious where viewers should click to activate the buttons. Additionally, if you need the title to play on older computers, you may need to set the bit rate as low as possible, to increase the chances that the title will play without stuttering. Deciding Which DVD Standard to Use DVD Studio Pro gives you the choice of authoring a traditional DVD using standard definition (SD) assets or a DVD using high definition (HD) assets. There are several factors to take into account when deciding which DVD format to use: • While an HD-based DVD can provide an excellent HD video output, it can only be played on devices designed specifically to support it, such as the Apple DVD Player. SD-based DVDs can be played on all DVD players, including those that play HD-based DVDs. • An HD project can be written on either a red laser disc (as is used by SD projects) or on a blue laser disc. While SD-based DVD players can read red laser discs, they cannot play HD content from them. Important: Only HD projects on special 3x DVD-ROM red laser media are officially supported in the HD DVD specification. You can burn HD projects to traditional red laser media on your system; however, the discs might not play in all HD DVD players. • Blue laser discs can hold about three times the data that a red laser disc can hold (a single-layer red laser disc can hold 4.7 GB—a single-layer blue laser disc can hold 15 GB). Because you can use SD video in your HD project, writing on a blue laser disc allows you to get much more content on the disc. • You may need to author both SD-based and HD-based DVD versions of your project. The easiest way to do this is to first author the SD-based DVD version of the project. You can then set the DVD standard to HD DVD—DVD Studio Pro automatically converts the project—and you can then choose which QuickTime assets to encode to the HD format. Alternatively, you can swap SD assets with HD assets as needed. 34 Chapter 2 Planning Your Project Deciding Which Video Standard to Use In addition to choosing the DVD standard you want to use, you must also choose the video standard to use. You can choose between NTSC and PAL. This choice affects the video resolutions and frame rates that are supported. Important: You cannot use both NTSC and PAL assets in the same project. Also, be careful not to confuse the video standard setting with the region code setting. The region code setting allows you to specify the regions that can play your DVD—choosing a region that primarily contains PAL countries does not force you to use the PAL video standard, though in most cases you would want to. See Video Standards of the World for information on which countries support each video standard. It is also useful to keep in mind that DVD players that can play both NTSC and PAL are becoming more common and are most common in PAL countries. However, in most cases, while the DVD player can output either video standard, it assumes the video monitor it is connected to can display either standard (which is less likely to be true). Deciding What Content to Include The audio, video, and still-image files used by DVD Studio Pro in authoring DVD projects are known as assets. Often you’ll have a good idea of what primary assets you want to include when you start your project, but you may think of additional items once it is too late to create them. For example, providing a second language may greatly increase the value of a corporate title but may require you to create new menus to support it. Additionally, including nontraditional items on a DVD, such as PDF files and web links, can add a great deal of value to titles that will be viewed on computers. You may also have the opposite problem—you may have too much content for a DVD title. Be sure you know which content is required and which is optional. Explore the feasibility of creating a dual-layer DVD or double-sided DVD. Some content may be suitable for encoding at lower bit rates or as MPEG-1 streams. Perhaps instead of using uncompressed AIFF audio, you can use Dolby Digital AC-3 to save space. See Making Sure Your Content Will Fit for more information. Creating a Storyboard Even simple DVD titles with only a few menus can benefit from the time you spend in the planning stages.Storyboarding includes planning the interaction between the menus, tracks, slideshows, and stories. It helps you visualize what the viewing experience will be and ensures that there are minimal surprises during the authoring process. Chapter 2 Planning Your Project 35 You’ll find that storyboarding can give you the overarching view of your project needed to plan fairly complex interactivity. Product Slideshow 1 Track 1 Customer Interview Track 3 Company Background Track 4 Main Presentation Track 2 End Jump Menu (disable) Stills Main Menu Menu 1 Extras Menu Menu 2 First Play Track 1 Extras Play Button press Press Menu on remote End jump Interviews Background Main Storyboarding helps you to sort out a variety of navigational issues: • What should play first: By default the first play is set to the first menu, but for many projects you may want something else to be the first thing viewers see when they start playing the DVD. • What should be each element’s end jump setting: You may know that you want the DVD to go back to the main menu once a track plays, but have you thought about which button on that menu to highlight? 36 Chapter 2 Planning Your Project • What should the remote control’s Menu button do: It’s worth planning what should happen with all of the remote control buttons, but especially the Menu button because its action can vary from element to element. These and many other decisions need to be made. Drawing them out as a storyboard before starting the project can help eliminate errors or delays while waiting for a decision to be made. Designing the Menus and Buttons DVD Studio Pro provides tools that make it easy to create menus without relying heavily on outside graphics applications. For simple titles whose main focus is to provide information, you may be able to rely on the basic button-and-text capability of DVD Studio Pro to create your menus. For custom titles, you’ll need to create your own graphics. Creating graphics for use with video is a bit different from creating graphics for print. Be sure to see Creating Graphics to Use in Menus for information on creating graphics for your title. In either case, because menus and the buttons on them are the viewers’ primary way of interacting with your title, it is important to spend time making sure that they are straightforward, with logical button navigation and clear highlights that let viewers know where they are in the menu. Making Sure Your Content Will Fit Be sure to allow time in the planning process to determine whether all of your assets will fit on the type of DVD you are using. You don’t want to be surprised when you are finished authoring the title—that is a bad time to find out that the assets won’t fit. What Do You Mean a 4.7 GB DVD Won’t Hold 4.7 Gigabytes? With computers, memory and disk size are commonly expressed in terms such as kilobyte, megabyte, and gigabyte. Technically, a kilobyte should represent 1000 bytes, but due to the binary numbering system computers use, a kilobyte actually represents 1024 bytes. Similarly, a megabyte represents 1,048,576 bytes (and not 1,000,000 bytes) and a gigabyte represents 1,073,741,824 bytes (and not 1,000,000,000 bytes). Unfortunately, with DVD discs the terms megabyte and gigabyte do not use the same binary-based standard; they literally refer to the technically accurate 1,000,000 bytes for a megabyte and 1,000,000,000 bytes for a gigabyte. This means that a 4.7 GB DVD disc will actually hold only 4.37 binary-based gigabytes. While the difference is not large (relatively speaking), it must be accounted for if you intend to come close to filling the disc. Chapter 2 Planning Your Project 37 Important: When displaying estimated sizes, DVD Studio Pro uses the “1000 bytes equals a kilobyte” system. This means that the estimated sizes refer to the amount of space they will require on the DVD and will be a bit larger than the file sizes shown in the Finder. While the Finder shows binary-based file sizes, you can use its File > Get Info command to see both the binary-based file size and, in parentheses, the “1000 bytes equals a kilobyte” size. Disc Options You have a variety of DVD discs to choose from. The one you choose depends on your content, your budget, and whether you intend to use a DVD replication facility. DVD sizes are typically referred to with names such as DVD-5 and DVD-9. While the number in the name is intended to provide general guidance as to the capacity of the disc, it should not be relied on too strictly. (Note that a DVD-4 disc has a higher capacity than a DVD-5 disc.) The following tables list the common sizes used. Red Laser Discs The following table lists the names for discs based on red lasers. DVD name Disc size Type Capacity 1.46 GB (1.36 binary gigabytes) Single-sided, single-layer DVD-1 8 cm 2.66 GB (2.47 binary gigabytes) DVD-2 8 cm Single-sided, dual-layer 2.92 GB (2.72 binary gigabytes) Dual-sided, both sides single-layer DVD-3 8 cm 5.32 GB (4.95 binary gigabytes) Dual-sided, both sides dual-layer DVD-4 8 cm 4.7 GB (4.38 binary gigabytes) Single-sided, single-layer DVD-5 12 cm 8.54 GB (7.95 binary gigabytes) DVD-9 12 cm Single-sided, dual-layer 9.4 GB (8.75 binary gigabytes) Dual-sided, both sides single-layer DVD-10 12 cm 13.24 GB (12.32 binary gigabytes) Dual-sided, one side dual-layer DVD-14 12 cm 17.08 GB (15.9 binary gigabytes) Dual-sided, both sides dual-layer DVD-18 12 cm If you intend to burn your own discs using your system’s DVD burner, you can only use DVD-5 and DVD-9 discs. To use any of the other sizes, you must use a DVD replication facility. Blue Laser Discs The following table lists the names for discs based on blue lasers. 38 Chapter 2 Planning Your Project DVD name Disc size Type Capacity 4.5 GB (4.19 binary gigabytes) Single-sided, single-layer HD DVD-4 8 cm 9.0 GB (8.38 binary gigabytes) HD DVD-9 8 cm Single-sided, dual-layer 15.0 GB (13.97 binary gigabytes) Single-sided, single-layer HD DVD-15 12 cm 30.0 GB (27.94 binary gigabytes) HD DVD-30 12 cm Single-sided, dual-layer Estimating Whether Your Content Will Fit While you will often hear that a DVD-5 (or a 4.7 GB disc) can hold two hours of video content, this is really only a rough guideline. The actual amount of video a DVD-5 disc can hold depends on the bit rate the video is encoded at. Often overlooked is the size of audio files—if you plan to use uncompressed AIFF (PCM) audio, you must also take the additional space requirements into account when calculating whether all your content will fit. If your project needs to fit on a DVD-5 disc that you can burn on your SuperDrive, you need to choose an appropriate bit rate. There is a simple formula you can use. See Fitting Your Project on a DVD-5 Disc for more information. If you are flexible as to the DVD disc type you can use, you can experiment with different bit rates and determine the disc space required by each. This process is more detailed and includes more variables, such as taking into account additional audio streams and DVD-ROM content. See Calculating Disc Space Requirements for details on precisely determining your disc space requirements. Fitting Your Project on a DVD-5 Disc You can use this simple formula to estimate the bit rate you should use to fit your video on a DVD-5 disc: 560/x = bit rate The “x” represents the length of the video (in minutes) and the resulting bit rate is in megabits per second (Mbps). This formula assumes you are using compressed audio, such as AC-3. If you are using uncompressed audio, you need to subtract 1.5 Mbps (assuming you are using 16-bit stereo at a 48 kHz sample rate) from the bit rate value. For example, if you have 120 minutes of video, you get a suggested bit rate of 4.67 Mbps (560/120 = 4.67). If you are using uncompressed audio (such as the AIFF format the embedded AIFF encoder supplies), you need to reduce the bit rate to 3.17 Mbps to ensure the video and audio will fit on the disc. Chapter 2 Planning Your Project 39 Beware of Setting Your Bit Rate Too High You will find that with some DVD projects, the content easily fits on the disc, and you may be tempted to use the highest video bit rate available. While higher bit rates produce better quality, you must take into account other factors before deciding to use the maximum allowable value. The maximum video bit rate allowed on SD-based DVDs is 9.8 Mbps, but rarely is that practical to use because DVD players support combined video, audio, and subtitle bit rates of up to 10.08 Mbps. For HD-based DVDs, the maximum video bit rate is 29.4 Mbps for HD assets and 15.0 Mbps for any SD assets used in an HD project, with an overall maximum bit rate of 30.24 Mbps. In practice, you should be conservative when determining how high of a bit rate to allow for. Trying to squeeze out the highest possible bit rate for your project can lead to player compatibility and disc space issues.A general recommendation is to not exceed 9.2 Mbps for the combined video and audio bit rates when authoring SD projects or 29 Mbps when authoring HD projects. Important: If you are building your project and DVD Studio Pro detects that the bit rate of the multiplexed stream is too high, the build stops and an error message appears. Using PCM or AC-3 Audio A single PCM audio stream using typical settings (as produced with the embedded AIFF encoder) requires 1.536 Mbps, which leaves an absolute maximum bit rate for the video in an SD project of around 8.54 Mbps. If there are two PCM audio streams, 3.07 Mbps must be allowed for the audio, leaving just 7.01 Mbps for the video. Note: Even though you can only play one audio stream at a time, the bit rates of all audio streams must be added together when determining the overall bit rate for a track. Similarly, all subtitle streams must be added together and added to the overall bit rate. Using AC-3 audio in place of the PCM audio leaves far more room for the video bit rate. Stereo AC-3 audio using typical settings requires only about 224 kbps—using two stereo AC-3 streams in place of the PCM audio leaves about 9.6 Mbps for the video. See Calculating a Project’s Disc Space Requirements for more information about allowances for other audio formats. Subtitle Allowances Subtitles generally use a very small bit rate—about 10 kbps per stream. Larger subtitles that change frequently or use graphics can have a significant impact though and can affect the maximum bit rate you can use for the video. 40 Chapter 2 Planning Your Project Multiple Video Angles Using multiple video angles in a track also affects the maximum allowable video bit rate you can use. Due to the way the DVD specification requires video streams to be multiplexed together, the number of video streams determines the maximum video bit rate you can use in SD projects. The maximum combined bit rates (highest bit rate video stream + all audio streams + all subtitle streams) you can use for each multi- and mixed-angle track in an SD project is from 8.0 Mbps with two streams to 7.0 Mbps with nine streams. See Encoding Video for Multi-Angle Tracks for more information. HD projects using multiple video angles in a track are limited to 24.0 Mbps for the maximum combined bit rates, regardless of the number of video angles. Transitions When you add a transition to a menu, to a still clip in a track, or to slides in a slideshow, you need to account for the additional video it creates. • In the case of menus, the transitions become short rendered video clips stored in the same video object (VOB) file as the menus. This means that, in addition to the overall amount of disc space menu transitions require, you must also consider their impact on the 1 GB menu VOB file size limit. See Standard SD DVD Video Zone Files for more information. You must also take into account that a transition video clip is rendered for each menu button that has transitions enabled—a menu with 18 buttons can require 18 transition video clips. • In the case of still clips in a track and slides in a slideshow, adding transitions increases the amount of disc space each requires even if the transition does not increase the length of the track or slideshow. This is because stills and slides use much less disc space than the motion video created by the transitions, even if the transition is from one slide to another. The amount of disc space required by each transition varies depending on their length and type. In general, for SD projects, which use a bit rate of 6 Mbps for transitions, you should allow 750 KB of disc space for every second of transition time in the project. For HD projects, which use a bit rate of 20 Mbps for transitions, you should allow 2.5 MB of disc space per second. Using the Video Bit Rate The video bit rates you calculate can be used as the bit rate entry of your encoder, regardless of the encoding method you intend to use (one pass, one-pass variable bit rate [VBR], or two-pass VBR). When using one of the VBR encoding methods in the integrated MPEG encoder, the “Bit rate” setting affects the amount of disc space that the MPEG video file requires, while the “Max bit rate” setting sets the highest video bit rate that is allowed in the file (but does not affect the file size). See MPEG Encoding Methods for more information. Chapter 2 Planning Your Project 41 General DVD Limitations Following are some general limitations you may run into while authoring your DVD project with DVD Studio Pro. Most of these limitations are due to DVD-Video specification requirements. Note: With the exception of the number of buttons on a menu, the same limits apply to both SD and HD projects. Project Following are the limitations within a DVD Studio Pro project. • Maximum number of tracks, stories, and slideshows in a project: 99 • Minimum number of menus in a project: 0 • Minimum number of tracks or slideshows in a project: 1 Menus Following are the menu-related limitations. • Maximum number of menus in a project: 10,000 • Menu aspect ratio support: 4:3 and 16:9 menus can be used in the same project. • Maximum number of buttons on an SD-based DVD 4:3 menu: 36 • Maximum number of buttons on an SD-based DVD 16:9 menu: 18, unless Pan Scan & Letterbox is selected, which then sets the maximum to 12 • Maximum number of buttons on an HD-based DVD 4:3 menu: 48 • Maximum number of buttons on an HD-based DVD 16:9 menu: 24, unless Pan Scan & Letterbox is selected, which then sets the maximum to 16 Tracks Following are the track-related limitations. • Maximum number of video streams in a track: 9 • Minimum number of video streams in a track: 1 • Maximum number of audio streams in a track: 8 • Maximum number of subtitle streams in a track: 32 • Maximum number of cell markers in a track: 255 • Maximum number of chapter markers in a track: 99 (Each chapter marker is also a cell marker.) • Maximum combined number of chapter markers and individual chapter end jump settings in a track: 106 (See Setting Chapter Marker End Jumps for more information.) • Maximum number of buttons on an SD-based DVD 4:3 track’s button highlight marker: 36 42 Chapter 2 Planning Your Project • Maximum number of buttons on an SD-based DVD 16:9 track’s button highlight marker: 18, unless Pan Scan & Letterbox is selected, which then sets the maximum to 12 • Maximum number of buttons on an HD-based DVD 4:3 track’s button highlight marker: 48 • Maximum number of buttons on an HD-based DVD 16:9 track’s button highlight marker: 24, unless Pan Scan & Letterbox is selected, which then sets the maximum to 16 Stories Following is the story-related limitation. • Maximum number of segments: 98 (must all be from the same track) Slideshows Following are the slideshow-related limitations. • Maximum number of slides in a slideshow: 99 • Minimum number of slides in a slideshow: 1 Scripts Following are the script-related limitations. • Maximum number of scripts in a project: 10,000 • Maximum number of command lines in a script: 124 • Minimum number of command lines in a script: 1 Chapter 2 Planning Your Project 43 While investigating other DVDs, you may decide to include similar specialized features in yours. This chapter covers the following: • Creating a Simple DVD (p. 45) • Creating a Play One or Play All Project (p. 47) • Grabbing a Still Image from Your Movie (p. 50) • Adding Easter Eggs to Your Menus (p. 51) Creating a Simple DVD While DVD Studio Pro is capable of creating complex projects, you may find yourself needing to create a very simple project that does nothing more than start playing when you insert the DVD into a DVD player—with no menus and no viewer interaction at all. This could be a disc that plays in a standalone kiosk or a DVD daily whose only purpose is to distribute a video track for approval. To create a simple DVD 1 Choose File > New (or press Command-N) to create a new project. By default a new project contains Menu 1 and Track 1. 2 Select the Menu 1 tile in the Graphics tab and press Delete. 3 Control-click the Track 1 tile, then choose First Play from the shortcut menu. This sets the project to automatically start playing this track once the DVD is inserted into a DVD player. (By default, DVD Studio Pro sets Menu 1 as the First Play element.) 4 Drag the movie from the Library or a Finder window to the Track 1 tile in the Graphics tab. This not only imports the movie but assigns it to Track 1. 5 Select the Track 1 tile in the Graphics tab so that the Track Inspector appears. 45 How Do You Do That? 3 6 Do one of the following to control what happens when the movie finishes playing: • To have nothing happen when the movie finishes playing, leave End Jump (in the top section of the Track Inspector) set to Not Set. Once the movie finishes playing, the DVD player will stop. The viewer can press Play to play it again. • To have the track play again in an infinite loop, choose the track from the End Jump pop-up menu. And that’s it. You might want to consider adding a few additional elements to the project that would improve the viewer’s experience. Adding Chapter Markers Depending on the length of the movie, it can be very helpful for the viewer to be able to use the DVD player’s Previous and Next buttons to quickly skip through the movie to points you define with chapter markers. If the movie was edited in Final Cut Pro, you can add the chapter markers at each scene change or at other significant points in the movie. These chapter markers will automatically import into DVD Studio Pro. See Adding and Configuring Markers in Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express for more information. You can also manually add the markers in the DVD Studio Pro Track Editor. Even just placing markers every five or ten minutes can help the viewer locate specific parts of the movie. See Working with Markers for more information. Adding a Menu This goes a bit against the general idea of a simple DVD project, but it might be worth adding a simple menu so that the viewing experience once the movie finishes playing is a bit better. For example, you could leave the track set as the First Play element but have the track jump to a menu once it finishes playing. The menu could have a single button that says “Play Again?” Or the menu could have a credit list. If You’re Using Multiple Movies You may have a situation where you have more than one movie to put on the DVD. You can handle that in a couple of ways: • You can put each movie in its own track: If you do not want to have a menu, you can have the End Jump of the first track set to the next track, linking the tracks together. This assures that the viewer will watch the movies in the order you specify. • You can concatentate the movies in a single track: This is a bit easier than placing each movie in its own track because you do not have to set the End Jumps for each, and it also ensures that the movies will be watched in a specific order. This does require that each movie uses the same video and audio formats. 46 Chapter 3 How Do You Do That? In most cases with multiple movies, you will want to create a menu where the viewer can choose which movie to watch. You may even want to have a menu where the viewer can choose to play a specific movie or to play all of them. See Creating a Play One or Play All Project for information on setting up this situation. Creating a Play One or Play All Project You may have a project with a track that contains several sections that a viewer either might want to watch individually or all at once, one after the other, from the start to the end. It’s actually fairly easy to set this up using stories. Once it is set up, you can optionally add additional functionality to polish the project. Stories in a Nutshell Stories allow you to configure alternative ways to play the movie in a track. Stories use chapter markers to divide the movie into sections (cells) that you can then configure to play, skip, or even play more than once. You can also choose to play these sections in a different order than they appear in the track. Stories are elements you can add to your project that are tied to a specific track—a story can only contain content from a single track. However, a track can have multiple stories. An advantage of stories is that because they only redefine how to play an existing track’s movie, they do not require any additional disc space on the DVD. They do count against the 99 track and slideshow limit that DVD Studio Pro projects have. See Introduction to Stories for more information about stories. Creating the Basic Project You follow three primary steps to create this project: Stage 1: Creating the Track and Adding Chapter Markers to It The chapter markers define the sections that you can use for your stories. You can manually add the markers in DVD Studio Pro, import the chapter markers you added in Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express, or import chapter markers from a text file. Stage 2: Creating and Configuring the Stories For this project, you create a story for each individually playable section of the movie. Each story contains one chapter marker to define the section of the movie to play. Each story also has an End Jump setting that takes the viewer back to the menu. Stage 3: Creating and Configuring the Menus Once you have the stories defined, you can create the one or more menus needed to access them. Chapter 3 How Do You Do That? 47 Creating the Track and Adding Chapter Markers to It How you create the track depends on your movies: • If you have a single movie that contains all of the sections edited together: This is the ideal situation because, assuming you edited them together in Final Cut Pro, you could also have added the chapter markers needed to set up the stories. You can manually add the chapter markers in DVD Studio Pro; however, most often you will not be able to place them on the exact frame you would like to use because the markers must be on an I-frame or a key frame. • If you have multiple movies, with each containing one or more sections: In this situation, you place all of the movies in the same track (in the order they should play for the “play all” button). This situation also requires you to manually add the chapter markers. Note: Having multiple movies makes it tempting to skip using stories and just create a separate track for each section. You could then create buttons to play each of the tracks. The difficulty in this is creating the “play all” button, because each track’s End Jump would need to be set to go back to the menu. Even if you managed to use scripts to get each track to jump to the next track, you would almost always have a short pause during the jump while the DVD player located the next track. Using stories makes it possible to have seamless playback between the sections for the “play all” button while retaining the ability to play each section individually—all without using scripts. To create and configure the track 1 Click the Add Track tool in the DVD Studio Pro toolbar to add a new track. You can also use the track that is automatically added to new projects. 2 Import the movie or movies into the project. 3 Do one of the following: • If you have a single movie, drag it to the track in the Track Editor. • If you have multiple movies, drag each to the Track Editor, in the order that you want them to play. 4 Add the chapter markers to the track by positioning the Track Editor’s playhead on the first frame of each section and pressing M. The markers are placed on the nearest I-frame or key frame. You can move the marker forward or backward to try to locate a better frame if needed. Note: If you used a single movie that had the chapter markers added in Final Cut Pro, the chapter markers should already be present and you can skip this step. You can also name the chapter markers to help identify them later when creating your stories. See Importing Assets and Working with Markers for additional information. 48 Chapter 3 How Do You Do That? Creating and Configuring the Stories Once you have the track configured with chapter markers to identify each section, you are ready to create the stories. For this project, you need a story for each section of the movie that you want the viewer to be able to play individually. Once you create the story, you need to choose the chapter marker that defines the section of the track that that story should play. To create and configure the stories 1 Click the Add Story tool in the Toolbar. This adds a new story, related to the currently selected track, to your project. 2 Double-click the new story’s icon in the Graphical tab to open it in the Story Editor. The entry list. Drag markers to this list to create your story. The source list. Drag markers from this side to the other side to create your story. Choose a story from the current track to edit. The left side of the Story Editor lists the chapter markers in the track. The right side lists the markers that have been assigned to this story (which is empty at the moment). 3 Locate the chapter marker on the left side that you want this story to play and drag it to the right side. Note: If there are additional chapter markers in the section of the movie you want this story to play, you need to drag them to the right side as well, in the order that they are placed in the track. 4 Repeat the above steps for each section of the movie. As mentioned previously, naming the chapter markers makes this process much easier. Naming the stories, especially if there are a lot of them, can also help the process. Chapter 3 How Do You Do That? 49 Creating and Configuring the Menus Once you have created your stories, you are ready to create the menu (or menus, depending on how many stories you created and how many buttons you want to have on each menu). The basic concept for the menu is to have a Play All button that plays the entire track and separate buttons that play each of the stories. You can use any of the normal menu creation methods. See Introduction to Creating Menus for information on the types of menus you can create. Grabbing a Still Image from Your Movie DVD Studio Pro includes a feature that allows you to export a still image from a movie in a track. The still image is saved as a TIFF file that you can use as a menu background or open in a graphics program. The file matches the movie’s resolution. Anamorphic 16:9 video results in an anamorphic still image using a 4:3 aspect ratio (which works fine as a 16:9 menu background). This feature works with SD as well as HD projects. The one issue is that the still image must be from an I-frame (MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video) or a key frame (H.264 video). This means you may not be able to get a still from the exact frame you would like. To create a still image from a movie 1 In the Track Editor, move the playhead to the frame you would like to have a still image made from. 2 Press M. This adds a marker to the timeline. The exact position of the marker depends on how close you are to an I-frame or key frame as well as the Snap To setting in the Track pane of the DVD Studio Pro Preferences window. You can drag the marker left and right to see if either of those positions would produce a better still image. (This is easier to do if you zoom into the timeline.) 3 Click Save Still in the Marker Inspector. A dialog appears for saving the file. 4 Enter a name for the file (the default name is the marker’s name) and choose the location to save it to (the default location is in the same folder as the video file). 5 Click Save. You can import the still image file into this project or open it in a graphics application to add effects or text. 50 Chapter 3 How Do You Do That? Adding Easter Eggs to Your Menus It is becoming increasingly popular to add hidden items to DVD projects. For example, you may include a track or menu that you only want people to find if they know the right buttons to push. Most often, invisible buttons on less-used menus are used to access these items. Depending on how elaborate you want to be, you can configure the button navigation so that the viewer can only get to the invisible button by pressing non-obvious arrow buttons on the remote control. For example, if you have a menu with a column of six buttons, you could set the button navigation so that the invisible button is reached only by pressing the left arrow button when on the fourth button in the column. (Most viewers would not think to press the left arrow button if the menu’s buttons are arranged in an obvious up/down fashion.) You can make it even harder to find by using multiple invisible buttons, with each requiring the correct arrow button presses to get to the next, with incorrect presses jumping back to the visible buttons. About Invisible Buttons You can set an overlay button to be invisible by selecting Invisible in the Advanced tab of the Button Inspector. In this case, making a button invisible means that the highlight colors do not appear when the button is selected and activated. This can be confusing when combined with visible buttons on a menu because it can lead to a condition where nothing appears to be selected. Instead of using a true invisible button, you may want to use a button whose normal state is invisible, but which acts as a visible button when selected and activated. To do this, you only have to make sure the button has no normal state graphics on the menu’s background (making the button invisible when not selected), but does have supporting graphics, such as a star or happy face, in the overlay file that will show the selected and activated highlight colors. Note that if you do this, a viewer playing the DVD on a computer may be able to find the button just by waving the pointer over the menu. See Advanced Tab in the Button Inspector for information on invisible buttons. Important: While using invisible buttons can make it difficult for viewers to accidentally find hidden features, you should not assume this is entirely secure. Determined viewers can use a variety of methods to find hidden content on a DVD disc. Chapter 3 How Do You Do That? 51 Before you can begin building a DVD project, you must have correctly prepared video source material. This chapter covers the following: • Introduction to Preparing Video Sources (p. 53) • NTSC or PAL? (p. 54) • Using 24 fps Video (p. 55) • Choosing an Aspect Ratio (p. 56) • About MPEG Video (p. 60) • Encoding Video Materials for DVD (p. 61) • Using the Integrated MPEG Encoder (p. 68) • Encoding Video for Multi-Angle Tracks (p. 74) • Adding Markers to Your Video (p. 76) • About H.264 Video (p. 80) • About HDV Video (p. 81) • DVD Video Source Settings Summary (p. 82) Introduction to Preparing Video Sources After you have captured and edited your source material, you need to encode it to make it DVD-compliant. Compressor is a full-featured video and audio compression application included with Final Cut Studio that you can use to create DVD-compliant assets for use in DVD Studio Pro. DVD Studio Pro is integrated with Compressor to provide easy access to the commonly used MPEG, AIFF, and Dolby Digital AC-3 encoding functions for converting QuickTime video to DVD-compliant assets. The DVD Studio Pro integration with Compressor allows you to directly import QuickTime sources into a project—the encoders work with the sources while you continue authoring the project. 53 Preparing Video Assets 4 You can also use Compressor as a standalone application to get more options and control over the encoding process. Compressor also integrates well with Final Cut Pro, providing exceptionally high-quality MPEG-2 streams directly from Final Cut Pro sequences. This chapter describes how to prepare video source material for use in DVD Studio Pro and how to use the integrated MPEG encoder. For more information on DVD-compliant material, see About MPEG Video. There are three areas in a DVD project that can use video sources: • Tracks: This is the primary area that uses video sources. • Menus: This area uses video sources when you are creating motion menus. Menus can also assign video sources to buttons and drop zones. For the most part, video sources used for motion menus must follow the same rules as video sources used for tracks. See Preparing Menu Assets for more information. • Alpha Transitions: You can use specialized video sources as alpha transitions in your menus, tracks, and slideshows. See Preparing Alpha Transitions for more information. The DVD-Video specification has strict requirements for several aspects of the sources used. For best results, you should create and capture your video and audio using the settings required for DVD. See DVD Video Source Settings Summary for a complete list of settings required for a source to be DVD-compliant. NTSC or PAL? A DVD-Video title must contain either all NTSC or all PAL sources. If you intend to create a title that can be played on either NTSC or PAL DVD players, you must create two titles and two versions of the sources (including all graphics and video, which will require significant effort), one for each standard. About the Terms “NTSC” and “PAL” The terms “NTSC” and “PAL” are technically incorrect when used with respect to DVDs. These terms specify a variety of things with respect to an SD composite video signal. When you refer to a video asset as NTSC or PAL with respect to SD-based DVDs, you are defining the asset’s frame rate and resolution. With most HD assets, the terms NTSC and PAL refer only to the frame rate, because the resolution is far different than an SD video asset. 54 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets Many DVD players in PAL countries can also play NTSC DVD-Video titles. It’s important to understand that these players often do not convert NTSC video to PAL—they simply output the NTSC sources. You must connect an NTSC or dual-standard video monitor to view the output. Additionally, be aware that all DVD players have a region code that prevents them from playing DVD-Video titles not intended for the player’s region. Using 24 fps Video Often the video content for a DVD project originates from film shot at 24 frames per second (for NTSC this is actually 23.976 fps, which is more commonly referred to as 23.98 fps). The DVD specification allows you to include 24 fps MPEG-2 assets as long as they are properly flagged so the DVD player can decode them by either using a 3:2 pulldown (for NTSC DVD players) or playing them 4% faster (for PAL DVD players). The video resolution also must match those allowed for the intended video standard. See Choosing a Video Resolution for details on supported video resolutions. This means that there are NTSC and PAL versions of 24 fps MPEG-2 assets, and you can only use NTSC 24 fps assets in NTSC projects and PAL 24 fps assets in PAL projects. Encoding video that originates with a 24 fps rate as a 24 fps MPEG asset has two primary advantages: • Less time is spent on the encoding process. • Smaller files are produced. These advantages are due to fewer frames being encoded, especially when compared to NTSC frame rates. Important: MPEG-2 assets that include 23.98 frames to play at 29.97 fps show as 29.97 fps assets in QuickTime, Compressor, and DVD Studio Pro. Importing 24 fps Assets How DVD Studio Pro handles your 24 fps assets depends on whether or not they are already MPEG-2 encoded: • If you import 24 fps MPEG-2 assets: They are handled correctly and remain 24 fps when you build the project. Note: 24 fps assets show as their display rate setting when viewed in the Track Editor. This makes them appear as if they were at the NTSC or PAL frame rate. You can confirm they are actually 24 fps by selecting them in the Assets tab and verifying the frame rate in the Asset Inspector. • If you import 24 fps QuickTime assets: They are encoded as either 29.97 fps or 25 fps MPEG-2 files, based on your project’s video standard, and are no longer 24 fps when you build the project. Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 55 To create a 24 fps MPEG-2 asset, you need to use Compressor (included with DVD Studio Pro) or a third-party encoder that supports encoding 24 fps MPEG-2 assets. Using 24 fps Video in Tracks You can use 24 fps video assets in tracks just like you would use regular 29.97 fps or 25 fps video assets, as long as they match the project’s video standard (NTSC or PAL). You can also combine 24 fps assets with regular video assets within a track, as long as they use the same resolution. Using 24 fps Video in Menus You can use 24 fps assets in menus as backgrounds or assets for buttons and drop zones. You can also combine 24 fps assets with regular video assets within a menu. If the menu must be rendered because it contains shapes, drop zones, or text objects, it is rendered at the project’s frame rate, even if the menu’s background is 24 fps. Choosing an Aspect Ratio The aspect ratio is the ratio of the width of the visible area of the video frame to the height of the visible area. Standard NTSC and PAL monitors have a picture aspect ratio of 4:3 (or 1.33, which is the width divided by the height). Some High Definition Television (HDTV) formats have a picture aspect ratio of 16:9, or 1.78. The DVD specification supports both 4:3 and 16:9 sources, but it does not support HD video. Most HD video formats use a combination of features to create the high definition image, including a much larger frame size than DVD-Video supports. HD-based DVDs also support both 4:3 and 16:9 sources, as well SD and HD video formats. Using 16:9 sources in your project raises a number of issues that you need to be aware of. Your main goal is to ensure that 16:9 assets play back correctly on 16:9 monitors and as expected on 4:3 monitors (and that 4:3 assets play correctly on both monitor types as well). Incorrect settings can lead to distorted video. For example, the video may appear horizontally compressed (objects look “skinny”) or expanded (objects look “fat”). 56 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets This illustration shows the viewing options for a 16:9 asset. 16:9 monitor 16:9 aspect ratio 16:9 anamorphic (The dashed line shows the circle’s original size.) 16:9 letterbox 16:9 pan-scan 16:9 video on 4:3 monitors This illustration shows the viewing options for a 4:3 asset. 4:3 monitor 4:3 aspect ratio 4:3 stretched (The dashed line shows the circle’s original size.) 4:3 video on 16:9 monitors 4:3 pillar box Read the following sections to find out more about using 16:9 assets in your projects. What Exactly Is a 16:9 Asset? When you decide to use 16:9 assets in a DVD Studio Pro project, it is crucial that you understand exactly what attributes your 16:9 media should have. Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 57 16:9 and SD Projects The DVD specification and DVD Studio Pro require 16:9 video to be anamorphic. An anamorphic 16:9 video frame has the same number of pixels as a 4:3 video frame. When displayed on a 16:9 monitor, the frame is horizontally stretched to fit the screen, and the content appears normal. When viewed on a 4:3 monitor, however, the video content appears horizontally compressed (see the illustrations in Choosing an Aspect Ratio). The most common error is to letterbox your 16:9 video assets before bringing them into DVD Studio Pro. Once a 16:9 asset has been letterboxed, it becomes a 4:3 asset with black bars along the top and bottom of the video image. If you flag letterboxed source video as 16:9 video when encoding it, you will have problems when you play it back later. 16:9 and HD Projects HD projects can use a wide variety of video resolutions. Several of these are true 16:9 (1280 x 720p and 1920 x 1080i) while several others use the same anamorphic method used in SD projects (720 x 480p, 720 x 576p, and 1440 x 1080i). Using Pan-Scan to Display 16:9 Video The pan-scan method of displaying 16:9 video on a 4:3 monitor was developed as a compromise between letterbox, which displays all the video content but with black areas at the top and bottom, and the only other alternative: filling the entire 4:3 screen, but cropping some of the content. With pan-scan, you can choose which bits of the 16:9 content to crop, ensuring the action is not lost by displaying the center of the screen only. The pan-scan method can result in sudden jumps from one side of the screen to the other (for example, to follow a conversation’s dialogue), which may make your video look as if edits have been made. To make pan-scan work, you must have a pan-scan vector, a frame-based value that controls which part of the content to use. Someone watching the video creates the vector, deciding which parts should be seen. This vector must be available when the video is MPEG-encoded. The MPEG encoder included with DVD Studio Pro does not support pan-scan vector information. However, if the information is already part of an MPEG-encoded video stream, created with an encoder that supports the vector information, DVD Studio Pro passes this information along. Virtually all movies shown on TV have been through the pan-scan process; however, pan-scan vectors are rarely used for movies released on DVD. Instead, a version of the movie is made using the 4:3 pan-scanned source and is not intended to be played as a 16:9 video on 16:9 monitors. The other side of the disc often contains the true 16:9 version, set to display as letterboxed video on 4:3 monitors. Important: Do not use pan-scan if your video does not actually support it. If you do, only the center part of the frame will appear. 58 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets MPEG Encoding and 16:9 Video It’s important to correctly identify your source video as either 4:3 or 16:9 before encoding it. At this point, you are only identifying it—you are not defining how it should be handled when played back. When using the integrated MPEG encoder, you can select the video’s aspect ratio in the Encoding pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. Using 16:9 Assets in Tracks Each track within a DVD Studio Pro project has an aspect ratio setting. This setting lets the DVD player know how to display the video when playing back the title. With a 16:9 track, you specify how it will play back on a 4:3 monitor: Pan-Scan, Letterbox, or Pan Scan & Letterbox (allowing the viewer to choose). As mentioned previously, pan-scan is rarely used and should never be selected unless the encoded video contains pan-scan vector information. Mixing 16:9 and 4:3 Assets in a Track Keep in mind that a track’s aspect ratio setting applies to the entire track. If you mix 16:9 assets with 4:3 assets in a track, you will have problems when playing it back. For example, if you set the aspect ratio to 16:9 Letterbox, the 4:3 video will also be letterboxed and end up looking vertically compressed. To be safe, do not mix 16:9 and 4:3 assets in the same track. Instead, create separate tracks for each. You can use the Connections tab in DVD Studio Pro to control the playback order of the tracks. Some Players Cheat! Unfortunately, not all players handle 16:9 video correctly. The aspect ratio setting for each track is stored in the track’s video title set file (vts_01_1.vob, for example). Most DVD players read the setting and process it correctly, but some DVD players ignore this setting and instead look at the aspect ratio setting of the video itself. For the most part, this works out, but it can result in inconsistencies when playing the title on different DVD players, particularly if you are not careful while encoding and authoring. Buttons over 16:9 Video Tracks To place a button over a video track, you add a menu overlay to a subtitle stream in the track. These overlays are not processed in the same way as the video, so you must create a separate overlay for each display mode (16:9, 4:3 letterbox, and 4:3 pan-scan). You then need to create a script that selects the correct subtitle stream to display based on the DVD player’s settings. See What Happens with Different Aspect Ratios? for information on using subtitle streams to place buttons over a video track, and see Creating Scripts for information on creating scripts. Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 59 Using 16:9 Assets in Menus Typically you’ll want to use 16:9 menus with 16:9 tracks. Most of the same concerns with video apply to menus as well—specifically how the 16:9 menu is displayed on a 4:3 monitor. With a 16:9 menu, you specify how it will play back on a 4:3 monitor: Pan-Scan, Letterbox, or Pan Scan & Letterbox (allowing the viewer to choose). As mentioned previously, pan-scan is rarely used, and should never be selected unless the encoded video contains pan-scan vector information. See Understanding Pixel Differences in Graphics and Video for information on the image size settings you should use when creating 16:9 menus. Issues with Film Aspect Ratios While 16:9 is a fairly wide aspect ratio, it is not wide enough to contain an entire frame from a typical Hollywood movie. Two film aspect ratios are widely used now: Normal is 1.85:1 and Widescreen is 2.40:1 (for comparison, 16:9 is 1.78:1). For normal titles (those that use the 1.85:1 aspect ratio), a small amount of letterboxing or pan-scan cropping is required to transfer the title to DVD, but for Panavision titles significant letterboxing or pan-scan cropping is necessary. This processing must be done before the video is MPEG-encoded. The DVD specification supports only 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. 2.40:1 (Widescreen) 1.85:1 (Normal film) 1.78:1 (16:9) 1.33:1 (4:3) You should not be surprised to see some letterboxing when playing a Panavision movie on a 16:9 monitor. About MPEG Video MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) is a family of video and audio compression formats that make high-quality titles possible on DVD. There are a broad range of MPEG types and settings; use care to select those that are DVD-compliant with the DVD standard (SD or HD) you are using. DVD Studio Pro imports MPEG assets created with a wide variety of third-party products. The following section, Encoding Video Materials for DVD, provides a general overview of MPEG, as well as details that relate specifically to DVD Studio Pro and its integrated MPEG encoder. 60 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets Encoding Video Materials for DVD The DVD specification requires video movies to be in a DVD-compliant MPEG format. There are a number of methods for converting video from its current format to MPEG. DVD Studio Pro includes an integrated MPEG encoder, which can quickly encode your QuickTime movies into DVD-compliant MPEG-2 files. See Using the Integrated MPEG Encoder for more information. For analog sources, you need a hardware video capture card to digitize your video. Depending on the card’s output format, you may then need a transcoder to convert it to MPEG. Elementary and Multiplexed MPEG Files There are two common types of MPEG file structures: elementary and multiplexed. Elementary files contain only one stream of data, either the video or the audio. Multiplexed MPEG files, also known as system, transport, or program files, have the video and audio combined into a single file. MPEG files that are imported directly into DVD Studio Pro must be elementary MPEG files. You can use an MPEG utility to convert multiplexed MPEG files into elementary streams. The integrated MPEG encoder converts QuickTime files into elementary MPEG streams. When creating an HD project, you can import HDV and H.264 streams, both of which are multiplexed QuickTime streams. Choosing Between MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 The DVD specification allows for the use of either MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 encoded video. In general, MPEG-1 provides for smaller file sizes but reduced picture quality (by scaling a half-screen image to full screen), while MPEG-2 provides for better quality with larger file sizes. • MPEG-1 is generally used for titles for which file size is critical and that will be played back on a computer (not a set-top DVD player). • MPEG-2 is usually used for DVD titles on DVD media. The integrated MPEG encoder encodes video into MPEG-2. DVD Studio Pro works with both MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video assets in your SD project tracks, as long as they are DVD-compliant. MPEG-1 video used as menu backgrounds is rendered to full D1 MPEG-2 when the project is built. Important: HD projects cannot use MPEG-1 video. Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 61 Choosing a Bit Rate for SD Projects Bit rate directly determines file size, and thus how many minutes of material you can fit onto a DVD disc. SD-based DVD players support combined bit rates of up to 10.08 megabits per second (Mbps), but this must include the audio and subtitles as well. The maximum video bit rate is 9.8 Mbps. Note: Some DVD players have trouble playing video that uses sustained high bit rates. On such players, you may see dropped frames during playback. Typical maximum bit rates used for video are around 8 Mbps. The maximum MPEG-1 bit rate is 1.856 Mbps, while 1.15 Mbps is most typical. The actual video content determines how low a bit rate you can use and still get acceptable quality. Video with little movement works well at lower bit rates, while higher bit rates are best at handling video with a lot of movement (a quick camera pan, for example). For more information on choosing a bit rate that ensures all the content in your project will fit on a DVD, see Making Sure Your Content Will Fit. Choosing a Bit Rate for HD Projects Choosing a bit rate for use in HD projects is similar to doing so for SD projects, but there are some differences. The maximum overall bit rate for HD projects is 30.24 Mbps. While an HD project can use both SD and HD video assets, the maximum bit rate you can use is different for each: • HD assets: 29.4 Mbps Note: HD assets include the 480p and 576p resolutions. • SD assets: 15.0 Mbps MPEG Encoding Methods There are three common methods of encoding video: CBR (constant bit rate, also known as one-pass), one-pass VBR (variable bit rate), and two-pass VBR. • CBR (one-pass) method: You choose a bit rate and it is used for the entire video, regardless of its content. The advantage of this method is that you can reliably predict the final encoded file size. By adjusting the bit rate, you can ensure the video will fit on the DVD. The disadvantage is that the same bit rate gets applied to all of the video, regardless of the motion content. You must choose a high enough bit rate to provide acceptable results for the scenes with motion, even if they are only a small part of the movie. 62 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets • One-pass VBR method: You choose a basic bit rate and a maximum bit rate. The encoder detects the amount of motion present in the video as it encodes and adjusts the bit rate appropriately—scenes with motion use higher bit rates (up to the maximum setting you choose) and scenes with little motion use the lower, basic bit rate. The disadvantage of this method is that the quality will not be as good as with the two-pass VBR method. • Two-pass VBR method: You choose a basic bit rate and a maximum bit rate, just as with the one-pass VBR method. The difference is that the encoder makes two passes through the video to encode it. The first pass examines the video to learn about its motion content. The second pass performs the encode, varying the bit rate to provide better results in scenes with motion (as compared to the one-pass VBR method). The disadvantage of this method is that it takes twice as long as the one-pass VBR method. Important: With the VBR methods, the basic bit rate setting determines the encoded file size. The maximum bit rate setting does not affect the file size. Additionally, the VBR methods are most effective when the maximum bit rate is about double the basic bit rate, or at least 1 to 3 Mbps higher than the basic bit rate. The integrated MPEG encoder allows you to select which of these methods you want to use. Choosing a Video Resolution The resolution determines the number of pixels processed within a frame. The more pixels used, the sharper the details in the image. Note that regardless of the resolution you choose, most DVD players play back at full screen. The following is a list of common resolutions used with MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 video with DVD Studio Pro. Note: Menus must use full D1 resolution MPEG-2 video. If you assign any other resolution or an MPEG-1 asset, the video will be transcoded to full D1 MPEG-2 when you build the project. SD Projects SD projects can use the resolutions shown in the following tables. NTSC All frame rates use the interlaced scanning method (as indicated with an “i”). With the exception of 352 x 240, all resolutions are MPEG-2 only. Resolution Frame rate Aspect ratio Notes 352 x 240 29.97i 4:3 Also known as SIF format; MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 352 x 480 29.97i 4:3 Also known as 1/2 D1 704 x 480 29.97i 4:3, 16:9 Also known as Cropped D1; 16:9 is anamorphic 720 x 480 29.97i 4:3, 16:9 Also known as Full D1; 16:9 is anamorphic Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 63 PAL All frame rates use the interlaced scanning method (as indicated with an “i”). With the exception of 352 x 288, all resolutions are MPEG-2 only. Resolution Frame rate Aspect ratio Notes 352 x 288 25i 4:3 Also known as SIF format; MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 352 x 576 25i 4:3 Also known as 1/2 D1 704 x 576 25i 4:3, 16:9 Also known as Cropped D1; 16:9 is anamorphic 720 x 576 25i 4:3, 16:9 Also known as Full D1; 16:9 is anamorphic HD Projects HD projects can use the resolutions shown in the following tables. Note: MPEG-1 video is not supported. NTSC Frame rates with an “i” indicate the interlaced scanning method; those with a “p” indicate the progressive scanning method. Resolution Frame rate Aspect ratio Notes 352 x 240 29.97i 4:3 Also known as SIF format 352 x 480 29.97i 4:3 Also known as 1/2 D1 704 x 480 29.97i 4:3, 16:9 Also known as Cropped D1; 16:9 is anamorphic 720 x 480 29.97i 4:3, 16:9 Also known as Full D1; 16:9 is anamorphic 720 x 480 59.94p 16:9 HD only, also known as 480p; is anamorphic 1280 x 720 59.94p 16:9 HD only, also known as 720p 1440 x 1080 29.97i 16:9 HD only; 16:9 is anamorphic 1920 x 1080 29.97i 16:9 HD only, also known as 1080i PAL Frame rates with an “i” indicate the interlaced scanning method; those with a “p” indicate the progressive scanning method. Resolution Frame rate Aspect ratio Notes 352 x 288 25i 4:3 Also known as SIF format 352 x 576 25i 4:3 Also known as 1/2 D1 704 x 576 25i 4:3, 16:9 Also known as Cropped D1; 16:9 is anamorphic 720 x 576 25i 4:3, 16:9 Also known as Full D1; 16:9 is anamorphic 720 x 576 50p 16:9 HD only, also known as 576p; is anamorphic 1280 x 720 50p 16:9 HD only, also known as 720p 1440 x 1080 25i 16:9 HD only; 16:9 is anamorphic 64 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets Resolution Frame rate Aspect ratio Notes 1920 x 1080 25i 16:9 HD only, also known as 1080i Picture Frame Rate DVD Studio Pro NTSC projects support the NTSC frame rate (29.97 fps) and 23.976 fps assets that use NTSC video resolutions. PAL projects support the PAL frame rate (25 fps) and 23.976 fps assets that use PAL video resolutions. You can set a project’s video standard in the General tab in the Disc Inspector or in the Project pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. Warning: You cannot mix NTSC and PAL MPEG assets in a project. Working with GOP Settings A major function of MPEG encoding is to identify redundancy not only within a frame, but also among a group of frames. A scene with no movement except a car driving by has a lot of redundancy over time. In this case, a single complete frame could provide the majority of the video; subsequent frames only need to provide for the areas that change. Each MPEG stream contains three types of frames that define the video. A Group of Pictures (GOP) setting defines the pattern of the three frame types used: Intra (I) frames, Bi-directional (B) frames, and Predicted (P) frames. • I-frames: Also known as reference or key frames, I-frames contain the complete image of the current frame, without reference to frames that precede or follow it. The I-frame is the only type of MPEG frame that can stand by itself, without requiring information from other frames in the GOP. Every GOP contains one I-frame, although it does not have to be the first frame of the GOP. I-frames are the least efficient MPEG frame type, requiring the most disc space. Markers on a DVD track can be placed only at I-frames. • P-frames: P-frames are encoded from a “predicted” picture based on the closest preceding I- or P-frame. P-frames are also known as reference frames, because neighboring B- and P-frames can reference them. P-frames typically require much less disc space than I-frames. • B-frames: B-frames are encoded based on an interpolation from I- and P-frames that come before and after them. B-frames are the most efficient MPEG frame type, requiring the least amount of disc space. While a GOP can begin with a B-frame, it cannot end with one. The goal of encoding video to MPEG is to reduce the video file size as much as possible while maintaining good quality. The B- and P-frames are what make MPEG so good at compressing video into such small files. Because they only contain information about what has changed in the images, they use much less disc space than I-frames. Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 65 There are three aspects to choosing a GOP setting: the GOP pattern, the GOP length, and whether the GOP is “open” or “closed.” :04 :05 :06 :07 :08 :09 :10 :11 :12 :13 :14 :15 :16 :17 :18 Closed GOP (IBBP, 15 Frames) I B B P B B P B B P B B P B P GOP Pattern The GOP pattern determines the ratio of P- to B-frames within a GOP. The most common patterns used for DVD are IBP and IBBP. All three frame types do not have to be used in a pattern; an IP pattern is also used in special circumstances. IBP and IBBP GOP patterns, in conjunction with longer GOP lengths, produce the most efficient encodes. Smaller GOP patterns with shorter GOP lengths work better with video that has quick movements. Some encoders can force I-frames to be added sporadically throughout a stream’s GOPs. These I-frames can be placed manually by someone watching for sudden video changes or automatically by an encoder detecting scene changes. You can place markers in Final Cut Pro to identify specific frames to have an I-frame, either for use as a chapter marker or to manually identify high motion areas. See Adding Markers to Your Video for more information. The integrated MPEG encoder uses a GOP pattern of IBBP. GOP Length Longer GOP lengths produce more efficient encodes by reducing the number of I-frames but are less desirable during short-duration effects such as quick fades and quick camera pans. • SD-Based DVDs: The maximum GOP length for SD projects is 18 frames for NTSC or 15 frames for PAL. The minimum GOP length depends on the GOP pattern. For example, an IP pattern can have a length as short as two frames. The integrated MPEG encoder uses a GOP length of 15 frames for NTSC and 12 frames for PAL SD assets. • HD-Based DVDs: Because HD projects can use both interlaced and progressive video assets, they have different GOP length maximums. • NTSC interlaced assets: 18 frames per GOP • NTSC progressive assets: 36 frames per GOP • PAL interlaced assets: 15 frames per GOP • PAL progressive assets: 30 frames per GOP 66 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets Note: 24p assets have their GOP structure based on their display rate, not the encoded rate. A 24p asset encoded to play in an NTSC project has a display rate of 29.97 interlaced frames (with an 18 frames per GOP maximum) or 59.94 progressive frames (with a 36 frames per GOP maximum). The integrated MPEG encoder uses a GOP length of 15 frames for NTSC and 12 frames for PAL HD assets. Open or Closed GOPs An open GOP allows the B-frames from one GOP to look at an I- or P-frame from an adjacent GOP. Open GOPs are more efficient, but cannot be used with multi-angle or mixed-angle titles. A closed GOP keeps all references within itself, standing alone with respect to other GOPs. DVD Studio Pro works with either type in single-angle titles and requires closed GOPs with multi-angle and mixed-angle titles. It is important to know that the same pattern can provide different results when used with an open or closed GOP. For example, the integrated MPEG encoder uses a closed GOP type, and it starts its IBBP pattern with an I-frame. Other encoders using an open GOP may start with a B-frame. In this case, starting with a B-frame is a little more efficient; if you start with an I-frame, an extra P-frame must be added to the end (a GOP cannot end with a B-frame). General Quality Issues The quality of the MPEG encoding determines the quality of the title. It is well worth putting some effort into getting the best possible MPEG encoding environment. For example, start with the best quality source material you can. An uncompressed digital source is the best, followed by a DV source, and then an analog Component source. Of the other analog formats, S-Video (Y/C) is much preferable to Composite. Noisy Video Because a large portion of MPEG’s compression power depends on its ability to locate areas of the image that do not change between successive frames, “noisy” video can reduce the efficiency of MPEG encoding. While the actual video may be identical between two frames, if there are noise artifact differences between the two frames, they are detected as a change in video and require more bits to encode. A lot of noise causes poor encodes, because the encoding resources are tied up trying to faithfully reproduce the noise. Transcoding Artifacts Every time video is transcoded from one format to another—for example, from analog to digital, or DV to MPEG-2—artifacts are introduced into it. The visibility of these artifacts depends on the quality of the transcoding device and the content. While transcoding cannot be avoided, its effects can be minimized. Use the highest quality equipment and software you can, and choose products that work well together and support each other’s formats. Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 67 Using the Integrated MPEG Encoder When QuickTime assets that are not DVD-compliant are imported into a DVD Studio Pro project, they must be made DVD-compliant. DVD Studio Pro uses its integration with Compressor to encode these assets. This integration with Compressor provides simplified encoding functionality, with the more advanced attributes automatically set. Note: If you would like to encode the assets using more advanced Compressor functionality or to take advantage of distributed encoding, you can encode the assets directly in Compressor. For video assets, the integrated MPEG encoder outputs an MPEG-2 video stream with a closed GOP pattern and a fixed GOP size (15 frames for NTSC and 12 frames for PAL). The exported MPEG video stream can be used for multi-angle tracks. The file type is “.m2v.” See Settings in the MPEG-2 SD and MPEG-2 HD Tabs for information on configuring other aspects of the integrated encoder. If the file to be encoded has audio multiplexed together with the video, the audio is encoded as a PCM audio file and given the same name as the video file, but with an “.aiff” extension. See Preparing Audio Assets for more information on audio formats. Transcoding with the Integrated MPEG Encoder If you import a QuickTime asset whose video standard is different from the project’s current setting, the integrated MPEG encoder automatically transcodes the asset to the project’s video standard while encoding it. For example, if you are working on a PAL project and accidentally import an NTSC QuickTime file, the NTSC file is encoded as a PAL asset and is imported into the project. Similarly, if you import an HD asset into an SD project, the HD asset is automatically transcoded to SD. You should be aware, though, that the integrated encoder uses the default Compressor Frame Controls settings (which control the quality of frame size and rate conversions), and the results you get may not be suitable for use in a project. Using Compressor directly or any of a variety of third-party products can provide good transcoding results. You may also choose to have a facility that specializes in video standards conversion transcode the video. Configuring the Integrated MPEG Encoder DVD Studio Pro Preferences contain the settings that determine how DVD Studio Pro uses the integrated MPEG encoder. 68 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets To configure the integrated MPEG encoder 1 Choose DVD Studio Pro > Preferences. 2 Click Encoding to open the Encoding pane. 3 Configure the settings in the Encoding pane. See Encoding Preferences for information about the options in this pane. 4 Click Apply to enable the settings, then click OK to close the Preferences window. Encoding Preferences The Encoding pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains two tabs: MPEG-2 SD and MPEG-2 HD. Each tab has the same settings, with the exception of the higher bit rate settings allowed in the MPEG-2 HD tab. The settings in the MPEG-2 SD tab are automatically applied to all QuickTime video assets added to an SD project (including those with an HD video resolution) and assets with an SD video resolution added to an HD project. The MPEG-2 HD tab’s settings are applied to QuickTime video assets with an HD video resolution added to an HD project. (An exception are H.264 and HDV QuickTime assets, which are already properly encoded.) Settings in the MPEG-2 SD and MPEG-2 HD Tabs • Aspect Ratio: Select the aspect ratio to use. • 4:3: This aspect ratio is only available for SD video assets. • 16:9: This aspect ratio is supported by both SD and HD video assets. Note that selecting 16:9 does not convert the video to the 16:9 aspect ratio. The file to be encoded must already be in a 16:9 anamorphic format. See What Exactly Is a 16:9 Asset? for more information. Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 69 • Start: Sets the starting timecode of the encoded MPEG stream. This is most often set to match the timecode of the original video, ensuring that any timecode-based lists you have, such as a chapter list, marker positioning file, or subtitle file, match the encoded video. • Drop Frame: Select this checkbox to use drop frame timecode for assets using the NTSC frame rate. • Field Order: Choose the field order (Top or Bottom) that matches the video being encoded. This is also known as the field dominance setting in other products. Each interlaced NTSC and PAL video frame is comprised of two fields, each containing every other video line. The top field is also known as field two, the upper field, or the odd field. The bottom field is also known as field one, the lower field, or the even field. If the field order is set incorrectly, any motion in the video will appear very jagged when played back. Most professional and DV sources are field one dominant, and should use the Bottom setting. If you are unsure of the field order of your source video, choose Auto to let the encoder attempt to determine the field order. Note: The Field Order setting does not apply to progressive scan video. • Mode: You can choose from three encoding modes, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. See MPEG Encoding Methods for more information on the encoding methods. • One Pass: With this option chosen, the encoder uses a one-pass encoding method with a constant bit rate (CBR). Note that the integrated MPEG encoder One Pass mode actually varies the bit rate a small amount. • One Pass VBR: With this option chosen, the encoder uses the one-pass variable bit rate (VBR) encoding method. • Two Pass VBR: With this option chosen, the encoder uses the two-pass VBR encoding method (one pass to create a motion profile of the video and a second pass to perform the encode). • Bit Rate: Set the bit rate for the One Pass encoding method and the basic bit rate for the One Pass VBR and Two Pass VBR encoding methods. When using one of the VBR encoding methods, you cannot set Bit Rate any higher than 85% of the Max Bit Rate setting. See Choosing a Bit Rate for SD Projects for more information. • Max Bit Rate: Set the maximum bit rate that can be used during a One Pass VBR or Two Pass VBR encode. You cannot set the Max Bit Rate setting lower than the Bit Rate setting or 5 Mbps (whichever is higher). Because the VBR methods are most effective when the maximum bit rate is about double the basic bit rate, or at least 1 to 3 Mbps higher than the basic bit rate, the Max Bit Rate setting is forced to be higher than the Bit Rate setting. Note: The Max Bit Rate setting does not affect the size of the encoded file—it only sets the upper limit that can be used during the encode. 70 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets • Motion Estimation: Choose a Motion Estimation setting that provides a balance between quality and speed of encoding. This setting controls how much time is spent determining the motion between video frames. • Good: The fastest Motion Estimation setting. This mode does well even with significant amounts of motion between frames, if the motion has minimal interfield motion within frames. For example, footage that has been exposed to frame-rate conversion or other effects processes tends to have little interfield motion. In general, use Good with the One Pass encoding mode. • Better: A good general purpose Motion Estimation setting. The Better mode provides good results even with complex interlaced motion. Better works well for almost all types of interlaced video sources, even shaky footage from hand-held consumer camcorders. In general, use Better with One Pass VBR and Two Pass VBR. • Best: This is the highest quality Motion Estimation setting and should be used for the most demanding and complex motion for interlaced sources. It is slower than the Better mode. In general, use the Best mode to maximize quality when using One Pass VBR or Two Pass VBR. • Reset to Factory Defaults: Click this to restore the current tab’s settings to the default settings. Settings Outside of the Tabs • Method: Select when you want the asset to be encoded. Note: An advantage of selecting “Background encoding” is that, once the assets are encoded, the encoded versions of them appear in the Simulator and the Viewer when playing a track. This makes it possible to see the video as it will appear on the DVD, and not the QuickTime version. See Is That the QuickTime or MPEG Encoded Version? for more information. • Background encoding: The encoding begins as soon as you import the asset. The encoding takes place in the background, allowing you to continue working on your project. A progress bar appears in the Status column of the Assets tab. Once the encoding process finishes, the Status column displays Done. See Default Columns in the Assets Tab for more information. • Encode on build: The encoding does not start until you complete your project and build the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS files. Using the Integrated MPEG Encoder Depending on the Method setting in Encoding Preferences, video assets can either begin encoding as soon as you add them to your project, or they can wait until you perform a build of the project. Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 71 Is That the QuickTime or MPEG Encoded Version? When you import QuickTime assets and assign them to elements in your project, it can be important to know whether you are seeing the original QuickTime version of the asset or the MPEG encoded version in the Viewer or Simulator. Seeing the MPEG encoded version has the advantage of allowing you to see the video as it will appear when the DVD is played. The disadvantage of seeing the MPEG encoded version is that the video must be encoded first. The Method setting in the Encoding pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences controls whether the encoded versions of the assets can be available while you are authoring the project. With “Background encoding” selected, you will be able to see the encoded versions of the assets as soon as they are encoded. With “Encode on build” selected, you will not be able to see the encoded versions until you build the project. There are some guidelines DVD Studio Pro uses to determine whether to show the original QuickTime version of the asset or the MPEG encoded version: • When you view an asset from the Assets tab in the Viewer, you will see the QuickTime version, whether the encoded version is available or not. • When you view an asset from the Track Editor, you will see the encoded version (if available). This is also true when you view the track in the Simulator. • When you view an asset in the Menu Editor, you will see the QuickTime version, whether or not the encoded version is available. This is also true when you view the menu in the Simulator. When you import a QuickTime video asset into DVD Studio Pro, the current Encoding Preferences settings are assigned to it. If you change the Encoding Preferences settings after you have imported a QuickTime video asset, those changes are applied only to new assets you import—they are not applied to existing assets. Verifying and Changing Encoding Settings If your project contains a mixture of 4:3 and 16:9 assets or has some assets you want to encode differently than others, you must be sure to set the Encoding Preferences settings before you import the assets. You can use the Encoder Settings dialog to verify and change the encoding settings on assets that have been imported. To change the encoding settings after importing an asset Do one of the following: μ Select the asset and choose File > Encoder Settings (or press Command-E). μ Control-click the asset in the Assets tab, then choose Encoder Settings from the shortcut menu. 72 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets The Encoder Settings dialog appears with the same settings found in the Encoding Preferences pane, with HD projects getting an added Resolution setting. When you have the “Background encoding” method selected and you make any changes in the Encoder Settings dialog, one of two things happens: • If you change the bit rate setting: The current file, whether a complete or partially complete file, is left as is and the encoder starts encoding a new file. This allows you to compare the quality of the two bit rates. If you decide to continue the encoding of the partially completed file, you can set the bit rate (and all other settings, if you have made changes) to the value it used, and the encoder will continue encoding it. Note: If the encoded files are being written to the project bundle, they are deleted regardless of whether or not you change the bit rate setting. • If you do not change the bit rate setting: The original asset is deleted, whether a complete or partially complete file, and a new encoded file is created. For example, if you want to see the difference between one-pass VBR and two-pass VBR encoding and want to keep the files from both encoding sessions, you need to rename or move the completed one-pass VBR encoded file before re-encoding with the two-pass VBR setting. If you have the “Encode on build” method selected, these changes will apply once you build your project. Encoding Settings in HD Projects Because an HD project can use assets with a wide variety of video resolutions, the Encoder Settings dialog contains a Resolution pop-up menu that shows the asset’s resolution. You are also able to change an asset’s video resolution by choosing a setting from the Resolution pop-up menu. SD resolution assets (720 x 480i and 720 x 576i) in HD projects can use a bit rate up to 15 Mbps. The Bit Rate setting in the Encoder Settings dialog will not go beyond 15 Mbps when an SD resolution is chosen. Important: Encoding an asset at a resolution other than its native resolution may result in unacceptable artifacts appearing in the video. How the Encoded Files Are Named When you import QuickTime video assets into DVD Studio Pro, the integrated MPEG encoder names the encoded files as follows: • The first half is the complete original filename, including its extension. • The second half has three parts—the video standard (NTSC or PAL), the encoding bit rate (shown as a four-digit number), and the “.m2v” extension. For example, if you import an asset named “Main Program.mov,” use the NTSC standard and a bit rate of 5.5 Mbps, the MPEG-encoded filename will be “Main Program.mov_NTSC_5500.m2v.” Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 73 Audio files created by the embedded AIFF encoder use the original filename with an added “.aiff” extension. Encoding Video for Multi-Angle Tracks DVD Studio Pro supports multi-angle and mixed-angle video. With multi-angle video, a track can contain up to eight alternate video streams that last the entire length of the main stream (for a total of nine video streams per track). With mixed-angle video, the alternate streams do not last the entire length of the main stream, so you can have alternate streams in only those locations where they are needed, saving disc space. In either case, the viewer can switch among angles using the Angle button on the remote control. Because different MPEG encoders can produce slightly different GOP structures, you should use the same encoder for all streams. Note: Switching angles while playing a DVD affects only the video playback. The audio remains on the currently selected stream. Considerations for Mixed-Angle Tracks Mixed-angle tracks provide the possibility of interesting playback scenarios. The illustration below shows a track that has two sections with three alternate angles, with playback set to angle 3. Angle 1 2 3 4 Mixed-angle track with stream 3 playing There are some additional considerations when creating a mixed-angle track: • Within a track, you can use markers to define multiple sections to use additional angles, but each section must have the same number of streams. For example, you cannot have one section early in the track with two alternate streams and a section later in the track with three alternate streams—both sections must have either two or three streams. • Each alternate angle section can be a different length, but all streams within a section must be the same length. For example, you can have one mixed-angle section early in the track that is 10 seconds long and a second mixed-angle section that is 20 seconds long. All alternate streams in the first mixed-angle section must be 10 seconds long; all alternate streams in the second mixed-angle section must be 20 seconds long. 74 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets • You cannot use still images in the V2 through V9 streams. You can use still images in the V1 stream as long as they are outside of the mixed-angle areas (places where video is present in the V2 through V9 streams). Requirements for MPEG Streams in Multi- and Mixed-Angle Video The integrated MPEG encoder produces streams that meet the criteria for multi- and mixed-angle use: • With multi-angle tracks, all streams must be the same length. With mixed-angle tracks, all alternate streams in each mixed-angle section must be the same length. • All streams must have the same resolution and frame rate. • The length and pattern of GOPs (Group of Pictures) must be the same for all streams (angles). If you are not using the integrated MPEG encoder, use an encoder that allows you to turn scene detection off. • All GOPs should be closed. You will not be able to cleanly switch between the streams if you use open GOPs. Using Final Cut Pro and Compressor In addition to the chapter and compression markers you can manually add to a video clip in Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express, compression markers are automatically added at each edit point. The manually added chapter and compression markers (also known as named markers) are processed by the integrated MPEG encoder and by Compressor when used directly. Be sure to add identically placed chapter and compression markers to each video clip you intend to use in a mixed- or multi-angle track. The integrated MPEG encoder ignores the automatic compression markers, because they can alter the GOP structure and make the clip unusable for mixed- and multi-angle tracks. You can either set Compressor to process the automatic compression markers or ignore them. The Extras pane of the Compressor MPEG-2 presets includes an “Include chapter markers only” checkbox. Select the checkbox to force Compressor to ignore the automatic compression markers if you are encoding clips for use in a mixed- or multi-angle track. See Using Compression Markers to Improve the MPEG Encode for more information about compression markers. Maximum Bit Rates for Multi- and Mixed-Angle Tracks The maximum bit rate for a multi- or mixed-angle track is different from other tracks. Due to the way the DVD specification requires video streams to be multiplexed together, the number of video streams determines the maximum video bit rate you can use. Following is a list of maximum combined bit rates (highest bit rate video stream + all audio streams + all subtitle streams) you can use for each multi- and mixed-angle track. Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 75 Important: When calculating the combined bit rate for a track, you only need to add in the bit rate of one video stream, but it needs to be the stream with the highest bit rate. SD Projects • 5 angles or fewer: 8 Mbps maximum for the track’s combined bit rate • 6–8 angles: 7.5 Mbps maximum for the track’s combined bit rate • 9 angles: 7 Mbps maximum for the track’s combined bit rate HD Projects • 2 to 9 angles: 24 Mbps maximum for the track’s combined bit rate Note: 1080i HDV video uses a bit rate of 25 Mbps, which is higher than the maximum allowable multi-angle bit rate. 720p HDV video uses a bit rate of 19 Mbps, which, depending on the number and type of audio and subtitle streams, can be used in a multi-angle project. Adding Markers to Your Video You can add markers to your tracks in the DVD Studio Pro Track Editor. You can use these markers in a variety of ways—the most common usage is to provide a place in a track to which a button on a chapter index menu can connect. Apple video editing applications—Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express—let you add markers while you edit the video. You can also add markers with Compressor. There are two types of markers that are important to DVD Studio Pro: • Chapter markers: DVD Studio Pro can import these markers and display them in the Track Editor. • Compression markers: The integrated MPEG encoder uses these markers to place custom I-frames in the MPEG-encoded file. Because DVD Studio Pro can import chapter markers added within Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express, and Compressor, you can choose to create the markers in the editing, compressing, or DVD authoring process. When you import video with chapter markers into DVD Studio Pro, you see the marker position and marker name you set appear in the Track Editor. The markers can then be edited within DVD Studio Pro exactly as if you had manually created them there. Note: The markers embedded in MPEG files encoded with the DVD Studio Pro 4 version of the integrated MPEG encoder are not compatible with 1.X versions of DVD Studio Pro. Placing Chapter Markers Exactly Where You Want Them Adding markers in Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express, or Compressor offers the potentially large advantage of allowing you to position them on the exact frame where you want them to appear. 76 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets When adding markers to a track in DVD Studio Pro, you can only place them at GOP boundaries. This means that you will often not be able to place them exactly where you want them. When you place the markers with a video editor, the integrated MPEG encoder automatically forces an I-frame at that position, placing a GOP boundary exactly at every marker and providing perfect marker placement. Markers placed in Compressor before it is used to encode the video are also perfectly placed. Using Compression Markers to Improve the MPEG Encode MPEG encoding is based on the placement of I-frames, P-frames, and B-frames within a GOP (see Working with GOP Settings). The I-frames encode a complete frame, while the P-frames and B-frames only encode the parts of the video that change between the I-frames. When there is a sudden change in the video content on a P-frame or B-frame, such as a cut to a new scene, the output of the MPEG encoder can have significant artifacts until it reaches the next I-frame. The integrated MPEG encoder uses compression markers to force an I-frame into the encode at a specific frame, modifying the surrounding GOP structure to keep the encode DVD-compliant. Adding compression markers at places in the video where sudden transitions occur can produce better MPEG encodes when you use the integrated MPEG encoder. You can manually place compression markers in Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express. As with chapter markers, an I-frame is forced at their position. The difference is that compression markers do not import into DVD Studio Pro as chapter markers and do not count against the 99 chapter marker limit for a track. Note: Final Cut Pro automatically adds compression markers at each edit point. These are not processed when encoding the video with the integrated MPEG encoder. Only compression markers you manually add in Final Cut Pro are processed. See Using Final Cut Pro and Compressor for information on these markers and Compressor. About the Markers You Add in an External Editor There are several issues to be aware of when adding chapter and compression markers in an external video editor: • DVD tracks can support a maximum of 99 chapter markers. Because compression markers are only used in the MPEG encoding process, they do not count as chapter markers and do not count against the 99-marker limit. Because you can add several video assets to a single track in DVD Studio Pro, you must keep in mind that the 99-marker limit applies to the total markers of all assets on the track. • You cannot place markers closer than one second to each other or within one second of the clip’s start or end in the editor. This gives the encoder the flexibility to modify the GOP structures in that area to accommodate the added I-frame. Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 77 • If you are going to use a video asset to create a mixed-angle or multi-angle track, all video streams must have identical MPEG structures. If you add chapter or compression markers to one stream, you must add them at the exact same place in the other streams. Adding and Configuring Markers in Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express Using Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express, you can add markers to a clip or to a sequence. If you intend to export the markers for use with DVD Studio Pro, it is important that you place the markers correctly. • If you export a clip by selecting it in the Browser: The chapter and compression markers can be exported. • If you export a sequence by selecting it in either the Browser or the Timeline: Only markers in the sequence are exported—markers in any clips in the sequence are ignored. For details on adding markers to clips and sequences, see the Final Cut Pro User Manual. The following instructions assume you are familiar with Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express. Note: The following instructions are for Final Cut Pro 4 through Final Cut Pro 5, and all versions of Final Cut Express. If you are using a different version of Final Cut Pro, you may have different choices. To configure a marker in Final Cut Pro 1 Select the marker and open the Edit Marker dialog. 2 Enter a name for the marker. This is the name that appears in the Track Editor in DVD Studio Pro and can be used as button text. 3 Click either Add Chapter Marker or Add Compression Marker. Text is added to the Comment area. Only chapter markers appear in DVD Studio Pro. Because each chapter marker forces an I-frame at that location, it is unnecessary for you to add both marker types. 78 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets To export a Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express movie with markers 1 Do one of the following: • If exporting a clip with markers: Select the clip in the Browser. • If exporting a sequence with markers: Select the sequence in either the Browser or the Timeline. 2 Choose File > Export > QuickTime Movie. The Save dialog appears. 3 Choose the type of markers to export from the Markers pop-up menu. Choose DVD Studio Pro Markers to export both compression and chapter markers, or choose the type (compression or chapter) you want to export. 4 Ensure all other settings are correct, then click Save. Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 79 About H.264 Video You can use the H.264 video format, also known as MPEG-4 part 10 and the Advanced Video Codec (AVC), in your HD projects. The H.264 encoder is twice as efficient as the standard MPEG-2 encoder. When compared to encoding with MPEG-2, this means that with the H.264 encoder: • You can use a lower bit rate to get the same quality, resulting in smaller files. • You can use the same bit rate and get better quality with the same file size. While DVD Studio Pro does not include an embedded H.264 encoder, Compressor includes presets specifically for use in HD projects. You are able to modify these presets to suit your specific needs. Important: You must use H.264 for HD DVD presets in Compressor to encode H.264 video assets for native use in DVD Studio Pro HD projects. Natively Supported H.264 Formats DVD Studio Pro natively supports the following H.264 formats. Native support means that the files are not reencoded when they are imported into the appropriate NTSC or PAL HD project. In some cases, however, frames may be set to repeat during playback to create the HD DVD specification’s required frame rate. NTSC HD projects natively support the following formats: • 720p24 • 720p30 • 720p60 • 1080p24 • 1080p30 PAL HD projects natively support the following formats: • 720p25 • 720p50 • 1080p25 H.264 Bit Rates The process of choosing a bit rate for H.264 video is similar to choosing a bit rate for MPEG-2 video—the higher the bit rate the better the quality, but the more disc space that is required. In general, you are able to use lower bit rates than you would use with an MPEG-2 encoder. While the maximum bit rates you can use are identical to MPEG-2 video, the minimum bit rates are lower. 80 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets Video format MPEG-2 range H.264 range Standard definition 2.0 Mbps to 15.0 Mbps 0.5 Mbps to 15 Mbps High definition 2.0 Mbps to 29.4 Mbps 1.5 Mbps to 29.4 Mbps Important: It is strongly suggested that you use H.264 bit rates of 18 Mbps or less to ensure DVD compatibility. H.264 Frame Sync Setting The H.264 encoder in Compressor contains a Frame Sync setting. This setting defines how often the encoder places a key frame, similar to an MPEG-2 I-frame, in the stream. The value is in seconds, with one half second increments. The range is from 0.5 seconds to 5.0 seconds. The smaller the Frame Sync value is, the more key frames are placed in the stream, which results in better quality but with a larger file size. Higher values result in a smaller file but with reduced quality. The Frame Sync setting does not affect where you can place markers in the Track Editor. Due to the structure of the H.264 stream, you are able to place a marker about every half second. About HDV Video DVD Studio Pro natively supports many of the HDV video formats currently in use. Native support means that the files are not reencoded when they are imported into the appropriate NTSC or PAL HD project. In some cases, however, frames may be set to repeat during playback to create the HD DVD specification’s required frame rate. You can edit the following HDV video formats directly in Final Cut Pro and use them directly in your HD DVD Studio Pro projects without the need to transcode them. Note: None of these formats are supported in SD DVD projects. For the best results, use Compressor to convert any unsupported HDV formats to supported HDV, MPEG-2, or H.264 formats. You can use Compressor to convert these formats (and any other HD-format video) to an SD format that you can use in your SD projects. NTSC HD projects natively support the following formats: • 720p24 • 720p30 • 720p60 • 1080p24 • 1080p30 • 1080i60 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 81 PAL HD projects natively support the following formats: • 720p25 • 720p50 • 1080p25 • 1080i50 Note: You can import 24 fps and 23.98 fps HDV-format video into PAL projects, but they are not treated natively and are reencoded to a supported MPEG-2 format. Using HDV Video from the Final Cut Pro Capture Scratch Folder The HDV video clips that Final Cut Pro captures from some HDV sources cannot be imported directly into DVD Studio Pro. Only HDV video clips exported from Final Cut Pro are formatted correctly for use in an HD DVD project. When the clips are captured, they may not have legal opening and closing GOP structures. When HDV clips are exported from Final Cut Pro, the opening and closing GOP structures are made legal. DVD Video Source Settings Summary The following sections, DVD Video Settings for SD Projects and DVD Video Settings for HD Projects, summarize the required settings for MPEG and other sources that can be used with DVD Studio Pro. Note: All assets within a project must use the same video standard (all NTSC or all PAL). For the other settings, such as encoding format, resolution, and bit rates, you can mix assets with different settings. DVD Video Settings for SD Projects The following settings work with SD projects. With the exception of MPEG-1 video, these same settings can also be used in HD projects. MPEG Type Both MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 are supported, at the video resolutions listed below. MPEG Structure Only elementary streams are supported. MPEG Bit Rates Multi-angle and mixed-angle tracks have stricter requirements. See Encoding Video for Multi-Angle Tracks for details. • MPEG-1 Video: Up to 1.856 Mbps (1.15 Mbps is typical.) • MPEG-2 Video: Up to 9.8 Mbps (The typical maximum used is 8 Mbps.) 82 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets Video Resolution DVD Studio Pro supports a variety of resolutions. See Choosing a Video Resolution for more information. • MPEG-1: The following resolution is supported: • SIF (Standard Interface Format): 352 x 240 NTSC; 352 x 288 PAL • MPEG-2: The following resolutions are supported: • SIF: 352 x 240 NTSC; 352 x 288 PAL • 1/2 D1: 352 x 480 NTSC; 352 x 576 PAL • Cropped D1: 704 x 480 NTSC; 704 x 576 PAL (matches analog blanking) • Full D1: 720 x 480 NTSC; 720 x 576 PAL Frame Rate There are three supported frame rates: • NTSC with 525 lines (29.97 fps) • PAL with 625 lines (25 fps) • Versions of 23.976 fps video using either the NTSC or PAL video resolutions Aspect Ratio 4:3 and anamorphic 16:9 are supported. (See What Exactly Is a 16:9 Asset?) Chroma Format The DVD specification requires a 4:2:0 chroma format. GOP Size (Maximum) 18 frames NTSC; 15 frames PAL GOP Size (Typical) 15 frames NTSC; 12 frames PAL DVD Video Settings for HD Projects The following settings work with HD projects. MPEG Type MPEG-2, HDV, and H.264 are supported, at the video resolutions listed below. MPEG Structure Only elementary streams are supported. MPEG Bit Rates Multi-angle and mixed-angle tracks have stricter requirements. See Encoding Video for Multi-Angle Tracks for details. • SD MPEG-2 Video: From 2.0 Mbps to 15.00 Mbps Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 83 • HD MPEG-2 Video: From 2.0 Mbps to 29.40 Mbps (The typical maximum used is 27 Mbps.) Note: HD assets include the 480p and 576p resolutions. • HDV Video: HDV video is MPEG-2 encoded. The bit rate depends on the video resolution: • 1280 x 720p: 19 Mbps • 1920 x 1080i: 25 Mbps H.264 Bit Rates Multi-angle and mixed-angle tracks have stricter requirements. See Encoding Video for Multi-Angle Tracks for details. • SD H.264 Video: From 0.5 Mbps to 15.00 Mbps • HD H.264 Video: From 1.5 Mbps to 29.40 Mbps (The typical maximum used is 27 Mbps.) Note: HD assets include the 480p and 576p resolutions. Video Resolution DVD Studio Pro supports a variety of resolutions. See Choosing a Video Resolution for more information. • SIF: 352 x 240 NTSC; 352 x 288 PAL • 1/2 D1: 352 x 480 NTSC; 352 x 576 PAL • Cropped D1: 704 x 480 NTSC; 704 x 576 PAL (matches analog blanking, only the interlaced version is supported) • Full D1: 720 x 480 NTSC; 720 x 576 PAL (both interlaced and progressive versions) • 720p: 1280 x 720 (NTSC and PAL, progressive) • Anamorphic 1080i: 1440 x 1080 (NTSC and PAL, interlaced, anamorphic 16:9) • 1080i: 1920 x 1080 (NTSC and PAL, interlaced) Frame Rate There are three supported frame rates: • NTSC with 525 lines (29.97 fps) • PAL with 625 lines (25 fps) • Versions of 23.976 fps video using either the NTSC or PAL video resolutions Aspect Ratio 4:3, anamorphic 16:9, and true 16:9 are supported. Chroma Format The DVD specification requires a 4:2:0 chroma format. 84 Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets GOP Size (Maximum) 18 interlaced frames or 36 progressive frames NTSC; 15 interlaced frames or 30 progressive frames PAL GOP Size (Typical) 15 frames NTSC; 12 frames PAL Chapter 4 Preparing Video Assets 85 Before you can begin building a DVD project, you must have correctly prepared audio source material. This chapter covers the following: • Introduction to Preparing Audio Sources (p. 87) • Audio Formats Not Supported by the DVD Specification (p. 88) • Audio Formats Supported by the DVD Specification and DVD Studio Pro (p. 88) • Using Multiple Audio Formats in Your Project (p. 91) • Required Audio Formats for SD Projects (p. 91) • DVD Audio Source Settings Summary (p. 92) Introduction to Preparing Audio Sources The DVD specification restricts the types of audio formats that you can include on a DVD. There are also restrictions on mixing audio of different types within a track or set of menus. There are also required audio formats to make a DVD-compliant disc. Three areas in a DVD project can use audio sources: • Tracks: This is the primary area that uses audio sources. • Slideshows: This area can use a single audio source for the entire slideshow or individual audio sources for each slide. See Preparing Slideshow Assets for more information. • Menus: This area uses audio sources when you are creating motion menus. For the most part, audio sources used for motion menus must follow the same rules as audio sources used for tracks. See Preparing Menu Assets for more information. See DVD Audio Source Settings Summary for a complete list of settings required for an audio source to be DVD-compliant. 87 Preparing Audio Assets 5 Audio Formats Not Supported by the DVD Specification If you import an audio format that is not supported by the DVD specification, DVD Studio Pro automatically uses the embedded AIFF encoder to transcode the audio file into an uncompressed AIFF format file. For example, if you import an MP-3 file (a file format that is not supported by the DVD specification), DVD Studio Pro creates an AIFF file from the MP-3 file and that is what is used by your project. Note: Because an AIFF file is not compressed, its file size will be substantially larger than the original MP-3 file. If disc space is an issue, you can use the AC-3 encoder in the Compressor application to transcode the AIFF file to the Dolby Digital AC-3 format. See Dolby Digital AC-3 Audio for more information. Using AAC Audio Files from the iTunes Store DVD Studio Pro is able to import and use AAC format audio files purchased from the iTunes Store as long as the computer you are using them on is authorized to use them. If you import iTunes Store files that the computer is not authorized to use, DVD Studio Pro plays silence when it encounters those files. Additionally, if you select and try to play an iTunes Store file that the computer is not authorized to play in the Audio tab in the Palette, DVD Studio Pro plays silence. As with MP-3 files, AAC files are converted to AIFF files. Audio Formats Supported by the DVD Specification and DVD Studio Pro The following audio formats are supported by the DVD specification and can be imported into DVD Studio Pro without using the embedded AIFF encoder. • MPEG-1 Layer 2 audio • Dolby Digital (AC-3) audio (mono up to six channels) • DTS multichannel audio (preview not supported) • PCM audio (pulse code modulation audio; used by the AIFF and WAVE formats) Note: When importing DVD-compliant audio files, DVD Studio Pro imports only elementary files (not multiplexed). See Elementary and Multiplexed MPEG Files for more information. Uncompressed PCM Audio Uncompressed audio is typically referred to as PCM, although the files usually have a “.wav” or “.aif” extension. The DVD specification supports uncompressed PCM audio at sample sizes of 16 bits and 24 bits and sample rates of 48 kHz or 96 kHz. Audio in this format is completely compatible with DVD players worldwide and is of higher fidelity than data-compressed audio. The disadvantage of PCM audio is the relatively large file sizes, compared to compressed audio formats. 88 Chapter 5 Preparing Audio Assets There are two common PCM audio formats: • AIFF audio (Audio Interchange File Format-uncompressed PCM audio; the most common Macintosh audio format) • WAVE audio (Windows uncompressed PCM audio; the most common Windows audio format, also referred to as WAV) The DVD Studio Pro integrated MPEG encoder creates AIFF format files. In most cases, DVD Studio Pro converts WAVE files into AIFF files. Compressed Audio Formats The DVD medium uses data-compressed (as opposed to sonically compressed) audio for two purposes: • To deliver discrete surround audio (5.1) • To conserve bandwidth and disc space, allowing more room for video. This is especially applicable in long-form material such as feature films, notably when the smaller DVD-5 medium is the target. Data-compressed audio for DVD comes in a few forms, described next. MPEG-1 Layer 2 Audio For DVD products in PAL, MPEG-1 Layer 2 audio is compatible with all players. For NTSC markets (North America, Japan), most (but not all) DVD players support playback of MPEG-1 Layer 2 audio. If you create NTSC titles using MPEG audio, be aware that there may be problems in playback on some players. If you want to ensure that your data-compressed audio is compatible with all players for NTSC, using the AC-3 format is recommended. See the next section for information on encoding and authoring with AC-3 format audio. Dolby Digital AC-3 Audio There are two good reasons to use AC-3 format audio in your DVD production: • To take advantage of 5.1 surround audio (five main speakers and a subwoofer—six channels of audio total), which is supported by AC-3 but not by MPEG-1 Layer 2 • To produce stereo data-compressed audio that is fully compatible with every DVD player in the NTSC markets of North America and Japan. You may run into some compatibility issues with older DVD players in PAL countries. You can use the AC-3 encoder in Compressor to encode everything from stereo to 5.1 surround audio. See Previewing AC-3 and DTS Audio for information on listening to surround audio. Chapter 5 Preparing Audio Assets 89 DTS Audio DTS (Digital Theatre Systems) is an alternative format for surround audio. DVD Studio Pro can import and use DTS audio files. DVD Studio Pro supports DTS ES audio that can have up to 6.1 channels as well as audio that uses either a 48 kHz or a 96 kHz sample rate and a 24-bit sample size. Important: All DTS audio imported into DVD Studio Pro must use the compacted file format, with a “.cpt” file extension. Additionally, DTS audio using a 44.1 kHz sample rate will produce unusable results. See Previewing AC-3 and DTS Audio for information on listening to surround audio. Previewing AC-3 and DTS Audio In most cases, the best way to verify AC-3 and DTS audio is to burn a disc that you can play on a DVD player with suitable audio support. If you play the audio on your computer using its built-in audio support, the following happens: • When you play AC-3 audio from the Assets tab, one of the editors (Track, Story, Slideshow, or Menu Editor), or the Simulator, the audio is automatically converted to two-channel stereo for playback through your computer. • Because there is no DTS decoder on your computer, you cannot hear DTS audio when played from the Assets tab, one of the editors (Track, Story, Slideshow, or Menu Editor), or the Simulator. You are able to add an external AC-3 or DTS decoder to your computer to listen to your surround sound audio from the Assets tab, one of the editors (Track, Story, Slideshow, or Menu Editor), or the Simulator. To configure DVD Studio Pro to use an external audio monitor 1 Choose DVD Studio Pro > Preferences. 2 Click the Simulator icon to show the Simulator preferences. 3 Choose your external audio monitor device from the Playback Output section’s Audio pop-up menu. Common choices include Built-in Audio, for normal system audio, and Built-in Audio (S/PDIF), which uses your system’s optical digital audio output (if available) to output the audio to an external AC-3 or DTS decoder. 4 Click Apply. See External Video and Audio Monitoring for more information. Another option is to build your project and use the Apple DVD Player. Similar to DVD Studio Pro, you can configure DVD Player to use an external audio monitor. 90 Chapter 5 Preparing Audio Assets To configure DVD Player for external audio decoder support 1 Open DVD Player. 2 Choose DVD Player > Preferences. 3 Click the Disc Setup icon to show the Disc Setup pane. 4 Choose the external audio device to use from the Audio Output pop-up menu. 5 Click OK. Using Multiple Audio Formats in Your Project A project can contain audio in a variety of formats; however, there are some restrictions regarding mixing formats within an element or group of elements, such as menus. When you are required to have the same audio format within an element or group of elements, all settings must be the same: • Audio type: AIFF, WAVE, PCM, AC-3, or MPEG-1 Layer 2 • Number of channels: This is especially true with the AC-3 audio format, because it commonly supports a variety of channel configurations. • Sample size: 16 bits or 24 bits • Sample rate: 48 kHz or 96 kHz • Bit rate: 64 kbps to 4608 kbps, depending on the audio type Tracks Each audio stream within a track can be in a different format. Within an audio stream, however, the audio format must be the same for all clips. Menus All menus within a video title set (VTS) must use the same audio format. DVD Studio Pro automatically creates additional VTS blocks as needed to support menus with different audio formats. See VTS Editor for additional information. Slideshows When adding individual audio clips to each slide or when using multiple audio clips for overall audio, all clips must use the same audio format. Required Audio Formats for SD Projects To ensure that a DVD will play on all SD-based DVD players, there is a DVD specification requirement that at least one stream of audio for each element be in a specific format. • For NTSC DVDs: At least one of the audio streams must be either PCM or AC-3. • For PAL DVDs: At least one of the audio streams must be either PCM or MPEG compressed audio. Chapter 5 Preparing Audio Assets 91 Note: HD projects can use any supported audio format and do not require specific ones to be present. DVD Studio Pro verifies your project during the build process to ensure it is DVD-compliant. The build log shows any issues that are found; however, the build will continue and you can write your project to disc. DVD Audio Source Settings Summary Following is a summary of the required settings for MPEG and other audio sources that can be used with DVD Studio Pro. Note: All assets within a project must use the same video standard (all NTSC or all PAL). For the other settings, such as encoding format, resolution, and bit rates, you can mix assets with different settings. DVD Audio Settings for SD Projects The following settings work with SD projects. These same settings can also be used in HD projects. Bit Rates The audio bit rate depends on the format and quality level you need (higher bit rates provide better quality, but reduce the bit rate you can use with the video). • MPEG-1 Layer 2 Audio: 64 to 384 kbps (192 kbps and 224 kbps are typical.) • Dolby Digital AC-3: 64 to 448 kbps (192 kbps, 224 kbps, and 448 kbps [for 5.1] are typical.) • DTS ES: 754.5 kbps or 1509.75 kbps • Stereo PCM @ 16 Bits/48 kHz: 1536 kbps • Stereo PCM @ 24 Bits/96 kHz: 4608 kbps Audio Sample Rate There are two supported audio sample rates: • 16 bits or 24 bits • 48 kHz or 96 kHz DVD Audio Settings for HD Projects The following settings work with HD projects. Bit Rates The audio bit rate depends on the format and quality level you need (higher bit rates provide better quality, but reduce the bit rate you can use with the video). • MPEG-1 Layer 2 Audio: 64 to 384 kbps (192 kbps and 224 kbps are typical.) • Dolby Digital AC-3: 64 to 448 kbps (192 kbps, 224 kbps, and 448 kbps [for 5.1] are typical.) 92 Chapter 5 Preparing Audio Assets • DTS ES: 754.5 kbps or 1509.75 kbps • Stereo PCM @ 16 Bits/48 kHz: 1536 kbps • Stereo PCM @ 24 Bits/96 kHz: 4608 kbps Audio Sample Rate There are two supported audio sample rates: • 16 bits or 24 bits • 48 kHz or 96 kHz Chapter 5 Preparing Audio Assets 93 Before you can begin building a DVD project, you must have correctly prepared menu source material. This chapter covers the following: • Introduction to Preparing Menu Sources (p. 95) • What Is a Menu? (p. 96) • Creating a Menu (p. 96) • Creating Graphics to Use in Menus (p. 97) • Creating Overlays (p. 101) • Creating a Layered Menu (p. 106) • Creating Video for Motion Menus (p. 106) • Defining the Menu Loop Point (p. 107) • Creating Shapes (p. 108) • Creating Graphics for Drop Zones and Buttons (p. 112) Introduction to Preparing Menu Sources This chapter describes the various components, such as backgrounds, overlays, buttons, and drop zones, and strategies you can use to create menus in DVD Studio Pro. The types of menu sources you need for your DVD project depend on the types of menus you want to use: • Will the backgrounds be still images or contain full-motion videos? • Will you use the provided shapes for your buttons or create your own? • Will you use the standard method of creating menus or the layered method? Before you can know how to prepare your menu sources, you need to understand how DVD Studio Pro uses them. Following is an overview of what makes up a menu and how menus are used. 95 Preparing Menu Assets 6 What Is a Menu? Most DVD-Videos have at least one menu. The menu allows the viewer to choose what to see. If no choices need to be made, such as with a looping movie at a sales kiosk, the disc can be configured to immediately begin playing the movie, and no menu is required. For DVDs that have a number of viewing options—such as multiple movies, chapter selections, and bonus items—menus that are clear and logical can greatly enhance the viewing experience. Menus that are cluttered, clumsy, and confusing may cause viewers to become frustrated and give up trying to watch the title. A menu consists of a background and one or more buttons. The background can be a simple still image or a full-motion video (a motion menu). The background may or may not contain content that relates to the buttons; it may be a scenic mountain view or a multilayered graphic including images for each button. Some menus may also have audio. Creating a Menu Creating a menu involves two basic steps: selecting the background graphic or video, and setting up the buttons. Selecting the background graphic or video is fairly simple; the only challenge is when you use multilayer Photoshop files. Setting up the buttons involves identifying where they are located by drawing boxes over them, and then setting up their actions (what happens when they are activated) and the colors to display for their different states. DVD Studio Pro gives you two ways to create menus: the standard method, which uses overlays and allows you to use shapes, templates, and add text; and the layered method. • The standard method: The standard method is usually preferred. It is the most flexible, allowing you to mix overlays with shapes, to use either stills or videos as the menu background, and to include audio. You can also use the templates and styles included with DVD Studio Pro for quick and consistent menu creation. • For more information on overlays, see Creating Overlays. • For a description of shapes, see Creating Shapes. • For information on the templates and styles feature, see Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus. • For information on motion menus and setting the loop point, see Creating Video for Motion Menus. • The layered method: The layered method uses layers in a Photoshop (PSD) file to describe each button’s possible states. Layered menus can also use overlays in addition to the Photoshop layers. This method cannot be used with motion menus and cannot include audio. • For more information on overlays, see Creating Overlays. 96 Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets • For a description of creating layered menus, see Creating a Layered Menu. An easy source for menu backgrounds are frames grabbed from a track’s video. By setting a marker on the frame you want, you can choose to save that frame as a TIFF file that can then be imported and used as a menu background. You can also open the file in a graphics program and add effects and text before using it as your menu’s background. See Grabbing a Still Image from Your Movie for more information. Creating Graphics to Use in Menus When creating graphics for menus, you need to be aware of several considerations. Some of these apply to all menu types, and some are specific to certain menu types, such as layered menus, menus with a still background, or menus using an overlay. Using Your Graphics Program DVD Studio Pro is designed to import a wide variety of graphics formats, allowing you to use almost any graphics program to create the menus and overlays. Supported formats include: • Adobe Photoshop PSD files • PICT format files • BMP format files • JPEG format files • QuickTime image files • Targa (TGA) format files • TIFF (TIF) format files Additional support is also included for files that conform to the Adobe Photoshop (PSD) format. DVD Studio Pro can recognize individual layers and allows you to assign them to separate functions in a menu. You can even use the same file for several menus by selecting the appropriate layers to use for each menu. • Layers for standard overlay menus: When creating graphics for standard overlay menus, you can select the layer (or layers, as is often the case) to use as the background and the overlay. In this way, a single file can be used in several menus, even sharing elements (such as a background image). To avoid confusion, assign clear names to each of the layers. • Layers for layered menus: When creating graphics for use as layered menus, in addition to the layer (or layers) that make up the background, you must create at least two layers for each button, one showing the selected state and the other showing the activated state. To show the normal state of each button, you can either build it into the background layer or create a third layer. Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets 97 Tips for Creating Menu Graphics Most of the following tips apply to all graphics programs. Several apply specifically to Adobe Photoshop, although similar issues may exist in other graphics programs. • Make horizontal lines a minimum of three pixels thick so they won’t flicker on TV screens. For the same reason, avoid using typefaces with narrow lines. Serif fonts tend to be more prone to flicker than sans serif fonts. • Be sure to use a filter that constricts the colors in the graphic to NTSC or PAL color space. To support broadcast bandwidths, NTSC and PAL video must use colors that are substantially limited compared to those your graphics program can create. Highly saturated colors create the biggest problems and produce the biggest disappointments when viewed on a video monitor. • Photoshop’s effects layers, transfer modes, and layer styles do not work with DVD Studio Pro. Be sure to flatten any of these before using them in DVD Studio Pro. Flattening a Photoshop Layer When creating graphics within Adobe Photoshop, you may want to add effects such as bevels, glows, and shadows to a layer, use the transfer modes, or configure layer styles. These Photoshop effects and modes are not supported by DVD Studio Pro. However, you can “flatten” them in Photoshop so that they appear in DVD Studio Pro. Note: Flattening effects is not the same as using the Flatten Image command, which combines all contents of all layers of a Photoshop file (including effects) into a single layer. It’s a good idea to use this procedure on a copy of the original file, just in case something goes wrong. To flatten a layer of a Photoshop file 1 Add a new empty layer immediately below the layer with the effects you want to flatten. 2 Either merge or stamp the layer with the effects into the empty layer. Merging deletes the effects layer, and stamping leaves the effects layer in place (which can be a good idea if you need to make changes to the layer later on). • To merge the layer: Select it and choose Layers > Merge Layers (or press Command-E). • To stamp the layer: Select it and press Command-Option-E. A bitmap image of the effects layer is placed in the new layer. 98 Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets Understanding Pixel Differences in Graphics and Video The term square pixel actually refers to the horizontal and vertical distance from a pixel to its neighbors. With a square pixel, the distance is the same in both directions. This distance is a function of the sampling rates, both horizontal and vertical, and the aspect ratio the graphic will be displayed in. Given the right aspect ratio, virtually any combination of horizontal and vertical sampling rates could produce square pixels. Computer graphics programs are optimized to work with square pixels: When you draw a square, it has the same number of pixels in all four of its sides and looks like a square on the display. Unfortunately, SD video is different. Video Pixels Standard definition video uses a 4:3 aspect ratio. No matter what the size of the display, the height is always 75 percent of the width. This is true for both NTSC, which has 525 lines in each frame (480 of these active with DVDs), and PAL, which has 625 lines per frame (576 active). Both standards also have 720 pixels per line when converted to MPEG. To fit the 4:3 aspect ratio perfectly using square pixels and 720 pixels per line, there would have to be 540 lines in each frame. So for NTSC, which has 480 lines, the lines must be spaced slightly apart to fill the same area, resulting in rectangular pixels. For PAL, with 576 lines, they must be squeezed together slightly to fit. The Settings pop-up menu in the DVD Studio Pro Menu Editor has a square/rectangular pixel selection that allows you to choose whether to view menu graphics as rectangular pixels (forcing a 4:3 aspect ratio) or as square pixels while creating menus. The Viewer tab also has the same settings. The Simulator always shows rectangular pixels, simulating what the viewer will see. The real problem arises when you create your menu graphics. Square Pixels in Graphics Graphics programs use square pixels. If you set the dimensions of a graphic to 720 x 480 pixels (the NTSC frame size), you will notice that the drawing area of the graphic in the graphics program is not a 4:3 aspect ratio (it is a bit short). If you set a graphic to PAL dimensions (720 x 576 pixels), the drawing area you see in your graphics program is taller than 4:3. Anything you put in the graphic will be distorted (either vertically stretched or compressed, depending on your video standard) when viewed on a video monitor. If you draw a square, it will look like a rectangle. In some cases, the distortion is not great enough to worry about, but in most cases you should build your graphics with the distortion in mind. Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets 99 To compensate for pixel differences between graphics and video, you need to build the graphics at one size and then rescale them to the appropriate video dimensions, as shown in the following table. Aspect ratio Starting dimension Rescale dimension NTSC 4:3 720 x 534 pixels 720 x 480 pixels NTSC 16:9 864 x 480 pixels 720 x 480 pixels PAL 4:3 768 x 576 pixels 720 x 576 pixels PAL 16:9 1024 x 576 pixels 720 x 576 pixels Important: While DVD Studio Pro automatically rescales graphics that use the starting dimensions above, it is strongly recommended that you rescale the graphics in your graphics program. (Graphics that already use the rescale dimensions are imported without any rescaling.) If you rescale the graphics in your graphics program, they will appear distorted in the graphics program but will be correct when viewed in DVD Studio Pro as rectangular pixels. Using Later Versions of Adobe Photoshop Later versions of Adobe Photoshop, including the CS versions, have presets that automatically set Photoshop to display the graphic with 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratios using nonsquare pixels. Even better, these presets include title and action safe guides. For SD assets, these presets include: • NTSC DV 720 x 480 (with guides) • NTSC DV Widescreen 720 x 480 (with guides) • PAL D1/DV 720 x 576 (with guides) • PAL D1/DV Widescreen 720 x 576 (with guides) You can turn this feature off by choosing View > Pixel Aspect Ratio Correction (a checkmark next to this indicates when the feature is active). Note: See Shape Aspect Ratios for information on how DVD Studio Pro works with graphics used in shapes, buttons, and drop zones. HD Video Pixels There are a variety of video resolutions supported by HD projects: Resolution Square pixels Starting dimension Rescale dimension 480p (NTSC; 16:9) No (anamorphic) 864 x 480 pixels 720 x 480 pixels 576p (PAL; 16:9) No (anamorphic) 1024 x 576 pixels 720 x 576 pixels 720p (NTSC, PAL; 16:9) Yes 1280 x 720 pixels 1280 x 720 pixels 1080i (NTSC, PAL; 16:9) Yes (anamorphic) 1920 x 1080 pixels 1440 x 1080 pixels 100 Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets Resolution Square pixels Starting dimension Rescale dimension 1080i (NTSC, PAL; 16:9) Yes 1920 x 1080 pixels 1920 x 1080 pixels Note: HD projects can also use SD assets, which should use the same starting and rescale dimensions as in SD projects. For the 480p and 576p resolutions, you use the same process that you would use with NTSC 16:9 and PAL 16:9. The 720p and the non-anamorphic 1080i resolutions both use square pixels. The anamorphic 1080i resolution is based on square pixels that are rescaled to 1920 x 1080. Note: Later versions of Adobe Photoshop include presets with guides for most of these HD resolutions. Important: You should always try to have the menu’s resolution match the resolution of the items it links to. This includes the two versions of 1080i (anamorphic and non-anamorphic). A noticeable hesitation can occur during playback because HD playback equipment needs to change its resolution to match each asset. Creating Overlays As viewers use the arrow buttons on the DVD player’s remote control to cycle through the buttons on a menu, they need some sort of indication as to which button is currently selected. If they activate the button, they need an indication of that, too. An overlay’s primary function is to show the viewer which button is currently selected or activated. Note: If you intend to use shapes for your menu buttons, you do not need to create overlays. Overlays are still images that contain the graphics used to show each button’s three states (normal, selected, and activated). One overlay file contains all of the buttons. Part of the menu creation process in DVD Studio Pro is to identify each button and set its function. The overlay is almost always used in conjunction with the background image. For example, the normal button art may be in the background, while the overlay supplies only the selected and activated highlights, such as a halo or checkmark. About Simple and Advanced Overlays DVD Studio Pro allows you to choose whether to work with simple overlays that use a single overlay color, or advanced overlays that use up to four colors. Simple overlays are easier to create and configure but are not as flexible when creating complex menus. Advanced overlays give you the ability to use multiple colors for a button’s selected and activated states. Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets 101 About the Overlay Colors Overlays can contain up to four colors. A peculiar feature of overlays is that the colors used to create them are not the colors that are displayed when viewers see the menu. The overlay only identifies the areas on the screen where highlights are to be applied—not the color or transparency of the highlights. You define the actual colors viewers see when you create the menu. When you use the simple overlay method, everything in the overlay graphic must be one of two colors: the white background that is set to be transparent and the black highlight graphic to which you assign a color and transparency. If you add an element to the overlay that has a soft glow around it or has been anti-aliased, the areas of the element that are not white or black will appear with additional highlight colors (controlled by the advanced overlay color mapping settings). In this case, you should either correct the graphic or use the advanced overlay method which allows you to control all of the highlight colors. The elements in an advanced overlay use up to four different colors. This gives you the ability to use multiple highlight colors for a button or create pseudo-soft edges and to take advantage of anti-aliased edges. See Creating Advanced Overlays for more information. About Overlay Files Whether you create simple or advanced overlays, the overlay must be a single flattened layer, either as part of a Photoshop (PSD) format file or as a separate file. It is common to have a single PSD file supply both the menu’s background and overlay. The DVD Studio Pro Menu Editor allows you to select as many layers as you want to use as the background, but you can only select a single layer as the overlay. Note: Don’t confuse a PSD file with layers (used to supply the background and overlay) with the type of PSD file used when creating layered menus. Standard menus contain all buttons’ selected and activated states within a single layer of the file; layered menus contain a separate layer in the PSD file for each button’s state (normal, selected, and activated). These layers are not overlays that you assign colors to—they are full-color images of the button in one of the three states. See Creating a Layered Menu for more information. Creating Simple Overlays With simple overlays, you must use only white and black to create the graphics. To create a simple overlay 1 Create a full-screen white background. See Square Pixels in Graphics for information on the frame size to use. 2 Choose black and add the highlight elements to the background. 102 Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets Be sure to disable anti-aliasing and avoid using soft edges. Depending on your graphics application, choose to use a 1-bit or bitmap mode. 3 Depending on the graphics application you use, you may need to flatten the overlay elements into a single layer. Creating Advanced Overlays To create advanced overlays, you first need to understand how they are used and the difference between the chroma and grayscale methods. The Four Colors in an Advanced Overlay When creating an advanced overlay, you create your highlights by using up to four specific colors. You can use a chroma method (using red, blue, black, and white as the four overlay colors) or a grayscale method (using black, dark gray, light gray, and white as the four overlay colors). You don’t have to use all four colors when creating an overlay, but you will most likely use at least two. Is White 0% or 100%? Depending on your graphics background, you may assume white to be either 0% or 100%, with black being the opposite (100% or 0%, respectively). Previous versions of DVD Studio Pro considered white to be 0%, while most video people would consider white to be 100%. For the purposes of creating the light gray and dark gray colors used by the grayscale method, you need to use the following values: • If you consider white to be 0%: Use 33% for light gray and 66% for dark gray. • If you consider white to be 100%: Use 66% for light gray and 33% for dark gray. White is commonly used as the overlay’s background color. When creating the menu, white’s transparency is usually set to 0. Any of the other three overlay colors can be used for any aspect of the overlay. For example, if you had a menu background with a group of buttons that were actually just text, such as “Play Movie” and “Select Chapter,” initially your overlay would start as all white. If you wanted the button text to change to green when each button was selected, you’d need to add the text to the overlay and make it an overlay color such as light gray (or dark gray or black—remember that you will set the green color as the “selected” highlight color when you create the menu in DVD Studio Pro). If you wanted the text to change to orange when each button was activated, you wouldn’t have to do anything more to the overlay—you would just set the “activated” highlight color to orange when you created the menu. Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets 103 If you also wanted a checkmark to appear next to each text button as it was selected, but you wanted the checkmarks to be yellow when they were selected, you’d need to add the checkmarks to the overlay graphic and set them to be a different overlay color than the text (in this case, dark gray) so that you could apply a different highlight color (in this case, yellow). In the same way, you could add the word “OK!” after each text button and show it only when the button was activated. Simply add the text to the overlay and set it to be black; in DVD Studio Pro, you can set black to be transparent for the normal and selected states but visible with a green color in the activated state. Play Movie OK! Light gray checkmark Dark gray name Black “OK!” White background To create an advanced overlay 1 Create a full-screen white background. See Square Pixels in Graphics for information on the frame size to use. Note: You don’t have to use white as the background color, as you do with simple overlays, but it is a good idea to use white, because the default color mapping settings assume it is the background. 2 Depending on whether you intend to use the chroma or grayscale method, add elements using the three leftover overlay colors (white having been used for the background). 3 Depending on the graphics application you use, you may need to flatten the overlay elements into a single layer. If you use colors other than the four that are specified by the method you chose (chroma or grayscale), they are mapped to their closest equivalent when you use the overlay. In many cases, this produces surprising (but not useful) results. Note: Following is the mapping used for each overlay color with the grayscale method: 100% to 80% is white, 79% to 58% is light gray, 57% to 32% is dark gray, and 31% to 0% is black. 104 Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets Pseudo-Soft Overlay Edges Instead of using the advanced overlay’s four colors to create multiple color highlights, you can use them to create pseudo-soft edges and take advantage of anti-aliased graphics. This requires you to use the grayscale method, using either white elements on a black background or black elements on a white background. The soft or anti-aliased edges are mapped to the dark and light gray overlay colors. By mapping the same color to each overlay color, but at reduced opacities on the dark and light gray overlay colors that occur at the edges, you can effectively simulate soft or anti-aliased edges. Keeping Each Button’s Elements Together When creating your menu in DVD Studio Pro, you draw a single box around all of the elements for each button. The box identifies that button’s highlight area. In the above example, you would draw a box around each button that includes its checkmark, the main text, and the word “OK!” When you draw this box, no parts of any of the other buttons should be included, or they will also appear with this button. For example, instead of having an “OK!” after each line, you might want a single large “OK!” on the right side. There’s no way to draw a box that would include both the button name (“Play Movie,” for example) and the large “OK!” without including some of the other button text, making this arrangement unusable. Note: The Menu Editor has three color mapping sets that, in some cases, you can use to work around this problem. See Understanding Color Mapping for more information. You also need to make sure none of the boxes overlap, because this can cause navigation problems, especially when using a pointer to select the buttons while playing the disc on a computer. Active area overlap Play Movie Scene Select Slideshow Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets 105 Creating a Layered Menu Layered menus can provide greater flexibility in showing a button’s selected and activated states, compared to standard overlay menus. In addition to the background image (which may contain the buttons in their normal states), a layered menu has two separate layers for each button (or three, if the button’s normal states are not part of the background). For example, a menu with 12 buttons would need 24 layers just to show the selected and activated states of each button, plus 12 more if their normal state is not part of the background. (A Photoshop file can have up to 99 layers.) There are several issues to be aware of when deciding whether to use layered menus: • You cannot add an audio stream to them. • You cannot include a full-motion video in them. • When viewers make selections, they will notice a slower reaction time to button presses. • Layered menus can also use overlays in the same way that standard menus do. Using the Photoshop Layers When you configure a PSD file for use as a layered menu, you select the layer or layers that provide the menu’s background. The background can include all of the buttons’ normal state, but it doesn’t have to. If the background includes the normal state, the selected and activated states must be configured to take into account that the normal state is always present. If you want the button to change significantly when switching to the selected and activated states, you may need to have the normal state on its own layer so that it can be hidden when the other states appear. Using PSD Files to Create Layered Menus There are some issues to be aware of when using PSD files to create layered menus: • Each button’s active area is created the same way as it is when you work with overlays. This means you need to be able to draw a single box around each button’s elements. See Keeping Each Button’s Elements Together for more information. • In addition to the layered buttons, you can use overlay-based buttons. The overlay can be another layer in the PSD file or a separate file. Creating Video for Motion Menus The video used for motion menus must follow the same DVD-compliance rules as video used in tracks. There are a few additional considerations you should be aware of: • If you add any shapes, text items, or drop zones to a menu, the menu will be rendered when you build the project. See About Menu Rendering for more information. Important: If you know your menus will need to be rendered, you should avoid using highly compressed video (MPEG-2 for example) as the background video because it will get compressed again, potentially with visible artifacts. 106 Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets • If you want to include button art beyond the capabilities of what an overlay can provide, you need to edit these over the video with an application such as Motion or Final Cut Pro. You can create the button art and associated overlay with your graphics program, then superimpose the button art over the video with your video editor, and use the overlay in DVD Studio Pro to set up the buttons. Note: An alternative is to use shapes to provide buttons over motion video. • You can set the video to loop once it reaches its end. There will be a short pause in the playback as the menu moves from the end back to the beginning. This can be minimized or eliminated by carefully selecting the video to use. For example, a car driving by a mostly static background can be looped cleanly. If you are creating an animation for use as the background, be sure to keep looping in mind. • Don’t create excessively long video for motion menus. The videos can take up a lot of disc space, and if you use a lot of them, you can have problems building your title. See Standard SD DVD Video Zone Files for menu size limitations. • Menus in SD projects can only use full-frame MPEG-2 video as a background. If you use an MPEG-1, 1/2 D1 MPEG-2, or a cropped D1 MPEG-2 file as the background, it will be encoded to full D1 MPEG-2 when you build the project. Menus in HD projects can use either full D1 MPEG-2 video or any of the supported HD video resolutions as the background. Defining the Menu Loop Point When you configure a looping menu, you have the option of setting the loop point (the point playback jumps to once the end of the menu’s video is reached) to be different than the menu’s first frame of video. For example, the menu’s video may have an introduction that plays before the buttons become active—you would not want the introduction to play each time the menu loops. In addition to setting the loop point manually in the Menu Inspector, you can add a chapter marker, named “MenuLoopPoint,” to the background video while you are editing it in Motion or Final Cut Pro. DVD Studio Pro automatically sets the menu’s loop point to match this marker when you assign the video to the menu’s background using one of the dragging methods, such as dragging the video to the Menu Editor and choosing Set Background from the Drop Palette. See Configuring Motion Menu Settings for more information. In Final Cut Pro, you add the chapter marker exactly as you would add a chapter marker for use in a track. The only requirement is that it be named “MenuLoopPoint.” See Adding Markers to Your Video for more information. In Motion, you need to select the Menu Loop Point option when you add the marker to the video. See the Motion documentation for more information. Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets 107 Creating Shapes Shapes provide an easy way to create a standard menu using a simple background image (still or moving) without an overlay. These shapes can be either the ones supplied with DVD Studio Pro or shapes that you create. Shapes can be used for buttons and for drop zones. (Drop zones are graphic elements that get added to the menu background and have no effect on the buttons.) You can position the shapes and change their size freely, and even have full-motion video play in them (motion buttons). See Adding Shapes to a Menu for information on using shapes with the Menu Editor. See Importing a Shape for information on importing shapes into the Palette. Creating a Shape A shape is a Photoshop PSD file with up to four layers. DVD Studio Pro uses the layer order to determine which layer serves each function. Layers in a Photoshop PSD file • First (bottom) layer: Contains the mask for the thumbnail image used when you assign an asset to a button or drop zone. This layer should have a grayscale image to control the thumbnail’s appearance. White areas are completely opaque (you see all of the thumbnail image), gray levels are partially transparent, and black levels are completely transparent (you see none of the thumbnail image). The mask can use an irregular shape—the asset is scaled to fill it completely. Any part of the asset that falls outside the mask then gets removed. If you don’t want a thumbnail image, you must still have this layer present, but you can draw a black square or any simple image. When you activate drop shadows on a button or drop zone using a shape, DVD Studio Pro uses this layer, along with the second layer, to define the shape of the drop shadow. 108 Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets Note: If you make the image mask layer (the first layer) of a shape the same size as the shape’s graphics layer (the second layer), you may see some of the mask layer around the edges of the graphics layer. This is because the shape’s graphics layer is processed differently than the mask layer. You can work around this issue by making the mask layer slightly smaller than the graphics layer. • Second layer: Contains the shape’s visible graphic. When used as a button, this is the layer that determines how the button looks in its normal state. DVD Studio Pro uses the RGB values for the shape. See Setting a Shape’s Opacity if you want this layer to be partially transparent. Be sure to flatten any effects you apply to the layer. (See Flattening a Photoshop Layer for details.) Because this layer has a higher priority than the first layer, it must provide a “window” to the thumbnail mask (if used). When you activate drop shadows on a button or drop zone using a shape, DVD Studio Pro uses this layer, along with the first layer, to define the shape of the drop shadow. • Third layer: Contains the highlight mask. This layer defines where the highlight colors appear when you use the shape as a button and the button is selected or activated. The actual image color does not matter, because it is this layer’s opacity that defines the highlight, with 100% opacity selecting the black highlight color and 0% selecting the white highlight color. This layer is ignored if you use the shape in a drop zone. Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets 109 Important: If you use this layer’s opacity to create pseudo-soft or anti-aliased edges or to have multiple highlight colors appear at once, you can only use the shape in menus set to use the advanced grayscale overlay method. In these cases, the opacity values map to the overlay colors as follows: 100% maps to black, 99% to 67% maps to dark gray, 66% to 17% maps to light gray, and 16% to 0% maps to white. • Fourth layer: Contains the shape’s icon, which appears in the Shapes tab in the Palette and shape selector in the Button and Drop Zone Inspectors. This is an optional layer—the second layer provides this function if this layer is not present. The disadvantage of using the second layer is that often the shape alone does not provide a good indication of what the button will look like once you assign an asset to it. DVD Studio Pro uses the RGB values for the icon. Note: Do not include the fourth layer in the file unless you are adding a graphic to be used as the thumbnail. Adding an empty fourth layer results in a shape that you cannot use in DVD Studio Pro. Setting a Shape’s Opacity DVD Studio Pro does not use the opacity settings you can apply to the layers within Photoshop. As a result, you cannot use the second layer’s opacity setting to control the transparency of the shape’s visible graphic. As an alternative, you can use Photoshop’s merge capability to get the desired effect. To set a shape’s opacity 1 Create the shape in Photoshop as usual. It’s a good idea to save the shape at this point so that you can go back to it if you later need to adjust the opacity or content. 2 Set the opacity for the second layer (the shape’s visible graphic). 3 Add a new layer to the graphic, and place it below the second layer. (It becomes the second layer, and the second layer becomes the third layer.) 110 Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets 4 Select the original second layer (which is now the third layer). 5 Press Command-E to merge the selected layer with the new empty layer. The two layers merge into a new second layer, and the original second layer is deleted. When this shape is imported into DVD Studio Pro, this new second layer will use the opacity you set before the merge. General Shape Information When creating a shape in Photoshop, set the new image settings to the following: • Width and Height: Set to values that will hold the shape at the largest size it will ever be used at in DVD Studio Pro (quality tends to suffer much more when you make a shape larger than the original than it does when making the shape smaller). Be sure the shape’s graphics come as close to the edges of the canvas as possible—the canvas defines the button’s active area. A typical button size is 200 pixels wide by 150 pixels high. • Resolution: Set to 72 pixels per inch. DVD Studio Pro bases the image size on the number of pixels there are—the resolution does not affect its size when used on a menu. • Mode: Set to RGB Color. • Contents: Set to Transparent. Keep these additional points in mind when creating your shapes: • It does not matter which layers are visible when you save the shape’s file. • You do not have to rasterize layers with text. You do have to flatten them if you apply an effect to them. • Be sure that the colors you use are within broadcast limits. You can create shapes that look great in the graphics program but look a lot different once you use them in a DVD project. • You may want to design shapes with the specific intention of using them for drop zones. This allows you to have drop zones with irregular edges. You need to use the layers exactly as you do when creating a button’s shape, except that the highlight layer is not used with drop zones. Shapes created for buttons can also be used for drop zones. See Adding Drop Zones to Your Menu for more information. Shape Aspect Ratios Shape graphics are automatically scaled to maintain their aspect ratio. If you create a square graphic and import it as a shape, it will be scaled so that it remains a square graphic in DVD Studio Pro (as long as you add it to a menu by dragging it to an empty area). Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets 111 While the rescaling makes the graphic look correct in the Menu Editor, the shape’s dimensions look incorrect as shown in the Button Inspector or Drop Zone Inspector. For example, if you create a square shape that is 200 pixels wide by 200 pixels high, its size will appear as either 200 pixels wide by 180 high (if applied to an NTSC menu) or 187 pixels wide by 200 pixels high (if applied to a PAL menu), when added to a menu as a button or drop zone. Creating Graphics for Drop Zones and Buttons Assets used in drop zones and buttons do not need to conform to video aspect ratios because drop zones and buttons can be resized independently in the horizontal and vertical directions. Additionally, drop zones and buttons support a graphic’s transparency. This means you can create a graphic with irregular edges, such as a logo, and when it is assigned as the asset for a drop zone or button, the transparency will control how the graphic appears. Similar to graphics used for shapes, drop zone and button graphics are automatically scaled to maintain their aspect ratio. If you create a square graphic and import it as an asset for a drop zone or button, it is scaled so that it remains a square graphic in DVD Studio Pro. See Shape Aspect Ratios for more information. Note: To force the drop zone or button active area to match the graphic’s aspect ratio, press Shift while dragging one of its corners. Getting Good Results Using Assets That Include an Alpha Channel A video asset, either still or with motion, that includes an alpha channel can be very effective when assigned as a drop zone’s asset. DVD Studio Pro composites the asset over the menu background using the alpha channel to control the compositing. For best results, be sure the video is premultiplied (also known as shaped). Premultiplied video will have correct soft and anti-aliased edges when used in the Menu Editor. A video channel that is straight (also known as unshaped) will have incorrect edges when composited in the Menu Editor. If the application you are using to create your assets provides a choice, it is best to choose premultiplied video. 112 Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets Before you can add a slideshow to a DVD project, you must have correctly prepared slideshow source material. This chapter covers the following: • Slideshow File Formats (p. 113) • Aspect Ratio and Resolution (p. 114) • Colors (p. 114) • Audio (p. 114) Slideshow File Formats When preparing still images for use in DVD Studio Pro slideshows, most of the same rules for preparing menu backgrounds apply. These same considerations apply if you intend to add slides to a track. DVD Studio Pro lets you use most common image formats in slideshows: • Photoshop PSD files using the 8-bit RGB mode Slideshows do not support layer selection, as menus do. The layers visible when the file was last saved become the visible image of the graphic. • PICT files • BMP files • JPEG files • QuickTime image files • Targa (TGA) format files • TIFF (TIF) format files Once a still is imported into DVD Studio Pro and you build the project it is assigned to, it is converted into an MPEG image and, if necessary, automatically scaled to fit the frame size defined by the slideshow’s resolution and display mode settings. 113 Preparing Slideshow Assets 7 Aspect Ratio and Resolution You can create 4:3 and 16:9 slideshows. In HD projects, you can also choose a resolution for the slideshow. Note: In HD projects, the 720 x 480p, 720 x 576p, 1280 x 720p, and 1920 x 1080i resolutions do not support the 4:3 aspect ratio. When creating 16:9 slideshows, you are able to choose the display mode (pan and scan, letterbox, or pan and scan and letterbox) used when viewed on a 4:3 monitor. For the best results, you should make sure your slides match the resolution of your slideshow. Slides that are smaller or larger than the slideshow’s resolution are automatically scaled to fit it. Slides whose aspect ratio does not match the slideshow’s aspect ratio have a background color added to fill in the gaps. The background color is part of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. See Setting DVD Studio Pro Preferences for more information. Colors The DVD specification requires all video, including stills and menu graphics, to conform to the NTSC or PAL video broadcast standard for allowable colors. In order to support broadcast bandwidths, NTSC and PAL video must use colors that are substantially restricted compared to those your graphics program can create. It’s important to work within the broadcast standard, because pictures and graphics that look fantastic when viewed in a graphics application can look very different when viewed on a DVD. Highly saturated colors create the biggest problems and produce the biggest disappointments when viewed on a video monitor. Before importing your pictures and graphics, be sure to open them in a graphics application and use a filter to constrict the colors to NTSC or PAL color space. Audio Slideshows can have either an individual audio clip assigned to one or more of the stills or one or more audio clips for the overall slideshow. Important: If you assign an audio clip to the individual stills or use multiple audio clips as the overall slideshow audio, all audio clips in the slideshow must be in the same format (AC-3, AIFF, and so on), have the same bit rate, and have identical resolution. 114 Chapter 7 Preparing Slideshow Assets Alpha Transitions make it possible for you to create customized transitions for use in your DVD Studio Pro menus, tracks, and slideshows. This chapter covers the following: • Introduction to Preparing Alpha Transitions (p. 115) • Transition Asset Folder (p. 116) • Asset Movie (p. 117) • Asset Matte Movie (p. 118) • Background Matte Movie (p. 119) • About Alpha Transition Durations (p. 119) • About NTSC and PAL Alpha Transitions (p. 120) Introduction to Preparing Alpha Transitions All DVD Studio Pro transitions have a start and end frame, based on where the transition is being used. The standard transitions are able to transform the start and end frame video, providing the ability to have a variety of effects, such as rotating or blurring, directly applied to the video. An Alpha Transition does not directly transform the start and end frame video—it simply transitions from the start to the end based on QuickTime movies you create. Creating an Alpha Transition requires from one to three QuickTime movies, depending on the type of transition you want to create. Some features to consider include: • Do you want any kind of video other than the start and end frames to appear during the transition? For example, if you want a spinning DVD to fly across the screen during the transition, you must have an asset movie that provides the flying DVD image. • Do you want to see the start and end frames on the screen at the same time during the transition? In the example with the spinning DVD, maybe you want to see the start frame around the outside edge of the DVD and the end frame in the DVD’s center. To see the start and end frames at the same time, you must have a background matte movie. 115 Preparing Alpha Transitions 8 • Do you want a simple wipe transition that uses a custom shape? You can use a background matte movie to create a wipe transition with hard or soft edges in any shape you like. An Alpha Transition has several components: • The transition asset folder: Contains the transition’s assets. Additionally, the name of this folder is the name of the transition. Each Alpha Transition requires a separate transition asset folder. • The asset movie: Required if you want any kind of video other than the start and end frames to appear during the transition. • The asset matte movie: Required if your asset movie does not include an alpha channel. • The background matte movie: Required if you want to see the start and end frame video at the same time or if you want to create a wipe transition. The DVD image is from the asset movie, with an asset matte movie controlling where the background video appears. Start frame (red in this example) End frame (blue in this example) The background matte movie (not visible) controls whether the background shows the start or end video. Important: For best results, be sure to use progressive (non-interlaced) video in your movies at either 60 fps for NTSC or 50 fps for PAL. Also, make sure to create movies that match the aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9) and, in the case of HD projects, the resolution of the elements you will use the transitions with. DVD Studio Pro will scale the movies to match the element if necessary; however, there will be a loss in quality. Transition Asset Folder The transition asset folder contains the movies that make up the Alpha Transition. The name of this folder becomes the name of the transition. The names of the files within the folder must include the folder name, with additional text to distinguish the file’s purpose. 116 Chapter 8 Preparing Alpha Transitions When you open DVD Studio Pro, it looks in two locations for transition asset folders: • At the root of your disk, in this location: [root]/Library/Application Support/Final Cut Studio/DVD Studio Pro/Transitions/ • In your home folder, in this location: [user]/Library/Application Support/Final Cut Studio/DVD Studio Pro/Transitions/ Note: If you add a transition folder while DVD Studio Pro is open, it is ignored until the next time you open DVD Studio Pro. Asset Movie The asset movie is required if you want any kind of video other than the start and end frames to appear during the transition. For example, if you want a spinning DVD to fly across the screen during the transition, it is the asset movie that provides the flying DVD image. The asset movie must have the same name as the transition asset folder and can have an extension. For example, if the transition asset folder’s name is Spinning DVD, the asset movie could be named Spinning DVD.mov. The asset movie provides transition video in addition to the start and end frames. The asset movie can contain an alpha channel to control where the background appears. There are two optional aspects to the asset movie: an alpha channel and a switch point. Alpha Channels In the example with the spinning DVD flying by discussed in the previous section, Asset Movie, you would most likely want to be able to see the start or end frame video through the DVD’s hole and around its edges. For this to happen, there must be an alpha channel for DVD Studio Pro to know which parts of the asset movie video should appear and which should be ignored. There are two ways to provide this alpha channel: embedded with the asset movie or as a separate asset matte movie (described in Asset Matte Movie). Chapter 8 Preparing Alpha Transitions 117 Important: When the alpha channel is embedded with the asset movie, be sure the video output is premultiplied. Switch Points If your transition does not require the start and end frame video to be on the screen at the same time, you can add a switch point marker to the asset movie to control when the transition switches from showing the start frame to showing the end frame. If you do want to have both the start and end frame video on the screen at the same time, you must use a background matte movie (described in Background Matte Movie). If the transition asset folder does not contain a background matte movie, DVD Studio Pro does the following to set the switch point: • DVD Studio Pro first looks in the asset movie to see if it includes a marker named TransitionSwitchPoint. If present, this marker is used as the switch point. • If not present, DVD Studio Pro looks to see if there are any markers in the asset movie. If present, the first marker is used as the switch point. • If no markers are present in the asset movie, the switch point is set to the asset movie’s halfway point. Asset Matte Movie The asset matte movie is required only when an asset movie that does not include an alpha channel is used by the transition. Having a separate asset matte movie is particularly useful when the asset movie is normal video (as opposed to an animation). The asset matte movie must have the same name as the transition asset folder, followed by “-matte” and can have an extension. For example, if the transition asset folder’s name is Spinning DVD, the asset matte movie could be named Spinning DVD-matte.mov. The white areas define where the asset movie video appears. The black areas define where the background video (start or end frame, depending on the switch point or background matte movie) appears. The gray areas define where the asset movie video appears, but is transparent. 118 Chapter 8 Preparing Alpha Transitions The asset matte movie needs to be monochrome, with white identifying the asset movie video to use, and black identifying the places where the start or end frame video appears. You can also use levels in between white and black to set a transparency and add soft edges. Background Matte Movie The background matte movie can be used in one of two different ways: • It can be used in conjunction with the asset movie to control which areas of the screen should show the start frame video and which should show the end frame video. • It can be used as the only movie in the transition assets folder to provide a wipe transition. As when used with the asset movie, the background matte movie controls which areas of the screen should show the start frame video and which should show the end frame video. The background matte movie must have the same name as the transition asset folder, followed by “-backgroundMatte” and can have an extension. For example, if the transition asset folder’s name is Spinning DVD, the background matte movie could be named Spinning DVD-backgroundMatte.mov. The white areas define where the start frame background video appears. The black areas define where the end frame background video appears. The background matte movie needs to be monochrome, with white identifying where the start frame video appears, and black identifying where the end frame video appears. As a general rule, the background matte movie should start with a full white screen and end with a full black screen. You can also use levels in between white and black to set a transparency and add soft edges. About Alpha Transition Durations The asset movie (if present) or the background matte movie (if the asset movie is not present) determine the default duration of the Alpha Transition. When configuring the transition in DVD Studio Pro, you are able to set the duration from one half the default (but not less than one second) to twice the default duration. Chapter 8 Preparing Alpha Transitions 119 About NTSC and PAL Alpha Transitions Each Alpha Transition is either NTSC or PAL. DVD Studio Pro uses the frame rate of the transition assets to determine whether they are NTSC or PAL. Only those appropriate to the current project’s video standard are available in DVD Studio Pro. Note: Alpha Transitions using a frame rate of 24 fps can be used only in NTSC projects, though they may show undesirable artifacts when the frame rate is scaled to match the project. 120 Chapter 8 Preparing Alpha Transitions When you start a new DVD project, especially if it’s the first project you’ve created on a particular system, you need to set certain preferences and disc properties before you begin working with your assets. DVD Studio Pro includes a number of views and windows that you use while building your DVD. See The DVD Studio Pro Interface for a complete description. This chapter covers the following: • Opening DVD Studio Pro (p. 121) • Setting DVD Studio Pro Preferences (p. 124) • Creating a New Project (p. 138) • Opening an Existing Project (p. 143) • Video Standards of the World (p. 145) • Changing a Project’s Video Standard (p. 145) • Changing a Project’s DVD Standard (p. 146) Opening DVD Studio Pro The first time you open DVD Studio Pro, a dialog appears where you choose the user interface configuration, the video standard, the DVD standard, and the default language to use. When opened after this, DVD Studio Pro uses the configuration, video standard, and DVD standard in use when it was last closed. Note: The choices you make in this dialog are not permanent; all of these can be changed in either DVD Studio Pro Preferences or, in the case of the configurations, in the Window menu. To open DVD Studio Pro the first time 1 Start up your computer. 2 Double-click the DVD Studio Pro icon (in the Applications folder) to open the application. 121 Starting a Project 9 The Choose Application Defaults dialog appears. 3 Select the configuration that best fits your needs. • Basic: Use this configuration if you intend to use the templates and styles provided by DVD Studio Pro, and intend to rely on dragging and dropping assets to create your projects. This configuration is intended for users familiar with iDVD and users new to creating DVDs. 122 Chapter 9 Starting a Project • Extended: Use this configuration if you are familiar with the DVD creation process and require easy access to more of the features of DVD Studio Pro. The extended configuration displays three quadrants to provide access to additional tabs, and the Inspector. • Advanced: Use this configuration to gain access to all of the capabilities of DVD Studio Pro. Use this configuration if you are authoring complex titles. Chapter 9 Starting a Project 123 Note: Once DVD Studio Pro opens, you can choose from these three configurations and others suitable for specific monitors. In addition, you can create and save your own configurations. See Configuring the Interface for more information on selecting, creating, and saving configurations. 4 Select the video standard, NTSC or PAL, that you will use for your projects. If you are unsure of which standard to use, see Video Standards of the World. 5 Select the default project resolution, SD DVD (Standard Definition DVD) or HD DVD (High Definition DVD), that you will use for your projects. 6 Select the default language for your projects. 7 Select the “Show at startup” checkbox to have this dialog appear each time you open DVD Studio Pro. 8 Click OK to confirm your choices and continue opening DVD Studio Pro. An untitled project opens, using the selected configuration and defaults. See The DVD Studio Pro Interface for information on working with the quadrants, tearing off tabs into their own windows, and configuring the toolbar. Setting DVD Studio Pro Preferences The DVD Studio Pro Preferences window contains settings that you can use to configure its default operations. These settings affect all projects you create, although most of them can be overridden for individual projects within the DVD Studio Pro editors and Inspectors. Taking some time now to select these settings can make creating your projects faster and easier. To open DVD Studio Pro Preferences μ Choose DVD Studio Pro > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,). 124 Chapter 9 Starting a Project The Preferences window opens, displaying the last selected pane. The Preferences window includes ten panes, each containing settings related to specific areas of DVD Studio Pro. To use the Preferences window Do one of the following: μ Click an icon along the top to open its pane. μ Click Apply to apply the current settings and leave the Preferences window open. μ Click OK to apply the current settings and close the Preferences window. μ Click Cancel to close the Preferences window without applying the current settings. Project Preferences The Project pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains settings used to define basic aspects of new projects. Note: These settings do not affect the currently open project. • DVD Standard: Choose to define whether new projects are SD DVD (Standard Definition DVD) or HD DVD (High Definition DVD). • Video Standard: Select the video standard to use. • NTSC: Select this to set new projects to use the NTSC video standard. Chapter 9 Starting a Project 125 • PAL: Select this to set new projects to use the PAL video standard. • Default Language: Choose to set the default menu language for new projects. General Preferences The General pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains settings used in a variety of areas in DVD Studio Pro. Slideshows and Tracks • Default Slide Length: Enter a value, in seconds, that is used as the duration of still images added to slideshows and to a track’s video stream. • Background Color: You can set the color used as a background by the Slideshow Editor. Normally, this color is not seen because it is covered by the slide. It is seen if the still image is not the correct size to fit in the video frame. In that case, this background color fills the gaps that exist. This color is also used by the Track Editor if you add still images that are not the correct size to fit in the video frame. Important: This setting is not saved as part of the project. If you change this setting, it will affect all projects, including previously saved ones, that have this color visible. SD DVD Menus, Tracks, and Slideshows • Display Mode: Choose the default aspect ratio to use when creating menus, tracks, and slideshows in SD projects. You can choose from 4:3, 16:9 Pan-Scan, 16:9 Letterbox, and 16:9 Pan-Scan & Letterbox. HD DVD Menus, Tracks, and Slideshows • Resolution: Choose the default video resolution to use when creating menus, tracks, and slideshows in HD projects. You can choose from 720 x 480i, 720 x 480p, 1280 x 720p, 1440 x 1080i, and 1920 x 1080i. 126 Chapter 9 Starting a Project • Display Mode: Choose the default aspect ratio to use when creating menus, tracks, and slideshows in HD projects. You can choose from 4:3, 16:9 Pan-Scan, 16:9 Letterbox, and 16:9 Pan-Scan & Letterbox. Note: The 4:3 setting is not available if you choose a Resolution setting that does not support it (720 x 480p, 720 x 576p, 1280 x 720p, and 1920 x 1080i). Thumbnail Size • Palette: Select a thumbnail size. • Small: Select this to use small thumbnails in the Palette. • Large: Select this to use large thumbnails in the Palette. • Slideshow: Select a thumbnail size to use in slideshows. • Small: Select this to use small thumbnails in the Slideshow Editor. • Large: Select this to use large thumbnails in the Slideshow Editor. Subtitle • Fade In: Enter a value, in frames, that controls whether a subtitle, by default, appears instantly (0 frames) or fades on over a number of frames. • Length: Enter a value, in seconds, that controls the default length of new subtitles you create. • Fade Out: Enter a value, in frames, that controls whether a subtitle, by default, disappears instantly (0 frames) or fades off over a number of frames. Menu Preferences The Menu preferences allow you to set a variety of defaults used when creating menus. • Motion Duration: Enter a default duration, in seconds, to use when you create a motion menu. See Configuring Motion Menu Settings for more information. • Auto Assign Button Navigation: See Right-to-Left Reading Mode for more information. • Left to right: Set the Auto Assign feature to wrap button navigation for left-to-right reading. Chapter 9 Starting a Project 127 • Right to left: Set the Auto Assign feature to wrap button navigation for right-to-left reading. • Final Rendering: Because menus can contain a variety of elements layered over the background, such as buttons, drop zones, and text, they must be rendered into a single layer, similar to flattening a multiple layer graphic file. With still menus, this takes little time, but with motion menus, where each frame must be rendered, this can be a time-consuming process. Additionally, all transitions you add to your project must be rendered. See About Menu Rendering for more information. The Final Rendering settings allow you to select how the menus and transitions are rendered: • Hardware based: This setting provides the fastest rendering. However, because the quality is dependent on your system’s video card, the quality might not be as good as when using the “Software based” setting and may not be consistent between different systems. • Software based: This setting provides consistent, good-quality rendering on all systems. However, depending on your system, it may take substantially longer than the “Hardware based” setting. • Drop Palette Delay: Position the slider to control how long of a delay there is before the Drop Palette appears over the Menu Editor when you drag an asset to it. • Video Background Color: You can set the color used as a background by the Menu Editor when no asset has been assigned as the menu’s background. Normally, this color is not seen because it is covered by the menu background. It is seen if the background image is not the correct size to fit in the video frame. In that case, this background color fills the gaps that exist. Important: This setting is not saved as part of the project. If you change this setting, it will affect all projects, including previously saved ones, that have this color visible. 128 Chapter 9 Starting a Project Track Preferences The Track preferences allow you to set a variety of defaults used when creating tracks. • Marker Prefix (Root) Name: Enter the name that all new markers use as their prefix. The Generate Marker Names setting, below, controls whether this root name is followed by a number of timecode value. • Check for unique name: Select this checkbox to ensure you will not have two markers with the same name within a track. • Generate Marker Names: You can select how markers are named when you create them. Note: You can rename the markers in the Marker Inspector. • Automatically: This setting names new markers with the prefix followed by a number that increments each time you add a marker. (You set the prefix below.) An advantage of this option is that you can easily tell how many markers have been added (although the number does not take into account any markers that you may have deleted). A disadvantage is that, because you can add markers between existing ones, the numerical order of the markers is not necessarily the same as their order in the timeline—the numerical order is based on the order the markers are created, not on their position. • Timecode based: This setting names new markers with the prefix followed by the timecode of the video asset. (You set the prefix below.) An advantage of this option is that the marker names are always in the order they appear in the timeline. A disadvantage is that you cannot easily tell how many markers you have in the track. When you select “Timecode based,” the “Auto update” checkbox becomes available. Selecting this checkbox causes the timecode value assigned to a marker’s name to update if you move the marker. Chapter 9 Starting a Project 129 • Snap To: This setting controls what happens when you place a marker in the timeline. In DVD Studio Pro, markers can only be placed on I-frames, which occur once per group of pictures (GOP). A GOP is typically 12 to 15 frames long, which means that when you place a marker, you generally will not be able to place it on the exact frame you would like. This setting allows you to control how DVD Studio Pro chooses the frame to use. See Working with GOP Settings for more information on GOPs. • Previous GOP: This setting places the marker on the GOP occurring before the selected location. • Next GOP: This setting places the marker on the GOP occurring after the selected location. • Nearest GOP: This setting places the marker on the GOP closest to the selected location, either before or after it. • Thumbnail Offset: A thumbnail image of the video asset, representing its first frame, appears in the Video tab in the Palette, in the Video Asset Inspector that appears when you select a video asset in the Assets tab, and at the first frame of the video stream in the Track Editor. This setting allows you to determine whether the thumbnail used in those places is based on the video frame at the start of the video asset or on a frame up to five seconds later in the asset. Because video assets often start at black and fade up, this setting allows you to set the thumbnail to a frame that has video that better represents the asset. • Default Language: You can choose a language that is automatically assigned to all audio and subtitle streams in new tracks. Choose Not Specified to have no language assigned to the streams. • Space bar toggles between play/pause: This setting controls what happens when you press the Space bar while viewing a track. When you play a track, the timeline’s playhead follows along. With the checkbox next to “Space bar toggles between play/pause” selected, the playhead in the track’s timeline remains at its current position when you press the Space bar. When the checkbox is not selected, the playhead jumps back to where you started playing from when you press the Space bar. Note: This setting does not affect the pause and stop controls in the Viewer tab—only what happens when you use the Space bar while playing a track. • Fix invalid markers on build: While creating your tracks, it is possible to end up with markers that either are not positioned on GOP boundaries or fall outside of the V1 stream. When this checkbox is not selected, a build operation stops if any invalid markers are detected. With the checkbox selected, a build operation automatically repositions any markers that are not placed on GOP boundaries and removes any markers that are outside the V1 stream. 130 Chapter 9 Starting a Project • Find matching audio when dragging: Select this checkbox to have DVD Studio Pro automatically try to locate an audio file with the same name as the video file you have dragged to an element, such as a menu or the Assets tab, of your project. DVD Studio Pro only checks the folder the video file was dragged from. DVD Studio Pro does not try to find matching audio if you drag a mixture of video and audio files. You can press the Command key after you start dragging a video asset to temporarily override this setting. Alignment Preferences The Alignment preferences apply to the Menu and Subtitle Editors, allowing you to customize the rulers, guides, and snapping actions. • Rulers: These settings allow you to customize the rulers that appear in the Menu Editor. Note: Alignment guides can only be dragged onto the Menu Editor if the rulers are visible. • Show: Select this to show the rulers in the Menu Editor. • Hide: Select this to hide the rulers in the Menu Editor. • Units: Choose the units for the rulers from the pop-up menu. • Pixels: The rulers show the number of pixels. • Centimeters: The rulers show the number of centimeters, based on 28.35 pixels per centimeter. • Inches: The rulers show the number of inches, based on 72 pixels per inch. • Percentage: The rulers show the percentage of the frame. • Center ruler origin: Select this checkbox to have the rulers start at the center of the frame. This places “0” at the center of the rulers, with the units counting up from there in both directions. When this checkbox is not selected, the ruler’s origin is the frame’s upper-left corner. Chapter 9 Starting a Project 131 • Show ruler guide tooltips measurements: Select this checkbox to have the pointer’s coordinates appear when dragging an alignment guide. The values are in pixels, based on a position of 0, 0 for the upper-left corner. • Guides: These settings apply to the guides that appear in the Menu and Subtitle Editors. Note: You cannot add menu guides in the Subtitle Editor. • Show: Select this to show the guides in the Menu and Subtitle Editors. • Hide: Select this to hide the guides in the Menu and Subtitle Editors. • Guide color: Set the color for the menu guides and the dynamic guides that appear when you move an item in the Menu or Subtitle Editor. Click to open the Colors window. • Show Dynamic Guides at object center: Select this checkbox to have the dynamic guides that appear when you drag an item in the Menu and Subtitle Editors show lines referenced to the item’s center. • Show Dynamic Guides at object edges: Select this checkbox to have the dynamic guides that appear when you drag an item in the Menu and Subtitle Editors show lines referenced to the item’s edges. Text Preferences The Text preferences contain the default settings that apply when adding text to a menu, a menu’s button, and to a subtitle. 132 Chapter 9 Starting a Project All Text Types The following settings apply to all types of text you can configure. • Show: Choose the type of text to configure (subtitle, menu, or menu button). The type you choose determines the other settings available in this pane. • Font: Shows the current settings. • Font Panel: Click to open the Fonts window to configure the font. Subtitle Text Settings The following settings apply to subtitle text. Note: You cannot set the subtitle text color as you can for the menu button and menu text items. • Horizontal: Select the horizontal justification (left, center, or right) to use for your subtitle text. Use this to set the default positioning of text-based subtitles you create in DVD Studio Pro. See Creating Subtitles with DVD Studio Pro for more information. • Horizontal Offset: Enter values to modify the horizontal justification setting. For example, you can enter a horizontal offset value to move the text slightly toward the center when you have selected left justified as the horizontal setting. Negative values move the text to the left and positive values move it to the right. • Vertical: Select the vertical justification (top, center, or bottom) to use for your subtitle text. • Vertical Offset: Enter values to modify the vertical justification setting. For example, you can enter a vertical offset value to move the text slightly toward the center when you have selected bottom justified as the vertical setting. Negative values move the text up and positive values move it down. Menu Button Defaults The following settings apply to menu button text. See Adding Text to a Button for more information. • Color Panel: Click to open the Colors window for configuring the text color. • Position: Select the default position for the button’s text (Bottom, Top, Right, Left, or Center). • Include text in highlight: Select this checkbox to have the text included as part of the button’s highlight area. Menu Text Settings The following setting applies to menu text. See Adding Text Objects to a Menu for more information. • Color Panel: Click to open the Colors window for configuring the text color. Chapter 9 Starting a Project 133 Colors Preferences The Colors pane contains the color mapping settings for the Menu and Subtitle Editors. • Show: Choose whether to show the settings for the Menu Editor or Subtitle Editor. This affects all other settings in this pane. • Mapping Type: Choose the type of overlay mapping, Chroma or Grayscale, you are using. This only applies if you are using advanced overlays. See Using Advanced Overlay Color Mapping for more information. • Selection State: Choose which of the three selection states (Normal, Selected, or Activated) to configure. • Set: Select which of the three color mapping sets to configure. These settings are only active when the Selection State is set to Selected or Activated. See Color Mapping Sets for more information. • Key, Color, and Opacity Settings: Choose the color and opacity setting for each of the overlay’s four colors (shown in the Key column) for each selection state and set. See Colors Tab in the Menu Inspector with Advanced Selected for more information. Note: Shapes and simple overlays use the black key color (the top one) for their highlights. • Palette: This shows the colors in the color mapping palette. You can change a color by clicking it and selecting a new color in the Colors window. See Setting the Colors in the Color Palette for more information. 134 Chapter 9 Starting a Project Simulator Preferences The Simulator preferences apply to the Simulator you can use to test your project. See Simulating Your Project for more information. Default Language Settings • Audio, Subtitle, and DVD Menu Default Language: Choose the languages to use as the Simulator’s default for menus, audio, and subtitles. This simulates the language settings in a DVD player. If you want any of these elements to use the stream settings in the Disc Inspector in place of the language settings, choose Not Specified. Features • Enable DVD@CCESS Web Links: Select so that the Simulator can process any DVD@CCESS links in the project. This is useful to verify that email and web links work correctly. See Testing DVD@CCESS Links for more information. Region Code • Default Region: Choose the region code to simulate. You can choose All or a specific region. Playback Output • Video: Choose the destination for the Simulator video. The two choices are Simulator Window, which is the default setting, and Digital Cinema Desktop Preview, which actually selects your system’s second monitor, whether it is an S-Video monitor, an Apple Cinema Display, or any other appropriate display. See Simulating with an External Video and Audio Monitor for more information. • Audio: Choose the destination for the Simulator, Assets tab, and any of the editors’ (Track, Story, Slideshow, and Menu Editor) audio. Common choices include Built-in Audio, for normal system audio, and Built-in Audio (S/PDIF), which uses your system’s optical digital audio output (if available) to output the audio to an external AC-3 or DTS decoder. Chapter 9 Starting a Project 135 • Resolution: Choose the monitor resolution to simulate. The choices include SD, HD 720, and HD 1080. • Display Mode: Choose the monitoring situation to simulate. • 4:3 Pan-Scan: This setting simulates a 4:3 aspect ratio monitor with a DVD player configured to use the pan-scan method when showing 16:9 content. • 4:3 Letterbox: This setting simulates a 4:3 aspect ratio monitor with a DVD player configured to use the letterbox method when showing 16:9 content. • 16:9: This setting simulates a 16:9 aspect ratio monitor. Destinations Preferences The Destinations preferences control the location of files created during a variety of processes within DVD Studio Pro. • Show: Choose the process whose path you want to configure. • Encoding: This process specifies the location for the video and audio files that are created by the integrated MPEG and AIFF encoders when you import QuickTime files into your project. See Importing Assets That Are Not DVD-Compliant and Using the Integrated MPEG Encoder for more information. • Image Encoding: This process specifies the location for the MPEG files that are created when you use non-MPEG still images in your menus, slideshows, and within a track. See Using Still Assets That Are Not DVD-Compliant for more information. • MPEG Parsing: This process specifies the location for the parse files that are created when you import MPEG files. See About the Parse Files for more information. • Build/Format: This process contains settings that define the default location to which the AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders, created during the build process, are saved. See Building Your Project for more information on building your project. • Palette Elements: This process specifies the location for the stock (Apple supplied) and custom items that appear in the Palette. Each setting has its own Choose and Reset buttons. Click Choose to open a dialog to choose the folder to use. Click Reset to revert to the factory default settings. The default location for the stock items is /Library/Application Support/Final Cut Studio/DVD Studio Pro/. 136 Chapter 9 Starting a Project • Location: Select the location to save files to. • Same Folder as the Asset: This is the default setting. It places the files into an MPEG or PAR subfolder (depending on the type of file being created) in the original file’s folder. For QuickTime assets, an MPEG folder is created, with a PAR subfolder. The encoded file is placed in the MPEG folder and, if necessary, the parse file is placed in the PAR folder. For assets that are already MPEG-encoded, a PAR folder is created and the parse file is placed there. If the original files are on a volume that can’t be written to, such as a CD-ROM disc or a disk you do not have Write privileges for, DVD Studio Pro automatically writes to the Specified Folder/Fallback Folder location. • Project Bundle: This setting saves the files to the project file. To see the contents of the project file (the file created when you saved your project), locate the file in the Finder, Control-click it, then choose Show Package Contents from the shortcut menu. If you have not saved your project yet, the files are saved at your Specified Folder/Fallback Folder location. • Specified Folder/Fallback Folder: This setting saves the files to a disk and folder you choose. You can either enter the path directly or click Choose to open a dialog to choose the folder to use. It is also used when DVD Studio Pro is unable to write to the Same Folder as the Asset or Project Bundle locations. The default path is in your home folder at /Library/Caches/DVD Studio Pro Files. If you specify a location that cannot be written to, this default path is used in its place. Encoding Preferences The Encoding pane contains the settings that control the integrated MPEG encoder, which is used when you import a QuickTime asset. See Using the Integrated MPEG Encoder for more information on the integrated MPEG encoder and details on these settings. Chapter 9 Starting a Project 137 Creating a New Project When you open DVD Studio Pro, a new project file is automatically created. You can also create a new project at any time. To create a new project 1 Choose File > New (or press Command-N). A dialog asks whether you want to save the currently open project. Once you select an answer, a new, empty project opens. 2 Choose File > Save, specify a name and location for your project file, then click Save. Saving your project early ensures that if any files need to be saved to your project during the authoring process, they have a place to be written to. Once you have created and saved your project, there are four areas you might want to configure before you begin. • Setting the video standard: DVD-Video titles are based on one of two video standards: NTSC or PAL. You cannot create a DVD-Video title that supports both video standards. DVD Studio Pro includes a video standard setting that applies to projects created after the standard has been set. It’s a good idea to confirm this setting if this is the first DVD Studio Pro project you are creating or if you author both NTSC and PAL titles on this system. See Setting the Video Standard for more information. • Setting the DVD standard: You can author either SD or HD projects with DVD Studio Pro. If you are authoring an SD project, you can change it to HD. If you are authoring an HD project, you cannot change it to an SD project just by changing the DVD standard. See Changing a Project’s DVD Standard for more information. • Naming the project: Each project is given a name that can be seen by the viewer when the finished DVD is played on a computer or on some set-top DVD players. DVD Studio Pro automatically uses the project’s filename, created when you saved the project, as the project name. See Naming the Project for information on how to change this. • Setting the disc size: By default, DVD Studio Pro is set to use a 4.7 GB disc. This setting affects not only the disc burning process but also the toolbar’s disc meter. See Setting the Disc Size for information on changing this setting if you intend to work with other disc sizes. • Setting the First Play element: Each project must have an element designated as “first play.” This is the element that appears when the viewer first starts playing the DVD. By default, it is Menu 1. You can set this to be any element in your project. See Setting the Project’s First Play for more information. 138 Chapter 9 Starting a Project Setting the Video Standard The DVD-Video specification supports two video standards: NTSC and PAL. This may appear to leave out those countries that use the SECAM or PAL-M video standards. However, because the MPEG video on DVDs is in a component format, your sources, once MPEG-encoded, only need to conform to the line and frame rates of either the NTSC or PAL standard. • Use the NTSC video standard: If you are in a country that supports either the NTSC or PAL-M video standard. Both standards use a 29.97 fps frame rate with 525 lines per frame. As a general rule, if your country uses 60 Hz AC power, you should use the NTSC video standard. • Use the PAL video standard: If you are in a country that supports either the PAL or SECAM video standard. Both standards use a 25 fps frame rate with 625 lines per frame. As a general rule, if your country uses 50 Hz AC power, you should use the PAL video standard. See Video Standards of the World for a list of countries and the video standards they support. You cannot mix NTSC and PAL assets on a DVD. See NTSC or PAL? for more information. Also see Changing a Project’s Video Standard for information on converting a project from one video standard to the other. Important: If you have any doubts about whether your system is set to the correct standard, you should verify its setting (described next) and change it if necessary before you start adding assets to your project. To set the video standard for the current project in the Disc Inspector 1 Choose View > Show Inspector if the Inspector is not visible. 2 Do one of the following: • Select the project’s name (next to the disc icon) in the Outline tab. (Choose Window > Outline if the Outline tab is not visible.) • Click an empty area in the Graphical tab. The Disc Inspector appears. Select the video standard before adding assets. 3 In the General tab, select either NTSC or PAL to set the project’s video standard. Chapter 9 Starting a Project 139 Note: You cannot change a project’s video standard once you have added motion assets to it. See Changing a Project’s Video Standard for more information. The other Disc Inspector settings can be made later. See Finishing a Project for details on these settings. To set the video standard for DVD Studio Pro in the Preferences window 1 Choose DVD Studio Pro > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,) to open the Preferences window. 2 Click the Project icon at the top of the Preferences window to open the Project pane. 3 Choose either the NTSC or PAL video standard. This setting only affects projects created after it is set. Setting the DVD Standard You can choose from two DVD standards when you start your project: the original SD DVD standard based on standard definition video assets and the new HD DVD standard designed to use high definition video assets. Most asset formats supported by SD-based DVDs are also supported by HD-based DVDs. The exception is MPEG-1 video, which is not supported in HD projects. See About Standard and High Definition DVDs for more information. There are two places to set the DVD standard—each is used for different circumstances. Setting the DVD Standard in DVD Studio Pro Preferences You can set the DVD standard for all new projects in the Project pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. This setting does not affect the current project. To set the DVD standard for new projects 1 Choose DVD Studio Pro > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,) to open the Preferences window: 2 Click the Project icon at the top of the Preferences window to open the Project pane. 3 Choose either SD DVD or HD DVD from the DVD Standard pop-up menu. Setting the DVD Standard in the Disc Inspector The General tab in the Disc Inspector contains a setting that shows the DVD standard for the currently open project. • If SD DVD is selected: You can change the project to HD DVD. • If HD DVD is selected: The settings are deactivated and you cannot change the project to SD DVD. 140 Chapter 9 Starting a Project Note: If you create a new project and it has HD DVD selected when you actually intend to create an SD project, you must change the DVD Standard setting in the Project pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. To change the DVD standard for the current project using the Disc Inspector 1 Choose View > Show Inspector if the Inspector is not visible. 2 Do one of the following: • Select the project’s name (next to the disc icon) in the Outline tab. • Click an empty area in the Graphical tab. The Disc Inspector appears. 3 Select the General tab (if it’s not already selected). 4 Note the DVD Standard setting. • If SD DVD is selected: You can change the project to HD DVD. A warning appears saying that you will not be able to change the project back to the SD DVD standard. • If HD DVD is selected: The settings are deactivated and you cannot change the project to SD DVD. See Changing a Project’s DVD Standard for more information. Naming the Project By default, each DVD disc you create is automatically given the same name as the project’s file, entered when you saved it. The disc’s name can be seen by the viewer when the finished DVD is played on a computer or on some set-top DVD players. In most cases, the name of the project’s file is suitable to use as the disc’s name. However, there are some cases in which you might want to set the disc’s name independently of the project’s filename. For example, you may have several versions of a project, such as Bicycles 1, Bicycles 2, and Bicycles 3, that you will choose from for the final project. In this case, if you choose the Bicycles 2 version of the project, you would not want the final disc to appear as Bicycles 2 when the viewer plays the title—you would want it to say simply Bicycles. The name of the disc is restricted to uppercase letters, numbers, and the underscore character. There is a maximum of 32 characters. The project’s filename is automatically converted to work with these restrictions when it is used as the disc’s name. For example, a project filename of Bicycle 2 is converted to a disc name of BICYCLE2. To name the disc in the Disc Inspector 1 Do one of the following: • Select the disc’s name (next to the disc icon) in the Outline tab. • Click an empty area in the Graphical tab. Chapter 9 Starting a Project 141 The Disc Inspector appears. Note: Choose View > Show Inspector if the Inspector is not visible. 2 Enter the new name for the disc in the Name field at the top of the Disc Inspector, then press Return. Setting the Disc Size The DVD Studio Pro default is set to a 4.7 GB DVD-5. This setting affects both the actual disc burning process when you finish your project and the disc meter icon in the toolbar. In addition to showing the estimated project size numerically, the disc meter also shows how full the disc is getting graphically. The disc meter uses the project’s disc size setting to determine the disc’s capacity. As long as you intend to burn DVD-5 discs, the disc meter is accurate. If you intend to burn a blue laser, dual-layer, or 8 cm disc, you need to set the disc size to the proper format so that the disc meter reflects the changed requirements of your project. To set a project’s disc size 1 Do one of the following: • Select the project’s name (next to the disc icon) in the Outline tab. • Click an empty area in the Graphical tab. The Disc Inspector appears. (Choose Window > Outline if the Outline tab is not visible. Choose View > Show Inspector if the Inspector is not visible.) 2 Click the Disc/Volume tab in the Disc Inspector. Select the disc capacity required for this project. Select the disc size required for this project. Select the disc media required for this project (HD projects only). Based on the other settings, shows the disc capacity. 3 Select Red Laser or Blue Laser as the Disc Media (HD projects only). 4 Select Single or Dual as the Layer Options. 5 Select 8 cm or the standard 12 cm as the Disc Size. 142 Chapter 9 Starting a Project The maximum size for the project appears below the Disc Size setting. The other Disc Inspector settings can be made later. See Finishing a Project for details on these settings. See Disc Options for more information on available DVD sizes. See topics relating to finishing a project for more information on these settings. Setting the Project’s First Play An important consideration when starting a project is deciding which of its elements will be the first to appear when a viewer starts playing the DVD. Some examples might be: • Using the default setting and opening Menu 1 when the DVD starts playing • Setting First Play to a motion menu or track that plays before the main menu appears. This motion menu or track could be a short animated company logo or a disclaimer. • Creating a DVD for continuous kiosk playback. You may want to have a disc that plays a track over and over, with no menus or other viewer interaction. In that case, you would set the track to be the First Play element and set the track’s End Jump setting to be that same track. • Running a script to determine if the DVD should be allowed to play on this player. A script could also be used to configure playback to match the DVD player’s languages or its display’s aspect ratio. The script would end by choosing the first element to play for the viewer. (The viewer would not actually know that a script is the First Play element.) To set the project’s First Play to an element other than Menu 1, you must first create that element. For this reason, you do not have to (and often can’t) set the project’s First Play when you start creating your project, but it is a good idea to have a plan in mind. You can set the project’s First Play in the Disc Inspector, the Connections tab, the Outline tab, and the Graphical tab. See Assigning the First Play Element for information on using the Outline and Graphical tabs to set the First Play. See Settings at the Top of the Disc Inspector for information on using the Disc Inspector to set the First Play. See Source Details for information on using the Connections tab to set the First Play. Opening an Existing Project There are several methods you can use to open an existing DVD Studio Pro 4 project. These methods can also be used to open projects created with earlier versions of DVD Studio Pro. See Importing Other Projects for more information on opening earlier DVD Studio Pro projects. To open an existing project Do one of the following: μ Choose File > Open (or press Command-O). Chapter 9 Starting a Project 143 μ Press Command-O. μ Double-click the project file in a Finder window. If a project is already open in DVD Studio Pro, a dialog appears, prompting you to save it if it has not already been saved. Note: DVD Studio Pro only allows you to have one project open at a time. To open a recently opened project μ Choose File > Open Recent > [name of project]. You can choose File > Open Recent > Clear Menu to remove existing projects from the Open Recent submenu. There are several issues to be aware of when opening an existing project: • If you open a DVD Studio Pro project that uses a font that is not on the computer you are opening it on (either because the font was deleted or the project was created on a different computer), any items using the missing font have a different font substituted with no warning. There are three items in a DVD Studio Pro project that utilize fonts: a menu’s text objects, a button’s text, and text-based subtitles. • When you open a project that uses assets requiring parse files, DVD Studio Pro checks to see if the files are available. If not, it creates them as part of the project-opening process; in these cases, the project takes longer to open. It is not uncommon for the parse files to be left behind when moving a project and its assets from one computer to another. Creating the parse files can take from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on the number and length of the assets used in the project. A progress bar indicates the completion status of the parse file. See About the Parse Files for more information about parse files. • When you open a project that DVD Studio Pro is unable to locate assets for, a Missing Files window appears. You can use the window to manually locate the assets. If you choose to open the project with missing assets, those assets are displayed in red in the Assets tab, and any elements that use them are disabled. See Missing or Renamed Assets for more information. • Multiple users can open the same project over a network. This can lead to problems if each user makes changes and resaves the project. When another user opens the same project you are currently working with, an alert appears that names the other user and computer that opened the project. Important: DVD Studio Pro does not prevent multiple users from writing to a project. You must use care to avoid this situation and immediately resolve any alerts that appear. 144 Chapter 9 Starting a Project Video Standards of the World Because you may find yourself needing to know the video standard of a particular country, following is a list of the different continents and regions of the world and the video standards they use. Note: This list is subject to change and should be used as a guideline only. Continents and regions Video standard All countries in the African continent use either the PAL or SECAM video standard. Africa All countries in the Asian continent use either the PAL or SECAM video standard, with the exception of Burma, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam, which use the NTSC video standard. Asia All islands in the Caribbean region use the NTSC video standard, with the exception of Guadeloupe and Martinique, which use the SECAM video standard. Caribbean Central America All countries in Central America use the NTSC video standard. All countries in the European continent use either the PAL or SECAM video standard. Europe All countries in the Middle East use either the PAL or SECAM video standard. Middle East All countries in North America use the NTSC video standard, with the exception of Greenland, which uses the PAL video standard. North America All countries in the Oceania region, including Australia and New Zealand, use either the PAL or SECAM video standard, with the exception of American Samoa, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, the Midway Islands, Palau, and Samoa, which use the NTSC video standard. Oceania All countries in South America use the NTSC video standard, with the exception of Brazil, which uses the PAL-M video standard, and Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and French Guyana, which use either the PAL or SECAM video standard. South America Changing a Project’s Video Standard When you create a project, all assets used in it must be the same video standard (NTSC or PAL). If you want the project to be available in both video standards, you need to create two projects—one for each standard. You can minimize the amount of work involved in re-creating the project in the other video standard by keeping the following rules in mind: • You cannot have any video assets assigned to the project when you try to change the project’s video standard. Before you can remove the assets from the project, they must not be in use by any of the project’s elements. Chapter 9 Starting a Project 145 • Any markers placed in the Track Editor remain behind when you remove the video asset. If you then change the project’s video standard and import a version of the video asset in the new video standard, the markers are applied to the new asset. The timecode values of the markers change to match the new video standard. Depending on the encoding used, the markers may no longer occur at GOP boundaries. Be sure to select the “Fix invalid markers on build” setting in the Track pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences to ensure you will be able to build the project. See Track Preferences for more information. • Still assets do not need to be removed before you change a project’s video standard. DVD Studio Pro automatically rescales still assets (except overlays) to the new video standard; however, for the best quality, it is recommended that you remove the original assets and import versions that match the new video standard. • All menu settings, including button connections, drop zones, and text objects, are retained when you change a project’s video standard. This reduces the amount of reconfiguration you have to go through when changing video standards, even if you have to change the menu’s background. Note: An exception is if any buttons or drop zones use motion assets—the assets must be removed from these elements before you change the video standard. • Audio assets can be used with either video standard. • If you add a QuickTime asset whose video standard is different from the project’s current setting, the integrated MPEG encoder automatically transcodes the asset to the project’s video standard while encoding it. For example, if you are working on a PAL project and accidentally import an NTSC QuickTime file, the NTSC file is encoded as a PAL asset and is imported into the project. • Templates and styles are specific to the video standard. If your project relies on custom templates and styles, you will need to create versions in both NTSC and PAL to be able to use them in both standards. Note: Apple templates and styles are supplied in both the NTSC and PAL standards. Shapes are not specific to the video standard. Changing a Project’s DVD Standard DVD Studio Pro makes it easy to convert an SD project to an HD project. However, there is no comparable method to use to convert an HD project to an SD project. For that reason, if you are intending to build both an SD and HD version of the project, you should start by building the SD version first. Note: If you create a new project and it has HD DVD selected when you actually intend to create an SD project, you must change the DVD Standard setting in the Project pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. 146 Chapter 9 Starting a Project To convert an SD project to an HD project 1 Do one of the following: • Select the project’s name (next to the disc icon) in the Outline tab. • Click an empty area in the Graphical tab. The Disc Inspector appears. (Choose Window > Outline if the Outline tab is not visible. Choose View > Show Inspector if the Inspector is not visible.) 2 Click the General tab in the Disc Inspector. 3 Select the HD DVD setting for DVD Standard. A warning appears stating that you will not be able to convert the project back to the SD DVD standard. 4 Save the project using a new project name. This ensures the original SD project will remain as it is and not be overwritten. There are a few things to keep in mind when converting an SD project to an HD project: • HD projects cannot have MPEG-1 video. • When you import QuickTime HD assets into an SD project, DVD Studio Pro automatically creates an SD MPEG-2 format version of them using its integrated MPEG encoder. If you then convert the project to an HD project, the HD project continues to use these SD MPEG-2 assets. You can have the integrated MPEG encoder create MPEG-2 HD versions of those assets by Control-clicking them, choosing Encoder Settings from the shortcut menu, and then choosing new encoder settings for the asset. Once the assets have been reencoded, you can change the resolution of any elements that use them, such as menus or tracks, to match their new HD format. Note: If you choose a new bit rate when reencoding an asset to an HD format, the original SD-encoded asset remains available for use by the SD project. If you do not choose a new bit rate, the SD-encoded asset may be overwritten by the HD-encoded asset. • If your SD project contains QuickTime video assets that use an HD video resolution, you can have the integrated MPEG encoder create MPEG-2 HD versions of those assets by Control-clicking them, choosing Encoder Settings from the shortcut menu, and then choosing new encoder settings for the asset. Chapter 9 Starting a Project 147 The DVD Studio Pro user interface is designed to provide a flexible environment that can be configured easily to fit the needs and skill levels of all users. This chapter covers the following: • Introduction to the DVD Studio Pro Interface (p. 150) • Configuring the Interface (p. 152) • Working with the Quadrants (p. 154) • Working with the Tabs (p. 157) • Overview of the Quadrant Tabs (p. 161) • Inspector (p. 167) • Palette (p. 168) • Toolbar (p. 174) • Drop Palette (p. 177) • Comparing the Outline and Graphical Project Views (p. 177) • Using the Outline Tab (p. 178) • Using the Graphical Tab (p. 180) • Managing Elements Using the Outline and Graphical Tabs (p. 190) 149 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 10 Introduction to the DVD Studio Pro Interface A wide variety of users use DVD Studio Pro, from those who are familiar with iDVD and want to access a few more DVD authoring features, to those who have extensive experience with professional DVD authoring applications. Tabs in the lower-right quadrant Toolbar You can arrange the DVD Studio Pro interface to display as much information as you need. The main interface can be arranged to display from one to four quadrants. Each quadrant can contain one or more tabs. Each tab provides access to specific functions. For example, the Menu tab contains the Menu Editor which you use to create menus. Some tabs will be used by all users while others are only used for advanced features. See Overview of the Quadrant Tabs for information on the tabs. The interface also includes a customizable toolbar. You can choose which tools appear and which are hidden. See Toolbar for more information. 150 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface A floating Inspector displays properties for each project element, with its contents changing based on the currently selected element. For example, if you are working on a menu’s buttons, the Inspector displays all properties and settings that apply to buttons. When creating basic DVD Studio Pro projects, you might find it easier to keep the Inspector closed, only opening it when necessary. See Inspector for more information. Inspector A floating Palette provides easy access to features that help you create menus and tracks. These features include: • Templates and styles • Shapes • Media tabs Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 151 See Palette for more information. Palette Configuring the Interface To make it easy to change between different configurations of the DVD Studio Pro interface, DVD Studio Pro lets you save each configuration. For example, once you configure the quadrants so they are optimized for creating subtitles, you can save that configuration for easy recall later. Each configuration includes: • The current arrangement of the quadrants, including their sizes, the tabs assigned to them, and the tab that is currently visible • Any tabs that have been torn off into separate windows. See Tearing Off a Tab into Its Own Window for more information. • The tools in the toolbar • The column configuration in the Assets tab • The Inspector and Palette window arrangements, including whether they are visible, their size, and their position DVD Studio Pro includes several standard configurations you can choose from. These configurations provide three levels of access to the features of DVD Studio Pro—basic, extended, and advanced. You can use these configurations as they are, perhaps adding a new tool to the toolbar or another tab to a quadrant, or as a starting point for creating your own configurations. 152 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface To choose a DVD Studio Pro configuration μ Choose Window > Configurations, then choose a configuration from the submenu. Each standard configuration has a keyboard shortcut assigned. The submenu lists the supplied configurations plus any that you have created. Each of the first three supplied configurations are automatically assigned keyboard shortcuts F1 through F3. You can assign keyboard shortcuts for any custom configurations in the Manage Configurations dialog. Once you select a configuration, the DVD Studio Pro interface changes to the new settings. You can make your own changes to the interface and save it as a new, custom configuration. To save a configuration 1 Configure the interface as needed, including the quadrants and their tabs, the toolbar, the Inspector, and the Palette. See the following for more information: • Working with the Quadrants • Inspector • Palette • Toolbar 2 Choose Window > Save Configuration. The following dialog appears. 3 Enter a name for the configuration. 4 Click Save. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 153 The new configuration is added to the list of configurations available to your system. Note: To update a custom configuration, save the updated version using the original version’s name. To manage your configurations 1 Choose Window > Manage Configurations. A list of existing configurations appears. The Key column lists the “F” key assigned as each configuration’s keyboard shortcut. 2 Do any of the following: • Click the Add (+) button to add a new configuration. • Delete a configuration by selecting it and then clicking the Delete (–) button. • Rename a configuration by double-clicking it and entering a new name. • Assign a keyboard shortcut to a configuration by choosing an “F” key from its Key pop-up menu. Important: F9, F10, and F11 are used by default by the Mac OS X Exposé feature. You can reconfigure them in System Preferences. F14 and F15 are used by Mac OS X to control the monitor brightness. • Apply a configuration by selecting it and then clicking the Apply button. 3 Click Done to close the dialog and save the changes. Working with the Quadrants The main DVD Studio Pro interface can contain from one to four quadrants. Each quadrant contains one or more tabs that contain controls for specific functions. You have great flexibility in customizing what is displayed in each quadrant and how it’s displayed. If you choose the basic configuration, one quadrant appears. With the extended configuration, three quadrants appear. See Adding Quadrants to the Basic and Extended Configurations for details on working with the basic and extended configurations. 154 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface You can adjust each quadrant’s size by dragging its borders, or adjust the size of all four quadrants at once by dragging the point where they intersect. You can “close” a quadrant by dragging its inside edge to the DVD Studio Pro interface edge. Resizing the Quadrants You can resize the quadrants in pairs, either horizontally or vertically, or resize them all at once. When all four quadrants are displayed, making individual horizontal or vertical adjustments affects all four quadrants. For example, dragging the horizontal boundary up causes both lower quadrants to get bigger, while both upper quadrants get smaller. The pointer changes its shape when it is at a quadrant boundary, indicating that you can drag it from there. You can also quickly make the current quadrant expand to full window. To make the current quadrant full window Do one of the following: μ Choose Window > Expand [tab name]. The currently active tab’s name is shown, and its quadrant is the one that becomes full window. μ Press Shift-Space bar. μ Press Command-Option-Grave Accent (`, on the same key as the tilde). In all cases, you can use these same methods to restore the quadrant to its normal size. Note: If you perform a function that requires a different tab to appear, the quadrant is automatically restored to its normal size. To resize the quadrants manually Do one of the following: μ To change only the heights of the upper and lower quadrants, drag the boundary between the upper and lower halves up or down. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 155 μ To change only the widths of the left and right quadrants, drag the boundary between the left and right halves left or right. μ To change both the heights and widths of the four quadrants, drag the point where they intersect. μ To split either the vertical or horizontal boundary, so that you can resize two quadrants while leaving the other two as they are, Option-drag the boundary you want to move. This creates two intersection points, each of which can be dragged as needed. To reconnect the split boundaries, drag one of them so that it aligns with the other, then release it. They are now reconnected and will move as a single boundary. When a horizontal or vertical boundary gets close to an edge of the user interface, the boundary snaps to that edge, instantly hiding the smaller quadrant. This makes it easy to quickly display only one or two of the quadrants. You can display the hidden quadrants by dragging the edge back toward the center of the window. 156 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Adding Quadrants to the Basic and Extended Configurations There are two ways to add quadrants to the basic and extended configurations: Choose a different configuration or drag their edges in toward the center. The basic configuration is actually just the upper-right quadrant with its left and bottom boundaries dragged to the edges of the interface. To add a quadrant to the left half of the interface, drag the left edge toward the center. To add a quadrant to the bottom half, drag the bottom edge toward the center. The extended configuration has the lower-left quadrant hidden. To add it, drag the lower-left edge toward the center. Working with the Tabs The quadrants hold the tabs that contain the primary controls of the DVD Studio Pro interface. You can select a tab to make it active, move the tab to a different quadrant, or “tear off” the tab to make it available in its own window. Viewing a Tab’s Contents When you have multiple tabs in a quadrant, only one is active and can be seen. There are several methods you can use to make a tab active so that it appears in front of the others. To view a tab’s contents Do one of the following: μ Click the tab you want to view. μ Choose Window > [name of tab]. μ Use the tab’s keyboard shortcut. For a compete list of keyboard shortcuts, see Keyboard Shortcuts. Note: If a tab is hidden, choosing it from the Window menu or using the keyboard shortcut makes it appear as a separate window. In many cases, selecting an element in the Outline or Graphical tab automatically activates related tabs (if they are assigned to a quadrant). For example, if you double-click a menu in the Outline tab, the Menu tab becomes active. Rearranging Tabs Within a Quadrant You can change the order in which tabs appear within a quadrant. To change the order of tabs μ Drag a tab to a new position. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 157 Moving a Tab to a Different Quadrant You can move a tab from one quadrant to another. This allows you to group tabs that work best for you. For example, you may group the tabs so that you can reduce the number of quadrants that appear and see just the tabs you use most. To move a tab to a different quadrant by dragging μ Drag a tab to the new quadrant’s tab area. Dragging the Graphical tab to the upper-right quadrant As you drag the tab, an outline surrounds the tab area in the quadrant to which you’re moving the tab. You can drag the tab to a specific position among the quadrant’s current tabs. To move a tab to a quadrant using a shortcut menu μ Control-click an empty part of the tab area in the quadrant you want to add a tab to, then choose the tab to add from the shortcut menu. (Tabs with checkmarks are already part of the quadrant.) The tab you choose is removed from its existing location and added to the end of the quadrant’s current tabs. (If the tab was torn off into a separate window, its window is closed as long as there are no other tabs in the window.) 158 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Tearing Off a Tab into Its Own Window You can “tear off” a tab so that it appears in its own window. This is useful if you have a large computer display or use multiple displays and are able to spread out. It is also useful if you have a small display and a limited workspace, because it allows you to have larger windows without resizing the quadrants. To tear off a tab Do one of the following: μ Drag a tab to a position outside of the immediate tab area. μ Control-click the tab, then choose Tear Off Tab from the shortcut menu. μ Control-click in the area next to the tabs in its quadrant, then choose the tab’s name from the shortcut menu. The tab’s window can be sized and positioned as needed. You can also drag additional tabs to the window. Restoring a Torn-Off Tab to a Quadrant You can add a tab back into a quadrant using several methods. To restore a tab to its quadrant Do one of the following: μ Drag the tab’s name to a quadrant. The tab snaps back into place and its window closes (as long as the window has no other tabs). Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 159 Note: This is different from dragging the window’s title bar, which just repositions the window. Dragging the Graphical window’s tab to add it to the upper-left quadrant μ Control-click an empty area of a quadrant’s tab area, then choose the tab from the shortcut menu. You can also do this if the tab’s window has been closed. What Happens If You Close a Torn-Off Tab’s Window? If you close a tab’s window by clicking the close button in the upper-left corner of the window, the tab does not automatically get added back to a quadrant, and it is no longer displayed. You can either reopen the window or add the tab to one of the quadrants (as described in the previous section, Restoring a Torn-Off Tab to a Quadrant). To reopen the tab in its own window Do one of the following: μ Choose Window > [the tab name]. μ Press the tab’s keyboard shortcut. μ Double-click an element that requires the tab in the Outline or Graphical tab. The tab opens in its window at the same position and size as when it was closed. 160 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Overview of the Quadrant Tabs Following is an alphabetical list of the tabs that can be included in the quadrants. Assets Tab The Assets tab is a central location for managing the assets used in your project. It displays extensive information about each asset in columns that you can configure to see just the information you want. Additionally, you can create folders and subfolders to help organize assets when you are working with large projects. See About the Assets Tab for details on working with the Assets tab. Connections Tab The Connections tab provides a comprehensive tool for linking elements—such as a menu button and a track marker—to each other. While there are a number of ways to make most connections, including directly in the Menu Editor, the Connections tab is the only way to access some advanced features. See Establishing Connections for details on working with the Connections tab. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 161 Graphical Tab The Graphical tab provides a tile-based view of all elements in your project. You are able to arrange the tiles and display lines indicating how they connect to each other. This makes it possible to create a flowchart of your project, which can be printed and used for project planning and approvals. See Using the Graphical Tab for more information. Log Tab You can use the Log tab to see status information for a variety of functions: • Build: Displays messages generated while building your project’s files in preparation for writing them to a DVD disc. • Encode: Displays messages generated by the integrated MPEG and AIFF encoders. • Simulate: Displays messages generated while using the Simulator with your project. 162 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Menu Tab The Menu tab contains the Menu Editor. You use the tools in the Menu Editor to build your project’s menus. The editor contains a display to show the menu’s video contents, along with controls to configure the display. See About the Menu Editor for details on using the Menu Editor. Outline Tab The Outline tab provides an organized list of all project elements. Each element is grouped by type, such as Menus or Tracks, in sections that function a bit like file folders. Next to each section name is a disclosure triangle—clicking the triangle allows you to hide or display the elements listed in that section. See Using the Outline Tab for details on using the Outline tab. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 163 The Outline tab also contains the VTS Editor. The VTS Editor (Video Title Set Editor) allows you to manually place project elements into specific VTS blocks. See VTS Editor for more information. Script Tab The Script tab contains the Script Editor. You use the Script Editor to add and manage commands in your scripts. The editor lists each command and its step number. See The Scripting User Interface for details on using the Script Editor. 164 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Slideshow Tab The Slideshow tab contains the Slideshow Editor. You use the tools in the Slideshow Editor to create and edit slideshows. The editor contains thumbnails of each slide in display order, along with the slide’s duration. You can also add audio to your slideshow in the editor. See Slideshow Editor Settings for details on using the Slideshow Editor. Story Tab The Story tab contains the Story Editor, which you use when creating a story for a track. To create a story, you choose which sections of the track to play, as defined by chapter markers. See Using the Story Editor for details on using the Story Editor. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 165 Track Tab The Track tab contains the Track Editor. The Track Editor displays all streams associated with a track (video, audio, and subtitle) in a linear, timecode-based manner. It provides tools for adding and editing markers. It allows you to trim and combine multiple assets on a single stream. See Configuring the Track Editor for details on using the Track Editor. Viewer Tab The Viewer tab lets you view your project’s elements. See Viewing a Track for details on using the Viewer tab. The Viewer tab is also used when editing subtitles. You use the tools along the bottom to build subtitles within DVD Studio Pro or to view subtitles imported from an external source. The display shows both the subtitle and the first frame of video that it appears over. See Creating Subtitles with DVD Studio Pro. 166 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Inspector The Inspector is a floating window that displays the properties of the element you are currently working with. In some cases, it contains multiple tabs, with the properties grouped by type and function. With the exception of the Palette, the Inspector always has the highest viewing priority of the DVD Studio Pro windows—it is never covered by any other DVD Studio Pro window. (If the Inspector and Palette are in the same area of the screen, the one last selected will cover the other.) Because it is always on top of the other interface elements, you may find it useful to keep the window closed until you need it. You can hide and show the Inspector to suit your needs. To hide the Inspector Do one of the following: μ Choose View > Hide Inspector (or press Command-Option-I). μ Click the close button in the upper-left corner of the window. μ Click Inspector in the toolbar. To show the Inspector Do one of the following: μ Choose View > Show Inspector (or press Command-Option-I). μ Click Inspector in the toolbar. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 167 Palette The Palette provides easy access to the templates, styles, and shapes used to create menus. Additionally, the Palette includes three media tabs—Audio, Stills, and Video—that can make it easier to locate the assets you want to import. Hiding and Showing the Palette With the exception of the Inspector, the Palette always has the highest viewing priority of the DVD Studio Pro windows—it is never covered by any other DVD Studio Pro window. (If the Palette and Inspector are in the same area of the screen, the one last selected will cover the other.) Because it is always on top of the other interface elements, you may find it useful to keep the window closed until you need it. To hide the Palette Do one of the following: μ Choose View > Hide Palette (or press Command-Option-P). μ Click the close button in the upper-left corner of the window. μ Click Palette in the toolbar. To show the Palette Do one of the following: μ Choose View > Show Palette (or press Command-Option-P). μ Click Palette in the toolbar. 168 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Templates and Styles Tabs A template comprises up to five styles that define most aspects of a menu. You can create your own templates and styles or use those that DVD Studio Pro provides. You can apply all or just selected parts of a template or style to a menu or a selected part of a menu. This makes it easy to create a series of menus using an identical button layout and background. See Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus for details on using templates and styles to create your menus. Click to select the category of styles you want to view. Shapes Tab Shapes are graphics elements that you can add to your menu as either a button or a drop zone. You can drag them directly from the Shapes tab to your menu background or choose the shape to use in the Button Inspector’s Style tab or in the Drop Zone Inspector. You can use the shapes that DVD Studio Pro provides, or you can create and import your own. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 169 See Creating Shapes for details on creating shapes and Adding Shapes to a Menu for details on using them in your menus. 170 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Media Tabs The Palette includes a set of three media tabs—labeled Audio, Stills, and Video—that display DVD Studio Pro–compatible assets located in folders that you specify. You can add these assets to your project by dragging them from the Palette to the Assets tab, Menu Editor, or anywhere else you can directly add assets. Select a folder from this list to view its contents. Click this button to play the selected audio or video asset. The assets in the selected folder Drag this separator bar to control how many folders appear. Enter text to search for in the selected folder. Use these to add and delete folders. The media tabs, and the folders assigned to them, are available to all DVD Studio Pro projects. They provide an additional method to organize your assets, and are especially useful for accessing assets you use often. Important: Assets that appear in the media tabs are not automatically part of a project in DVD Studio Pro. You must add them to a project by dragging them to it. You should think of the media tabs as being a specialized Finder window. Adding Folders to the Folder List The folder list appears at the top of the three media tabs. Before you can see your assets in any of the media tabs, you must add one or more folders to the folder list. To add a folder to the folder list 1 Click the tab of the asset type to add a folder to (Audio, Stills, or Video). 2 Add a folder by doing one of the following: • Drag a folder from a Finder window to the folder list. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 171 Note: If you click outside of DVD Studio Pro without dragging a folder to a media tab, the Palette disappears and you will need to reselect DVD Studio Pro to see the Palette again. • Click the Add (+) button. A folder selection dialog appears. Select the folder or folders to add and click Add. • Control-click in the list where you want the added folder to go, then choose Add Folder from the shortcut menu. A folder selection dialog appears. Select the folder or folders to add and click Add. The folder appears in the folder list. You can now select the folder to see a list of its assets. Note: Only assets in the selected folder appear. Assets in subfolders (nested folders) are ignored. Managing the Folder List There are different ways to make the folder list easier to use: • You can change the folder list display order to have folders you use frequently appear at the top. • You can remove folders that are no longer needed, such as those specific to a project that is completed. To change the folder list display order 1 Click the tab whose display order you want to change (Audio, Stills, or Video). 2 Drag the folder to be moved slightly to the right or left, then up or down to its new location. A black line appears to show where the folder will be placed when you release it. Note: Dragging straight up or down does not move the folder—it selects the folders the pointer moves over and shows their contents in the assets area. To remove a folder from the folder list 1 Click the tab to remove the folder from (Audio, Stills, or Video). 2 Select the folder or folders to remove in the folder list. 3 Do one of the following to remove the folder: • Click the Delete button. • Control-click the folder, then choose Remove Folder from the shortcut menu. • Press the Delete key. The folder is removed from the folder list. Note: This does not delete the folder or its assets from your hard disk and has no effect on assets that may have been added to your project from this folder. 172 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Viewing and Using Assets Once you have added folders containing compatible assets, you can show the assets and drag them to your project. To show a folder’s assets μ Select the folder that contains the assets you want to see. You can select multiple folders by dragging the pointer over a group of folders, holding down the Shift key and clicking the folders (if they are contiguous), or holding down the Command key and clicking the folders (if they are not together). You can change the Palette’s size to control how many assets you can see. You can also drag its separator bar to control the sizes of the folder list and assets area. There are five columns in the Audio tab (Name, Artist, Length, Sample, and Type) that show additional information about each asset. Similar to the columns in the Assets tab, you can change the column order and size, and sort the list based on the column heading you click. See Managing Columns in the Assets Tab for more information. To play a folder’s video or audio asset μ Click the Play button in the bottom-right corner of the Audio or Video tab. Click it a second time to stop playback. Audio assets play through your system’s audio setup. Video assets play in their thumbnail image. The General pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains a setting that allows you to choose small or large thumbnail images, which may make viewing the video easier. Also, audio will play along with the video if it is a QuickTime file with video and audio together or an MPEG file with an audio file in the same folder with the same root name. To use the assets in your project μ Drag the asset to the Menu Editor, Assets tab, or to any other project element within DVD Studio Pro that allows you to drag assets in. You can select and drag multiple assets. You can also drag a folder from the folder list to the project element to create a slideshow. Depending on the “Find matching audio when dragging” setting in the Track pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences, when you drag an MPEG video asset to an element, DVD Studio Pro can automatically add the companion audio asset to the element as long as it is in the same folder and has the same root name as the video asset. Press the Command key after you start dragging to override the preferences’ setting for dragging a video file. When you drag a QuickTime asset that also has audio from the Video tab, it is treated like a video/audio pair. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 173 Toolbar The DVD Studio Pro interface includes a toolbar that can be customized to display exactly the tools you need. The toolbar provides one-click access to a variety of functions, such as creating menus and slideshows or simulating your title. You can customize the toolbar in a variety of ways, including selecting the tools to include, rearranging them, and choosing whether both the tool’s icon and text appear. Note: Choosing a new user configuration from the Window menu also changes the toolbar contents. Be sure to save a new user configuration once you are finished customizing the toolbar. Hiding and Showing the Toolbar You can choose to hide the toolbar completely. To hide the toolbar μ Choose View > Hide Toolbar. To show a toolbar that has been hidden μ Choose View > Show Toolbar. Managing the Toolbar DVD Studio Pro provides a simple drag-and-drop interface for managing the toolbar. To manage the toolbar 1 To display the toolbar palette, do one of the following: • Choose View > Customize Toolbar. • Control-click the toolbar, then choose Customize Toolbar from the shortcut menu. 2 To add tools to the toolbar, drag their icons from the toolbar palette to their new position in the toolbar. 3 Do one of the following to remove tools from the toolbar: • Drag the tool you want to remove out of the toolbar. 174 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface • Control-click the tool you want to remove and choose Remove Item from the shortcut menu. 4 To change the order of the tools in the toolbar, drag each tool to its new position. 5 To set the toolbar to a default configuration, drag the default set of tools to the toolbar. 6 Do one of the following to control whether each tool’s icon and text appear in the toolbar: • Choose Text Only, Icon Only, or Icon & Text from the Show pop-up menu in the toolbar palette. • Control-click the toolbar and choose Text Only, Icon Only, or Icon & Text from the shortcut menu. 7 Click Done when you are finished configuring the toolbar. Toolbar Items The following items (listed in alphabetical order) can appear in the toolbar. Note: With the exception of Space, Flexible Space, and Separator, you can have only one of each item in the toolbar. • Add Language: Adds a new menu language to the project. • Add Layered Menu: Adds a new layered menu to the project. • Add Menu: Adds a new standard menu to the project. • Add Slideshow: Adds a new slideshow to the project. • Add Story: Adds a story to the currently selected track (or the first one, if none is currently selected). • Add Script: Adds a new script to the project. • Add Track: Adds a new track to the project. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 175 • Build: Compiles your project and creates a video title set (VIDEO_TS folder) of your project. • Build/Format: First builds the video title set, then writes it to a DVD drive, DLT drive, or as a disk image to a hard disk. • Burn: Builds the video title set and writes it to your DVD burner using the current Disc Inspector settings. • Configurations: Opens the Configuration Manager dialog so that you can manage or apply an interface configuration. • Customize Toolbar: Opens the toolbar palette. • Disc Meter: Displays the disc meter. A progress bar shows both the amount of disc space used and what is still available (based on the Disc Media you select in the Disc/Volume tab in the Disc Inspector). The number underneath the progress bar shows the amount of space used. • Flexible Space: Inserts a space into the toolbar that automatically expands to fill any existing empty space. This ensures that there are tools at the left and right edges of the toolbar. • Format: Writes the video title set to a DVD drive, Digital Linear Tape (DLT) drive, or as a disk image to a hard disk. • Import Asset: Opens the Import Asset dialog, allowing you to select assets to import into the project. • Inspector: Displays the Inspector. • Menu Editor: Displays the Menu Editor. • Palette: Displays the Palette in its last configuration. • Read DLT: If a DLT drive is connected and a DLT tape inserted, reads the tape contents and writes them to the designated drive. • Separator: Inserts a vertical bar into the toolbar, allowing you to group tools. • Show Colors: Opens the Colors window. • Show Fonts: Opens the Fonts window. • Simulate: Opens the project Simulator, allowing you to try out your project before actually building it. • Slideshow Editor: Displays the Slideshow Editor. • Space: Inserts a fixed space into the toolbar. This allows you to group tools by adding a fixed space between them. • Story Editor: Displays the Story Editor. • Track Editor: Displays the Track Editor. • Viewer: Displays the Viewer tab. 176 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Drop Palette The Drop Palette appears in the Menu Editor when you drag an asset or project element to it. Once you stop moving the pointer, the Drop Palette appears, allowing you to choose how to use the asset within the menu. The contents of the Drop Palette vary, depending on the asset or element type, how many assets you drag, and whether you have dragged to an existing button. See Options in the Drop Palette for Standard Menus and Options in the Drop Palette for Layered Menus for a complete listing of the options in the Drop Palette. Comparing the Outline and Graphical Project Views DVD Studio Pro includes two tabs you can use to view and work with your project: the Outline tab and the Graphical tab. Each tab has its own advantages, and you will most likely find yourself using both as you create your project. The Outline and Graphical tabs both: • Show all project elements • Allow you to select an element so that you can work on it • Allow you to rename an element • Allow you to add, delete, and duplicate elements • Allow you to show the selected element in the Simulator • Automatically create new elements when assets are dragged to the tabs, or modify existing elements if assets are dragged to an existing element in the tabs • Allow you to drag elements to the Menu Editor to establish connections Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 177 The Outline tab also has these capabilities: • It includes the menu language elements that you use when configuring your menus to support multiple languages. • It includes the VTS Editor that provides extensive control over how your project’s elements are burned to a DVD. The Graphical tab also has these capabilities: • You can choose whether to view all elements or just specific types. • Elements that use the transitions feature are marked. • The element assigned as First Play has a special icon. • You can view connection lines that show which elements have targets set to other elements. • You can arrange the tiles to provide a flowchart view of the project. • You can print the Graphical tab. • You can set a flag on specific elements, making it easy to distinguish them. See Using the Outline Tab and Using the Graphical Tab for detailed information on using each tab. See Managing Elements Using the Outline and Graphical Tabs for information on using the tabs to manage your project’s elements. See Dragging Assets to the Outline and Graphical Tabs for information on what happens when you drag assets directly to the Outline or Graphical tab. Using the Outline Tab The Outline tab provides a simple list view of your project’s elements. It contains two displays: By Type and By VTS. You can click the Alternate View button to switch between the two displays or drag the partition to show both displays at the same time. The elements in the By VTS and By Type displays are very similar and can be used to do many of the same things. For example, double-clicking an element in either display opens it in its editor and inspector. (Selecting an element in one display also selects that same element in the other.) The primary difference is in how they are organized. • By VTS: Lists the elements based on the VTS they belong to. A VTS can have only one track (which can also have stories) or one slideshow, but it can have multiple menus and scripts. The primary use of the By VTS display is to control how your project’s elements are written to a DVD. See VTS Editor for more information. • By Type: Lists the elements based on their type (menus, tracks, slideshows, and scripts). See Using the Outline Tab for more information on using the By Type display. 178 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Note: The Languages section in the By Type display does not represent actual elements—it represents languages that can be used for the menus. It does not appear in the By VTS display because it is not specific to a VTS. Click each section’s disclosure triangle to view its contents. Option-click the Tracks disclosure triangle to also show the stories. Layered menus use a different icon than standard menus. Alternate View button swaps view between By Type and By VTS. Drag this partition to split the tab and show both By Type and By VTS. Adds a new empty VTS (active only in the By VTS view). Selecting Elements The most common way to use the Outline tab is to select a project element so that you can configure it. Selecting an element changes the Inspector and the element’s editor to display settings for that particular element. Double-clicking an element brings the editor to the front of the DVD Studio Pro interface, the same as if you clicked its tab. You can select several elements at once by holding down the Command key while clicking the elements, or select all elements by pressing Command-A. You can delete, duplicate, and save descriptions of a group of elements. If you hold the pointer over an element in the Outline tab, a tooltip appears that shows additional information about the element, such as what type of menu it is or how many streams it has. Moving Elements in the By Type Display You can move an element from one position to another within the same section. Note: The order of the elements in the By Type display does not affect how the elements are written to the DVD. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 179 To change an element’s position in the Outline tab’s By Type display μ Drag the element to its new position. As you drag, a line appears between elements to indicate where the dragged element will be moved when you release it. Using the Graphical Tab The Graphical tab uses a tile-based interface to show a project’s elements. Tile viewing and editing tools Macro view shows entire tile area. Connections, tile size, and snap grid settings Project element tile Connection line Choose tile types to view. 180 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Graphical Tab Introduction The Graphical tab uses tiles to represent each element in your project. Similar to the Outline tab, you can use the Graphical tab to select elements to work with and can rename the elements. Each tile contains a thumbnail image that represents the element. You are able to position the tiles as needed and can choose to view either large or small versions of the tiles. You can also choose to view connection lines between the elements. Graphical Tab Viewing Options Depending on the size of your project, the Graphical tab can have a large number of tiles and not be able to fit in the tab’s window. You can make the tab’s view larger so that more tiles can be seen, zoom out to fit the tiles to the window, or use scrollers to view a portion of the tile area. To make the tab’s view larger Do one of the following: μ With the Graphical tab selected, press Shift–Space bar. The tab’s contents fill the DVD Studio Pro interface. Press Shift–Space bar again to restore the tab to normal size. If you double-click a tile, the tab’s view reverts to normal size so that you can see the editors. Note: If you hold down Shift–Space bar, the large view becomes temporary and will revert back to normal once you release the keys. μ Press Command–Option–Grave Accent (`, on the same key as the tilde). μ Drag an edge of its quadrant. See Resizing the Quadrants for more information. μ Tear the tab off into its own window. See Tearing Off a Tab into Its Own Window for more information. To fit the tiles to the current window size Do one of the following: μ Press Shift-Z. μ Click the Graphical tab’s Zoom to Fit button. Zoom to Fit button Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 181 When there are more tiles than can be displayed in the Graphical tab, scrollers appear that allow you to control which part of the tile area shows. The scrollers also allow you to zoom in or out on the tile area. To use the Graphical tab scrollers Do one of the following: μ Drag them to control which part of the tile area you can see. μ Drag the ends of the horizontal scroller to zoom in or out on the tile area. Drag the scroller ends to zoom in or out on the tile area. There are also several zoom and positioning keyboard shortcuts available. To zoom using keyboard shortcuts Do one of the following: μ Press Z, then click the area of the Graphical tab that you want to zoom in on. Press Option-Z, then click to zoom out. μ Press Z, then drag the pointer across the area that you want to zoom in on. μ Press the Space bar. The pointer changes to a hand that you can use to control which part of the tile area is visible, similar to using the scrollers. μ Press Command–Plus Sign (+) to zoom in and Command–Hyphen (-) to zoom out on the Graphical tab, maintaining its center position. Using the Macro View The Graphical tab includes a macro view capability. The macro view is a small display showing a view of the entire tile area. It includes a visible-view rectangle that indicates the part of the tile area currently showing. You can drag the visible-view rectangle to choose the part of the tile area that shows, and you can change the rectangle’s size to zoom in or out. Displaying the Macro View The macro view floats over the top of the Graphical tab. There are several methods you can use to display or hide the macro view. To display and hide the macro view Do one of the following: μ Press M. 182 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Note: You can temporarily display the macro view by holding down the M key. μ Click the Graphical tab’s macro view button. Shows and hides the macro view. μ Position the pointer over the macro view (which causes the title bar to appear), then click the hide symbol in the macro view’s title bar to hide the macro view. Note: The title bar can appear on the top or bottom of the macro view, depending on where the pointer is. Working with the Macro View You are able to position the macro view anywhere within the tab, but you cannot move it outside the tab’s boundaries. To move the macro view within the Graphical tab μ Position the pointer over the macro view (which causes the title bar to appear), then drag the title bar to the new position. To change the size of the macro view display μ Drag the resize corner of the title bar. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 183 The visible-view rectangle can be moved and resized to control the tile area that shows. To use the visible-view rectangle Do one of the following: μ Click within the rectangle to drag it to a new position. μ Click outside the rectangle to have the rectangle jump to a new position, with the point you clicked being as close as possible to the rectangle’s center. μ Drag a corner of the rectangle to change its size. Making the rectangle bigger zooms out on the tile area, showing more tiles. Making the rectangle smaller zooms in on the tile area, showing fewer tiles. Selecting and Managing Tiles You can use several tools to select and arrange tiles—many are the same as those used with buttons in the Menu Editor. There are also a variety of methods you can use to add, delete, and copy tiles. Selecting Tiles There are several reasons you might want to select one or more tiles: • Selecting a tile makes it the current element, and opens it in its editor. • Selecting one or more tiles allows you to arrange them. • Selecting one or more tiles allows you to delete or copy them. To select one or more tiles Do one of the following: μ Click a tile to select it. Any other selected tiles are deselected. μ Press the Shift or Command key, then click a tile to select it. Any other selected tiles remain selected. μ Drag the pointer over a group of tiles. This creates a selection rectangle that selects all tiles it touches. μ Choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A) to select all tiles. You can also choose Edit > Deselect All (or press Command-Shift-A) or click an empty part of the Graphical tab to deselect all tiles. Moving Tiles by Dragging You can move a tile or group of tiles once they are selected by simply dragging them. If connections are showing, they move with the tiles. You can also use the arrow keys to move selected tiles. If you move a tile to an edge of the Graphical tab, the tile area scrolls to show its new position. If the edge of the tile area is reached, it is automatically expanded to accommodate the tile’s new position. 184 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface To make it easier to see a larger area while dragging a tile, you can press the Z key after you start dragging the tile to temporarily zoom out. You can enable a snap grid to make it easier to organize the tile in straight lines and columns. To enable the snap grid μ Choose Snap to Grid from the Graphical tab’s Settings pop-up menu. You may want to drag a tile to the Menu Editor. This is an easy way to link either a new or an existing button in the current menu to the element being dragged. To drag an element to the Menu Editor 1 Click the element’s tile and hold down the mouse button for a moment without moving the tile. A transparent tile appears. 2 Drag the transparent tile to the Menu Editor. You can also drag multiple tiles to the Menu Editor by selecting them before holding down the mouse button when the pointer is on one of them. Using Distribute Objects The distribute objects feature allows you to select a group of tiles and evenly space them between each other using one of four methods: • Horizontally: Only active when more than one tile is selected. Tiles in between the tile furthermost to the left and furthermost to the right are positioned evenly horizontally. • Vertically: Only active when more than one tile is selected. Tiles in between the tile furthermost to the top and furthermost to the bottom are positioned evenly vertically. • By Type: With no tiles selected, all tiles are affected; with one or more tiles selected, only the selected tiles are affected. Arranges the tiles in evenly spaced rows and columns based on their types. The type order is: • Menus • Layered menus • Tracks • Stories • Slideshows • Scripts • Autolayout: With no tiles selected, all tiles are affected; with one or more tiles selected, only the selected tiles are affected. The tiles are arranged based on connections, types, and quantity. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 185 To use the distribute objects feature 1 Depending on the distribution method you intend to use, select the group of tiles to distribute. See Selecting and Managing Tiles for details on how to do this. 2 Choose Arrange > Distribute Objects, then choose the distribution method to use (Horizontally, Vertically, By Type, or Autolayout). Locking the Tile Positions You can lock the tile positions and prevent accidentally rearranging them. To lock the tile positions Do one of the following: μ Choose Arrange > Lock All Tiles (or press L). μ Click the Graphical tab’s Lock button. Tile position lock button You can use the same button and keyboard shortcut to unlock the tiles. If you need to move any tiles while they are locked, you can press the Option key, then drag the tiles to the new location. While the tile positions are locked, you are still able to change your view of the tiles by zooming or using the scrollers. You can also change the connections view. About the Tiles There are six different tile types that can appear in the Graphical tab. Each type uses a different color to differentiate it: • Menu: Light blue • Layered menu: Dark blue • Track: Green • Story: Teal • Slideshow: Purple • Script: Brown 186 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface Each tile has a thumbnail image of the element. The aspect ratio of the thumbnail changes to indicate whether the element uses 4:3 or 16:9 assets. A tooltip showing information about the element appears when you position your pointer over it. First Play icon Transitions icon Element name The element designated as First Play has an icon added to it. Elements that are using the transitions feature also have icon indications. Tile Sizes You can choose large or small sizes to view the tiles. To change the tile size μ Choose Small Tiles or Large Tiles from the Graphical tab’s Settings pop-up menu. Flagging Tiles You can flag a tile so that it stands out from the others. For example, you might want to flag tiles for elements that still require assets or use DVD@CCESS. To flag one or more tiles Do one of the following: μ Control-click a tile, then choose Flag from the shortcut menu. This also selects this tile and deselects any others that are selected. μ Shift-Control-click a tile, then choose Flag from the shortcut menu. This also selects this tile and flags any others that are selected. μ Position the pointer over a tile and press F. It does not matter whether the tile is selected or not. μ Select a group of tiles to be flagged, then choose Edit > Flag Tiles (or press F). μ Select a group of tiles to be flagged, Control-click an empty area in the tile display, then choose Flag from the shortcut menu. You can use any of these methods to also turn off the flags on one or more tiles. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 187 Viewing Specific Tile Types You can choose specific tile types to view. For example, you may only want to see the slideshows. Note: If you choose to hide a tile type, all connections to that tile type are also hidden. The Graphical tab’s tile type Show/Hide buttons control which tiles are visible and which are hidden. Story tiles Slideshow tiles Menu tiles Track tiles Script tiles Clicking a button hides its tile type and the button background becomes lighter. Clicking the button again shows its tile type and the button background becomes darker. Viewing Connections You can configure the Graphical tab to show lines indicating which elements are connected to each other. Arrows indicate which element is the target. The connection lines are useful when you want to view the project as a flowchart. They can also be helpful to ensure you have not inadvertently left out an intended connection. Note: You cannot make connections or change existing connections in the Graphical tab. 188 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface You can customize how many connections appear with the Graphical tab’s Settings pop-up menu. • No Connections: No connection lines appear. • Relative Connections: Only the connections relating to the currently selected tile or tiles appear. • All Connections: All tiles show their connections. • Basic, Standard, and Advanced Connections: Control how much connection detail to show. These three levels match a similar setting in the Connections tab. See Sources and Source Details for more information. To configure the Graphical tab’s connections view 1 Open the Graphical tab’s Settings pop-up menu. 2 Choose to show no connections, relative connections for selected tiles only, or all connections. 3 Choose the level of connections to show (basic, standard, or advanced). Printing the Graphical Tab’s Tile Area Printing the Graphical tab’s tile area can be a useful way to show others the basic construction of a project. The contents of the Graphical tab print as they currently appear with respect to tile size and placement and connection view status. You can choose to print the whole tile area on a single sheet of paper or to print the tile area over multiple sheets of paper. To print the Graphical tab’s tile area 1 Choose File > Print Graphical View (or press Command-P). 2 Choose DVD Studio Pro from the print configuration pop-up menu. 3 Select one of the following: • Fit to Page: Prints the entire tile area on one sheet. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 189 • Multiple Pages: Prints the tile area at full size, using as many sheets of paper as necessary. 4 Select the Page Numbers option to add page numbers to each sheet. This is especially useful when you select Multiple Pages. 5 Click Preview to see an example of how the printed document will look, or Print to print the tile area. Managing Elements Using the Outline and Graphical Tabs You can use either the Outline or Graphical tab to manage your project’s elements. Renaming Project Elements In addition to entering an element’s name in its Inspector, you can rename an element in the Outline or Graphical tab. To rename an element in the Outline tab 1 Select the element whose name you want to change. 2 Click the element’s name. 3 Type the new name, then press Return. The element’s name is changed. To rename an element in the Graphical tab 1 Double-click the element’s name. 2 Type the new name, then press Return. The element’s name is changed. Deleting Elements You can delete elements to remove them from your project. To delete an element or group of elements 1 Select the element or group of elements to delete. 190 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Delete (or press the Delete key). • Control-click in an empty area of the Outline or Graphical tab, then choose Delete from the shortcut menu. Important: If you delete a track that has stories, the stories are also deleted. An alert appears to warn you of this. Duplicating Elements You can duplicate elements within the Outline and Graphical tabs. You can build a chapter index menu, for example, and quickly make duplicates of it that just need to have their connections changed to become functional. To duplicate an element 1 Select the element to duplicate. You can also select multiple elements. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Duplicate (or press Command-D). • If you have selected a single element, Control-click the element, then choose Duplicate from the shortcut menu. • If you have selected a group of elements, Control-click in an empty area of the tab, then choose Duplicate from the shortcut menu. The new element is named with its type (menu, track, and so on) followed by the next number. For example, if you duplicate a menu when there are already five menus, the new one becomes “Menu 6.” In the Outline tab, the new element appears last in the section. Assigning the First Play Element In addition to using the Disc Inspector or the Connections tab, you can assign your project’s First Play element directly in the Outline or Graphical tab. The First Play element is the one that plays when a DVD player begins playing the project. To assign the First Play element in the Outline tab Do one of the following: μ Control-click the disc element, choose First Play from the shortcut menu, then choose the First Play element from the submenu. This method allows you to select a specific button (menu), slide (slideshow), or chapter marker (track or story) within an element to play from. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 191 μ Control-click an element, then choose First Play from the shortcut menu. This method uses the element’s default button (menu), first slide (slideshow), or first marker (track or story) to play from. To assign the First Play element in the Graphical tab Do one of the following: μ Control-click in an empty area of the Graphical tab, choose First Play from the shortcut menu, then choose the First Play element from the submenu. This method allows you to select a specific button (menu), slide (slideshow), or chapter marker (track or story) within an element to play from. μ Control-click a tile, then choose First Play from the shortcut menu. This method uses the element’s default button (menu), first slide (slideshow), or first marker (track or story) to play from. See Setting the Project’s First Play for more information. Simulating Elements The Simulator provides a way to verify your project before you build the title. Starting the Simulator by clicking Simulate in the toolbar simulates the project from its beginning, at the element designated as “First Play.” However, often you will want to start the Simulator at a specific project element, for example, to verify the navigation of a chapter index menu. You can use the Outline or Graphical tab to start the Simulator at a specific element so that you can quickly verify it is working as planned. To start the Simulator at a specific element Do one of the following: μ Choose File > Simulate Element, where “Element” is the type of element currently selected. μ In the Outline or Graphical tab, Control-click the element at which you want to start the Simulator, then choose Simulate from the shortcut menu. μ Select the element to start the Simulator with, then press Command-Option-0 (zero). Note: Clicking Simulate in the toolbar always starts the Simulator with the element assigned as first play. If no first play element has been assigned, the Simulator starts by playing the first track. Using Item Descriptions An item description is an XML text file that lists all the properties of an element. You can save and load an item description, and view the description using TextEdit. You can also load an item description from one project into another. This can make it easy to create menus in multiple projects that all look the same or to copy a script between projects. 192 Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface To save an item description 1 Select the element for which you want to save a description. You can select the element in the Outline or Graphical tab or in any of the editors. Note: You cannot export an item description of a story. Item descriptions of tracks include their stories. 2 Choose File > Export > Item Description. 3 Enter a name for the file and select its destination in the dialog that appears, then click Export. DVD Studio Pro creates the file and saves it in the location you specified. To load an item description 1 Choose File > Import > Item Description. 2 Locate the description file to load and click Import in the dialog that appears. Important: Item descriptions from previous versions of DVD Studio Pro cannot be loaded into DVD Studio Pro 4. An alternative is to open a project in DVD Studio Pro 4 that contains the element you originally made the item description from, then save a new item description from it. With the exception of script item descriptions, you cannot import item descriptions created in one DVD standard (SD DVD or HD DVD) into the other DVD standard. Additionally, you cannot import item descriptions from one video standard (NTSC or PAL) into another video standard. The description file loads and a new element appears in the Outline and Graphical tabs. The description file uses the same name it had when it was saved, unless that name is already in use. If the name already exists, a number is added to the end of its name, or if a number already exists, the number increments to form a unique name. Note: When you load an item description into a project, all of the assets used when the description was saved must still be available. An error message appears if any problems are encountered. Chapter 10 The DVD Studio Pro Interface 193 DVD Studio Pro provides tools and workflow options that give you the flexibility to decide how best to import and manage your assets. This chapter covers the following: • How DVD Studio Pro Manages Assets (p. 195) • About the Assets Tab (p. 201) • Importing Assets (p. 207) • Removing Selected Assets (p. 213) • Renaming Assets (p. 213) • Refreshing Still and QuickTime Assets (p. 214) • Opening Assets in Their Editor (p. 216) • Identifying an Asset (p. 216) • Previewing Assets (p. 216) • Asset Inspector (p. 218) How DVD Studio Pro Manages Assets As you work on your DVD project, it’s important to give some thought as to how best to organize and manage your assets. Even a simple project can use enough assets to make it worth investing the time to plan for them. Moderately ambitious projects can use hundreds of assets, creating a large potential for confusion as you try to keep track of them. Additionally, if you intend to author both SD and HD versions of your project, keeping the assets organized is crucial to avoid confusing an SD version of a video asset with an HD version of it. There are several methods you can use to import an asset into a project, but in all cases the assets are treated the same. 195 Importing and Managing Assets 11 Importing an asset into a DVD project does not actually copy or move the asset file from its current location. The Assets tab simply lists references to the actual asset files. The folder structure you create in the Assets tab does not affect the folder structure of the files on your hard disk; it only helps you manage the asset names while working on your project. Missing or Renamed Assets Once you import an asset into a project, it’s important not to move or rename its source file. A Missing Files window appears if you open a project and DVD Studio Pro cannot locate an asset in its original location. You can manually locate the asset or cancel the dialog. To locate a missing asset when opening a project 1 Select the asset in the Missing Files window. 2 Do one of the following: • Click Locate and use the file location dialog to find the asset. • If the asset is a QuickTime file and its MPEG-2 or AIFF encoded version is available, you can click “Replace with encoded file.” In these cases, the QuickTime version of the asset is not required, and instead its encoded versions are used by the project. See Should You Remove the Original QuickTime Files? for more information. If you open the project without locating the assets, or the assets become missing while the project is open, the names of the missing assets are displayed in red and any elements in which the assets are used are disabled. To reconnect an asset to a project Do one of the following: μ Choose File > Asset > Re-Link. μ In the Assets tab, Control-click the asset’s name, then choose Relink from the shortcut menu. You can only relink assets whose names appear in red. 196 Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets Any elements that use missing assets are displayed in red in the Outline and Graphical tabs. The elements cannot be opened, either from the Outline tab, the Graphical tab, or in their editor. If you select an element with missing assets, a dialog appears with three choices: • Relink: The Missing Files window opens so that you can locate the missing files. • Delete Clips/Slides/Assets: The missing assets are removed from the element. • For tracks: Any clips with missing assets are removed. • For menus: Any item with a missing asset is set to “not set” as its asset (no items are removed—only their asset assignment is changed). • For slideshows: Any missing slides are removed from the slideshow. • Continue: The element shows as being selected in the Outline and Graphical tabs, but it is not opened in its editor. This provides the opportunity to delete the element, which removes it from the project. Using Video and Audio Assets That Are Not DVD-Compliant When you import motion assets (video or audio) that are not DVD-compliant into a DVD Studio Pro project, the integrated MPEG encoder converts them to be DVD-compliant (if they are in a supported format). In addition to the general MPEG encoding settings, the Encoding pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences includes a setting that controls whether the encoding begins immediately as a background function or waits until you build the final project into the VIDEO_TS folder. There is also a preferences setting in the Destinations pane to control where the encoded files are saved. See Destinations Preferences for more information. To set the Encoding preferences 1 Choose DVD Studio Pro > Preferences. 2 Click the Encoding icon to open the Encoding pane. 3 Set the encoding method by selecting one of the following: • Background encoding: The encoding begins as soon as you import the asset. The encoding takes place in the background, allowing you to continue working on your project. A progress bar appears in the Status column of the Assets tab. Once the encoding process finishes, the Status column displays Done. See Default Columns in the Assets Tab for more information. • Encode on build: The encoding does not start until you complete your project and build the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS files. 4 Configure the remaining encoding items as needed. See Using the Integrated MPEG Encoder for more information. 5 Click Apply to enable the settings and OK to close the Preferences window. Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets 197 The current encoding settings are applied to assets as soon as they are imported, whether you choose to start encoding them right away or wait to encode them when you build your project. Changes you make to the Encoding preferences only affect assets you import from then on. See Verifying and Changing Encoding Settings for more information. How the Encoded Files Are Named When you import QuickTime video assets into DVD Studio Pro, the integrated MPEG encoder names the encoded files as follows: • The first half is the complete original filename, including its extension. • The second half has three parts—the video standard (NTSC or PAL), the encoding bit rate (shown as a four-digit number), and the “.m2v” extension. For example, if you import an asset named “Main Program.mov,” use the NTSC standard and a bit rate of 5.5 Mbps, the MPEG-encoded filename will be “Main Program.mov_NTSC_5500.m2v.” Audio files created by the embedded AIFF encoder use the original filename with an added “.aiff” extension. See Using the Integrated MPEG Encoder for more information on the integrated MPEG encoder. Should You Remove the Original QuickTime Files? When you import motion assets that are not DVD-compliant, the integrated MPEG and AIFF encoders create the files (video and audio) required by the DVD-Video specification. To free up hard disk space, you may decide to remove the original files. Even after the encoders have created the new DVD-compliant files, DVD Studio Pro continues to keep track of the original files. The advantage of this is that you can reencode the files if you decide later to use a different bit rate or encoding mode. For example, you might find that, after the initial encoding, the MPEG-2 video looks great but is a larger file than you planned for. You can decide to re-encode using a lower bit rate and use the slower but higher quality two-pass VBR option. Additionally, if you convert an SD project to an HD project, HD assets imported as QuickTime files can be encoded to HD MPEG-2. If you decide to remove the original file, DVD Studio Pro notices it is missing and presents you with the Missing Files window. If you then click “Replace with encoded file,” the original file will no longer be associated with the project, and DVD Studio Pro will no longer try to find it. See Missing or Renamed Assets for more information. You also will no longer be able to re-encode the asset. 198 Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets Verifying and Changing Encoding Settings If your project contains a mixture of 4:3 and 16:9 assets or has some assets you want to encode differently than others, you must be sure to set the Encoding preferences settings before you import the assets. You can verify and change the encoding settings on assets that have been imported. You can also re-encode a QuickTime asset if you want to try different encoding settings. To change the encoding settings after importing an asset 1 Do one of the following: • Select the asset and choose File > Encoder Settings (or press Command-E). • Control-click the video asset in the Assets tab, then choose Encoder Settings from the shortcut menu. Note: The Encoder Settings option in the Assets tab shortcut menu is only available if the original QuickTime video file is available. A dialog appears that contains the same settings found in the Encoding preferences pane. 2 Configure the encoder settings and click OK. When you have the “Background encoding” method selected in Encoding preferences and you make any changes in this dialog, one of two things happens: • If you change the bit rate setting: The current file, whether a complete or partially complete file, is left as is and the encoder starts encoding a new file. This allows you to compare the quality of the two bit rates. If you decide to continue the encoding of the partially completed file, you can set the bit rate (and any other settings you might have changed) to the value it used, and the encoder will continue encoding it. Note: If the encoded files are being written to the project bundle, they are deleted whether or not you change the bit rate setting. • If you do not change the bit rate setting: The original asset is deleted, whether a complete or partially completed file, and a new encoded file is created. For example, if you want to see the difference between one-pass VBR and two-pass VBR encoding and want to keep the files from both encoding sessions, you need to rename or move the completed one-pass VBR encoded file before re-encoding with the two-pass VBR setting. If you have the “Encode on build” method selected, these changes will apply once you build your project. Note: Changing the encoding settings for an asset does not affect the encoding settings for other assets. Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets 199 This method of configuring encoding settings for specific assets allows you to customize how the integrated MPEG encoder gets used in your project. It also makes it possible to have a mixture of assets with different encoding requirements (such as some that use the 4:3 aspect ratio and others that use the 16:9 aspect ratio). Using Still Assets That Are Not DVD-Compliant You can add still assets in any format supported by QuickTime to a slideshow or a track. DVD Studio Pro automatically converts them to the MPEG format once you start the build process. It creates an MPEG folder in the location specified in the Destinations pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. See Destinations Preferences for details on setting up this preference. Using DVD-Compliant Assets When you import supported assets that are DVD-compliant, they are left in their original locations with no processing (other than the parse file being created, as described in the next section). About the Parse Files To use an asset in a project, DVD Studio Pro needs to know some general information about it, such as its length, type, and integrity. Video assets encoded within DVD Studio Pro can include this information in the encoded files, or can create separate files for it. Assets encoded by Compressor outside of DVD Studio Pro can include this information if you select the “Add DVD Studio Pro meta-data” option in the Extras pane of the Encoder settings. Assets encoded with other encoders, or with the “Add DVD Studio Pro meta-data” option deselected when using Compressor, must be parsed before DVD Studio Pro can use them. Parsing creates a small file, with the same name as the video asset and a “.par” extension that contains the required information. The parse file can take from several seconds to several minutes to create, depending on the size of the asset file. See Destinations Preferences for details on setting up the parse file preference. About Segmented MPEG Files The segmented MPEG files created by some third-party encoders do not import correctly into DVD Studio Pro. Some encoders segment their large encoded files into 1 GB files. When imported into DVD Studio Pro, only the first 1 GB segment is imported. You need to append the files into a single file before importing the asset into DVD Studio Pro. There are several third-party applications that can be used to append a segmented MPEG file into a single file. 200 Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets Using Motion, LiveType, and Soundtrack Pro Projects DVD Studio Pro allows you to import Motion, LiveType, and Soundtrack Pro projects directly into your DVD project. This has several benefits: • You do not have to render the projects before importing them. DVD Studio Pro allows you to use them as if you had rendered them and exported a QuickTime movie from them. You import the projects using the same methods you would use to import other assets. Note: Playing projects requires significantly more system resources than playing a QuickTime movie. Depending on your system, projects may skip frames or show artifacts when playing as part of a menu or track. • You can open the Motion, LiveType, or Soundtrack Pro project from DVD Studio Pro. If you make changes to the project in Motion, LiveType, or Soundtrack Pro, DVD Studio Pro automatically uses the updated project. To open a Motion or LiveType project in that application, from within DVD Studio Pro Do one of the following: μ Select the project in the Assets tab, then choose File > Asset > Open in Editor. μ Control-click the project in the Assets tab, then choose Open in Editor from the shortcut menu. μ Double-click the project in the Assets tab. Note: The Motion or LiveType application must be available on your computer. About the Assets Tab The Assets tab displays a list of all assets imported into the project, whether they were directly imported to the Assets tab or dragged to the Menu or Track Editor from the Palette or a Finder window. About QuickTime Files QuickTime files often contain a video and audio stream. When you import a QuickTime file with both video and audio, it is displayed in the Assets tab as two files, each with the same name, one with the video icon and the other with the audio icon. The Type column lists them as QuickTime Video or QuickTime Audio. In most cases, these files are encoded with the integrated MPEG or AIFF encoder. You can re-encode the video files by Control-clicking them, then choosing Encoder Settings from the shortcut menu. An exception is the HDV and H.264 QuickTime files you can import into HD projects. These QuickTime files do not require encoding with the integrated MPEG encoder and cannot be re-encoded. Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets 201 Note: Subtitle text files and shapes do not appear in the Assets tab. Video icon Still image icon Audio icon Click a folder’s disclosure triangle to show or hide its contents. Click to open the Import Assets dialog. Click to create a new folder. Click to remove the selected asset. The Assets tab can contain up to 15 columns. For information on choosing which columns appear, see Managing Columns in the Assets Tab. The Assets tab also has three buttons you can use to manage the assets. • Import: Opens the Import Assets dialog so you can choose assets to import. See Using the Import Asset Feature for more information. • New Folder: Creates a new folder in the assets list. If you have an existing folder selected, the new folder becomes its subfolder. See Creating Asset Folders for more information. • Remove: Removes the selected asset or assets, including folders, from the assets list. A message appears if you try to remove assets that are currently in use by the project. This does not affect the asset’s actual file—it just controls whether it appears in this list. See Removing Selected Assets for more information. Default Columns in the Assets Tab The following columns appear by default in the Assets tab. You can remove these, change their order, and add additional columns as needed. See Managing Columns in the Assets Tab for more information. • Name: Applies to all asset types. Displays the asset’s name and an icon that represents the asset type. By default the asset name is the same as the asset filename, but you can rename the asset to make it easier to identify within your project. See Renaming Assets for more information. 202 Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets The Name column also displays folders, with disclosure triangles, which you can use to organize your assets. • Status: Applies to all asset types. Displays whether the asset is being encoded, parsed, or is ready to use. • Progress bar: Appears while the asset is encoding or parsing. • Yellow: The asset has not been encoded (applies to assets to be encoded with the integrated MPEG or AIFF encoder). If the setting in the Encoding pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences is set to “Encode on build,” the yellow dot appears for any assets that will be encoded once you build the project. • Green: The asset has been encoded (applies to assets encoded with the integrated MPEG or AIFF encoder only). • Red: The asset encountered an error while encoding or parsing. • In Use: Applies to all asset types. Shows a checkmark next to all assets currently in use within the project. • Type: Applies to all asset types. Displays the type of asset (QuickTime video, AC-3 audio, and so on). • Length: Applies to video and audio asset types. Displays the length (in hours:minutes:seconds:frames) of the asset. • Size: Applies to all asset types. Displays the file size of the asset. In the case of QuickTime assets, shows the size of the original QuickTime file. You can select the asset to see its encoded file size in the Asset Inspector. • Rate: Applies to video and audio asset types. For video assets, displays the original frame rate. For audio, displays the original sample rate (typically 48000 or 96000). Additional Columns You Can Add You can add the following additional columns to the Assets tab. • Location: Applies to all asset types. Displays the asset’s actual filename and location within your system. • Timestamp: Applies to video and audio asset types. Displays the timecode value of the first frame. • Channels: Applies to audio assets. Displays the number of audio channels contained in the file. • Dimensions: Applies to video and still assets. Displays the size of the image in pixels (before rescaling, if applicable). • Layers: Applies to still assets. Displays the number of layers the still contains. • Bit Depth: Applies to still assets. Displays the number of bits the still contains. Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets 203 • Aspect: Applies to video and still assets. For video assets, displays the aspect ratio of the asset (4:3 or 16:9). For still assets, shows whether the asset is being rescaled to fit the video aspect ratio (Retain) or is displaying actual pixels (blank). • Markers: Applies to video assets. Displays the number of chapter markers the video contains. Managing Columns in the Assets Tab DVD Studio Pro lets you customize the columns in the Assets tab, making it easy to display only the information you want. To display a hidden column μ Control-click the column name to the left of where you want the hidden one to appear, then choose the column’s name from the shortcut menu. All columns that are currently displayed have checkmarks next to their names. To hide a column μ Control-click in the column name area, then choose the column’s name from the shortcut menu. You can choose to display as few or as many of the columns as you like. To change the order of the columns μ Drag a column’s name to a new position. When you drag a column to a new position, the other columns shift to make room for the one you are moving. 204 Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets To change a column’s width μ Position the pointer on its right edge. When the pointer changes to a double arrow, drag to the new size. The pointer changes to a double arrow when you change a column’s width. Managing the Contents of the Assets Tab As you add assets to your project, you will want to keep them organized to reduce the potential for confusion. There are several tools you can use to organize and keep track of your assets: • Folders: Folders are the most powerful organizing tool for managing your assets. For added flexibility, you can create subfolders (folders within folders), import assets directly into a folder, and move assets between folders. You can also drag a folder to a new location. • Sorting: You can sort the assets based on any of the columns. • Asset information: You can select any asset to see its properties in the Asset Inspector. Creating Asset Folders You can create folders in the Assets tab at any time—before or after you have imported your assets. Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets 205 Important: Folders in the Assets tab help you organize your assets in your project. They do not affect the actual media files on your hard disk. Click the disclosure triangle to open and close folders. To create and name a folder 1 Do one of the following: • Choose Project > New Asset Folder (or press Command-Shift-N). • Control-click anywhere within the Assets tab, then choose Create New Folder from the shortcut menu. • Click the New Folder button in the Assets tab. 2 Select the folder, click the folder’s name, then type a new name. To create a new folder within an existing folder μ Control-click the existing folder, then choose Create New Folder from the shortcut menu. Sorting Assets You can sort the assets in the Assets tab by any of the columns. To sort the assets 1 Click the name of the column by which you want to sort the assets. The assets sort in the order of that column’s contents, and a triangle appears next to the column’s name to indicate it is controlling the sort and to show the sort’s direction (up or down). The triangle indicates the column controlling the sort and the sort direction (up or down). 2 Click the name of the column a second time to change the sort’s direction. 206 Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets Scrolling Through the Assets List Once you have added a number of assets to your project, DVD Studio Pro provides a variety of methods for scrolling through them. To scroll through a list of assets Do one of the following: μ Drag the scroller located on the right edge of the Assets tab. Hold down the Option key to scroll slowly through the list (useful with long lists). μ Press the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to scroll through one asset at a time. μ Press Option–Up Arrow to jump to the first asset in the list. μ Press Option–Down Arrow to jump to the last asset in the list. μ Press the Page Up and Page Down keys or hold down the Option key while clicking the scroller’s arrows to scroll through the list one page at a time. Importing Assets DVD Studio Pro provides several methods for importing assets into a project. • Using the Import Asset feature: You can click the Import Asset icon in the toolbar, click the Import button in the Assets tab, or use a shortcut menu in the Assets tab to import assets directly into the Assets tab. • Dragging assets to the Assets tab: You can drag assets from the media tabs in the Palette or a Finder window to the Assets tab. • Dragging assets directly to project elements: You can drag assets directly to the Menu Editor, Track Editor, and several other elements in your DVD Studio Pro project. These assets are also automatically added to the Assets tab. See Media Tabs for information on using the Audio, Stills, and Video tabs in the Palette. Note: To help organize your assets, it’s a good idea to create folders in the Assets tab before you import your assets, although you can create folders and move assets into them at any time. Importing Assets That Are Not DVD-Compliant When you import video and audio assets that are not DVD-compliant, DVD Studio Pro uses its integrated MPEG encoder to convert them. In DVD Studio Pro Preferences, you can specify whether the encoding happens immediately, in the background, or waits until you build your completed project. See Using Video and Audio Assets That Are Not DVD-Compliant for more information. Once the encoding starts, a progress bar appears in the Status column of the Assets tab. Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets 207 Using the Import Asset Feature You can import assets directly from within the Assets tab by using the Import button or by using the Import Asset icon in the toolbar. You can import single assets, multiple assets, or entire folders of assets. Note: The “Find matching audio when dragging” setting in the Track pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences does not apply when you use the Import Asset dialog. Only the files you select are imported into the Assets tab. To import assets from within the Assets tab 1 Select the folder in the Assets tab that you want to import the assets into (if applicable). 2 Open the Import Asset dialog by doing one of the following: • Choose File > Import > Asset (or press Command-Shift-I). • Control-click the folder or an empty area of the Assets tab, then choose Import from the shortcut menu. • Click the Import button in the Assets tab. • Click Import Asset in the toolbar. • Double-click an empty area of the Assets tab. 3 Locate the assets or folder to be imported, then click Open. The assets are imported into the Assets tab. If you select a folder, the folder and all recognized asset files in it are added to the Assets tab. Any subfolders within the imported folder are also imported. A message appears if the folder contains assets that are not supported by DVD Studio Pro. Note: An asset cannot be imported more than once, and it can only appear once in the Assets tab. However, any asset in the Assets tab can be used multiple times in a project. Dragging Assets to the Assets Tab You can drag one or more assets from the Palette or a Finder window to the Assets tab and place them directly in folders if desired. To import assets from the Palette or a Finder window 1 In the Palette or a Finder window, select the assets to be imported. 2 Do one of the following: • To import them at the root level of the Assets tab: Drag the assets to an empty area of the tab. • To import them into a folder in the Assets tab: Drag the assets directly to the folder. 208 Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets If you select a folder in the Finder window and drag it to the Assets tab, the folder and all recognized asset files in it are added to the Assets tab. Any subfolders within the imported folder are also imported. A message appears if the folder contains assets that are not supported by DVD Studio Pro. The Track pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences includes a “Find matching audio when dragging” setting. When this checkbox is selected and you drag a video asset or group of video assets, DVD Studio Pro automatically looks for audio assets with the same base name in the same folder, and imports them as well. This does not happen if you drag a mixture of asset types, such as video and still images. It also does not happen when you use the Import Asset dialog. You can temporarily override the preferences setting by holding down the Command key after you start dragging video assets. About Dragging Assets Directly to a Project Element You can drag an asset from the Assets tab, the Palette, or a Finder window directly to the element that is going to use it. Assets dragged from the Palette or a Finder window are also added to the Assets tab. See Dragging Assets to the Menu Editor, Dragging Assets to the Track Editor, Dragging Assets to the Slideshow Editor, and Dragging Assets to the Outline and Graphical Tabs for more information. As is the case when you drag video assets to the Assets tab, the “Find matching audio when dragging” setting in the Track pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences controls whether audio assets automatically follow the video assets when they are dragged to an element. Dragging Assets to the Menu Editor You can drag video, audio, and still images to the Menu Editor. You can drag multiple assets, but they must all be of the same type (video or still image). You can drag a folder that contains still images to create a slideshow. • If you drag the asset to the Menu Editor and drop it immediately: It uses the default action for that asset type. • If you drag the asset to the Menu Editor and pause: The context-sensitive Drop Palette appears so that you can choose the asset’s action. The choices available depend on the type of asset you are dragging and whether you are dragging it to an empty part of the Menu Editor, a button, or a drop zone. See Options in the Drop Palette for Standard Menus and Options in the Drop Palette for Layered Menus for a complete list of the actions available. • If you drag video assets to the Menu Editor: DVD Studio Pro automatically looks for audio assets with the same base name in the same folder and imports them as well. This does not happen if you drag a mixture of asset types, such as video and still images. Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets 209 You can also drag templates and styles from the Palette. Any assets used by the template or style, such as a background video or an asset assigned to a drop zone, are also added to the list in the Assets tab, in a folder named Templates. See Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus for more information on using templates and styles. Dragging Assets to the Track Editor You can drag video, audio, and still images to streams in the Track Editor. You can drag multiple assets, but you cannot drag a folder. See Adding Video and Audio Assets for details on how the assets are placed in their streams. You can also drag one or more still images, as well as a folder containing multiple still images, to a subtitle stream. Each still image creates a subtitle clip. See Importing a Graphics File for more information. Dragging Assets to the Slideshow Editor You can drag one or more still images, as well as a folder, to the Slideshow Editor. The still images are automatically added to the slideshow. See Creating Slideshows for more information on slideshows. Dragging Assets to the Outline and Graphical Tabs You can drag video, audio, and still images to the Outline and Graphical tabs. How the assets are used depends on where you drag the assets. The only difference between dragging to the Outline or Graphical tab is that only the Outline tab has section titles for each element type. The following tables list the supported actions. Note: Most of the following actions work with the Outline tab’s By Type and By VTS displays. The exceptions are dragging assets to the Tracks and Slideshows sections, because the By VTS display does not have these sections. Additionally, with the By VTS display, all menus created by dragging assets to the Menu section of a VTS are automatically assigned to that VTS. See Showing the VTS Editor for more information on the By VTS display. The following table lists the actions when you drag assets to an empty area or the disc’s name. Assets Action One video asset Creates a track and adds the video to stream V1. Multiple video assets Creates a track for each and adds the video to stream V1. One audio asset Creates a track and adds the audio to stream A1. Multiple audio assets Creates a track for each and adds the audio to stream A1. Creates a track and adds the video to stream V1 and the audio to stream A1. One video/audio asset pair One still image Creates a menu and sets the still image as its background. 210 Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets Assets Action Multiple still images Creates a slideshow and adds the still images to it. Creates a standard menu and sets the file as the background with all layers selected. One multiple-layer PSD file One folder Creates a slideshow and adds the still images to it. The following table lists the actions when you drag assets to the Menus section title in the Outline tab. Assets Action One video asset Creates a menu and sets the video as its background. Multiple video assets Creates multiple menus and sets the video as their backgrounds. One audio asset Creates a menu and assigns the audio to it. Creates a menu and sets the video as its background and assigns the audio to it. One video/audio asset pair One still image Creates a menu and sets the still image as its background. Creates multiple menus and sets the still images as their backgrounds. Multiple still images Creates a standard menu and sets the file as the background with all layers selected. One multiple-layer PSD file The following table lists the actions when you drag assets to a specific standard menu. Assets Action One video asset Sets the video as the menu’s background. One audio asset Assigns the audio to the menu. Multiple audio assets Assigns the audio to the menu. Sets the video as the menu’s background and assigns the audio to it. One video/audio asset pair One still image Sets the still image as the menu’s background. One multiple-layer PSD file Sets the file as the menu’s background with all layers selected. The following table lists the actions when you drag assets to a specific layered menu. Assets Action One still image Sets the still image as the menu’s background. One multiple-layer PSD file Sets the file as the menu’s background with all layers selected. The following table lists the actions when you drag assets to the Tracks section title in the Outline tab. Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets 211 Assets Action One video asset Creates a track and adds the video to stream V1. Creates a track for each video asset and adds the video to stream V1 on each track. Multiple video assets One audio asset Creates a track and adds the audio to stream A1. Creates a track and adds the video to stream V1 and the audio to stream A1. One video/audio asset pair One still image Creates a track and adds the still image to stream V1. Multiple still images Creates a track and adds the still images to stream V1. Creates a track and adds the still image to stream V1, using only the layers set as visible in Photoshop. One multiple-layer PSD file The following table lists the actions when you drag assets to a specific track. Assets Action One video asset Adds the video to stream V1, at the end of any existing video. Multiple video assets Adds the videos to stream V1, at the end of any existing video. One audio asset Adds the audio to stream A1, at the end of any existing audio. Multiple audio assets Adds the audios to stream A1, at the end of any existing audio. Adds the video and audio to streams V1 and A1, at the end of any existing video and audio. One video/audio asset pair One still image Adds the still image to stream V1, at the end of any existing video. Multiple still images Adds the still images to stream V1, at the end of any existing video. Adds the still image to stream V1, at the end of any existing video, using only the layers set as visible in Photoshop. One multiple-layer PSD file The following table lists the actions when you drag assets to the Slideshow section title in the Outline tab. Assets Action One audio asset Creates a slideshow and assigns this as its overall audio. One still image Creates a slideshow and adds the still image to it. Multiple still images Creates a slideshow and adds the still images to it. Creates a slideshow and adds the still image to it, using only the layers set as visible in Photoshop. One multiple-layer PSD file One folder of images Creates a slideshow and adds the still images to it. The following table lists the actions when you drag assets to a specific slideshow. Assets Action One still image Adds the still image at the end of the slideshow. 212 Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets Assets Action Multiple still images Adds the still images at the end of the slideshow. Adds the still image at the end of the slideshow, using only the layers set as visible in Photoshop. One multiple-layer PSD file One folder of images Adds the still images at the end of the slideshow. Removing Selected Assets If you no longer need assets in a project, you can remove them from the Assets tab. Important: The Assets tab only contains links to the actual asset files. Removing an asset from the Assets tab does not actually delete the asset’s file from your hard disk. To remove assets from the Assets tab 1 Select one or more assets to remove. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Remove Asset (or press Delete). • Control-click in the Assets tab, then choose Remove from the shortcut menu. • Click the Remove button in the Assets tab. You cannot remove assets that are currently in use by the project. If you try to do so, an error message appears listing the selected assets that are in use and which project element is using them. List of assets that cannot be removed Locations that use the asset you select in the above assets list You can click an asset in the list to see which elements use it, or use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to scroll through the assets list. Renaming Assets You can rename assets as they appear in DVD Studio Pro. This does not affect the actual name of the asset’s file. Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets 213 To rename an asset 1 Select the asset in the Assets tab. 2 Change its name by doing one of the following: • Click the asset’s name after the asset has been selected and type a new name. • Enter a new name in the Asset Inspector’s Name field. See Asset Inspector for more information on the Asset Inspector. Refreshing Still and QuickTime Assets It is possible, during the course of creating your project, that you will need to update a still or QuickTime asset. DVD Studio Pro includes both an automatic and a manual asset refresh capability to make it easier to use updated versions of your still and QuickTime assets. Important: An alert appears when updated assets have been detected, and the Encode view of the Log tab lists specific elements that use those assets. It is important to verify that each of these elements function correctly. All still and QuickTime assets are automatically refreshed any time you bring DVD Studio Pro to the foreground on your computer. For example, if you are working in DVD Studio Pro and switch to a graphics program to update a still or QuickTime asset used in the current project, the asset refreshes as soon as you switch back to DVD Studio Pro. Important: If the Simulator is active when assets are refreshed, you must close it and restart it for the refreshed assets to appear correctly in it. You can also manually refresh selected assets. To manually refresh selected assets Do one of the following: μ Choose File > Asset > Refresh. μ Control-click the asset to be refreshed in the Assets tab, then choose Refresh from the shortcut menu. Manually refreshing still and QuickTime assets is useful when you are updating them using a networked computer. Note: You cannot refresh MPEG motion assets. Issues with Refreshing Still Assets When used in slideshows and as clips in tracks, still assets that have been refreshed will have no impact outside of the change you made to the still asset itself. 214 Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets When used in a menu, there may be issues for you to work with. For example, if the asset is used in a menu also using overlays, you may have to readjust the button active areas to match any changes you have made to the graphic. The same is true if you have made changes to the layers of a multiple-layer PSD file. Issues with Refreshing QuickTime Assets Changes made to QuickTime assets, which can include video, audio, or both together, can have large impacts on any project elements that use them. Re-encoding Any QuickTime assets you make changes to that have already been MPEG encoded by the DVD Studio Pro integrated MPEG encoder will need to be re-encoded. If you have enabled background encoding in the Encoding pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences, this re-encoding will start automatically. Video Asset Length Changes If you have changed the length of a video asset that is used in a track, there could be audio sync problems if other assets are used in the same track. For example, making the asset shorter would cause all video assets in the timeline that are placed after it to shift earlier because the V1 stream cannot have any gaps in it. The corresponding audio does not shift though, because audio streams can have gaps. Making the QuickTime video asset longer does not change the clip in any tracks that use it. You have to manually change the clip’s duration in the tracks to use the added video. When used as backgrounds in motion menus, you may need to adjust the menu’s duration to better fit with the asset’s new length. Video Asset Content Changes If you have changed the content of a video asset, you may need to adjust marker positions to match the new content or, in the case of motion menus, adjust the loop point. Audio Asset Length Changes If you have changed the length of an audio asset that is used in a slideshow, there are several issues that may arise. • If the audio is assigned to a specific slide: That slide’s length will change. • If the audio is assigned to the slideshow as overall audio and Fit to Audio has been selected: The slideshow’s duration will change. In both cases, if you have shortened the audio asset it is possible that the slide and transition durations cannot be shortened enough to match the audio. Making the QuickTime audio asset longer does not change the clip in any tracks that use it. You have to manually change the clip’s duration in the tracks to use the added audio. Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets 215 Opening Assets in Their Editor You can open a selected asset in a different application. This can make it easier for you to update the asset. Note: See Using Motion, LiveType, and Soundtrack Pro Projects for information on opening Motion and LiveType projects. To open an asset in a different application Do one of the following: μ Choose File > Asset > Open In Editor or File > Asset > Open With. μ Control-click the asset to be opened in the Assets tab, then choose Open In Editor or Open With from the shortcut menu. Open In Editor and Open With have the following differences: • Open In Editor: Choose this if you want to open the asset using its registered application (exactly as would happen if you double-clicked the asset in the Finder). • Open With: Choose this if you want to select the application to open the asset. This is useful when the registered application for that asset type is not the application you want to use. With still assets, you can edit and save them using the selected application, and DVD Studio Pro automatically refreshes the assets. With audio and video motion assets, you may find that you are unable to resave the assets once you have edited them. To ensure you can resave the audio or video motion assets, close the DVD Studio Pro project once you have opened the asset in its application. Identifying an Asset You can identify an asset’s actual filename and location and even open a Finder window that displays it. This is especially useful if you have renamed the assets within DVD Studio Pro. To identify an asset’s filename and location Do one of the following: μ Control-click the asset’s name, then choose Reveal In Finder from the shortcut menu. This opens a Finder window displaying the asset’s file. μ Add the Location column to the Assets tab. This column lists the details of the asset’s file. Previewing Assets You can display an asset in the Viewer tab or listen to its audio. 216 Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets To preview an asset 1 Select the asset in the Assets tab. 2 Preview the asset by doing one of the following: • Choose File > Asset > Preview (or press the Space bar). • Control-click the asset, then choose Preview from the shortcut menu. • Double-click the asset. Preview controls You can use the controls in the Viewer tab to pause and stop playback. QuickTime video assets preview in their native format, even if they have been encoded with the integrated MPEG encoder. To preview the MPEG-encoded version of the QuickTime asset, you must add the asset to a track and preview it from the Track Editor. The Settings pop-up menu contains several settings that control what you see in the Viewer tab. • Title Safe Area and Action Safe Area: These settings turn on a shaded area around the outside edge of the menu, indicating portions of the menu that may not be viewable on most consumer monitors. Placing buttons or text in these shaded areas can be risky and should be avoided. There are two safe areas: title and action. The title safe area is more constricted and should be observed for items that must be seen by the viewer. All text and buttons should be within this area. The action safe area is closer to the menu edges and is considered a boundary for items that you would like the viewer to see but that are not required. You can also press Command-E to show or hide the title safe area and Command-Option-E to show or hide the action safe area. Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets 217 • Square Pixels and Rectangular Pixels: You can choose to switch between viewing assets with square pixels or scaled to the video aspect ratio (either 4:3 or 16:9). See Understanding Pixel Differences in Graphics and Video for more information. You can also press P to toggle the pixel display type. • Show Single Field: This setting optimizes playback when using field-based video sources. This is especially important with video that has fast motion because it will reduce the motion artifacts. However, selecting Show Single Field with frame-based video sources results in reduced resolution (edges may appear jagged). This setting only affects how the assets appear in the Viewer and does not change the actual assets themselves. Note: Anamorphic still assets will preview as 4:3 assets. Asset Inspector When you select an asset in the Assets tab, the Asset Inspector appears. The Asset Inspector shows general information about the selected asset. The only information you can edit is the asset’s name as it appears in DVD Studio Pro. Video assets include a thumbnail image and a scrubber so you can scrub through the video. Still assets also include a thumbnail image. 218 Chapter 11 Importing and Managing Assets Menus are the backbone of your project. To ensure a positive experience for the viewer, it’s important to create menus that provide logical navigation and a consistent experience. This chapter covers the following: • About Menus (p. 219) • About the Menu Editor (p. 224) • Starting and Working with a Menu (p. 231) About Menus Menus provide the buttons that the person viewing a DVD uses to configure the disc’s playback and to choose the tracks and slideshows that supply the DVD’s content. DVD menus are made up of a background, which can be a still image or a full-motion movie, and buttons. For the most part, the elements that make up a menu are created outside of DVD Studio Pro. You use DVD Studio Pro to combine these elements into a complete menu and assign actions to the buttons. See Preparing Menu Assets for details on creating the graphics used in your menus. DVD Studio Pro includes templates and styles that can make it easier to create menus. You can use the supplied templates and styles to quickly create your menus, or you can create your own templates and styles. Using templates and styles lets you apply a standardized look to your menus for all of your projects—for example, to maintain a corporate image. See Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus for more information. Before you create your menus, you need to understand the two different methods used to create menus in DVD Studio Pro, and be aware of special considerations for menus with a 16:9 aspect ratio. If you are authoring HD projects, you also need to be aware of special issues when creating HD menus. In DVD Studio Pro, you can create menus using either a standard, or overlay method, or a layered method. You can use menus created with both methods in a project, so you can use the method best suited to each individual menu. 219 Introduction to Creating Menus 12 The menu creation methods differ primarily in how each button’s states are displayed. Each button in a menu has three states: • Normal: How the button looks when not in the selected or activated state • Selected: How the button looks when you navigate to it using the DVD player’s arrow buttons • Activated: How the button looks after you navigate to it and press Enter. This state is typically displayed for just a short time before the menu clears and the next element appears, based on the action assigned to the button. Standard Menu Creation Method The standard method uses an overlay structure to display each button’s states. As described in detail in Creating Overlays, an overlay is a four-color image used to identify the highlight area of each button. Each of the four colors is mapped to the actual color and transparency values that appear for each of the three button states. The standard method provides the most flexibility when creating menus. • The background can be static, or it can be a full-motion video clip. • The background can contain the normal state of the buttons, or it can be plain, with the overlay supplying the normal button image. • You can use DVD Studio Pro to type text over the menu. The text can be used to title the menu or just provide basic information. • You can add text to buttons or even create text-only buttons. • You can use shapes on the menu as either buttons or drop zones. Shapes are self-contained graphics that include the normal state image, a graphic that defines the highlight area, and that can even display a full-motion thumbnail image of an assigned asset. Some shapes, called patches, contain animated effects. Shapes can be fully positioned and resized. DVD Studio Pro includes many stock shapes and can import shapes you create. The stock shapes are particularly useful when you are creating menus with minimal reliance on graphics programs. • You can create drop zones on the menu. A drop zone is an area of the menu you can assign an asset or shape to. You can reposition, resize, and rotate drop zones. Drop zones become a part of the menu’s background when you build the project. They allow you to add graphic elements to your menu that are not text- or button-related, making it possible to create complex menu backgrounds. • You can use templates and styles. • You can add audio to the menu. 220 Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus The drawback of the standard method is that using overlays limits your creativity when showing the different states of a button. While the normal state of a button can be a full 24-bit image, you can only use up to four colors (as defined by the DVD-Video specification) to modify the normal image to show the selected and activated states. Because one of these colors is typically used as a transparent background color, that leaves only three colors. This is sufficient to add an outline or highlight to show when the button is selected or activated, but it is not enough to allow you to radically alter the button. See Creating Menus Using the Standard Method for details on creating standard menus. Layered Menu Creation Method The layered method allows you to create independent 24-bit versions of each button for each of the three states (normal, selected, and activated). This gives you great flexibility in changing a button’s appearance when it is selected and activated. The layered method requires an Adobe Photoshop (PSD) graphics file that contains a separate layer for each state of each button, in addition to the background graphic. This means a menu with 12 buttons requires 36 layers to show the normal, selected, and activated states of each button. You can combine overlays with buttons created using the layered method. There are several drawbacks to using the layered method: • You cannot have motion in the background; backgrounds must be still images. • You cannot use the text or shape features. • You cannot use templates and styles. • You cannot add audio to the menu. • Viewers may experience a slow reaction time while navigating around the buttons on DVD players. Because layered menus use separate layers for each button state, DVD Studio Pro performs some behind-the-scenes processing, creating separate hidden menus for each possible state of the menu. In the above example with 12 buttons, 25 versions of the menu would need to be created (one with all buttons in their normal state, and one for each button in its selected and activated states). These menus are not visible as separate elements within your project, but are displayed when you use the arrow buttons on the DVD player’s remote control to navigate to a button and activate it. Due to the number of menus that are created using the layered method, some DVD players may have a slight delay in displaying the menus as viewers navigate around the buttons, which may confuse impatient viewers. See Creating Menus Using the Layered Method for details on creating layered menus. Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus 221 Working with 16:9 Menus When using 16:9 menus in your project, you need to be aware of several things. How the Menu Will Be Displayed on a 4:3 Monitor Be sure to choose the proper display mode in the Menu tab of the Menu Inspector. Also, a default Display Mode setting in DVD Studio Pro Preferences sets all new menus, tracks, and slideshows to the proper display mode. The options include 4:3, 16:9 Pan-Scan, 16:9 Letterbox, and 16:9 Pan-Scan & Letterbox. If you select Pan-Scan, be aware that areas at the left and right edges of the menu will not be visible. See Choosing an Aspect Ratio for more information on this and other aspect ratio issues. Fewer Buttons Can Be Used When you set a menu’s display mode to 16:9 Pan-Scan or 16:9 Letterbox, you reduce the total number of buttons you can have on the menu. For SD projects, the total number of buttons drops from 36 to 18; for HD projects, the total drops from 48 to 24. This is because DVD Studio Pro must create two menu overlays, one for each aspect ratio, and automatically select the one to use based on the DVD player’s aspect ratio setting. When you set a menu’s display mode to 16:9 Pan-Scan & Letterbox, the total number of buttons you can have on a menu drops to 12 for SD projects, and 16 for HD projects, because three menu overlays must be created. 16:9 Graphics Must Be Anamorphic in SD Projects All graphics for 16:9 menus in SD projects must be anamorphic (horizontally compressed to fit the 4:3 aspect ratio). See What Exactly Is a 16:9 Asset? for details on creating graphics for 16:9 menus. Creating Menus for HD Projects Creating menus for HD projects is not much different from creating menus for SD projects. The most common issue is understanding how the HD-based DVD menus handle background video assets with respect to their resolutions. There is a Resolution setting in the General pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences that defines the default resolution of all new menus (and tracks and slideshows) you create. However, the actual resolution of a menu is usually defined by the background video asset you assign to it. For example, if your default resolution as defined by the preferences setting is 1280 x 720p and you create a new menu, its resolution is 1280 x 720p. If you set the menu’s background video to a 1920 x 1080i asset, the menu’s resolution automatically changes to match it. 222 Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus If you set a menu’s background asset to something that is non-standard, for example, a still that is 800 x 600, the menu’s resolution changes to the highest resolution that is smaller than the non-standard size (in this example, full D1, which is 720 x 480 for NTSC or 720 x 576 for PAL), and the image is scaled to fit. If you set a menu’s background to something that is smaller than full D1, it is scaled up to the full D1 size. Note: As with SD-based DVD menus, when a menu’s background asset does not match the 4:3 or 16:9 display mode, the empty areas are filled with the menu background color, as defined in the Menu pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. You must also be aware that the limit on the number of buttons your menu can have is different than with SD-based DVD menus. Menus using the 4:3 aspect ratio can have up to 48 buttons. Menus using the 16:9 Pan-Scan or 16:9 Letterbox modes can have up to 24 buttons. Menus using the 6:9 Pan-Scan & Letterbox modes can have up to 16 buttons. Adding Intro and Transition Clips to Menus You can make the DVD viewing experience more polished by adding short video clips that play at the beginning of a menu (intro clips) and when buttons are pressed (transition clips). There are several approaches you can take to add these clips to your project. See Adding Intro and Transition Clips to Menus for more information. Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus 223 About the Menu Editor The Menu Editor is contained in the Menu tab. It displays the menu graphics in either a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio (depending on what is set in the Menu tab in the Menu Inspector). There are also several buttons and pop-up menus that let you select what appears in the editor and provide tools that help with the menu creation process. Menu Editor tools Drag the Menu Editor rulers to create guides. Click this to hide and show the Menu Editor tools. Choose a menu to configure. Open this pop-up menu to choose a menu language. Open to configure additional Menu Editor settings. The Menu Editor scales the menu to fit within its quadrant. As you make the quadrant larger, the menu also increases up to the point that it reaches full size, when it stops growing and the extra area around it is filled with gray. When working with the larger HD resolutions, however, you may find it difficult to increase the quadrant’s size enough to show the menu at full size. One option is to tear off the Menu tab into its own window, which you can then resize without affecting the rest of the DVD Studio Pro interface. See Tearing Off a Tab into Its Own Window for more information. Using the Menu Rulers The left and top sides of the Menu Editor can display rulers. When you click within the Menu Editor, marks on the ruler show the pointer’s position. The Alignment pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains configuration settings for the ruler. These settings include whether the rulers are shown and the units they use (pixels, percentage, and so on). See Alignment Preferences for details on setting the ruler’s preferences. To show or hide the menu rulers Do one of the following: μ Select the relevant setting in the Alignment pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. 224 Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus μ Press Command-R. Using Menu Guides You can create horizontal and vertical guides to assist you while creating your menu. The guides are useful when lining up buttons or text on a menu. You can create as many guides as you need, reposition them, and remove them. The guides include a snapping feature that makes it easy to position menu items. The Alignment pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains configuration settings for the guides. These settings include whether the guides are shown and their color. See Alignment Preferences for details on setting the guide’s preferences. To create a guide μ Place the pointer over the top or left ruler, then drag into the Menu Editor. Note: The rulers must be visible before you can add guides to the Menu Editor. To reposition a guide μ Drag the guide where you want it. To hide or show previously created guides Do one of the following: μ Click the Guides button on the Menu Editor. Shows and hides the menu guides. μ Press Command-Semicolon (;). To temporarily disable snapping to the guides while moving an item μ Press Command while dragging the item. This also disables the dynamic guides discussed in the next section, Using Dynamic Guides. To remove a guide μ Drag the guide back to the ruler. Note: Like button outlines, guides are not included when you build your project, so it is not necessary for you to remove them when you are done. Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus 225 Using Dynamic Guides In addition to the menu guides, there are also dynamic guides that automatically appear as you drag menu objects. Dynamic guides make it easy to align menu objects with each other and with the menu’s center. As you move a menu object around, lines appear and the object snaps into position whenever one of its edges or its center is in alignment with another object’s edge or center or the menu’s center. This tool is especially useful when you are creating duplicates of an existing button (by Option-dragging it) and want them all to line up with each other. Only the guide preference’s color setting applies to dynamic guides—they do not disappear when you hide the menu guides. To temporarily hide the dynamic guides and disable their snapping action μ Hold down the Command key while you drag the menu object. Using the Align Objects Feature The align objects feature allows you to select a group of objects and apply an alignment mode to them. For example, you could select three buttons and set them so that their left edges align. The usual way of dragging to select a group of items will not work—you will end up creating a new button. To select multiple menu items Do one of the following: μ To individually select items, hold down the Shift key and click them. μ To select a group of items by dragging, press the Command key while dragging over them. μ To select all items in the Menu Editor, press Command-A. 226 Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus μ To deselect all items, press Command-Shift-A. Once you have the objects selected, you can align them. To use the align objects feature 1 Select the group of objects to align. Note: The last object you select is the reference object that the others align to. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Arrange > Align Objects, then choose the alignment to use (Top, Center, Bottom, Left, Middle, or Right). • Control-click one of the selected objects, then choose the alignment to use (Top, Center, Bottom, Left, Middle, or Right) from Align Objects in the shortcut menu. The objects move to the new alignment. If you get a surprising result, press Command-Z to undo the alignment and verify that you had the right buttons selected and that you selected the reference button last. Using the Distribute Objects Feature The distribute objects feature allows you to select a group of objects and evenly space them between each other. To use the distribute objects feature 1 Select the group of objects to distribute. See Using the Align Objects Feature for details on how to do this. Note: The order that you select the objects does not matter. The objects are distributed between the two outermost objects. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Arrange > Distribute Objects, then choose the distribution method to use (Horizontally or Vertically). • Control-click one of the selected objects, then choose the distribution method to use (Horizontally or Vertically) from Distribute Objects in the shortcut menu. Menu Editor Pop-Up Menus and Tools The Menu Editor tools let you customize the editor to your needs. To show or hide the Menu Editor tools μ Click the dots at the bottom of the Menu Editor. Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus 227 Menu Editor Pop-Up Menus The top of the Menu Editor contains several pop-up menus. • View: Choose the menu you want to open in the Menu Editor from this pop-up menu. This is an alternative to selecting the menu in the Outline or Graphical tab. • Language selection: Choose a language to configure for this menu from the pop-up menu next to the View pop-up menu. See Using Languages with Menus for more information. • Settings: Contains a variety of settings that control what you see in the Menu Editor. • Auto Assign Buttons Now and Auto Assign Buttons Continuously: You can choose to have DVD Studio Pro automatically assign button navigation settings to the current menu configuration or continuously. See Configuring Button Navigation for more information. • Display Background, Display Overlay, and Display Composite: You can choose to show the background or overlay by itself or as a composite image. You can also press Q to step through these options. • Title Safe Area and Action Safe Area: These settings turn on a shaded area around the outside edge of the menu, indicating portions of the menu that may not be viewable on most consumer monitors. Placing buttons or text in these shaded areas can be risky and should be avoided. There are two safe areas: title and action. The title safe area is more constricted, and should be the boundary for items that must be seen by the viewer. All text and buttons should be within this area. The action safe area is closer to the menu edges, and is considered a boundary for items that you would like the viewer to see but are not required. You can also press Command-E to show or hide the title safe area, and Command-Option-E to show or hide the action safe area. • Square Pixels and Rectangle Pixels: You can choose to switch between viewing the menu images with square pixels or scaled to the video aspect ratio (either 4:3 or 16:9). See Understanding Pixel Differences in Graphics and Video for more information. You can also press P to toggle the pixel display type. • Show Single Field: Optimizes playback when using field-based video sources. This is especially important with video that has fast motion, because it reduces the motion artifacts. However, selecting Show Single Field with frame-based video sources results in reduced resolution (edges may appear jagged). 228 Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus Menu Editor Tools The lower part of the Menu Editor contains a variety of buttons. • Arrange controls: These buttons allow you to change the priority of the selected item, letting you control which items have a higher priority by bringing them forward, or by sending lower-priority items to the back. See About Button Numbers for more information. Brings the item to the front, making it the highest priority. Sends the item’s priority one step back. Sends the item to the back, making it the lowest priority. Moves the item’s priority one step up. • Add Submenu, Add Slideshow, and Add Track buttons: These buttons allow you to create a new element in your project and add a button to the current menu that connects to them. You can also press Command-Option-Y to create a submenu, Command-Option-K to create a slideshow, and Command-Option-T to create a new track. Creates an empty slideshow. Creates an empty track. Creates a submenu that uses this menu’s template. The new button added to the menu uses the menu’s default button style. See Setting Default Styles for more information. Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus 229 • Button state selections: These buttons allow you to see the selected button in any of the three states (normal, selected, or activated). You can also press W to step through these options. Shows the selected state. Shows the activated state. Shows the normal state. • Button Outlines button: You can turn on button outlines, which show each button’s active area box and the button name. When your menu has buttons without an asset or shape assigned, turning off button outlines can make them disappear, which can be confusing if you later forget they are there and add them again. • Guides button: You can show or hide the menu guides created when you drag from the rulers into the Menu Editor. This does not affect the dynamic guides that appear when you drag items in the menu. See Using Menu Guides for more information. See Alignment Preferences for details on setting the menu guide preferences. You can also press Command-Semicolon (;) to show or hide these guides. Shows the menu guides. Shows the button outlines. • Motion button: Applies to standard menus only. Use this button to start or stop playback of video and audio assets assigned to the menu. This is useful for motion menus and still menus that include audio, providing a preview of how the motion elements appear. You can also press the Space bar or Command-J to turn the motion on and off. Note: The Motion button in DVD Studio Pro does not work the same way as the similar button in iDVD. In DVD Studio Pro, the Motion button does not have to be active to create a motion menu. It does not affect how the menu will appear when you finish the project and build the title. 230 Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus Starting and Working with a Menu By default, all projects have an empty standard menu for you to start with. You can also add additional menus as needed. Creating a New Menu The following describes how to add a new standard or layered menu to your project. To add a standard menu Do one of the following: μ Choose Project > Add to Project > Menu (or press Command-Y). μ Control-click in the Outline or Graphical tab, choose Add from the shortcut menu, then choose Menu from the submenu. μ Click Add Menu in the toolbar. A new standard menu is added to the project, with the name “Menu _,” where “_” is the number of that menu. You can rename menus, making it easier to locate specific ones. To add a layered menu Do one of the following: μ Choose Project > Add to Project > Layered Menu (or press Command-Shift-Y). μ Control-click in the Outline or Graphical tab, choose Add from the shortcut menu, then choose Layered Menu from the submenu. μ Click Add Layered Menu in the toolbar. A new layered menu is added to the project, with the name “Menu _,” where “_” is the number of that menu. You can rename menus, making it easier to locate specific ones. You can also create a new standard submenu from an existing menu (standard or layered) by clicking the Add Submenu button in the Menu Editor. Creates an empty slideshow. Creates an empty track. Creates a submenu that uses this menu’s template. This creates a new menu based on the original menu, using its background, buttons, and other settings. This also adds a new button to the existing menu that is linked to the new submenu. Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus 231 Opening a Menu To work with a menu, you need to open the Menu Editor for that menu. You can do so from the Outline tab, the Graphical tab, or within the Menu Editor. To open a menu from the Outline tab 1 Click the Outline tab. 2 Click the disclosure triangle next to Menus to display a list of current menus (if they are not already visible). 3 Select a menu by clicking its name. The menu appears in the Menu Editor, and the Inspector switches to show the menu’s settings. If the Menu Editor is not visible, you can double-click the menu’s name in the Outline tab to make it appear. To open a menu from the Graphical tab 1 Click the Graphical tab. 2 Select a menu by clicking its tile. The menu appears in the Menu Editor, and the Inspector switches to show the menu’s settings. If the Menu Editor is not visible, you can double-click the menu’s tile in the Graphical tab to make it appear. To choose a menu in the Menu Editor μ Choose the menu to open from the View pop-up menu, located along the top of the Menu Editor. The menu appears in the Menu Editor, and the Inspector switches to show the menu’s settings. Naming a Menu As you add menus to your project, you should rename them to make it easier to locate and group them. To rename a menu Do one of the following: μ In the Outline tab, select the menu, click its name, then type the new name. μ In the Graphical tab, select the menu tile, double-click its name, then type the new name. μ Select the menu in the Outline tab, the Graphical tab, or the Menu Editor, then enter the new name in the Name field of the Menu Inspector. Adding Assets to a Menu There are several ways to add assets to a menu: • Drag an asset to the Menu Editor. See Dragging Assets to the Menu Editor for details. 232 Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus • Apply a template or style from the Palette. See Applying a Template or Style for details. • Select the assets in the Menu Inspector. See Creating Menus Using the Standard Method or Creating Menus Using the Layered Method for details. Dragging Assets to the Menu Editor One way to add an asset to a menu is to drag the asset to the Menu Editor, and then use the Drop Palette to assign the asset a function. You can drag the asset from the Assets tab, the Palette, or from the Finder. You can also drag tracks, menus, and slideshows from the Outline or Graphical tab. When you drag an asset, the Drop Palette appears after a short delay to let you choose what function the asset will serve. For example, if you drag a still graphic, the menu may offer the options of using it as a background, an overlay, or a button. The top item in the Drop Palette is the default function. If you drag an asset or element to the Menu Editor and release it before the Drop Palette appears, the default function is applied. Viewing the Drop Palette The Drop Palette appears when you drag items to the Menu Editor. To see the Drop Palette μ Drag the asset to the Menu Editor. When it’s positioned exactly where you want it, hold the asset there while you keep the mouse button pressed. The Menu pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains a setting that controls the length of the delay before the Drop Palette appears. See Menu Preferences for more information. Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus 233 The options in the Drop Palette depend on the type of asset you are dragging, whether you drag it to a button or an empty area of the menu, and the type of menu (standard or layered). For example, if you drag a video asset to an existing button, the Drop Palette provides the options of linking the video to the button and creating a track for it. If you drag the same asset to an empty part of the menu, the Drop Palette contains options for either using the video as the background, or adding a button at that location and linking it to the video. • If you drag an asset and you don’t see the options you expect in the Drop Palette: You may not have dragged it to the right place. Continue holding down the mouse button and drag the asset to the correct location. • If you drag to the menu but do not wait for the Drop Palette to appear: A default action is applied. • If you select an option that creates a new button on the menu: That button will use the default button style assigned to that menu. This style can determine whether or not the new button shows a thumbnail image of the asset. • If you are dragging multiple assets or elements and will be creating multiple buttons: The new buttons will be stacked together. To avoid problems with having overlapping buttons on a menu, be sure to drag them away from each other after they have been created. See Options in the Drop Palette for Standard Menus and Options in the Drop Palette for Layered Menus for a complete list of Drop Palette options and details on what they do. About Dragging Video and Audio Assets Together Several of the Drop Palette options only appear when you select and drag a video/audio asset pair. A video/audio asset pair is created when you select a video asset, and then hold down the Command key and select a companion audio asset. (There are also other ways to select an asset pair, depending on where you are dragging from.) Having Audio Automatically Follow the Video If you drag a motion video asset by itself to the Menu Editor and choose an option from the Drop Palette that supports audio, DVD Studio Pro checks to see if there is an audio asset in the same folder with the same basic name as the video asset. If the option does support audio (such as creating a track or setting a menu’s background), and an audio file is not already assigned to the target element, DVD Studio Pro can automatically add the audio asset to the element, depending on the “Find matching audio when dragging” setting in the Track pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. Note: You can override the “Find matching audio when dragging” preferences setting by pressing the Command key after you start dragging the video asset. 234 Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus If you drag a QuickTime movie, from a Finder window or the Video tab in the Palette, that contains both video and audio to the Menu Editor, it is treated as if it were a video/audio pair, with both the video and audio being added to the element. Selecting Multiple Menu Items As you create your menus, there will be times when you need to select multiple menu items, such as buttons, drop zones, or text objects, so that they can all be moved, deleted, or have an attribute applied. The usual way of dragging to select a group of items will not work—you will end up creating a new button. To select multiple menu items Do one of the following: μ To individually select items, hold down the Shift key and click them. μ To select a group of items by dragging, press the Command key while dragging over them. Any currently selected items are deselected first. Press the Command-Shift keys while dragging to keep any currently selected items selected. μ To select all items in the Menu Editor, press Command-A. μ To deselect all items, press Command-Shift-A. Copying Menu Items You are able to copy menu items, such as buttons, drop zones, and text objects, within an existing menu or from one menu to another. You can even copy multiple items at once. See Selecting Multiple Menu Items for more information. The copied items retain all attributes of their original, including assigned assets and, in the case of buttons, their target settings. The new items have a higher priority than the original items. See About Button Numbers for information on how you can modify the item priorities. There are several issues that can cause a copy operation to fail. • You are not allowed to copy items that are incompatible with their destination (such as copying a drop zone to a layered menu). • You are not allowed to copy buttons to a menu that would cause it to exceed the maximum allowed number of buttons. Menus with a 4:3 aspect ratio can have a maximum of 36 buttons. Menus with a 16:9 aspect ratio can have a maximum of 18 buttons. Copying Items by Dragging You can copy one or more items within a menu by selecting them and then dragging them to a new location. To copy one or more items within a menu by dragging 1 Select the items to be copied. Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus 235 2 Press the Option key, then drag the items to their new position. If multiple items are selected, they all move as a group, maintaining their relationships to each other. Using Copy, Cut, and Paste You can use the Copy and Paste commands to copy items within a menu and between menus. To copy one or more items using the Copy and Paste commands 1 Select the items to be copied. 2 Choose Edit > Copy (or press Command-C). This copies the selected items to the Clipboard. The selected items are not affected. 3 Select the menu where you want to paste the copied items. 4 Choose Edit > Paste (or press Command-V). If no items are selected in the menu before you paste the copied items, the copied items are placed in the same locations as the originals. If an item is selected in the menu before you paste the copied items, the copied items are positioned relative to the selected item with a small offset. You can use the Paste command multiple times after using the Copy command. This makes it easy to add a button to multiple menus. To move one or more menu items using cut and paste 1 Select the items to be moved. 2 Choose Edit > Cut (or press Command-X). This copies the items to the Clipboard and removes the items from the current menu. 3 Select the menu where you want to paste the cut items. 4 Choose Edit > Paste (or press Command-V). This is most useful when you are moving menu items from one menu to another. Moving and Resizing Menu Items There are a number of methods you can use to move or resize your buttons, drop zones, and text objects in your menu. To move the item by dragging μ Click inside the dashed lines and drag it to the new position. To move the item by dragging in one direction only (horizontal or vertical) μ Press the Shift key, then drag the item. 236 Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus To move the item by dragging with snapping and the dynamic guides temporarily disabled μ Press Command, then drag the item. To move the item using the arrow keys Do one of the following: μ Select the item and press the arrow keys to move it one pixel at a time. μ Press Shift and the arrow keys to move it 10 pixels at a time. μ Press Shift-Option and the arrow keys to move it 20 pixels at a time. To move a button or drop zone μ Use the Coordinates & Size area in the Advanced tab in the Button Inspector or in the Drop Zone Inspector to precisely set a button’s or drop zone’s size and position. To move an item’s edge μ Click the resize handle at the center of the edge and drag it to the new position. This changes the item’s size. To move an item’s corner (which moves two edges at once) μ Click the resize handle at the corner and drag it to the new position. This also changes the item’s size. To change a button’s or drop zone’s size while maintaining the button’s aspect ratio μ Shift-drag an edge or corner. See Working with Assets in Buttons and Drop Zones for more information. To change a button’s or drop zone’s size while keeping the button centered at its current location μ Click an edge or corner, start dragging, then press the Option key. To delete an item μ Select it (resize handles appear on its dashed line), then press the Delete key. Verifying Your Menus As you create your menus, you will want to verify several aspects of them: • Button connections: Do the buttons connect to the correct project elements? • Button navigation: As you navigate around the menu’s buttons using the arrow keys, does the button selection follow a logical path? • Menu aspect ratios and languages: Does the menu perform correctly with different displays and DVD player languages? Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus 237 Verifying Button Connections Each button’s Target setting (set in the Button Inspector) states its connection. Sometimes, however, the names of the various project elements can make it easy to choose a target that is not the one intended. For this reason, it’s important to verify the connections are correct. There are two ways you can do this: • Double-clicking the button in the Menu Editor: If you double-click a button that is connected to a different menu, the Menu Editor automatically switches to show that menu. If you double-click a button connected to a track, story, or slideshow, the appropriate editor opens to that element and the Viewer prepares to play it (all you need to do is click its play button). • Simulating the menu: You can simulate the menu by either Control-clicking in the Menu Editor, then choosing Simulate from the shortcut menu, or Control-clicking the menu in the Outline or Graphical tab, then choosing Simulate from the shortcut menu. This forces the Simulator to start at this menu instead of the First Play connection, as it does when started from the toolbar. Verifying Button Navigation To verify button navigation, you need to use the Simulator. Either Control-click in the Menu Editor, then choose Simulate from the shortcut menu, or Control-click the menu in the Outline or Graphical tab, then choose Simulate from the shortcut menu. You can now use the Simulator’s arrow keys to verify the navigation and highlight settings. Verifying Menu Aspect Ratios and Languages When you create menus using the 16:9 aspect ratio or multiple languages, you can use the Simulator to verify the menu configurations. In DVD Studio Pro Preferences, you can configure the Simulator to mimic a 16:9, 4:3 letterbox, or 4:3 pan-scan display. You can also configure the default language settings of the Simulator. Once you have configured the Simulator preferences, Control-click the menu’s name in the Outline or Graphical tab, then choose Simulate from the shortcut menu. About Chapter Index Menus When you drag a video asset, track, or slideshow to the Menu Editor, you are given the option of creating a chapter index menu. A chapter index menu is created automatically and has buttons linked to the asset’s and track’s markers or the slides in a slideshow. How the chapter index menu is created depends on the menu already in the Menu Editor: • If the menu does not contain any buttons, text objects, or drop zones: That menu becomes the first chapter index menu (with additional chapter index menus added if more buttons are needed). • If the menu contains one or more buttons (whether you drag to them or not): A new menu is created to become the first chapter index menu (with additional chapter index menus added if more buttons are needed). 238 Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus When you create a chapter index menu, a Choose Template or Layout Style dialog appears. You use this dialog to select a template or layout style to provide the template for what the menu will look like. The template or layout style you select defines: • How many buttons are on a menu • Where the buttons are placed • What shape the buttons use • The navigation between the buttons • Whether the marker names are used as button text • Whether the marker’s video is used as a button asset Templates can also define the menu background, assign an audio asset to the menu, and add text objects, such as a title. If there are more markers or slides than buttons on the template or layout style you select, additional chapter index menus are created. Templates and layout styles can also include buttons that do not get markers assigned to them. These are special-purpose buttons that you can use to provide navigation between the chapter index menu and other menus in your project. Once the chapter index menu (or menus) are created, you need to configure the navigation between each of them and the other menus in your project. For example, you would need to provide a way to access the main menu from each chapter index menu, as well as access to the chapter index menus from the main menu. DVD Studio Pro can automatically configure the navigation if you use the correct special-purpose buttons. See Applying Templates or Layout Styles to a Menu with Buttons for information on how button attributes affect the creation of chapter index menus. Additionally, you can modify any aspect of the chapter index menu that the template or layout style you chose defined. For example, you can move the buttons around, change their shapes, and add additional ones. Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus 239 DVD Studio Pro includes several templates and layout styles you can choose from, and you can also create some of your own. See Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus to learn more about templates and styles. About the First Marker Button in a Chapter Index Menu DVD Studio Pro automatically adds the first marker to all tracks. It is named “Start” when the track is created by dragging a video asset to the Menu Editor. (When the asset is dragged to the Track Editor, the name is based on the marker naming settings in the Track pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences.) When you create a chapter index menu, the first button linked to a marker is linked to the “Start” marker set by DVD Studio Pro. Because this marker is at the start of the track, pressing this button plays the track from its beginning. If the marker names appear on your chapter index menu’s buttons, you may want to edit this button’s text to better describe its function. 240 Chapter 12 Introduction to Creating Menus Standard menus provide the most flexibility when you create menus. You can choose to use static or full-motion backgrounds, audio, text objects, and drop zones. This chapter covers the following: • About Standard Menus (p. 242) • Choosing the Menu’s Background (p. 243) • Choosing the Menu’s Overlay (p. 246) • Understanding Color Mapping (p. 248) • Configuring the Menu Inspector for Standard Menus (p. 256) • Adding Buttons to Your Menu (p. 265) • Configuring Button Navigation (p. 281) • Adding Drop Zones to Your Menu (p. 285) • Working with Assets in Buttons and Drop Zones (p. 288) • Adding Text Objects to a Menu (p. 288) • Adding Audio to a Menu (p. 291) • Configuring the Menu’s Drop Shadow Settings (p. 292) • Configuring Motion Menu Settings (p. 293) • Options in the Drop Palette for Standard Menus (p. 296) • Drop Palette for Standard Menus—Dragging Assets (p. 296) • Drop Palette for Standard Menus—Dragging Project Elements (p. 304) • Drop Palette for Standard Menus—Dragging Templates and Styles (p. 309) 241 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 13 About Standard Menus When creating a menu using the standard method, you have a wide variety of options: • Choosing the background: You need to assign an asset as the menu background. This can be a still graphic or a full-motion video image. It can contain art and text that represents the buttons, or it can be plain, relying on an overlay, shapes, drop zones, and the Menu Editor’s text capability to provide background and button art. • Choosing the overlay: Although an overlay graphic is not required for a menu, you typically use one to provide art for selected and activated button states, and in some cases, for the normal state as well. If you do not choose an overlay, DVD Studio Pro generates a full-screen white frame to be used in its place. • Using shapes: You can use shapes either in place of the overlay, or in conjunction with it. • Adding drop zones: You can add graphic elements to your background by creating drop zones and assigning assets to them. • Adding text: You can type text onto the background. This text can be used to create button labels, add titles to the menu, or provide viewing instructions. • Adding drop shadows: You can configure the menu’s drop shadow settings and apply them to the menu’s shapes, drop zones, and text. • Configuring motion settings: In addition to the menu’s background, you can use motion video in the shapes and drop zones. You choose whether the video loops once it reaches the end. • Adding audio: You can assign one or more audio assets to the menu. You can also simplify the standard method by using the templates and styles feature and choosing from the provided elements or adding your own. See Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus for more information. 242 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method About Menu Rendering Depending on how you create your standard menus, they may have to be rendered into an MPEG-2 video asset when you build your project. The menu must be rendered if it uses any of the following: • Assets assigned to a button • Shapes • Drop zones • Text objects • SIF (MPEG-1 or MPEG-2), 1/2 D1, or cropped D1 video Standard menus that only use a background (whether still or video), an overlay, and one or more audio files do not get rendered. Whether the menu gets rendered or not can be important for a couple of reasons: • The time it takes: Rendering menus is a process that composites all of the menu elements, one frame at a time, and creates an MPEG-2 file out of these composited frames. Depending on your system and the length of your menus, this can take a significant amount of time to process. See Menu Preferences for more information. • Extra processing can affect video: If your menu background video must be rendered, the extra processing has the potential to change the video a small amount. Anytime you decode compressed video, process it (such as by compositing shapes or text over it), then recompress it, you can expect some subtle changes to the background video. In those cases where you have meticulously encoded your background video before assigning it to a menu, this extra processing could noticeably change the video. When SD menus are rendered, they are encoded at 7 Mbps using the one-pass VBR method. HD menus are rendered at 21 Mbps using the one-pass VBR method. Choosing the Menu’s Background The first step in creating a menu is to choose its background. The menu background can be a still image or a video clip. Still Images for Backgrounds You can use a wide variety of graphic formats as still backgrounds in DVD Studio Pro. See Using Your Graphics Program for a list of supported formats. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 243 For best quality, be sure your graphic: • Matches the menu’s resolution and aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9): If you are creating 16:9 menus in SD projects, or with the 720 x 480p, 720 x 576p, or 1440 x 1080i HD resolutions in HD projects, be sure the graphic is anamorphic. See Creating Graphics to Use in Menus and Choosing an Aspect Ratio for details. • Conforms to the broadcast video color space: Graphics that look stunning in your graphics program can look very different when viewed on DVD. Most graphics applications let you scale colors to NTSC or PAL color space. DVD Studio Pro automatically scales the size of the background graphic to fit the frame size if necessary. This can result in the menu’s background color being visible along some edges. Note: The color of an empty menu’s background can be set in the Menu pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. By default this color is set to dark gray. Video Clips for Backgrounds Assigning a video clip as a menu’s background creates a motion menu. The video can be an animation or live action. Often the video is actually a still background with several small moving images representing scenes you can jump to. See Creating Video for Motion Menus for more information on creating the video. You can choose what happens when a menu’s video clip reaches its end: • It can simply stop, displaying a still image of the last frame. • It can loop, jumping from the end back to a point in the video clip that you choose. It is common for a menu’s video clip to have a relatively complicated introduction—perhaps with the buttons flying in and a piece of dialogue providing the audio—and then resolve into a mostly still graphic, with lights flickering or objects moving in a repetitive way. This kind of design makes it easier to create a loop that jumps from the end back to the loop point as smoothly as possible. See Configuring Motion Menu Settings for more information on setting looping options. Assigning a Background to a Menu There are several ways to assign a background to a menu. Use the method that you feel most comfortable with. In all cases, these methods also replace an existing background. Assigning a Menu Background Using the Inspector You can assign a menu background using the Inspector. With this method, you can only choose from assets already imported into DVD Studio Pro. To assign a menu background using the Inspector 1 Select the menu and make sure the Menu Inspector displays the menu properties. 244 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 2 Choose a background from the Background pop-up menu. The selected file appears as the menu background. Assigning a Menu Background by Dragging You can assign a background to a menu by dragging the asset from the Assets tab, the Palette, or a Finder window. To assign a menu background by dragging it to the Menu Editor 1 Select the menu in the Outline or Graphical tab or choose it from the Menu Editor’s View pop-up menu to display it in the Menu Editor. 2 Locate the background file you want to use in the Assets tab, Palette, or Finder window. 3 Drag the asset to an empty part of the Menu Editor and pause until the Drop Palette appears. 4 Choose Set Background from the Drop Palette. The background appears in the Menu Editor. To assign a menu background by dragging it to the Outline or Graphical tab 1 Select the menu in the Outline or Graphical tab or choose it from the Menu Editor’s View pop-up menu to display it in the Menu Editor. 2 Locate the background file you want to use in the Assets tab, Palette, or Finder window. 3 Assign the background file to the menu by dragging it to the menu’s name in the Outline tab or the menu’s tile in the Graphical tab. A box appears around the name or tile to let you know the menu will receive the background file. The background appears in the Menu Editor when you release the mouse button. Choosing a Menu’s Background from a Layered Photoshop File You can choose a layer (or several) from an Adobe Photoshop format (PSD) file to use as the menu background. One PSD file can supply backgrounds and overlays for several menus. To choose a menu background from a PSD file 1 Either create a new menu or select an existing one. 2 Click the Menu tab in the Menu Inspector. 3 Assign the PSD as the menu’s background by doing one of the following: • Choose it from the Background Asset pop-up menu in the Menu Inspector. • Drag it to the Menu Editor and choose Set Background from the Drop Palette. The PSD file’s layer names appear in the Background area of the General tab. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 245 4 Select the checkboxes next to the layers that make up the background. Select these checkboxes to make the layers part of the background. Choosing the Menu’s Overlay The second step in creating a menu is to choose its overlay (if you are using one). The overlay is a graphic that defines what kind of highlight appears when the viewer selects each button using the DVD player’s remote control, and where each button’s highlights occur on the menu. The highlight can be an outline of the button, an underline, or even text. Note: If you intend to use shapes to create your menu buttons, you do not need to choose an overlay file. You can use an overlay file and shapes in the same menu. There are two types of overlays you can use when creating your menus: • Simple overlay graphics: These have a single highlight color. Simple overlays use white where they will be transparent, and black to define the highlight areas. • Advanced overlay graphics: These can have up to four colors or shades of gray, depending on the mapping type you intend to use. Using advanced overlays, you have multiple highlight colors appear when selecting or activating buttons. A single overlay graphic provides the highlights for all buttons. When creating your buttons, you must single out each button’s active area to ensure that when the viewer selects a button, only its part of the overlay graphic is highlighted. The overlay typically provides the art only for each button’s selected and activated states. It can also provide the art for the normal state, but this state is most often incorporated into the background, allowing for very nice-looking, 24-bit resolution buttons. An advanced overlay’s four-color limit, and especially a simple overlay’s one-color limit, greatly restrict the visual quality of normal-state buttons. The four colors used in an advanced overlay depend on the mapping type used for the overlay: • Chroma: The overlay must use the colors black, red, blue, and white, with white typically being the background color. • Grayscale: The overlay must use the colors black, dark gray, light gray, and white. White is usually used as the background color. 246 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method The Mapping Type setting in the Menu Inspector’s Colors tab indicates the type of overlay you are using. If colors other than those specified are present in the overlay, they are mapped to their closest equivalents, which can produce surprising results. Use care to include only the specified colors when creating your overlays. See Creating Overlays for details on creating overlay graphics, including the color values used by the chroma and grayscale mapping types. It is important to understand that the actual colors used in the overlay, whether you use the chroma or grayscale method, are not what appear as the highlights in the menu. They only identify where the actual highlight colors should appear. DVD Studio Pro uses color mapping to set the highlight colors. See Understanding Color Mapping to learn more about color mapping. Assigning a Menu Overlay Using the Inspector You can assign a menu overlay using the Inspector. With this method, you can only choose from assets already imported into DVD Studio Pro. To assign a menu overlay using the Inspector 1 Select the menu and make sure the Menu Inspector displays the menu properties. 2 Click the General tab in the Menu Inspector (if it’s not already visible). 3 Choose an overlay from the Overlay File pop-up menu. The selected file is assigned as the menu overlay. Depending on other menu settings, you may not see any changes in the Menu Editor. Assigning a Menu Overlay by Dragging You can assign an overlay to a menu by dragging it from the Assets tab, the Palette, or a Finder window. To assign a menu overlay by dragging it to the Menu Editor 1 Select the menu in the Outline or Graphical tab or choose it from the Menu Editor’s View pop-up menu to display it in the Menu Editor. 2 Locate the overlay file you want to use in the Assets tab, Palette, or Finder window. 3 Drag the asset to an empty part of the Menu Editor and pause until the Drop Palette appears. 4 Choose Set Overlay from the Drop Palette. The selected file is assigned as the menu overlay. Depending on other menu settings, you may not see any changes in the Menu Editor. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 247 Choosing a Menu Overlay from a Layered Photoshop File You can choose a layer from an Adobe Photoshop format (PSD) file to use as the menu overlay. One PSD file can supply backgrounds and overlays for several menus. To choose a menu overlay from a PSD file 1 Either create a new menu or select an existing one. 2 Click the General tab in the Menu Inspector. 3 Assign the PSD asset as the menu’s overlay by doing one of the following: • Choose it from the Overlay File pop-up menu in the Menu Inspector. • Drag it to the Menu Editor and choose Set Overlay from the Drop Palette. 4 Choose the layer to use as the overlay from the Overlay Layer pop-up menu. Choose the overlay file. Choose the overlay layer. Understanding Color Mapping Color mapping is the process of assigning highlight colors with transparency values to the colors used in an overlay. The colors you assign can be different for each of the three button states (normal, selected, and activated). You can use two types of overlays: a simple one that uses a single overlay color and an advanced one that uses up to four overlay colors. For many menus, a simple overlay will provide what you need with minimal complexity. You may find, however, that an advanced overlay provides greater flexibility when you are creating complicated menus. Differences Between Simple and Advanced Overlays The simple and advanced overlays differ primarily in how they use the overlay file. • For simple overlays: The color white in the overlay graphic is set to be transparent—this cannot be changed. The only other color allowed is black. If you add a graphic element that has a soft glow or has been anti-aliased, the areas that are not black or white appear with additional highlight colors (controlled by the advanced overlay color mapping settings). You get to choose a highlight color and its transparency for each of the three button states (normal, selected, and advanced). See Creating Simple Overlays for more information. • For advanced overlays: You can use up to four colors when creating your overlay graphic. When setting up the color mapping, you assign a highlight color and transparency to each of the four overlay colors, for each of the three button states. This allows you to create much more varied looks to the menu. For example, you do not need to make all highlight colors for a button the same color. Using an advanced overlay can also allow you to take advantage of anti-aliased edges. 248 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Both simple and advanced overlays use the same color mapping palette and color mapping sets. When you map a color in a simple overlay, you are also mapping the color to the black overlay color in the advanced overlay. You can use simple overlay mapping for some buttons and advanced overlay mapping for other buttons on the same menu. Color Mapping Palette The DVD specification allows a single 16-color palette to be assigned to each menu. This palette provides the colors used by the overlay to create the three button states. You can set each of the 16 colors and save the palette as the default palette for DVD Studio Pro. You can also create a different palette for each menu. Note: Avoid choosing highly saturated colors. All colors used in your project must conform to broadcast limits. If necessary, the colors are restricted during playback and you may find the colors you configured do not match those used in the title. Setting the Colors in the Color Palette You set each of the 16 colors in the palette independently. To set a palette color 1 Select the menu and make sure the Menu Inspector displays the menu properties. 2 Click the Colors tab in the Menu Inspector. 3 Click Edit Palette at the bottom of the Colors tab. The Color Palette window appears. 4 Select the color you want to change. The Colors window appears. 5 Select the color-choosing method you want to use, then choose the color. See Methods for Choosing Colors for information on the different methods. 6 As you choose your color, the color in the palette also changes. To change another color in the palette, select it in the Color Palette and repeat the above process. Click the close button once you have set the colors in the Color Palette. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 249 In the Colors tab in the Menu Inspector, clicking the Save as Default button makes this set of colors the DVD Studio Pro default palette, and it will be used in all menus and projects created from now on (until it is changed again). Clicking Restore to Default overrides any changes you have made to this palette and sets it to match the default palette. Note: Although they are identical in how they appear and work, the Color Palette used for subtitles is independent of the one used for menus. Methods for Choosing Colors DVD Studio Pro uses the standard Mac OS X Colors window. The window provides a variety of methods for choosing your colors, including a magnifying glass for grabbing colors from anywhere on your system’s display. See Mac Help for information on using the Colors window. Color Mapping Sets While the DVD specification limits you to 4 colors in a menu overlay and 16 colors in a menu’s palette, you can use those colors in different ways on each button on a menu. DVD Studio Pro lets you choose from three color mapping sets for each button. Each set uses the same Color Palette, but allows you to assign different colors and transparencies to each overlay color for the selected and activated states of the buttons. There are two reasons you might want to do this: • To include buttons with different highlight colors on the same menu • To get around problems with overlapping buttons Both the Menu and Button Inspectors have tabs with color mapping settings. The settings you make in the Colors tab in the Menu Inspector affect all buttons that you have created and will create for that menu. All buttons use color mapping set 1 when first created. Once a button has been created, its properties appear in the Button Inspector. You can select a different color mapping set (2 or 3) for this button in the Style tab. You can also change the color mapping settings (for example, picking a different color for the selected state of overlay color 2) in the Colors tab. However, this affects all buttons that use that setting, not just the current button. 250 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method The illustration below shows a menu with six buttons. The menu uses the three color mapping sets to group buttons with similar functions. Color map set 1 Color map set 1 Color map set 1 Color map set 1 Credits OK! Bonus OK! Color map set 2 Color map set 3 Play Movie Select Scene Trailers Cast Bios OK! OK! OK! OK! Using Simple Overlay Color Mapping Simple overlays have one color setting for each button state (normal, selected, and activated). All white areas of the overlay graphic are automatically set to be transparent—all black areas become a highlight area. You can use palettes and color mapping sets with a simple overlay. The following steps show you how to set up color mapping for a menu when using a simple overlay. Once you start creating buttons (described in Adding Buttons to Your Menu), you will be able to select the color mapping sets for them. To set up color mapping for a menu using a simple overlay 1 Select a menu that has a background and overlay assigned. The Menu Inspector appears. 2 Click the Colors tab in the Menu Inspector. 3 Select Simple next to Overlay Colors. 4 In the Menu Editor, choose Display Composite from the Settings pop-up menu to see the normal color settings take effect as you set them. (You will not see the selected and activated settings take effect until you start creating buttons.) 5 Set the color and opacity settings for the normal selection state. • To choose the color: Open the Color pop-up menu and choose a color from the 16-color palette that appears. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 251 • To set the opacity: Either enter a new value in the fields to the right of the Opacity slider, or drag the sliders. The values range from 0 (completely transparent) to 15 (completely opaque). Select Simple or Advanced, depending on the overlay you are using. Select the color mapping set to configure. Set the highlight’s opacity. Choose a color for each button state. Set the normal color settings based on whether the background includes the normal button graphics. • If the normal button graphics are included in the background: Set the opacity for the Normal color to 0 (completely transparent). • If the normal graphics are not included in the background: Set the opacity and select the color so that the buttons appear as intended. 6 Select Selected and Activated under Selection States and set the highlight color settings for the selected and activated states. You will not see any of these settings take effect until you start creating buttons. You can configure the settings for all three of the color mapping sets by selecting their buttons (1, 2, and 3). Note: If you set the Normal opacity to 15 and see other colors around the edges of items in the overlay graphic, the graphic has anti-aliased edges. To prevent the extra colors from appearing, you should either correct the overlay graphic or use the advanced overlay method. Using Advanced Overlay Color Mapping Using an advanced overlay, you can map highlight colors to up to four overlay colors. You choose one of two mapping types for the overlay graphic (chroma or grayscale), based on how you created the overlay graphic. See Creating Overlays for details. 252 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Because advanced overlays can have up to four colors, you’re more likely to use them to create the normal button states (in addition to the selected and activated states) than you would be with a simple overlay. The following sections describe strategies you can use for each button state. Normal State Normal settings determine what a button looks like when not selected or activated. They apply to the entire overlay graphic, not just the areas identified by the button active areas. • If the normal state of the button is part of the background (the overlay does not provide button graphics): You generally set the opacity for each of the overlay colors to 0, making them invisible (and making the highlight colors mapped to them unimportant). • If the normal state of the button is not part of the background (the overlay provides the button graphics): You need to assign a color and opacity for each overlay color for the normal state. Selected State To avoid viewer confusion, it is important to clearly show that a button has been selected. The way you do this depends on whether the normal state of the button is part of the background. • If the normal state of the button is part of the background: The overlay typically provides a highlight by adding something to the existing button, such as an outline or a small graphic (for example, a checkmark, logo, or some text). • If the normal state of the button is not part of the background: You can change the colors and transparency of the overlay colors used for the normal state button. For example, you could have one of the overlay colors be transparent in the normal state and appear as an additional graphic in the selected state. Activated State The activated state, like the selected state, must appear clearly to the user. However, the activated state generally appears for only a short time—the amount of time it takes the DVD to process the button’s action. The following is an example of an advanced overlay, showing only one button and using the grayscale mode. Play Movie OK! Light gray checkmark Dark gray name Black “OK!” White background Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 253 This overlay uses a white background, main text that is dark gray, a light gray checkmark, and a black “OK!” Using color mapping, you can control how each of these elements appears in each of the three states. Overlay color Normal state Selected state Activated state Black Transparent Transparent Yellow, opaque Dark gray Yellow, opaque Yellow, opaque Brown, opaque Light gray Transparent Green, opaque Transparent White Transparent Transparent Transparent In the above example, for the normal state only the main text (using the dark gray overlay color settings) is visible, with its color set to yellow. When the button is selected, a green checkmark (using the light gray overlay color settings) appears. When activated, the checkmark disappears, the text turns brown, and a yellow “OK!” (using the black overlay color settings) appears. Setting Up a Menu’s Color Mapping Using an Advanced Overlay The following steps show you how to set up color mapping for a menu when using an advanced overlay. Once you start creating buttons (described in Adding Overlay-Based Buttons), you will be able to select the color mapping sets for them separately. To set up color mapping for a menu using an advanced overlay 1 Select a menu that has a background and overlay assigned. The Menu Inspector appears. 2 Click the Colors tab in the Menu Inspector. 3 Select Advanced next to Overlay Colors. 4 Set the Mapping Type to either Chroma or Grayscale, depending on how the overlay was created. 5 Select Normal under the Selection State. 6 In the Menu Editor, choose Display Composite from the Settings pop-up menu to see the normal color settings take effect as you set them. (You will not see the selected and activated settings take effect until you start creating buttons.) 7 Set the color and opacity settings for the normal selection state. • To choose the color: Open the Color pop-up menu and choose a color from the 16-color palette that appears. • To set the opacity: Either enter a new value in the fields to the right of the Opacity sliders, or drag the slider next to the value. The values range from 0 (completely transparent) to 15 (completely opaque). 254 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 8 Set the normal color settings based on whether the background includes the normal button graphics. • If normal button graphics are included in the background: Set the opacity for each overlay color to 0 (completely transparent). • If normal graphics are not included in the background: Set the opacity and select the color for each overlay color so that the buttons appear as desired. 9 Select Selected and Activated under Selection State and set the highlight color settings for the selected and activated states. You will not see any of these settings take effect until you start creating buttons. You can configure the settings for all three of the color mapping sets by selecting their buttons (1, 2, and 3). Using an Advanced Overlay to Support Anti-Aliasing Instead of using the advanced overlay’s four colors to create multiple color highlights, you can use them to create pseudo-soft edges and take advantage of anti-aliased graphics. This requires you to use the grayscale method, using either white elements on a black background or black elements on a white background. The soft or anti-aliased edges are mapped to the dark and light gray overlay colors. By mapping the same color to each overlay color, but at reduced opacities on the dark and light gray overlay colors that occur at the edges, you can effectively simulate soft or anti-aliased edges. To configure an advanced overlay for anti-aliased edges 1 Select a menu that has a background and overlay with anti-aliased edges assigned. The Menu Inspector appears. 2 Click the Colors tab in the Menu Inspector. 3 Select Advanced next to Overlay Colors. 4 Set the Mapping Type to Grayscale. 5 Select Normal under the Selection State. 6 In the Menu Editor, choose Display Composite from the Settings pop-up menu to see the normal color settings take effect as you set them. (You will not see the selected and activated settings take effect until you start creating buttons.) 7 If the overlay should appear in the normal selection state, set the color and opacity settings as follows: • Choose the same color from the Color pop-up menus for each of the overlay colors. • Set the opacity for the primary overlay color (usually black) to 15. • Set the opacity for the next overlay color (dark gray) to 10. • Set the opacity for the next overlay color (light gray) to 5. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 255 If the overlay should not appear in the normal selection state, set the opacity settings to 0 for each overlay color. 8 Select Selected and Activated under Selection State and set the highlight color settings for the selected and activated states. Set the color and opacity settings using the same method used in step 7. You will not see these settings take effect until you create buttons on the menu. Configuring the Menu Inspector for Standard Menus The tabs within the Menu Inspector provide a variety of menu configuration settings. These settings control everything from background and overlay configuration, to transition and timeout settings. The Menu Inspector has five tabs: General, Menu, Transition, Colors, and Advanced. The Colors tab changes depending on whether you are using simple or advanced overlay color mapping. Settings at the Top of the Menu Inspector for Standard Menus There are three settings at the top of the Menu Inspector: • Name: Enter the name for this menu. • Est. Size: Displays the estimated amount of disc space the menu requires based on the type and duration of the assigned assets. • Background: Choose the menu’s background. See Choosing the Menu’s Background for more information. 256 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method General Tab in the Menu Inspector for Standard Menus The General tab in the Menu Inspector is divided into four sections: The upper section contains basic menu settings, the next section contains settings for motion menus and menu timeout actions, the next section contains the overlay selection settings, and the bottom section contains the audio file settings. Motion menu settings Audio settings Menu timeout and jump actions Overlay selections Motion Menu Settings The motion menu settings apply whenever you assign a video asset as the menu’s background or add audio to the menu. See Configuring Motion Menu Settings for more details on these settings. • Start: Defines the starting frame for the motion background. Use either the slider or timecode field to set this value. • Loop Point: Defines the frame that is jumped back to when the motion background is looped. By default this frame is set to be the same as the Start timecode. This is also the point where button highlights appear and the viewer can begin navigating the buttons. (Because button highlights are still images, you may want to delay their appearance until the buttons stop moving if you are flying them onto the screen.) Use either the slider or timecode field to set this value. This value can also be set by a chapter marker in the background video. • End: Defines the last frame for the motion background. The At End setting becomes active once this frame is reached. Use either the slider or timecode field to set this value. • Duration: Adjusts automatically to match the time between the Start and End settings. Adjusting Duration only affects the End setting. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 257 • Single Field: Optimizes playback when using field-based video sources. This is especially important with video that has fast motion, and will reduce any motion artifacts. Selecting Single Field with frame-based video sources results in reduced resolution (edges may appear jagged). • At End: Sets the motion menu action when the End time is reached during playback. Choose one of these settings: • Still: Freezes the video’s last frame once the video asset finishes playing. If there is an audio file assigned, it will also play once and then stop. • Loop: Activates the Start, Loop, and End controls if there is a video asset assigned as the background. See Configuring Motion Menu Settings for information on using these controls. • Timeout: Activates the Sec and Action settings. This allows you to configure the menu so that if the viewer does not select a button for a specified amount of time, the title automatically jumps to the element specified with the Action setting. Menu Timeout and Jump Action You can set whether a menu appears indefinitely or has a timeout duration. If you set a timeout duration, the title jumps to the element chosen in the Action pop-up menu after the specified amount of time. If the menu has a video asset assigned as the background, the timeout’s countdown does not start until the video finishes playing. You’d generally use a timeout setting with titles played at a sales kiosk, where you want to have something playing onscreen as much as possible. • Sec: Enter the amount of time, in seconds, that the menu appears if no button is selected. • Action: Choose the element to jump to once the timeout value is reached. If the menu has a default transition, the transition plays before the element is jumped to. Overlay Selections You use these settings only if you are using an overlay with this menu. • Overlay File: Choose the file with the menu’s overlay. See Choosing the Menu’s Overlay for more information. • Overlay Layer: Becomes active whenever you assign a PSD file with layers as the menu’s subpicture overlay. You choose the overlay layer from the pop-up menu. Audio Settings See Adding Audio to a Menu for more information on using the settings in this area. • Filename area: Lists the audio files assigned to the menu. You can add audio files to the menu by dragging them here. You can rearrange their order by dragging the filenames to a new position. 258 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method • Add (+): Opens the file selection dialog, allowing you to add one or more audio files to the menu. • Delete (–): Removes the selected audio file from the menu. • Total Audio Duration: Shows the combined duration of all audio files assigned to the menu. Menu Tab in the Menu Inspector for Standard Menus Most settings in the Menu tab in the Menu Inspector are optional. Exceptions are the Resolution and Display Mode settings, which must be set correctly for each menu, and the Background Layers area that is used when a Photoshop layered file (PSD) is assigned as the background. Miscellaneous menu settings PSD background layer selections Drop shadow settings Miscellaneous Menu Settings • Default Button: Choose the button to be selected when the menu appears during playback of the title. This setting can be overridden by any element that jumps to this menu, based on its jump setting and the Highlight Condition setting. • Return Button: Choose the project element to jump to if you press the Return button on the DVD player’s remote control. • Highlight Condition: Provides an alternative method to the Default Button setting for determining which button to highlight. When Highlight Condition is set to Default, the Default Button setting supplies the button highlight setting. When Highlight Condition is set to one of its stream settings (audio, subtitle, camera angle), the number of the stream last played determines the button to highlight. This setting can be overridden by any element that jumps to this menu, based on its jump setting. • Language: Choose the language in which this menu should be displayed. See Using Languages with Menus for more information. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 259 • Resolution: Choose the menu’s resolution. • For SD projects: The resolution is either 720 x 480i (NTSC) or 720 x 576i (PAL). • For HD projects: You can choose from any of the supported resolutions. DVD Studio Pro Preferences includes a setting for the default resolution. The resolution automatically changes to match the menu’s background video resolution if it matches one of the supported resolutions. Choosing a resolution different than that used by the menu’s background video results in the menu being scaled and rendered to this setting when you build the project. • Display Mode: Set the aspect ratio for this menu (4:3 or 16:9), and with 16:9, choose how it displays on a 4:3 monitor. The aspect ratio of the background and overlay must match this setting. See Working with 16:9 Menus for more information. • Number Pad: Defines which buttons are directly accessible by a DVD player’s numeric keypad. Choose All, None, or a button number from the pop-up menu. When you choose a button number, that button and all buttons less than that number are accessible via the numeric keypad—buttons greater than this value are blocked from direct access. Important: This feature is based on the button order as shown along the top of each button’s Button Inspector, and not the button names you see in the Menu Editor. See About Button Numbers for information on verifying and changing the button numbers. • Btn Offset: You can use this setting to offset button numbers so they make sense to a viewer who wants to select a button by entering its number. For example, you may have a set of scene selection menus with numbered scenes. One of the menus may have scenes 23 to 34, with the button for scene 23 being the first button on the menu. If you enter an offset value of 22 for this menu, when the viewer enters 23 on the remote control, 22 is subtracted from it, with the result being 1—the button’s actual number. Background Layers Selections • Background Layers: This table becomes active whenever you assign a PSD file with layers as the menu’s background. A list of all layers in the file appears, with checkboxes so that you can select which ones to use for the background. See Choosing a Menu’s Background from a Layered Photoshop File for details on these settings. Drop Shadow Settings • Menu Shadow: This area configures the drop shadow settings for this menu. See Configuring the Menu’s Drop Shadow Settings for more information. 260 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Transition Tab in the Menu Inspector for Standard Menus The Transition tab is used to configure a button transition for this menu. See Transition Tab in the Menu and Button Inspectors for details on this tab. Colors Tab in the Menu Inspector with Simple Selected The following settings are available in the Colors tab in the Menu Inspector when you select the simple overlay color mode. Select Simple or Advanced, depending on the overlay you are using. Select the color mapping set to configure. Set the highlight’s opacity. Choose a color for each button state. • Overlay Colors: Select the overlay color method to use. • Simple: Select Simple if you are using a simple overlay. • Advanced: Select Advanced if you are using an advanced overlay. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 261 • Set: Select the color mapping set (1, 2, or 3) to configure. You cannot assign sets to buttons from the Menu Inspector; you must select a button or group of buttons and select their set in the Button Inspector. All new buttons use set 1. Note: These sets apply only to the selected and activated states of the buttons. The normal state color mapping setting applies to the entire overlay graphic unless a button’s active area is selected or activated. See Color Mapping Sets for more information. • Color: Choose the color for each of the three button states from the current Color Palette. Note: This also sets the highlight colors for the black overlay color if an advanced overlay is also used on this menu. • Opacity: Set the opacity for each of the highlight colors. You can use the slider or enter a value from 0 (completely transparent) to 15 (completely opaque). Note: This also sets the opacity for the black overlay color if an advanced overlay is also used on the menu. • Save As Default: Saves this color mapping configuration as the default to be used on all new menus you create. Simple and advanced overlays use the same default mapping configuration. • Restore Defaults: Replaces the existing settings with those of the default color mapping configuration. • Edit Palette: Displays the Color Palette window, which you can use to change colors within the palette. 262 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Colors Tab in the Menu Inspector with Advanced Selected The following settings are available in the Colors tab in the Menu Inspector when you select the advanced overlay color mode. Select the color mapping set to configure. Set the highlight’s opacity. Shows the overlay graphic’s colors. Select the mapping type used for the overlay graphic. Choose the colors to map to each overlay graphic color. Select the button state. Select Simple or Advanced, depending on the overlay you are using. • Overlay Colors: Select the overlay color method to use. • Simple: Select Simple if you are using a simple overlay. • Advanced: Select Advanced if you are using an advanced overlay. • Mapping Type: Select the colors used to create the overlay graphic. • Chroma: Chroma uses black, red, blue, and white as the overlay colors. • Grayscale: Grayscale uses black, dark gray, light gray, and white as the overlay colors. • Selection State: Select the button state you want to configure. This setting also determines which state’s colors and transparencies to display. • Normal: Selects the normal state for configuration and display. • Selected: Selects the selected state for configuration and display. • Advanced: Selects the advanced state for configuration and display. • Set: Select the color mapping set (1, 2, or 3) to configure. You cannot assign sets to buttons from the Menu Inspector—you must select a button or group of buttons and select their set in the Button Inspector. All new buttons use set 1. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 263 Note: These sets apply only to the selected and activated states. The normal state color mapping setting applies to the entire overlay graphic unless a button’s active area is selected or activated. • Key: Shows the overlay file’s colors as selected with the Mapping Type. • Color: Choose the color for each of the four overlay colors from this pop-up menu, which displays the current Color Palette. You must do this for all three button states. • Opacity: Set the opacity for each of the highlight colors. You can use the slider or enter a value from 0 (completely transparent) to 15 (completely opaque). • Save As Default: Saves this color mapping configuration as the default to be used on all new menus you create. Simple and advanced overlays use the same default mapping configuration. • Restore Defaults: Replaces the existing settings with those of the default color mapping configuration. • Edit Palette: Displays the Color Palette window, which you can use to change colors within the palette. Advanced Tab in the Menu Inspector for Standard Menus The Advanced tab in the Menu Inspector for standard menus contains settings that are used only in specialized projects. Disabled User Operations settings Playback Options settings Disabled User Operations Settings • Disabled User Operations: Select the functions that you want to be disabled while this menu plays. See User Operations for more information. 264 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Playback Options Settings • Pre-Script: Choose a script to run before the menu appears. This script can decide whether to show the menu or configure the DVD player before showing it. See Pre-Scripts for information on pre-scripts. • DVD@CCESS: Selecting this checkbox allows you to add DVD@CCESS links, which provide additional functionality to your title when played on a computer. See DVD@CCESS for more information. • Display Condition: Selecting this checkbox enables the Display Condition settings that control whether or not this menu should be displayed and to define what should be displayed if not this menu. See Display Condition for more information. Adding Buttons to Your Menu Once you have set your background and overlay, you are ready to start adding buttons to your menu. You can add buttons either by creating active areas in the overlay or by dragging shapes to the Menu Editor. You can then set each button’s properties, such as what the button jumps to when activated and how to navigate from it when using the DVD player’s remote control. The number of buttons a menu can have depends on the DVD standard and its display mode. SD Projects • Menus using a 4:3 display mode can have up to 36 buttons. • Menus using a 16:9 Pan-Scan or 16:9 Letterbox display mode can have up to 18 buttons. • Menus using a 16:9 Pan-Scan & Letterbox display mode can have up to 12 buttons. HD Projects • Menus using a 4:3 display mode can have up to 48 buttons. • Menus using a 16:9 Pan-Scan or 16:9 Letterbox display mode can have up to 24 buttons. • Menus using a 16:9 Pan-Scan & Letterbox display mode can have up to 16 buttons. Adding Overlay-Based Buttons To add an overlay-based button, you must identify each button’s “active area.” The active area is where selected and activated state highlights will occur, whether the title is played on a set-top DVD player or on a computer. Additionally, when the title is played on a computer, the active areas also determine the area in which a mouse-click activates the button. To create the active area, you use the pointer to drag over the area containing the button’s elements. See the next section for details. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 265 Creating and Modifying Button Active Areas While you can create a button’s active area without a background or overlay assigned, most of the time you will need to assign them first so you know where to place the button active areas. See Creating Menus Using the Standard Method and Creating Menus Using the Layered Method for details on assigning these files. To create and modify a button’s active area 1 Click the menu background where you want one of the button’s corners to be, then drag to the opposite corner. You see a rectangle with dashed lines. 2 Do any of the following to modify the button’s active area: • To move the button by dragging: Click inside the dashed lines and drag it to the new position. • To move the button by dragging in one direction only (horizontal or vertical): Press the Shift key, then drag the button. • To move the button by dragging with snapping and the dynamic guides temporarily disabled: Press Command, then drag the button. • To move the button using the arrow keys: Select the button and press the arrow keys to move it one pixel at a time. Press Shift and the arrow keys to move it 10 pixels at a time, or press Shift-Option and the arrow keys to move it 20 pixels at a time. • To move an edge: Click the resize handle at the center of the edge and drag it to the new position. This changes the button’s size. • To move a corner (which moves two edges at once): Click the resize handle at the corner and drag it to the new position. This also changes the button’s size. • To change a button’s size while maintaining the button’s aspect ratio: Shift-drag an edge or corner. See Working with Assets in Buttons and Drop Zones for more information. • To change a button’s size while keeping it centered at its current location: Click an edge or corner, start dragging, then press the Option key. • To delete a button: Select it (resize handles appear on its dashed line), then press the Delete key. You can also use the Coordinates & Size area in the Advanced tab in the Button Inspector to precisely set a button’s size and position. 266 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Viewing the Selected and Activated States You can view the highlights for all three button states when you have a button selected. This makes it easy to see how the color mapping settings interact with the overlay. To view and set highlights for a button 1 In the Menu Editor, choose Display Composite from the Settings pop-up menu. The Menu Editor displays both the background and the overlay based on the color mapping settings. 2 Use the Menu Editor’s button state buttons to select the state (normal, selected, or activated) to display. Shows the activated state. Shows the selected state. Shows the normal state. 3 With the button state set to either selected or activated, select Highlight Set 1, 2, or 3 in the Style tab in the Button Inspector to select the color mapping configuration to apply to the current button. Note: The Set 1, 2, and 3 buttons in the Button Inspector’s Colors tab are for configuring the sets. They do not apply the sets to the current button. Why Don’t Highlight Colors Appear Without an Overlay? In earlier versions of DVD Studio Pro, you could see the selected and activated highlights in the active area rectangle even without an overlay. This made it easy to create a menu by just creating underlines (which were short and wide active areas) that showed the selected and activated highlights. The shapes feature of DVD Studio Pro 4 includes a SimpleButton shape that you can use to create these same types of highlights. By applying the SimpleButton shape to the first button active area you add to a menu, and then setting that button to be the menu’s default, all subsequent buttons will automatically have the SimpleButton shape and will show the selected and activated highlights. See the following section, Adding Shapes to a Menu, for information on applying shapes, and Setting Default Styles for information on defining a menu’s default button style. Adding Shapes to a Menu There are two ways to add a shape to a menu: • Drag it from the Shapes tab in the Palette. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 267 • Create a button active area, then select the shape from the Button Inspector. When you drag a shape from the Palette, it appears at its actual size, as created in the graphics program. When you add a shape by assigning it to an active area, it is scaled to fit the area, which can make it appear squashed or stretched. Dragging a Shape from the Palette The Palette offers three groups of shapes and shows you thumbnails of all the shapes you have to choose from. To drag a shape from the Palette 1 Select the Shapes tab in the Palette. Select the group of shapes to display. A soft gray border appears around the selected shape. 2 Select the group of shapes to display: • To display the shapes included with DVD Studio Pro: Click Apple. Note: Not all shapes supplied with DVD Studio Pro support highlights. Some are intended to be used only with drop zones and do not include the highlight layer used by buttons. • To display the shapes that have been imported for use by all projects: Click Custom. • To display shapes imported for use by this project only: Click Project. 3 Scroll through the available shapes, then select the one you want to use. 268 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 4 To add the shape to any empty part of the menu, drag it to the Menu Editor. If you hover over the area for a second, the Drop Palette appears, where you can choose to create a button or drop zone. See Adding Drop Zones to Your Menu for additional information about drop zones. 5 To apply the shape to an existing button, select the button in the Menu Editor, then do one of the following: • Click Apply in the Palette. • Drag the shape to the button. When dragged to an empty part of the menu, the shape becomes a button and appears at its actual size. You can move it and change its size by either dragging it or entering coordinate and size values in the Advanced tab in the Button Property Inspector. When applying or dragging the shape to an existing button, the shape’s size changes to match the existing button’s size. Assigning a Shape in the Button Inspector In the Button Inspector, you can select from the same shapes displayed in the Palette. To assign a shape in the Button Inspector 1 In the Menu Editor, select the button you want to apply the shape to. 2 Click the Style tab in the Button Inspector. 3 Choose a shape group from the Shape pop-up menu, then choose the shape to use. A thumbnail of the shape appears in the Button Inspector and the shape is applied to the button. The shape’s size changes to fit the button’s active area. You can move the button and change its size by either dragging it or entering coordinate and size values in the Advanced tab in the Button Inspector. See Managing Shapes for information on the different types of shapes available and details on how to import your own shapes. Copying a Button You can make a copy of a button to use on the same menu. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 269 To make a copy of a button 1 Select the button to be copied in the Menu Editor. 2 Hold down the Option key, then drag the button’s copy to its new location. The copy is automatically given the same name as the original, with a number added to distinguish it. The copy has all the same properties as the original, including its Target and navigation settings. Setting a Button’s Connection The main purpose of a button is to provide a way for the viewer to jump to a new disc location. For this to work, you must assign an element from your project as the button’s connection. There are several ways to set a button’s connection: • Using the Target setting in the Button Inspector • Using the shortcut menu that appears when you Control-click a button • Using the Connections tab. See Establishing Connections for more information. In some cases, when using the dragging methods to add assets to a menu and selecting options from the Drop Palette, the connection is automatically set. See Dragging Assets to the Menu Editor for more information. You can see a button’s current connection by placing the pointer over it and reading the tooltip that appears. To set a button’s connection in the Button Inspector 1 Select the button whose connection you want to set. 2 Choose the element to connect to from the Target pop-up menu in the top section of the Button Inspector. 270 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method To set a button’s connection using the shortcut menu μ Control-click the button whose connection you want to set, choose Target from the shortcut menu, then choose the element to connect to from the submenus. A checkmark appears next to the currently selected target. Those elements that can have a pre-script assigned to them (menus, tracks, stories, and slideshows) are listed in square brackets. Setting a button’s target to the element in brackets allows the pre-script, if one is assigned to the element, to run before the element appears. If you set the target to anything else in the list, the pre-script is not run. See Pre-Scripts for more information. About Resume If you jump to a menu while watching a track, for example, by pressing the remote control’s Menu button, the DVD player remembers what track you were playing and how far you were into it. A mostly unknown feature of DVD players is that you can press the Menu button while in a menu to resume playing the track at the same place you jumped from. Creating a button on the menu and setting its Target to Resume provides the viewer with a more obvious way to resume playing the track. About Button Properties When you select or create a button, the Button Inspector appears. Note: There is a different Button Inspector for buttons on layered menus. See About Layered Menu Button Properties for more information. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 271 There are four tabs in the Button Inspector: Style, Advanced, Colors, and Transition. See the following sections for details: • Settings at the Top of the Button Inspector • Style Tab in the Button Inspector • Advanced Tab in the Button Inspector • Colors Tab in the Button Inspector • Transition Tab in the Button Inspector Settings at the Top of the Button Inspector There are three settings at the top of the Button Inspector. • Name: By default, buttons you manually add are named “Button _,” where “_” is the button number on that menu. To reduce confusion when viewing a list of the menu’s buttons, it is helpful to rename the buttons based on their functions. Note: Buttons created as a result of a Drop Palette action that creates other project elements are named after the new project elements. In the case of actions that create a new track, the button and the track are named after the video asset. • Button #: Next to the button’s name is its number. This number is based on the order in which the buttons are added to the menu. See About Button Numbers for information on changing this number and why it can be important. • Target: You can use this pop-up menu to define a button’s action when activated. (You can also use the Connections tab or Control-click the button.) Often you must set the connection later because what you want to jump to has not yet been added to the project. The pop-up menu contains all possible elements you can jump to. 272 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Style Tab in the Button Inspector The Style tab of the Button Inspector contains the most commonly used settings. • Asset: Use this pop-up menu to assign an asset to the thumbnail of the shape (if present) or, when there is no shape, to the button’s active area. You can choose any existing applicable assets. • Start Frame: When the asset assigned to this button is a video clip, this area displays the video. Use the slider or timecode entry to choose the start point for motion playback (if motion is enabled) or to choose the frame to use in the button’s thumbnail if motion is not enabled. • Motion: Select this checkbox to enable motion in the button when the button’s asset is a video clip. See Configuring Motion Menu Settings for looping details with motion buttons. • Shape: Use this pop-up menu to choose a shape to assign to the selected button. A thumbnail image of the selected shape appears next to the pop-up menu. The pop-up menu lists the existing shapes by their names, grouped as Apple Shapes (supplied with DVD Studio Pro), Custom Shapes (added shapes available to all projects), Project Shapes (added shapes available to this project only), and Patch Shapes. Use the Palette’s Shapes tab to manage the shapes and as another way to select a shape. • Shadow: Select this checkbox to apply the menu’s drop shadow setting to this shape. • Selected Highlight: Choose the button’s selected state highlight color from the 16-color palette. Note: This does not affect the button’s normal or activated states. Use the settings in the Colors tab for those highlights. • Highlight Set: Select the color mapping set (1, 2, or 3) to use for this button. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 273 • Opacity: Use this slider or enter a numeric value to set the selected highlight’s transparency from 0 (completely transparent) to 15 (completely opaque). Note: The Selected Highlight and Opacity settings affect the black color mapping settings for the selected color mapping highlight set. These settings affect all buttons on this menu, including overlay buttons, that use the same color mapping set. • Text: You can type text directly on the button in the Menu Editor or type it in this text area, then press Return to apply it to the button. To start a new line, press Option-Return. See Adding Text to a Button for more information. • Shadow: Select this checkbox to apply the menu’s drop shadow setting to this button text. • Text Position: Choose where you want to place the text when adding text to a button. Choices include Bottom, Top, Right, Left, and Center. Use the Center setting when creating a text-only button. • Text Offset X and Y: Adjust the position of the text using these settings. For the horizontal (X) offset, positive numbers move the text to the right and negative numbers move it to the left. For the vertical (Y) offset, positive numbers move the text down and negative numbers move the text up. • Include Text in Highlight: Select this checkbox to make the button text highlight when the button is selected or activated. 274 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Advanced Tab in the Button Inspector The Advanced tab of the Button Inspector contains settings you can use to fine-tune a button. • Navigation: The pop-up menus in this area let you set the actions that take place when the viewer uses the arrow buttons on the DVD player’s remote control to navigate around the title. Because this is the typical way the title will be viewed, it is important to spend some time configuring the navigation in a logical, predictable way. See Configuring Button Navigation for information. • Angle/Audio/Subtitle Streams: Use these three pop-up menus to connect a button to specific audio, subtitle, and angle streams to play back. For the subtitle stream, you can also choose whether subtitles should appear. • Auto Action: If you enable Auto Action for a button, it will activate automatically as soon as it is navigated to, without the viewer needing to press Enter. This is useful in menus, such as scene selection menus, in which you use Next and Previous buttons; you can assume that if viewers navigate to the Next or Previous button, they want to activate it. With overlay-based buttons, if you select this option, only the activated color mapping appears when the button is navigated to, skipping the selected color mapping. Important: When viewed with most software-based DVD players, such as the Apple DVD Player, auto action buttons must be clicked if a mouse is used to select buttons. If you use the computer’s arrow keys, however, auto action buttons activate automatically as with set-top DVD players. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 275 • Invisible: Applies to overlay-based buttons. This option allows you to have a button that does not display highlights in the normal, selected, or activated state. This is useful when you want to have a menu with text and no visible buttons. The text could tell the viewer to press the Enter button to go to the next menu or start playback (or whatever the button is set to jump to). • Coordinates & Size: This area lets you set the location of each edge of the button’s active area, plus the area’s height and width. The upper-left corner of the menu is at pixel 0, line 0. You can enter values for each edge, allowing you to precisely position and size the button’s active area. (You can also drag the active area and each of its edges with the pointer.) Colors Tab in the Button Inspector The Colors tab works exactly as does the Colors tab in the Menu Inspector. See Colors Tab in the Menu Inspector with Simple Selected and Colors Tab in the Menu Inspector with Advanced Selected for information on this tab. 276 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Transition Tab in the Button Inspector The Transition tab is used to configure a button transition for this button. See Transition Tab in the Menu and Button Inspectors for details on this tab. About Button Numbers Each time you add a button to a menu, in addition to its name (which you can change), it is assigned a number (which you cannot directly change) based on the order in which you added it to the menu. The button’s number The button’s name The first button you manually add to a menu is named and numbered “Button 1,” the second is “Button 2,” and so on. How a button fits in the order is important for four reasons: • Button number 1 is the default button selected when the menu plays if no other button has been set as the menu’s default button. • The button order determines the priority of the buttons if they overlap. Higher numbered buttons have a higher priority and can cover up lower numbered buttons. • The button order affects the creation of chapter index menus (see Applying Templates or Layout Styles to a Menu with Buttons). • The button order affects the number pad setting for viewers directly accessing a menu’s buttons from the DVD player’s remote control. While you cannot change this number in the Button Inspector, you can change it using the shortcut menu that appears when you Control-click a button. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 277 When you Control-click a button, a shortcut menu appears that allows you to rearrange the button order (and also set other button properties). There are also four buttons along the bottom of the Menu Editor (the Arrange controls) that allow you to rearrange the button order. Brings the item to the front, making it the highest priority. Sends the item’s priority one step back. Sends the item to the back, making it the lowest priority. Moves the item’s priority one step up. • Send To Back: Makes the selected button button 1, the lowest priority button. The existing button 1 now becomes button 2, and so on. The button names don’t change, however. You can also press Command-Shift-B to send it to the back. • Send Backward: Swaps the selected button’s number with the button below it, making it a lower priority than the button below it. If this is button 12, then it becomes button 11, and button 11 becomes button 12. You can also press Command–Left Bracket ([) to send it backward. • Send Forward: Swaps the selected button’s number with the button above it, making it a higher priority than the button above it. If this is button 12, then it becomes button 13, and button 13 becomes button 12. You can also press Command–Right Bracket (]) to send it forward. 278 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method • Bring to Front: Makes the selected button the highest priority button on the menu. All buttons that were above it move down one number. You can also press Command-Shift-F to bring it to the front. The priority is generally not important unless you overlap your buttons or you intend to use this layout as a style for creating chapter index menus. (Overlapping is discouraged; see About Overlapping Buttons for more information.) Note: Drop zones, text objects, and buttons are included in the same priority list; a drop zone can have a higher priority, and thus cover up, a button. Adding Text to a Button You can add text to any button on a standard menu. You can even create text-only buttons by creating a button active area and then adding the text to it. The default text font and color are set in the Text pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences. To add text to a button 1 Make sure the Style tab in the Button Inspector is displayed. 2 To add the text, do one of the following: • Select the button in the Menu Editor, then press Return. An insertion point appears at the bottom of the button. Type your text here. Press Return to add an additional line, or press Enter to exit the text entry mode. • Select the button in the Menu Editor, then type the text in the Text entry area of the Button Inspector. To add an additional line, press Return or Enter. • Select the button in the Menu Editor, then click just below its active area. An insertion point appears. Type your text. Press Return to add an additional line, or press Enter to exit the text entry mode. Note: The default settings in the Button Inspector’s Text Formatting section at the bottom of the Style tab place the text at the bottom of the button. You can change these settings before typing the text, in which case the text appears at the new position. 3 Select the Shadow checkbox (next to the text entry area) to apply the menu’s drop shadow settings to the text. 4 Choose the text’s position (Bottom, Top, Left, Right, or Center) from the Position pop-up menu. You can use the X Offset and Y Offset entries to fine-tune the position. 5 Select Include Text in Highlight if you want the text to highlight along with the button when selected or activated. You can edit the text by clicking within it or by dragging the pointer over the portion of the text to be replaced, then typing the new text. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 279 The button’s active area extends to include the text if you choose to include the text in the highlight. Use care to ensure that the active area does not inadvertently overlap other buttons on the menu. Setting the Button Text’s Font and Color A button’s text can use a mix of colors and fonts. To change the text font and color 1 Select the text you want to change. 2 Do one of the following to open the Font panel: • Choose Format > Font > Show Fonts (or press Command-T). • Click Fonts in the toolbar. 3 Choose the font and size to use. 4 Do one of the following to open the Colors window: • Choose Format > Font > Show Colors (or press Command-Shift-C). • Click Colors in the toolbar. 5 Choose the color to use. You can also add bold, italic, and underline attributes to the text. Note: The bold and italic attributes are available only if the current font supports them. To apply bold, italic, and underline attributes 1 Select the text you want to change. 2 Choose Format > Font > Bold (or press Command-B) to add the bold attribute. 3 Choose Format > Font > Italic (or press Command-I) to add the italic attribute. 4 Choose Format > Font > Underline (or press Command-U) to add the underline attribute. By selecting different parts of the button’s text, you can mix different fonts, colors, and attributes on the same button. Creating Text-Only Buttons You can create text-only buttons that only have the text as their graphic. This is useful if you want a simple button that says something like “Play Movie.” By centering the text in the button and configuring the button so that the selected and activated highlights apply to the text, you can create a button that works well in a DVD title. To create a text-only button 1 Create a button active area by dragging in the Menu Editor. 2 Add text to the button, either in the Button Inspector or by typing directly in the Menu Editor. 3 Set the text’s font and color. 280 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 4 In the Style tab in the Button Inspector, choose Center for the Position, and select Include Text in Highlight. 5 Adjust the size of the button’s active area so that it fits the text. You can now set the button’s selected and activated highlights as you would any simple overlay graphic. Note: If you open a DVD Studio Pro project that uses a font that is not on the computer you are opening it on (either because the font was deleted or the project was created on a different computer), any items using the missing font have a different font substituted with no warning. About Overlapping Buttons In general, it’s a good idea to avoid overlapping buttons. Some DVD players may behave erratically when they try to process menus with overlapping buttons. This problem is worse if you are playing the title on a computer and using a pointer to select a button. Sometimes, however, while the button graphics do not actually overlap, their active areas do. Active area overlap Play Movie Scene Select Slideshow In this case, if viewers watch the title on a computer, they may get unexpected results if they click in an overlap area. Another problem occurs when using overlay-based buttons. Because the active areas control the overlay area that is highlighted when you select or activate a button, you may end up with portions of neighboring buttons highlighting at inappropriate times. It is possible to get around this problem by using different color mapping sets on neighboring buttons. See Color Mapping Sets for more information. Configuring Button Navigation Because most viewers will use the arrow buttons on a DVD player’s remote control to navigate through the buttons on a menu, it’s important that the navigation is easy and logical. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 281 DVD Studio Pro includes three methods for setting button navigation: • Dragging: In the Menu Editor, you can Command-Option-drag the resize handle on each button’s edge to the button it should navigate to. • Manually: You can manually set each button’s navigation using the Navigation section in the Button Inspector’s Advanced tab. • Auto Assign: You can use the Auto Assign feature in the Menu Editor. This sets the navigation for all buttons on the menu at the same time. • Continuous Auto Assign: You can use the Continuous Auto Assign feature in the Menu Editor. This sets the navigation for all buttons each time you add a new button or reposition an existing button. This feature is activated when you first open DVD Studio Pro. See Setting Button Navigation with Continuous Auto Assign for more information. In general, if you are manually setting button navigation or modifying automatic button navigation, you should wait until all buttons have been added to the menu, ensuring that all possibilities are taken into account. It is also helpful to name each button before setting the navigation so that you can easily distinguish them from each other. Setting Button Navigation Manually by Dragging in the Menu Editor You can set button navigation in the Menu Editor by dragging a button’s edge to the button that it should navigate to. Each edge of a button corresponds to an arrow button on a remote control. For example, dragging the right edge of a button determines what will happen when you press the Right Arrow button. To set button navigation by dragging button edges 1 Select the button whose navigation you want to set. The active area rectangle appears around it. 2 Hold down the Option and Command keys and click the resize handle on the edge you want to set. For example, click the right edge to set the right-arrow jump for the button. 3 Drag from the resize handle to the button you want to link to. A line appears to indicate which edge you started at. 4 As you drag, the line’s color changes from white to green once you reach a button’s active area. When the line is green, release the mouse button to make the connection. Once the connection is made, the line disappears. 282 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method The biggest drawback to setting navigation this way is that, unless you verify the connections carefully, you can easily miss setting all four edges of all buttons, resulting in some peculiar navigation. Setting Button Navigation Manually with the Button Inspector You can manually set each button’s navigation using the Button Inspector. You can also change a button’s navigation that has been set with the Auto Assign feature. To manually set button navigation 1 Select a button. 2 Click the Advanced tab in the Button Inspector. 3 In the Navigation area, open the pop-up menu for each direction (left, right, up, and down) and choose the button that should be jumped to for each. Leave the setting at “not set” if you do not want an action to occur when a viewer presses a particular arrow button. Each button’s settings are completely independent. The settings you make for one button have no effect on the other buttons in the menu. Setting Button Navigation with the Auto Assign Feature The Auto Assign feature makes it easy to configure the button navigation for a menu. You can also use it as a starting point for configuring your navigation, and then freely adjust the settings it creates. To use Auto Assign to set button navigation 1 Set up your menu as you want it, with its buttons in their final locations. 2 Choose Auto Assign Buttons Now from the Menu Editor’s Settings pop-up menu (or press Command-Shift-D). It’s important to understand that Auto Assign works with the buttons as they currently exist on the menu. If you move, delete, or add buttons to the menu, you need to use Auto Assign again to update the navigation. Note: Using Auto Assign overrides any existing navigation settings. If you intend to manually modify the settings Auto Assign creates, be sure you have all buttons in place before using it. This reduces the risk of having to use Auto Assign again, and undoing any modifications you may have made. How Auto Assign Works Auto Assign strives to configure the navigation in a logical manner. For example, pressing a Right Arrow button on the remote control selects the button to the right (if there is one). If a menu has a peculiar button layout, however, Auto Assign can produce surprising results. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 283 Auto Assign uses the following rules when configuring the navigation: • It assigns every button a navigation setting. This is an advantage, because you may accidentally skip a button when manually assigning navigation, resulting in orphaned buttons. • The navigation loops through all buttons. When you reach the edge of a menu and press the same arrow button on the remote again, you jump to the menu buttons in the next row at the opposite edge. This means that if you keep pressing any of the arrows, you will eventually get to all menu buttons. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Setting Button Navigation with Continuous Auto Assign The Menu Editor includes a Continuous Auto Assign feature that updates the navigation of all buttons on the menu each time you add a new button or move an existing one. You are unable to manually assign button navigation while the Continuous Auto Assign feature is active. To enable Continuous Auto Assign μ Choose Auto Assign Buttons Continuously from the Menu Editor’s Settings pop-up menu. The Continuous Auto Assign feature remains enabled until you choose it again to disable it. Unlike using the Auto Assign feature, you can enable the Continuous Auto Assign feature before the buttons are in their final positions—you can even enable it before you have added any buttons to the menu. Right-to-Left Reading Mode Auto Assign and Continuous Auto Assign have a Right-to-Left Reading option, designed for use with titles whose viewers are used to reading right-to-left (such as Farsi and Hebrew). To use the Right-to-Left option, choose the appropriate setting in the Menus pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences. 3 2 1 6 5 4 9 8 7 284 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method The illustration above shows the path for a menu intended for viewers familiar with right-to-left reading. Note that the difference is in what happens when you reach a menu edge; when you are not on an edge, the arrow buttons work the same in both reading modes. Adding Drop Zones to Your Menu Drop zones are similar to buttons; you can assign an asset to them, move them around, and change their size. Unlike buttons, however, they do not have jump targets and they are not counted as buttons in the menu’s button count. Drop zones allow you to add graphics to a menu that you would otherwise have had to add to the background using an external video editing application. To create a drop zone by dragging an asset 1 Drag a still image, video clip, or shape to an empty part of the Menu Editor. You can drag this from the Assets tab, the Palette, or a Finder window. 2 Choose Create Drop Zone from the Drop Palette. A 120-pixel high by 180-pixel wide rectangle appears, with the still image, video clip, or shape filling it. You can position and resize the drop zone the same as you would a button’s active area. See Working with Assets in Buttons and Drop Zones for more information. To create a drop zone by drawing a rectangle μ Hold down the Option key while dragging to create a rectangle in the Menu Editor, similar to the way you create a button’s active area. You can use the Drop Zone Inspector or drag to assign a shape and asset to the drop zone. To convert a button to a drop zone Do one of the following: μ Choose Project > Convert Button to Drop Zone. μ Control-click the button, then choose Convert Button to Drop Zone from the shortcut menu. The name of the drop zone is “DropZone _,” with “_” being the next available number. To convert a drop zone to a button Do one of the following: μ Choose Project > Convert Drop Zone to Button. μ Control-click the button, then choose Convert Drop Zone to Button from the shortcut menu. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 285 The name of the button is “Button _,” with “_” being the next available number. Once you have created a drop zone, you can drag an asset to the drop zone, or select an asset in the Drop Zone Inspector. See Working with Assets in Buttons and Drop Zones for more information. Setting Drop Zone Properties The Drop Zone Inspector appears once you create a drop zone. It contains basic settings for configuring the drop zone. • Name: Enter a name for the drop zone. • Asset: Use this pop-up menu to assign an asset to the drop zone. You can choose any applicable assets. • Start Frame: When the asset assigned to the drop zone is a video clip, this area displays the video. Use the slider or the timecode entry to choose the start point for motion playback (if motion is enabled) or to choose the frame to use in the drop zone if motion is not enabled. • Motion: Select this checkbox to enable motion in the drop zone when the drop zone’s asset is a video clip. See Configuring Motion Menu Settings for details on looping video within drop zones. • Shape: Use this pop-up menu to choose a shape to assign to the selected drop zone. A thumbnail image of the selected shape appears next to the pop-up menu. The pop-up menu lists the existing shapes by their names, grouped as Apple Shapes (supplied with DVD Studio Pro), Custom Shapes (added shapes available to all projects), Project Shapes (added shapes available to this project only), and Patch Shapes. Use the Palette’s Shapes tab to manage the shapes and as another way to select a shape. 286 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method • Shadow: Select this checkbox to apply the menu’s drop shadow setting to this drop zone. • Coordinates & Size: This area lets you set the location of each edge of the drop zone, plus the drop zone’s height and width. The upper-left corner of the menu is at pixel 0, line 0. You can enter values for each edge, allowing you to precisely position and size the drop zone. (You can also drag the drop zone and each of its edges with the pointer.) • Rotation: Rotate the knob or enter a value to rotate the drop zone. The values can go from 0.0 to 359.9, with a value of 0.0 as normal. About Using Drop Zones Any drop zones you add to your menu will become part of the menu’s background when the project is built. Overlapping Drop Zones While you should avoid overlapping buttons, you can feel free to overlap drop zones, because they are not involved in navigation. Because drop zones can be overlapped, you should use care when adding them to the menu—those added later have a higher priority and will cover up those added earlier. To change a drop zone’s priority μ Control-click it, then choose an option from the shortcut menu. See About Button Numbers for more information. Note: Drop zones, text objects, and buttons are included in the same priority list; a drop zone can have a higher priority, and thus cover up a button. Shapes in Drop Zones While shapes are primarily intended to be applied to buttons, they can be useful when applied to drop zones, too. Without a shape, a drop zone usually has a rectangular outline, because that is the shape of the still images and video clips you can add to the drop zones. Shapes, however, can have an irregular outline, and when applied to a drop zone, the irregular outline is maintained. This makes it possible to have heart- or star-shaped drop zones—or any shape you want to create and import. Using a shape in a drop zone, you could add your corporate logo to your menus without having to composite it externally. Shapes with patches can also be used with drop zones. See Adding Shapes to a Menu for more information. Note: A drop zone can also have an irregular edge if the asset assigned to it has an alpha channel. See Creating Graphics for Drop Zones and Buttons for more information. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 287 Working with Assets in Buttons and Drop Zones A button’s or drop zone’s active area aspect ratio may not match the aspect ratio of the asset assigned to it. In these situations, part of the asset ends up being cropped off. You have two options for working with the asset: • You can leave the active area’s aspect ratio as it is, and move the asset to control which part of it is cropped off. • You can force the active area’s aspect ratio to match the asset’s aspect ratio. Positioning Images in a Button or Drop Zone If you want to keep the button’s or drop zone’s active area at its current aspect ratio, you can position the asset within the active area, choosing which parts of the asset are cropped off. To position an asset in an active area μ Shift-Option-click the asset within the active area, then drag it. The active area remains where it is, and the asset moves within it (similar to moving a picture behind a window). Matching the Active Area Aspect Ratio to the Asset If you want the asset to appear without being cropped, you need to adjust the active area’s aspect ratio to match the asset’s aspect ratio. To match the active area’s aspect ratio to the asset’s aspect ratio μ Shift-drag a corner of the active area. The active area snaps to match the asset’s aspect ratio, ensuring none of it is being cropped off. As long as you hold down the Shift key while changing the active area’s size, this aspect ratio is maintained. Adding Text Objects to a Menu You can type text directly onto a menu’s background, creating a text object. When you build the project, this text object merges with the background—it cannot be selected by the viewer or have jump actions assigned to it. A text object can contain characters with different colors, fonts, and sizes. The Text pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains settings that define the text font and color used when you create new text objects. You can change the text font and color after you have typed it. Text objects can also be rotated and have the menu’s drop shadow applied. 288 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method To add a text object to a menu 1 Double-click the menu where you want to add a text object. You will be able to move the object later, so the actual position is not critical. 2 Start typing the text. As you type, the text appears on the menu, with a handle on each end. To create a new line, press the Return key, or press Enter to exit the text entry mode. The Text Object Inspector appears. Note: You can also type the text in the Text entry area in the Text Object Inspector, and use either Return or Enter to create a new line. 3 Click the Shadow checkbox to add the menu’s drop shadow to the text. 4 To change the text’s justification, do one of the following: • Click the appropriate button in the Text Object Inspector. • Press Command–Shift–Left Bracket ([) to left align the text. • Press Command–Shift–Right Bracket (]) to right align the text. • Press Command-Shift-Backslash (\) to center the text. 5 Rotate the Rotation knob or enter a value to rotate the text object. You can reposition the text object by dragging the text to a new position. (If you are in the text edit mode with the blinking insertion point showing in the Menu Editor, you need to click an empty area of the Menu Editor to exit the text edit mode before you can drag the text object to a new position.) To change the text object’s font and color 1 Select the text you want to change. 2 Do one of the following to open the Font panel: • Choose Format > Font > Show Fonts (or press Command-T). • Click Fonts in the toolbar. 3 Choose the font and size to use. Note: If you open a DVD Studio Pro project that uses a font that is not on the computer you are opening it on (either because the font was deleted or the project was created on a different computer), any items using the missing font have a different font substituted with no warning. 4 Do one of the following to open the Colors window: • Choose Format > Font > Show Colors (or press Command-Shift-C). • Click Colors in the toolbar. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 289 5 Choose the color to use. You can also add bold, italic, and underline attributes to the text. Note: The bold and italic attributes are available only if the current font supports them. To apply bold, italic, and underline attributes 1 Select the text you want to change. 2 Choose Format > Font > Bold (or press Command-B) to add the bold attribute. 3 Choose Format > Font > Italic (or press Command-I) to add the italic attribute. 4 Choose Format > Font > Underline (or press Command-U) to add the underline attribute. By selecting different parts of the text, you can mix different fonts, colors, and attributes in the same text object. Setting Text Object Properties The Text Object Inspector appears once you type text on a menu or select an existing text object. It contains basic settings for configuring the text. • Text: This area contains the text displayed in the text object. You can also enter or edit the text here. To add additional lines, press Return. • Shadow: Select this checkbox to apply the menu’s drop shadow setting to this text object. • Position: Select the justification to apply to the text object (left, center, or right). • Rotation: Rotate the knob or enter a value to rotate the text object. The values can go from 0.0 to 359.9, with a value of 0.0 as normal. About Text Objects Any text objects you add to your menu will become part of the menu’s background when the project is built. While you should avoid overlapping buttons, you can feel free to overlap text objects because they are not involved in navigation. Because text objects can be overlapped, use care when adding them to the menu—those added later have a higher priority and will cover up those added earlier. 290 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method To change a text object’s priority μ Control-click it, then choose an option from the shortcut menu. See About Button Numbers for more information. Note: Text objects, drop zones, and buttons are included in the same priority list; a text object can have a higher priority, and thus cover up, a button or drop zone. Adding Audio to a Menu All menus created with the standard method, including menus with still backgrounds, can have one or more associated audio files. Adding audio to a menu can be an easy way to make it more engaging. The audio can come from files created specifically for this purpose, portions of the soundtrack, or from an audio library. The Apple audio applications Soundtrack and GarageBand are both great for creating high-quality background audio. If you assign a video asset to the menu’s background by dragging it to the Menu Editor, DVD Studio Pro can automatically assign its companion audio file (with the same base name and in the same folder) to the menu. The “Find matching audio when dragging” setting in the Track pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences controls whether or not the audio is assigned. See Track Preferences for more information. You can also manually assign an audio file to a menu. To assign an audio file to a menu Do one of the following: μ Drag an audio file to the Menu Editor, then choose Set Audio or Add to Existing Audio from the Drop Palette. μ Click the General tab in the Menu Inspector, then do one of the following: • Drag an audio file to the Audio Filename area. • Click the Add (+) button and select the audio file from the file selection dialog. In addition to adding audio files to your menu, you can use the General tab in the Menu Inspector to set the order of the audio files and to remove them from the menu. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 291 To manage the audio files assigned to a menu Do one of the following: μ To set the order of the audio files, drag them in the file list. μ To remove audio files, select them and click the Delete (-) button. To hear the audio μ Click the Motion button in the Menu Editor. If there is a still image as the menu’s background, you can use the motion settings in the Menu Inspector’s General tab to set the start and end points of the audio. See Configuring Motion Menu Settings for information on how the audio interacts with any video clips assigned to the menu, including when looping is enabled. Configuring the Menu’s Drop Shadow Settings Each standard menu can have a drop shadow that can be shared by button text, shapes, drop zones, and text objects. You configure the drop shadow in the Advanced tab in the Menu Inspector and then enable it in the Inspector for each button text, shape, drop zone, and text object you want it applied to. Enabling Drop Shadows Enabling the drop shadows on a menu is a two-step process: Enable drop shadows for each menu item you want to apply them to, and then configure the menu’s drop shadow settings. This allows you to see the effect of the menu settings on all of the items at once. To enable the drop shadow 1 Select a menu item that supports drop shadows (button text, button shapes, drop zone shapes, or text objects). 2 In that item’s Inspector, click the Shadow checkbox to enable it. 3 Click an empty part of the menu in the Menu Editor so the Menu Inspector appears. 4 Click the Menu Inspector’s Menu tab. The drop shadow settings appear along the bottom part of the tab. 5 Configure the drop shadow settings. (Keep in mind that the drop shadows only appear on items that have been enabled.) See Setting the Drop Shadow Properties for more information. 292 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Setting the Drop Shadow Properties Once you have enabled drop shadows on one or more menu items, you can start adjusting the drop shadow settings. Note: You will not see the drop shadow if any of the settings are at 0.0. • Angle: A rotary control that sets the direction of the drop shadow. The control’s indicator points in the drop shadow’s direction. Rotate the indicator to the desired direction. You can also enter an angle value. A value of 0 places the shadow directly above the item; 90 places it to the right. • Alpha: Sets the drop shadow’s transparency. A value of 0.0 makes the drop shadow completely transparent while a value of 1.0 makes it completely opaque. • Diffusion: Sets the drop shadow’s softness. Smaller numbers provide harder edges while larger numbers (up to a maximum of 15.0) provide softer edges. • Distance: Sets the distance of the drop shadow from the item. Smaller numbers position the drop shadow closer while larger numbers (up to a maximum of 15.0) position it farther away. • Colored rectangle: Sets the color of the drop shadow. Click it to open the Colors window where you can choose the color to use. Configuring Motion Menu Settings There are several parts of a standard menu that can include an asset with motion or a time setting: • The menu’s background • The menu’s audio • Buttons • Drop zones A motion menu can have anywhere from one to all four of these motion items. The items it contains determine how they will interact. About Motion Menu Playback The Menu Editor contains a motion menu start/stop button. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 293 Clicking the button starts motion menu playback. Clicking it a second time stops playback. You can also press Command-J to turn the playback on and off. Unlike a similar button in iDVD, this button does not determine whether or not this menu is a motion menu. It only controls whether the motion menu plays while you are working on it. Once you add motion assets to a menu, it is a motion menu. Note: Depending on your system and the number of motion items in the menu, motion menu playback may not be perfectly smooth in the Menu Editor. Once you build your project, playback will be perfect. About the Motion Settings The Menu Inspector’s General tab contains a section for configuring a menu’s start, end, loop, and duration times. You can drag the slider located under the thumbnail images of the background, click the arrow controls, or enter a timecode value for each of the entries. The way the Start, Loop Point, End, and Duration settings function depends on the type of assets assigned to the menu. Start Setting You can use the Start setting to set the video’s starting frame. By default, the start is set to the background video’s first frame. If there is audio assigned to the menu, its start time is also moved by the same number of frames as the video. Note: If there are other motion assets assigned to buttons or drop zones, they are not affected by the change in start time. When the menu’s background is a still image, the Start setting only affects the menu’s audio. Loop Point You can use the Loop Point setting to set a frame different from the starting frame to use when you choose Loop as the At End setting. By default, the Loop setting is the same as the Start setting. When you adjust the Loop setting, you are choosing the frame that is jumped to once the end frame is reached. This allows you to have a looping background with a beginning section—for example, a fade up from black or a transition from another menu—that only plays the first time through. If there is audio assigned to the menu, it automatically follows the video as it loops. 294 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method This setting also defines when the button highlights appear—the viewer cannot navigate the menu’s buttons until the loop point is reached. Additionally, the Loop Point setting controls the video used for the menu’s tile in the Graphical tab. If you are creating your menu background video in an application such as Motion or Final Cut Pro, you can set a chapter marker named “MenuLoopPoint” to define the loop point. When you assign a menu’s background by dragging the video to the Menu Editor and choosing Set Background from the Drop Palette, or dragging the video to the Outline or Graphical tab, DVD Studio Pro checks to see if a chapter marker named “MenuLoopPoint” is present. If it is, the Loop Point setting is set to its time. If it is not present, the Loop Point setting is set to match the Start setting. Note: When you assign the menu’s background using the Menu Inspector’s Background pop-up menu, you must manually set the Loop Point setting, even if the video contains a “MenuLoopPoint” chapter marker. See Defining the Menu Loop Point for more information on setting the chapter markers. About Jumping Directly to a Menu’s Loop Point When you configure a motion menu with a loop point, you may find that, in some cases, you would prefer to jump directly to the loop point rather than to the start point. This is especially true if the menu has a long period between the start and loop points. You can write a simple script that will allow you to jump to the loop point. When you select Jump as the command in the Script Inspector and choose a menu to jump to, a Start At Loop Point option becomes available. When selected, this option sets the jump to skip the start point and jump directly to the loop point. See Start At Loop Point Checkbox for more information, and Jumping to a Menu’s Loop Point for an example script. End Setting You can use the End setting to set the menu’s ending frame. By default, this is set to the value entered in the Menu pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences if the menu has any motion assets. You can adjust it to be shorter or longer. This is most useful when you do not want to use the entire video background asset—when used along with the Start setting, you can choose the specific part of the video to use. • When using the slider: Its maximum setting matches the length of the menu’s background video. If the background is a still image, the slider maximum setting matches the longest of the other menu assets (audio or assets assigned to buttons and drop zones). • When using the numeric timecode entry: You are able to choose any length. Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 295 When the end is reached during playback, either all assets stop and display their last frame as a still image (At End set to Still), or the playback jumps to the Loop, if available, or Start setting. If any assets assigned to the menu reach their end before the menu reaches the End setting, they are looped back to their start to keep playing. Duration Setting You can use the Duration setting to set the menu’s duration. It is equal to the End setting minus the Start setting. If you enter a value, the End setting automatically updates. Options in the Drop Palette for Standard Menus Following are descriptions of the various Drop Palette options that can appear when you drag an asset or element to the Menu Editor. See Viewing the Drop Palette for information on using the Drop Palette options. The following descriptions are grouped by the type of item you are dragging (asset, project element such as a track or slideshow, and a template, style, or shape from the Palette). Details for standard menus are listed first, followed by the details for the layered menus. For those Drop Palette options that appear when you drag a motion video asset, a matching audio asset is also added (if applicable), as long as: • The “Find matching audio when dragging” setting in the Track pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences is selected. • An audio file with the same base name as the video file is located in the same folder as the video asset. The following details assume the “Find matching audio when dragging” preference is selected and a suitable audio file is found. Drop Palette for Standard Menus—Dragging Assets The following sections list the choices in the Drop Palette that appear when you drag assets to an empty area, button, or drop zone on a standard menu. Dragging a Motion Video Asset to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: 296 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Drop Palette options Actions • Uses the video as this menu’s background. • Assigns matching audio as the menu’s audio. Set Background (default option) • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns this video to the button’s thumbnail. • Creates a new track with this video. • Assigns matching audio as the track’s audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Adds a link from the new button to the first marker of the new track. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. Create Button and Track This option does not create a track or link the button to anything. • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns this video to the button’s thumbnail, creating a motion button. Create Button • Creates a drop zone at this menu location. • Assigns this video to the drop zone. Create Drop Zone Use this option with video that has had chapter markers added with Compressor, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro. If the menu contains no buttons, drop zones, or text objects, this option changes to Create Chapter Index. Instead of creating a separate menu as the first chapter index menu, this menu is used. Additional chapter index menus are created if necessary. • Creates a track and adds the chapter markers to it. • Assigns matching audio as the track’s audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. • Creates a button on this menu to link to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus, depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the new track to buttons in the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. Create Button and Chapter Index Dragging a Motion Video Asset to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions This option does not create a track or link the button to anything. • Sets this video to be the button’s thumbnail image. Set Asset (default option) Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 297 Drop Palette options Actions • Assigns this video to the button’s thumbnail. • Creates a new track with this video. • Assigns matching audio as the track’s audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Adds a link from the button to the first marker of the new track. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. Set Asset and Create Track The button’s thumbnail image does not change. • Creates a new track with this video. • Assigns matching audio as the track’s audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Adds a link from the button to the first marker of the new track. Create Track Use this option with video that has had chapter markers added with Compressor, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro. • Creates a track and adds the chapter markers to it. • Assigns matching audio as the track’s audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. • Links the button to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Sets this video to be the button’s thumbnail image. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus, depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the new track to buttons in the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. Set Asset and Create Chapter Index Use this option with video that has had chapter markers added with Compressor, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro. • Creates a track and adds the chapter markers to it. • Assigns matching audio as the track’s audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. • Links the button to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus, depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the new track to buttons in the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. Create Chapter Index Dragging a Motion Video Asset to a Drop Zone The following options appear in the Drop Palette: 298 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Drop Palette options Actions Set Asset (default option) • Sets this video to be the drop zone’s asset. The drop zone is unaffected. • Creates a button on top of the drop zone. • Assigns this video to the button’s thumbnail. • Creates a new track with this video. • Assigns matching audio as the track’s audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Adds a link from the new button to the first marker of the new track. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. Create Button and Track Dragging Multiple Motion Video Assets to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions For each video asset: • Creates a button. • Assigns each video as its button’s asset. • Creates new tracks. • Assigns matching audio as each track’s audio. • Names each track the same as their video asset. • Sets each new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. • Adds links from the new buttons to the first marker of the new tracks. Create Buttons and Tracks (default option) This option does not create any tracks or link the buttons to anything. • Creates a button for each video asset. • Assigns each video as its button’s asset. Create Buttons Dragging One or More Audio Assets to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions Set Audio (default option) • Assigns this audio as the menu’s audio. Add to Existing Audio • Adds this audio to the existing audio assets assigned to thismenu. Dragging a Video/Audio Pair to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 299 Drop Palette options Actions • Sets this video to be the menu’s background. • Sets this audio to be the menu’s audio. Set Background and Audio (default option) • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns this video to the button’s thumbnail. • Creates a new track with this video and audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Adds a link from the new button to the first marker of the new track. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. Create Button and Track Use this option with video that has had chapter markers added with Compressor, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro. If the menu contains no buttons, drop zones, or text objects, this option changes to Create Chapter Index. Instead of creating a separate menu as the first chapter index menu, this menu is used. Additional chapter index menus are created if necessary. • Creates a track and adds the chapter markers and audio to it. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. • Creates a button on this menu to link to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus, depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the new track to buttons in the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. Create Button and Chapter Index Dragging a Video/Audio Pair to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Sets this video to be the button’s thumbnail image. • Creates a new track with this video and audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Adds a link from the button to the first marker of the new track. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. Set Asset and Create Track (default option) The button’s thumbnail does not change. • Creates a new track with this video. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Adds a link from the button to the first marker of the new track. Create Track 300 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Drop Palette options Actions Use this option with video that has had chapter markers added with Compressor, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro. • Creates a track and adds the chapter markers and audio to it. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. • Links the button to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Sets this video to be the button’s thumbnail image. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus, depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the new track to buttons in the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. Set Asset and Create Chapter Index Use this option with video that has had chapter markers added with Compressor, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro. • Creates a track and adds the chapter markers and audio to it. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. • Links the button to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus, depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the new track to buttons in the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. Create Chapter Index Dragging a Still Picture to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions Set Background (default option) • Uses the picture as this menu’s background. Set Overlay • Uses the picture as this menu’s overlay. This option does not create a new menu or link the button to anything. • Creates a button at this menu location and assigns this picture to its thumbnail. Create Button Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 301 Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a drop zone at this menu location and assigns this picture to it. Create Drop Zone • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns this picture to the button’s thumbnail. • Creates a new menu with this picture as the background. • Adds a link from the new button to the new menu. Create Submenu Dragging a Still Picture to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions This option does not create a menu or link the button to anything. • Sets this picture to be the button’s thumbnail image. Set Asset (default option) • Sets this picture to be the button’s thumbnail image. • Creates a new menu with this picture as the background. • Adds a link from the button to the new menu. Set Asset and Create Submenu The button’s thumbnail does not change. • Creates a new menu with this picture as the background. • Adds a link from the new button to the new menu. Create Submenu Dragging a Still Picture to a Drop Zone The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions Set Asset (default option) • Sets this picture to be the drop zone’s asset. This option does not create a new menu or link the button to anything. The drop zone is unaffected. • Creates a button on top of the drop zone and assigns this picture to its thumbnail. Create Button Dragging Multiple Still Pictures (or a Folder) to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions This is the only action available if you drag a folder to an empty area (uses only the still pictures of the folder’s first level). • Creates a button with the first picture assigned as its thumbnail image. • Creates a new slideshow. • Adds a link from the new button to the new slideshow. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu. Create Button and Slideshow (default option) 302 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Drop Palette options Actions This option does not create any menus or link the buttons to anything. • Creates a button for each picture, and assigns each picture as its thumbnail. Create Buttons • Creates a button for each picture. • Assigns each picture as its button’s asset. • Creates new menus with each picture as their backgrounds. • Adds a link from the new buttons to the new menus. Create Submenus Dragging Multiple Still Pictures (or a Folder) to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Sets the button’s thumbnail to the first picture. • Creates a new slideshow. • Adds a link from the button to the new slideshow. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu. Set Asset and Create Slideshow (default option) The button’s thumbnail image does not change. • Creates a new slideshow. • Adds a link from the button to the new slideshow. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu. Create Slideshow Dragging a Multiple-Layer Still Picture to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions Once set, you can disable layers in the Menu Inspector. • Uses the picture as this menu’s background, with all layers visible. Set Background—All Layers Visible (default option) Once set, you can enable layers in the Menu Inspector. • Uses the picture as this menu’s background, with no layers visible. Set Background—No Layers Visible Once set, you can select the layer to use as the overlay in the Menu Inspector. • Uses the picture as this menu’s overlay, with no layers assigned to the overlay. Set Overlay This option does not create a new menu or link the button to anything. You cannot select the layers to show—because they are composited together. • Creates a button at this menu location and assigns this picture to its thumbnail, using the layers left visible by the graphics application. Create Button Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 303 Drop Palette options Actions Once set, you can disable layers for the new menu in the Menu Inspector. • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns this picture to the button’s thumbnail, using the layers left visible by the graphics application. • Creates a new standard menu with this picture as the background, with all layers visible. • Adds a link from the new button to the new menu. Create Standard Submenu Once set, you can disable layers for the new menu in the Menu Inspector. • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns this picture to the button’s thumbnail, using the layers left visible by the graphics application. • Creates a new layered menu with this picture as the background, with all layers visible. • Adds a link from the new button to the new menu. Create Layered Submenu Drop Palette for Standard Menus—Dragging Project Elements The following sections list the choices in the Drop Palette that appear when you drag project elements from the Outline or Graphical tab to an empty area or a button on a standard menu. Dragging an Existing Track to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: 304 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns the video from the first video clip of stream 1 to the new button’s thumbnail. • Adds a link from the new button to the first marker of the track. • Sets the track’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Button (default option) If the menu contains no buttons, drop zones, or text objects, this option changes to Create Chapter Index. Instead of creating a separate menu as the first chapter index menu, this menu is used. Additional chapter index menus are created if necessary. • Creates a button on this menu to link to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus, depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the track to buttons on the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. • Sets the track’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Button and Chapter Index Dragging an Existing Track to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Sets the video from the first video clip of stream 1 to be the button’s thumbnail image. • Adds a link from the button to the first marker of the track. • Sets the track’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Set Asset (default option) The button’s thumbnail does not change. • Adds a link from the button to the first marker of the track. • Sets the track’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Connect to Track Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 305 Drop Palette options Actions • Links the button to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Sets this track to be the button’s thumbnail image. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus, depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the track to buttons on the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. • Sets the track’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Set Asset and Create Chapter Index • Links the button to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus, depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the track to buttons on the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. • Sets the track’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Chapter Index Dragging Multiple Existing Tracks to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • For each track, creates a button. • Assigns each track as its button’s asset. • Adds a link from the new buttons to the first marker of the tracks. • Sets each track’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Buttons (default option) Dragging an Existing Story to an Empty Area The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns the video from the story’s first video clip to the new button’s thumbnail. • Adds a link from the new button to the story’s first video clip. • Sets the story’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Button (default option) Dragging an Existing Story to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: 306 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Drop Palette options Actions • Sets the video from the story’s first video clip to be the button’s thumbnail image. • Adds a link from the button to the story’s first video clip. • Sets the story’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Set Asset (default option) The button’s thumbnail does not change. • Adds a link from the button to the story’s first video clip. • Sets the story’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Connect to Story Dragging Multiple Existing Stories to an Empty Area The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • For each story, creates a button. • Assigns each story as its button’s asset. • Adds a link from the new buttons to each story’s first video clip. • Sets each story’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Buttons (default option) Dragging a Slideshow to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns the first slide to its thumbnail. • Adds a link from the new button to the slideshow. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Button (default option) If the menu contains no buttons, drop zones, or text objects, this option changes to Create Chapter Index. Instead of creating a separate menu as the first chapter index menu, this menu is used. Additional chapter index menus are created if necessary. • Creates a button on this menu to link to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus, depending on the number of slides and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each slide from the slideshow to buttons in the chapter index menus. • Assigns the picture from each slide to its button’s thumbnail. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Button and Chapter Index Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 307 Dragging a Slideshow to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Sets the first slide’s image to be the button’s thumbnail. • Adds a link from the button to the slideshow. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Set Asset (default option) The button’s thumbnail does not change. • Adds a link from the button to the slideshow. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Connect to Slideshow • Links the button to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus, depending on the number of slides and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each slide from the slideshow to buttons in the chapter index menus. • Assigns the picture from each slide to its button’s thumbnail. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Chapter Index Dragging Multiple Slideshows to an Empty Area The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button for each slideshow. • Assigns each slideshow as its button’s asset. • Adds a link from the new buttons to the slideshows. • Sets each slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu (if they have not already been set). Create Buttons (default option) Dragging a Menu to an Empty Area The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns the menu’s background as the button’s thumbnail. • Adds a link from the new button to the menu. Create Button (default option) Dragging a Menu to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: 308 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Drop Palette options Actions • Sets the menu’s background to be the button’s thumbnail. • Adds a link from the button to the menu. Set Asset (default option) • Adds a link from the button to the menu. The button’s thumbnail does not change. Connect to Menu Dragging a Script to an Empty Area The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Adds a link from the new button to the script. Create Button (default option) Dragging a Script to a Button The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions Connect to Script (default • Adds a link from the button to the script. option) Drop Palette for Standard Menus—Dragging Templates and Styles The following sections list the choices in the Drop Palette that appear when you drag shapes, templates, and styles from the Palette to an empty area or a button on a standard menu. Dragging a Shape to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns this shape to the button. Create Button (default option) • Creates a drop zone at this menu location. • Assigns this shape to the drop zone. Create Drop Zone Dragging a Shape to a Button or Drop Zone The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 309 Drop Palette options Actions Set Shape (default option) • Assigns this shape to the button or drop zone. Only available when dragging to a drop zone. The drop zone is unaffected. • Creates a button on top of the drop zone. • Assigns this shape to the button. Create Button Dragging a Template to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Template buttons are only applied to existing buttons (no new buttons are created). An exception is if the menu has no buttons, in which case all buttons from the template will be added. Apply to Menu (default option) • Template buttons are all applied, replacing existing buttons and adding new ones (if necessary). Apply to Menu—Add All Buttons • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns this template’s background to the button’s thumbnail. • Creates a new standard menu with this template. • Adds a link from the new button to the new menu. Create Submenu Dragging a Template to a Button The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a new standard menu with this template. • Adds a link from the button to the new menu. Create Submenu and Apply Template (default option) Dragging a Button Style to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns this style to the button. Create Button (default option) • Creates a button at this menu location. • Assigns this style to the button. • Assigns this style as the default button style for this menu. Create Button—Set Default Button Style No button is created. • Assigns this style as the default button style for this menu. Set Default Button Style Dragging a Button Style to a Button The following option appears in the Drop Palette: 310 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method Drop Palette options Actions Apply to Button (default option) • Applies this button style to the button. Dragging a Text Style to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a text object at this menu location. • Assigns this style to the text object. Create Text Object (default option) • Creates a text object at this menu location. • Assigns this style to the text object. • Assigns this style as the default text style for this menu. Create Text Object—Set Default Text Style No text object is created. • Assigns this style as the default text style for this menu. Set Default Text Style Dragging a Text Style to a Text Object The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions Apply to Text Object (default • Assigns this style to the text object. option) Dragging a Drop Zone Style to an Empty Area The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a drop zone at this menu location. • Assigns this style to the drop zone. Create Drop Zone (default option) Dragging a Drop Zone Style to a Drop Zone The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions Apply to Drop Zone (default • Assigns this style to the drop zone. option) Dragging a Layout Style to the Menu Editor The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method 311 Drop Palette options Actions • Layout style buttons are only applied to existing buttons (no new buttons are created). An exception is if the menu has no buttons, in which case all buttons from the layout style will be added. Apply to Menu (default option) • Layout style buttons are all applied, replacing existing buttons and adding new ones (if necessary). Apply to Menu—Add All Buttons 312 Chapter 13 Creating Menus Using the Standard Method DVD Studio Pro includes templates and styles that can make it easier to create menus. You can use the supplied templates and styles to quickly produce your menus, or you can make your own templates and styles. This chapter covers the following: • Introduction to Templates, Styles, and Shapes (p. 313) • What Are Templates and Styles? (p. 314) • Templates and Styles in the Palette (p. 316) • Applying a Template or Style (p. 321) • Setting Default Styles (p. 323) • Creating a Template or Style (p. 324) • Importing Templates and Styles (p. 326) • Deleting Templates and Styles (p. 327) • Managing Shapes (p. 329) Introduction to Templates, Styles, and Shapes DVD Studio Pro includes templates and styles that are designed to make the menu creation process quicker and easier. By applying a template or style to all menus in a project, you can create a cohesive, consistent look for your project. • You can use the supplied templates and styles to create your menus. Use a template to supply everything needed for a menu, or choose certain styles to use in combination with menus you create. • You can create your own templates and styles. This makes it easy to create a consistent look to apply to all of your menus that meets your specific needs. DVD Studio Pro also includes a shapes feature that allows you to add buttons to your menu that include the art and highlight areas. The shapes can also be used to create drop zones with irregular edges. See Managing Shapes for more information. 313 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 14 What Are Templates and Styles? Templates and styles both contain properties, such as background assets, button highlights, and text colors, that you use to create a menu. While templates cover all aspects of a menu, styles are targeted to specific areas. Applying a template to a menu can result in a mostly finished menu—you may only need to link the buttons. With styles, you generally work with an existing menu, and then use the styles to change specific areas such as a button’s shape or a text object’s font. In addition to the supplied templates and styles, you can create your own. You can import and use these templates and styles in many different projects. Each template and style can be self-contained, including the actual assets used in the template or style, such as backgrounds, audio files, and shapes. Or, they can reference assets located in a folder on your hard disk. Note: Templates and styles are in either PAL or NTSC format. You cannot use a template or style created using NTSC assets in a PAL project. The Palette only shows templates and styles that are compatible with the current project’s video standard. Additionally, templates using HD-specific resolutions (such as 1280 x 720p) or HD-specific video formats (HDV or H.264) cannot be imported into SD projects. About the Apple Templates Using the templates and styles provided with DVD Studio Pro is the quickest way to create professional looking menus. They can also help you to understand the different aspects of a template and give you ideas on how to create your own. Also, keep in mind that the Apple templates can be modified and saved as user templates. The Apple templates are installed when you install Final Cut Studio. If you chose not to install them, you can install them later by starting the Final Cut Studio install process and deselecting everything except the DVD Studio Pro content. See the Installing Your Software document included with Final Cut Studio for more information. In general, each template theme includes three templates designed for use in different situations: • Cover: Use these as the main menu. These include a text item for the menu title, one or more drop zones for you to customize their look, and several buttons that you can link to other menus and project elements. • Detail: Use these when you need to have a menu with several lines of explanation-type text. These include a text item for the menu title, one or more drop zones for you to customize their look, and several buttons. • Index: Use these for chapter index menus. These include a text item for the menu title, multiple buttons for linking to a track’s chapters, and three buttons, Back, Main, and Next, that the viewer uses to navigate to the next element. 314 Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus The best way to learn what a template contains is to apply it to a menu and look for button, drop zone, and text items. Any menu item that you can assign an image to has a transparent arrowhead assigned by default. These arrows indicate menu items you can assign images to. Most of the templates contain motion backgrounds—be sure to have the menu play in the Menu Editor to see how it is intended to look. About the Template Intro Movies The Final Cut Studio installation disc includes several video assets that are intended to be used as menu intro files for specific supplied templates. These assets can be used to provide a smooth transition when a menu is selected that uses the associated template. See the “About Template Intro Movies” file, located in the Template Intro Movies folder on the installation disc for more information. Also see Using Menu Intro Clips. Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 315 Templates and Styles in the Palette Templates and styles are contained in the Palette’s first two tabs. Click to select the group of templates or styles to display. See Managing Shapes for information on the Shapes tab, and Media Tabs for information on the Audio, Stills, and Video tabs. You can choose either small or large as the size for the thumbnails that appear in the Palette in the General pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. See General Preferences for more information on the preferences. Template and Style Groups To see the available templates and styles, you click the buttons at the top of the tabs. There are three choices for templates and four for styles: • Apple: The templates and styles provided by DVD Studio Pro. These are available to all projects. • Custom: The templates and styles you create and do not designate as “Project.” These are available to all projects. • Project: The templates and styles you create for use only in a specific project. These do not appear when you are working on other projects. Note: You must have saved your project before you can create a template or style belonging to the project group. • Current: For styles only, these are the styles that have been linked to the template assigned to the current menu. See Linking Styles to Templates for more information. 316 Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus Style Types In addition to the style group you select, when you click the Styles tab in the Palette, you also need to select the type of style. Click to select the style type to display. There are four style types you can choose from: • Buttons: Contains almost all settings (except navigation and jump settings) from the Button Inspector. • Text: Contains the font, size, color, rotation, and default text. • Drop Zones: Contains details about drop zones. • Layouts: Contains locations, sizes, shapes, and other attributes of one or more buttons on a menu. Linking Styles to Templates You can link, or associate, styles to templates. That way, if you apply a template to a menu and then want to use a different button style on one of the buttons, you can choose to see only those button styles that have been linked to that template. This makes it easier to create menus based on families of templates and styles, helping you maintain a consistent look while creating a project. Once you have applied a template to a menu, you can see which styles are linked to that template by selecting the Current view in the Styles tab in the Palette. When you select a style type (buttons, text, layouts, or drop zones), only the styles linked to that menu appear. Note: You can only link the styles you create to templates. The supplied Apple styles are already linked to the Apple templates. Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 317 To link a style to a template 1 Control-click a style, then choose Link to Templates from the shortcut menu. A selection dialog that lists all templates appears. 2 Select the checkbox next to all templates that you want to link this style to. Because menus keep track of the last template applied to them, you can open a menu at any time and, by selecting the Current view in the Styles tab, see those styles linked to the menu’s template. Note: If no template is applied to the menu, or no styles have been linked to the template, no styles appear when the Current view is selected. About Template and Style Properties Properties define the look and content of templates and styles. For example, properties define what kind of menu background a template has, how many buttons a layout style has, and where the buttons are located on the menu. Not all templates and styles need to use all of the properties available to them. For example, you can create a set of templates that have no menu background—when they are applied to an existing menu, the menu’s current background is maintained while other template properties, such as groups of buttons and text objects, are added to the menu. A template contains the properties of each of the four styles plus some additional properties. See the following sections for details: • Button Style Properties • Text Style Properties • Drop Zone Style Properties • Layout Style Properties • Other Template Properties Button Style Properties Button styles and all buttons in a template contain the following properties. Templates also contain the following properties as the default button style, used when a Drop Palette action requires new buttons to be created on the menu. See Setting Default Styles for information on setting a default button style. • Size: The width and height of the button’s active area 318 Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus • Asset: The asset file assigned to the button and the timecode setting below the thumbnail. When a button style is applied to an existing button, this asset only appears if the existing button does not already have an asset assigned. • Motion: Whether or not motion has been enabled for the asset • Shape: The shape file assigned to the button • Shadow: Whether or not the menu’s drop shadow has been enabled for the shape • Color Set: Which of the three highlight sets the button uses • Auto Action: Whether or not Auto Action has been enabled for the button • Invisible: Whether or not the button has been set to be invisible • Default Text: The actual text that the button uses. When a button style is applied to an existing button, this text only appears if the existing button does not already have text. • Font: The font’s name and size used for the button text • Text Color: The text’s color • Text Position: The text’s position on the button (top, left, right, center, or bottom) • Text Offset: The offset values for the text’s position • Text Shadow: Whether or not the menu’s drop shadow has been enabled for the text • Text in Highlight: Whether or not the text is included in the button’s highlight Text Style Properties Text styles and all text objects in a template contain the following properties. Templates also contain the following properties as the default text style, used when you double-click the menu background to create a text object. See Setting Default Styles for information on setting a default text style. • Default Text: The actual text that the text object uses. This text does not appear when a text style is applied to an existing text object. • Font: The font’s name and size used for the text object • Text Color: The text’s color • Rotation: The rotation setting used for the text object Drop Zone Style Properties Drop zone styles contain the following properties. Templates contain the following properties for each of their drop zones. • Size: The width and height of the drop zone’s active area • Asset: The asset file assigned to the drop zone and the timecode setting below the thumbnail. When a drop zone style is applied to an existing drop zone, this asset only appears if the existing drop zone does not already have an asset assigned. • Shape: The shape file assigned to the drop zone Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 319 • Shadow: Whether or not the menu’s drop shadow has been enabled for the drop zone • Rotation: The rotation setting used for the drop zone • Motion: Whether or not motion has been enabled for the asset Layout Style Properties Layout styles and templates contain the following properties. • Position/Size: The position and size of all buttons in the layout • Button Assets: The assets assigned to the buttons. This asset does not appear when a layout style is applied to a menu with buttons already containing assets. This asset only appears if the existing buttons do not already have an asset assigned. • Button Shapes: The shapes assigned to the buttons • Button Text: The text assigned to the buttons. This text does not appear when a layout style is applied to a menu with buttons already containing text. This text only appears if the existing buttons do not already have text assigned. • Default Button: The button number of the button assigned as the default button. This is the button selected when the menu appears, unless the connection to the menu specified a different button. • Guides: The guide configuration, including the number of guides and their positions Other Template Properties In addition to the button, text, drop zone, and layout style properties, templates contain the following properties: • Default Button Style: The default button style is used when a Drop Palette action requires new buttons to be created on the menu. See Setting Default Styles for information on setting a default button style. • Default Text Style: The default text style is used when you double-click the menu background to create a text object. See Setting Default Styles for information on setting a default text style. • Background Asset: The name of the asset assigned to the menu as the background • Overlay: The name of the asset assigned to the menu as the subpicture overlay • Audio Asset: The name of the audio asset assigned to the menu • Drop Zones: All drop zones added to the menu. Each drop zone includes its own settings. • Text Objects: All text objects added to the menu. Each text object includes its own settings. • Color: The color mapping settings for the menu. These include the color and opacity assigned to each button state for each of the three color sets, as well as the Color Palette’s 16 colors. • Mapping Type: Whether the menu uses the chroma or grayscale mapping type 320 Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus • Motion: The timecode values for the start, loop point, end, and duration settings, as well as the action for the menu’s end • Shadow: The drop shadow settings that the buttons, text objects, and drop zones can use • Display Mode: Whether the menu uses a 4:3,16:9 Pan-Scan, 16:9 Letterbox, or 16:9 Pan-Scan & Letterbox display mode • Resolution: The video resolution of the video background • Transitions: All transitions assigned to the menu and its buttons Applying a Template or Style When you select a template or style in the Palette, it does not affect the menu until you click the Apply button. Before you click Apply, it is important to make sure that the Menu Editor is displaying the correct menu, and in the case of some of the styles, that the correct items in that menu are selected. Note: The Menu Editor always has a menu assigned to it, and it is that menu that templates and styles are applied to. Templates and styles can be applied to a menu even if you are working on a different element, such as a track. The Menu Editor does not even have to be visible. You do not need to select anything in the menu before applying templates or layout styles. These items can be applied to an existing menu or a new empty one. Important: Applying a template to a menu changes the menu’s resolution and display mode to match the template (if they are different). Applying layout styles (or any of the other styles) does not change the menu’s resolution or display mode. In the case of layout styles, the layout is scaled to match the menu’s current resolution. For the button, text, and drop zone styles, you can either select one or more items in an existing menu before applying the style, or you can drag the style to an item. Styles are applied only to selected items in an existing menu, so you can actually use multiple versions of these styles on a single menu. For example, if you want the buttons on a menu to use different shapes, you can set up several different styles to provide those shapes. Note: Applying a template or style to a menu is a one-time action—the menu does not become locked to the template or style. You can make changes to the menu just as if you had manually configured it. Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 321 Using the Palette’s Apply Button The Palette includes an Apply button that you can use to apply the selected template or style to a menu. When applying button, text, or drop zone styles using the Apply button, the style is applied to all selected items at once. When dragging, you can only apply the style to one item. To apply a template or style using the Apply button 1 Make sure the Menu Editor is displaying the correct menu. 2 In the case of the button, text, and drop zone styles, select the item on the menu to apply the style to. 3 Select the template or style to apply to the menu. 4 Click Apply. The Apply button is unavailable if more than one template or style is selected. You can also apply a template or style by double-clicking it. Dragging Templates and Styles to a Menu In addition to the Palette’s Apply button, you can apply templates and styles by dragging them to the menu. The Menu Editor’s Drop Palette appears when you drag templates and styles to it. The Drop Palette provides options not available when using the Apply button. For example, you can drag a button style to an empty area of the Menu Editor and create a new button with it. With the Apply button, you need to select an existing button before the style can be applied. The area to which you drag the template or style determines the options available to you. For example, if you drag a template to an empty part of the menu, you have the options of applying it to the menu, applying it to the menu and adding all buttons, and creating a submenu. If you drag a template to an existing button, your only option is to create a submenu and apply this template to it. See Drop Palette for Standard Menus—Dragging Templates and Styles for a complete list of options. To apply a template or style by dragging 1 Make sure the Menu Editor is displaying the correct menu. 2 Select the template or style to apply to the menu and drag it to the Menu Editor. Be sure to drag it to an empty area or to an existing item, depending on how you want to apply the template or style. If you select more than one item before dragging, only the item you actually drag gets applied to the menu—the others are ignored. 322 Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus Applying Templates or Layout Styles to a Menu with Buttons When you apply a template or layout style to a menu that already has buttons, you are given the option of adding only enough buttons to replace the existing ones, or of adding all template or layout style buttons. If the menu has more buttons than the template or layout style, all buttons are added with the extra ones on the menu remaining unchanged. When replacing existing buttons, DVD Studio Pro first looks at their names to see if they match the names of any buttons in the template or layout. If an existing button and a new button have the same name, the link and asset of the original button are copied to the new button. By carefully naming your buttons, you can apply one template after another to a menu and still maintain the original button settings. To be able to switch templates easily while using the templates and layout styles supplied with DVD Studio Pro, you need to name the buttons on your menus according to the button-naming convention used by DVD Studio Pro. In the Apple templates and layout styles provided with DVD Studio Pro, button names fall into two categories: general-purpose buttons and special-purpose buttons. General-Purpose Buttons General-purpose buttons use the DVD Studio Pro default naming structure for buttons, starting with “Button 1.” Additionally, the Apple templates and layout styles can have assets and text assigned to each of the general-purpose buttons. When you create a chapter index menu, DVD Studio Pro checks each button to see if it has an asset assigned—if it does, the asset is changed to match the marker’s video. Similarly, if the button has text assigned, it is replaced with each marker’s name. Special-Purpose Buttons Any buttons not intended to link to chapter markers have underscores before and after their names—this causes DVD Studio Pro to ignore them when assigning chapter markers to buttons. The Apple templates and layout styles include three of these: _NEXT_ (to link to the next chapter index menu), _PREV_ (to link to the previous chapter index menu), and _UP_ to link to the original menu (if applicable). These three buttons automatically link to the appropriate menus when used to create a chapter index menu. See About Chapter Index Menus for more information on chapter index menus. Setting Default Styles You can set a default button and text style for each menu. Additionally, you can choose a default text style for the entire project in DVD Studio Pro Preferences. Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 323 DVD Studio Pro uses the default button style any time you create a button, whether by dragging the pointer in the Menu Editor or dragging an asset to the Menu Editor and choosing an option from the Drop Palette that creates buttons. The default text style is used whenever you add a text object to any menu in a project. You can also set a default text style for each menu. The text style includes the font, its size, and its color. It can also include default text. You can set the default button and text styles by dragging the style to the Menu Editor or using shortcut menus. Important: Setting the default button or text style for a menu only affects that menu—each menu has its own default button and text style settings. To set a button or text style as the menu default by dragging 1 Select a button or text style in the Palette and drag it to the Menu Editor. 2 When the Drop Palette appears, choose Set Default Button (or Text) Style. To set a button or text object as the menu default in the Palette μ In the Palette, Control-click the button or text object you want to use as the default, then choose Set as Default from the shortcut menu. To set a button or text object as the menu default in the Menu Editor μ In the Menu Editor, Control-click the button or text object you want to use as the default, then choose Set as Default from the shortcut menu. Additionally, you can set the default button and text styles for a menu when you apply a template. See Setting DVD Studio Pro Preferences for information on setting a default text style in DVD Studio Pro Preferences. Creating a Template or Style While creating a template or style is not difficult, it is worth spending some planning time so that you can make the templates and styles as useful as possible. To create a template or style 1 Configure a standard menu to match what you want the template or style to be. If you’re creating a template or a layout style, use care to name the buttons and create them in the correct order. See About Button Numbers and Applying Templates or Layout Styles to a Menu with Buttons for details. 2 If you’re creating a button, text, or drop zone style, select the specific item on the menu whose settings you want to include in the style. For templates and layout styles, you do not need to select anything on the menu. 324 Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 3 Do one of the following: • Choose Project > Create in Menu > Template or Project > Create in Menu > Style. • Click Create in the Palette. The Create Template or Create Style dialog opens. Select Self-Contained to copy the assets in this template or style to its file. Leave unselected to have the template or style reference the assets. The thumbnail of the template or style Select Project to have this template or style available to only this project. Enter the name of the template or style. 4 Enter a name for the template or style. 5 Select the Project checkbox if you want the template or style to be available only to this project. Leaving this unselected makes this template or style available to all projects on this system. 6 Select the Self-Contained checkbox to copy the assets used by this template or style into its file. This makes it easier to copy the file to another system where it can be imported by another project. 7 Click Save. The template or style is now saved and appears in the Palette. About Self-Contained Templates and Styles A template or style can use a surprising number of assets. Motion backgrounds and assets assigned to the button thumbnails can be very large files. In many cases, templates and styles you create that use motion assets will be specific to a particular project. In these cases, there is no reason to save them as self-contained. If you are creating a template or style and want to be sure it will always have the assets it requires, you can save it as self-contained. In this case, the assets are added to the template or style’s file. This makes it possible to copy the file to a different system and still have a working version of it. The drawback is that the file may be very large. Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 325 Locations of Template and Style Files Template and style files are placed in different locations based on whether or not they are project-exclusive. When you import template and style files, they are also copied to these locations. Custom Template and Style Files When you save a template that is not specific to a project, it is placed at the root of your disk, in this location: /Library/Application Support/DVD Studio Pro/Templates. All template files have a “.dsptemplate” extension. Style files are placed at the same location, in a Styles folder: /Library/Application Support/DVD Studio Pro/Styles. All style files have a “.dspstyle” extension, regardless of the type of style they are. To avoid confusion, be sure to indicate the style type when naming your style. Project Template and Style Files When you save a project template or style, it is added to the project bundle file (the file created when you save your project). Project templates and styles cannot be shared with other projects or systems. If you want to share them, you can add a menu to your project, apply the template or style to it, and then create a new template or style from the menu, setting it so that it is not specific to the project. This creates a new template or style file in the folders mentioned above. Apple Template and Style Files The Apple template and style files provided with DVD Studio Pro are at /Library/Application Support/Final Cut Studio/DVD Studio Pro/. Because these are the same for all DVD Studio Pro systems, there is no reason to copy these to another system. Naming Buttons in Your Templates and Styles If you create a template or layout style, you should follow a consistent button-naming convention. This will allow you to apply different templates or styles, one after the other, without having to reconfigure your buttons. For information on the button-naming conventions used in DVD Studio Pro templates and layout styles, see Applying Templates or Layout Styles to a Menu with Buttons. Importing Templates and Styles You can import templates and styles from other systems. When you import a template or style, it is copied to the same locations used when you create a custom or project template or style. See Locations of Template and Style Files for more information. To import a template or style using the File menu 1 Choose either File > Import > Style or File > Import > Template. 326 Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 2 Use the import dialog to navigate to the templates or styles you want to import. You can select a single file or multiple files. 3 Select the Project checkbox if you want the template or style to be available to this project only. Deselecting Project makes this template or style available to all projects on this system. 4 Click Import to import the files. To import a template or style using the Palette 1 Click the Templates or Styles tab in the Palette. Note: When importing a style, it is not necessary to select the proper style type (button, layout, and so on). All style types can be imported. 2 Control-click in the Palette’s thumbnail area, then choose Import from the shortcut menu. 3 Use the import dialog to navigate to the templates or styles you want to import. You can select a single file or multiple files. 4 Select the Project checkbox if you want the template or style to be available to this project only. Deselecting Project makes this template or style available to all projects on this system. 5 Click Import to import the files. The imported templates and styles appear in the Palette and are ready for use. There are several factors that determine how well an imported template or style will work on your system. • Templates and styles only work with the video standard (NTSC or PAL) of the system on which they were created. You cannot import templates and styles from one standard into the other. • Self-contained templates and styles work on all systems using the same video standard, regardless of what assets they contain or how they are arranged. • Referencing templates and styles requires the assets to be in the same location on the new system as they were on the original system. Any assets that cannot be found when a template or style is applied are skipped, leaving those areas of the menu empty. Deleting Templates and Styles You can delete templates and styles once you no longer need them. To delete a template or style 1 Select the template or style to delete. You can select multiple items to delete. Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 327 2 Do one of the following: • Control-click the item to be deleted, then choose Delete Selected Template or Delete Selected Style from the shortcut menu. • Click Delete at the bottom of the Palette. 3 A dialog appears, warning that deleting this item may affect this and other projects. Click OK. Note: You cannot delete a template or style that contains assets currently in use on a menu. The template or style is deleted. Deleting Really Deletes When you delete a template or style, the file is actually deleted from the disk. You cannot undo a deletion. This can be a serious issue if the template or style is self-contained because the assets used in the template or style are also deleted. Any projects that used the deleted template or style will no longer be able to access those assets, and you will need to relink their assets. Deleting Apple Templates and Styles You cannot delete the Apple templates supplied with DVD Studio Pro; however, you can delete the Apple styles. If you later decide you want to use the deleted styles, you must reinstall DVD Studio Pro to get them back. 328 Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus Managing Shapes The Palette contains a Shapes tab. You can use this tab to view thumbnails of the shapes, drag the shapes to the Menu Editor to use them as buttons or drop zones, and import shapes that you have created. You can choose either small or large as the size for the thumbnails in the Palette in the General pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences. See General Preferences for more information on the preferences. Two Types of Shapes There are two types of shapes that are available: normal and patches. You can create your own normal shapes; however, patches only come with DVD Studio Pro, and you cannot create your own. What’s a Patch? Patches are shapes that are able to modify the assigned asset. For example, a shape may add a tint or a blur filter to the assigned asset. Some patches have a motion element although most are static. Patches can be positioned and sized just like normal shapes, and have still or video assets assigned to them. Unlike normal shapes, you are not able to create custom patches. Patches appear in the Apple group of the Shapes tab along with the normal shapes. You can tell which shapes are patches by choosing Patch Shapes in the Button Inspector’s Style tab. Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 329 Applying a Shape You can apply a shape to an existing button or drop zone (or group of buttons or drop zones) on a menu, or you can create a new button when you apply the shape. The method you use to apply the shape (use the Apply button or drag the shapes) determines what you are able to do. Shapes are sorted into three groups: • Apple: The shapes provided by DVD Studio Pro. These are available to all projects. Note: Not all shapes supplied with DVD Studio Pro support highlights. Some are intended to be used only with drop zones and do not include the highlight layer used by buttons. • Custom: The shapes you import and designate as available to all projects created on this system • Project: The shapes you import for use only in this project. These will not appear when you are working on other projects. The Shapes tab in the Palette includes buttons so that you can choose which of these groups of shapes to view. To apply a shape using the Apply button 1 In the Palette, select the shape’s group (Apple, Custom, or Project), then select the shape you want to apply. 2 In the Menu Editor, do one of the following: • To apply the shape to an existing button or drop zone: Select the button or drop zone. • To apply the shape to a group of buttons or drop zones: Select the buttons or drop zones by holding down the Shift key while clicking them. 3 Click Apply. The shape is applied to the selected items. Note: The Apply button is disabled if you select more than one shape in the Palette. You cannot create a new button or drop zone using the Apply button. To apply a shape by dragging 1 In the Palette, select the shape’s group (Apple, Custom, or Project) so that the shape’s thumbnail appears. 2 Drag the shape from the Palette to the Menu Editor, then do one of the following: • To apply the shape to an existing button or drop zone: Drag the shape to it. • To create a new button or drop zone: Drag the shape to an empty area of the menu and when the Drop Palette appears, choose either Create Button or Create Drop Zone. 330 Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus Note: You cannot apply the shape to multiple existing buttons or drop zones by dragging. To assign a shape in the Button Inspector 1 In the Menu Editor, select the button to which you want to apply the shape. 2 Click the Style tab in the Button Inspector. 3 Choose a shape group from the Shape pop-up menu, then choose the shape to use from the submenu. A thumbnail of the shape appears in the Button Inspector and the shape is applied to the button. When you create a new button by dragging a shape to the Menu Editor, the shape is added to the menu at its actual size. This can be important if you intend your shapes to be a specific size when used on a menu. (When shapes are applied to an existing button, they are squeezed to fit it, which can distort it significantly.) Importing a Shape You can import shapes that you create. See Creating Shapes for information on creating shapes. When you import shapes, you choose whether they are specific to a project or shared. To import a shape 1 Click Import in the Shape tab in the Palette. Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 331 2 In the selection dialog that appears, locate and select the shape (or shapes) to import. Select if you want the imported shapes to be used only with this project. 3 Select the Project checkbox if you want the shapes to be used only with this project. Deselect the checkbox to make them available to all projects on this system. 4 Click Import. The imported shapes now appear in their group (Project or Custom). For custom shapes, the shape file is copied to the [root]/Library/Application Support/DVD Studio Pro/Shapes folder. For project shapes, the shape is copied to the project bundle. (Apple shapes are contained in the DVD Studio Pro application bundle.) Updating a Shape When you create a custom shape, you will often find, once you’ve applied it to a button or drop zone on a menu, that you need to make an adjustment to it. For example, you might need to make the highlight area larger. To reimport a shape 1 Click Import in the Shape tab in the Palette. 2 In the selection dialog that appears, locate and select the shape (or shapes) to reimport. 3 Select the Project checkbox if the shapes are used only with this project. Deselect the checkbox if they are available to all projects on this system. 4 Click Import. A dialog appears, stating that the shape already exists. 5 Click Replace to import the new versions of the shapes, replacing the existing ones. 332 Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus To see the new versions of the shapes, either in places they are already in use or in new places you want to use them, you must save your project, close it, and then open it again. Any older versions of the shapes are updated to the new versions. Deleting a Shape You can delete one or more shapes. To delete a shape 1 In the Palette, select the shape’s group (Apple, Custom, or Project) that contains the shape or shapes to be deleted. Note: If you delete an Apple shape, you must reinstall DVD Studio Pro to get the shape back. 2 Select the shape or shapes to delete. Use the Shift key to select multiple shapes. 3 Click the Shape tab’s Delete button. The shape’s file is deleted from its location (as determined by its group). Note: You cannot delete a shape that is currently in use on a menu. Chapter 14 Using Templates, Styles, and Shapes to Create Your Menus 333 The layered method allows you to create independent versions of each button for each of the three states. This gives you great flexibility in changing a button’s appearance when it is selected and activated. This chapter covers the following: • About Layered Menus (p. 335) • Choosing the Menu’s Background (p. 336) • Choosing the Menu’s Overlay (p. 338) • About the Menu Inspector for Layered Menus (p. 338) • Adding Buttons to Your Layered Menu (p. 343) • About Layered Menu Button Properties (p. 344) • Options in the Drop Palette for Layered Menus (p. 348) • Drop Palette for Layered Menus—Dragging Assets (p. 349) • Drop Palette for Layered Menus—Dragging Project Elements (p. 353) About Layered Menus When you create menus using the layered method, you specify independent 24-bit layers in an Adobe Photoshop file (PSD) for each state (normal, selected, and activated) of each button (as opposed to using an overlay or shapes, as you do with the standard method). See Layered Menu Creation Method for a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of this method. Menus created with the layered method can also use overlays. See Choosing the Menu’s Overlay for details on using overlays. See Starting and Working with a Menu for information on creating a layered menu, naming it, and adding assets to it. Note: You cannot change an existing menu from one kind of menu (standard or layered) to the other. 335 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 15 Choosing the Menu’s Background Layered menus must use the same PSD file for both the menu’s background and the layered buttons. Because of this requirement, only PSD files with multiple layers can be used as backgrounds for layered menus. For best quality, be sure your graphic: • Matches the menu’s resolution and aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9): If you are creating 16:9 menus in SD projects, or with the 720 x 480p, 720 x 576p, or 1440 x 1080i HD resolutions in HD projects, be sure the graphic is anamorphic. See Creating Graphics to Use in Menus and Choosing an Aspect Ratio for details. • Conforms to the broadcast video color space: Graphics that look stunning in your graphics program can look very different when viewed on DVD. Most graphics applications let you scale colors to NTSC or PAL color space. DVD Studio Pro automatically scales the size of the background graphic to fit the frame size if necessary, which can result in the menu’s background color appearing along some edges. There are several ways to assign a background to a menu. Use the method that you feel most comfortable with. In all cases, these methods also replace an existing background. Assigning a Menu Background Using the Inspector You can assign a menu background using the Inspector. With this method, you can only choose from assets already imported into DVD Studio Pro. To assign a menu background using the Inspector 1 Select the menu and make sure the Menu Inspector displays the menu properties. 2 Click the General tab in the Inspector (if it’s not already visible). 3 Choose a background from the Background pop-up menu. The selected file appears as the menu background, with all layers hidden. You can choose which layers to show in the Menu Inspector. Assigning a Menu Background by Dragging You can assign a background to a menu by dragging the asset from the Assets tab, the Palette, or a Finder window. To assign a menu background by dragging it to the Menu Editor 1 Select the menu in the Outline tab, the Graphical tab, or choose it from the Menu Editor’s View pop-up menu to display it in the Menu Editor. 2 Locate the background file you want to use in the Assets tab, Palette, or Finder window. 3 Drag the asset to an empty part of the Menu Editor and pause until the Drop Palette appears. 336 Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 4 Choose one of the following: • Set Background—All Layers Visible: To show all layers in the file. • Set Background—No Layers Visible: To hide all layers in the file. The background appears in the Menu Editor. You can choose which layers to show in the Menu Inspector. To assign a menu background by dragging it to the Outline or Graphical tab 1 Click the Outline or Graphical tab and select the menu you want to assign the background to. 2 Locate the background file you want to use in the Assets tab, Palette, or Finder window. 3 Assign the background file to the menu by dragging the file to the menu’s name or tile. A box appears around the name or tile to let you know the menu will receive the background file. The background appears in the Menu Editor, with all layers hidden, when you select the menu. You can then choose which layers to show in the Menu Inspector. Choosing a Menu’s Background from a Layered Photoshop File You can choose a layer (or several) from an Adobe Photoshop format (PSD) file to use as the menu background. One PSD file can supply backgrounds and overlays for several menus. To choose a menu background from a PSD file 1 Either create a new menu or select an existing one. 2 Click the General tab in the Menu Inspector. 3 Assign the PSD as the menu’s background by doing one of the following: • Choose it from the Background Asset pop-up menu in the Menu Inspector. • Drag it to the Menu Editor and choose Set Background from the Drop Palette. The PSD file’s layer names appear in the Background area of the General tab. 4 Select the checkboxes next to the layers that make up the background. Choose the background from this pop-up menu. Select these checkboxes to make the layers part of the background. Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 337 Choosing the Menu’s Overlay You can use overlays with layered menus as well as with standard menus. Every aspect of using them, from selecting the file and configuring its color mapping, is identical to how you use overlays in a standard menu. See Choosing the Menu’s Overlay for information on adding an overlay to your layered menu. See Understanding Color Mapping for information on configuring color mapping for simple and advanced overlays. About the Menu Inspector for Layered Menus The tabs within the Layered Menu Inspector provide a variety of menu configuration settings. These settings control everything from background and overlay configuration, to transition and timeout settings. The Layered Menu Inspector has five tabs: General, Menu, Transition, Colors, and Advanced. Settings at the Top of the Layered Menu Inspector The top of the Layered Menu Inspector contains two settings. • Name: Enter the name for this menu. • Est. Size: Displays the estimated amount of disc space the menu requires based on the assigned assets. 338 Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method General Tab in the Layered Menu Inspector The General tab in the Layered Menu Inspector is divided into three sections: The upper section contains the menu timeout settings, the middle section contains the background configuration settings, and the lower section contains the overlay configuration settings. Menu timeout settings Background settings Overlay settings Menu Timeout Settings • At End: Choose whether the menu displays indefinitely (Still) or performs a jump action if there is no activity for a period of time (Timeout). • Sec: Active only when At End is set to Timeout. Enter the number of seconds the menu appears before jumping to the Action setting. • Action: Choose the element to jump to once the timeout ends. Background Settings • Background: Choose the layered PSD file to use as the menu’s background. • Show: Select the checkboxes next to each layer that you want to appear as part of the background. Overlay Settings • Overlay: Choose the file to use as the menu’s overlay file. Set this only if you want to use both overlay-based buttons and layered buttons on this menu. • Show: Select the checkbox next to the layer you want to use as the overlay for the menu. Unlike backgrounds where you can select multiple layers, you can only select a single layer for use as an overlay. Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 339 Menu Tab in the Layered Menu Inspector Most settings in the Menu tab in the Layered Menu Inspector are optional. An exception is the Aspect Ratio setting, which must be set correctly for each menu. • Default Button: Choose the button to be selected when the menu appears during playback of the title. This setting can be overridden by any element that jumps to this menu, based on its jump setting, and the Highlight Condition setting. • Return Button: Choose the project element to jump to if you press the Return button on the DVD player’s remote control. • Highlight Condition: Provides an alternative method to the Default Button setting for determining which button to highlight. When Highlight Condition is set to Default, the Default Button setting supplies the button highlight setting. When Highlight Condition is set to one of its stream settings (audio, subtitle, camera angle), the number of the stream last played determines the button to highlight. This setting can be overridden by any element that jumps to this menu, based on its jump setting. • Language: Choose the language in which this menu should be displayed. See Using Languages with Menus for more information. • Resolution: Choose the menu’s resolution. • For SD projects: The resolution is either 720 x 480i (NTSC) or 720 x 576i (PAL). • For HD projects: You can choose from any of the supported resolutions. DVD Studio Pro Preferences includes a setting for the default resolution. The resolution automatically changes to match the menu’s background video resolution if it matches one of the supported resolutions. Choosing a resolution different than that used by the menu’s background video results in the menu being scaled and rendered to this setting when you build the project. 340 Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method • Display Mode: Set the aspect ratio for this menu (4:3 or 16:9). With 16:9, you also choose how it will display on a 4:3 monitor. The aspect ratio of the background and overlay must match this setting. See Working with 16:9 Menus for more information. • Number Pad: Defines which buttons are directly accessible by a DVD player’s numeric keypad. Choose All, None, or a button number from the pop-up menu. When you choose a button number, that button and all buttons less than that number are accessible via the numeric keypad—buttons greater than this value are blocked from direct access. • Btn Offset: You can use this setting to offset button numbers so they make sense to a viewer who wants to select a button by entering its number. For example, you may have a set of scene selection menus with numbered scenes. One of the menus may have scenes 23 to 34, with the button for scene 23 being the first button on the menu. If you enter an offset value of 22 for this menu, when the viewer enters 23 on the remote control, 22 is subtracted from it, with the result being 1—the button’s actual number. Transition Tab in the Layered Menu Inspector The Transition tab is used to configure a button transition for this menu. See Transition Tab in the Menu and Button Inspectors for details on this tab. Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 341 Colors Tab in the Layered Menu Inspector The Colors tab is identical to the Menu Inspector for standard menus. See Colors Tab in the Menu Inspector with Simple Selected and Colors Tab in the Menu Inspector with Advanced Selected for information on the Colors tab. Advanced Tab in the Layered Menu Inspector The Advanced tab in the Layered Menu Inspector contains settings that are used only in specialized projects. Disabled User Operations Settings • Disabled User Operations: Select the functions that you want to be disabled while this menu plays. See User Operations for more information. 342 Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method Playback Options Settings • Pre-Script: Choose a script to run before the menu appears. This script can decide whether to show the menu or configure the DVD player before showing it. See Pre-Scripts for information on pre-scripts. • DVD@CCESS: Selecting this checkbox allows you to add DVD@CCESS links, which provide additional functionality to your title when played on a computer. See DVD@CCESS for more information. • Display Condition: Selecting this enables the Display Condition settings which control whether this menu should be displayed or not, and to define what should be displayed if not this menu. See Display Condition for more information. Adding Buttons to Your Layered Menu There are two button types you can add to a layered menu: layered buttons and overlay buttons. In both cases, the first step is to create a button active area. See Creating Menus Using the Standard Method. Once you create the active areas, you can configure the buttons. For overlay buttons, see Using Simple Overlay Color Mapping and Using Advanced Overlay Color Mapping for details. For layered buttons, see Configuring a Layered Button. Mixing Overlay Buttons with Layered Buttons So that you can combine overlay and layered buttons on the same menu, the color mapping settings are active at all times—even when you aren’t adding an overlay to the menu. If you see an unexpected color appear in the active areas in any of the button states (normal, selected, or activated), you need to configure the color mapping settings. If no overlay file is assigned to a layered menu, a plain white image is used in place of the overlay file. If the color mapping settings apply a color to white, that color will appear in the active areas. When working with a layered menu without an assigned overlay file, you must either: • Select Simple as the Overlay Colors setting. This automatically sets white to be fully transparent. • Select Advanced as the Overlay Colors setting, then set the opacity for white to 0 for each selection state. Configuring a Layered Button Configuring a layered button is a matter of selecting layers in the menu’s PSD file to display in the three button states (normal, selected, and activated). To configure a layered button 1 Click in the button’s active area. Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 343 The Button Inspector appears. 2 Set the button’s connection by choosing an element from the target pop-up menu in the top section of the Button Inspector. 3 Click the Layers tab. A list of all layers in the PSD file appears. The normal button state column The selected button state column The activated button state column 4 Select the checkbox in the Normal column next to the layer to display when this button is not selected or activated. You can select more than one layer. If the normal state for the button is already part of the background, you do not need to select layers in the Normal column. 5 Select the checkbox in the Selected column next to the layer to display when this button is selected. You can select more than one layer. 6 Select the checkbox in the Activated column next to the layer to display when this button is activated. You can select more than one layer. 7 To verify the layer settings, use the Menu Editor’s button state icons to select the state (normal, selected, or activated) to display. Shows the selected state. Shows the activated state. Shows the normal state. You need to repeat this process for each layered button in your menu. About Layered Menu Button Properties The Layered Button Inspector has four tabs: Button, Layers, Colors, and Transition. 344 Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method Settings at the Top of the Layered Button Inspector The top of the Layered Button Inspector has three settings. • Name: By default, buttons manually added to a menu are named “Button _,” where “_” is the button number on that menu. To reduce confusion when viewing a list of the menu’s buttons, it is helpful to rename the buttons based on their functions. Next to the button’s name is its number. This number is based on the order in which the buttons are added to the menu. See About Button Numbers for information on changing this number and why it can be important. • Target: You can use this pop-up menu to define a button’s action when activated. (You can also use the Connections tab or Control-click the button.) Often you must set the connection later because what you want to jump to has not yet been added to the project. The pop-up menu contains all possible project elements you can jump to. Button Tab in the Layered Button Inspector The Button tab in the Layered Button Inspector contains settings that allow you to customize the selected button. • Navigation: This area lets you set the actions that take place when the viewer uses the arrow buttons on the DVD player’s remote control to navigate around the title. Because this is the typical way the title will be viewed, it is important to spend some time configuring the navigation in a logical, predictable way. See Configuring Button Navigation for information. Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 345 • Angle/Audio/Subtitle Streams: Use these three pop-up menus to connect a button to specific audio, subtitle, and angle streams to play back. For the subtitle stream, you can also choose whether subtitles should appear. • Auto Action: If you enable Auto Action for a button, it activates automatically as soon as it is navigated to, without the viewer needing to press Enter. This is useful in menus, such as scene selection menus, in which you use Next and Previous buttons; you can assume that if viewers navigate to the Next or Previous button, they want to activate it. Note: With overlay-based buttons, if you select this option, only the activated color mapping appears when the button is navigated to, skipping the selected color mapping. • Invisible: Applies to overlay-based buttons. Allows you to have a button that does not display highlights in the normal, selected, or activated state. This is useful when you want to have a menu with text and no visible buttons. The text could tell the viewer to press the Enter button to go to the next menu or start playback (or whatever the button is set to jump to). • Highlight: Applies to overlay-based buttons. Allows you to choose the color mapping set to assign to this button. • Coordinates & Size: This area lets you set the location of each edge of the button’s active area, plus the area’s height and width. The upper-left corner of the menu is at pixel 0, line 0. You can enter values for each edge, allowing you to precisely position and size the button’s active area. (You can also drag the active area and each of its edges with the pointer.) 346 Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method Layers Tab in the Layered Button Inspector The Layers tab in the Layered Button Inspector lists the layers in the PSD file assigned as the menu’s background. There are three columns of checkboxes—normal (on the left), selected (in the center), and activated (on the right)—next to each layer. For the current button, you select at least one layer to appear when the button is selected, and a second layer to appear when the button is activated. You do not need to select a layer for the button’s normal state if it is part of the menu’s background. Colors Tab in the Layered Button Inspector The Colors tab is identical to the one used in the Button and Menu Inspectors for standard menus. See Colors Tab in the Menu Inspector with Simple Selected and Colors Tab in the Menu Inspector with Advanced Selected for details on using this tab. Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 347 Transition Tab in the Layered Button Inspector The Transition tab is used to configure a button transition for this button. See Transition Tab in the Menu and Button Inspectors for details on this tab. Options in the Drop Palette for Layered Menus Following are descriptions of the various Drop Palette options that can appear when you drag an asset or element to the Menu Editor. See Viewing the Drop Palette for information on using the Drop Palette options. The following descriptions are grouped by the type of item you are dragging (asset, project element such as a track or slideshow, and a template, style, or shape from the Palette). Details for standard menus are listed first, followed by the details for the layered menus. For those Drop Palette options that appear when you drag a motion video asset, a matching audio asset is also added (if applicable), as long as: • The “Find matching audio when dragging” setting in the Track pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences is selected. • An audio file with the same base name as the video file is located in the same folder as the video asset. The following details assume the “Find matching audio when dragging” preference is selected and a suitable audio file is found. 348 Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method Drop Palette for Layered Menus—Dragging Assets The following sections list the choices in the Drop Palette that appear when you drag assets to an empty area or button in a layered menu. Dragging a Motion Video Asset to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Creates a new track with this video. • Assigns matching audio as the track’s audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Adds a link from the new button to the first marker of the new track. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. Create Button and Track (default option) Use this option with video that has had chapter markers added with Compressor, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro. • Creates a track and adds the chapter markers to it. • Assigns matching audio as the track’s audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. • Creates a button on this menu to link to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus (using the standard method), depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the new track to buttons on the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. Create Button and Chapter Index Dragging a Motion Video Asset to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 349 Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a new track with this video. • Assigns matching audio as the track’s audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Adds a link from the button to the first marker of the new track. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. Create Track (default option) Use this option with video that has had chapter markers added with Compressor, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro. • Creates a track and adds the chapter markers to it. • Assigns matching audio as the track’s audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. • Links the button to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus (using the standard method), depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the new track to buttons on the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. Create Chapter Index Dragging a Video/Audio Pair to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: 350 Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Creates a new track with this video and audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Adds a link from the new button to the first marker of the new track. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. Create Button and Track (default option) Use this option with video that has had chapter markers added with Compressor, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro. • Creates a track and adds the chapter markers to it. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. • Creates a button on this menu to link to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus (using the standard method), depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the new track to buttons on the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. Create Button and Chapter Index Dragging a Video/Audio Pair to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a new track with this video and audio. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Adds a link from the button to the first marker of the new track. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. Create Track (default option) Use this option with video that has had chapter markers added with Compressor, Final Cut Express, or Final Cut Pro. • Creates a track and adds the chapter markers to it. • Names the track the same as the video asset. • Sets the new track’s End Jump setting to this menu. • Links the button to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus (using the standard method), depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the new track to buttons on the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. Create Chapter Index Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 351 Dragging a Single-Layer Still Picture to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions Set Overlay (default option) • Uses the picture as this menu’s overlay. • Creates a button at this menu location. • Creates a new standard menu with this picture as the background. • Adds a link from the new button to the new menu. Create Standard Submenu Dragging a Single-Layer Still Picture to a Button The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a new standard menu with this picture as the background. • Adds a link from the button to the new menu. Create Standard Submenu (default option) Dragging a Multiple-Layer Still Picture to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions Once set, you can disable layers in the Menu Inspector. • Uses the picture as this menu’s background, with all layers visible. Set Background—All Layers Visible (default option) Once set, you can enable layers in the Menu Inspector. • Uses the picture as this menu’s background, with no layers visible. Set Background—No Layers Visible Once set, you can select the layer to use as the overlay in the Menu Inspector. • Uses the picture as this menu’s overlay, with no layers assigned to the overlay. Set Overlay Once set, you can enable layers for the new menu in the Menu Inspector. • Creates a button at this menu location. • Creates a new standard menu with this picture as the background, with no layers visible. • Adds a link from the new button to the new menu. Create Standard Submenu Once set, you can enable layers for the new menu in the Menu Inspector. • Creates a button at this menu location. • Creates a new layered menu with this picture as the background, with no layers visible. • Adds a link from the new button to the new menu. Create Layered Submenu Dragging a Multiple-Layer Still Picture to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: 352 Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method Drop Palette options Actions Once set, you can enable layers for the new menu in the Menu Inspector. • Creates a new standard menu with this picture as the background, with no layers visible. • Adds a link from the button to the new menu. Create Standard Submenu (default option) Once set, you can enable layers for the new menu in the Menu Inspector. • Creates a new layered menu with this picture as the background, with no layers visible. • Adds a link from the button to the new menu. Create Layered Submenu Dragging Multiple Still Pictures (or a Folder) to an Empty Area The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Creates a new slideshow. • Adds a link from the new button to the new slideshow. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu. Create Button and Slideshow (default option) Dragging Multiple Still Pictures (or a Folder) to a Button The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a new slideshow. • Adds a link from the button to the new slideshow. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu. Create Slideshow (default option) Drop Palette for Layered Menus—Dragging Project Elements The following section lists the choices in the Drop Palette that appear when you drag project elements from the Outline or Graphical tab to an empty area or a button in a layered menu. Dragging an Existing Track to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 353 Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Adds a link from the new button to the first marker of the track. • Sets the track’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Button (default option) • Creates a button on this menu to link to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus (using the standard method), depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the track to buttons in the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. • Sets the track’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Button and Chapter Index Dragging an Existing Track to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Adds a link from the button to the first marker of the track. • Sets the track’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Connect to Track (default option) • Links the button to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus (using the standard method), depending on the number of markers and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each chapter marker from the track to buttons in the chapter index menus. • Assigns the video from each marker to its button’s thumbnail. • Sets the track’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Chapter Index Dragging a Story to an Empty Area The following option appears in the Drop Palette: 354 Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Adds a link from the new button to the story. Create Button (default option) Dragging a Story to a Button The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions Connect to Story (default option) • Adds a link from the button to the story. Dragging a Slideshow to an Empty Area The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Adds a link from the new button to the slideshow. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Button (default option) • Creates a button on this menu to link to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus (using the standard method), depending on the number of slides and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each slide from the slideshow to buttons in the chapter index menus. • Assigns the picture from each slide to its button’s thumbnail. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Button and Chapter Index Dragging a Slideshow to a Button The following options appear in the Drop Palette: Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method 355 Drop Palette options Actions • Adds a link from the button to the slideshow. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Connect to Slideshow (default option) • Links the button to the first of the new chapter index menus. • Creates one or more new chapter index menus (using the standard method), depending on the number of slides and the button layout used. • Opens the Choose Template or Layout Style dialog so you can choose the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menus. • Links each slide from the slideshow to buttons in the chapter index menus. • Assigns the picture from each slide to its button’s thumbnail. • Sets the slideshow’s End Jump setting to this menu (if it has not already been set). Create Chapter Index Dragging a Menu to an Empty Area The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Adds a link from the new button to the menu. Create Button (default option) Dragging a Menu to a Button The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions Connect to Menu (default • Adds a link from the button to the menu. option) Dragging a Script to an Empty Area The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions • Creates a button at this menu location. • Adds a link from the new button to the script. Create Button (default option) Dragging a Script to a Button The following option appears in the Drop Palette: Drop Palette options Actions Connect to Script (default • Adds a link from the button to the script. option) 356 Chapter 15 Creating Menus Using the Layered Method Adding menu transitions and creating menus for multiple languages are advanced features that can add value to your DVD project. Menu transitions are short video clips that play at the beginning of a menu (intro clips) and when buttons are pressed (transition clips). There are several approaches you can take to add these clips to your project. You can also configure a menu to support up to 16 different languages. By assigning different backgrounds, overlays, audio, and text to each menu’s language, you can create a DVD that supports a wider audience. This chapter covers the following: • Adding Intro and Transition Clips to Menus (p. 357) • Using Languages with Menus (p. 364) Adding Intro and Transition Clips to Menus You can make the DVD viewing experience more polished by adding short video clips that play at the beginning of a menu (intro clips) and when buttons are pressed (transition clips). Using Menu Intro Clips Menu intro clips are most effective when they build up to the menu’s background video. For example, if the menu’s background is a shot of a building with buttons in its windows, you could have an intro clip that fades up from black to the shot of the building, and then has the button elements fly in from off the screen and take their place in the windows. 357 Using Advanced Menu Features 16 There are three approaches you can take to create a menu intro effect: • Combine the intro clip with the menu’s background video: This method guarantees a seamless transition between the intro clip and the original menu’s background. The Menu Editor includes a Loop Point setting that you can use to control where the menu jumps to when its playback is looped. This allows you to configure the intro clip to play only the first time a menu’s background plays. The loop point also controls when the button highlights appear. Because button highlights cannot move, you would not want them visible during the intro while the button elements are moving. See About the Motion Settings for more information. A disadvantage of this mode is that, unless you use a simple script, the menu’s intro must play each time the menu is accessed because you cannot jump directly to the menu’s loop point. (See Jumping to a Menu’s Loop Point for an example of the script.) • Configure the intro clip as its own menu: To do this, you need to create a menu and assign the intro clip as its background. You also need to set the menu’s At End setting to Timeout, enter 0 as the Sec, and set the Action to be the menu this intro clip is for. Whenever you want to jump to the original menu, you can jump to this intro menu instead—the intro menu will automatically jump to the original menu once its intro clip plays. The advantage of this method is that, because you are jumping from one menu to another menu, the disruption during that jump time should be minimal. (By default, all menus are stored in the same general area on a DVD disc, making it easier for the DVD player to jump between them. Additionally, you can use the VTS Editor to ensure the two menus are next to each other.) Another advantage is that you can choose whether to jump to the intro menu or to jump directly to the original menu, avoiding forcing the viewer to watch the intro menu multiple times. • Configure the intro clip as its own track: To do this, you need to create a track and add the intro clip to its V1 video stream. The only configuration you need to do is to set the track’s End Jump setting to the original menu. Whenever you want to jump to the original menu, you can jump to this intro track instead—the intro track will automatically jump to the original menu once its intro clip plays. About Button Transition Clips Button transition clips provide the opposite effect of the menu intro clip—they provide a transition from the menu background’s buttons to the element (a track or another menu) that the menu’s button is connected to. Using the same example used for the intro clips (a shot of a building with buttons placed in its windows), the transition clip could have the button elements fly off the screen and then fade the shot of the building to black. 358 Chapter 16 Using Advanced Menu Features You can use the menu transition feature to automatically create the transition clips or you can manually create button transition clips. Using the Menu Transition Feature The menu transition feature makes it easy to automatically create transition clips for all buttons on a menu. You define a transition in the Menu Inspector that is then applied to all buttons and the timeout action (if set). By default, each button is set to use the menu’s transition settings; however, you can modify or disable the settings for each button. Transition settings include: • Transition (crossfade, wipe, and so on) • Specific parameters based on the transition type (duration, direction, and so on) • Alternative start and end video The menu transition feature can be used with standard and layered menus. Important: Be aware of the aspect ratio and resolution of the button’s target when configuring transitions. All transitions from a menu are based on the menu’s aspect ratio and resolution. Depending on the type of monitor a viewer is using, if the button’s target uses a different aspect ratio or transition, there may be a noticeable glitch when the monitor switches from the menu’s settings to the button target’s settings. Chapter 16 Using Advanced Menu Features 359 About the Transition Types DVD Studio Pro includes a variety of Standard and Alpha Transitions you can use with your menus. These same transitions are available in slideshows and tracks with still images. Menus also allow you to specify a video clip to use in place of the Standard Transitions. Disables default transitions for this menu. Standard Transitions Video Transition Alpha Transitions Alpha Transitions DVD Studio Pro includes several Alpha Transitions. These transitions use short video clips to produce a transition from the current picture to the new picture. These transitions, indicated with the Greek letter alpha in front of their name, have no settings other than a duration. Additionally, you can even create and import your own Alpha Transitions. See Preparing Alpha Transitions for details on the process. Standard Transitions When you choose a Standard Transition from the Transition pop-up menu in the Transition tab in the Menu or Button Inspector, DVD Studio Pro creates a short video clip to be used as the transition. 360 Chapter 16 Using Advanced Menu Features The transition clips use a start and end video frame, with the transition controlling how the video changes from one to the other. • The start frame: This is the menu with all buttons in the normal state. If the menu has a video asset as its background, the loop point frame (or first frame, if the loop point is not set) of the video is used as the start frame. The start frame also includes the menu’s drop zones and text objects. • The end frame: This is the first frame of the target the button is jumping to. If the button jumps to a script, the end frame is black. If you change the button’s target, the end frame automatically updates. You are able to assign specific assets or colors as the start and end video frames in the Menu and Button Inspectors. See Transition Tab in the Menu and Button Inspectors for more information. The transition clips that are created with the menu transition feature are rendered as part of the build process. They are placed in the same video title set (VTS) file as the menus. When authoring a project that will fill the DVD disc, you must take into account that a transition video clip is rendered for each menu button that has transitions enabled—a menu with 18 buttons can require 18 transition video clips. This can have a significant impact on the amount of disc space the menus require. See Transitions for more information. Video Transitions When you choose Video Transition from the Transition pop-up menu in the Transition tab in the Menu or Button Inspector, you can assign a short video clip to be used as the transition clip. Adding Button Transitions to a Menu You can set a default transition for the menu. This transition is applied to all buttons. To set a transition for a menu 1 Select the menu in the Outline tab, the Graphical tab, or from the Menu Editor’s View pop-up menu. 2 Click the Transition tab in the Menu Inspector. 3 Choose either a Standard Transition or the Video Transition from the Transition pop-up menu. You can choose “not set” to disable default transitions for this menu. (You can still configure individual buttons to use transitions.) 4 Configure the transition using its specific parameters. Once you have configured the menu’s transition, you can modify or disable it at each button. Chapter 16 Using Advanced Menu Features 361 To modify a button’s transition 1 Select the button to be modified. 2 Click the Transition tab in the Button Inspector. The Transition setting shows “Same as Menu” by default. 3 Choose the transition to use from the Transition pop-up menu. You can choose “not set” to disable transitions for that button. 4 Configure the transition using its specific parameters. Transition Tab in the Menu and Button Inspectors The Transition tabs in the Menu and Button Inspectors are identical—the only difference is that the Transition pop-up menu in the Button Inspector has a “Same as Menu” choice that the Menu Inspector does not have. • Start thumbnail: Shows the video frame that a still transition will start from. • Transition thumbnail: Provides a preview of a still transition when you click the Preview button, or a preview of a video transition when you click the Play button. • End thumbnail: Shows the video frame that a still transition will end with. This thumbnail is empty in the Menu Inspector unless you have used the End pop-up menu to specify an ending frame. • Transition: Choose the transition to use. In the Menu Inspector, this sets the default transition for this menu, which you can override at each button. • not set: Disables transitions for this menu or button. • Standard Transition: Creates a transition clip based on the Standard Transitions supplied with DVD Studio Pro. 362 Chapter 16 Using Advanced Menu Features • Video Transition: Uses a video clip you assign to create a transition. See About the Transition Types for more information. • Same as Menu: Only available in the Button Inspector. Sets the current button to use the transition settings in the Menu Inspector. • Preview: Click this to preview the current transition in the Transition thumbnail area. • Parameters area: Contains the parameters, including the duration, for the current transition. Each transition has its own set of parameters. • Start: Choose the start frame for the transition to use. • With Default: The start frame is the menu’s background. • With Solid Color: You are able to choose a color to use as the start frame. • With Stills and Videos: You are able to choose a specific asset to use as the start frame. In the case of videos, an Offset setting appears that allows you to choose the video frame to use. • End: Choose the end frame for the transition to use. • With Default: The end frame is the menu’s background. • With Solid Color: You are able to choose a color to use as the end frame. • With Stills and Videos: You are able to choose a specific asset to use as the end frame. In the case of videos, an Offset setting appears that allows you to choose the video frame to use. Transition Parameters Each transition has its own parameters. In many cases, the settings are self-explanatory; however, in some cases, the settings are not obvious. See Transition Parameters for details on the parameters for each transition. Manually Creating Button Transition Clips Transition clips are inserted between the button and the button’s connection. While a menu’s intro clip plays when you jump to the menu, button transitions play when you activate a specific button. If you have eight buttons on a menu and want the transition clip to play when each button is activated, you have to create a separate transition clip for each button because the end of the transition clip needs to jump to the button’s actual connection. Chapter 16 Using Advanced Menu Features 363 There are two approaches you can take to create the button transition effect: • Configure the transition clip as its own menu: To do this, you need to create a menu and assign the transition clip as its background. You also need to set the menu’s At End setting to Timeout, enter 0 as the Sec, and set the Action to be the element that the button originally connected to. Then you need to change the original menu’s button connection to this transition menu. The advantage of this method is that, because you are jumping from one menu to another menu, the disruption during that jump time should be minimal. (All menus are stored in the same general area on a DVD disc, making it easier for the DVD player to jump between them.) • Configure the transition clip as its own track: To do this, you need to create a track and add the transition clip to its V1 video stream. The only configuration you need to do is to set the track’s End Jump setting to the element that the button originally connected to, and to change the original menu’s button connection to this transition track. Using Languages with Menus You can configure a menu to support up to 16 different languages. When the DVD first starts playing, it checks the menu language setting of the DVD player and automatically displays the corresponding menu (if a menu for that language is available) or the menu for the first language available (if there is no language match). The Outline tab lists the languages you have added to the project in the Languages section. The languages you see there are used to determine only which menus to display and have no effect on the stream settings within the tracks. By default, one language, based on the Default Language setting in the Project pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences, appears in the Outline tab. You do not actually create different menus for each language—you simply assign separate background, overlay, and audio (if applicable) files to each language. You can also change the text in any text objects and buttons. These three files and the text changes are the only differences between the languages. Button active areas, links, and all other menu settings are exactly the same for each language. Note: Because the start frames of transitions are based on the menu’s background video, separate transition clips are rendered for each language that uses a different background video. 364 Chapter 16 Using Advanced Menu Features Creating and Configuring Menu Languages There are two approaches you can take to configure menus for multiple languages: • Create the primary language’s menu first, and then create the alternate languages in the Outline tab: When you create the menu languages after you have created the primary menu, all of the primary menu attributes are applied to all language versions of the menu, including those that can be different between the languages. This makes it easier to configure the menus for the other languages, especially if you are not changing much between the different languages. • Create the languages first, and then create the menus: When you create the languages first, the menus all start out empty. Anything you apply to one of the menus that is not language-specific gets applied to all versions of the menu. If you apply an item that is language-specific—for example, you create a text object—a text object is created on all versions of the menu, but only the menu you created it on will have the text and text attributes (font or color). This can require more effort because you have to set not only the text, but its attributes for each version of the menu. (If you had created the primary menu first, all of the other versions would have the text object with its font and color—all you would need to do would be type the new text.) Most often you will find yourself using a mixture of these methods. For example, you might create the languages and menus, and then find you need to add an additional language. The menu configurations for the new language will match the primary menu settings. Adding Menu Languages You can use the Outline tab’s shortcut menu to create menu languages. To create menu languages Do one of the following: μ Choose Project > Add to Project > Language, or press Command-Slash (/). μ Control-click in the Outline tab, choose Add from the shortcut menu, then choose Language from the submenu. The new language appears in the Outline tab under the Languages heading. By default it is named “English _,” with “_” being the number of the language. The General pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains a project default language setting that you can use to define the default language. See General Preferences for more information. Important: For every language you add, DVD Studio Pro creates a new menu for each menu in your project. This is true whether or not you assign different backgrounds to each language. For projects with a lot of motion menus, these additional menus can take up a significant amount of space on the DVD. Chapter 16 Using Advanced Menu Features 365 Configuring Menu Languages in the Outline Tab You can use the Outline tab to configure the menu languages. To configure menu languages using the Outline tab 1 Click the triangle next to Languages to display the available languages. There should be at least one entry. 2 Select the language entry to open the Language Inspector. 3 Choose a language from the Language Code pop-up menu. This is the language that this language element should map to on the DVD player when the title plays. 4 If desired, enter a new name in the Language Name area. This is the name that you will see when configuring your menus. By default, it changes to match the name of the language selected in the Language Code pop-up menu. This name is not seen by the viewer; it is strictly for your use while configuring menus. 5 To remove a language, select it in the Outline tab and press the Delete key. Setting Up Menus for the Languages Once you have created and configured your languages, you can configure their menus. To do this, you need to have created and imported all assets (backgrounds, overlays, and audio streams) that will be used for the different languages. To configure a menu for a language 1 Select a menu. It does not have to be fully configured yet. Keep in mind that all settings (with the exception of the background, overlay, audio file, and text) are shared among all languages. 2 Do one of the following to choose a language to configure: • Choose the language from the Language pop-up menu in the Menu tab in the Menu Inspector. • Choose the language from the Menu Editor’s language pop-up menu, next to the View pop-up menu. 3 Select the background file, overlay file, and audio file to use for this language. You can use the same file for multiple languages. Note: These files must be compatible (the same format, resolution, and, in the case of audio, the same bit rate, sample size, and sample rate) between all language versions of the menu. 366 Chapter 16 Using Advanced Menu Features 4 If desired, change the text in any text objects and buttons to what you want to appear for that language. You can also change the font and color for each language. 5 Select any additional languages and set their asset files and text as you like. When you choose a language that you have already configured with alternate assets, the menu’s assets and text change to match those settings. Chapter 16 Using Advanced Menu Features 367 The main content of a DVD project is contained in tracks, which hold pieces of video, audio, and subtitles that play as a unit. This chapter covers the following: • About Track Limits in a DVD (p. 370) • Working with a Track’s Assets (p. 370) • How Many Tracks Should You Have? (p. 371) • About Subtitle Streams (p. 371) • DVD Studio Pro Tools for Working with Tracks (p. 371) • Creating Tracks (p. 372) • Opening Tracks (p. 373) • Setting Track Properties (p. 373) • About the Track Editor (p. 377) • Configuring the Track Editor (p. 377) • Understanding Time Information in the Track Editor (p. 380) • Supported Asset Types (p. 384) • Adding Video and Audio Assets (p. 386) • Editing Video and Audio Clips (p. 390) • Setting Stream Properties (p. 392) • Exporting an MPEG Clip (p. 393) • Working with Markers (p. 393) • About Marker Placement (p. 394) • Creating and Editing Markers (p. 395) • Adding Markers to a Track Without a Video Clip Assigned (p. 397) • Importing Markers from an Editor (p. 397) • Importing Markers from a Text List (p. 399) 369 Creating and Editing Tracks 17 • About the Marker Types (p. 399) • Setting Marker Properties (p. 401) • Introduction to Stories (p. 403) • Creating a Story for a Track (p. 404) • Using the Story Editor (p. 404) • Setting Story Properties (p. 405) • Setting Story Entry Properties (p. 407) • Simulating a Story (p. 407) • Adding Alternate Video Streams (p. 408) • Using Still Clip Transitions (p. 410) • Viewing a Track (p. 413) About Track Limits in a DVD A DVD can have a combination of up to 99 tracks, stories, and slideshows. Each track can contain up to: • 9 video streams, used as angles or alternate video • 8 audio streams for different soundtracks • 32 subtitle streams for alternate text, alternate languages, or buttons over video • 99 chapter markers used primarily to define points in the track that can be jumped to • 255 cell markers used for a variety of purposes, such as button highlights and DVD@CCESS (this includes chapter markers, which are also cell markers) • 98 stories (assuming there are no other tracks or slideshows), each defining an alternate track playback by treating each chapter marker as a clip that can be moved or skipped as needed Working with a Track’s Assets You can add multiple video or audio assets to each stream in a track. You can even trim each asset’s start and end points to choose the parts of it you want to use. While this allows for a lot of flexibility when creating your tracks, it is not a substitute for using a video editing application, such as Final Cut Pro, to edit the clips into an asset to add to your project. 370 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks You need to use a video editing application to add effects such as dissolves, wipes, and keys to the video. With this kind of editor, you can precisely choose each clip’s start and end points—the trimming capability of DVD Studio Pro is restricted to Group of Pictures (GOP) boundaries only, making it much harder to trim a clip exactly where you would like. Also, DVD Studio Pro can’t mix multiple audio assets together as you can with an editor. How Many Tracks Should You Have? Depending on your intended result, your project may have one long track, or you may choose to divide your material into multiple tracks that can be played separately or linked together. For example, if you are working on a long project that you expect the viewer to watch from beginning to end, using one long track is the best option. This eliminates any pauses that the viewer may encounter while the DVD player jumps from one track to another. Even if your project contains several independent segments that the viewer would not watch one after the other, you can still use a single track and set actions on the markers to break the track into the smaller segments. Or, you can create separate tracks for each segment—whichever method is easiest for you to manage. In some cases, such as a track with a mixture of still images and motion clips, you may need to use multiple tracks to work around the 99 chapter marker-per-track limit. If you think you may need to replace some segments in your project later on—for example, to customize for various countries or to update outdated sections—you may find it easier to replace these segments if they are separate tracks. About Subtitle Streams Subtitles can be created in the Track Editor, or they can be imported from other applications. They can be used to overlay dialogue text over the video stream, or to overlay simple graphics. Subtitles can also be used to place buttons over the video; the viewer can select these buttons just as they would on a menu. See Creating Subtitles for information on working with subtitles. DVD Studio Pro Tools for Working with Tracks DVD Studio Pro provides two primary tools for configuring your tracks: the Track Inspector and the Track Editor. • The Track Inspector contains general track settings, such as its aspect ratio, what happens when the track finishes, the remote control settings, and DVD@CCESS settings. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 371 • The Track Editor is where you add and manage your video and audio assets, as well as your subtitles. You can also add markers for use as chapter points and other functions. There is also a Marker Inspector you use when working with markers and a Clip Inspector you use when working with individual clips within a track. Note: An asset used within a track is considered a clip. This distinguishes what is used in the track (which may be just a part of the asset) from the original asset. Together, these powerful tools allow you to make the tracks into exactly what you need. Creating Tracks There are several methods you can use to create a track. Once it has been created, you can open it in the Track Editor, using the controls there and in the Track Inspector to configure it. By default, a new project contains one menu and one track. Depending on your project, you will probably want to add additional tracks. There are several ways to add a track to your project. To create a track Do one of the following: μ Drag a video asset or a video/audio asset pair to the Menu Editor and choose an option that creates a new track from the Drop Palette. You can drag the assets from the Assets tab, the Palette, or a Finder window. See Options in the Drop Palette for Standard Menus and Options in the Drop Palette for Layered Menus for details on the options in the Menu Editor’s Drop Palette. In all cases, a track is created with the video placed in the V1 stream and the audio (if used) placed in the A1 stream. The track has the same name as the video asset. μ Drag a video asset or a video/audio asset pair to an empty area of the Outline or Graphical tab. You can also drag the assets to the disc name or the Tracks heading. In all cases, a track is created with the video placed in the V1 stream and the audio (if used) placed in the A1 stream. The track has the same name as the video asset. Dragging a video or video/audio asset pair to an existing track in the Outline or Graphical tab appends the assets to the track’s existing assets. μ Convert a slideshow to a track. The still images and audio are added to the track’s V1 and A1 streams. See Converting a Slideshow to a Track for slideshow details. μ Click Add Track in the toolbar. Each track created this way is empty. μ Press Command-Control-T. This also creates an empty track. 372 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks Opening Tracks To configure a track, you need to open it in the Track Editor. You can select the track you want to work with in the Outline tab, the Graphical tab, or the Track Editor. To open a track in the Track Editor Do one of the following: μ Double-click the track you want to configure in the Outline or Graphical tab. μ Choose the track from the Track Editor’s Track pop-up menu. The track appears in the Track Editor and the Track Inspector changes to display its properties. Setting Track Properties The Track Inspector contains a top section and four tabs: General, Other, User Operations, and Transition. Settings at the Top of the Track Inspector There are three settings at the top of the Track Inspector. • Name: Enter the name for the track. If a track is created because a video asset was dragged to the Menu Editor, the Outline tab, or the Graphical tab, it is automatically named the same as the video asset. In other cases, the track is named “Track _” where “_” is the next available number. • Est. Size: Shows the approximate amount of disc space the track will require. This takes into account all of the assets assigned to the video, audio, and subtitle streams. • End Jump: Choose the element to jump to once the track finishes playing. If you don’t make this selection, the DVD player will be unable to continue playing the title when it reaches this point. If the track was created by dragging an asset to the Menu Editor, the End Jump is automatically set to jump back to that menu. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 373 General Tab in the Track Inspector The General tab in the Track Inspector contains the following settings. • Resolution: Choose the track’s resolution. • For SD projects: The resolution is either 720 x 480i (NTSC) or 720 x 576i (PAL). • For HD projects: You can choose from any of the supported resolutions, as long as no video assets have been assigned to the track. You cannot change the resolution once a video asset has been assigned to the track. (You can change the resolution if the track only contains still assets.) The resolution automatically changes to match the track’s V1 stream video resolution if it matches one of the supported resolutions. DVD Studio Pro Preferences includes a setting for the default resolution (which also applies to menus and slideshows). • Display Mode: Set the aspect ratio for this track (4:3 or 16:9), and with 16:9, choose how it displays on a 4:3 monitor. The aspect ratio of the video assets must match this setting. • Pre-Script: The script you choose in this pop-up menu will run as soon as the track is selected. The script determines whether to play the track or configure the DVD player before playing it. See Creating Scripts for information on scripts. • Wait: You can set how long the DVD player shows the last frame of the track’s video before exercising the End Jump setting. • None: Immediately jumps to the End Jump setting. • Seconds: Shows the track’s last frame for the number of seconds you enter. • Infinite: Shows the track’s last frame indefinitely. • Remote Control: Use these pop-up menus to set what happens when the viewer uses the remote control buttons on the remote control. See Remote Control Settings for more information. 374 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks • Display Condition: Select this checkbox to set display conditions to control whether this track should appear or not, and to define what should appear if not this track. See Display Condition for more information. Select the Apply to Stories checkbox to also have these display conditions apply to stories based on this track. Other Tab in the Track Inspector The Timestamps settings in the Other tab in the Track Inspector applies to both SD and HD projects. The other settings in the tab apply only to SD projects. • Timestamps: Shows the start timecode of the first video asset in the V1 stream. You can also enter a track offset that is used in place of the first video asset’s timecode when you choose Asset-Based Timecode in the Track Editor. See Timecode in the Timeline for more information. • Reset: Click to change the track offset back to 00:00:00:00, allowing the first asset start time to be used for the timeline (if you are using asset-based timecode in the Track Editor). • Closed Caption: SD projects only. Use these settings to assign a closed caption file to this track. See Line 21 Settings for Closed Captions for more information. • Macrovision: SD projects only. This setting allows you to override the disc’s Macrovision copy-protection settings for this track. If you have not enabled the Macrovision settings for the disc in the Disc Inspector, setting this to one of the three types automatically enables Macrovision for the disc. See About the Macrovision Settings for more information. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 375 User Operations Tab in the Track Inspector The User Operations tab is the same as those in other DVD Studio Pro Inspectors, and is discussed in User Operations. Transition Tab in the Track Inspector The Transition tab is the same used in the Clip Inspector when a still clip is selected. See Transition Tab in the Track and Clip Inspectors for details on the Transition tab. 376 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks About the Track Editor The streams are the heart of the Track Editor. In these parallel areas, you define the video, audio, and subtitle assets to be used in your tracks, and their relationship to one another. Drag the separator bars to set how many video, audio, and subtitle streams appear. Displays the track’s time and marker information. Scroll through the timeline to view different parts. The left side of the Track Editor contains the controls to configure the streams. Choose the track to view in the Track Editor. Use these controls to configure the streams. Select the height of the streams. Set the timeline zoom amount. Within the Track Editor, timescales provide different ways to obtain timing information about the tracks. See Understanding Time Information in the Track Editor for more details. Configuring the Track Editor You can configure the Track Editor to suit your needs. You can set the size of the streams, how many of each stream type appear, and the timeline zoom amount. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 377 Viewing the Streams A track can contain up to 49 streams total, but viewing this many streams at once requires some effort. It’s unlikely that you’ll need to view more than ten streams at once; depending on the types of projects you create, you may use only two or three streams. There are three ways to control how many streams appear. • You can change the size of the Track Editor’s quadrant. You can even drag the Track tab into its own window. See Working with the Quadrants for more information. • You can use the Track Editor’s separator bars to control how many of each stream type appear. For example, if you do not plan to add subtitles, you can hide the subtitle stream area by dragging the separator bar above the subtitle area to the bottom of the window. • You can select a different stream height. This changes the height of the streams as they appear in the Track Editor. This can be useful if you want to see larger or smaller thumbnails of the video at the markers. Using the Stream Configuration Buttons The Track tab includes a set of controls that you can use to quickly change which streams appear. The size of the Track tab determines how many streams appear. To choose which streams appear Do one of the following: μ Click the video icon to show only video streams. μ Click the audio icon to show only the V1 stream and the audio streams. μ Click the subtitle icon to show only the V1 stream and the subtitle streams. Click to show the video streams in the Track Editor. Click to show the V1 and audio streams in the Track Editor. Click to show the V1 and subtitle streams in the Track Editor. If you select more than one of these views at the same time, the separator bars move to show as many of the selected streams as possible. Once you select one of these views, you can drag the separator bars to customize the stream types that are displayed. 378 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks Setting the Timeline Zoom The Track tab contains a zoom control you can use to expand or contract the timeline. When working with large projects, you often need to be able to expand the timeline in order to set a marker or insert a subtitle. Using the zoom control in conjunction with the scroller at the bottom of the timeline allows you to configure the timeline so that it provides enough detail to work with. Drag the ends of the scroller to zoom in or out. Drag the timeline scroller to select the part to view. Drag to the right to zoom out or to the left to zoom in. To use the zoom control Do one of the following: μ Drag it to the right to zoom out, showing more of the timeline. If the playhead is not visible, the timeline scroller automatically jumps to a position that does show it. μ Drag it to the left to zoom in, showing less of the timeline but more detail in the part that shows. If the playhead is not visible, the timeline scroller automatically jumps to a position that does show it. Hold down the Shift key while dragging the zoom control to prevent the scroller from automatically changing its position to show the playhead. You can also set the timeline zoom using keyboard shortcuts. To zoom using keyboard shortcuts Do one of the following: μ Press Command-Hyphen (-) to zoom out on the timeline. If the playhead is not visible, the timeline scroller automatically jumps to a position that does show it. μ Press Command-Shift-Hyphen (-) to zoom out without moving the scroller to show the playhead. μ Press Command–Equal Sign (=) to zoom in on the timeline. If the playhead is not visible, the timeline scroller automatically jumps to a position that does show it. μ Press Command–Shift–Equal Sign (=) to zoom in without moving the scroller to show the playhead. μ Press Shift-Z to zoom the timeline out to its maximum. μ Press Shift-Option-Z to fit the currently selected clip into the Track tab. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 379 Understanding Time Information in the Track Editor There are a variety of time-related elements that appear in the Track Editor. Some only display time information while others allow you to change the information. The time values help you identify the position of markers, clips, the playhead, and the pointer within the video, audio, and subtitle streams. Displays the pointer position within the stream or marker area. Shows the playhead’s position, and can be used to move it. Drag the playhead along the timeline to view a different part of a stream in the Viewer tab. The timeline’s timecode Sets the start and end time of the selected clip with respect to the timeline. Timecode in the Timeline The timeline’s timecode is continuous throughout the track. You can choose from two sources for the timecode: zero-based and asset-based. • Zero-based timecode: This timecode starts the timeline at 00:00:00:00. You cannot change the zero-based timecode, and the assets assigned to the V1 stream do not affect it. • Asset-based timecode: This timecode can be based either on the timecode of the first clip on the V1 stream or on a value you enter in the Track Inspector. To choose the timeline’s timecode source Do one of the following: μ Choose View > Timescale > Zero-Based Timecode or View > Timescale > Asset-Based Timecode. μ Control-click in the timeline, then choose either Zero-Based Timecode or Asset-Based Timecode from the shortcut menu. Control-click in the timeline to choose the timecode source. The pointer position, playhead, and start and end timecode values change to match the timecode source you choose. 380 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks If you choose the asset-based timecode source, you can also choose whether to use the clip’s timecode or a value you enter. To configure the asset-based timecode source 1 Choose Asset-Based Timecode as the timecode source for the Track Editor’s timeline. 2 Click the Other tab in the Track Inspector. If the Inspector is not showing the track properties, select the track’s name in the Outline tab, its tile in the Graphical tab, or click an empty area in any of the Track Editor streams. 3 Do one of the following: • To use the timecode from the first clip in the V1 stream: Click the Reset button. This sets the Track Offset value to 00:00:00:00, which forces the timeline to use the clip’s timecode. • To set the timecode to start at a specific value: Enter a new timecode value in the Track Offset field. The timeline’s first frame is set to this number. Being able to force the timeline’s timecode to start at a specific value can be useful whenever you are importing a marker list or subtitle file that is based on timecode different from the zero-based or asset-based values. Note: For NTSC projects, the type of timecode in the first asset—drop frame or non-drop frame—determines the type of timecode for the timeline. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 381 Clip Start and End Timecode Timecode start and end values appear when you select a clip (video, audio, or subtitle) in one of the streams. These values indicate the position of the clip with respect to the timeline’s selected timecode source. Depending on the stream, you can enter new start values to reposition the clip or new end values to trim the clip’s size. The currently selected clip is darker than the others. Shows the clip’s timeline timecode for its last frame. You can trim the clip by entering a new End timecode. Shows the clip’s timeline timecode for its first frame. You can move the clip (on streams other than video) by entering a new Start timecode. See Editing Video and Audio Clips for more information. Playhead The playhead provides a visual indication of what part of the track is currently playing in the Viewer tab. When you play the track, the playhead moves along the track’s timeline. It also provides a way to scroll across the timeline and see the video in the Viewer tab. The playhead is in the timeline’s timecode area. With new tracks, the playhead is located at the track’s start. The playhead at the track start 382 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks A playhead icon appears in the timeline scroller area to let you know where it is relative to the part of the timeline being shown, which is useful if you cannot see the playhead in the Track Editor. For example, if the playhead icon appears to the left of the scroller, that means the playhead is at a point in time before the clips currently visible in the timeline. The playhead appears in the timeline’s scroller. Positioning the Playhead by Dragging You can drag the playhead along the timeline to see the video (and subtitle, if applicable). This is useful when placing markers because it allows you to see the actual video frame. As you drag the playhead along the timeline, the timecode of its current position appears in the playhead timecode entry. A line extends across all of the streams, indicating the playhead position. The playhead’s current timecode appears here when you drag the playhead. You can also click anywhere in the timeline to move the playhead to that position and have the video at that position appear in the Viewer tab. Playback starts at this point if you click the Play button in the Viewer tab. Positioning the Playhead by Using Keyboard Shortcuts There are a number of keyboard shortcuts that you can use to position the playhead. • Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys: Move the playhead one frame at a time. • Shift–Left Arrow and Shift–Right Arrow keys: Move the playhead one second at a time. • Option–Left Arrow and Option–Right Arrow keys: Move the playhead one GOP at a time. • Control–Left Arrow and Control–Right Arrow keys: Move the playhead to the next marker. • Command–Left Arrow and Command–Right Arrow keys: Move the playhead to the start or end of the selected clip. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 383 • Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys: Move the playhead to the next clip edge (includes all clips in all streams) or marker. • Home and End keys: Move the playhead to the start or end of the timeline. See Keyboard Shortcuts for a complete list of keyboard shortcuts. Positioning the Playhead by Entering a Timecode Value You can also set the playhead’s position by entering a timecode value in the playhead position entry. The playhead jumps to its new position. Enter a timecode to move the playhead to. See About the Viewer Tab for more information on using the Viewer tab. Supported Asset Types The Track Editor’s streams contain the video, audio, and subtitle assets. You can add one or more assets to each stream. Each stream has several properties you can set, such as its language and whether or not it is enabled. See Creating Subtitles for information on working with the subtitle streams. In addition to assets that are already DVD-compliant, you can add assets supported by the DVD Studio Pro integrated MPEG encoder. These assets are encoded once they are added to your project. See Encoding Video Materials for DVD for information on supported video assets, Preparing Audio Assets for information on supported audio assets, and Using the Integrated MPEG Encoder for information on the assets the integrated MPEG encoder supports. Video Assets for SD-Based DVD Video Streams All video assets on an SD-based DVD stream must use the same aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9), the same video standard (PAL or NTSC), and the same MPEG type (SIF MPEG-1 or full D1 MPEG-2, for example). Note: All QuickTime video assets you import into an SD project are encoded as full D1 MPEG-2 assets and can be mixed with still images in a video stream. 384 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks About Segmented MPEG Files The segmented MPEG files created by some third-party encoders do not import correctly into DVD Studio Pro. Some encoders segment their large encoded files into 1 GB files. When imported into DVD Studio Pro, only the first 1 GB segment is imported. You need to combine the files into a single file before importing the asset into DVD Studio Pro. There are several third-party applications that can be used to combine a segmented MPEG file into a single file. Video Assets for HD-Based DVD Video Streams All assets on an HD-based DVD stream must use the same aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9), the same resolution, the same video standard (PAL or NTSC), and the same MPEG type (MPEG-2/HDV or H.264). All non-HDV and non-H.264 QuickTime video assets you import into an HD projects are encoded as MPEG-2. Note: Because HDV is actually HD MPEG-2, you can combine HDV assets with other HD MPEG-2 assets, including those encoded from the integrated MPEG encoder, as long as they are the same resolution. Still Assets for Video Streams You can add still images to a video stream to either manually create a slideshow or create a stream with mixed motion and still video. Stills can be added to all SD and HD tracks except those using SIF, 1/2 D1, cropped D1 MPEG-2, or H.264 format assets. Still asset clips in a stream must each be at least 15 frames long for NTSC projects, or 12 frames long for PAL projects. Note: To have still assets with shorter durations, you can edit them into a video asset using an external video editor. Still clips can have a transition added to their end. The transition controls what happens at the end of the still clip—for example, you can configure it to dissolve or wipe to the next clip, whether the next clip is a video or still clip. See Using Still Clip Transitions for more information. Assets for Audio Streams All audio assets within a stream must be the same type (AC-3, AIFF, MPEG-1 layer 2, and so on) with the same number of bits (16, 20, or 24), the same sample rate (48 kHz or 96 kHz), the same bit rate (when using compressed audio), and the same channel configuration; for example, stereo or 5.1 surround. (The streams within a track do not have to match each other—only the assets within a stream must match. For example, the A1 stream can use AC-3 audio and the A2 stream can use AIFF audio.) Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 385 Using AAC Audio Files from the iTunes Store DVD Studio Pro is able to import and use AAC format audio files purchased from the iTunes Store as long as the computer you are using them on is authorized to use them. If you import iTunes Store files that the computer is not authorized to use, DVD Studio Pro plays silence when it encounters those files. Additionally, if you select and try to play an iTunes Store file that the computer is not authorized to play in the Audio tab in the Palette, DVD Studio Pro plays silence. Adding Video and Audio Assets If you created your track by dragging either a video asset or a video/audio asset pair to the Menu Editor, the Outline tab, or the Graphical tab, it already contains video and audio clips. If you created your track using the Add Track icon in the toolbar, it will be empty. In either case, you can add additional assets to the streams and even trim each clip’s start and end points. To add an asset to a stream μ Drag the video or audio asset from the Assets tab, the Palette, or a Finder window to the stream where you want to place it. With the V1 stream, DVD Studio Pro automatically ensures there is always a clip at its beginning (if one has been assigned), and there are no gaps between the clips. With the other video streams, the clips can only be positioned at markers. Audio and subtitle clips can be positioned anywhere on the stream and there can be gaps between them. Adding Audio Assets Automatically When you enable the “Find matching audio when dragging” setting in the Track pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences, audio assets are automatically added to a track when video is added. When you add a video asset to the V1 stream, DVD Studio Pro checks to see if there is an audio asset with the same base name in the same folder. If there is, it is automatically added to the A1 audio stream. The start of the audio clip will be the same as the video clip. If any audio already exists in the A1 stream where the new audio clip needs to go, it is trimmed or moved as necessary. Note: Hold down the Command key after you start dragging to temporarily override the “Find matching audio when dragging” preferences setting. 386 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks Adding AC-3 Audio Assets AC-3 audio assets are the only DVD Studio Pro–supported audio asset type that actually have embedded timecode. This can help when you want to maintain sync between the video and audio. To add an AC-3 asset using its timecode μ Hold down the Option key, then drag the AC-3 audio file from the Assets tab to an audio stream in the Track Editor. Note: Because the file must be parsed to determine its embedded timecode, an AC-3 file’s timecode is only available when you drag it from the Assets tab, and not from the Palette or a Finder window. Drag the AC-3 file to the Assets tab first and then from there to the Track Editor. When you add an AC-3 asset to an audio stream while holding down the Option key, DVD Studio Pro checks to see if its timecode is coincident with the V1 stream’s timecode. In other words, it checks to see if the AC-3 asset has timecode that falls within the timecode range of the video asset. • If it is coincident: The AC-3 asset is placed in the stream so that it is in sync with the video. • If it is not coincident: The AC-3 stream is placed at the beginning of the stream. Note: If the V1 stream has more than one video clip, the AC-3 timecode is ignored. It is also ignored if the audio stream you drag it to already has an audio clip. Using Multiple Copies of a Clip You can use a clip multiple times in the same stream or you can drag the clip to other streams. To copy a clip within a stream μ Option-click the clip and drag it to an empty location in the stream. You can treat the clip’s copy the same as any other clip in the stream. To copy a clip to a different stream Do one of the following: μ Option-drag the clip to the stream that you want to copy it to. You can position it as needed. μ Shift-Option-drag the clip to the stream that you want to copy it to. The clip is constrained to use the same start time as the original. The original clip is not affected, and remains in its location. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 387 Copies of the original clip take up as much disc space as the original clip. If the size of your project is an issue, you may want to simply reuse the original clip by setting markers and creating scripts to access the clip from another project element. Viewing a Clip’s Properties When you select a clip in one of the Track Editor’s video or audio streams, the Clip Inspector appears. To accommodate the additional settings used to configure transitions, the Clip Inspector used for still clips contains two tabs: General and Transition. The General tab contains the same information and settings as with video clips. See Using Still Clip Transitions for information on the Transition tab. Note: Selecting a clip in a subtitle stream opens the Subtitle Inspector. See Creating Subtitles for information on subtitles. The Clip Inspector shows information about both the clip and the stream. Settings at the top of the Inspector • Name: Enter a name for the clip. This name applies to the clip in this track’s timeline only—it does not affect the asset’s name in the Assets tab. • Asset: Shows the clip’s actual filename. • Est. Size: Shows how much disc space this clip requires. Clip Information and Settings • Start: Shows the clip’s start time in the stream. 388 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks • Clip Start Trim: Choose the part of the asset that the clip should use. Enter an amount of time by which to trim the clip’s beginning. This affects the clip’s overall length. When you enter a new Clip Start Time, the clip repositions itself on the timeline so that it begins at the same time, with the clip’s end moving to its new position. • Duration: Shows the clip’s length. You can enter a new length to trim the end of the clip. Note: When you import a QuickTime asset that contains both video and audio, you may find that their durations, as shown in the Clip Inspector, do not match exactly. This is often due to the DVD-Video specification’s frame rate for the supported audio formats not dividing evenly into the video frame rate. This does not affect the lip sync between the audio and video streams or their playback and is purely cosmetic. • Asset Start Timestamp: Displays the timecode of the asset’s first frame. • Bits/Second (Avg.): Shows the clip’s bit rate information. Stream Information • Stream Number: Shows the stream’s number. • Stream Duration: Shows the stream’s length. • Language: For audio clips only; shows the stream’s language setting. You can choose a different language from the pop-up menu. The new language is applied to the entire stream. See Setting Stream Properties for more information. Browse Clip For video clips only. You can drag the slider under the thumbnail image to scrub through the clip’s video. Removing a Clip from a Stream There are several ways you can remove clips from a stream. To remove a clip from a stream Do one of the following: μ Click the clip to select it, then press the Delete key. μ Control-click the clip, then choose Delete Media Clip from the shortcut menu. These methods remove the clip from the stream, but the asset remains in the Assets tab. The actual asset’s file is not affected. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 389 Editing Video and Audio Clips You can trim the start and end of a clip, which is useful when you need to remove a portion of an asset for artistic reasons (such as a bumped camera). It is important to understand that video clips in DVD Studio Pro are trimmed based on GOP boundaries—you cannot choose a specific frame to trim to. The typical GOP (Group of Pictures) size for NTSC video is 15 frames—for PAL video it is 12 frames. This means you may have to choose between trimming a little too much or not quite enough. If you need to trim a clip precisely, you should use a video editor to make the trim, and then bring the asset back into DVD Studio Pro. You can trim audio clips by frames, making it possible to trim off a popping noise. Trimming can also be a way to use a small part of a longer asset. Only the part of the asset that is in the stream is included in the final disc size. About the V1 Stream The first video stream, V1, has requirements different from the other streams. DVD Studio Pro automatically ensures these conditions are met. • The first clip must be at the beginning of the timeline. There cannot be a gap between the timeline’s first frame and the first frame of the V1 clip. All other streams, including the other video streams, can have their first clip start anywhere in the timeline. • You cannot have gaps between clips in the V1 stream. All other streams can have gaps between their clips. • When building the project, the track ends at the last frame of video in the V1 stream. Any streams that have clips extending beyond the V1 clips are automatically truncated by the build process. Trimming and Positioning Clips There are several methods you can use to trim and position a stream’s clips within the Track Editor. To trim a stream’s clip by dragging 1 Position the pointer over the end of the clip you want to trim. The pointer changes to a bracket with an arrow pointing in the direction you can trim. 2 Drag the clip’s edge to its new position. Note: You cannot trim a clip beyond the edges of the asset. 390 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks To help guide you when trimming your clip, drag the playhead to the point you want to edit to. A vertical line appears across all streams, which you can use as a guide to trim an edge to. Be sure to use the timeline zoom feature to provide a close-up view of the area you’re editing. Use care not to lose your video and audio synchronization when trimming. Instead of dragging, you can enter values in the Start and End boxes at the top of the Track Editor and the Duration and Clip Start Offset entries in the Clip Inspector to trim a clip more precisely so that you can repeat exactly the trim on other clips. To use the start and end values to position and trim a clip 1 Select the clip you want to trim. Its start and end values appear in the Track Editor’s Start and End boxes. 2 Enter a new Start time. The beginning of the clip moves to that time. This moves the entire clip, but does not actually trim it. 3 Enter a new End time. The end of the clip is trimmed to that time. To use the Clip Inspector to trim a clip 1 Select the clip you want to trim. The clip appears in the Clip Inspector. 2 Enter a new Clip Start Offset to trim the clip’s start. The clip’s start position on the timeline is not changed—only its end position is moved to match its new duration. 3 Enter a new Duration value to trim the clip’s end. Clip Conflicts There are a number of rules to keep in mind when you trim and position a clip. Video Clips Dragging clips to the V1 stream is different from dragging audio clips. In part this is due to the requirement that there can be no gaps in the V1 stream, and there must be a clip at its beginning. The following situations cause video clips already in the V1 stream to move. This can cause problems if the video clips have associated audio or markers because they do not move with the video. • If you drag a video clip to the start of a V1 stream that already has a clip assigned: The new clip becomes the first clip and the original one (and any that follow it) shuffle down the timeline. • If you drag a video clip to the point where two existing video clips meet in a V1 stream: The new clip is inserted between them. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 391 • If you drag a video clip to the stream, and the “Find matching audio when dragging” preference setting is enabled: The audio in the A1 stream is trimmed or moved to accommodate the new video clip, even if that clip does not have matching audio. This maintains sync between the track’s existing video and audio clips. Audio Clips Because audio clips can be placed anywhere in their audio streams, the results are different from those you get when working with video clips. • If you drag an audio clip to any open area within an audio stream: The clip is placed there. If the open area is not long enough to hold the whole clip, the clip’s end is trimmed so that it will fit. Unlike video clips, audio clips do not move unless you move them intentionally. Setting Stream Properties Each stream has a few settings you can use while configuring it. Click to lock the stream, preventing inadvertent changes to it. Choose a language to assign to each audio and subtitle stream. Click to choose one video, audio, and subtitle stream to play in the Viewer tab. Each stream has a button at the far-left side of the Track tab that you can click to enable that stream when you play the track in the Viewer tab. You can choose one video, and optionally, one audio and one subtitle stream. Each audio and subtitle stream in a track can have a language assigned to it. When the track plays, it can select a stream based on the DVD player’s language setting. If no suitable stream is found, the player plays the first stream. Note: The Languages area of the Outline tab and the Add Language icon in the toolbar are used when creating multiple-language menus and are not used by the Track Editor. See Setting Up Menus for the Languages for more information. 392 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks You can protect a stream from accidental changes by clicking its lock icon. When it is open (unlocked), you can make changes to the stream; when the lock is closed, you can’t. You can still select it for previewing and assign a language to it, but you cannot make any changes to its clips. To lock all streams μ Choose Project > Timeline > Lock All Streams (or press Shift-F4). Exporting an MPEG Clip You can export the contents of the V1 stream as an MPEG file. This can be useful in some situations: • If you have a long video asset and want to make a separate asset of a small part of it, you can add the asset to the stream, trim it to the size you want, and export it as a new asset. You can use this asset as you would any other asset. For example, you could use it as a menu background. • You can edit multiple assets into the stream, and then export them as a single MPEG file. Note: You cannot export the stream as an MPEG file if the stream contains still images or uses H.264 format clips. To export an MPEG file from the V1 stream 1 Configure the stream as needed. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose File > Export > MPEG File. • Control-click the stream, then choose Export MPEG File from the shortcut menu. 3 Enter a name and select a destination for the file in the Save Stream dialog that appears, then click Save. When exporting a large asset, be sure you have sufficient disk space to hold the file. Working with Markers You can add up to 255 markers to a track, although a maximum of 99 can be set as chapter markers. Each marker has its own properties that define its purpose. Markers can be used to: • Identify chapter points that the viewer can skip to when viewing the title • Define when buttons appear over the video stream • Identify the dual-layer break point when creating dual-layer projects • Identify points in the stream that can be accessed by buttons and scripts Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 393 • Identify points where mixed-angle tracks can start • Configure a DVD@CCESS operation to launch once the viewer reaches the marker point while playing the title • Set a jump to another element in the project once the marker reaches its end. This is most often used by scripts that are set to play a portion of the stream and then return to another place in the project. There are three ways to place markers on your track: • You can manually place the markers along the track’s timeline. • If you are editing your video using Final Cut Pro 3.0.2 or later or Final Cut Express, you can place the markers as part of the editing process. These markers are automatically imported into DVD Studio Pro when you import the video asset. See Adding and Configuring Markers in Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express for more information. • You can import a text file that contains a list of markers. With all three methods, you can always edit the markers’ position and attributes as needed. About Marker Placement Markers can only be placed on Group of Pictures (GOP) boundaries. Because of this restriction, you cannot precisely position a marker on the exact frame you want to—you often need to set the marker either a little early or a little late. The length of the GOP depends on the MPEG encoder’s settings (NTSC systems commonly use a GOP size of 15 frames and PAL systems commonly use a GOP size of 12 frames). This means that, unless you embed markers with a video editor, you may need to set a marker as much as 6 or 7 frames from where you’d like. If you import markers from a timecode list, the markers are moved to a GOP boundary when they are imported. The Track pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences lets you choose how the markers are placed. See Track Preferences for more information. If you import a video asset edited with a version of Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express that supports chapter markers, the integrated MPEG encoder automatically adds GOP boundaries at the marker frames, so the markers end up positioned exactly where intended. 394 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks If you convert a slideshow to a track, each still clip has a marker placed at its beginning. The markers are named the same as the still asset used for its clip. These markers retain any pause and DVD@CCESS settings that may have been set in the Slideshow editor. If any slides use transitions, the transitions appear as a shaded area in the timeline with a cell marker at their beginning. Transition indicator You can configure the transition by selecting the clip and making changes in the Clip Inspector’s Transition tab. If a still with a transition also has a pause, the marker for the next clip is placed at the beginning of the transition instead of at the next clip’s start. See Using Still Clip Transitions and Converting a Slideshow to a Track for more information. See Working with GOP Settings for more information about GOP structures, and Adding Markers to Your Video for information on using Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express to add markers to a clip. Creating and Editing Markers Each track always contains a chapter marker at its beginning. You can add up to 98 additional chapter markers to a track. Markers appear along the top of the timeline display. A vertical line extends across all streams at the position of each marker. To add a marker to a track Do one of the following: μ Click in the area above the timeline display. A marker is added at the point where you clicked. μ Position the playhead at the point where you want to add the marker, then press M. By default, the marker is set to be a chapter marker and is purple. See About the Marker Types for more information about the marker types. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 395 Depending on the currently selected stream size, a thumbnail image of the frame located at the marker point appears in the video stream. You can modify the thumbnail image in the Marker Inspector. See Setting Marker Properties for more information. The default marker’s name is “Chapter _,” with “_” being the next number available. The number is based on the order in which you create the markers, not on their location on the track. This means Chapter 4 may occur before Chapter 2. To avoid confusion, you should rename your markers in the Marker Inspector. See Setting Marker Properties for more information. The Track pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains a setting you can use to control the names assigned to markers as they are created. See Track Preferences for more information. When you have multiple clips in the V1 stream, you can also have markers placed at a stream’s clip end (except for the last clip). To add a marker to a clip’s end μ Control-click the clip in the V1 stream to base the marker on, then choose Add Marker to Clip End from the shortcut menu to add a cell marker, or Add Chapter to Clip End to add a chapter marker. You cannot add a marker to the end of the last clip in the V1 stream. See About the Marker Types for information on the difference between a cell marker and a chapter marker. To set the playhead to a marker’s position μ Control-click the marker, then choose Set Playhead Here from the shortcut menu. This makes it easier to see the video at the marker’s position. You can also hold down the Control key and use the Left Arrow and Right Arrow keys to jump from marker to marker. To move a marker Do one of the following: μ Drag the marker to its new position. The timecode of the marker’s position appears next to the pointer timecode display as you move it. μ Enter a new time in one of the timecode boxes (zero-based or asset-based) in the Marker Inspector. See Setting Marker Properties for more information. μ Drag the slider underneath the video thumbnail in the Marker Inspector. When you move a marker, the thumbnail image in the video stream changes to match the marker’s new location. To delete a marker Do one of the following: μ Control-click the marker, then choose Delete Marker from the shortcut menu. 396 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks μ Select the marker, then press the Delete key. To delete all markers Do one of the following: μ Choose Edit > Delete All Markers. μ Control-click in an empty part of the Track Editor’s marker area, then choose Delete All Markers from the shortcut menu. Adding Markers to a Track Without a Video Clip Assigned You can add markers to a track even if you have not assigned a video clip to the track. You can also add markers beyond the end of the video clip, in anticipation of adding a video clip later. In these cases, because the GOP structure is unknown, you can place the markers at any frame. Once the video is added, however, the markers will need to be adjusted because most will not be at legal GOP boundaries. DVD Studio Pro automatically readjusts the marker positions based on the Snap To setting in the Track pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences. What Happens to the Markers If You Move the Video? When you place markers in the Track Editor with a video clip already present, the markers are automatically placed at GOP boundaries. If you move a marker, it jumps from one GOP boundary to the next, and therefore is always in a legal position. If you move the video clip—for example, by trimming its start or dragging it to another position when multiple clips are in the V1 stream—the markers do not reposition to follow the video. There is also a good chance that at least some of the markers will no longer be at GOP boundaries. For this reason, you should be sure the video is in its final location before adding markers to it. When you build your project, DVD Studio Pro verifies that all markers are on GOP boundaries, and that none are placed after the end of the V1 stream’s video. A setting in the Track pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences determines whether the build will quit if invalid markers are found, or if it will reposition markers to a GOP boundary and remove excess markers from the end of the track and continue with the build. See Track Preferences for more information. Importing Markers from an Editor When you edit your video asset in Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express, you can add chapter markers that DVD Studio Pro uses to create markers on the track. If you have named the markers, DVD Studio Pro uses those names when it creates the markers. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 397 How you add the video asset to your project determines what happens with the markers: • If you add the asset by dragging it to the Menu Editor: You can choose any of the Drop Palette options that create a track. In addition to creating a track with the markers in place, some options create chapter index menus. The chapter index menu buttons are automatically linked to the track’s markers. • If you add the asset by dragging it to a track: You can import the markers from the Track Editor. Note: The first marker in a track is always at the beginning of the timeline and is named “Start” when a track is created by dragging the video asset to the Menu Editor. It is not affected by imported markers. You can rename the marker as needed. To use the Menu Editor to import an asset with chapter markers 1 Drag the video asset with markers to the Menu Editor. You can drag it to an existing button or to an empty area. 2 When the Drop Palette appears, choose an option that creates a track. 3 If you choose an option that creates a chapter index menu, select the template or layout style to use for the chapter index menu in the dialog that appears. DVD Studio Pro creates the chapter index menu and a new track. The chapter index menu contains a button for each marker. Depending on the number of markers and the template or layout style you select, there may be multiple chapter index menus, and each marker button may have the name and a thumbnail image of the video frame located at its marker. Each of these marker buttons is linked to the new track, which displays the markers along with their names. To import chapter markers directly into a track 1 Drag the video asset with markers to the V1 stream of the Track Editor. If there are currently no markers in the track (other than the one at the start of the timeline), the clip’s markers are automatically imported. If there are markers in the track other than the one at the timeline’s start, you must manually import them. 2 Control-click the clip, then choose Import Embedded Markers from the shortcut menu. While this does not create chapter index menus, you can create them later by dragging this track from the Outline or Graphical tab to the Menu Editor. The advantage of this method is that you can add or edit the track’s markers before creating the chapter index menus. 398 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks Importing Markers from a Text List You can create a list of timecode points that DVD Studio Pro can import to create markers. The timecode values need to match the timecode of the track’s video clip. The list of timecode values must be a plain text file; you can create it with TextEdit (as long as you save the file as plain text). If you create the list with a more complex word-processing application, be sure to save the file as a plain ASCII text file with no formatting. The file must follow these rules: • Each marker must be on a new line that starts with a timecode value in the “00:00:00:00” format. These values identify the marker positions. • After the timecode value, you can include a name for the marker. You can use a comma, space, or tab character to separate the timecode value from the marker name. • Any lines that do not begin with a timecode value are ignored. This makes it easy for you to add comments to the list. • The timecode values do not have to be listed in chronological order. To import a marker list from a text file Do one of the following: μ Choose File > Import > Marker List. μ Control-click in the Track Editor’s marker area in the track you want to apply the marker list to, then choose Import Marker List from the shortcut menu. Once the import is complete, a message appears stating how many markers were imported. The markers are placed on the timeline at GOP boundaries. The Track pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains a setting that controls how the GOP is chosen. See Track Preferences for more information. About the Marker Types There are four types of markers you can have in the track. One marker can be one or more of these types. The color of a marker in the Track Editor indicates its type—if you configure a marker to be more than one type, the marker symbol splits to display the relevant colors. The types of markers and their colors are: • Chapter: Purple Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 399 • Button highlight: Orange • Dual-layer break: Black dot in the marker’s middle • Cell: Green You define the type of marker in the Marker Inspector. Additionally, you can set a marker to be a button highlight type by Control-clicking it and choosing Button Highlight Marker from the shortcut menu. Note: Only chapter markers can be connected to from menu buttons and scripts. Each marker has a duration that is determined by the distance between it and the next marker. This duration is especially important when using button highlight markers, because it determines how long the highlights display over the video, and when creating stories, because it determines the length of each story’s segment. See Creating Buttons over Video and Introduction to Stories for more information. Chapter Markers By default, all markers you create start out as chapter markers. Viewers can jump to these markers by pressing the Previous and Next buttons on their DVD player’s remote control. Because of this, even simple projects without a chapter index menu can benefit by having chapter markers added to the track because they provide a viewer with the ability to quickly skip through sections of a track. Only chapter markers can be connected to from other project elements such as menu buttons and scripts, and a track’s story can only use track sections defined by chapter markers. While a track can have up to 255 markers, it is limited to a maximum of 99 chapter markers. Note: The Previous and Next buttons can act differently on different DVD players. See Getting Consistent Previous and Next Button Behavior for more information. Chapter markers have an end jump setting. By default, this is set to Not Set, which actually means that playback will automatically jump to the next video frame. In almost all cases you will leave the End Jump set to Not Set; however, you may have non-standard situations where you need to set the End Jump to a specific element. In these cases, you are limited to a maximum of 106 chapter markers and individual end jump chapter settings. See Setting Chapter Marker End Jumps for more information. Note: The DVD specification does not allow subtitles to extend across chapter markers. For that reason, subtitles that cross chapter markers are automatically split into multiple subtitle clips at each marker when you build your project. 400 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks Button Highlight Markers You use button highlight markers when you want to have buttons display over the video on the track. These buttons are actually configured as part of a subtitle clip. The buttons appear once you reach the marker and disappear when you reach the next marker (unless it has also been configured as a button highlight marker). Often referred to as “buttons over video,” this feature allows you to provide choices to viewers while they watch the track part of the title. See Creating Buttons over Video for more information on using buttons over video. Important: There must be at least 1.5 seconds between a button highlight marker and the next marker. Dual-Layer Break Markers When you create a dual-layer title, you can set a marker to be used as the dual-layer break point, the point where the title splits between the first and second layer. Because the break point is often noticeable when playing the disc on a DVD player (the video temporarily freezes), you want to try to choose a place in the track where the freezing is not as noticeable. See About Choosing a Dual-Layer Break Point for details on choosing a dual-layer break point. Cell Markers All markers define a cell in the track. A cell marker is a marker that has no specific assignment. They are often added to a track to start a DVD@CCESS action or to provide a break point for a button highlight marker. Setting Marker Properties When you select a marker, the Marker Inspector appears. It has two tabs: General and User Operations. See User Operations for details on the settings in this tab. Also see Getting Consistent Previous and Next Button Behavior for information specific to user operations and markers. Settings at the Top of the Marker Inspector The following settings are at the top of the Marker Inspector. • Name: Enter the name for the marker. See Track Preferences for information on how DVD Studio Pro can automatically assign names to markers. A number is automatically appended to the name you enter if a marker with that name already exists on that track. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 401 • End Jump: Choose the project element to jump to when the marker finishes playing (occurs just before the next marker is reached). This is typically left at “not set.” In most cases, if you leave it at “not set,” each marker is automatically connected to the next marker. This setting can be used by specialized projects and scripts that dynamically control which parts of the track plays. See Setting Chapter Marker End Jumps for more information. General Tab in the Marker Inspector The following settings are in the General tab of the Marker Inspector. Marker thumbnail • Thumbnail: The thumbnail is the video frame where the marker is located. You can drag the slider beneath the thumbnail image to move the marker to a new position. • Save Still: Click to save the thumbnail image as a video resolution TIFF file. You can import this file for use as a menu background or shape asset. This is useful as a way to create a still image from a frame of a video asset. • Zero-Based: Shows the marker’s timecode based on the timeline’s zero-based mode (based on the timeline’s first frame being 00:00:00:00). You can reposition the marker by entering a new value or using the arrows. The new position must correspond to a GOP boundary—the arrows jump one GOP at a time. • Asset-Based: Shows the marker’s timecode based on the timeline’s asset-based mode (based on the timecode of the timeline’s first clip or a value entered in the Track Inspector’s Other tab). • Type: Select the function to assign to the marker. You can select one or all functions. See About the Marker Types for information. • Wait: Use this control to set how long the DVD player displays the last frame of the marker’s video before exercising the End Jump setting. • None: Immediately jumps to the End Jump setting. 402 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks • Seconds: Shows the marker’s last frame for the number of seconds you enter. • Infinite: Shows the marker’s last frame indefinitely. • Pause after each VOBU: Select if you want playback to pause until the viewer presses the Play button, when it plays to the next VOBU (Video Object Unit) and pauses again. This is a way to pause the track’s playback and wait for the viewer to start it again. The length of a VOBU varies depending on whether it is a still image or full-motion video. When you place a still image in the video stream, it lasts for one VOBU regardless of its duration. With video, a VOBU can be from 0.4 to 1 second long. For this reason, “Pause after each VOBU” is generally only used on markers at still boundaries. You should avoid using it on markers with video because it will cause the playback to stop about once a second. • DVD@CCESS: Select to make the name and URL settings available for this marker, which allows you to add functionality to your title when played on a computer. See DVD@CCESS for more information. • Remote Control: Choose the place in the project to jump to if the viewer presses the remote control’s Menu button. See Remote Control Settings for more information on remote control settings. • Macrovision: SD projects only. Choose the Macrovision setting to apply to this marker’s video. See About the Macrovision Settings for more information on Macrovision copy-protection. Introduction to Stories A story is simply a way to rearrange the playback of the track cells defined by the chapter markers. You may want to create a version of a track that skips some objectionable content, or you may want to use a short piece of the track as a preview. A story does not increase the amount of disc space the track requires because it is simply playing the track’s markers in a different order. A story has access to the entire track, but it does not have to include it all. You can choose which chapter markers to include and in what order—you can even play a marker’s video more than once. Additionally, you can exclude and subtitle audio streams from a story. By default, a story has access to the same audio and subtitle streams that the track has access to, which can be a problem if your intention is to present a less objectionable version of the track by providing alternative audio and subtitle streams. By excluding selected audio streams, you can force the DVD player to play the alternate audio and subtitle streams. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 403 Creating a Story for a Track Because stories are associated with the current track, you need to make sure you select the correct track before creating the story. To create a story for a track 1 In the Outline or Graphical tab, select the track for which you want to create a story. 2 To create the story, do one of the following: • Choose Project > Add to Project > Story (or press Command-Shift-T). • Control-click in the Outline or Graphical tab, choose Add from the shortcut menu, then choose Story from the submenu. • Control-click the track, choose Add from the shortcut menu, then choose Story from the submenu. • Click Create Story in the toolbar. 3 Double-click the new story. The Story Editor appears. Using the Story Editor The Story Editor is where you create your story. Choose a story from the current track to edit. The entry list. Drag markers to this list to create your story. The source list. Drag markers from this side to the other side to create your story. The Story Editor contains two areas: • The left area is the source list, which contains a list of all markers in the track. You cannot directly make changes to the source list. 404 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks • The right area is the entry list, where you create your story by dragging markers from the area on the left (the source list). As you drag markers from the source list to the entry list, you add story entries. Each entry shows the source marker’s name and the running time of the story, based on the duration of that marker and all markers ahead of it. A number is added to the end of the source marker’s name if the marker appears more than once in the entry list. To delete a marker from the entry list μ Select the entry, then press the Delete key. The entry is removed from the entry list. To change an entry in the entry list μ Control-click the entry, choose Change Chapter from the shortcut menu, then choose the marker you want to replace the entry with from the submenu. You can also change a story entry’s source marker in the entry’s Story Inspector. To change the order of the entry list μ Drag an entry to a new position. The order of the entries in the entry list controls how the story plays. This makes it easy to rearrange the order if you inadvertently mix up a couple of markers. Setting Story Properties The Story Inspector has two tabs: General and User Operations. See User Operations for details on the settings in this tab. Settings at the Top of the Story Inspector Following are the settings at the top of the Story Inspector. • Name: Enter the name for the story. • End Jump: Choose the project element to jump to when the story finishes playing. This is typically left at Same as Track, but can be set to any other element in the project. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 405 General Tab in the Story Inspector The Story Inspector appears when you select a story in the Outline or Graphical tab. If you select an entry or marker in the Story Editor, the Inspector changes to display details about that item. Select the story in the Outline or Graphical tab to switch back to the Story Inspector. • Stream Options: Deselect the checkboxes to disable any audio and subtitle streams you do not want to be available when this story plays. This is useful when you don’t want the story to have access to streams that might contain objectionable content. • Pre-Script: The script you choose in this pop-up menu will run as soon as the story is selected. The script determines whether to play the story or configure the DVD player before playing it. See Creating Scripts for information on scripts. • Wait: Use this control to set how long the DVD player displays the last frame of the story’s video before exercising the End Jump setting. • None: Immediately jumps to the End Jump setting. • Seconds: Shows the story’s last frame for the number of seconds you enter. • Infinite: Shows the story’s last frame indefinitely. • Remote Control: Choose what happens when the viewer uses the Menu button of the remote control. See Remote Control Settings for more information. • Display Condition: Select this checkbox to set display condition settings to control whether this story should play or not, and to define what should play if not this story. See Display Condition for more information. 406 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks Setting Story Entry Properties If you select a marker in the Story Editor’s source list, the Marker Inspector appears, displaying the settings for that marker. See Setting Marker Properties for an explanation of this window. If you select an entry in the entry list, the Story Marker Inspector appears. • Name: Enter the name for the story entry. This does not affect the marker’s name. • End Jump: Choose the project element to jump to when the entry finishes playing (occurs just before the next entry is reached). This is typically left at “not set.” In most cases, if you leave it at “not set,” each story entry is automatically connected to the next entry. This setting can be used by specialized scripts that dynamically control which parts of the track play. • Zero-Based: Shows the story entry’s timecode based on the timeline’s zero-based mode (based on the timeline’s first frame being 00:00:00:00). • Asset-Based: Shows the marker’s timecode based on the timeline’s asset-based mode (based on the timecode of the timeline’s first asset). • Track Marker: Choose a marker from the source list to assign to this entry. • Remote Control: Choose the place in the project to jump to if the viewer uses the Menu button of the remote control. See Remote Control Settings for more information. Simulating a Story Simulating a story allows you to verify that it plays as expected. To simulate a story Do one of the following: μ Select the story, then choose File > Simulate Story, or press Command-Option-0 (zero). μ Control-click the story’s name in the Outline tab or its tile in the Graphical tab, then choose Simulate Story from the shortcut menu. These methods force the Simulator to start at this specific story instead of the First Play connection, as it does when you open it using the icon in the toolbar. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 407 You can also start the Simulator from a specific story entry. To simulate a story entry Do one of the following: μ Select the story entry in the Story Editor, then choose File > Simulate Story Entry, or press Command-Option-0 (zero). μ Control-click the story entry, then choose Simulate Story entry from the shortcut menu. Once the story starts playing, you can use the Simulator’s controls to choose the streams to view (angle, audio, and subtitle). See Simulating Your Project for information on using the Simulator. Adding Alternate Video Streams One feature unique to the DVD medium is the viewer’s ability to switch between parallel video streams with continuous audio. Only one video stream at a time can serve as the active stream, but there can be as many as eight alternate streams, for a total of nine “camera angles.” These can be different camera views, or angles, of the same subject, or they can be any other video sources. For example, a concert video could use different camera angles for the alternate video streams, with cameras focusing on each musician. Stream V1, the main video stream, could be an edited version of all angles while streams V2 to V9 could be unedited versions of each musician. This would allow the viewer to choose whether to see the whole concert or focus on a specific aspect of it. In another example, the V1 stream could contain the normal view of a business presentation, including the presenter, and the presentation’s slides could be displayed up close on the V2 stream. Multi-Angle and Mixed-Angle Tracks DVD Studio Pro allows you to create either multi-angle or mixed-angle tracks. With a multi-angle track, the alternate video streams are the same length as the main stream. A mixed-angle track uses partial alternate video streams. Authoring with multi-angle video is an exciting capability of the DVD medium, though there are some disadvantages, the main one being that multi-angle video streams consume a great deal of disc space. A DVD capable of holding 120 minutes of video has its play time reduced to 60 minutes if there are two video angles (120 divided by 2), and to 13.3 minutes if there are 9 video angles. 408 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks A space-efficient method of taking advantage of the alternate video streams is to build DVD projects that have a single video stream for most of their playing time, but that provide alternate streams in certain sections. This is known as using mixed angles. Angle 1 2 3 4 Mixed-angle track with stream 3 playing About Alternate Stream Video Assets If you want to switch between video streams while the DVD is playing, the DVD specification sets some restrictions on the alternate streams. They must be in the same MPEG format and have the exact same GOP structure as the main stream. It is strongly recommended that you use the same encoder for all streams to ensure they match exactly. For multi-angle tracks, all streams, including the main one, must be the exact same length. For mixed-angle tracks, you use markers to define one or more sections of the main stream that contain the alternate streams. There are three basic rules for the alternative sections: • Within a track, you can use markers to define multiple sections to use additional angles, but each section must have the same number of streams. For example, you cannot have one section early in the track with two alternate streams and a section later in the track with three alternate streams—both sections must have either two or three streams. • Each alternate angle section can be different lengths, but all streams within a section must be the same length. For example, you can have one mixed-angle section early in the track that is 10 seconds long and a second mixed-angle section that is 20 seconds long. All alternate streams in the first mixed-angle section must be 10 seconds long; all alternate streams in the second mixed-angle section must be 20 seconds long. • You cannot use still images in the V2 through V9 streams. You can use still images in the V1 stream as long as they are outside of the mixed-angle areas (places where video is present in the V2 through V9 streams). See Encoding Video for Multi-Angle Tracks for more information on stream requirements. Creating a Multi-Angle Track To create a multi-angle track, you need to use two or more suitable video assets that are the exact same length and have the same GOP structure. To create a multi-angle track 1 Configure the Track Editor so that you can see as many video streams as you intend to use. See Viewing the Streams for details. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 409 2 Add the main video asset to the track’s video stream 1 (V1). 3 Add the second video asset to the track’s second video stream (V2). 4 Continue adding video assets to the next available streams until they are all in place. You can name each clip in each stream using the Clip Inspector. Creating a Mixed-Angle Track With a mixed-angle track, the main video stream runs the full length of the track with the alternate streams using only a small part of that time. Each of the track’s alternate video streams is aligned to a marker, and all corresponding alternate video assets start at the same point. Each alternate stream must use assets with the same length, and their GOP structures must match the main video stream. To create a mixed-angle track 1 Configure the Track Editor so that you can see as many video streams as you intend to use. See Viewing the Streams for details. 2 Configure the V1 stream as needed. If you are adding multiple clips or still images, place them all and make any necessary adjustments before adding anything to streams V2 through V9. 3 Create a marker where you want the first mixed-angle portion to begin. 4 Add the second video asset to the track’s second video stream (V2) at the marker. The asset snaps to the marker. Use the timeline zoom control to verify the asset is positioned properly. 5 Continue placing video assets to the next available streams until they are all in place and lined up with the marker. 6 Add a marker at the end of the angle clips by Control-clicking the clip in the V2 stream and choosing Add Marker to Clip End from the shortcut menu. 7 If you are adding an additional mixed-angle section to the track, add another marker and repeat steps 3 through 6. You can name each clip in each stream using the Clip Inspector. Important: To avoid errors when building your project, do not edit the V1 stream (add, trim, or remove assets) once you have added assets to the V2 through V9 streams. Using Still Clip Transitions When you add a still asset as a clip to a track, you are able to configure a transition for it. The transition can be an effect, such as a dissolve or wipe, that provides a smooth transition from the still clip to the next clip. 410 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks Each still clip in a track has its own transition settings, accessible in the Transition tab in the Clip Inspector. You can also set a default transition for the track in the Transition tab in the Track Inspector. The transition is considered part of the still clip, and, in most cases, does not affect its duration. Using long transitions may lead to the still being visible for only a short time, or may require the clip’s duration to be increased. If any clips use transitions, the transitions appear as a shaded area in the timeline. Transition indicator Each transition has a start and end frame. The start frame is the still you are transitioning from and the end frame is the still you are transitioning to. If you are transitioning to a video clip, the end frame is the first frame of the video clip. Note: You cannot configure a transition from a video clip to a still clip. Adding Transitions to Still Clips You can add a transition to any still clip in a track. Setting a Track’s Default Transition You can set a default transition for a track. All still clips with their type set to Same as Track use the transition. To set a track’s default transition 1 Click in an empty stream in the Track Editor to show the Track Inspector. 2 Click the Transition tab. 3 Choose the transition to use from the Transition pop-up menu. Choose “not set” if you do not want still clips to use a default transition. (You can still configure individual clips to use transitions.) 4 Configure the transition using its specific parameters. Setting an Individual Still Clip’s Transition You can set each still clip’s transition settings. To set a still clip’s transition 1 Click the still clip in the timeline to which you want to add the transition. 2 Click the Transition tab in the Clip Inspector. 3 Choose the transition to use from the Transition pop-up menu, or choose Same as Track to use the track’s default transition settings. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 411 Choose “not set” if you do not want this still clip to use a transition. 4 Configure the transition using its specific parameters. Transition Tab in the Track and Clip Inspectors The Transition tabs in the Track and Clip Inspectors are identical—the only difference is that the Type pop-up menu in the Clip Inspector has a Same as Track choice that the Track Inspector does not have. • Start thumbnail: Shows the video frame that a still transition will start from. • Transition thumbnail: Provides a preview of a still transition when you click the Preview button. • End thumbnail: Shows the video frame that a still transition will end with. This thumbnail is empty in the Track Inspector. • Transition: Choose the type of transition to use. In the Track Inspector, this sets the default transition for this track, which you can override at each still clip. • not set: Disables default transitions for this track or still clip. (Even with “not set” chosen for the track, you can set transitions at each still clip.) • Still Transition: Creates a transition clip based on the chosen transition and its related settings. • Same as Track: Only available in the Clip Inspector. Sets the current still clip to use the transition settings in the Track Inspector. • Preview: Click this to preview the current transition in the Transition thumbnail area. • Parameters: Contains the parameters for the current transition. Each transition has its own set of parameters. Transition Parameters Each transition has its own parameters. In many cases, the settings are self-explanatory; however, in some cases, the settings are not obvious. See Transition Parameters for details on the parameters for each transition. 412 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks Viewing a Track The track preview feature allows you to select a video, audio, and subtitle stream to view. You control which streams play using the buttons at the far-left side of the stream. To preview a track Do one of the following: μ Control-click in the video stream, then choose Play from the shortcut menu. μ Press the Space bar. μ Move the playhead. The Viewer tab moves to the front (if not already there) and shows the selected video stream and subtitle. You can also hear the audio of the selected audio stream through your system’s speakers or through an external audio decoder and monitor. You can also see the video if you drag the playhead along the timeline in the Track Editor. If you click in the timeline, the playhead jumps to that position and its video appears in the Viewer tab. About the Viewer Tab You use the Viewer tab to preview tracks. It is also used as the Subtitle Editor when you create subtitles in DVD Studio Pro. Click this control to show or hide the viewer controls. The Play, Stop, and Step buttons Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 413 When previewing a track, you can use four buttons to control the preview: • Play/Pause • Stop • Step Forward • Step Reverse Note: The Subtitle Editor tools in the Viewer tab are unavailable unless you select a subtitle to edit. See Creating Subtitles with DVD Studio Pro for more information. Pausing or Stopping Playback? The difference between pausing and stopping playback is what happens to the playhead: • When you pause playback by clicking the Play/Pause button: The playhead remains at its current position. • When you stop playback by clicking the Stop button: The playhead jumps to the position it was at when playback started. You can also use your keyboard’s Space bar to pause or stop the track. The “Space bar toggles between play/pause” setting in the Track pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences controls whether the Space bar pauses or stops the track: • With the checkbox selected: The Space bar pauses playback, leaving the playhead at its current position. • With the checkbox not selected: The Space bar stops playback, returning the playhead to its original position. Holding down the Space bar while playing the clip allows you to stop playing the clip automatically by releasing the Space bar. The playhead then follows the above preferences setting. Modifying the Step Buttons The Step Forward and Step Reverse buttons move the playhead one frame at a time. You can use modifier keys to enhance their capabilities. • Holding down the Shift key while clicking the step buttons: This moves the playhead one second at a time. • Holding down the Option key while clicking the step buttons: This moves the playhead one Group of Pictures (GOP) at a time. • Holding down the Control key while clicking the step buttons: This moves the playhead one marker at a time. You can also click a step button and continue to hold down the mouse button to repeatedly step the playhead. 414 Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks Previewing Angles If you are previewing a mixed-angle track and select a video stream other than V1, the preview still plays the V1 stream whenever the selected video stream is not present. To see the multi-angle or mixed-angle stream actually function, you need to use the DVD Studio Pro Simulator. Simulating a Track Simulating a track allows you to verify all streams and any special interactivity you may have built into it. To simulate a track Do one of the following: μ Select the track, then choose File > Simulate Track, or press Command-Option-0 (zero). μ Control-click the track’s name in the Outline tab or its tile in the Graphical tab, then choose Simulate Track from the shortcut menu. μ Control-click one of the streams in the Track Editor, then choose Simulate from Track from the shortcut menu. These methods force the Simulator to start at this specific track instead of the First Play connection, as it does when you open it using the icon in the toolbar. Once the track starts playing, you can use the Simulator’s controls to choose the streams to view (angle, audio, and subtitle). See Simulating Your Project for information on using the Simulator. Chapter 17 Creating and Editing Tracks 415 Slideshows can be combined with video tracks on a DVD to provide extra information about the subject, such as historical information, newspaper and magazine articles, and cast biographies. This chapter covers the following: • Introduction to Slideshows (p. 417) • Want Your Slideshows to Do More? (p. 418) • File Formats for Slideshows (p. 418) • Adding a Slideshow to Your Project (p. 419) • Creating a Slideshow Using the Menu Editor (p. 420) • Working with Slides in a Slideshow (p. 421) • Adding Audio to Your Slideshow (p. 424) • Working with Slideshows (p. 427) • Setting Slideshow Properties (p. 437) • Setting Slide Properties (p. 440) • Previewing a Slideshow (p. 441) • Simulating a Slideshow (p. 442) Introduction to Slideshows In much the same way you assemble video assets in the Track Editor, you can assemble still images in slideshows, with fixed or user-controlled duration, and with or without audio. With the DVD Studio Pro slideshow feature, you can also create presentations with high-quality audio, and even put photo albums and scrapbooks on DVDs. Slideshows can be used for training, human resources information, education, corporate communications, health care, weddings, and special events. Features, documentaries, and promotional materials on DVD can include slideshows for supplementary materials. 417 Creating Slideshows 18 You can also convert a slideshow to a track, allowing you to add additional audio streams and subtitles to it. A slideshow can contain up to 99 still images. Each still can have its own display duration, or the viewer can control when to go to the next still. You can add audio to each slide and let each audio file’s duration determine the slide’s display duration. Alternatively, you can assign one or more audio files to the overall slideshow, with each slide’s duration scaled so the whole slideshow fits the duration of the audio files. You can also assign transitions to each slide, adding effects such as dissolves and wipes as you play the slideshow. Want Your Slideshows to Do More? Even with all that DVD Studio Pro allows you to do with a slideshow, you may find yourself wanting it to do more. For example, if you want a panning or zooming action on each slide, or more than the 99–still image limit, you will need to use an editing application, such as Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express to edit the stills together into a QuickTime movie. You can import the movie into a DVD Studio Pro track. You can even add markers and force manual pauses so that the viewer can still control the pace of the slideshow playback. Another way to get around the 99–still image limit is to manually create a slideshow in the Track Editor. File Formats for Slideshows Slideshows can use a wide variety of still and audio formats. The following sections, Still Images in SD Projects, Still Images in HD Projects, and Audio Files, provide details on these formats. Still Images in SD Projects DVD Studio Pro lets you use most common image formats in slideshows. You can also use a mix of formats within a slideshow. See Slideshow File Formats for a list of supported formats. Once a still is imported into DVD Studio Pro, it is scaled, if necessary, to fit the slideshow’s resolution. If any of the still images do not fit the 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio you’ve chosen for the slideshow, a background color fills the gaps. You can set the background color in the General pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences. See General Preferences for more information. Important: Use care not to mix 4:3 and 16:9 stills in a slideshow. For more information about still image sources, see Preparing Slideshow Assets. 418 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows Still Images in HD Projects Creating slideshows for HD projects is not much different from creating slideshows for SD projects. The most common issue is understanding how the HD slideshows handle stills with respect to their resolutions. A Resolution setting in the General pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences defines the default resolution of all new slideshows (and tracks and menus) you create. However, the actual resolution of a slideshow is usually defined by the first still you assign to it. For example, if your default resolution as defined by the preferences setting is 1280 x 720p and you create a new slideshow, its resolution is 1280 x 720p. If the first still you add has a 1920 x 1080 resolution, the slideshow’s resolution automatically changes to match it. If the first still’s resolution is something that is non-standard, for example, a still that is 800 x 600, the slideshow’s resolution changes to the highest resolution that is smaller than the non-standard size (in this example, full D1, which is 720 x 480 for NTSC or 720 x 576 for PAL), and the image is scaled to fit. If you set a menu’s background to something that is smaller than full D1, it is scaled up to the full D1 size. After you have added one or more stills, you can choose a resolution in the General tab of the Slideshow Inspector to force the stills to be scaled to a specific resolution. Note: As with SD slideshows, when a still does not match the 4:3 or 16:9 display mode, the empty areas are filled with the slideshow background color, as defined in the General pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. Audio Files Slideshows can have one or more audio files for the overall slideshow, or a separate file for each still. While you can import files in a wide variety of audio formats for use with slideshows, all audio files within a slideshow must have the same format, resolution, and bit rate. See Preparing Audio Assets for more information about audio files. Adding a Slideshow to Your Project You add and manipulate still images in the same manner as you do video assets. You can drag images directly to the Slideshow Editor from the Finder, or you can drag them to the Assets tab, and then to the Slideshow Editor. You can also create slideshows by dragging groups of stills to the Menu Editor. When you open DVD Studio Pro, no default slideshow is created. You have to add a slideshow to include one in your project. Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 419 To add a slideshow to your project 1 Do one of the following: • Choose Project > Add to Project > Slideshow (or press Command-K). • Control-click in the Outline or Graphical tab, choose Add from the shortcut menu, then choose Slideshow from the submenu. • Click Add Slideshow in the toolbar. • Click the Slideshow tab and drag one or more stills to the Slideshow Editor. A slideshow element appears in the Outline and Graphical tabs. 2 To open the slideshow in the Slideshow Editor, double-click it. 3 Enter a name for the slideshow in the Slideshow Inspector. Use the Slideshow Inspector to set the jumps and remote control settings for the slideshow. Creating a Slideshow Using the Menu Editor An easy way to create a slideshow and a button that links to it is to drag a group of stills to the Menu Editor and choose Create Button and Slideshow from the Drop Palette. To create a slideshow in the Menu Editor 1 Do one of the following to select the menu to which you want to add the button that links to the new slideshow: • Choose the menu from the Menu Editor’s View pop-up menu. • Select the menu in the Outline or Graphical tab. 2 In either the Assets tab, the Palette, or a Finder window, select two or more still images to be used in the slideshow. You can also select a folder that contains the still images. 420 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 3 Drag the still images to the Menu Editor, positioning them at the location where you want the new button to be created. You can also drag them to an existing button if you want to link that button to the slideshow. 4 When you hold the pointer still, the Drop Palette appears. Choose an option that creates a slideshow. A slideshow is created and linked to a button on the menu. You can modify the slideshow just like any other slideshow, adding additional stills and audio as desired. Use the Slideshow Inspector to set the slideshow’s name, jumps, and remote control settings. Working with Slides in a Slideshow Once you’ve created a slideshow, you can start adding still images to it. You can add still images one at a time or as a group, and rearrange their order. Before you begin adding slides, you should set their default duration. Setting the Default Slide Duration The General pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains a default duration setting that determines each slide’s length when first imported. It’s a good idea to set the default slide duration before adding slides to the slideshow. While this setting applies to all slides when first imported, you can change the duration of individual slides later. See General Preferences for more information on this setting. You shouldn’t spend too much time fine-tuning each slide’s duration until you have added and arranged all slides, and have added any audio. Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 421 Adding Slides to a Slideshow Slides can be added to a slideshow one at a time or as a group. Note: Do not mix slides with 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios in a slideshow. Slideshows only directly support the 4:3 aspect ratio. To add slides to a slideshow 1 Select one or a group of slides in the Assets tab, the Palette, or a Finder window. 2 Drag the file or files to the Slideshow Editor. If there are existing slides in the editor, a line appears where you position the pointer. The Slideshow Editor inserts the new slides underneath the line. By moving the pointer before releasing the mouse button, you can control where the slides are inserted. If you add a group of slides, the slides are added in alphabetical order. You can easily rearrange the slide order later. Selecting Slides in a Slideshow As you add slides to a slideshow, you will need to be able to scroll through the list and select the slide you want to work on. To scroll through the slideshow list Do one of the following: μ Drag the scroller along the right edge of the Slideshow Editor. μ Press the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move through the list one slide at a time. μ Press the Option key, then the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key to jump to the first or last slide in the list. μ Press the Page Up and Page Down keys to move through the list one page at a time. In the last three cases, a slide is selected and it appears in the Viewer tab. There are times when you will want to select a group of slides. For example, you might need to delete them, change their duration, or move them to a different point in the list. There are several ways to select groups of slides. 422 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows To select a group of slides Do one of the following: μ To select a group of nonadjacent slides, hold down the Command key while you select the slides. μ To select a group of adjacent slides, hold down the Shift key while selecting the first and last slide in the group. μ Hold down the Shift key while pressing the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key to select each slide you scroll through. μ Press Command-A to select all slides. You can also press Command-Shift-A to deselect all slides. Rearranging Slides in a Slideshow Use the Slideshow Editor to rearrange slides in a slideshow. To rearrange slides in a slideshow 1 Select the slide or slides to be moved. You can move a group of nonadjacent slides together, but they will end up adjacent once they are moved. 2 Drag the slide (or slides) to a new position. When you hold a slide over another slide in the list, a line appears where you position the pointer. The repositioned slide is inserted underneath this line when you release the mouse button. Removing Slides from a Slideshow You can remove slides from your slideshow, either one at a time or as a group. To remove slides from a slideshow 1 Select the slide or slides you want to remove in the Slideshow Editor. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Delete. • Press the Delete key. Note: Dragging a slide out of the list does not remove it from the slideshow. Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 423 Adding Audio to Your Slideshow You can assign one audio file to each slide or add one or more audio files to the overall slideshow. The method you choose depends on the type of slideshow you are creating. • If each slide requires descriptive audio: Having a separate file for each makes it easy to ensure that the audio always matches the appropriate slide. See Assigning an Audio File to Each Slide for more information. • If your slideshow consists of stills with an audio file providing background music: It is much easier to assign one or more audio files, or an “overall audio file,” to the entire slideshow. See Assigning Overall Audio Files to the Slideshow for more information. Assigning an Audio File to Each Slide You can assign an audio file to each individual slide in a slideshow. You can use the same audio file multiple times, or only add audio to a few slides and leave the others silent. Important: You cannot add audio files directly to slides as long as there is an overall audio file assigned to the slideshow. See Assigning Overall Audio Files to the Slideshow for information on removing overall audio files from a slideshow. To assign audio to a slide using the Slideshow Editor 1 Select the audio file in the Assets tab, the Palette, or a Finder window. Note: You can only add one audio file at a time when assigning them to slides. 2 Drag the file to a slide in the Slideshow Editor. When you pause the pointer, a black box surrounds the slide the audio will be assigned to. 3 Release the mouse button when the correct slide is selected. The slide’s duration changes to match the length of the audio file. You cannot change the slide’s duration to a different value. 4 Press the Space bar to play the slide with its audio. Press the Space bar a second time to stop playback. To assign audio to a slide using the Slide Inspector 1 Select the slide to which you want to add audio. 424 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 2 In the Slide Inspector, choose the audio asset to assign to the slide using the Audio File pop-up menu. The Audio File pop-up menu in the Slide Inspector only allows you to choose from files already imported into your project. To change the audio file assigned to a slide Do one of the following: μ Drag a new file to the slide in the Slideshow Editor. μ Choose a new file with the Audio File pop-up menu in the Slide Inspector. To delete an audio file assigned to a slide Do one of the following: μ Select the audio file in the Audio column in the Slideshow Editor, then press the Delete key. Make sure you only select the audio portion of the slide. μ Choose “not set” from the Audio File pop-up menu in the Slide Inspector. Note: All audio files used within a slideshow must be the same type and use the same resolution and bit rate. Assigning Overall Audio Files to the Slideshow You can assign one or more audio files to a slideshow as overall audio files. This allows you to have audio files that are not specific to a single slide. When you assign overall audio to the slideshow, you can choose whether the slide or audio durations determine the slideshow’s duration. To assign overall audio files to a slideshow 1 Select the audio file or files in the Assets tab, the Palette, or a Finder window. 2 Do one of the following: • Drag the file or files to the audio well in the Slideshow Editor. Drag one or more audio files to this location. The audio well shows how many overall audio files are assigned to the slideshow. Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 425 • Drag the file or files to the Audio section in the Slideshow Inspector’s General tab. 3 Do one of the following to choose one of the two Slideshow Duration options: • Choose Fit To Audio, Fit To Slides, or Fit To Slides and Loop Audio from the Slideshow Editor’s Settings pop-up menu. Choose a Slideshow Duration setting. • Select either Fit To Slides or Fit To Audio in the Slideshow Inspector’s General tab. If you select Fit To Slides, you can also select the Loop Audio checkbox. Use Fit To Audio to calculate a slide duration value that is applied to all slides, based on the length of the audio file. The duration ensures the slides and the audio finish at the same time and that all slides appear for the same amount of time. There are several things to be aware of when using Fit To Audio: • Each slide’s duration automatically updates if you add or remove slides or overall audio files in the slideshow. • Using a short audio file with Fit To Audio can cause the audio to finish before the slides, because the slides cannot be set to durations shorter than their minimum duration (15 frames for NTSC or 12 frames for PAL projects). The minimum duration for the slides increases when one or more of them uses transitions. • All slide duration controls are disabled when Fit To Audio is selected. 426 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows Use Fit To Slides to leave each slide’s duration as is. When the slideshow is played, most likely the audio will not finish at the same time that the slides finish appearing. • If the slides finish first: The audio is clipped off. (The Loop Audio setting has no effect.) • If the audio finishes first: The slides continue playing in silence. With Loop Audio selected, the audio loops back to its beginning and continues playing if it reaches its end before the slides. 4 Select the first slide and press the Space bar to play the slideshow with its audio. Important: Adding an overall audio file automatically removes any audio files assigned to individual slides. As long as there is an overall audio file assigned to the slideshow, you cannot add audio files directly to slides. To change the assigned audio files using the Slideshow Inspector Do one of the following: μ Select one or more existing files and press Delete to remove them from the slideshow. μ Drag an existing audio file to a new location in the list to change its order. μ Drag one or more new audio files to the list to add them to the slideshow. You can also drag additional audio files to the audio well in the Slideshow Editor to add them to the end of the list. Working with Slideshows You use the Slideshow Editor and Slideshow Inspector to change the settings for your slideshow. Setting the Slideshow Editor’s Thumbnail Size The General pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains a thumbnail image size setting that allows you to control the number of slides displayed in the Slideshow Editor. See General Preferences for more information on this setting. Slideshow Editor Settings The Slideshow Editor has two areas: • The controls along its top: These buttons and pop-up menus provide easy access to a variety of slideshow features. See Slideshow Editor Controls for details on these. Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 427 • The slide list: This lists the slideshow’s slides in the order they appear. See Slide List for more information. Slideshow Editor controls Lists the slides in the order they appear. The triangle indicates this slide has a transition, and can be clicked to show the Transition Inspector. Slideshow Editor Controls The top of the Slideshow Editor contains several controls that you can use while making changes to your slideshow. Choose the slideshow to edit. Converts the slideshow to a track, allowing you to add additional features to it. Choose the default transition for the slideshow. Sets the duration for the selected slides. Shows that an overall audio file has been assigned. You can drag audio files here to add them. Contains overall audio duration and manual advance settings. • View pop-up menu: Use this to select the slideshow to open in the Slideshow Editor. • Transition pop-up menu: Use this to choose the default transition for the slideshow. See Using Slideshow Transitions for more information. • Overall Audio well: Drag audio files here to add them to the overall audio file list. The graphic in the well changes to show that one or more audio files are currently assigned as the overall slideshow audio. When you position the pointer over the well, a tooltip appears that lists some overall audio file information. You can Control-click the well to remove all assigned overall audio files. 428 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows • Convert to Track button: Click this button to convert the slideshow to a track. See Converting a Slideshow to a Track for details. • Duration: Enter a new value or choose a value from its pop-up menu. This duration affects all currently selected slides. This setting is disabled if overall audio is being used, and the Fit To Audio mode is selected. See Manually Changing a Slide’s Duration for more information. • Settings pop-up menu: Contains a variety of settings you can use with your slideshow: • Fit To Audio, Fit To Slides, and Fit To Slides and Loop Audio: Control how the slideshow uses the audio when it is configured to use overall audio. These settings are disabled when audio is assigned to individual slides. See Assigning Overall Audio Files to the Slideshow for more information. • Manual Advance: Use to set all selected slides to pause or, if they are already set to pause, to turn pause off. See Setting Up a Slideshow to Let the Viewer Advance the Slides for more information. Slide List The Slideshow Editor displays eight columns of information for each slide. You can edit two of these columns: Duration and Pause. Note: You can drag the list headings to rearrange their order. You can also drag the edges of the Audio columns to control its width. • No.: Displays each slide’s number, indicating its order in the slideshow. You cannot edit this number directly, but if you drag one or a group of slides to a new position, the number is changed to reflect the slide’s new position in the slideshow. • Image: Displays a thumbnail image of each slide. All slides with a transition assigned have a triangle in their lower-right corner. Press Command–Equal Sign (=) for large thumbnails and Command-Hyphen (-) for small thumbnails. • File: Displays the name of each slide’s asset file. • Audio: Displays the name of the audio file assigned to the slide (if applicable). Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 429 • Time: Displays the slideshow’s elapsed time at the beginning of each slide. This time value does not include the duration of the slide it is listed with. All slideshows start at 00:00:00:00. While you cannot directly edit this value, changing the duration of any slides positioned earlier in the list will change this time value. • Duration: Displays the slide duration. This value is either the default duration selected in the Preferences window, the length of the audio file assigned to the slide, or, when using an overall audio file with the “Fit to audio” option selected in the Slideshow Duration pop-up menu, a value calculated so that all slides play for an equal amount of time and match the overall audio file length. You can edit this duration except on slides that have an audio asset assigned to them or in slideshows with an overall audio file that have “Fit to audio” selected. See Manually Changing a Slide’s Duration for details. • Pause: Select the checkbox if you want a pause to occur at the end of the slide. The viewer then manually advances to the next slide using the Next button or Play button on the DVD player’s remote control. Note: If the slide contains a transition, the pause occurs before the transition. When the viewer advances to the next slide, the transition plays and then the next slide appears. Manually Changing a Slide’s Duration You can manually change each slide’s duration except on slides that have an audio asset assigned to them or in slideshows with an overall audio file that have “Fit to audio” selected. To change a selected slide’s duration to a fixed value using the Slideshow Editor 1 Select one or more slides to change their durations. 2 Do one of the following: • Choose a set value (1, 3, 5, 10, or 15 seconds) from the Duration pop-up menu. • Enter a value (in seconds) in the Duration field and press Return. Either enter a duration or choose one from the pop-up menu to apply to the selected slides. The duration of all selected slides is changed to the new value. 430 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows To manually enter a slide’s duration in the slide list in the Slideshow Editor 1 Select the slide whose duration you want to change. 2 Double-click the current duration setting. The duration highlights. 3 Type the new value and press Return. Once you press Return, the new duration is set and the Time values for all affected slides adjust to reflect this change. The Duration value of the next slide is automatically selected. If you do not want to change its duration, select a different slide. When entering a value, you don’t need to enter a colon to define the number pairs—the values automatically divide into pairs starting from the frames. If you enter a value that is greater than the maximum value for that field, the appropriate time is added to the next field. For example, if you enter 79 seconds, the seconds field displays “19” and one minute is added to the minutes field. Note: The minimum slide duration for NTSC projects is 15 frames; for PAL, it is 12 frames. The minimum is longer on slides using transitions. To manually enter a slide’s duration in the Slide Inspector 1 Select the slide whose duration you want to change. 2 Do one of the following: • Enter a new duration directly. Use the same methods as when entering a new duration in the slide list area of the Slideshow Editor. • Choose a duration from the Duration pop-up menu. Setting Up a Slideshow to Let the Viewer Advance the Slides You can set up your slideshow so that each slide appears for a specified length of time or until the viewer decides to advance to the next slide. For example, you might want to coordinate your slideshow for a speaker to step through each slide. This allows the viewer (in this case the speaker) to choose when to advance to the next slide by pressing the Next or Play button on the DVD player’s remote control. To set up a viewer-advanced slideshow Do one of the following: μ Select the checkbox in the Pause column next to each slide that you want the viewer to be able to advance manually. μ Select a group of slides and choose Manual Advance from the Slideshow Editor’s Settings pop-up menu. This turns on the Pause option on all selected slides. Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 431 μ Select a slide and select the Manual Advance checkbox in the Slide Inspector. Select the Pause checkbox on slides you want to be advanced manually. The pause occurs at the end of the slide’s duration. If you have added an audio asset to the slide, the audio plays and then the pause occurs. The viewer can press the Next button or the Play button on the DVD player’s remote control to continue to the next slide. Note: If the slide contains a transition, the pause occurs before the transition. When the viewer advances to the next slide using the Play button, the transition plays and then the next slide appears. If the viewer advances using the Next button, the transition does not play, and the next slide immediately appears. Setting a Pause on the Last Slide The viewer may have problems when playing your slideshow on some DVD players if you set the last slide to have a pause. Some DVD players do not react to presses of the Next button once the viewer reaches the last slide, which leaves the viewer with no way to activate the slideshow’s End Jump setting. There are two methods you can use to avoid this problem and provide consistent playback on all DVD players: • Set the slideshow’s Next Jump connection in the Connections tab. • Duplicate the last slide in the slideshow and set the new last slide not to pause. Setting the Slideshow’s Next Jump Connection Each element in your project has a Next Jump connection that is normally left not set. The only place you can set a connection for Next Jump is in the Connections tab. To set the slideshow’s Next Jump connection 1 Select the slideshow in the Outline tab. 2 Click the Connections tab. 3 Choose Advanced from the Connection tab’s View pop-up menu. Make sure the pop-up menu next to the View pop-up menu is set to All. 4 Locate the End Jump and Next Jump items in the list of sources. 432 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 5 Set the Next Jump target to be the same as the slideshow’s End Jump setting by dragging the End Jump target setting to the Next Jump target. See Next Jump and Prev Jump for more information. Duplicating the Last Slide Duplicating the last slide in a slideshow allows you to create a “false ending” for the slideshow, and avoid the pause issue. To duplicate and configure the last slide in a slideshow 1 In the Slideshow Editor, determine the asset name of the last slide and drag that slide’s asset from the Assets tab to the next slide location. 2 Select the new last slide in the Slideshow Editor and set its duration to 15 frames by double-clicking its duration value, entering 15, then pressing Return. Note: For PAL projects, you can use a 12 frame duration. 3 Make sure the last slide’s Pause checkbox is not selected. When you play this version of the slideshow and press the Next button on the last slide with a pause, it jumps to the new last slide and then to the End Jump setting. Using Slideshow Transitions Slideshow transitions allow you to control whether the slideshow directly jumps from slide to slide or uses a transition effect, such as a wipe or crossfade, to move from slide to slide. You are able to set a transition effect that applies to all slides in the slideshow or you can individually configure each slide’s transition effect. About Transitions Each slide has its own transition settings, accessible in the Transition tab in the Slide Inspector. The default transition settings for the slideshow are in the Transition tab in the Slideshow Inspector. The transition is considered part of the slide, and, in most cases, does not affect its duration. Using long transitions may lead to the slide being visible for only a short time, or may require the slide’s duration to be increased. When you select a transition for a slide, group of slides, or the slideshow, a warning appears if any slides must be lengthened. Start and End Frames Each transition has a start and end frame. The start frame is the slide you are transitioning from, and the end is the slide you are transitioning to. If the last slide in a slideshow has a transition assigned, its transition’s end frame is based on the slideshow’s End Jump setting. If the End Jump is set to a script, the transition is to black. Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 433 Setting a Slideshow’s Default Transition Setting the transition for a slideshow affects all slides with their type set to “Same as Slideshow.” To set a slideshow’s default transition using the Slideshow Editor μ Choose the transition from the Slideshow Editor’s Transition pop-up menu. Choose the default transition for the slideshow. The triangle indicates this slide has a transition. The transition uses its default settings. You can change the settings in the Transition tab in the Slideshow Inspector. To set a slideshow’s default transition using the Slideshow Inspector 1 Double-click an empty place in the Slideshow Editor’s control area to show the Slideshow Inspector. 2 Click the Transition tab. 3 Choose the transition to use from the Transition pop-up menu. Choose “not set” if you do not want slides to use a default transition. (You can still configure individual slides to use transitions.) 4 Configure the transition using its specific parameters. 434 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows Setting an Individual Slide’s Transition You can use either the Slide Inspector or the Slideshow Editor to set the transition for a slide. To set a slide’s transition in the Slide Inspector 1 Select the slide for which you want to set a transition. 2 Click the Transition tab in the Slide Inspector and set the transition parameters. In addition to selecting one of the transitions to use, you can choose “not set” to disable transitions for that slide, or “Same as Slideshow” to have the slide use the slideshow’s default transition. To select a transition for a group of slides 1 Select the group of slides for which you want to select a transition. 2 Control-click one of the slides, choose Transition from the shortcut menu, then choose the transition from the submenu. Setting the Transition Parameters The Transition tabs in the Slideshow and Slide Inspectors are identical—the only difference is that the Type pop-up menu in the Slide Inspector has a “Same as Slideshow“ choice that the Slideshow Inspector does not have. • Start thumbnail: Shows the video frame that a still transition will start from. • Transition thumbnail: Provides a preview of a still transition when you click the Preview button. • End thumbnail: Shows the video frame that a still transition will end with. This thumbnail is empty in the Slideshow Inspector. • Transition: Choose the type of transition to use. In the Slideshow Inspector, this sets the default transition for this slideshow, which you can override at each slide. • not set: Disables transitions for this slideshow or slide. (Even with “not set” chosen for the slideshow, you can set transitions at each slide.) Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 435 • Still Transition: Creates a transition clip based on the chosen transition and its related settings. • Same as Slideshow: Only available in the Slide Inspector. Sets the current slide to use the transition settings in the Slideshow Inspector. • Preview: Click this to preview the current transition in the Transition thumbnail area. • Parameters: Contains the parameters for the current transition. Each transition has its own set of parameters. Transition Parameters Each transition has its own parameters. In many cases, the settings are self-explanatory; however, in some cases the settings are not obvious. See Transition Parameters for details on the parameters for each transition. Converting a Slideshow to a Track You may want to add several features to your slideshow that the Slideshow Editor does not support. These include: • Subtitles • Alternate language streams • The ability to combine moving video with the slides To get access to these features, you can convert your slideshow to a track. Once converted to a track, what was previously a slideshow is now a track, and must be edited in the Track Editor. Note: Once you convert a slideshow to a track, you cannot convert it back. You can use the Undo feature or create a duplicate of the slideshow before you convert it to a track. If you do create a duplicate of the slideshow, be sure to delete the duplicate before you build your project. To convert a slideshow to a track 1 In the Outline tab, Control-click the slideshow’s name, then choose Duplicate from the shortcut menu. An identical copy of the slideshow is created in case you need it later. You should delete this copy when you are sure that it is no longer needed. 2 Choose the original slideshow in the Slideshow Editor. 3 Do one of the following: • Choose Project > Slideshow > Convert to Track. • Click Convert To Track in the Slideshow Editor. 436 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows The slideshow is deleted and a new track is created using the slideshow’s name. Click Convert To Track to create a track from the selected slideshow. The new track has a marker at each slide, each named with the slide’s filename. Each slide retains its duration and pause setting. If audio files were assigned, they are also present in the track. Note: If a slide has a transition, a cell marker is placed at the beginning of the transition. If the slide has pause selected, this marker is set to pause. Setting Slideshow Properties Selecting a slideshow in the Outline tab displays the Slideshow Inspector. The Slideshow Inspector contains a top section and three tabs: General, Advanced, and Transition. Settings at the Top of the Slideshow Inspector Following are the settings at the top of the Slideshow Inspector. • Name: Enter the name of the slideshow. This is the name that appears in the Outline tab (where you can also change it). • Est. Size: Displays the amount of disc space the slideshow requires. • End Jump: Choose a setting from this pop-up menu to determine what happens once the slideshow finishes playing. Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 437 General Tab in the Slideshow Inspector The settings in the General tab in the Slideshow Inspector are used to set the slideshow’s resolution and display mode. These settings are also used to configure a slideshow for overall audio and are disabled when you are using no audio or are assigning audio to individual slides. Resolution and Display Settings These settings define the basic video attributes of the slideshow. • Resolution: Choose the slideshow’s resolution. • For SD DVD projects: The resolution is either 720 x 480i (NTSC) or 720 x 576i (PAL). • For HD DVD projects: You can choose from any of the supported resolutions. The resolution automatically changes to match the first slide’s resolution if it matches one of the supported resolutions, or to the closest smaller resolution if there is not a direct match. DVD Studio Pro Preferences includes a setting for the default resolution (which also applies to menus and tracks). See Still Images in HD Projects for more information. • Display Mode: Set the aspect ratio for this slideshow (4:3 or 16:9) and, with 16:9, choose how it displays on a 4:3 monitor. The aspect ratio of the slide assets should match this setting. Parameters These settings define the length of the slideshow. • Slideshow Duration: Controls how the slideshow uses the audio when it is configured to use overall audio. These settings are disabled when you assign audio to individual slides. See Assigning Overall Audio Files to the Slideshow for more information. • Fit To Audio: Slide durations are changed to a value that ensures the slides and audio end at the same time. 438 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows • Fit To Slides: Slide durations are not changed, which means the audio can end before or after the last slide. Selecting Fit To Slides enables the Loop Audio checkbox. • Loop Audio: Select this to have the slide durations control when the slideshow ends. If the audio is too long, it is clipped so that it ends with the last slide. If the audio is too short, it loops back to the first audio asset and continues playing until the last slide finishes. • Total Running Time: Shows the duration of the slideshow. Audio The audio section lists the overall audio files assigned to the slideshow. You can drag a file within the list to change its order. • Add (+): Opens a file selection dialog so you can add an audio file to the list. • Delete (–): Removes the selected audio files from the list. • Total Audio Duration: Shows the combined duration of the audio files. Advanced Tab in the Slideshow Inspector Following are the settings in the Advanced tab of the Slideshow Inspector. • Pre-Script: If applicable, you can choose a script from this pop-up menu. See Pre-Scripts for information on using pre-scripts. • Remote Control: Use these pop-up menus to customize the viewer’s interaction with the title from this slideshow. See Remote Control Settings for details. Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 439 Transition Tab in the Slideshow Inspector See Setting the Transition Parameters for details on the Transition tab. Setting Slide Properties If you select a slide in the Slideshow Editor, the Slide Inspector appears. It allows you to set attributes for each slide. It contains a top section and two tabs: General and Transition. See Setting the Transition Parameters for details on the Transition tab. Note: Any settings you make in the Slide Inspector become marker properties if you convert the slideshow to a track. Settings at the Top of the Slide Inspector Following are the settings at the top of the Slide Inspector. • Name: Displays the name of the slide as it appears in the Assets tab, where its name can be changed. • Asset: Displays the name of the slide’s actual asset. 440 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows General Tab in the Slide Inspector Following are the settings in the General tab of the Slide Inspector. • Slide Duration: Displays the duration of the selected slide. You can enter a new duration or choose a duration from the pop-up menu. • Manual Advance: Determines whether the slideshow pauses (checkbox selected) or continues playing to the next slide (checkbox not selected). • Audio File: Displays the name of the audio asset assigned to this slide. You can use this pop-up menu to choose from the audio assets already imported into this project. Important: All audio files within a slideshow must have the same format, resolution, and bit rate. • DVD@CCESS: Select this checkbox for titles played on a computer if you need to open an application such as a web browser to view special content when the slide starts playing. See DVD@CCESS for information on DVD@CCESS. Previewing a Slideshow Before you build the slideshow, it’s a good idea to preview it. To preview a slideshow 1 Select the slideshow in the Outline tab. 2 In the Slideshow Editor, select the slide to start playing from. 3 Do one of the following: • Press the Space bar. • In the Slideshow tab, Control-click a slide, then choose Play from the shortcut menu. The Viewer tab appears and the slideshow starts playing from the selected slide. If the slideshow has audio assigned, it also plays. A drawback is that pauses are ignored. You can use the Simulator to play the slideshow and test any pauses you have set. Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows 441 Simulating a Slideshow Simulating a slideshow allows you to fully test a slideshow, including its pauses and DVD@CCESS settings. To simulate a slideshow Do one of the following: μ Select the slideshow, then choose File > Simulate Slideshow, or press Command-Option-0 (zero). μ Control-click the slideshow in the Outline tab, then choose Simulate from the shortcut menu. μ In the Slideshow tab, Control-click a slide, then choose Simulate from the shortcut menu. These options force the Simulator to start at this slideshow instead of the First Play connection, as it does when started by clicking Simulator in the toolbar. Once the slideshow starts playing, you can use the Simulator’s controls to test the pauses. See Simulating Your Project for information on using the Simulator. 442 Chapter 18 Creating Slideshows Although the most common use for subtitles is to display a text version of the dialogue, subtitles created in DVD Studio Pro can be used for many other purposes. This chapter covers the following: • Introduction to Subtitles (p. 443) • Importing Older DVD Studio Pro Subtitles (p. 445) • Subtitles and Overlays (p. 445) • About Subtitles and Closed Captions (p. 445) • Subtitle Stream Basics (p. 446) • Subtitle Inspector (p. 448) • What Happens with Different Aspect Ratios? (p. 454) • Viewing Subtitles (p. 455) • Creating Subtitles with DVD Studio Pro (p. 457) • Importing Graphics Files for Subtitles (p. 463) • Creating and Importing Subtitle Files (p. 464) • Importing a Subtitle File (p. 465) • Creating an STL Format Subtitle File (p. 467) • Creating Buttons over Video (p. 471) • Configuring a Button over Video Subtitle Clip (p. 473) Introduction to Subtitles Each track can include up to 32 subtitle streams. Having multiple streams makes it possible to offer text in several languages, allowing the viewer to select the appropriate one. Increasingly, subtitles are being used for other purposes, such as to create buttons over video (also known as interactive markers or interactive subtitles), which allow the viewer to make choices while watching the movie. You can also use subtitles to supply simple graphics to augment the video, such as arrows and lines. 443 Creating Subtitles 19 You can create text subtitles directly in DVD Studio Pro, one at a time. You set their position, font, size, style, and color, and can have them fade in and out. You control their start and stop time either by entering timecode values or dragging in the timeline. You can also import subtitle files containing all of the subtitles for a track. DVD Studio Pro supports files that conform to any of these formats: • STL: The Spruce Technologies subtitle format • SON: The Sonic Solutions bitmap-based format • TXT: A plain text file • SCR: The Daiken-Comtec Laboratories Scenarist bitmap-based format Note: See Importing Older DVD Studio Pro Subtitles for information on importing SPU format subtitles (subtitles created with earlier versions of DVD Studio Pro). Files in these formats should all contain multiple subtitle text or graphics images tied to timecode values, ensuring they are placed properly within the timeline. You can also import graphics files and use them as subtitles or overlay them on the video. For example, you could have a graphic that traces a route on a map that appears in the video stream. By importing several graphics, you could effectively animate the graphic (by making the line move in the map, for example). Subtitles can also be used to superimpose buttons over the track’s video. The viewer selects these buttons just as they would buttons on a menu. Creating buttons over video is similar to creating buttons using the standard menu creation method; that is, both involve overlays, drawing rectangles to identify each button’s active area, and color mapping. There are no limits to how many subtitles you can add to a subtitle stream. However, there are limits to how many subtitles you can have that provide buttons over video. See How Do Buttons over Video Work? for more information. There is also no limit to the length of subtitles—you can make subtitles as short as one frame or as long as the track. Short subtitles can be useful if you want to create an animation effect, with simple graphics that move. See Using Graphics Files to Create an Animation for more information. Subtitles can be configured so that the viewer controls whether they appear, or they can be forced to appear. 444 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles Importing Older DVD Studio Pro Subtitles Because of the way they are created, you cannot directly import subtitle files created with the Subtitle Editor in earlier versions of DVD Studio Pro. These subtitle files have an “.SPU” extension. However, you can import older DVD Studio Pro projects that contain subtitles into DVD Studio Pro 4. Each subtitle entry is converted to a TIFF file and placed on the timeline at the correct location. Because the subtitles are TIFF files, you cannot edit their text within DVD Studio Pro 4. Subtitles and Overlays All subtitle types use the same advanced overlay method used in the standard menu creation method. This means that any graphics and subtitle files must be made of up to four predefined colors, on which you map the actual colors that appear when the title plays. See Creating Overlays for information on overlay graphics. About Subtitles and Closed Captions While this chapter describes working with subtitles, it is important to understand how they compare to closed captions, which are also supported by DVD Studio Pro when creating NTSC SD projects. This is especially important if you are creating DVD titles that must comply with accessibility requirements. There are two methods available to you to provide visual text to the viewers of your NTSC SD-based DVD title: adding subtitles and importing closed caption files. In both cases, text can be made to appear on the screen along with the video. However, the capabilities of each method are different. Note: DVD Studio Pro does not support closed captions in HD projects or PAL SD projects. Subtitle Capabilities Subtitles generally provide dialogue text only—there is no text description of sounds that may also be part of a scene (although those could be added if you wish). Subtitles are generally intended to provide the dialogue in a second language and assume you can hear the disc’s audio. When creating subtitles, you can define their position, size, font, and color. Subtitles do not actually have to be text—they can be a graphic used to display a logo or point out an item in the video. All DVD players, including those used by computers, include the ability to show subtitles. Subtitles work the same in both NTSC and PAL projects. Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 445 Closed Caption Capabilities Closed captions provide not only dialogue text but also descriptions of other sounds that are part of a scene (such as a phone ringing or a dog barking). They are intended to enhance the viewing experience for deaf and hearing-impaired viewers. To view closed captions, you must have a suitable decoder—either built in to the television or as a standalone device. When creating closed captions, you choose the text’s position and, in some cases, its color—the font is controlled by the decoder. Because a lot of computers do not have closed caption decoders, playing DVD titles on them means you generally cannot count on being able to show any included closed captions. Due to their reliance on information contained in line 21 of the video signal, closed captions, as supported by the DVD specification, apply to NTSC programs only. See Adding Closed Captions to a DVD for details on importing a closed caption file. Subtitle Stream Basics There are several aspects of working with subtitle streams that apply whether you create them in DVD Studio Pro or import them. Working with Subtitles in DVD Studio Pro Working with subtitles in DVD Studio Pro involves using the Track Editor, the Subtitle Inspector, and the Viewer tab. All subtitles, whether created with text entered in DVD Studio Pro, as individual imported graphics files, or as a subtitle file containing multiple subtitles, are based on subtitle clips in one of the 32 subtitle streams. In general, you work with the subtitle clips the same way you work with audio clips in the Track Editor. You can drag the clips to change their position and drag their edges to change their length. The Subtitle Inspector provides the settings you use to configure each of the subtitle clips. Even the subtitle clips you import as part of a subtitle file can have their settings modified in the Subtitle Inspector. The Viewer tab serves the Subtitle Editor function. When you double-click a subtitle clip in the Track Editor, its playhead jumps to the subtitle clip’s start, with the subtitle appearing over the track’s video. You can enter and position subtitle text directly in the Viewer tab. It also contains the tools you use when you create subtitles configured for buttons over video. 446 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles How Subtitles Switch Streams When the viewer switches from one subtitle stream to the other, two things must happen before the second stream’s subtitles appear: • The subtitle clip currently showing must reach its end. No subtitle actions, including switching streams and turning subtitles off, can occur until the DVD player finishes showing the current subtitle clip. • A clip on the second stream must start. If a subtitle clip on the second stream starts before the subtitle clip on the first stream ends, it does not appear, and instead, the next clip on the second stream is the first from that stream to appear. For most standard subtitles, this happens relatively quickly and the viewer quickly starts seeing subtitles from the selected stream. At most they might miss one subtitle clip. These rules become important if you create a long subtitle clip that is the same length as the track because you will never be able to select it or switch from it. Having a single long subtitle clip is useful if you want to place a logo in a corner of the image. For this to work, its subtitle stream must be selected before the long clip starts, and once selected, you cannot switch it off or switch to a different subtitle stream. Note: Subtitles that cross chapter markers are automatically split into multiple subtitle clips at each marker when you build your project. Subtitle Preferences DVD Studio Pro contains a set of preferences that control many aspects of how subtitles appear on a stream, whether manually created or imported (unless specifically overridden). It is recommended that you take some time and configure these preferences before you start working in the subtitle streams. The preferences cover the following areas: • Fade and length: The General pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains the default settings for the fade in and out settings as well as the subtitle length. The fade settings apply to all subtitles except those configured to provide buttons over video. The length setting applies only to new subtitles you create in DVD Studio Pro. • Font and position: The Text pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains the default settings for the font used with text subtitles and the position settings for both text and graphic-based subtitles. Depending on the type of subtitle file you are importing, these settings may be overridden during the file import. • Color mapping: The Colors pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains default settings for the color mapping used when importing subtitle files and creating subtitles in DVD Studio Pro. Depending on the type of subtitle file you are importing, these settings may be overridden during the file import. See Setting DVD Studio Pro Preferences for more information. Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 447 Applying Subtitle Settings to the Stream No matter how carefully you configure your preferences and how much time you spend deciding how the subtitles should look, there will often be times when you need to make a change to all subtitle clips in a stream (and there could be hundreds of clips in a stream). For example, you may need to use a different color for the text or to change the font. The Subtitle Inspector includes an Apply to Stream function that you can use to selectively apply changes you make in one subtitle clip to all subtitle clips in that stream. There are three areas in which you can independently apply changes you make to the entire stream: • Fade In and Out: You can make changes to a clip’s fade settings in the General tab in the Subtitle Inspector and apply the changes to all subtitle clips in the stream. • Text formatting: You can make changes to a clip’s font and position settings in the General tab in the Subtitle Inspector and apply the changes to all subtitle clips in the stream. • Color mapping: You can make changes to a clip’s color and opacity settings in the Colors tab in the Subtitle Inspector and apply the changes to all subtitle clips in the stream. Subtitle Inspector The Subtitle Inspector contains settings applicable to all subtitle clips. It shows the settings of the currently selected subtitle clip. The Subtitle Inspector contains three tabs: General, Button, and Colors. There is also the Text entry area at the top of the Inspector. Text Entry Area in the Subtitle Inspector You can use the Text area to enter subtitle text for the current subtitle clip. The Text area also displays any text you enter directly in the Subtitle Editor. If you have imported the subtitle as a graphic, the Text area does not show any text contained in the graphic. Click within the Text area to enter text. You can even combine text with an imported graphic. Press Return to insert a line break. 448 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles General Tab in the Subtitle Inspector Following are the settings in the General tab of the Subtitle Inspector. Clip Info • Start: The timecode where this clip appears. You can change a clip’s start time by entering a new value here or by dragging the clip’s leading edge in the Track Editor. Changing the start time also affects the clip’s end time, but not its duration. • Duration: The length of the clip. If you enter a new duration here, the clip’s end time changes to fit it. You can also change a clip’s duration by dragging its edges in the Track Editor. • Stop Time: The timecode where the clip stops appearing. You can change a clip’s stop time by entering a new value here or by dragging the clip’s trailing edge in the Track Editor. Changing the stop time also affects the clip’s duration. • Fade In: You can enter a value (in frames) that controls how long the clip takes to dissolve on. The fade in starts at the clip’s start time. Note: The Fade settings are unavailable when you are working with a subtitle clip configured to provide buttons over video. • Out: You can enter a value (in frames) that controls how long the clip takes to dissolve off. The fade out finishes at the clip’s stop time. Note: Because there are only 16 opacity levels, setting fades longer than 20 frames produces noticeable “stepping” as the subtitle dissolves in and out. • Force display: Select this checkbox to force specific subtitle clips to appear, even if the viewer has disabled subtitles. Subtitle clips set to force their display only appear if their subtitle stream is currently selected. • Apply to Stream: Click to apply the fade in and out settings to all subtitle clips in this stream. Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 449 Formatting • Horizontal: Sets the horizontal justification of the text. Click the appropriate icon for left, center, or right alignment. • Horizontal Offset: Trims the horizontal position of the text, in pixel steps, from the selected justification setting. Positive values move the text to the right and negative values move it to the left. A value of 0 positions the text at its justification setting. • Vertical: Sets the vertical justification of the text. Click the appropriate icon for top, center, or bottom alignment. • Vertical Offset: Trims the vertical position of the text, in pixel steps, from the selected justification setting. Positive values move the text down and negative values move it up. A value of 0 positions the text at its justification setting. • Apply to Stream: Click to apply the formatting settings to all subtitle clips in this stream. Graphic • File: Shows the name of the graphics file assigned to this subtitle clip. You can enter the path and name for a graphics file or click the Choose button to open a file selection dialog. • Offset X and Y: Use to trim the graphic’s position. • Offset X: Trims the horizontal position. Positive values move the graphic to the right and negative values move it to the left. A value of 0 positions the graphic at its default position. • Offset Y: Trims the vertical position. Positive values move the graphic down and negative values move it up. A value of 0 positions the graphic at its default position. Stream • Language: Choose the stream’s language. This setting applies to all subtitles in the stream. You can also choose the stream’s language in the stream configuration area of the Track Editor. • Import Subtitles: Click this button to import a subtitle file. This file affects the entire subtitle stream. See Importing a Subtitle File for more information. Note: Importing a subtitle file deletes any existing subtitle clips from the stream. Button Tab in the Subtitle Inspector The Button tab in the Subtitle Inspector is empty unless the subtitle is configured to provide buttons over video. See Creating Buttons over Video for more information. 450 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles You use the Button tab to configure the buttons to add to the subtitle. • Name: By default, buttons are named “Button _,” where “_” is the button number in that menu. To reduce confusion when viewing a list of the menu’s buttons, it is helpful to rename the buttons based on their functions. • Default: Choose the button to be selected when the subtitle appears during playback of the title. This setting can be overridden by any element that jumps to this subtitle’s marker, based on its jump setting. • Target: You can use this pop-up menu to define a button’s action when activated. (You can also use the Connections tab or Control-click the button.) Often you must set the connection later because what you want to jump to has not been added to the project yet. The pop-up menu contains all possible elements you can jump to. • Highlight: Select the color mapping set (1, 2, or 3) to use for this button. • Angle/Audio/Subtitle Streams: Use these three pop-up menus to have a button select specific angle, audio, and subtitle streams to play back. For the subtitle stream, you can also choose whether subtitles should appear. These settings are only active if the target is set to “not set.” You can set the target to run a script if you want a button to jump to a specific stream in a different track. • Remote: This area lets you set the actions that take place when the viewer uses the arrow buttons on the DVD player’s remote control to navigate through the title. Because this is the typical way the title will be viewed, it is important to spend some time configuring the navigation in a logical, predictable way. See Configuring Button Navigation for information. Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 451 • Number Pad: Defines which buttons are directly accessible by a DVD player’s numeric keypad. Choose All, None, or a button number from the pop-up menu. When you choose a button number, that button and all buttons less than that number are accessible via the numeric keypad—buttons greater than this value are blocked from direct access. Important: This feature is based on the order in which the buttons are created. In most cases, this order is the same as the default button names shown in the Viewer. This button order can be changed if you delete a button and later add a new button—the new button’s default name is not a reliable indicator of the order in which the buttons were created. • Button Offset: You can use this to offset button numbers so they make sense to a viewer who wants to select a button by entering its number. For example, you may have a set of scene selection menus with numbered scenes. One of the menus may have scenes 23 to 34, with the button for scene 23 being the first button on the menu. If you enter an offset value of 22 for this menu, when the viewer enters 23 on the remote control, 22 is subtracted from it, with the result being 1—the button’s actual number. • Coordinates & Size: This area lets you set the location of each edge of the button’s active area, plus the area’s height and width. The upper-left corner of the menu is at pixel 0, line 0. You can enter values for each edge, allowing you to precisely position and size the button’s active area. (You can also drag the area and each of its edges with the pointer.) • Auto Action: If you select Auto Action for a button, the button activates automatically as soon as it is navigated to, without the viewer needing to press Enter. This is useful in menus, such as scene selection menus, in which you use Next and Previous buttons; you can assume that if viewers navigate to the Next or Previous button, they want to activate it. With overlay-based buttons, if you select this option, only the activated color mapping appears when the button is navigated to, skipping the selected color mapping. Important: When viewed with most software-based DVD players, such as the Apple DVD Player, auto action buttons must be clicked if a mouse is used to select buttons. If you use the computer’s arrow keys, however, auto action buttons activate automatically as with set-top DVD players. • Invisible: Applies to overlay-based buttons. Allows you to have a button that does not display highlights in the normal, selected, or activated state. This is useful when you want to have a menu with text and no visible buttons. The text could tell the viewer to press the Enter button to go to the next menu or start playback (or whatever the button is set to jump to). 452 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles Colors Tab in the Subtitle Inspector The Colors tab in the Subtitle Inspector is very similar to the Colors tab in the Menu Inspector. • Mapping Type: Select the colors used to create the overlay graphic. This setting only applies to imported graphics files. • Chroma: Uses black, red, blue, and white • Grayscale: Uses black, dark gray, light gray, and white. • Selection State: Unless you have configured this subtitle clip to provide buttons over video, only the Normal setting is available. When configured for buttons over video, you can select the button state you want to configure, and that state’s colors and transparencies are displayed. • Set: Active only when you have configured this subtitle clip to provide buttons over video. Select the color mapping set (1, 2, or 3) to configure. All new buttons use set 1. See Color Mapping Sets for more information. Note: These sets apply only to the selected and activated button states. The normal state color mapping setting applies to the entire overlay graphic unless a button’s active area is selected or activated. • Key: Displays the overlay file’s colors as selected with the Mapping Type. The names to the left of the key colors (Text, Outline 1, Outline 2, and Background) show which settings apply to subtitle text entered in DVD Studio Pro. • Color: Select the color for each of the four overlay colors from the current Color Palette. If this subtitle is configured to provide buttons over video, you must do this for all three button states. • Opacity: Set the transparency for each of the highlight colors. You can use the slider or enter a value from 0 (completely transparent) to 15 (completely opaque). Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 453 • Apply to Stream: Click to apply the color and opacity settings to all subtitle clips in this stream. • Save As Default: Click to save this color mapping configuration as the default to be used on all new subtitles you create. Note: This is not the same palette used by the Menu Editor. • Restore Default: Click to replace the existing settings with those of the default subtitle color mapping configuration. • Edit Palette: Click to display the Color Palette dialog, which you can use to change colors within the palette. See Color Mapping Palette for more information. What Happens with Different Aspect Ratios? There are special considerations when you add subtitles to a track with its display set to one of the 16:9 options, especially if you have subtitles configured to provide buttons over video. Normal Text Subtitles and 16:9 The text on the subtitles you create in DVD Studio Pro on 16:9 tracks will appear horizontally stretched when viewed on a 16:9 monitor. You can counteract this effect by choosing a narrow font. When a 16:9 track’s subtitle plays on a 4:3 monitor using either the letterbox or pan-scan method, the text will appear at its natural, nonstretched width. Additionally, the text is complete, even when you use the pan-scan mode. Normal Overlay Graphic Subtitles and 16:9 Overlay graphics that you use for subtitles on 16:9 tracks must be anamorphic (horizontally compressed) to display properly when viewed on a 16:9 monitor. If you use nonanamorphic graphics for the subtitles, they will appear horizontally stretched when viewed on a 16:9 monitor. When a 16:9 track with a graphic subtitle plays on a 4:3 monitor, the entire graphic appears, whether you use the letterbox or pan-scan mode. If you used an anamorphic graphic for the subtitle, it will appear horizontally squeezed when viewed on a 4:3 monitor. Buttons over Video Using Text Buttons and 16:9 If you create subtitle buttons by typing text and using the text as the buttons on a 16:9 track, the highlights will work as expected when played on a 16:9 monitor. How the track plays on a 4:3 monitor depends on whether you are using the letterbox or pan-scan mode. • If you play the 16:9 track on a 4:3 letterbox monitor: The highlights will not match the text, because the highlight areas have been scaled along with the video. • If you play the 16:9 track on a 4:3 pan-scan monitor: The highlights will match the text. 454 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles Based on this behavior, it is recommended that text buttons not be used when creating buttons over video on a 16:9 track that is set to play in the letterbox mode on a 4:3 monitor. Buttons over Video Using Overlay Graphic Buttons and 16:9 If you create subtitle buttons by importing an overlay graphic and configuring it for a 16:9 track, the highlights will work as expected when played on a 16:9 monitor. The highlights will not match the overlay graphic when played on a 4:3 monitor, either letterbox or pan-scan. • If you play the 16:9 track on a 4:3 letterbox monitor: The highlights will be expecting the overlay graphic to be compressed vertically about its center by 25 percent (matching what happens to the track’s video). • If you play the 16:9 track on a 4:3 pan-scan monitor: The highlights will be expecting the overlay graphic to have had 12.5 percent of its width removed from both the left and right edges (resulting in a total of 25 percent of the width being removed, matching what happens to the track’s video). In both cases, you can create overlay graphics that compensate for these issues, but not one that will work for both 16:9 and 4:3 playback. One solution is to create two sets of graphics—one for 16:9 monitors and the other for 4:3 monitors, either letterbox or pan-scan. If you place the graphics on separate subtitle streams at the same timecode, you can use a script to determine how the DVD player is configured and enable the appropriate stream. See Creating Buttons over Video for more information about using buttons over video. Viewing Subtitles To see how your subtitles look over moving video, including the fade in and fade out settings, you must preview or simulate the track. • Previewing: Previewing subtitles plays the selected subtitle stream over the video track in the Viewer tab. You are able to switch subtitle streams during playback. However, they switch immediately—not as they would switch with a DVD player. You cannot try out any buttons over video you may have added. • Simulating: Simulating subtitles plays the track in the Simulator. You are able to properly switch subtitle streams during playback and can verify any buttons over video you have configured. Previewing Subtitles Before you can preview a subtitle, you need to enable its stream; you can then start playing the track. Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 455 To preview a subtitle 1 Select the video, audio, and subtitle streams you want to preview, using the button at the far left of each stream. Click to select one video, audio, and subtitle stream to preview. See Setting Stream Properties for more information on stream settings. 2 Play the track by clicking the Play button in the Viewer tab. The track plays from the playhead’s current position. Because the playhead automatically jumps to each subtitle clip as you edit them, you need to move it back to the track’s beginning if you want to begin playing from there. Alternatively, you can move the playhead to any position on the timeline to start playback at that point. See Playhead for information on using the playhead. See Viewing a Track for more information on playing tracks. Simulating Subtitles DVD Studio Pro provides two ways to start the Simulator: at the First Play connection using Simulator in the toolbar, and at the current track using a shortcut menu in the Outline and Graphical tabs. Because you may have not yet configured your project so that you can easily navigate to this track from the First Play setting, it is often more convenient to start the Simulator playing at the current track. To start the Simulator at a specific track Do one of the following: μ Select the track, then choose File > Simulate Track, or press Command-Option-0 (zero). μ Control-click the track in the Outline or Graphical tab, then choose Simulate Track from the shortcut menu. μ Control-click a stream in the Track Editor, then choose Simulate from Track from the shortcut menu. 456 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles Creating Subtitles with DVD Studio Pro Before you create a subtitle, you must have first created and selected the track where the subtitle will go. Because the contents of the track’s video and audio streams typically determine the subtitle placement, you should not start adding subtitles until these streams are set. Creating a Subtitle Clip There are several methods you can use to create a new subtitle clip. Note: Remember that you have to create the subtitle in a subtitle stream (one of the streams labeled S1 to S32), and not in the V1 stream. To create a new subtitle clip Do one of the following: μ Double-click in the subtitle stream at the approximate time position where the subtitle clip should appear. μ Position the track’s playhead where the subtitle clip should appear, then choose Project > Timeline > Add Subtitle at Playhead. μ Position the track’s playhead where the subtitle clip should appear, Control-click in the subtitle stream, then choose Add Subtitle at Playhead from the shortcut menu. μ Position the track’s playhead where the subtitle clip should appear, then press Shift-Tilde (~). μ Control-click in the subtitle stream at the approximate time position where the subtitle clip should appear, then choose Add Subtitle from the shortcut menu. Double-click in a subtitle stream to create a new subtitle. Control-click in a subtitle stream to open this shortcut menu. All methods create an empty subtitle, with the duration and colors set in the General and Colors panes in DVD Studio Pro Preferences. Click the Viewer tab to see the video frame that corresponds to the start of the subtitle. Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 457 Positioning and Trimming a Subtitle Within a Stream You can use your mouse or the settings in the General tab in the Subtitle Inspector to adjust the position and duration of the subtitle. To position and trim a subtitle 1 Change the subtitle’s position on the timeline by doing one of the following: • Drag it to a new position. • Enter a new start time in the General tab in the Subtitle Inspector. 2 Change the subtitle’s duration by doing one of the following: • Drag one of its edges to a new position. You may need to change the timeline’s zoom level to make it easier to see any changes you make, especially if the subtitle clip appears very small. The pointer changes to indicate when you are over an edge and can start dragging it. • Enter a new duration in the General tab in the Subtitle Inspector. • Enter a new stop time in the General tab in the Subtitle Inspector. Note: Subtitles cannot cross chapter markers. When you build your project, any subtitle clips that reach a chapter marker are clipped at that point. Selecting Subtitle Clips Once you have multiple subtitle clips in a stream, you can use a variety of methods to select one. To select a subtitle clip in a subtitle stream Do one of the following: μ Choose Project > Subtitle > Next or Project > Subtitle > Previous. μ Click a subtitle clip in the subtitle stream. μ Click the left and right arrows in the Viewer tab. μ Press the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to move the playhead through the timeline, stopping at each clip edge and marker. Entering Subtitle Text If you have experience using graphics applications, most aspects of entering subtitle text will be familiar to you. You can type directly in the Viewer tab or in the Text area in the Subtitle Inspector. To enter subtitle text 1 Do one of the following: • If the blinking insertion point is showing in the Subtitle Editor, you can start typing the text. The insertion point automatically appears at the default position in the Subtitle Editor. 458 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles • Click in the Text area in the Subtitle Inspector. 2 Type the text. Press Return to start a new line. Note: When typing text in the Subtitle Editor, press Enter to exit the text entry mode. You cannot create more than one text entry per subtitle. For example, you cannot enter a sentence, position it in the upper-left corner, and enter a second sentence and position it in the lower-right corner. If you need this functionality, create a graphics file that contains the text as required, and import it into a subtitle. See Importing Graphics Files for Subtitles for more information. See Setting the Subtitle Font if the font is not the right size or style. See Setting the Subtitle Color if you see the insertion point move, but no text appears in the Viewer tab, or you want the text to be a different color. You can edit the text by clicking to place the insertion point or selecting existing text and typing new text. You can also drag the text in the Subtitle Editor to a new position. Copying Text Between Subtitles You can copy text from one subtitle or other text source to a subtitle. Depending on where you paste the text, you can even maintain the font and size of the copied text: • To use the font and size information in addition to the text: Paste at the insertion point in the Viewer tab. The text’s color and justification are not copied. • To use only the text: Paste in the Subtitle Inspector’s text entry area. The text uses the subtitle’s font and size settings. To copy text to a subtitle 1 Select the text to be copied. This text can be from almost any text source, including other subtitles or TextEdit files. 2 Choose Edit > Copy (or press Command-C). This copies the text to the Clipboard. The selected text is not affected. 3 Select the subtitle to copy the text to, then do one of the following: • To add it as new text: Click the insertion point. • To replace existing text: Highlight the text to be replaced. • To add it to existing text: Place the insertion point where the copied text should go. Use the Viewer tab to retain the font and size settings of the copied text, or use the Subtitle Inspector’s text entry area to use the subtitle’s font and size settings. 4 To paste the text, choose Edit > Paste (or press Command-V). Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 459 Entering Subtitles in Multiple Languages One of the great things about subtitles is that you can have a completely different stream for each language. In the Viewer tab, you can type the subtitles on that stream in any language that your system is configured to handle. When you build the project, the text subtitles are converted to bitmap images. The system on which you build the project (if it is different from the one used to enter the subtitles) must have the proper fonts installed to create the bitmaps. However, once the project is built, the fonts are not required to view the title using DVD players. You can copy each subtitle clip to a new stream, preserving any attributes, such as fading, fonts, and duration, you have already set. To copy a subtitle clip from one stream to another stream Do one of the following: μ Option-drag the existing subtitle clip to the new stream. You can place the clip freely within the stream. μ Shift-Option-drag the existing subtitle clip to the new stream. The subtitle clip is forced to the same timeline position as the original. Formatting Subtitle Text You can format your subtitle text in a variety of ways. You get to choose: • The font family and specific typeface attributes (bold, oblique, and so on) • The font size • The colors, including transparency and outlines You can also mix multiple fonts and sizes within the subtitle, although they must all use the same colors. Note: You cannot set the color of subtitle text as you do a text object in the Menu Editor. You must choose colors from the Color Palette. See Setting the Subtitle Color for more information. Setting the Subtitle Font You can set the font attributes either before or after you type subtitle text. To set the font attributes 1 To open the Fonts window, do one of the following: • Choose Format > Font > Show Fonts (or press Command-T). • Click Show Fonts in the toolbar. 460 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles The Mac OS X Fonts window opens. 2 If you’re making changes to existing text, select the text in the Subtitle Editor by dragging across it. 3 In the Fonts window, select the font family and the typeface style to use. The list of available fonts and styles is based on fonts currently installed on your system. 4 Either select a size in the Size column (use the slider to scroll through the list) or select the existing size and enter the new value, then press the Return key. Note: If you open a DVD Studio Pro project that uses a font that is not on the computer you are opening it on (either because the font was deleted or the project was created on a different computer), any items using the missing font have a different font substituted with no warning. To help make the font list manageable, you can assign fonts to collections, creating groupings of similar fonts. This makes it easy to get to a specific font type, such as script or serif. For more information, see Mac OS X Help. Setting the Subtitle Color You can set the colors that subtitles are displayed in. As you type text into a subtitle, you are actually creating an overlay graphic, exactly the same as an overlay graphic you might create with a graphics application. As with an advanced overlay, a subtitle contains four colors that you map to the actual colors that are displayed in the finished title. Each color also has a transparency setting. For subtitles, however, the function of each of the four colors is fixed: Color 1 is the text, color 2 is the first text outline, color 3 is the second text outline, and color 4 is the text background. You usually set the opacity of color 4 (the text background) to 0—other opacity settings apply color 4 over the entire picture (except where the text is). Color 2 (text outline 1) and color 3 (text outline 2) let you apply a text border to help improve the contrast with the video underneath the subtitle. For example, you could set the text to be white and the outlines to be black, making it easy to read the text over light or dark video content. Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 461 You choose the colors that appear for each of the four overlays/text functions from a 16-color palette, exactly as you do with the standard menu creation method. You can define the colors in the palette either in the Colors pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences or by clicking Edit Palette in the Colors tab in the Subtitle Inspector. Note: The subtitle Color Palette is independent of the menu Color Palette. Changes you make in one do not affect the other. To set the text colors 1 For each of the four overlays/text functions, choose a new color from the Color pop-up menu. See Color Mapping Palette for details on setting the color palette. 2 Adjust the opacity (0 is completely transparent; 15 is completely opaque) for each color you set. Note: The Mapping Type setting only applies to imported graphics, and does not affect subtitle text. Positioning Subtitle Text over the Video Once you have typed your text and set its font attributes, you can set its final position. There are several tools you can use to set the text’s position: • You can set the default position for subtitles in the Text pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences. Any new subtitles you type will be placed according to your settings. • You can drag the text to a new position. • You can use the buttons in the General tab in the Subtitle Inspector to automatically position the text horizontally and vertically. You can also fine-tune the placement by entering an offset for each direction, which moves the text the distance you specify from the position selected with the Horizontal and Vertical buttons. The Text pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences and the General tab in the Subtitle Inspector use similar settings for positioning the text. In both cases, you use horizontal and vertical alignment settings to get it close, and then use the offset settings to position it exactly. To position subtitle text without dragging 1 Select the horizontal alignment (left, center, or right). 2 Enter an offset value, in pixels, to adjust the position selected with the alignment setting. Positive numbers move the text to the right. Negative numbers move the text to the left. A value of 0 positions the text at its default position for the selected alignment. 3 Select the vertical alignment (top, center, or bottom). 4 Enter an offset value, in pixels, to adjust the position selected with the alignment setting. Positive numbers move the text down. Negative numbers move the text up. A value of 0 positions the text at its default position for the selected alignment. 462 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles Note: It’s easy to enter an offset value that makes the text disappear completely. If you cannot see the text, enter 0 for the horizontal and vertical offsets. Importing Graphics Files for Subtitles You can use graphics files, configured as overlays, to create individual subtitles. These graphics can be drawings or text created using a graphics application. See Creating Overlays for information on creating overlay graphics. You must also use the correct frame size when creating your graphics. See Understanding Pixel Differences in Graphics and Video for information on square pixels and a list of frame sizes to use when creating the graphics. You can also use graphics in conjunction with typed text. Because the same color mapping settings are used for both the text and graphics, you need to create the graphics with the mapping setting for the four overlay colors in mind. Importing a Graphics File There are two approaches you can take to import a graphics file into a subtitle stream: • Add a subtitle to a stream and import the graphic through the Subtitle Inspector. • Drag a suitable graphics file directly to a subtitle stream. In both cases, the graphic uses the normal color settings in the Colors tab in the Subtitle Inspector. To import a subtitle graphic using the Subtitle Inspector 1 Create a subtitle or select a previously created text subtitle. See Creating a Subtitle Clip. 2 Click Choose in the General tab in the Subtitle Inspector. 3 In the dialog that appears, select the graphics file to use, then click Open. The graphic appears in the Viewer tab, using the current settings in the Colors tab. To import a subtitle graphic by dragging 1 Locate the graphics file in the Assets tab, the Palette, or a Finder window. 2 Drag the graphics file to the subtitle stream at the approximate position where it should start. A new subtitle is created with the duration and color mapping set in the Colors pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences. Using Graphics Files to Create an Animation While subtitles are most often used to present text, the ability to import graphics files into subtitle streams makes it possible to use them for other purposes. For example, the video stream might show a mountain while the subtitle shows the route taken to climb it with a line that gradually grows from the start of the trail to the mountain top. Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 463 While you cannot import any kind of a motion asset into a subtitle stream, you can manually create an animation by adding a number of very short (one- or two-frame) subtitles, each with a different graphic that shows the line at a different stage. Typical text subtitles have little impact on the playback bit rate—on average they run at around 10 kbps. When you use subtitles to create an animation, the impact on the playback bit rate becomes substantial, and may force you to lower the bit rate of the video stream. The DVD specification limits a subtitle stream’s bit rate to 3.36 Mbps (about the same as some MPEG-2 video). The easiest way to create a subtitle animation is to create an STL subtitle file and import it. You can specify the exact duration and position of each graphic, as well as configure the color mapping settings. See Creating an STL Format Subtitle File for more information. Creating and Importing Subtitle Files Often you may want to create your subtitles outside of DVD Studio Pro. There can be several reasons for this: • To use a facility that specializes in creating subtitles and closed captions: This can be especially important if you are including subtitles in multiple languages. • To free up your DVD Studio Pro system: Typing a lot of subtitles takes a significant amount of time, especially if you are using multiple languages. This is often a task that can be started well before you start authoring the project. • To be able to spell-check the text: Creating the subtitle text with a text-editing program gives you the ability to take advantage of its spell-checking capabilities. There are two approaches used to create subtitle files for import into DVD Studio Pro: Use a single file with the text embedded in it or use a group of graphics files, one for each subtitle, with a master file that controls which files appear at which time. In both cases, the subtitle files can be opened with a text-editing program such as TextEdit. This makes it easy to verify the file’s settings and make any necessary modifications. Be sure to save the file in a plain text format if you do make any changes. Using a Single Subtitle File When you use the single file subtitle method, you specify a timecode for each subtitle’s start and end, as well as the actual subtitle text. You can also embed commands that affect how the text appears on the screen, such as the font, position, color mapping settings, and fade in and fade out settings. There are two disadvantages of the single file subtitle method: • It requires your authoring system to have the correct fonts installed. This can be an important issue when working with foreign languages that require special characters. 464 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles • The subtitle can only include text characters. However, you can manually import graphics files to use in addition to the imported subtitle file. Using a Group of Graphics Files When you use a group of graphics files for the subtitles, each file provides the graphic for one subtitle. A master file provides a list of timecode values for the start and end of each subtitle, along with the name of the graphics file to use for each subtitle. An advantage of this subtitle method is that the graphics files do not need to actually contain text. This method is useful if you want to include graphics elements along with the text, such as a logo. This also means that the DVD Studio Pro system is not required to have the same fonts you used to create the subtitle graphics. A disadvantage of this method is that you have to manage a folder with a lot of large graphics files, as compared to the single file method with its single small file. The graphics files follow the same guidelines as overlay files. See Creating Overlays for more information. Importing a Subtitle File Before you import a subtitle file, you will usually have the video asset it relates to in place in the V1 stream. It is also a good idea to have the subtitle preferences configured before importing a subtitle file. Unless the subtitle file specifically overrides them, these preference settings will apply to all subtitles that are imported. To import a subtitle file Do one of the following: μ Control-click in the subtitle stream to import the subtitles into, then choose Import Subtitle File from the shortcut menu. μ Select an existing subtitle clip in the stream, then click Import Subtitles in the Subtitle Inspector. Important: Importing a subtitle file deletes any subtitle clips in that stream that might already be present. In both cases, a file selection dialog appears for you to choose the file to import. After you choose the file, a dialog appears stating how many subtitles were imported, and the subtitle stream shows clips for each subtitle. If a Subtitle Import Does Not Work There are several common reasons why you might have problems when importing a subtitle file. Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 465 Wrong Timecode The most common problem is that the timecode in the subtitle file does not correspond to the asset timecode of the video stream. In some cases, this is due to the original tape’s timecode not being entered prior to the video being MPEG-encoded. To see the timeline’s asset timecode, Control-click in the timeline, then choose Asset-Based Timecode from the shortcut menu. You can force an STL format subtitle file to import based on zero-based timecode (which sets the first frame as 00:00:00:00 regardless of the asset’s timecode) by setting the $TapeOffset command to False (it is True by default). See Timeline Command for more information. You can also try importing the subtitle file into a track that has no video assets. This also forces the subtitle clips to import based on zero-based timecode. Font Not Available If you are using the single subtitle file method and specify a font to use, a dialog appears if the font is not found on the system, and DVD Studio Pro uses the default subtitle font (as configured in the Text pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences) as a substitute. Note: The font must be installed as a Mac OS X font—Mac OS 9 fonts are not used. Unable to Find the Graphics Files In most cases, the master subtitle file and the graphics files it uses must be in the same folder. In some cases, however, the master file may be configured to use a separate folder for the graphics files. In this case, the path supplied by the master file must match the actual location where the graphics files are. How Subtitles Are Positioned When you import subtitles, they are positioned in the subtitle stream based on the start and end timecode values in the subtitle file and the video stream’s asset timecode. This means that the timecode values in the subtitle file must be relative to the asset timecode of the video stream’s clip, not to the timeline’s zero-based timecode. An exception is when you use an STL format subtitle file, which can choose to use the timeline’s zero-based timecode. See Timeline Command for information on positioning subtitles when using an STL format file. See Understanding Time Information in the Track Editor for more information on asset-based versus zero-based timecode. Editing Imported Subtitles Once you have imported a subtitle file, you can work with the individual subtitle clips as if you had manually created them. You can reposition them and change their color mapping and any other subtitle attribute. If you imported the subtitles as text from a single subtitle file, you can edit the text. If you imported a group of graphics files as your subtitles, you cannot edit the actual text. 466 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles You can also modify all of the subtitles in a stream by using the Apply to Stream controls. See Applying Subtitle Settings to the Stream for more information. Creating an STL Format Subtitle File An easy and flexible way to create subtitle files is to use the STL format developed by Spruce Technologies. The STL format allows you to configure most subtitle settings, and change the settings on a subtitle by subtitle basis. It supports both the single file method and the graphics file method, and even allows you to use both methods in the same file. STL format files can be saved as either plain text files or as RTF files (as created with TextEdit). You must use RTF files if your text contains Unicode characters. Basic STL Format There are three parts to an STL format subtitle file: commands, comments, and entries. • Commands: These are preceded by the dollar sign ($). It is these commands that allow you to configure the various aspects of the subtitles, such as their font and position. See STL Commands for more information. • Comments: These are preceded by a double slash (//). These allow you to add text comments throughout the subtitle file without affecting its import. • Entries: These include the start and end timecode values and the text or graphics file for that subtitle clip. Following is an example of a simple STL subtitle file. $FontName = Arial $FontSize = 65 //The following subtitles are for scene one. 00:00:12:04 , 00:00:14:12 , Lemurs are the bullies of the wild. 00:00:16:14 , 00:00:19:08 , Here we see them bring down a moose. Commands, which are always preceded by a dollar sign, use the equal sign (=) to separate the command name from its value. The entries use commas to separate their fields. In both cases, you can add tab characters to align the fields and make the file easier to read. Note: If you add spaces between the comma and the text entry, they are considered part of the text and appear in the subtitle. You can use the tab character to provide space between the comma and the text entry without affecting the text. You can add a command multiple times within a file to change a setting for specific subtitles. $FontName = Arial Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 467 $FontSize = 65 00:00:12:04 , 00:00:14:12 , Lemurs are the bullies of the wild. $FontSize = 50 00:00:16:14 , 00:00:19:08 , Here we see them bring down a moose. In this case, both subtitles will use the same font, with the first one at a size of 65 and the second one at 50. STL Commands Following is a list of the commands supported by the STL format. Note: These commands override the settings in DVD Studio Pro Preferences, which provide the default settings for all settings that have not been overridden. Font Commands The font commands set all commonly used font properties. • $FontName: Sets the name of the font the subtitles use. Use the family name as it appears in the Fonts window, which can be opened by clicking Show Fonts in the toolbar or choosing Format > Fonts > Show Fonts. • $FontSize: Sets the size of the font. • $Bold: Selects the bold version of the font (if available). Enter True to select the bold version and False to disable it. • $Italic: Selects the italic version of the font (if available). Enter True to select the italic version and False to disable it. • $Underlined: Adds an underline to the subtitle text. Enter True to turn on the underline and False to turn it off. Color Commands The color commands choose the colors from the default subtitle Color Palette to apply to the subtitle. The values range from 0 to 15. You can assign the colors to the default Color Palette in DVD Studio Pro Preferences. • $ColorIndex1: Chooses the text color. • $ColorIndex2: Chooses the text’s outline 1 color. • $ColorIndex3: Chooses the text’s outline 2 color. • $ColorIndex4: Chooses the background color. Contrast Commands The contrast commands set the opacity of the colors assigned to the subtitle. The values range from 0 (transparent) to 15 (opaque). • $TextContrast: Sets the opacity of the text color. 468 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles • $Outline1Contrast: Sets the opacity of the text’s outline 1 color. • $Outline2Contrast: Sets the opacity of the text’s outline 2 color. • $BackgroundContrast: Sets the opacity of the background color. This is usually set to 0, unless you are using a graphic that does not use white as the background color. Position Commands These commands control the subtitle’s position. • $HorzAlign: Sets the subtitle’s horizontal alignment. You can enter left, center, or right. • $VertAlign: Sets the subtitle’s vertical alignment. You can enter top, center, or bottom. • $XOffset: Allows you to modify the subtitle’s horizontal position from where the horizontal alignment placed it. The values you enter are in pixels, with positive values moving the subtitle to the right and negative values moving it to the left. • $YOffset: Allows you to modify the subtitle’s vertical position from where the vertical alignment placed it. The values you enter are in pixels, with positive values moving the subtitle up and negative values moving it down. Display Commands These commands control how a subtitle displays. • $ForceDisplay: Forces the subtitle to display regardless of whether subtitles are turned on by the DVD player. You can enter True (subtitles are forced to display) or False (subtitle display is controlled by the DVD player). • $FadeIn: Sets the fade time used to gradually dissolve the subtitles on. Enter a value in frames. • $FadeOut: Sets the fade time used to gradually dissolve the subtitles off. Enter a value in frames. Graphics File Command Use this command if this subtitle file uses graphics files in addition to, or in place of, text entries. • $SetFilePathToken: Sets a token that you use on any subtitle entries that contain a graphics filename instead of subtitle text. The entry must be such that it never appears in normal text or filenames. The normal convention is to surround the text with dual angle brackets, making it easier to locate within an STL file. For example, you could use _Graphic_. See Referencing Graphics Files in STL Subtitle Files for details. Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 469 Timeline Command By default, the timecode values in an STL file are in reference to the video stream’s zero-based time, which starts at 00:00:00:00. You can use this command to reference the file’s timecode values to the video stream’s asset-based timecode. • $TapeOffset: Controls how the timecode values in the STL file are referenced to the video stream. You can enter False to reference them to the stream’s zero-based timecode (which begins at 00:00:00:00), or True (the default setting) to reference them to the asset-based timecode. Note: When referenced to the asset-based timecode, the Track Inspector’s Track Offset setting is ignored—only the actual asset’s timecode is used. Controls Embedded in the Subtitle Text You can embed several controls in the text part of the entries. These controls can force a line break and turn on and off the bold and italic font versions. Line Breaks Subtitle text does not automatically wrap at the edges of the screen. To make it fit you must either reduce the font size or break it into multiple lines by inserting line breaks. To insert a line break, add the vertical pipe character (|) to the text. 00:00:12:04 , 00:00:14:12 , Lemurs are the bullies | of the wild. In the above example, the text will appear as two lines. Bold, Italic, and Underlined Characters You can embed controls that change the state of the bold and italic attributes within the text part of an entry. To change the state of the bold setting, insert an up arrow followed by the letter “B” (^B). 00:00:12:04 , 00:00:14:12 , Lemurs are ^Bbullies^B. In the above example, the bold status changes for the word “bullies” only. If the bold attribute had not already been activated, “bullies” would change to bold. If the bold attribute had already been activated, “bullies” would not be bold. To change the state of the italic setting, insert an up arrow followed by the letter “I” (^I). You can also use bold and italic together. 00:00:12:04 , 00:00:14:12 , Lemurs are ^B^Ibullies^B^I. In the above example, the word “bullies” has both the bold and italic attributes change. To add an underline to portions of the text, insert an up arrow followed by the letter “U” (^U). You can use the underline along with the bold and italic settings. 470 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles Referencing Graphics Files in STL Subtitle Files An STL subtitle file can contain a mix of text subtitle entries and references to graphics files. You must use the $SetFilePathToken command in the file before any lines that reference a graphics file. $SetFilePathToken = _Graphic_ 00:00:12:04 , 00:00:14:12 , _Graphic_RabidLemur.tif 00:00:16:14 , 00:00:19:08 , _Graphic_MooseLemur.tif Important: Do not add spaces between the token (_Graphic_ in this example) and the filename. The STL subtitle file and the graphics it references must be in the same folder. And, just like the other assets that you import into your project, the graphics files must not be moved, renamed, or deleted until after you build your project. Creating Buttons over Video Having buttons appear while a track plays can be a very useful navigational tool, providing the viewer with options that can significantly add to the DVD title’s value. For example, you can use buttons over video to allow the viewer to jump from the current track to a track containing related information, such as an interview of an actor, a news clip, or an explanation of how an effect was done. How Do Buttons over Video Work? DVD Studio Pro uses subtitles at specially configured markers to provide the buttons over video feature. You configure the buttons exactly as if you were configuring a standard menu using advanced overlays: You create each button’s active area, assign its connection, set the button navigation (if you use more than one button), and set up the color mapping for the highlights. Each subtitle containing buttons over video is tied to a marker. You must create a marker at the point where the subtitle should appear, and another where it should disappear. You can mix standard subtitles in the same stream as button over video subtitles. You can only view one subtitle stream at a time. Because the buttons over video feature uses a subtitle stream, you effectively disable the normal usage of subtitles on the title while the buttons over video stream is selected. (Although a subtitle clip can have both buttons and subtitle text, often the buttons need to appear longer than normal dialogue text.) In most cases, you would configure the title so that the viewer decides whether to enable buttons over video by selecting a button on a menu. When selected, the subtitle stream that contains the buttons is usually configured to be forced to display so that the viewer does not inadvertently turn it off. Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 471 Adding Button Highlight Markers To create a button over video subtitle, you add a marker at the point where the subtitle should appear, select its button highlight setting, and add a second marker where the subtitle should end. Once you do this, if you create a subtitle between these markers, its start snaps to the marker with the button highlight setting selected and its end snaps to the second marker, regardless of its type. Any marker can be configured as a button highlight marker. See Working with Markers for information on adding markers to a track. To configure a marker as a button highlight marker Do one of the following: μ Control-click the marker, then choose Button Highlight Marker from the shortcut menu. μ Select the marker in the Track Editor. In the Marker Inspector, select the Button Highlight type in the General tab. You can also select any of the other types available. Depending on the other types you select, at least a part of the marker will change to red. See Working with Markers for more information. The second marker, which ends the button over video subtitle, can be of any type. How a Button Highlight Marker Affects the Subtitle Stream If a subtitle already exists between the two markers that specify the start and end of a button over video subtitle, its duration changes to match the time between the two markers. This is true of all subtitle streams. If you have traditional subtitles on one or more of the other subtitle streams, adding button highlight markers will also affect them. For this reason, you must use care when deciding when and how long to have the buttons over video subtitle appear, so as not to affect existing subtitles. You can have several subtitle streams in the same track configured for buttons over video. For example, you may be using text for the buttons and want to have different streams for each language. It’s important to keep in mind that all button active areas, connections, navigation settings, and color mapping settings are applied to all subtitle streams. The only element that can be different between the streams is the text or overlay you use. Adding a Button over Video Subtitle Clip Once you have configured the button highlight marker and the ending marker, you can add the button over video subtitle. To add a button over video subtitle clip μ Double-click in the subtitle stream between the button highlight marker and the ending marker. 472 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles A new subtitle clip appears, with its duration matching the time between the two markers. See the next section, Configuring a Button over Video Subtitle Clip, for information on configuring the subtitle clip to provide buttons over video. Configuring a Button over Video Subtitle Clip To configure a button over video subtitle clip, you first add the text or import the graphic to use for the button or buttons, and then configure the buttons much as you would when creating a menu. Using an Overlay Graphic The first step to creating a button over video subtitle using an overlay graphic is to import the overlay graphic into the subtitle. To import an overlay graphic for a button over video 1 Select the subtitle clip that you previously created to configure for buttons over video. 2 Click Choose in the General tab in the Subtitle Inspector. 3 In the dialog that appears, select the graphics file to use, then click Choose. The graphic appears in the Viewer tab, using the current settings in the Colors tab. Using Text Buttons The first step to creating a button over video subtitle using subtitle text is to enter the text in the subtitle. You need to set its font and position before proceeding with creating buttons from it. See Formatting Subtitle Text and Positioning Subtitle Text over the Video for more information. Creating the Buttons for Button over Video Subtitles Once you have imported the overlay graphic or entered the button text, you can create the buttons. To create the buttons, you create active area rectangles by dragging over each button’s area. See Adding Overlay-Based Buttons for details on this process. The number of buttons you can have depends on the track’s aspect ratio setting, set with the Display Mode pop-up menu in the General tab in the Track Inspector. See Choosing an Aspect Ratio for more information on these modes. Also see What Happens with Different Aspect Ratios? for issues that occur when creating buttons over video on a 16:9 track. SD Projects • 4:3: You can have up to 36 buttons. • 16:9 Pan Scan: You can have up to 18 buttons. • 16:9 Letterbox: You can have up to 18 buttons. Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 473 • 16:9 Pan Scan & Letterbox: You can have up to 12 buttons. HD Projects • 4:3: You can have up to 48 buttons. • 16:9 Pan Scan: You can have up to 24 buttons. • 16:9 Letterbox: You can have up to 24 buttons. • 16:9 Pan Scan & Letterbox: You can have up to 16 buttons. Configuring the Buttons for Button over Video Subtitles Once you have created the buttons, you need to configure them. There are three areas to configure: • Button navigation: Sets how a viewer jumps from one button to the next using the remote control’s arrow buttons. • Button targets: Sets the connection for each button (what is jumped to when the button is activated). • Color mapping: Sets the colors that appear for the normal, selected, and activated button states. Button Navigation Configuring button navigation with buttons over video is exactly the same as configuring the navigation in menus. By default, the navigation is assigned continuously, with DVD Studio Pro automatically setting the arrow button actions for each button. You can disable this function and set the navigation manually if you prefer. See Configuring Button Navigation for details on the methods you can use. Button Targets Configuring the targets for each button with buttons over video is almost exactly the same as configuring the button targets in menus. You have the option of setting them in the Connections tab (the buttons appear as marker items), in the Subtitle Inspector, or by using a shortcut menu in the Subtitle Editor. The difference is that a button within a track cannot select a specific stream in a different track. For this reason, the stream settings for buttons in subtitles are inactive if the target is set to anything other than “not set.” If you need a button within a track to select a specific stream in another track, you can set the target to run a script that’s configured to jump to the desired stream. See Setting a Button’s Connection for details on each method. Color Mapping Configuring the color mapping for the buttons with buttons over video is similar to configuring the color mapping for an advanced overlay with a menu. 474 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles The biggest difference is that you don’t have the option of using a simple overlay. You can accomplish a similar effect by setting the color and opacity settings for the three nonwhite overlay colors to the same values, and setting the white overlay opacity to 0, making it completely transparent. Another difference is that the overlay colors have pre-assigned functions if you are typing subtitle text. See Setting the Subtitle Color for more information. See Using Advanced Overlay Color Mapping and Colors Tab in the Menu Inspector with Advanced Selected for more information. Copying Buttons in a Subtitle Clip You are able to copy buttons within a subtitle clip or to a different subtitle clip. The buttons retain all of their settings, including their target setting. You are not allowed to copy buttons to a subtitle clip if it causes that clip to exceed the maximum number of buttons allowed. See Creating the Buttons for Button over Video Subtitles for details on the maximum number of buttons allowed. Copying Buttons by Dragging You can copy one or more buttons within a subtitle clip by selecting them, then dragging them to a new location. To copy one or more buttons within a subtitle clip by dragging 1 Select the buttons to be copied. 2 Press the Option key, then drag the buttons to their new position. If multiple buttons are selected, they all move as a group, maintaining their relationships to each other. Using Copy, Cut, and Paste You can use the Copy and Paste commands to copy buttons within a subtitle clip and between subtitle clips. You can even copy buttons from a menu to a subtitle clip. However, any shapes, button styles, button text, and button assets that the menu’s button might have are not copied to the subtitle. Important: If you copy a button to a subtitle clip that is not configured for buttons over video, DVD Studio Pro automatically converts the subtitle clip to support buttons by adding a button highlight marker (named “Button Marker _,” where “_” is the button marker number on that track) to the timeline at the clip’s beginning, and a cell marker (named “Marker _,” where “_” is the cell marker number on that track) at its end. To copy one or more buttons using copy and paste 1 Select the buttons to be copied. 2 Choose Edit > Copy (or press Command-C). Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles 475 This copies the selected buttons to the Clipboard. The selected buttons are not affected. 3 Select the subtitle clip to which you want the copied buttons to be pasted. 4 If the insertion point is active in the Viewer tab, click an empty area to deactivate it. 5 Choose Edit > Paste (or press Command-V). If there are no buttons selected in the subtitle clip before you paste the copied buttons, the copied buttons are placed in the same locations as the originals. If a button is selected in the subtitle clip before you paste the copied items, the copied buttons are positioned relative to the selected button with a small offset. You can use the Paste command multiple times after using the Copy command. This makes it easy to add a button to multiple subtitle clips. To move one or more buttons using cut and paste 1 Select the buttons to be moved. 2 Choose Edit > Cut (or press Command-X). This copies the buttons to the Clipboard and removes the buttons from the current subtitle clip. 3 Select the subtitle clip to which you want the cut buttons to be pasted. 4 If the insertion point is active in the Viewer tab, click an empty area to deactivate it. 5 Choose Edit > Paste (or press Command-V). This is most useful when you are moving buttons from one subtitle clip to another. 476 Chapter 19 Creating Subtitles You can add sophisticated interactivity and control to a project with only a few simple scripts. This chapter covers the following: • Introduction to Scripts (p. 477) • Pre-Scripts (p. 478) • Scripting Overview (p. 479) • The Scripting User Interface (p. 480) • About the Script Tab (p. 481) • About the Script Inspector (p. 484) • About the Script Command Inspector (p. 485) • Creating and Testing Scripts (p. 486) • Script Command Details (p. 489) • System Parameter Register Memories List (p. 499) • System Parameter Register Memories Details (p. 500) • Using Bit-Wise Operations (p. 511) • General Purpose Register Memories (p. 512) • Scripting Examples (p. 517) • Language Code Table (p. 525) Introduction to Scripts The DVD-Video specification includes a simple yet powerful scripting language. This scripting language provides for extensive interactivity between the viewer and the DVD player. DVD Studio Pro gives you full access to these scripting capabilities. Scripts in DVD Studio Pro are created as separate elements within a project, so they can be assigned easily to any element that supports a script. Scripts can be assigned to buttons or attached to the start or end of any track, story, menu, or marker. 477 Creating Scripts 20 With scripts you can: • Have the title automatically customize itself to best match the DVD player’s configuration in areas such as language selection, audio formats, and parental management • Add specialized features, such as a random play after a menu times out • Add subtle features, such as having a menu highlight the next button when returning to the menu after activating a previous button Those are just a few examples of the ways you can customize your DVD project and create a better viewer experience. Pre-Scripts Tracks, stories, slideshows, and menus have pre-script settings. A pre-script is a normal script that is run before the element plays or displays. It can be used to do things such as decide whether to play the element or to configure the DVD player before it is played. For example, you may have a pre-script assigned to a track that checks the DVD player’s parental management setting to decide whether this track or a different one should play. Pre-scripts only run if you jump to the root of the element (its name shown in square brackets, or, in the Connections tab, the element’s name) they are assigned to. Choose [Track] to have a pre-script assigned to this track run when it is jumped to. Connect to the element’s name to have the pre-script run. 478 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts For example, when you assign a connection to a menu, you can choose to jump to a specific button or to the menu root with no button specified (using the [Menu] selection). A pre-script assigned to a menu only runs if the element that jumped to it had [Menu] selected. If the jump selected a specific button on the menu, the pre-script is skipped. Similarly, a pre-script on a track or story does not run if you jump directly to a marker. With slideshows, the pre-script does not run if you jump directly to a slide. In all cases, if you want the pre-script to run, you must jump to the root of the element, indicated by the square brackets. If an element is also configured with a display condition, the pre-script runs first, and then the display condition. Note: Unlike pre-scripts, display conditions run when any part of an element is connected to. Scripting Overview Scripts you add to your project contain commands that allow you to access the functionality available in all DVD players. Each script can contain up to 124 commands. Every DVD player contains a micro-controller that can execute a set of commands defined by the DVD-Video specification. The commands defined in the DVD-Video specification are at the level of microprocessor machine code, with very simple commands used to initiate desired functions. You may find that some of the concepts and terms are a challenge. Therefore, when learning scripting, proceed with initial deliberateness and caution—it is very easy to author titles with scripts that just don’t work. You should also use the Simulator and test builds of your project using the Apple DVD Player to verify that your title plays back exactly as intended. About DVD Player Registers Each DVD player has two types of memory registers: General Purpose Register Memories (GPRMs, also known as variables) and System Parameter Register Memories (SPRMs). Scripts interact with these registers to determine DVD player settings (such as language and parental control) and to control various aspects of disc playback. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 479 Scripts use GPRMs as temporary storage, or “scratch pads,” while executing their commands. DVD Studio Pro provides access to eight 16-bit GPRM registers, designated GPRM 0 through GPRM 7 (though they can be renamed). DVD Studio Pro includes the ability to partition seven of these registers into multiple smaller registers. For example, you can partition GPRM3 into four 4-bit registers. Each register is independent of the others, and all are cleared whenever a disc is inserted into the DVD player. The registers can be used as storage locations or as countdown timers. In contrast, SPRMs have rigidly defined functions. There are 24 of them, designated SPRM 0 through SPRM 23. See System Parameter Register Memories Details for a detailed listing of their functions. Scripts spend a lot of time copying values from an SPRM to a GPRM, extracting information from the values (for example, determining the language setting), and then acting on that information (selecting the proper audio stream to play). Extracting the information can be challenging, requiring a bit of skill and programming knowledge. About Scripting Commands You can choose from ten scripting commands when building your script. Each scripting command has its own set of controls that fit the command’s function. Each script can contain up to 124 commands, or operations. Depending on how you configure the scripting command, it might use up to 16 of the 124 commands. The top of the Script Inspector shows the number of commands used and available. A dialog appears to warn you if you create a script with too many commands, and the Script Inspector shows the commands used and available values in red, with a negative number for the Commands Remaining value. Each scripting command creates a command line that appears in the Script Editor. You are provided with a variety of tools to rearrange the order of the command lines in the script, which is important because the command lines are executed in order (though it is possible for a command line to jump to any other command line in the script). The Scripting User Interface Scripts appear in the Outline and Graphical tabs. Double-clicking an existing script or clicking the Script tab displays the Script Editor and the Script Inspectors. You use the Script tab to add and remove commands, as well as modify their order. You use the Script Inspectors to configure the commands, choosing the actual command to use and setting its parameters. See the following for details on the items that make up the scripting user interface: • About the Script Tab • About the Script Inspector • About the Script Command Inspector 480 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts About the Script Tab You click the Script tab to access the Script Editor. The Script Editor lists the command lines within the script. You use its Add button to add command lines to the script. The other buttons provide methods for managing the order of the command lines. Because scripts generally execute the command lines in order, starting at command line 1, it is important to have them in the correct order. Select to view the values as hexadecimal. Choose the script to work with in the editor. Command line reorder tools Command line add and delete controls Drag this bar to adjust column sizes. Once you have multiple commands in the list, you can move between them by either selecting the one you want to go to or using the keyboard’s Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to step from one to the other. You can also press the Command key along with the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to jump to the first or last command line, or the Page Up and Page Down keys to move through the list one page at a time. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 481 Command Line Add and Delete Buttons There are three buttons you can use to add or remove command lines from the Script Editor. Inserts a command line below the selected line. Adds a command line to the end of the list. Deletes the selected command line. • Add (+): Clicking the Add button, or pressing Command–Equal Sign (=), adds a command line to the script. This command line is always placed at the end of the list, regardless of which command is currently selected. By default, each added command line is set to Nop (no operation) which works as a placeholder for the actual command you will select in the Inspector. • Delete (–): Clicking the Delete button removes the currently selected command line from the list. You can also use the keyboard’s Delete key. • Insert: Clicking the Insert button, or pressing Command–Shift–Equal Sign (=), adds a new command line to the list, positioned after the currently selected command line. All command lines below the current one ripple down one location. As with the Add button, the new command is a Nop. Command Line Reorder Tools You can use the reorder tools to change the order of the command lines in the Script Editor. You can also drag a line to a new position. 482 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts Note: You are just rearranging the order of the command lines—you are not deleting or replacing any command lines. Moves the command line up one line. Moves the command line down one line. Moves the command line to the top of the list. Moves the command line to the bottom of the list. • Move Up: Clicking the Move Up button moves the currently selected command line up one location. The command line already at that location moves down one location to make room (the two command lines basically switch positions). • Move Down: Clicking the Move Down button moves the currently selected command line down one location. The command line already at that location moves up one location (the two command lines basically switch positions). • Move To Top: Clicking the Move To Top button moves the currently selected command line to the top of the list, making it the first command line executed. All command lines that were above it in the list ripple down (the command line that was at the top is moved to the number 2 position, the number 2 command line moves to number 3, and so on). • Move To Bottom: Clicking the Move To Bottom button moves the currently selected command line to the bottom of the list, making it the last command line executed. All command lines that were below it in the list ripple up. Copying Command Lines When creating a script with multiple similar command lines, you may find it easier to create the first version of the command line, copy that command line multiple times, then modify the copies as needed. You can also copy a command line from one script to another. To copy command lines in the Script Editor 1 Select the command line to be copied. You can select more than one command line. 2 Choose Edit > Copy (or press Command-C). This copies the command lines to the Clipboard. The selected command lines are not affected. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 483 3 Select the command line in this script or a different script after which you want to paste the copied command lines. If you have no command lines selected, the copied command lines are placed after the last existing command line. 4 Choose Edit > Paste (or press Command-V). To move one or more command lines using cut and paste 1 Select a command line or a group of command lines to be moved. 2 Choose Edit > Cut (or press Command-X). This copies the command lines to the Clipboard and removes the command lines from the current list. 3 Select the command line in the script after which you want the cut command lines to be pasted. 4 Choose Edit > Paste (or press Command-V). This is most useful when you are moving command lines from one script to another. About the Script Inspector A general Script Inspector appears when no command lines in the script are selected. To display the script’s Script Inspector, you need to either click in an empty area below the command lines in the Script Editor or click the script’s name in the Outline or Graphical tab. Configure the GPRM partitions. Enter a name for the script. Use these to import and export GPRM configurations. 484 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts The Script Inspector displays values showing the number of commands used and how many are still available out of the possible total of 124. (Configuring a scripting command may use up to 16 of the 124 commands.) These values will turn red if your script uses more than 124 commands, with a negative number in the Commands Remaining value indicating how many excess commands there are. It is also where you name your script and then configure the partitions and names of the GPRM registers. Note: You can also configure the partitions and names of the GPRM registers in the Advanced tab in the Disc Inspector. See Configuring GPRM Partitions for more information. About the Script Command Inspector A Script Command Inspector appears when you select a command line. To display the Script Command Inspector, you need to select a command line in the Script Editor. Enter a comment (optional). Choose a command. Configure the command. Configure a compare function (optional). The Script Command Inspector has four sections: • The command selection section, where you select which of the ten commands to use • The command setup section, where you configure the command’s parameters. The actual contents of this section vary, based on the command selected. • The compare section, where you can add a compare function to the command • The comment section, where you can add a comment to the command. Comments are useful for both yourself and others later on when trying to remember why certain commands were added. See Script Command Details for details on setting up the commands. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 485 Creating and Testing Scripts While it is easy to create scripts, it’s a good idea to first spend some time planning exactly what you intend the script to do. Sometimes a single script can be designed to fit multiple situations, or it may be easier to create multiple similar scripts, with each configured for a specific case. Creating a Script Scripts can vary greatly. Simple scripts may contain only one or two commands, while complex scripts can contain many commands and dependencies on other scripts. No matter how complex the script, you create all scripts using the same basic methods. To create a script 1 Do one of the following: • Choose Project > Add to Project > Script, or press Command–Shift–Single Quote (’). • Control-click in the Outline or Graphical tab, choose Add from the shortcut menu, then choose Script from the submenu. • Click Add Script in the toolbar. A new script is added to the Outline and Graphical tabs. 2 To name the script, do one of the following: • Enter the name in the Name field in the Script Inspector. • Select the script in the Outline or Graphical tab, click its name, type the new name, then press Return. 3 Double-click the new script in the Outline or Graphical tab or click the Script tab to open the Script Editor. 4 In the Script Editor, select the default Nop command line. The Script Command Inspector appears, displaying the command configuration display. 5 Configure the command line as desired, and add new command lines as needed. See Script Command Details for details on the commands you can add to a script. See About Connections for information on connecting scripts to your project’s elements. Duplicating and Saving Scripts Most scripts contain command lines that are specific to a particular function in a particular project. However, because it is often easier to modify an existing script rather than start from scratch, DVD Studio Pro includes several tools that allow you to create copies of a script for use in this and other projects. Duplicating Scripts When creating several similar scripts, use the Outline or Graphical tab’s duplication function to make a copy of a script. 486 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts To duplicate a script within a project Do one of the following: μ Select the script in the Outline or Graphical tab, then choose Edit > Duplicate. μ In the Outline or Graphical tab, Control-click the script, then choose Duplicate from the shortcut menu. A copy of the script is created with the same name as the original, with a number added to the end of the name. Saving Scripts You can save a script as an item description file, making it easy to import a script into other projects. To save a script as an item description file Do one of the following: μ Select the script in the Outline or Graphical tab, then choose File > Export > Item Description. μ Control-click the script in the Outline or Graphical tab, then choose Save Script from the shortcut menu. Loading Scripts You can load saved scripts into a DVD Studio Pro project. To load a script file Do one of the following: μ Choose File > Import > Item Description to import a script item description (with an “.dspScript” extension). μ Control-click in the Outline or Graphical tab, then choose Load Script from the shortcut menu. The script appears in the Outline tab under the Scripts heading and as a new tile in the Graphical tab, and can now be edited as needed. Testing Scripts Once you have created a script, you will want to test it. Depending on the script’s function, you can test it with the Simulator, with the Apple DVD Player as part of an emulator test, or in set-top DVD players after you burn a disc. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 487 Testing a Script in the Simulator The DVD Studio Pro Simulator has a Registers display that shows useful information when testing a script. The display appears when you click the Simulator’s Info button. Select to show the GPRM values. Select to show the values as hexadecimals. Select to show the SPRM values You can display either the SPRM or GPRM values, or both at the same time. You can also choose whether the values appear as decimal numbers or hexadecimal numbers. Seeing the SPRM and GPRM values can be useful when you want to ensure the right values are being set in the registers. Additionally, you are able to enter values into the registers to preset a specific condition you want to test. To enter a value, double-click its existing value and enter the new one. Also, you can name the GPRMs within the Simulator. To name a GPRM, double-click the existing name in the Description column and enter a new one. The Simulator has several preferences settings that allow you to verify script commands that rely on general DVD player settings, such as language preferences, aspect ratio, and region code. See Simulator Preferences for more information on Simulator preferences. See Simulating Your Project for more information on using the Simulator. Testing a Script with DVD Player The Apple DVD Player provides an additional way to test your scripts. Testing a project with DVD Player is referred to as emulating the project. It requires you to build the project, which creates the VIDEO_TS folder that DVD Player uses. See Emulating Your Project Using DVD Player for more information. Testing a Script on Set-Top DVD Players The best test to give your scripts is to play the title in a set-top DVD player. This method provides the most real-world experience, giving the scripts the most true tests. 488 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts To test scripts in a set-top player, you need to build and format your project, burning it onto a DVD. See Formatting Your Project for more information on burning a DVD. General Scripting Information There are a number of good practices to keep in mind when creating your scripts: • Plan your GPRM partitioning: Partitioning one or more of the eight 16-bit GPRM registers can add a lot of flexibility to your script writing by making many GPRM registers available to be used. However, keep in mind that some scripting configurations and display conditions require full 16-bit GPRM registers. Also, when you import a script item description, any GPRMs used by the script must be partitioned exactly the same as they were when the script was originally created. To ensure compatibility, it is a good idea to consistently partition your GPRMs the same way for each project. See General Purpose Register Memories for information on saving and loading GPRM configurations. • Don’t forget about display conditions: Menus, tracks, and stories can all have display conditions applied to them. Display conditions work a lot like a simple pre-script—they determine whether the element should play, and if not, provide a jump to an alternative element. One advantage of a display condition is that it is part of the track and is placed in the same video title set (VTS) file as the track—by default, all scripts are placed in VTS 1 (though you can move them to the track’s VTS with the VTS Editor). In some cases, there could be a slight delay as the DVD player jumps from one VTS to the other to run a script. An additional advantage is that a display condition executes whether you jump to an element’s root or to a part of it (such as a button or marker). See Pre-Scripts and Display Condition for more information. • There are many ways to do the same thing: When creating your script, you will often find that there are alternate ways to accomplish the same task. The simplest approach is often the best, but other considerations, such as a lack of available GPRMs, may force you to be creative in your script writing. Sometimes it is better to create several small scripts rather than one large one that covers all situations. • Make sure the script has a way to end: It is important for the script to have an exit point that terminates its running and returns to playing the disc. For example, if you run a script that only uses the set command to configure some registers, the DVD player will just sit and wait for the script to finish, which it never will. You create the exit point by using one of three commands: jump, resume, and exit pre-script. You can use a jump command in any script; however, you can use the resume and exit pre-script commands only in specific script types. See Script Command Details for more information on these commands. Script Command Details Scripts can affect a disc’s playback in one of two ways: • Playback can jump to a new location (track or menu). Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 489 • A different stream (audio, video, subtitle) can be selected. Most scripts use several commands to perform these functions. Often, one script may use values placed in a GPRM by a different script that ran earlier. Each of the ten commands has unique settings and uses. Some provide memory read and write functions, some control jumping to elements within the title, and others control how the script executes. These commands can be accessed at the top of the Script Command Inspector. In addition to the command configurations, each can also use a compare operation that provides a conditional execution function. Compare Function You can use the compare function to determine whether or not a command executes (also known as a conditional instruction execution). For example, you might set a jump command to go to a track, but use the compare function to make sure the DVD player supports its aspect ratio. If the compare function is not satisfied, the command is skipped and the script moves down to the next command. A compare function compares a specified element, which you select, with a value in a specified GPRM. You choose how to compare the two elements from a list of operations (equal to, greater than, and so on). Choose the element type. Choose the compare operation. Enables the compare function. Choose the actual element. Choose the GPRM register. To configure a compare 1 In the Script Command Inspector, select the Compare Command checkbox to activate the compare settings. 2 Choose the GPRM location to compare to the selected element from the “Execute if” pop-up menu. 3 Choose the compare operation type from the “is” pop-up menu. 4 Choose the type of elements to compare from the “to” pop-up menu. 5 Choose the actual element to compare to the GPRM from the “with value” pop-up menu. 490 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts Element Types to Compare You can choose from five different elements to be compared to the selected GPRM. • GPRM: Allows you to select any of the available GPRMs to compare. • SPRM: Allows you to select any of the 24 SPRMs to compare. See System Parameter Register Memories Details for a list of SPRMs. • Immediate: Allows you to enter a decimal value, whose range depends on the size of the selected GPRM register, to compare. • Jump Target: Allows you to select from all available project elements (menus, tracks, stories, slideshows, and scripts) to compare. • Special: Allows you to choose from Current Item, Last Item, and Last Track to compare. • Current Item: This is this script, unless this is a pre-script. If this is a pre-script, the Current Item is the project element (menu, track, slideshow, or story) the script is assigned to. • Last Item: This is the project element that started this script running. • Last Track: This is the last track that was played, even if this script was started by a button on a menu. Note: Jump Target and Special require the selected GPRM to be a 16-bit GPRM register. If you choose a partitioned GPRM with the “Execute if” pop-up menu before choosing the element type, Jump Target and Special will not be available. If you choose Jump Target or Special as the element type before choosing the “Execute if” GPRM, partitioned GPRMs will not be available. GPRMs To Be Compared To You can select one of the GPRMs to be compared to the selected element. For the values in a GPRM to be meaningful, you must first load something into it with a previous command in this script or from a different script run earlier. This is often done using the set command, but there are several other ways to load a value into a GPRM. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 491 Compare Operations There are seven compare operations that you can use to compare the selected element to the selected GPRM. • = (equal): Executes the command if the two values are the same. • != (not equal): Executes the command if the two values are not the same. • > = (greater or equal): Executes the command if the selected GPRM is larger or the same as the selected element. • > (greater): Executes the command if the selected GPRM is larger than the selected element. • <= (smaller or equal): Executes the command if the selected GPRM is smaller or the same as the selected element. • < (smaller): Executes the command if the selected GPRM is smaller than the selected element. • & (and): Performs a bit-wise “and” operation between the two values and executes the command if the bits set to 1 in the selected GPRM are also set to 1 in the selected element. See Using Bit-Wise Operations for information on bit-wise operations. Note: You need to have a basic understanding of working with binary numbers to be able to use these operations. Nop Command The Nop (no operation) command provides a placeholder function. Anytime you add or insert a new step into a script, it is set to Nop. If a script encounters a Nop command while running, it immediately skips to the next command. If the Nop command is the last command, the script stops running and the title stops playing. Note: When a script is run as a pre-script, it reacts differently to having a Nop as the last command line. With a pre-script, if the last command is a Nop, it is treated as if it were an exit pre-script command, and the element the pre-script is assigned to displays as normal. Jump Command Jump commands are usually the last step executed in a script, because they result in another element (menu, track, or script) starting to play. 492 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts Note: Being the last step executed is not the same as being the last step in the script. A script might have multiple jump commands in it, with other commands determining which jump to execute. To configure a jump command 1 In the Script Command Inspector, choose Jump from the Command pop-up menu. 2 Choose the project element to jump to from the Jump To pop-up menu. GPRM-Based Checkbox A jump normally goes to a specific part of an element; for example, to button 3 on menu 2. Jumps also have the ability to use a value from a GPRM to determine which button or marker they should go to. This is useful if, instead of jumping to a set location, you want to jump to a place that is flexible, based on a value that a previous script writes to a GPRM. To jump to a GPRM-based location 1 In the Script Command Inspector, select the GPRM Based checkbox to enable the GPRM selection pop-up menu. 2 Choose the element to jump to from the Jump To pop-up menu. Specific buttons and markers will be unavailable—you can only choose the basic elements (a menu, track, story, and so on). 3 Choose the GPRM to use from the GPRM pop-up menu. When jumping to menu buttons, you can load the GPRM with the actual button number (1 through 36). When jumping to markers, you must enter the marker number (1 through 99). Any values you enter above 99 result in the first marker being selected. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 493 Start At Loop Point Checkbox You can add a loop point to your motion menu that defines when the highlights appear and where the menu jumps back to when it reaches the end. A jump to a motion menu normally goes to its start point and begins playing from there. There are times, however, when you might want the jump to go to the loop point instead, ensuring the highlights appear immediately and avoiding forcing the viewer to sit through the first part of the menu. Selecting the Start At Loop Point checkbox configures the jump to play the menu from the loop point. See About the Motion Settings for more information. See Jumping to a Menu’s Loop Point for an example script using this feature. Set GPRM Command The set GPRM command is used to determine a value that is then placed in a GPRM location. There are four elements to set: • The operation type: There are 11 operations you can choose from, ranging from a simple move to a “bit-wise exclusive or.” See Operation Types for details on using these operations. • The source type: You choose from five possible source element types that can be used as the source. See Source Element Types for details on the element types. • The source value: Once you choose the source element type, you can then choose the actual element. For example, if you choose an SPRM element type, you use this setting to choose the specific SPRM to use as the source. • The GPRM target: You choose a GPRM location where the value gets written. Depending on the operation you choose, this GPRM location may also be the second value in a math operation. For example, if you choose a subtraction operation, the source value is subtracted from the current target value and the result is written to the target location. Choose the operation. Choose the source element type. Choose the GPRM target. Choose the actual source element. To configure a set command 1 In the Script Command Inspector, choose the operation from the Operation pop-up menu. 2 Choose the source element type from the Source Type pop-up menu. 3 Choose the actual source element from the Source Value pop-up menu. The list of elements is determined by the source element type selection set in step 2. 494 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 4 Choose the GPRM target from the Target pop-up menu. Operation Types There are 11 operations you can choose from to control how the source and target values are handled. There are limitations you need to keep in mind when using these operations: • Registers have no overflow or underflow flags. • If the script tries to store a value smaller than 0 or larger than 65535, no error message is given; instead, the value “wraps around.” For example, if you subtract 7 from 3, you would normally get –4. But if you do this in a script, 65532 is stored. If you add 6 to 65534 in a script, 4 is stored instead of 65540. The operation types are: • mov: Moves the source value to the target location, overwriting the existing value in the target. • swp: Swaps the source value with the target value. The source value is written to the target location, and the target value is written to the source location. This is the only operation that writes to the source location. • add: Adds the source and target values together and writes the result in the target location. • sub: Subtracts the source value from the target value and writes the result in the target location. • mul: Multiplies the source value by the target value and writes the result in the target location. • div: Divides the target value by the source value and writes the result in the target location. • mod: Divides the target value by the source value and writes the remainder (modulo) in the target location. • ran: Generates a random value between 1 and the source value and writes the result in the target location. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 495 • and: Performs a “bit-wise and” operation between the 16 individual bits of the source and the target values, and writes the result in the target location. The bits that are set (value of 1) in both values are left set. Bits that are not set in one or the other value are reset (value 0). • or: Performs a “bit-wise or” operation between the 16 individual bits of the source and the target values, and writes the result in the target location. The bits that are set (value of 1) in either value are left set. Bits that are not set in both of the values are reset (value 0). • xor: Performs a “bit-wise exclusive or” operation between the 16 individual bits of the source and the target values, and writes the result in the target location. The bits that are set (value of 1) in one or the other value (but not both) are left set. Bits that are or are not set in both of the values are reset (value 0). Source Element Types You choose from five different elements to be used as the source type. • GPRM: Allows you to select any of the available GPRMs as the source. • SPRM: Allows you to select any of the 24 SPRMs as the source. See System Parameter Register Memories Details for a list of SPRMs. • Immediate: Allows you to enter a decimal value, whose range depends on the size of the selected GPRM register, as the source. • Jump Target: Allows you to select from all available project elements (menus, tracks, stories, slideshows, and scripts) as the source. • Special: Allows you to choose from Current Item, Last Item, and Last Track as the source. • Current Item: This is this script, unless this is a pre-script. If this is a pre-script, the Current Item is the project element (menu, track, slideshow, or story) the script is assigned to. • Last Item: This is the project element that started this script running. • Last Track: This is the last track that was played, even if this script was started by a button on a menu. Note: Jump Target and Special require the target to be a 16-bit GPRM register. 496 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts Goto Command The goto command provides a way to jump to a specific line in a script. This is usually used in conjunction with a compare function, with the result determining whether the goto command executes, or whether the script moves on to the next line. Goto is useful when you build multiple jump commands into your script, because it allows you to choose which jump command to execute by forcing the script to its line. The only entry (other than the compare settings) is the Line Number value, which is a number from 1 to 124. Set System Stream Command The set system stream command provides an easy way to set the audio, subtitle, and video angle streams. You can choose to enable one, two, or all of the three streams. In the case of the subtitle stream, you also choose whether or not it appears. You choose between two modes to set the stream values: • Immediate Value: Choose the streams directly using their pop-up menus. (Pop-up menu values that say “not set” indicate that no assets are currently assigned to that stream.) • GPRM Based: Choose a GPRM register from each stream’s pop-up menu. Note: You can only choose 16-bit GPRM registers. To configure the set system stream command 1 In the Script Command Inspector, select either the Immediate Value or GPRM Based modes for stream selection by clicking the appropriate button. 2 Select the streams you want to control by clicking their checkboxes. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 497 3 For each stream you select, use the pop-up menu to choose the stream (Immediate mode) or GPRM register (GPRM mode). 4 If you select the subtitle stream, select the View checkbox to force the subtitle to appear. Resume Command The resume command works like the Resume button on a DVD player’s remote control—when executed as a step in a script, the disc starts playing from where it last left off. Note: When the resume command is executed from a pre-script, the result may not match your expectations. Instead of playing the last menu or track that the viewer saw, the track or menu that had the pre-script assigned to it plays instead (which, even though the viewer had not seen it, was the last element “viewed”). GPRM Mode Command Each 16-bit GPRM register can be set to function as a memory location or as an incrementing counter. By default, all GPRM registers, including those partitioned to smaller registers than 16-bits, are set to be memory registers. • Counter mode: The value loaded into the register increments once per second. This mode can be a useful way to determine how far into the track the viewer has played. • Register mode: A value written to a register remains there until a new value is written or the disc is ejected. To configure the GPRM mode command 1 In the Script Command Inspector, click either the Counter or Register Mode button to set the selected GPRM’s mode. 2 Choose the GPRM register to configure with the Set To pop-up menu. Only 16-bit GPRM registers appear in the pop-up menu. See Setting a GPRM’s Mode for more information. Exit Command The exit command provides a way to stop the title from playing back. If, while a script is running, an exit command is encountered, the script stops running and you are prevented from playing the title. For example, you may want to do this in response to the player’s region setting. 498 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts Exit Pre-Script Command A pre-script executes as soon as an element is selected. Depending on the purpose of the pre-script, you will often want to have that element display as normal once the pre-script is finished running. The exit pre-script command provides a way to end a pre-script and display the element as normal. Note: When a script is run as a pre-script, it reacts differently to having a Nop as the last command line. With a regular script, if the last command line is a Nop and the script encounters it while running, the script stops and the title will no longer play. With a pre-script, if the last command is a Nop, it is treated as if it were an exit pre-script command, and the element the pre-script is assigned to displays as normal. Jump Indirect Command With the normal jump command, you must specify an element (menu, track, story, slideshow, or script) to jump to, even when using the GPRM Based Button setting. The jump indirect command provides a way to jump to an element that is entirely determined by a value stored in a GPRM. For example, you could have a script that uses the set command write the current menu’s value to a GPRM, and then later on have a second script use the jump indirect command to jump to that same menu by reading that GPRM. Note: You can only select from the 16-bit GPRM registers. System Parameter Register Memories List Each DVD player operates internally via a group of system parameter registers (System Parameter Register Memories, or SPRMs). The status of player operation (which DVD track is playing, what language is being used, and so on) can be read by script commands that access the SPRM status registers. The following list describes the system parameters that can be read by a script: • SPRM 0: Menu language description code; DVD player setup by user • SPRM 1: Current audio stream number; set by user or program • SPRM 2: Current subtitle stream number; set by user or program • SPRM 3: Current angle number; set by user or program • SPRM 4: Current playing title number (Title); set by DVD player Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 499 • SPRM 5: Current Video Title Set (VTS) number; set by DVD player • SPRM 6: Current title PGC number; set by DVD player • SPRM 7: Current part of title number (chapter); set by DVD player • SPRM 8: Current highlighted button number; set by viewer in DVD player • SPRM 9: Navigation timer; set by program, then times out • SPRM 10: Timer target; DVD track to play when SPRM 9 times out • SPRM 11: Player audio mixing mode for Karaoke; set by program or DVD player setup • SPRM 12: Country code for parental management • SPRM 13: Parental management level in effect • SPRM 14: Player video configuration (Aspect Ratio, Letterbox Mode) • SPRM 15: Player audio configuration (DTS, AC-3, MPEG, PCM, SDDS) • SPRM 16: Initial language code for audio, DVD player setup by user • SPRM 17: Initial language code extension for audio • SPRM 18: Initial language code for subtitle, DVD player setup by user • SPRM 19: Initial language code extension for subtitle • SPRM 20: Player region code • SPRM 21: Reserved • SPRM 22: Reserved • SPRM 23: Reserved These SPRMs provide all of the status information and control capability for the scripts. System Parameter Register Memories Details In order to use the SPRMs, you need to know what the range of values is for these registers and what that information means. The following sections list the most common bits used when authoring DVDs. All SPRMs are 16-bit values, although only certain bits are described. See Using Bit-Wise Operations for information on using the “bit-wise and” operation to isolate specific bits of the 16-bit value, allowing you to use only those bits that are necessary. SPRM 0: Menu Language Description Code Each DVD player has three types of language settings: Menu (SPRM 0), Audio (SPRM 16), and Subtitle (SPRM 18). These values are based on a two-letter code for each language spoken. The code is derived from the lowercase ASCII value of each letter. 500 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts For example, the letters “en” represent English. The lowercase “e” is converted to an ASCII value of 101 decimal or 65 in hexadecimal. The lowercase “n” is converted to an ASCII value of 110 decimal or 6E in hexadecimal. When concatenated together in hexadecimal, the value is 656E. The decimal value of 656E is 25966. See Language Code Table for a complete listing of all of these language values. It is useful to know the setting of this SPRM when dealing with multiple-language projects. By reading the value of SPRM 0, you can determine the language the viewer wants to see the menus displayed in. For instance, if you have a project that has menus in more than one language, you can display menus in the language the viewer has selected. SPRM 1: Current Audio Stream Number The DVD specification allows for up to eight different audio streams. This SPRM lists the current stream being played or the last one selected by the viewer. The value range for this SPRM is 0 through 7, where 0 is the first stream and 7 is the last stream. Stream number SPRM 1 value 1 0 2 1 3 2 4 3 5 4 6 5 7 6 8 7 This information is useful when tracking which audio stream was last selected or played. It is very useful when determining which button to highlight when jumping to a menu where audio streams are selected. This is especially important if the viewer is allowed to change the audio stream while viewing the movie. SPRM 2: Current Subtitle Stream Number The DVD specification allows for up to 32 different subtitle streams. This SPRM contains two sets of values. The first value shows which of the 32 streams is selected. These values range from 0 through 31 with 0 being the first stream and 31 being the last stream. The second value of this SPRM is a display flag that tells you if the subtitle is turned on or off. The flag has a value of 64 for on and 0 for off. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 501 To obtain the value of the stream that is selected and displayed, add 64 to the value of the stream. For example: Stream 1 has a value of 0. If you add that value to the value of the display flag “on” (64), you get a total of 64. Stream 2 has a value of 1; if you add the value of the display flag on (64) to it, you get a total of 65. The following table lists the possible settings for SPRM 2: SPRM 2 value with the stream selected and display on SPRM 2 value with the stream Stream number selected and display off 1 0 64 2 1 65 3 2 66 4 3 67 5 4 68 6 5 69 7 6 70 8 7 71 9 8 72 10 9 73 11 10 74 12 11 75 13 12 76 14 13 77 15 14 78 16 15 79 17 16 80 18 17 81 19 18 82 20 19 83 21 20 84 22 21 85 23 22 86 24 23 87 25 24 88 26 25 89 27 26 90 28 27 91 502 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts SPRM 2 value with the stream selected and display on SPRM 2 value with the stream Stream number selected and display off 29 28 92 30 29 93 31 30 94 32 31 95 Similar to SPRM 1, this information is useful to determine the last subtitle stream selected by the viewer. If you have a menu for subtitle selection, you can use this information to highlight the corresponding button for the correct subtitle. SPRM 3: Current Angle Number Similar to SPRM 1, the DVD specification allows for up to nine multi-angle MPEG video streams. This SPRM lists the current stream being played or the last one selected by the viewer. The value range for this SPRM is 1 through 9, where 1 is the first stream and 9 is the last stream (the value does not start at 0 as with SPRMs 1 and 2). If there is only one angle, the default value is 1. Knowing which multi-angle stream was last selected or played is very useful when determining which button to highlight when jumping to a menu where multi-angle streams are selected. This is especially important if the viewer is allowed to change the multi-angle stream while viewing the movie. SPRM 4: Current Playing Title Number Each track, story, and slideshow element in your project is a title. You can have up to 99 titles in your project. All of these are assigned numbers based on their order in the Outline tab’s By VTS display. SPRM 4 shows the number for the currently playing element. If your project does not have stories, the VTS number shown in the Outline tab’s By VTS display matches the SPRM 4 value. Because stories are not placed in their own VTS, including them in your project affects the SPRM 4 values. For example, you could have a project with two tracks, with Track 1 in VTS 1 including 2 stories (Story 1 and Story 2) and Track 2 in VTS 2. The SPRM 4 values for this project are: • Track 1 = 1 • Story 1 = 2 • Story 2 = 3 • Track 2 = 4 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 503 SPRM 5: Current Title Number in Video Title Set (VTS) In projects created with DVD Studio Pro, the title number within the current Video Title Set (VTS) number is 1 for all elements, except stories. Each story within a track is assigned to a higher title number, starting with 2 (the track itself is number 1). SPRM 6: Current Title PGC Number In projects created with DVD Studio Pro, the Program Group Chains (PGC) number is 1 for all elements, except stories. Each story within a track is assigned a number, starting with 2 (the track itself is number 1). This value matches the SPRM 5 value except in the case where a track, story, or slideshow has not yet been played. In that case, it is set to 0. SPRM 7: Current Part of Title Number The Part of Title is the current chapter number of the track being played. This SPRM is useful if you need to know the last or current chapter played for that track. There may be reasons to jump to the beginning of the last chapter played from any menu, not just resume to the last place in the video. An example of this would be a training film that requires the viewer to resume watching the chapter from the beginning if they do not watch the chapter in its entirety. SPRM 8: Current Highlighted Button Number This SPRM is the last button number of the current or last menu displayed. You can use this SPRM to track the last button position that the viewer selected. The value is calculated by multiplying the button number by 1024 (this SPRM uses bits 10 through 15 to count the buttons). The table below lists the button number and its value: Button number SPRM 8 value 1 1024 2 2048 3 3072 4 4096 5 5120 6 6144 7 7168 8 8192 9 9216 10 10240 11 11264 504 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts Button number SPRM 8 value 12 12288 13 13312 14 14336 15 15360 16 16384 17 17408 18 18432 19 19456 20 20480 21 21504 22 22528 23 23552 24 24576 25 25600 26 26624 27 27648 28 28672 29 29696 30 30720 31 31744 32 32768 33 33792 34 34816 35 35840 36 36864 SPRM 9: Navigation Timer This is the timer used to count down pauses and still frames. DVD Studio Pro automatically loads this timer for timeouts and pauses. There is no real use for it in scripts. SPRM 10: Timer Target This SPRM is used in conjunction with SPRM 9. It is loaded with the PGC that is activated when the Navigation Timer (SPRM 9) expires. It is loaded and set by DVD Studio Pro, and there is no real use for it in scripts. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 505 SPRM 11: Player Audio Mixing Mode for Karaoke Karaoke-capable DVD players can blend several audio streams together. Note: Refer to SPRM 15 to identify whether or not a DVD player is karaoke-capable. The primary stream is usually a music-only track in stereo (L and R). It is usually stream number 1 or 2. To those streams you can mix a melody stream (M) or vocal streams (V1 and V2). The melody stream and the vocal streams are usually stream numbers 3, 4, and 5. The values of SPRM 11 are listed in the table below: Bit description Bit Bit value Reserved 0 1 Reserved 1 2 Stream 3 added to stream 1 2 4 Stream 4 added to stream 1 3 8 Stream 5 added to stream 1 4 16 Reserved 5 32 Reserved 6 64 Reserved 7 128 Reserved 8 256 Reserved 9 512 Stream 3 added to stream 2 10 1024 Stream 4 added to stream 2 11 2048 Stream 5 added to stream 2 12 4096 Reserved 13 8192 Reserved 14 16384 Reserved 15 32768 The value can be any combination of the above values (excluding reserved) with 0 indicating that no streams are added. A value of 3072 indicates that streams 3 and 4 are added to stream 2 (1024 + 2048). SPRM 12: Country Code for Parental Management This SPRM lists the intended country code for the disc’s parental management feature. For the United States this is 840. SPRM 13: Parental Management Level SPRM 13 lists the parental management level that the DVD player is currently set for. This is set by the viewer and is used to prevent children from watching movies with mature content. 506 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts SPRM 13 can be useful in several ways. In some cases there may be more than one version of a single movie on a single DVD disc. Larger discs such as DVD-9s can contain both the R- and PG-rated versions of the same movie. By reading the value of SPRM 13, you could determine which version of the movie to play. Another use for SPRM 13 is to check the DVD player’s current parental setting. If the disc is rated higher than the DVD player is currently set for, you could have a script that jumps to a menu explaining that the disc cannot be played unless the player’s parental setting is changed. Important: DVD Studio Pro does not include a parental rating in its projects, so all DVD players that support parental management will set SPRM 13 to 15 when playing a DVD Studio Pro authored disc. Below is a list of the numeric values of SPRM 13. MPAA rating SPRM 13 value G 1 — 2 PG 3 PG-13 4 — 5 R 6 NC-17 7 — 8 Disc not rated 15 SPRM 14: Player Video Configuration Every DVD player has several modes of video display. These are divided into the display mode and the aspect ratio. By reading SPRM 14 you can tell what modes the player is currently in. Bits 8 and 9 of SPRM 14 are used to determine the current display mode (whether the video needs processing for display on a 4:3 monitor) and bits 10 and 11 are used to determine the aspect ratio of the monitor (4:3 or 16:9). The first eight bits in SPRM 14 are not used. The following table shows the combinations for the display mode bits. Display mode Bit 8 Bit 9 Total Normal (no processing) 0 0 0 Pan-scan 256 0 256 Letterbox 0 512 512 Reserved 256 512 768 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 507 The following table shows the combinations for the aspect ratio bits. Aspect ratio Bit 10 Bit 11 Total 4:3 0 0 0 Not specified 1024 0 1024 Reserved 0 2048 2048 16:9 1024 2048 3072 SPRM 15: Player Audio Configuration Each DVD player can have several types of audio capabilities. Most players can handle Dolby Digital (AC-3), Linear PCM, and MPEG Audio. There are other audio options such as DTS and SDDS, as well as karaoke capabilities. By reading the values of SPRM 15, you can see which audio options the player has. This could be useful if you have two types of audio streams and want to play the proper one for that player. For example, if the player is capable of Dolby Digital (AC-3) audio, you might want to play that stream instead of a stereo PCM stream. Here is a table of the values for SPRM 15: Player audio configuration Bit Bit value Reserved 0 1 Reserved 1 2 SDDS karaoke capability (option) 2 4 DTS karaoke capability (option) 3 8 MPEG karaoke capability first bit 4 16 MPEG karaoke capability second 5 32 bit AC-3 karaoke capability 6 64 PCM karaoke capability 7 128 Reserved 8 256 Reserved 9 512 SDDS capability (option) 10 1024 DTS capability (option) 11 2048 MPEG capability first bit 12 4096 MPEG capability second bit 13 8192 AC-3 capability 14 16384 Reserved 15 32768 508 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts Bit 4 (MPEG karaoke capability first bit) is off when the player is not MPEG karaoke-capable, and on when it is. Bit 5 (MPEG karaoke capability second bit) is always off. Bit 12 (MPEG capability first bit) is off when the player is not MPEG capable, and on when it is. Bit 13 (MPEG capability second bit) is always off. There is no bit for regular PCM capability because all players must support it. SPRM 16: Initial Language Code for Audio This SPRM is the initial audio language that the viewer has set the DVD player to. It can be assumed to be the primary spoken language that the viewer wants to hear. As with SPRM 0, these values are derived from a two-letter code for each language spoken. The code is derived from the lowercase ASCII value of each letter. See Language Code Table for a complete table of all of these language values. It is useful to know the setting of this SPRM when dealing with multiple-language projects. By reading the value of SPRM 16, you can determine the spoken language that the viewer wants to hear. If you have a project that has audio streams in more than one language, you can play the appropriate spoken language that the viewer has selected. If the viewer must choose a language from an audio menu, this SPRM value can be used to select the appropriate button highlight. SPRM 17: Initial Language Code Extension for Audio SPRM 17 is rarely used but has several values. It can be used to flag an audio stream as audio for the visually impaired or for director’s commentary. Contents SPRM 17 value Not specified 0 Normal captions 1 Audio for visually impaired 2 Director’s comments 1 3 Director’s comments 2 4 SPRM 18: Initial Language Code for Subtitle SPRM 18 is the value of the initial subtitle language setting of the DVD player. It is a preference set by the viewer. Many feature films that are put onto DVD are subtitled in several languages. By reading this SPRM, you can preselect the appropriate subtitle stream to the viewer’s preferred language. In the case of a subtitle menu, you can preselect the appropriate button highlight. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 509 As with SPRM 0, these values are derived from a two-letter code for each language spoken. The code is derived from the lowercase ASCII value of each letter. See Language Code Table for a complete table of all of these language values. SPRM 19: Initial Language Code Extension for Subpicture Similar to SPRM 17, SPRM 19 is an extension code for more in-depth information about the subtitle stream. It covers such areas as subpicture size or whether the subtitle stream is for children. Contents SPRM 19 value Not specified 0 Captions with normal size 1 characters Captions with larger size 2 characters Captions for children 3 Reserved 4 Closed captionswith normal size 5 characters Closed captions with larger size 6 characters Closed captions for children 7 Reserved 8 Forced captions 9 Reserved 10 Reserved 11 Reserved 12 Director’s commentary with 13 normal size characters Director’s commentary with 14 larger size characters Director’s commentary for 15 children SPRM 20: Player Region Code In order to have some control over which parts of the world can play a disc, a regional coding system was developed. With this system, all standalone DVD players are manufactured to support a single region, and DVD players used by computers have a setting that configures the player’s region (with a limited number of changes allowed). This SPRM returns the value of the DVD player’s region code. 510 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts The globe is divided into eight sections: • Region 1: Canada, United States, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, the Virgin Islands, and some islands • Region 2: Japan, Western Europe (including Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and the Balkans), South Africa, Turkey, and the Middle East (including Iran and Egypt) • Region 3: Southeast Asia (including Indonesia, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Macao) • Region 4: Australia, New Zealand, South America, most of Central America, Papua New Guinea, and most of the South Pacific • Region 5: Most of Africa, Russia (and former Russian states), Mongolia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and North Korea • Region 6: China and Tibet • Region 7: (Reserved) • Region 8: Airlines, cruise ships, and other types of transportation Here is a table of regions and values for SPRM 20: Region SPRM 20 value 1 1 2 2 3 4 4 8 5 16 6 32 7 64 8 128 Using Bit-Wise Operations More often than not, when working with the SPRM values, you will only be interested in certain bits of each 16-bit value. The “bit-wise” operations (and, or, and exclusive or), make it possible to mask the bits that are not needed, allowing you to determine the states of the specific bits you need. Note: You need to have a basic understanding of working with binary numbers to be able to use these operations. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 511 Suppose you need to find out whether the DVD player is configured for a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio monitor. To determine this, you only need to look at bits 10 and 11 of SPRM 14. You can use the “bit-wise and” operation to mask all bits except 10 and 11, making it possible to easily determine the aspect ratio status without having to be concerned with the other bits. x 0 0 x 0 0 x 0 0 x 0 0 0/1 1 0/1 0/1 1 0/1 x 0 0 x 0 0 x 0 0 x 0 0 x 0 0 x 0 0 x 0 0 x 0 0 x 0 0 x 0 0 Bits 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 SPRM 14 And value Result Referring to the above table, the x’s in the SPRM 14 value represent bits that are not needed. Bits 10 and 11 use “0/1” to indicate bits that you want to retain—these may be set to either 0 or 1. When performing an AND operation, placing 0 in the bits you want to mask results in their being cancelled out, regardless of their state. Placing 1 in the bits you want to retain passes them to the result as is—a 0 is still a 0 and a 1 is still a 1. In this case, an AND value of 3072 produces the proper masking. The value of the result produces four possible answers: 0, 1024, 2048, and 3072. In the case of SPRM 14, 0 indicates the DVD player is set to 4:3, and 3072 indicates it is set to 16:9 (the values of 1024 and 2048 are either not specified or reserved). General Purpose Register Memories The General Purpose Register Memories (GPRMs) provide memory storage that can be used when building scripts. Unlike System Parameter Register Memories (SPRMs), GPRMs are not used directly by the DVD player—they are only used by scripts. Values, such as an SPRM or a value you specify, can be written to a GPRM, have a math operation applied to it, and can then be used by a script command to control the DVD player. DVD Studio Pro provides access to eight 16-bit GPRMs. Each register is completely independent of the others. All of the registers are set to 0 when a disc is inserted into the DVD player. When creating scripts, you may find that you could use an additional GPRM or two. Because you will often not need the full 16-bits of a GPRM register, you are able to increase the number of GPRM registers by partitioning one or more of them into smaller sizes. For example, you could choose to partition GPRM 1 into four 4-bit registers. This makes it possible to greatly increase the usable number of GPRMs available when creating your scripts. Important: Several script command configurations and display conditions require the use of full 16-bit GPRM registers. For that reason, you are only allowed to partition seven of the eight 16-bit GPRM registers. 512 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts About SPRMs and Partitioned GPRMs SPRMs fall into one of three categories: • Those that use the first bits of their register, such as SPRM 1 • Those that use part of the register, but not the first bits, such as SPRM 14 which uses bits 8 through 11 • Those that use the entire register, with each bit representing the status of a function, such as SPRM 15 If you partition a GPRM into four 4-bit registers, then move the same SPRM value into each register, each of the 4-bit registers would get the same first four bits of the SPRM. As an example, while SPRM 14 only uses four bits of its register, because they are not the first four bits, they cannot be moved into a partitioned GPRM register. For this reason, it is recommended that you always keep several 16-bit GPRMs available. Configuring GPRM Partitions You are able to individually configure the partitions of each 16-bit GPRM register using either the Script Inspector or the Advanced tab of the Disc Inspector. Once configured, you are then able to name them and save the configuration, which can then be loaded into a different project. Important: Once you partition a GPRM register and use it in a script, you cannot change the GPRM’s partition settings. You also cannot import a script’s item description unless the GPRMs it uses are partitioned the same as when the item description was saved. To configure a GPRM’s partition 1 Do one of the following: • Select a script in the Outline or Graphical tab. The Script Inspector appears. • Select the disc in the Outline tab, then click the Advanced tab in the Disc Inspector. • Click an empty area in the Graphical tab, then click the Advanced tab in the Disc Inspector. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 513 2 Click the pop-up menu for the GPRM you want to partition, then choose the partition configuration to use from the pop-up menu. You can choose from the following: Partition configuration Result Range of each register 1 Partition One 16-bit register 0-65535 2 Partitions Two 8-bit registers 0-255 4 Partitions Four 4-bit registers 0-15 8 Partitions Eight 2-bit registers 0-3 16 Partitions Sixteen 1-bit registers 0-1 Note: Any GPRMs that are currently used by a script have their pop-up menus deactivated and cannot have their partition configuration changed. 514 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts Once you choose the partition configuration to use for that GPRM, it displays the new registers. Click the disclosure triangle to show or hide the GPRM’s registers. The registers of a partitioned GPRM Naming the GPRM Partitions To help manage the process of creating a script, you are able to name each of the GPRM partitions. (Even a 16-bit GPRM is considered to have one partition.) This makes it easier to keep track of which GPRMs are being used for what purpose. Because the GPRMs are shared by all scripts, once you name one, that name appears in all places it is used in all scripts. You can name GPRMs in either the Script or Disc Inspector. Note: All partition names must be unique. To name a GPRM 1 Do one of the following: • Select a script in the Outline or Graphical tab. The Script Inspector appears. • Select the disc in the Outline tab, then click the Advanced tab in the Disc Inspector. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 515 • Click an empty area in the Graphical tab, then click the Advanced tab in the Disc Inspector. 2 Click a GPRM’s disclosure triangle to show its partitions. 3 Double-click the partition name and type the new name in the text entry box for the GPRM you want to rename. Note: You can also change a GPRM partition’s name in the Simulator’s Registers display. Importing and Exporting GPRM Configurations If you find yourself needing to copy scripts from one project to another (using item descriptions), you will find that it is much easier if you can be sure that each project uses the same GPRM configuration. One way to do this is to export the GPRM configuration from the project with scripts you want to copy from, and then import that GPRM configuration into the project you want to copy the script into. Important: You can only copy a script from one project to another project if the GPRMs used by the script are partitioned the same way in both projects. When you export a GPRM configuration, a file is created that contains the partition information for each of the GPRMs plus their names. When you import a GPRM configuration, the GPRMs are changed to match those in the file, including the names. Some things to keep in mind: • Any GPRMs that are already in use by a script will not be reconfigured, and a warning will appear. All other GPRMs will be reconfigured. • The names of all GPRM registers are changed to match those in the file you are importing. Any GPRMs that are already in use are not affected. To export a GPRM configuration 1 Configure the GPRM register partitions, including changing their names if needed. 2 Do one of the following: • Click the Script Inspector’s Export button. • Click the Export button in the Advanced tab of the Disc Inspector. The Export dialog opens. 516 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 3 Enter a name for the file, select its destination, and click Export. A file is created using the name you entered plus a “.dspPartition” extension. To import a GPRM configuration 1 Do one of the following: • Click the Script Inspector’s Import button. • Click the Import button in the Advanced tab of the Disc Inspector. The Import dialog opens. 2 Select the file to import, then click Import. Note: To avoid configuration conflicts, you should import the GPRM configuration before creating any scripts. Setting a GPRM’s Mode Each 16-bit GPRM register can be set to function as a memory register or as a decrementing counter. Note: By default, all GPRM registers, including those less than 16-bits, are set to be memory registers. • Register: A value written to it remains there until a new value is written or the disc is ejected. • Counter: As a counter, the value counts up once per second, starting at the GPRM’s current value. You can pause the count by changing the mode back to register. You set a GPRM’s mode using the GPRM Mode command as part of a script. Once you have set a GPRM’s mode, it stays that way until it is changed or the disc is ejected. Scripting Examples By their nature, scripts tend to be very project-specific. While the function of a particular script might apply to a wide variety of projects, the specific tracks, streams, and menus it works with vary. The following examples provide you with step-by-step instructions that can help you understand the process of creating a script, from the initial concept to the final product. These scripts show just one way to accomplish their tasks—alternate ways to accomplish the same results often exist. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 517 Note: These examples use menu and track names that are fictitious. You can create these elements and add suitable assets to them, or adapt these examples to your existing assets. You can even create these as empty elements, with no assets assigned. It is the names of the elements that get used in these script examples, not the actual assets. Additionally, these examples assume you have not partitioned the GPRMs. Jumping to a Menu’s Loop Point For this script, the project has a motion menu that has a loop point set, and you want to be able to have other elements jump directly to the loop point, bypassing the first part of the menu’s video. For this script, you’ll call the menu Main Menu. To create a Jump to Loop Point script 1 Do one of the following: • Choose Project > Add to Project > Script, or press Command–Single Quote (’). • Click Add Script in the toolbar. 2 Double-click the new script in the Outline or Graphical tab. The Script Editor opens and the Script Inspector appears. 3 In the Inspector, name the script Jump to Loop Point. 4 In the Script Editor, select the first command line (Nop). The Script Command Inspector appears. 5 In the Script Command Inspector, choose Jump as the command. 6 Choose Menus > Main Menu > [Menu] from the Jump To pop-up menu. 7 Select the Start At Loop Point checkbox. You can use this script anyplace where you might normally jump to the Main Menu. For example, you could set a track’s End Jump to run this script—when the track finishes playing, it jumps to the Main Menu’s loop point. Randomly Playing Tracks For this script, the project has four tracks, and you want a script to randomly choose one to play once a menu times out (has been inactive for a set amount of time). For this script, you’ll call the tracks “Ocean,” “Beach,” “Trail,” and “Shopping.” To create a Random Play script 1 Do one of the following: • Choose Project > Add to Project > Script, or press Command–Single Quote (’). • Click Add Script in the toolbar. 2 Double-click the new script in the Outline or Graphical tab. 518 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts The Script Editor opens and the Script Inspector appears. 3 In the Inspector, name the script Random Play. 4 In the Script Editor, select the first command line (Nop). The Script Command Inspector appears. 5 In the Script Command Inspector, choose Set GPRM as the command. 6 To configure the set GPRM command: a Choose “ran” as the Operation. b Choose Immediate as the Source Type. c Enter 4 as the Source Value. d Choose GPRM 0 as the Target. The above settings generate a random number between 1 and 4 and place the value in GPRM 0. It is this value that is looked at by the next commands in this script to determine which track to play. 7 In the Script Editor, click the Add button. The next command line is added to the script. 8 In the Script Command Inspector, choose Jump as the command. 9 To configure the jump command, choose Tracks and Stories > Ocean > Marker 1 from the Jump To pop-up menu. This plays the first of the four tracks, depending on the result of the compare function added next. Note: Remember that the Ocean track is fictitious. Unless you created a track called Ocean, you won’t see it in this pop-up menu. 10 Add a compare function to the jump command to test to see if this track has been selected with the random generator. a Select the Compare Command checkbox. b Choose GPRM 0 as the “Execute if” element to be compared to. c Choose equal (=) as the “is” compare operation type. d Choose Immediate as the “to” element type to compare. e Enter 1 as the “with value.” If GPRM 0 has a 1 in it (generated by the random number generator command), this jump command occurs. If not, the script moves to the next command. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 519 11 Add three additional jump command lines—one for each of the other three fictitious tracks. The only differences are the Jump To settings which need to match each track (Tracks and Stories > Beach > Marker 1; Tracks and Stories > Trail > Marker 1; and Tracks and Stories > Shopping > Marker 1) and the immediate values in the compare function’s “with value” field (use 2 for the Beach track, 3 for the Trail track, and 4 for the Shopping track). 12 You need to configure the menu’s timeout setting by selecting the menu in the Outline or Graphical tab, then clicking the General tab in the Menu Inspector. Choose Timeout from the At End pop-up menu and enter a value (in seconds) for the timeout. Choose this script (Random Play) from the Action pop-up menu. Each time the menu sits idle for the specified amount of time, the script starts, generates a random number, and then plays one of the four tracks. Once the track ends, it jumps to the element specified by its End Jump setting. Playing All Tracks For this script, the project has four tracks, each with a button on the main menu to start it playing. You want to add a Play All button that will play all four tracks in order, returning to the main menu once they have finished. In this case, you will create five scripts—one that starts the Play All progress and one for each track that determines whether a Play All function is active. The Play All script places a value in a GPRM that indicates to the other scripts that a Play All function is in process. It then jumps to the first track and starts it playing. The other scripts are linked to each track’s End Jump settings. These scripts test to see if the Play All function is active. If it is, the script jumps to the next track. If not, the script jumps back to the main menu. For this script, you’ll call the tracks “Ocean,” “Beach,” “Trail,” and “Shopping.” The Play All Script This is the script you will link to the main menu’s Play All button. 520 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts To create the Play All script 1 Do one of the following: • Choose Project > Add to Project > Script, or press Command–Single Quote (’). • Click Add Script in the toolbar. 2 Double-click the new script in the Outline or Graphical tab. The Script Editor opens and the Script Inspector appears. 3 In the Script Inspector, name the script Play All. 4 In the Script Editor, select the first command line (Nop). The Script Command Inspector appears. 5 In the Script Command Inspector, choose Set GPRM as the command. 6 To configure the set GPRM command: a Choose “mov” as the Operation. b Choose Immediate as the Source Type. c Enter 1 as the Source Value. d Choose GPRM 0 as the Target. The above settings place the value 1 in GPRM 0. It is this value that is looked at by the other scripts to determine whether a Play All function is in progress. 7 In the Script Editor, click the Add button. A second command line is added to the script. 8 In the Script Command Inspector, choose Jump as the command. 9 To configure the jump command, choose Tracks and Stories > Ocean > Marker 1 from the Jump To pop-up menu. This plays the first of the four tracks. Note: Remember that the Ocean track is fictitious. Unless you created a track called “Ocean,” you won’t see it in this pop-up menu. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 521 Link this script to the main menu’s Play All button. See Setting a Button’s Connection for more information. The Track End Scripts for the First Three Tracks The scripts you will link to the End Jump settings of the first three tracks are nearly identical—the only difference is the track name they jump to if a Play All function is in progress. The script used by the last track is a bit different, because it resets the GPRM that indicates a Play All function is in progress and always jumps to the main menu. Follow these steps to create the script for the first track (Ocean). The notes indicate any changes you would enter for the other tracks (Beach and Trail). Remember these track names are fictitious, and you won’t actually see them in the pop-up menu unless you create them. To create the script for the first three tracks 1 Create a script and select it. 2 Enter Ocean End as the script’s name. Note: Enter Beach End and Trail End as the names when creating the scripts for the other two tracks. 3 In the Script Editor, select the first command line (Nop). 4 In the Script Command Inspector, choose Jump as the command. 5 To configure the jump command, choose Tracks and Stories > Beach > Marker 1 from the Jump To pop-up menu. Note: Choose Tracks and Stories > Trail > Marker 1 and Tracks and Stories > Shopping > Marker 1 when creating the scripts for the other two tracks. 6 Add a compare function to the jump command to test to see if a Play All function is in process. a Select the Compare Command checkbox. b Choose GPRM 0 as the “Execute if” element to be compared to. c Choose equal (=) as the “is” compare operation type. d Choose Immediate as the “to” element type to compare. e Enter 1 as the “with value.” If GPRM 0 has a 1 in it (indicating the Play All function is in progress), this jump command occurs. If not, the script moves to the next command line. 7 In the Script Editor, click the Add button. The next command line (Nop) is added to the script. 8 In the Script Command Inspector, choose Jump as the command. 522 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 9 To configure the jump command, choose Menus > Main Menu > Button 1 from the Jump To pop-up menu. Like the track names, Button 1 is fictitious, used to illustrate the example. This jump only occurs if the compare function was not satisfied in the previous command. This script jumps to the Beach track once the Ocean track finishes playing. This script jumps to the Trail track once the Beach track finishes playing. This script jumps to the Shopping track once the Trail track finishes playing. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 523 Once you have created all three scripts, link each to the appropriate track’s End Jump setting (at the top of the Track Inspector for each track). Track End Script for the Last Track Follow these steps to create the script for the last track (Shopping). The main menu always appears when this track finishes playing—the difference is that the GPRM value needs to be set back to 0 so that a Play All process does not inadvertently get started later. To create the Track End script for the last track 1 Create a script and select it. 2 Enter Shopping End as the script’s name. 3 In the Script Editor, select the first command line (Nop). 4 In the Script Command Inspector, choose Set GPRM as the command. 5 To configure the set GPRM command: a Choose “mov” as the Operation. b Choose Immediate as the Source Type. c Enter 0 as the Source Value. d Choose GPRM 0 as the Target. The above settings place the value 0 in GPRM 0, ending the Play All process and ensuring that if you play any of the tracks individually, they will jump back to the main menu when finished playing. 6 In the Script Editor, click the Add button. The next command line (Nop) is added to the script. 7 In the Script Command Inspector, choose Jump as the command. 8 To configure the jump command, choose Menus > Main Menu > Button 1 from the Jump To pop-up menu. This script always sets GPRM 0 to 0 and jumps back to the main menu. Link this script to the Shopping track’s End Jump setting, located at the top of its Track Inspector. 524 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts But What If... When you create scripts that store a status in a GPRM, such as the Play All script, you need to plan for Viewer actions that are outside of the script’s intentions. In this case, these scripts will work exactly as intended most of the time. An exception is if the viewer decides not to let the Play All process finish. The viewer might press the Menu button on the remote control while the Play All process is active and then choose a specific track to watch by selecting its button in the menu. Because the value in GPRM 0 is still “1,” once that track finishes playing and runs its Track End script, it will see that GPRM 0 is “1” and jump to the next track instead of back to the menu. In other words, the only way to really stop the Play All process and reset GPRM 0 to “0” with the previous scripts is to let the process play to the end. There are a couple of ways to handle this: • Force the viewer to watch to the end: You can disable the Menu and Title buttons on the remote control. This may be appropriate for training videos with mandatory viewing. See Remote Control Settings for more information. • Add scripts to the other menu buttons that reset GPRM 0 to “0”: This way, if the viewer chooses to play one of the tracks on its own, the Play All process will be canceled and, once the track finishes playing, the DVD will jump back to the menu. See Canceling the Play All Script for more information. Canceling the Play All Script The script required to cancel the Play All script is almost identical to the Play All script—the differences are that you set GPRM 0 to “0” instead of “1,” and the jump target is set to match what the button would have jumped to. For example, if the menu with the Play All button also has buttons for each individual track (“Ocean,” “Beach,” “Trail,” and “Shopping”), you will need to create a unique script for each of these buttons that sets GPRM 0 to “0” and then jumps to the button’s track. Use the steps in The Play All Script to create these scripts, with the following modifications: • Name the scripts “Ocean Play,” “Beach Play,” and so on in step 3. • Enter 0 as the Source Value in step 6. • Configure the jump command in step 9 exactly as listed for the Ocean track. The scripts for the other three tracks only need this step changed, with each configured to jump their track. Once the four scripts have been created, you link them to the menu buttons. Language Code Table This table lists all possible languages and their numeric equivalents. It is sorted alphabetically by the language name. Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 525 Language Code HEX Decimal (Afan) Oromo om 6F6D 28525 Abkhazian ab 6162 24930 Afar aa 6161 24929 Afrikaans af 6166 24934 Albanian sq 7371 29553 Amharic am 616D 24941 Arabic ar 6172 24946 Armenian hy 6879 26745 Assamese as 6173 24947 Aymara ay 6179 24953 Azerbaijani az 617A 24954 Bashkir ba 6261 25185 Basque eu 6575 25973 Bengali; Bangla bn 626E 25198 Bhutani dz 647A 25722 Bihari bh 6268 25192 Bislama bi 6269 25193 Breton br 6272 25202 Bulgarian bg 6267 25191 Burmese my 6D79 28025 Byelorussian be 6265 25189 Cambodian km 6B6D 27501 Catalan ca 6361 25441 Chinese zh 7A68 31336 Corsican co 636F 25455 Croatian hr 6872 26738 Czech cs 6373 25459 Danish da 6461 25697 Dutch nl 6E6C 28268 English en 656E 25966 Esperanto eo 656F 25967 Estonian et 6574 25972 Faeroese fo 666F 26223 Fiji fj 666A 26218 526 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts Language Code HEX Decimal Finnish fi 6669 26217 French fr 6672 26226 Frisian fy 6679 26233 Galician gl 676C 26476 Georgian ka 6B61 27489 German de 6465 25701 Greek el 656C 25964 Greenlandic kl 6B6C 27500 Guarani gn 676E 26478 Gujarati gu 6775 26485 Hausa ha 6861 26721 Hebrew iw 6977 26999 Hindi hi 6869 26729 Hungarian hu 6875 26741 Icelandic is 6973 26995 Indonesian in 696E 26990 Interlingua ia 6961 26977 Interlingue ie 6965 26981 Inupiak ik 696B 26987 Irish ga 6761 26465 Italian it 6974 26996 Japanese ja 6A61 27233 Javanese jw 6A77 27255 Kannada kn 6B6E 27502 Kashmiri ks 6B73 27507 Kazakh kk 6B6B 27499 Kinyarwanda rw 7277 29303 Kirghiz ky 6B79 27513 Kirundi rn 726E 29294 Korean ko 6B6F 27503 Kurdish ku 6B75 27509 Laothian lo 6C6F 27759 Latin la 6C61 27745 Latvian, Lettish lv 6C76 27766 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 527 Language Code HEX Decimal Lingala ln 6C6E 27758 Lithuanian lt 6C74 27764 Macedonian mk 6D6B 28011 Malagasy mg 6D67 28007 Malay ms 6D73 28019 Malayalam ml 6D6C 28012 Maltese mt 6D74 28020 Maori mi 6D69 28009 Marathi mr 6D72 28018 Moldavian mo 6D6F 28015 Mongolian mn 6D6E 28014 Nauru na 6E61 28257 Nepali ne 6E65 28261 Norwegian no 6E6F 28271 Occitan oc 6F63 28515 Oriya or 6F72 28530 Pashto, Pushto ps 7073 28787 Persian fa 6661 26209 Polish pl 706C 28780 Portuguese pt 7074 28788 Punjabi pa 7061 28769 Quechua qu 7175 29045 Rhaeto-Romance rm 726D 29293 Romanian ro 726F 29295 Russian ru 7275 29301 Samoan sm 736D 29549 Sangro sg 7367 29543 Sanskrit sa 7361 29537 Scots Gaelic gd 6764 26468 Serbian sr 7372 29554 Serbo-Croatian sh 7368 29544 Sesotho st 7374 29556 Setswana tn 746E 29806 Shona sn 736E 29550 528 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts Language Code HEX Decimal Sindhi sd 7364 29540 Singhalese si 7369 29545 Siswati ss 7373 29555 Slovak sk 736B 29547 Slovenian sl 736C 29548 Somali so 736F 29551 Spanish es 6573 25971 Sundanese su 7375 29557 Swahili sw 7377 29559 Swedish sv 7376 29558 Tagalog tl 746C 29804 Tajik tg 7467 29799 Tamil ta 7461 29793 Tatar tt 7474 29812 Tegulu te 7465 29797 Thai th 7468 29800 Tibetan bo 626F 25199 Tigrinya ti 7469 29801 Tonga to 746F 29807 Tsonga ts 7473 29811 Turkish tr 7472 29810 Turkmen tk 746B 29803 Twi tw 7477 29815 Ukrainian uk 756B 30059 Urdu ur 7572 30066 Uzbek uz 757A 30074 Vietnamese vi 7669 30313 Volapuk vo 766F 30319 Welsh cy 6379 25465 Wolof wo 776F 30575 Xhosa xh 7868 30824 Yiddish ji 6A69 27241 Yoruba yo 796F 31087 Zulu zu 7A75 31349 Chapter 20 Creating Scripts 529 Your DVD title is a collection of elements you want your audience to view. The way you set the connections between these elements determines the way the viewer experiences your DVD title. You can use the Connections tab to determine how the viewer moves from one element to another. You make links so the viewer jumps from a starting point, or source, to a destination, or target. This chapter covers the following: • About Connections (p. 531) • Connections Tab (p. 532) • Connection Items (p. 533) • Making Connections (p. 537) • Connection Details (p. 540) • Source Details (p. 540) • Target Details (p. 547) About Connections There are a number of places within DVD Studio Pro where you can establish connections between a project’s elements. Some are in Inspectors and some are in shortcut menus. Some connections are automatically set when you import an asset directly to a menu or track. The Connections tab provides a way to view and set all connections for a selected element, such as a menu or track, at the same time. You can also use the Connections tab to verify that you have not inadvertently left an item without a connection. 531 Establishing Connections 21 Connections Tab Connections are listed in two sections in the Connections tab. The sources (the elements’ starting points) and their current connections are on the left and the targets (the destinations) are on the right. This project’s targets that can be connected to the selected source Choose the Connections tab layout to use. The sources and current connections for the selected element in the Outline or Graphical tab (in this case, the disc) Drag this separator bar to set the size of the two halves of the Connections tab. You can also display the two halves of the Connections tab with the sources on the top and the targets on the bottom by either clicking the buttons in the upper-right corner or pressing the Control key and clicking the separator bar. 532 Chapter 21 Establishing Connections The pop-up menus along the top of the Connections tab allow you to choose the detail level of the sources and whether to view only sources that do or do not have a connection assigned. Choose a connection status to show. Choose the source detail level to show. The element the sources belong to Connection Items There are three items involved in making a connection: • The project element that is the subject of the connection. This can be a menu, track, slideshow, or the disc in general. The contents of the Connections tab change to match those that apply to the currently selected element. See Project Elements for more information. • The source to be connected from. Every menu, track, slideshow, and disc has sources that you can link from. The more complicated the element, the more sources it will have (a menu with 12 buttons will have more source connections than a menu with 4 buttons). See Sources for more information. • The target to be connected to. Targets include all possible connections for all elements within your project. Most targets are available to each source. While a source can only connect to one target, a target can be used by multiple sources. See Targets for more information. Project Elements The project element you select in the Outline or Graphical tab determines the list of sources displayed in the Connections tab. Selecting the disc displays all sources from all elements, plus a few sources that do not appear in any of the other elements. Chapter 21 Establishing Connections 533 Sources Sources fall into five categories: the disc, menus, tracks, stories, and slideshows. The number of choices you see in the list of sources depends on the selected element and whether you have chosen Basic, Standard, or Advanced from the View pop-up menu above the source list. Disc Menus Tracks Slideshows Stories The right half of the source list shows the current connections. Drag this divider to adjust the Source and Target column widths. The current connections between the sources and targets • Basic: The most fundamental jumps you can make are in the basic list of sources. These include the startup action for the disc and the jumps made when the viewer presses the Title and Menu buttons on the remote control when the disc is inserted in the player. The basic link for menus is where to jump when buttons are activated. The basic links for tracks and slideshows are where to jump when playback is finished and where to jump when the Menu button is selected while the track or slideshow is playing. 534 Chapter 21 Establishing Connections • Standard: The most commonly used jumps are found in the standard list of sources. In addition to those in the basic list, pre-scripts (scripts designed to run when the element is chosen) are listed for menus, tracks, and slideshows. If a DVD menu has been on the screen for a period of time specified in the General tab in the Menu Inspector, the subsequent action is determined by the Menu Timeout Target link. Each marker in a track and each slide in a slideshow displays its own end jump and menu button links. • Advanced: The advanced list of sources contains all of the possible sources available for the selected element. In addition to the basic and standard sources, the Return button on the DVD player’s remote control is also listed. Additionally, for tracks and slideshows you can set connections for the following buttons found on some remote control devices: Audio, Subtitle, Angle, and Chapter menu buttons. These links can make it convenient for viewers to access DVD menus that allow them to select audio and subtitle options, an angle, or a chapter. However, be sure to design your title with other ways to reach these DVD menus because very few remote controls offer these buttons. Important: It is important not to confuse these buttons with the Audio, Subtitle, and Angle selection buttons commonly found on remote controls—these buttons do not access a menu and instead directly change the selected stream. See Source Details for a complete list of sources as well as methods (other than the Connections tab) that you can use to link them. Chapter 21 Establishing Connections 535 Next Jump and Prev Jump Tracks and slideshows have two settings, Next and Previous Jump, that can only be set in the Connections tab with the advanced sources displayed. These settings define what happens when the viewer presses the Next and Previous buttons on the DVD player’s remote control. While a track or slideshow is playing, the Next and Previous buttons allow the viewer to skip forward or backward between markers or stills. A setting in the Connections tab defines what happens if the viewer presses the Next or Previous button when there is no next or previous marker or slide. By default, with nothing assigned to these settings, nothing happens. This is the normal action used for most projects. If you establish a connection to either of these buttons, there are two issues that you must be aware of: • You will no longer be able to set the Menu button action for each marker—you will only be able to set it for the first marker. • The DVD player will no longer display a play time for the track or slideshow. See Setting a Pause on the Last Slide for information on using the Next Jump setting in a slideshow. Targets The list of targets includes all menus and their buttons, all tracks and their stories and markers, all slideshow stills, and all scripts. There are four additional commands that can appear at the top of the list, depending on the selected source: Resume, Stop, Same as Disc, and Same as Track. See Target Details for a complete list of targets. Default Connections There are two types of connections that DVD Studio Pro makes automatically: linking each marker in a track to the next marker, and assigning the same menu button action to all of a track’s markers. These connections are not shown in the Connections tab and can be overridden by assigning different targets while in the Standard or Advanced source view. Chapter-to-Chapter Connections DVD Studio Pro automatically links the end jump from one marker to the beginning of the next marker. This allows a track to play seamlessly through the markers. The end jump for the last marker is not linked to any targets—you must set this yourself using the End Jump setting. 536 Chapter 21 Establishing Connections Setting Chapter Marker End Jumps In addition to the limit of 99 chapter markers per track, DVD Studio Pro has a combined limit of 106 chapter markers and individual chapter end jump settings per track. This is normally not an issue except in special cases where you decide to set an end jump for each chapter marker. If your track has 54 chapter markers, each configured with an end jump, the result is a combined 108 markers and jump settings. This will cause an error message to appear when you build the project. Because setting end jumps on chapter markers prevents the track from playing seamlessly from start to end, you can instead divide the track into two tracks, each containing a portion of the markers and thus avoid the 106 limit. For example, you might use chapter markers with end jumps set to “edit” a track into multiple small clips. If you configure a menu button to jump to a specific chapter marker, the track starts playing from that point. Once the next marker is reached, the end jump directs the DVD player back to the menu, resulting in only a small portion of the track playing. The advantage of this is that you can easily configure a track to play as short clips and not worry about running into the 99 tracks, stories, and slideshows per project limit. The disadvantage of this is that you cannot play the track from start to end—as soon as the first marker that has its end jump set is reached, the player jumps to that setting. You can accomplish a similar result by creating a story that plays only from one chapter marker to the next. The disadvantage of doing this is that if you have a lot of these that you want to configure, you will quickly run into the 99 tracks, stories, and slideshows per project limit. Menu Button Connections Once you establish a connection to the Menu button of the DVD player’s remote control, it is automatically applied to all markers in the track. Making Connections Making connections involves displaying the correct sources and then linking them to the targets. While the Connections tab provides a complete list of all possible connections between your project’s elements, many of these connections can also be configured using other methods. Connections can be made in a number of Inspectors, including those for menus, buttons, tracks, slideshows, and the disc. For example, in the Button Inspector, you can set the target for a button. Additionally, you can set connections to buttons in the Menu and Subtitle Editors. Chapter 21 Establishing Connections 537 See Source Details for a complete list of all sources and their alternative linking methods. See Target Details for a complete list of all targets. Changing the Displayed Sources There are three groups of sources you can see in the source list: basic, standard, and advanced. The most fundamental jumps for the selected element are shown in Basic source view. The most commonly used jumps are shown in the Standard source list. The Advanced list shows all possible jumps for the selected element. To change the sources displayed 1 Select the element you want to work with in the Outline or Graphical tab. For a global view of all the sources, select the disc in the Outline tab, or click an empty area in the Graphical tab. 2 Choose Basic, Standard, or Advanced from the View pop-up menu located just above the source list. Choose which sources are shown. You can also display all sources, only sources with connections, or only sources without connections, using the second View pop-up menu. Use each source’s connection status to choose which sources to display. Establishing Connections in the Connections Tab There are several methods you can use to establish connections in the Connections tab: dragging targets to the sources, using shortcut menus, and using keyboard shortcuts. To establish a connection in the Connections tab 1 Determine the source to which you want to assign a target. 538 Chapter 21 Establishing Connections 2 Do one of the following: • Locate the item you want to link to in the Targets column on the right, and drag it to the source on the left. A black box surrounds the selected source, making it clear that you are linking to the correct one. If you drag a target that is not supported by the source, the black box does not appear. • Hold down the Control key and click in the Target column next to the source for which you want to create a link. Choose a target from the shortcut menu. • Click to select a source and a target, then click the Connect button at the top of the Connections tab. You can change an existing connection using these same methods. To establish connections using keyboard shortcuts 1 Press the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to scroll through the currently active list (sources or targets) until you select the element you want to connect. 2 Press the Control key while using the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to scroll through the other list until you highlight the entry you want to connect. 3 Press Return to make the connection. If you select a source that already has a connection, pressing Return disconnects it. You can also press the Option key while using the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to jump to the top or bottom of the list. Chapter 21 Establishing Connections 539 If you want to connect to an element in the Targets list, you need to already have its disclosure triangle set to show the element’s contents. To delete a connection 1 Press the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to scroll through the currently active list (sources or targets) until you select the element you want to connect. 2 Press the Delete key. Connection Details Many of the sources and targets are intuitive in their usage. However, some are not often used or can cause unexpected issues with your title. Note: The actual sources and targets you see depend on the elements in your project. The names used in the following descriptions, Basic, Standard, and Advanced, are assigned by default when the elements are created. Source Details The sources displayed depend on which group of sources you choose—basic, standard, or advanced. The last two groups contain the sources from the previous level or levels, plus additional ones. The primary method of setting connections for all sources is to use the Connections tab. Alternative methods are given in the far-right column below. Basic The following sources are available when viewing the basic source group. All these sources should be linked before you build the title. Disc Sources Following are the disc-level basic sources. Source Usage Alternative methods First Play in the Disc Inspector. Control-click disc in Outline tab. Control-click empty area in Graphical tab. Use to specify what is displayed when the disc first starts playing after being inserted into the DVD player (automatically set to Menu 1). First Play Use to specify the action when Disc Inspector General tab the viewer presses the Title button on the DVD player’s remote control. Title 540 Chapter 21 Establishing Connections Source Usage Alternative methods Use to specify the action when Disc Inspector General tab the viewer presses the Menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting can be overridden by similar settings in tracks, markers, stories, and slideshows. Menu Menu Sources Following is the menu-level basic source. Source Usage Alternative methods Button Inspector. Control-click button in the Menu Editor. Drag element directly to button. Use to specify the action when the button is activated. Button1:Jump when activated Track Sources Following are the track-level basic sources. Source Usage Alternative methods End Jump in the Track Inspector (automatically set in some cases) Use to specify the action when the track reaches its end during playback. End Jump Use to specify the action when Track Inspector General tab the viewer presses the Menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc setting. By default, this is set to Same as Disc. Menu Subtitle Inspector Button tab Control-click button in the Subtitle Editor. Use to specify the action when the button (part of a subtitle stream) is activated. Marker 1:Button 1:Jump when activated Story Sources Following are the story-level basic sources. Source Usage Alternative methods End Jump in the Story Inspector (automatically set to Same as Track) Use to specify the action when the story reaches its end during playback. By default, this is set to Same as Track. End Jump Chapter 21 Establishing Connections 541 Source Usage Alternative methods Story Inspector General tab (automatically set to Same as Track) Use to specify the action when the viewer presses the Menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc and track settings. By default, this is set to Same as Track. Menu Slideshow Sources Following are the slideshow-level basic sources. Source Usage Alternative methods End Jump in the Slideshow Inspector (automatically set in some cases) Use to specify the action when the slideshow reaches its end during playback. End Jump Use to specify the action when Slideshow Inspector General tab the viewer presses the Menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc setting. By default, this is set to Same as Disc. Menu Standard The following sources are available when viewing the standard source group. These sources are in addition to those available at the basic level. Menu Sources Following are the menu-level standard sources in addition to the basic sources. Source Usage Alternative methods Use to assign a script to be run Menu Inspector Menu tab prior to displaying this menu. Pre-Script Use to specify the action when Menu Inspector General tab the menu’s inactivity timeout setting expires. Menu Timeout Target Track Sources Following are the track-level standard sources in addition to the basic sources. Source Usage Alternative methods Use to assign a script to be run Track Inspector General tab prior to playing this track. Pre-Script 542 Chapter 21 Establishing Connections Source Usage Alternative methods Use to specify the action when Marker Inspector General tab the viewer presses the Menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc and track settings. Marker 1:Menu End Jump in the Marker Inspector Use to specify the action when the marker’s part of the track finishes playing (the frame before reaching the next marker). Marker 1:End Jump Story Sources Following are the story-level standard sources in addition to the basic sources. Source Usage Alternative methods Use to assign a script to be run Story Inspector General tab prior to playing this story. Pre-Script Target Use to specify the action when Story Marker Inspector this entry marker’s part of the track finishes playing (the frame before reaching the next marker). Marker 1 Entry:End Jump Use to specify the action when Story Marker Inspector the viewer presses the Menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc and track settings. Marker 1 Entry:Menu Advanced The following sources are available when viewing the advanced source group. These sources are in addition to those available with the basic and standard levels. Disc Sources Following are the disc-level standard sources in addition to the basic and standard sources. Source Usage Alternative methods Use to specify the action when Disc Inspector Advanced tab the viewer presses the Angle menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting can be overridden by similar settings in tracks and slideshows. Angle Chapter 21 Establishing Connections 543 Source Usage Alternative methods Use to specify the action when Disc Inspector Advanced tab the viewer presses the button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting can be overridden by similar settings in tracks and slideshows. Chapter Use to specify the action when Disc Inspector Advanced tab the viewer presses the Audio menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting can be overridden by similar settings in tracks and slideshows. Audio Use to specify the action when Disc Inspector Advanced tab the viewer presses the Subtitle menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting can be overridden by similar settings in tracks and slideshows. Subtitle Use to specify the action when Disc Inspector General tab the viewer presses the Return button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting can be overridden by a similar setting in menus. Return Menu Sources Following is the menu-level standard source added to the basic and standard sources. Source Usage Alternative methods Use to specify the action when Menu Inspector Menu tab the viewer presses the Return button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc setting. Return Track Sources Following are the track-level standard sources in addition to the basic and standard sources. 544 Chapter 21 Establishing Connections Source Usage Alternative methods Track Inspector General tab (automatically set to Same as Disc) Use to specify the action when the viewer presses the Angle menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc setting. By default, this is set to Same as Disc. Angle Track Inspector General tab (automatically set to Same as Disc) Use to specify the action when the viewer presses the Chapter menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc setting. By default, this is set to Same as Disc. Chapter Track Inspector General tab (automatically set to Same as Disc) Use to specify the action when the viewer presses the Audio menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc setting. By default, this is set to Same as Disc. Audio Track Inspector General tab (automatically set to Same as Disc) Use to specify the action when the viewer presses the Subtitle menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc setting. By default, this is set to Same as Disc. Subtitle Track Inspector General tab (automatically set to Same as Disc) Use to specify the action when the viewer presses the Chapter menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc setting. By default, this is set to Same as Disc. Chapter Use to specify the action when None the viewer presses the Next button on the DVD player’s remote control after the last marker. See Next Jump and Prev Jump for more information. Next Jump Use to specify the action when None the viewer presses the Previous button on the DVD player’s remote control before the first marker. See Next Jump and Prev Jump for more information. Prev Jump Chapter 21 Establishing Connections 545 Slideshow Sources Following are the slideshow-level standard sources in addition to the basic and standard sources. Source Usage Alternative methods Slideshow Inspector (automatically set to Same as Disc) Use to specify the action when the viewer presses the Angle menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc setting. By default, this is set to Same as Disc. Angle Slideshow Inspector (automatically set to Same as Disc) Use to specify the action when the viewer presses the Audio menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc setting. By default, this is set to Same as Disc. Audio Slideshow Inspector (automatically set to Same as Disc) Use to specify the action when the viewer presses the Subtitle menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc setting. By default, this is set to Same as Disc. Subtitle Slideshow Inspector (automatically set to Same as Disc) Use to specify the action when the viewer presses the Chapter menu button on the DVD player’s remote control. This setting overrides the disc setting. By default, this is set to Same as Disc. Chapter Use to specify the action when None the viewer presses the Next button on the DVD player’s remote control during the last slide. See Next Jump and Prev Jump for more information. Next Jump Use to specify the action when None the viewer presses the Previous button on the DVD player’s remote control during the first slide. See Next Jump and Prev Jump for more information. Prev Jump 546 Chapter 21 Establishing Connections Target Details The list of targets is the same for all sources. Some targets only work with specific source types; DVD Studio Pro only allows you to assign appropriate targets to the sources. • Menus: Use to select the menu to link to a source. Select the menu to have the menu appear with the default buttons highlighted and to have the pre-script (if assigned) execute, or select a specific button to have the menu appear with that button highlighted. • Tracks and Stories: Use to select the track or story to link to a source. Select the track or story to have it play from the beginning and to have the pre-script (if assigned) execute, or select a specific marker or story entry to link to a specific place in the track or story. • Slideshows: Use to select a slideshow to link to a source. Select the slideshow to have it play from the beginning and to have the pre-script (if assigned) execute, or select a slide to link to. • Scripts: Use to select a script to link to a source. Note: The following only appear when a suitable source is selected. • Resume: Can only be assigned to menu buttons. Use it to take viewers from a menu back to a specific point in a track. For example, you can set up a track’s marker to jump to a menu that provides information or a graphic that pertains to the track just jumped from. The menu can have a single button set to Resume that, when activated, takes viewers back to the track at the point they left off. • Stop: Can only be assigned to the End Jump settings of markers and slides. Use it to force the DVD player to stop playing once the marker or slide is reached. • Same as Disc: Can only be assigned to sources that define actions for remote control buttons (such as Menu or Audio). Use it to set a remote control button to act the same as the disc’s setting. • Same as Track: Can only be assigned to story sources that define actions for remote control buttons. Use it to set a remote control button to act the same as the track’s setting. Chapter 21 Establishing Connections 547 Once you have created your project’s tracks, stories, slideshows, and menus, and set the connections between them, you are ready to take the final steps to create the DVD. This chapter covers the following: • About the Final Steps of DVD Creation (p. 549) • Should You Burn, Build, Format, or Build and Format? (p. 550) • Options for Testing Your Project (p. 552) • Simulating Your Project (p. 552) • Setting Disc Properties (p. 559) • Building Your Project (p. 566) • Emulating Your Project Using DVD Player (p. 575) • Setting Disc Format Properties (p. 577) • About DVD-ROM Discs (p. 577) • About Dual-Layer Discs (p. 580) • About Two-Sided Discs (p. 584) • Formatting Your Project (p. 584) • Reading a DLT Drive (p. 590) About the Final Steps of DVD Creation Following is a list of the final steps in the DVD creation process: • Testing your project with the Simulator: Using the Simulator allows you to verify most of your connections and button navigation before building the title. • Setting prebuild disc properties: This is the time to set any last-minute disc properties, especially those that must be set before you build the title. • Building your project: This process creates a VIDEO_TS (video zone for SD projects) or HVDVD_TS (for HD projects) folder and compiles your project’s elements into a DVD-compliant file structure. 549 Finishing a Project 22 • Emulating your project: You can use the Apple DVD Player to play the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder’s contents. • Setting preformat properties: You can set various details, such as copy protection, region coding, and various disc media attributes. • Formatting your project: In this step, the VIDEO_TS and/or HVDVD_TS folder and any other added DVD-ROM content are formatted and written to the selected output type. Simulate Emulate DVD disc DLT Hard disk VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder Author • Add assets • Create elements • Create connections Format • Set replication properties • Create output Build • Set disc properties • Compile project to a VIDEO_TS folder or HVDVD_TS folder Should You Burn, Build, Format, or Build and Format? When your project is finished, you have the option of directly burning a DVD or stepping through the process of building and formatting the project. The option you use depends on your situation. Burning a Project Burning is a simple one-click step that creates a DVD from your project. You simply click Burn in the toolbar or press Command-Option-B to start the process. Your system’s DVD burning drive is checked to see if suitable recordable media is present—if not, a dialog appears, prompting you to insert a blank disc. And that’s it. The process starts and there are no more decisions to make. This is a good choice if you do not require special settings, such as selecting the drive to write to. Burning a project creates a VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder just as with the build process. It is written to the location specified in the Destinations pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences. This makes it possible to burn additional discs (using Format) without needing to recreate the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder. If your system has multiple drives that can burn DVDs, the burn process uses the first general type drive it finds. If none are found, it then looks for an authoring drive. You cannot use the burn process to write to a DLT or disk image. If you want to make several DVDs of your project, you can use Burn to create the first disc, and then save time by using Format to create the additional DVDs. This avoids having DVD Studio Pro recreate the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder for each disc. 550 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project Building a Project The build process only creates the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder; it does not burn a disc. You click Build in the toolbar or press Command-Option-C to start the process. With the build process, you are able to choose the location where the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder is created. Using Build by itself is useful when you want to create the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder so that you can emulate the project using DVD Player, or if you want to manually copy the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder to a disc. See Building Your Project for more information. Formatting a Project The format process requires you to have a VIDEO_TS and/or HVDVD_TS folder already created. You click Format in the toolbar or press Command-F to start the process. Using Format is especially useful when you want to make multiple discs from the same VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder. You would usually use the format process after you had emulated the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder and were ready to burn a disc or DLT. You can also combine the format process and the build process (described next); however, an advantage to using the format process separate from the build process is that you can choose the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder to format. This can be useful if you are working on a new project and get a request for a DVD of an earlier project whose VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder is still available. See Setting Disc Format Properties for more information. Building and Formatting a Project When combined, the build and format processes act similarly to the burn process. The difference is that you are presented with the same configuration options you get when you use the build and format processes separately, which allows you to customize the process. You click Build/Format in the toolbar or press Command-Option-F to start the process. After you configure the build and format options, you are then not required to do anything more until the DVD or DLT has been created. An exception is dual-layer discs, because the break point cannot be verified until the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder has been created. See About the Build/Format Command for more information. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 551 Options for Testing Your Project There are three methods you can use to test your project: using the DVD Studio Pro preview and simulation features, and playing the title on a DVD player (emulating your project). • Previewing your project’s elements: The DVD Studio Pro preview feature provides a way to view single elements, such as a track. Preview does not allow you to check how one element works with others in the project. For example, you cannot use it to verify a connection from a menu to a track. See Viewing a Track and Previewing a Slideshow for more information. • Simulating your project: The DVD Studio Pro simulation feature is a relatively comprehensive way to test most aspects of a project, with the primary focus on verifying connections. The Simulator works a lot like a DVD player that plays the project before it’s built into a video title set. It allows you to test most connections, including First Play, and provides the functions of a DVD player remote control. It also provides a complete display of the contents of the System Parameter Register Memories (SPRMs) and General Purpose Register Memories (GPRMs), making it possible to verify many scripts. You can also configure your system to simulate the project using an external video and audio monitor. This makes it possible to see the project as most viewers will, with actual pixel aspect ratios, colors, and if applicable, interlacing. See Simulating Your Project for more information. • Emulating your project: Emulating your project by playing it on a real DVD player is the most sure test of it. To emulate your project with the Apple DVD Player, you must build the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder. To emulate your project using a standalone DVD player, you must also format it and burn a disc that you can then play on any DVD player. It’s important to test your project under varying conditions, especially if your project relies heavily on scripts. See Emulating Your Project Using DVD Player for more information. Simulating Your Project The DVD Studio Pro Simulator is a useful tool for verifying your project while you are still creating it. There are a few things to be aware of before simulating your project: • The Simulator behaves much as a standalone DVD player. This means you should have the links set to allow you to navigate around the project. In particular, be sure to set your First Play action to a suitable menu or track. If you do not yet have the assets that will be the actual First Play element, you can temporarily link to an interim menu instead. This ensures that an element is displayed if you start the Simulator by clicking Simulate in the toolbar. 552 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project There are also a variety of ways you can force the Simulator to start at a specific element. For example, you can Control-click the element in the Outline or Graphical tab, then choose Simulate from the shortcut menu. This allows you to test parts of the project without having all of the elements in place. • DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains a number of settings in the Simulator pane that allow you to configure the Simulator much like you would a DVD player. For example, you can set the Simulator’s region code, aspect ratios, language preferences, and playback output options to test for different situations. See Simulator Preferences for more information. • Because the project has not been built yet, the Simulator must use assets as and where they are. This may lead to issues with playback, such as stuttering or pauses. The severity of these issues depends on the assets and the computer you are authoring on. • The Log tab contains a simulation log that provides information on a simulation while it is in progress. This information can be useful when you are trying to work out issues with your project. • The Simulator processes Pause After VOBU settings on markers set at slides in a track. The Simulator does not process Pause After VOBU settings on markers set on full-motion video clips (which it is not recommended to do in any case). The track plays as if the settings were not active. See General Tab in the Marker Inspector for more information on VOBUs. Simulating with an External Video and Audio Monitor When you author a DVD, it can be important to see the video and hear the audio with devices that closely match those that the viewer is expected to use. Being able to do this while simulating your project allows you to verify the video and audio prior to burning a test DVD. In particular: • You see the true color based on the DVD specification’s YUV values instead of a computer monitor’s RGB values. • You see the actual pixel aspect ratios. To display 4:3 or 16:9 video on a computer monitor requires the pixels to be scaled, which can create or hide issues in the video. See External Video and Audio Monitoring for information on connecting external monitors. See Simulator Preferences for information on Simulator settings. When using an external video monitor, keep the following in mind: • The external video monitor is only used during simulation. • When using an external video monitor, the Simulator window on your computer is inactive. • You cannot use the pointer to click buttons on the external monitor. You must control the simulation by using the Simulator window’s controls. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 553 • Depending on your system and the video being simulated, frames may be skipped during playback to maintain synchronized playback with the audio. Starting and Stopping the Simulator You can start the Simulator at any time while creating your project. You should have sufficient connections set so that navigation is possible between the elements you want to test. The most important item to have set is the First Play action. If you select the disc in the Outline tab or click an empty area in the Graphical tab, you can set the First Play action in the Connections tab or in the Disc Inspector. You can also set the First Play action directly in the Outline and Graphical tabs. See Assigning the First Play Element for more information. To start and stop the Simulator from the First Play element Do one of the following: μ Click the disc item in the Outline tab, then choose File > Simulate Disc, or press Command-Option-0 (zero). μ Control-click the Graphical tab’s background, then choose Simulate Disc from the shortcut menu. μ Click Simulate in the toolbar. The Simulator opens and displays the First Play element. An alert appears if none has been assigned, and the Simulator starts at the first video stream of the first track. Stop the simulation by clicking the close button in the upper-left corner of the window or pressing Command-W. You can also start the Simulator from a specific element or part of an element, including tracks, stories and story entries, slideshows and specific slides, or menus and specific buttons. This is useful when you only want to verify a specific element without going through the normal project navigation to get to it. To start the Simulator from a specific element Do one of the following: μ Choose File > Simulate, or press Command-Option-0 (zero). (If no element is selected, the Simulator starts from the First Play element.) μ Control-click the element in the Outline or Graphical tab, then choose Simulate from the shortcut menu. μ Control-click in the element’s editor, then choose Simulate from the shortcut menu. The Simulator opens and displays the element. Note: If the element you start the Simulator at has a pre-script assigned to it, the pre-script is not executed. 554 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project Simulator Window The Simulator window appears in front of all other DVD Studio Pro windows. Click the Info button to open the information drawer. Choose the type of display to simulate. The timecode of the current elegment The area to the left of the video display contains the playback controls you can use to navigate within your project. Most are similar to controls you would find on a DVD player’s remote control. You can click the Info button to open a drawer that shows information about the currently displayed element and the settings within the SPRMs and GPRMs. You are also able to choose the resolution (SD, HD 720, or HD1080) and the display mode (4:3 Pan-Scan, 4:3 Letterbox, or 16:9) to simulate when not using an external video monitor. Note: You can set the default state of these in the Simulator pane of DVD Studio Pro Preferences. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 555 Playback Controls The playback controls are similar to those found on DVD player remote controls. Play/Pause Chapter Skip Forward Menu Navigation controls Track Skip Forward Track Skip Reverse Chapter Skip Reverse Stop Title • Menu: Jumps to the element assigned to the Menu button. The assignment can be different for each track, story, marker, and slideshow. • Title: Jumps to the element assigned to the Title button. • Play/Pause: Alternately pauses, then plays the track or motion menu. • Stop: Stops playback of the project. The jacket picture appears if you have assigned one to your project. See About Jacket Pictures for more information. Click First Play to restart playback. • Track Skip Reverse and Track Skip Forward: To the left and right of the Play/Pause button and Stop button, these buttons skip to the beginning or end of a track, allowing you to test pre-scripts, display conditions, and End Jump settings. • Navigation controls: Allow you to navigate through the menus as you would with the arrow buttons on a remote control. (You can also use the pointer and click the menu buttons directly.) Press the center button to activate the currently selected button. • Chapter Skip Reverse and Chapter Skip Forward: Skip to the previous or next chapter marker or still while playing a track or slideshow. 556 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project Menu Controls The menu controls let you test the project’s remote assignments. Angle Menu Subtitle Menu Chapter Menu Return Audio Menu First Play Click the Info button to open the information drawer. • Chapter Menu, Angle Menu, Audio Menu, and Subtitle Menu: Jump to the element assigned to the Chapter, Angle, Audio, and Subtitle menu buttons (not to be confused with the Angle, Audio, and Subtitle stream select buttons). The assignment can be different for each track and slideshow. • First Play: Restarts playback of the project by executing the First Play action. • Return: Jumps to the element assigned to the Return button. The assignment can be different for each menu. Stream Selections The stream selection pop-up menus operate like the Angle, Audio, and Subtitle buttons found on most remote controls. Subtitle Select Subtitle Enable Angle Select Audio Select • Angle Select, Audio Select, and Subtitle Select: When playing a track with multiple streams, you can choose the streams to play. Each pop-up menu shows the stream number currently playing. To change streams, open the pop-up menus and choose a new stream. • View checkbox: Controls whether the selected subtitle stream displays. Select the checkbox to show subtitles and deselect it to hide them. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 557 Information Drawer You can click the Info button or press Shift-I to open the information drawer. The drawer can open on any side of the Simulator, depending on the Simulator’s position. (You can press Shift-Option-I to have it open on a different edge.) The information drawer changes to match the current element type (menu, track, story, and so on). The Item Properties section shows information specific to that element; you cannot enter information into it. The Registers section shows the status of either the SPRMs or GPRMs. You can choose which to see by selecting the relevant checkbox. You can also choose to see the values in hexadecimal. You can double-click a value to enter a new value into it if you want to verify how your project operates under specific DVD player conditions. You can also enter a new name for any of the GPRMs. Simulation Log The Log tab contains a Simulate view that provides details of a simulation while it is running. These details include any changes in the SPRMs and GPRMs, any navigation actions, and any jumps that are made. To show the simulation log 1 Click the Log tab. 2 Choose Simulate from the View pop-up menu. 3 Simulate the project. Note: The Log tab automatically appears once you start the Simulator. 558 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project Setting Disc Properties The Disc Inspector contains settings that affect your DVD title. Some settings, such as the disc’s name, its First Play action, and the video standard, can be set early in the project creation process. You do not have to make other settings until you are ready to burn a DVD, write to a Digital Linear Tape (DLT) drive, or write to a hard disk. The top of the Disc Inspector and its General and Advanced tabs contain settings that affect the title’s playback. All of these settings (except the disc name and DVD-ROM settings) must be set before you build your project. You must also set the Macrovision setting in the Region/Copyright tab. The remaining settings affect the format process. You can set them at any time, even after you start the format process. To open the Disc Inspector μ Select the disc’s name in the Outline tab or click an empty area in the Graphical tab. Settings at the Top of the Disc Inspector There are three settings at the top of the Disc Inspector. • Name: This is the name that appears when the DVD is played on a computer. It’s also the name that appears in the Outline tab. The default name is Untitled Disc. You can enter a name with a maximum of 32 characters. While you can enter any characters you wish, the only permissible characters for the formatted disk image are the 26 uppercase English characters, numerals 0 through 9, and the underscore (“_”). DVD Studio Pro automatically converts lowercase letters to uppercase and removes unsupported characters when you use the format feature. The disc name does not need to be set before building the project. You can set it during the formatting process. • Est. Size: This displays the amount of disc space that DVD Studio Pro estimates will be required for the build, including any DVD-ROM files you may be adding. This size uses the same convention as used by DVD media—one MB is equal to 1,000,000 bytes. See Making Sure Your Content Will Fit for information on how much data a 4.7 GB disc can actually hold. • First Play: This specifies what appears when the disc is first inserted into a DVD player. First Play can also be set in the Connections, Outline, and Graphical tabs. It is important to set First Play prior to building the project to ensure that all DVD players will play the disc correctly. You can choose from all menus, tracks, stories, slideshows, and scripts within your project. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 559 See Setting the Project’s First Play for information on setting the First Play for different types of projects. See Assigning the First Play Element for information on setting the First Play using the Outline or Graphical tab. General Tab in the Disc Inspector All of the settings in the General tab except the DVD-ROM settings must be set before building a project. Standard Settings • DVD Standard: Shows the DVD standard for this project. • SD DVD: When set to SD DVD, you can convert the project to HD-based DVD by clicking the HD DVD button. • HD DVD: When set to HD DVD, however, you cannot change the project back to SD DVD. See Setting the DVD Standard for more information. • Video Standard: Select the type of video used in this project, NTSC or PAL. This must be set before you import any video assets. See Setting the Video Standard for more information. Streams • Audio: You can choose an audio stream that will serve as the initial active stream, overriding the DVD player’s setting. The default setting is “not set,” which lets the DVD player control the stream setting. Note: The word Empty in parentheses after a stream number indicates that that stream is currently empty. • Angle: You can choose a video stream that will serve as the initial active stream, overriding the DVD player’s setting. The default setting is “not set,” which lets the DVD player control the stream setting. 560 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project • Subtitle: You can choose a subtitle stream that will serve as the initial active stream, overriding the DVD player’s setting. You can also force the subtitle stream to appear by selecting its View checkbox. The default setting is “not set,” which lets the DVD player control the stream setting. Remote Control • Title, Menu, and Return: You can set the Title, Menu, and Return remote control settings, which correspond to a DVD player’s remote control buttons. See Remote Control Settings for details on setting these buttons. DVD-ROM See About DVD-ROM Discs for details on using these settings and creating DVD-ROM discs. • Content: Specifies whether this is a DVD-Video or DVD-ROM title. Selecting Content enables the DVD-ROM content settings (Location and Joliet Extension Support). • Size: Shows the size of the files the folder chosen as the Location contains. This size uses the same convention as used by DVD media—one MB is equal to 1,000,000 bytes. The size is also shown in actual bytes. • Location: This setting is active only when you select Content. The Location setting lets you choose the folder to include as the DVD-ROM contents for the disc. All files and folders at this location (but not the actual folder specified with the Location setting) are added to the root of the DVD. For example, if you want several PDF files to be in a folder named PDFExtras at the root of the DVD, you would have to create the PDFExtras folder, place the PDF files in it, then place that folder in the folder you specify as the Location (DVDROMContent in the example below). • Joliet Extension Support: This setting is active only when you select Content. Selecting Joliet Extension Support affects the filenames allowed in the DVD-ROM content when using red laser media. See Joliet Volume for more information. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 561 Disc/Volume Tab in the Disc Inspector These settings do not need to be set until you format your project. However, choosing the disc media, size, and layer options will ensure the toolbar’s disc meter is correct. • Disc Media: Available for HD projects only (SD projects can only use red laser media). Choose the type of media your project will be distributed on. Red Laser refers to the media used with SD projects, although HD projects can also use it. Blue Laser refers to media used with HD projects. Important: This setting affects the scale of the toolbar’s disc meter and the type of disc (red laser or blue laser) the replicator will create if you are using DDP or CMF when formatting your project. It does not affect what happens when burning a general media disc on your system. • Layer Options: Choose either single- or dual-layer for the media. • Track Direction: Use this control to select either PTP (Parallel Track Path, in which the second disc layer plays from the inner track to the outer track as the first layer does) or OTP (Opposite Track Path, in which the second layer plays from the outer track to the inner track, the opposite of the first layer). The advantage of the OTP method is that it minimizes the amount of time the DVD player spends seeking the next track when switching layers. See About Dual-Layer Discs for more information and tips on creating dual-layer discs. • Break Point: Use this pop-up menu to choose the dual-layer break point. The Break Point setting controls where the division is between the first and second layer of the disc. You can select any marker on any track, although depending on how full the disc is, there may only be a limited number of usable options. When left as Auto, DVD Studio Pro automatically chooses the break point. See About Dual-Layer Discs for more information on creating dual-layer discs. • Seamless: Select Seamless to configure the dual-layer break point as seamless. 562 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project Important: An alert appears when you select Seamless. Do not select Seamless unless your project specifically requires it. See Choosing Seamless or Non-Seamless Layer Changes for more information. • Number of sides: Choose whether this is a one- or two-sided disc. Note: A two-sided disc requires two separate projects—one for each side. • Disc Side: Choose Side A or Side B for this project. This is for the replication facility. • Disc Size: Choose either the standard 12 cm or the smaller 8 cm disc size. • Maximum Size: Based on the above settings, shows the maximum amount of disc space available. Region/Copyright Tab in the Disc Inspector The only setting in the Region/Copyright tab that you must set before building a project is the Macrovision setting. • Playable Region Codes: Select the checkbox next to the regions in which you want to be able to play the disc (all are enabled by default). All DVD players (standalone and computer) must be assigned a region code. This code divides the world into six regions, with an additional region for discs played on airplanes. These region codes allow you to have some control over where a disc can be played. So that you can easily emulate on any DVD player the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder created by the build process, the folder defaults to having all regions enabled (except “7-Reserved”). Region code settings are applied during the formatting process. Important: If you change the region code settings and burn a DVD using general media, some DVD players that should be prevented from playing it will play the disc. This issue does not occur with replicated discs originating from either general or authoring media. Additionally, you must have at least one playable region selected. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 563 • Copyright Management: Select the checkbox to enable either digital-based or analog-based (Macrovision) copyright protection of the disc. Selecting this checkbox enables the Copy Generation setting. Note: This setting affects the number of bytes in each sector of the disc. With copyright management disabled, each sector has 2048 bytes. With copyright management enabled, each sector has 2054 bytes. • Copyright Generation: This pop-up menu specifies whether copies are allowed. • Copying Permitted: The disc is not protected against copying. The Format for CSS checkbox and Macrovision pop-up menu are disabled. The only difference between this setting and leaving the Copyright Management checkbox unselected is the number of bytes in the sectors. • One Copy Permitted: Allows users to make a copy of the disc, but no additional copies from that copied disc (the Copy Generation status of the copied disc switches to No Copy Permitted). You can make as many copies as you want from the original disc; you just can’t make more copies from the copies of the original. The Format for CSS checkbox and Macrovision pop-up menu are disabled. • No Copy Permitted: Enables the Format for CSS checkbox and Macrovision pop-up menu so that you can choose the type of copy protection to use. • Format for CSS: Available in SD DVD projects only. Only available when Copy Generation is set to No Copy Permitted. The Content Scrambling System (CSS) provides digital-based copyright protection. Selecting Format for CSS alerts the replication facility to apply CSS encryption to the disc (if it is licensed and authorized to do so). • Macrovision: Available in SD DVD projects only. This must be set before you create the VIDEO_TS folder in the build process. Macrovision provides analog-based copyright protection. See About the Macrovision Settings for more information. 564 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project Advanced Tab in the Disc Inspector All of the settings in the Disc Inspector’s Advanced tab must be set before you build a project. These settings apply to specialized features used on advanced projects. • Embed Text Data: This checkbox is automatically selected if you use the DVD@CCESS feature within your project. You can also select it if you want to add the names you assigned to the tracks, slideshows, and menus to the DVD disc. This text can be displayed on DVD players designed to support the Text Display extensions of the DVD-Video specification (version 1.1). • Language: If the Embed Text Data checkbox is selected, you can identify the language in which the text names will appear. Choose Not Specified to have the text appear regardless of the DVD player’s language setting. • Additional Remote Controls: You can set the Angle, Chapter, Audio, and Subtitle menu remote control settings, which correspond to a DVD player’s remote control buttons. These links can make it convenient for viewers to access DVD menus that allow them to select audio and subtitle options, an angle, or a chapter. However, be sure to design your title with other ways to reach these DVD menus, because very few remote controls offer these buttons. Important: Do not confuse these buttons with the Audio, Subtitle, and Angle selection buttons commonly found on remote controls—these buttons do not access a menu, and instead directly change the settings. See Remote Control Settings for details on setting these buttons. • GPRM Variable Names: You can configure the partitions and enter names for the eight GPRMs used when creating scripts. Once you create a script, you can also enter these names in the Script Inspector or the Simulator. See General Purpose Register Memories for information on using GPRMs in your scripts. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 565 • Jacket Picture: You can choose a graphic to use as the jacket picture for this DVD. See About Jacket Pictures for more information. Building Your Project Building a project compiles all of the elements into files that conform to the DVD-Video specification (SD projects). Before you build your project, you must make sure you have set your prebuild disc properties. Prebuild Disc Properties The prebuild disc properties include the following items from the Disc Inspector. See Setting Disc Properties for details on these properties. You must set these properties before you can build your project. • First Play: Located at the top of the Disc Inspector. • Video Standard: Located in the General tab. • Streams: Located in the General tab. • Remote Control: Located in the General tab. • Macrovision: (SD projects only) Located in the Region/Copyright tab. • Embed Text Data: Located in the Advanced tab. • Additional Remote Controls: Located in the Advanced tab. • GPRM Variable Names: Located in the Advanced tab. • Jacket Picture Asset: Located in the Advanced tab. About the Macrovision Settings If your SD project is to be coded for Macrovision Analog Protection System (APS) copy protection, you must choose the Macrovision type before you build the project. Important: The Macrovision APS is not available for HD projects. The Macrovision APS is an analog copy protection system that alters the video signal in such a way as to discourage viewers from making copies of your DVD-Video disc onto a videocassette recorder. Macrovision Licensing Use of analog copy protection for DVD applications is subject to the proprietary intellectual property rights of Macrovision Corporation, of Sunnyvale, California, and users must complete a usage agreement with Macrovision Corporation before the analog protection system activation bits are set to “on.” For further information, see the Macrovision website at http://www.macrovision.com. 566 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project To enable Macrovision APS 1 Open the Disc Inspector by selecting the disc in the Outline tab or clicking an empty area in the Graphical tab. 2 Click the Region/Copyright tab. 3 Select the Copyright Management checkbox. 4 Choose No Copy Permitted from the Copy Generation pop-up menu. 5 Choose the type of Macrovision protection to use (Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3) from the Macrovision pop-up menu. Note: The Format for CSS checkbox has no bearing on the Macrovision setting. The Macrovision coding is applied to the entire disc. Once you have chosen No Copy Permitted from the Copy Generation pop-up menu, you can also apply or change Macrovision coding on specific tracks and markers using the Other tab in each track’s Inspector and the General tab in each marker’s Inspector. Note: If you configure Macrovision on a track or marker before you configure it for the disc in the Disc Inspector, the settings in the Disc Inspector automatically update to match the track or marker settings. Three Macrovision types are supported by the DVD-Video specification: • Type 1: Uses the Automatic Gain Control (AGC) process. The AGC process places pulses in the vertical interval of the video stream that televisions do not detect. When a copy is attempted, these pulses confuse a VCR’s AGC circuitry, causing copies to exhibit characteristics such as dim and noisy pictures, loss of color, loss of video, and picture tearing. • Type 2: Uses both the AGC process and a two-line colorstripe. The colorstripe process, which is only effective with NTSC video streams, consists of changes to colorburst information that are transparent on original viewing, but that produce horizontal lines across the picture when playing an unauthorized copy. The 2-line version of colorstripe has bands of altered chrominance 2 horizontal lines long. • Type 3: Uses both the AGC process and a four-line colorstripe. The 4-line version of the colorstripe process has bands of altered chrominance 4 horizontal lines long. This is also only effective with NTSC video streams. About Jacket Pictures Jacket pictures are an optional part of the DVD-Video specification and are intended to allow a DVD player to display a graphic representing a DVD. Jacket pictures are most commonly displayed on multi-disc players. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 567 Based on the DVD specification, Jacket Picture graphics should be supplied in three different resolutions (small, medium, and large) for display on different platforms and display devices. DVD Studio Pro automatically generates the required graphics and the folder that holds them, JACKET_P, when you build your project. To add a jacket picture to your project 1 Import the graphic to use for the jacket picture into the Assets tab. 2 Choose the jacket picture graphic from the Asset pop-up menu in the Disc Inspector’s Advanced tab. The jacket picture will appear in the Simulator when you stop playback. Building the Project Once you have set the prebuild disc properties, you can build your project. Depending on the size of your project and the speed of your computer and disk drives, this process can take several hours to finish. To build your project 1 Do one of the following: • Click Build in the toolbar. Note: To format the project immediately after building it, click Build/Format. See About the Build/Format Command for more information. • Press Command-Option-C. 2 Select the drive and folder to build to in the dialog that appears, then click Open. The build process begins and a progress bar appears that shows the element names currently being compiled. If the selected folder already has a folder of the same type it is generating (VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS), see Incremental Builds for details on the dialog that appears. Note: You cannot build an SD project in a folder that already contains an HVDVD_TS folder, and you cannot build an HD project in a folder that already contains a VIDEO_TS folder. 568 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project The Log tab also appears, automatically switching to display the build results. The tab shows details on the build’s progress, as well as messages about any errors that occur. Incremental Builds While creating your project, you may find it useful to perform builds several times before you are actually finished with it. These incremental builds can be useful to verify that certain aspects of the project are functioning properly, such as a set of scripts or a menu’s button navigation. To help with this process, DVD Studio Pro includes the ability to reuse unchanged elements from a previous build. This can greatly speed up the build process when you perform incremental builds. Once you select a folder to build into, DVD Studio Pro checks to see whether a folder of the same type it needs to create (VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS) is already present. If the folder already contains a folder of the same type, with a .layout file that has the same name as the project, a dialog appears for you to specify what should happen. • Cancel: Closes this dialog and the build process without saving anything. • Delete: Deletes the current contents of the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder and begins saving the new build information. • Reuse: Attempts to reuse as much of the current VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder contents as possible. If you decide to reuse the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder, DVD Studio Pro looks at its contents and, for each VTS block, checks to see if anything has changed from the last build. If the VTS block has not changed, the message “VOB up to date. Muxing skipped” appears in the Log tab and the build moves on to the next VTS block. See Non-Standard SD DVD Video Zone Files for more information about .layout files. General Build Information Depending on your system and the size of your project, the build process might take several hours. Following is some information on speeding up the process. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 569 Using Multiple Hard Disks One way to speed up the build process is to have the project’s assets on a disk completely different from the one you are building to (not just a second partition of the same disk). Using different disks for your assets and your build allows each disk to focus on either reading or writing data, rather than jumping from one function to the other. About the Build/Format Command Because the build and format processes take a lot of time, it is common to want to start them and let the processes run unattended. How well this will work depends on the type of project you are creating. When you choose the Build/Format command, a dialog appears in which you can set your build location and the format properties. Once you have set the source and destination settings, including the preformat settings in the Disc/Volume and Region/Copyright tabs, click the Build & Format button to start the process. If you have chosen a DVD or DLT drive as the output device, you are prompted to insert a blank disc or tape. See Output Type Settings for information on setting the destination, and Setting Disc Format Properties for more information on these settings. The following issues make dual-layer projects more difficult to run unattended: • During the format part of the process, you will have to load a second blank disc or tape once the first layer is written. • There may be problems with the break point. If you chose the Automatic mode for setting the break point, it is possible that a suitable marker may not exist. Additionally, if you chose a specific marker to use as the break point, it may not be suitable. DVD Studio Pro is unable to confirm either of these issues until the build part of the process finishes. If there is a problem, an error dialog appears and the format process is not started. Once you correct the problem by adding or selecting a different marker, you will have to start the build/format process over again. 570 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project See About Dual-Layer Discs for more information on setting a break point. The Build Files for SD Projects Once the build for your SD project starts, DVD Studio Pro creates two folders at the location you specified: an AUDIO_TS folder and a VIDEO_TS folder. Additionally, a third folder, JACKET_P, is created if you have assigned a jacket picture graphic. The AUDIO_TS folder is used by systems authoring DVD-Audio titles. To meet the DVD specification requirements, DVD Studio Pro creates the folder and leaves it empty. The empty folder is included in the format process. The JACKET_P folder contains three resolutions of the graphic assigned as the jacket picture. See About Jacket Pictures for more information. The VIDEO_TS folder contains all of the DVD-Video files for your project, and is placed in the video zone. The naming and structure contents of the VIDEO_TS folder are tightly regulated. All SD DVD titles use the same filenames and structure their contents in the same way. Video manager files Track 1 content group Non-standard file used for formatting Non-standard file used for formatting Standard SD DVD Video Zone Files The following groups of files are present in the video zone of all SD DVD-Video titles. Video Manager Group The video manager files contain much of the navigation information for the title. • VIDEO_TS.IFO: Contains the major information for the disc, such as its capacity and video zone structure. • VIDEO_TS.BUP: This is a backup of the .IFO file that can be used by the DVD player if the .IFO file cannot be read. • VIDEO_TS.VOB: This is the video objects file for the video manager. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 571 Track Content Group A set of at least four files is created for each track and slideshow in the project. “VTS_01” in the following filename examples refers to the first VTS block. Files for the second VTS block would start with “VTS_02.” You can have up to 99 tracks, stories, and slideshows in a project. Note: While stories do not get placed in their own VTS block, they still count against the 99 VTS limit. Video object files (VOB) contain the actual video, audio, and subtitle content for the menus and tracks. The maximum size of each VOB file is 1 GB. Within each track content group there are at least two VOB files—one that is dedicated to menu content and another (up to eight more) with the track’s contents. • VTS_01_0.IFO: Contains the major information for the first track, such as the number and types of streams and menus. • VTS_01_0.BUP: This is the backup for the .IFO file. • VTS_01_0.VOB: Contains the video and audio content for the menus. The properties of the audio and video used in the menus within a VOB must be the same. If your project has menus using different properties, they are placed in other VTS blocks (VTS_02_0.VOB, for example). See VTS Editor for more information on menus and VTS blocks. • VTS_01_1.VOB: Contains the video and audio content for the track. If the content is greater than 1 GB, a second file (VTS_01_2.VOB) is created for that additional content. Up to seven additional files can be created if required to hold the track’s contents. Non-Standard SD DVD Video Zone Files As part of the build process, DVD Studio Pro creates two additional files in the VIDEO_TS folder. The format process does not include these files in its final output. • A .layout file: This file uses the disc name and a “.layout” extension. The file contains project information used by the format process, including the marker information used when creating dual-layer discs. • A VOB_DATA.LAY file: This file is used for incremental builds when you choose to reuse files in the VIDEO_TS folder left from a previous build for a new build. Note: The .layout filename must match the disc name for an incremental build to work. See Incremental Builds for more information. If you intend to manually copy the VIDEO_TS folder to a disc (bypassing the DVD Studio Pro format process), you should be sure not to copy the above files to the disc. Most DVD players ignore them if they are present in the VIDEO_TS folder on the final disc, but some are unable to play the disc. 572 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project Additionally, if you have not saved your project before you build it, a folder is added to the VIDEO_TS folder named Render Data. This folder contains rendered versions of any motion menus in your project, and is normally in your project’s bundle file. See Menu Preferences for more information on rendered menu files. The Build Files for HD Projects Once the build for your HD project starts, DVD Studio Pro creates an HVDVD_TS folder at the location you specified. A second folder, JACKET_P, is created if you have assigned a jacket picture graphic. The JACKET_P folder contains three resolutions of the graphic assigned as the jacket picture. See About Jacket Pictures for more information. The HVDVD_TS folder contains all of the DVD-Video files for your project, and is placed in the video zone. The naming and structure contents of the HVDVD_TS folder are tightly regulated. All HD DVD titles use the same filenames and structure their contents in the same way. Non-standard file used for formatting Non-standard file used for formatting Standard files for an HD project with two tracks Optional jacket picture files Standard HD DVD Video Zone Files The following groups of files are present in all HD DVD-Video titles. Video Manager Group The video manager files contain much of the navigation information for the title. • HV000I01.IFO: Contains the major information for the disc, such as its capacity and video zone structure. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 573 • HV000I01.BUP: This is a backup of the .IFO file that can be used by the DVD player if the .IFO file cannot be read. • HV000M02.EVO: This is the enhanced video objects file for the video manager. Note: The file HV000M01.EVO is not used by DVD Studio Pro. Track Content Group A set of at least four files is created for each track and slideshow in the project. “HV001I,” “HV001M,” and “HV001T” in the following filename examples refer to the first VTS block. Files for the second VTS block would start with “HV002I,” “HV002M,” and “HV002T.” You can have up to 99 tracks, stories, and slideshows in a project. Note: While stories do not get placed in their own VTS block, they still count against the 99 VTS limit. Enhanced video object (EVO) files contain the actual video, audio, and subtitle content for the menus and tracks. Within each track content group there are at least two EVO files—one that is dedicated to menu content and another (up to 99 more) with the track’s contents. • HV001I01.IFO: Contains the major information for the first track, such as the number and types of streams and menus. • HV001I01.BUP: This is the backup for the .IFO file. • HV001M01.EVO: Contains the video and audio content for the menus. The properties of the audio and video used in the menus within an EVO must be the same. If your project has menus using different properties, they are placed in other VTS blocks (HV002M01.EVO, for example). See VTS Editor for more information on menus and VTS blocks. • HV001T01.EVO: Contains the video and audio content for the track. If the content is greater than 1 GB, a second file is created for that additional content. Up to 99 additional files can be created if required to hold the track’s contents. The last two digits of the filename increment as additional files are created. For example, the first 1 GB would be in HV001T01.EVO, the second 1 GB would be in HV001T02.EVO, and so on. Non-Standard HD DVD Video Zone Files As part of the build process, DVD Studio Pro creates two additional files in the HVDVD_TS folder. The format process does not include these files in its final output. • A .layout file: This file uses the disc name and a “.layout” extension. The file contains project information used by the format process, including the marker information used when creating dual-layer discs. • A VOB_DATA.LAY file: This file is used for incremental builds when you choose to reuse files in the HVDVD_TS folder left from a previous build for a new build. 574 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project Note: The .layout filename must match the disc name for an incremental build to work. See Incremental Builds for more information. If you intend to manually copy the HVDVD_TS folder to a disc (bypassing the DVD Studio Pro format process), you should be sure not to copy the above files to the disc. Most DVD players ignore them if they are present in the HVDVD_TS folder on the final disc, but some are unable to play the disc. Additionally, if you have not saved your project before you build it, a folder is added to the HVDVD_TS folder named Render Data. This folder contains rendered versions of any motion menus in your project and is normally in your project’s bundle file. See Menu Preferences for more information on rendered menu files. Emulating Your Project Using DVD Player Once you have successfully built your project and have a VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder, you can test it using the Apple DVD Player. This process allows you to verify your project using the actual compiled files. An advantage of using the Apple DVD Player is that it can play directly from a VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder. It also allows you to select which VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder to play, if there are multiple folders on your system. Important: You must use DVD Player v4.6.6 or later with Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger to play the HVDVD_TS folder. In addition to testing with DVD Player, it is also recommended that you try your project on other DVD players. Some computer DVD players will play from the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder, but may require the folder to be at the root level of your disk. To test on a standalone DVD player, you must go through the format process and create a DVD disc. This is the most comprehensive test you can perform on your project and is highly recommended. The Apple DVD Player works well as an emulation tool. It is provided with Mac OS X on computers with a DVD drive. It can play from a disc or from a specified VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder. It also processes any DVD@CCESS links you have added to your project. Note: To avoid conflicts, be sure to quit DVD Studio Pro before opening DVD Player. Once you have finished with DVD Player, be sure to quit it before opening DVD Studio Pro. To emulate your project with DVD Player 1 Quit DVD Studio Pro. 2 Open DVD Player by double-clicking its icon in the Applications folder. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 575 3 To select a VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder, choose either File > Open DVD Video Folder or File > Open VIDEO_TS Folder (depending on your version of DVD Player), or press Command-O. 4 Use the navigation dialog to locate the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder, then click Choose. 5 To play the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder, do one of the following: • Click the Play button. • Press the Space bar. The title starts playing, based on its First Play action. Emulating DVD@CCESS Links DVD Player can process your DVD@CCESS links. You must first enable its DVD@CCESS capability. To emulate DVD@CCESS links with DVD Player 1 Choose DVD Player > Preferences. 2 Click the Disc tab. 3 Select the Enable DVD@CCESS Web Links checkbox. 4 Click OK. There are two types of DVD@CCESS links: those that use network access (such as connecting to a URL or sending an email) and those that open a file. When emulating a VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder, you can’t process links that open a file because the path you entered when setting the link most likely does not match the file’s current path (especially if the file is intended to be included on the DVD disc). To verify DVD@CCESS links that open a file, you must actually burn a DVD disc and emulate directly from the disc. See DVD@CCESS for details on using the DVD@CCESS feature. Emulating Dual-Layer Projects The build process for dual-layer projects is the same as for single-layer projects—it creates a single large VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder and compiles the files. You can emulate the project using DVD Player, but you will not be able to emulate the action at the dual-layer break point because it has not yet been set. (That happens in the format process.) Note: You can burn your dual-layer project to a double-layer disc to test the break point action. 576 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project Setting Disc Format Properties Before formatting and writing your DVD disc, DLT, or hard disk files, you must configure your disc’s format properties. Most of these settings can be made at any time in the authoring process. Additionally, you are given the opportunity to set these after you start the format process. The preformat disc properties include the following items from the Disc Inspector. See Setting Disc Properties for details on these settings. These same settings are in the format dialog that appears when you start the format process. In all cases, the items appear in the same tab in both the Disc Inspector and the format dialog. Any differences are listed below. • Disc Name: Located at the top of the Disc Inspector and in the General tab in the format dialog. • DVD-ROM: Located in the General tabs. The size of the DVD-ROM content appears in the format dialog. • Disc Information: Located in the Disc/Volume tab. • Volume Information: Located in the Disc/Volume tab of the format dialog. Shows the volume creation date. • Playable Region Codes: Located in the Region/Copyright tab. • Copyright Management: Located in the Region/Copyright tab. The Macrovision settings are disabled in the format dialog because these must have been set prior to building the project. • Destination: Located only in the format dialog’s General tab. See Output Type Settings for more information. About DVD-ROM Discs You can create either DVD-Video or DVD-ROM discs with DVD Studio Pro. • DVD-Video discs: Contain the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS and AUDIO_TS folders only. • DVD-ROM discs: Contain the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS and AUDIO_TS folders, as well as other files you specify. • ROM-only DVD discs: Do not contain the VIDEO_TS, HVDVD_TS, or AUDIO_TS folders—they contain only other files you specify. DVD-ROM discs, also known as hybrid discs, play on standalone DVD players the same way DVD-Video discs do. When played on a computer, however, the additional files on the disc can be accessed, either directly or as part of a DVD@CCESS link. See DVD@CCESS for more information on DVD@CCESS. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 577 Note: The type of DVD project you are creating, SD or HD, determines the type of volumes that are created. SD projects create a UDF 1.02 volume and HD projects create a UDF 2.50 volume, regardless of the disc type actually being burned. UDF 2.50 volumes will not play in current SD DVD players and are not supported by older computers, including those running Mac OS X v10.3 Panther or earlier. Filenaming Issues with Red Laser Media A DVD-Video disc can contain several folders: VIDEO_TS, HVDVD_TS, AUDIO_TS, and JACKET_P. The filenaming structure within these folders is very strict and tightly defined, and conforms to the “8.3” specification. That is, only eight characters maximum are allowed, followed by a three-character extension. The only allowed characters are uppercase letters, numbers, and the underscore. The names of files on a red laser disc are kept track of in two volumes—a UDF 1.02 (Universal Disc Format version 1.02) volume and an ISO 9660 volume, which together are known as the UDF Bridge Format. The advantage of having the two volumes is that it makes the DVD disc usable on a wider variety of playback devices. A potential disadvantage is that each volume has its own filenaming rules. In the case of a DVD-Video disc, because the only files present are those within the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders, the names in both volumes are identical. A DVD-ROM disc also contains the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders, and each must follow the same strict filenaming rules that apply to a DVD-Video disc. The difference is that the disc also contains folders and files outside of these normal DVD-Video folders. In addition, a third volume, the Joliet volume, may be created. As soon as you choose the DVD-ROM Content checkbox, the Joliet Extension Support checkbox becomes active. Use this to control the filenaming conventions applied to those nontraditional files. The following sections describe the filenaming conventions that apply to the different types of volumes on a DVD. UDF 1.02 Volume All SD DVDs using red laser media have a UDF 1.02 volume. The UDF volume always supports long (up to 255 characters) Unicode filenames. Unicode is a double-byte system allowing far more characters than the standard ASCII (single-byte) system. This is very useful when you want to use Japanese characters, for example. It also supports folders with extensions. Note that some operating systems prohibit the use of certain characters ( \ / ? : “ < > | ) in filenames. Standalone DVD players use the UDF volume to begin playing a disc, but only to locate the first files. They never go beyond the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS directories. Macintosh computers using Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X use the UDF volume. 578 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project ISO 9660 Volume All DVDs also have an ISO 9660 volume. This volume only supports filenames with single-byte ASCII characters. The ISO 9660 volume must conform to the “26.3” specification, similar to the “8.3” specification mentioned earlier (26 characters maximum followed by a 3-character extension; the only allowed characters are uppercase letters, numbers, and the underscore). In addition, folders cannot have extensions in their names. Filenames are automatically truncated and invalid characters replaced with an underscore. Filenames using double-byte characters exclusively are renamed as FILE_1, FILE_2, and so on. Joliet Volume Once you have selected the DVD-ROM Content checkbox, the Joliet Extension Support checkbox becomes active. Important: The Joliet Extension Support checkbox is only applicable when writing to red laser media. It has no effect when writing to blue laser media. Selecting the Joliet Extension Support checkbox forces the creation of the Joliet volume. This volume supports long Unicode filenames, just like the UDF volume, but has a limit of 110 characters. Folders with extensions are also supported. Filenames longer than 110 characters are automatically truncated. When not selected, the Joliet volume is not created. Note: In rare cases, enabling the Joliet Extension Support checkbox and adding a number of files with extended character set names to the disc may create playback problems on some older DVD players. Select it only if you need to include such files and can test the disc on your intended players. Filenaming Issues with Blue Laser Media Blue laser media contains only one volume—a UDF 2.5 volume. For the purposes of filenaming, a UDF 2.5 volume has the same rules as the UDF 1.02 volume found on red laser DVDs. See UDF 1.02 Volume for more information. Important: Older computer operating systems, including Mac OS X v10.3 Panther and earlier, and DVD players do not support UDF 2.5 volumes whether on red or blue laser discs. Creating ROM-Only DVD Discs You can use DVD Studio Pro to create DVD discs that contain only ROM data. The advantage of using DVD Studio Pro to do this (as opposed to using the Finder) is that, depending on whether you are using red laser or blue laser media, the volumes that are created are compatible with the DVD specification. To create a ROM-only DVD disc 1 Do one of the following: • Select the project’s name (next to the disc icon) in the Outline tab. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 579 • Click an empty area in the Graphical tab. The Disc Inspector appears. 2 Click the General tab in the Disc Inspector. 3 Select the SD DVD setting for DVD Standard to write to red laser media, or the HD DVD setting to write to blue laser media. 4 Do one of the following: • Choose File > Advanced Burn > Format (or press Command-F). • Click Format in the toolbar. The format dialog appears. By default, DVD Studio Pro assumes you want to format the project that was built last. The settings in the format dialog are set to match the last build. 5 Verify the settings in the Disc/Volume and Region/Copyright tabs are correct. This includes making sure the correct media type (red or blue laser) is selected as well as the layer options (single or dual). 6 In the General tab’s Source section, do one of the following: • Use the Current Source pop-up menu (labeled “Choose”) to navigate to a folder without a VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder. • Highlight and delete the text displayed in the Location text entry area. An alert appears warning you that no DVD content could be found in that location. 7 Configure the DVD-ROM Data section. 8 Configure the Destination section in the General tab in the format dialog. This is where you select and configure the output type. See Output Type Settings for more information. 9 Click Burn to start formatting the project if you are writing to DVD or DLT, or Format if you are writing to a hard disk. About Dual-Layer Discs Dual-layer discs present several challenges: • You can only fully test the break point if your system can burn to double-layer media: When you burn a dual-layer project to a double-layer disc using DVD Studio Pro, the break point, where the DVD player switches from one layer to the other, is placed as it would be with a replicated disc. See Emulating Dual-Layer Projects for more information. Note: DVD Studio Pro also allows you to burn a dual-layer project to a single-layer disc. In this case, all of the first layer and as much of the second layer as possible is written to the disc, with the marker that is used as the break point set to be non-seamless (unless you have chosen the seamless layer change setting). 580 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project • The second layer’s direction must be selected: You need to decide whether to use the Parallel Track Path (PTP) or Opposite Track Path (OTP) direction. See Setting the Dual-Layer Direction for more information. • A break point must be chosen: The point where the first layer ends and the second begins can be chosen automatically by DVD Studio Pro, or you can select the track marker that serves as the break point. See About Choosing a Dual-Layer Break Point for more information. Dual-layer discs allow you to place nearly twice as much content on a single disc side, but there is a downside to this method: At some point, the DVD player must switch from reading the first layer to reading the second layer. Switching between layers requires the player’s laser to refocus and then locate the sector at which to start playing. During this time, the video image freezes, which may confuse viewers or make them think the disc is defective. There are two things you can do to minimize the effect of this switch time: Use the OTP direction to minimize how long it takes, and choose a break point where a freeze is not as noticeable. Alternatively, you can choose to use a seamless layer change. Choosing Seamless or Non-Seamless Layer Changes DVD Studio Pro includes a setting that allows you to choose between a seamless layer change or a non-seamless layer change. With the seamless layer change, the switch between the first and second layer is less detectable. With the non-seamless layer change, there is a short pause when the DVD player switches between the layers. While the seamless layer change would appear to be the best choice, some DVD players do not support the seamless feature, and may stop playing the disc once the switch point is reached. For that reason, it is strongly suggested that you use the default non-seamless layer change setting. To change the layer change setting 1 Click the Disc/Volume tab in the Disc Inspector. 2 Do one of the following: • To use the normal layer change setting: Leave the Seamless checkbox deselected. • To force a non-standard seamless layer change setting: Select the Seamless checkbox. Setting the Dual-Layer Direction The disc’s first layer always starts on the inside edge, near the disc’s spindle hole. The disc plays from this point toward the outer edge. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 581 It is the second layer’s direction that you have to choose. With the Parallel Track Path (PTP) setting, the second layer is configured exactly like the first layer—it begins on the inside and plays toward the outside. With the Opposite Track Path (OTP) setting, the second layer begins on the outside edge and plays toward the inside. Note: Double-layer discs require you to use the OTP setting. With the PTP setting, the DVD player will need more time when switching between layers because the laser must be repositioned from one end of the disc to the other. Using the OTP setting minimizes the time needed to reposition the laser because the end of the first layer is near the beginning of the second layer. Important: When using the OTP setting, the first layer must be larger than the second layer. About Choosing a Dual-Layer Break Point Several factors need to be taken into account when you choose where to place the dual-layer break point: • Break points must be on track markers: When you choose the break point, you get a list of track markers to choose from. In some circumstances, you may need to place a marker on a track just for this purpose. See Setting the Dual-Layer Break Point for more information. Note: In some special cases, you can set your dual-layer break point in the DVD-ROM area. See Setting the Break Point with Large DVD-ROM Contents for more information. • Break points need to be placed so that the first layer is mostly filled: A red laser dual-layer disc can hold 7.95 binary gigabytes and a blue laser dual-layer disc can hold 27.94 binary gigabytes. (See Making Sure Your Content Will Fit for information on disc sizes and DVDs.) Each red laser disc layer can hold approximately 3.9 binary gigabytes, and each blue laser disc layer can hold approximately 13.9 binary gigabytes. The closer your project comes to filling the disc, the more critical it is that you get as much content as possible on the first layer, and place the break point accordingly. Additionally, using the OTP direction setting requires the first layer to be larger than the second layer. See Manually Determining the Break Point Position for information on determining at which track the first layer will be filled. • Break points are best when they are not noticed: A layer switch that occurs during a tense action-packed scene can disrupt the viewer’s attention. When possible, it is best to place the break point in a scene with little action, or even better, at a scene transition, such as a fade to black. 582 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project Setting the Break Point with Large DVD-ROM Contents Authoring a project that contains a small amount of DVD-Video data with a large amount of DVD-ROM data requires special handling for placing the break point. For example, you might author a project for a dual-layer red laser disc that contains 2 GB of DVD-Video data and 6 GB of DVD-ROM data. In this case, you will not be able to set a break point at a track’s marker because the DVD-ROM data will not fit on a single layer. In these cases, setting the break point to Automatic places the break point in the DVD-ROM data. Setting the Dual-Layer Break Point There are several methods you can use to set a dual-layer break point: • The automatic method: By default, once you configure the disc as dual-layer, Automatic is selected as the break point in the Disc/Volume tab in the Disc Inspector. With this setting, DVD Studio Pro chooses the last marker that fits in the first layer. In cases where there is a large amount of ROM data, the automatic method can also place the break point in the ROM data. See Setting the Break Point with Large DVD-ROM Contents for more information. If you are using the Build/Format command, the automatic method has the greatest chance of success, because it will be able to choose the break point marker once the build process is finished without having to pause for you to choose the marker to use. It is possible that your project does not have a suitable marker for use as the dual-layer break point. In that case, the format is canceled and you must add a suitable marker to a track in your project. (Another option might be to rearrange the order of the tracks in the VTS Editor. See Moving Elements from One VTS to Another for more information.) See Manually Determining the Break Point Position. • Assign a break point marker in the Track Editor: This method allows you to choose the marker to use as the break point while working with your tracks. The disadvantage of this method is that, until you build your project, it can be difficult to choose a suitable marker as the break point. This is especially true if your project has a lot of transitions or you are using assets that have not yet been MPEG-2 encoded. If you choose an inappropriate marker, the format process will automatically cancel, with a dialog advising you of the problem it encountered. • Choose the break point marker when you start the format process: After you have built your project, the Dual-Layer Break Point pop-up menu in the Disc/Volume tab in the format dialog shows all suitable markers that you can choose from, with those that are inappropriate dimmed. This option has the advantage of letting you choose the marker to use from a list of known suitable markers. The disadvantage is that you have to build your project first. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 583 As with the automatic method, it is possible that there are no suitable markers, with no markers appearing in the pop-up menu. This means that you will have to add a suitable marker to a track in your project, or try rearranging the tracks in the VTS Editor. See Manually Determining the Break Point Position. Manually Determining the Break Point Position You can usually determine which track will be playing at the point where the break point is set by looking at the contents of the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder. DVD Studio Pro writes the tracks to disc in their order in the Outline tab’s By VTS display. For SD projects, the first track listed becomes VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB, VTS_01_3.VOB, and so on (depending on the size of the track’s assets, with each VOB file being a maximum of 1 GB). The second track becomes VTS_02_1.VOB, and so on. For HD projects, the first track listed becomes HV001T01.EVO, HV001T02.EVO, and so on, with each EVO file being a maximum of 1 GB. The second track becomes HV002T01.EVO. See Standard SD DVD Video Zone Files and Standard HD DVD Video Zone Files for more information on identifying the files and on determining which files contain the menus, which will allow you to take them into account. For example, when authoring for a red laser disc, by adding the file sizes together, starting with VTS_01, you can determine at which track the first layer’s 3.9 GB limit will be reached, and even get a rough idea of where in that track this will happen. You may decide to reorder the tracks with the VTS Editor to ensure the break happens in a noncrucial track. About Two-Sided Discs A two-sided disc is a disc with separate projects on each side. Within DVD Studio Pro, you must create an independent project for each side. Some replication facilities allow you to have a single-layer project on one side and a dual-layer project on the other. Formatting Your Project Once you have built your project and set the preformat properties, you are ready to format it. The format process creates an output formatted for your output type: • A DVD burning drive • A DLT drive • A hard disk Each output type has its own settings that need to be configured before the actual format process begins. 584 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project In addition to the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder, there are other items that can be part of the format process: • A folder specified by the DVD-ROM content setting • DVD@CCESS Installers You can change or set the folder to use for DVD-ROM content either when specifying the preformat settings or while configuring the format process. The DVD@CCESS Installers are included if the project used DVD@CCESS links and the Embed Text Data checkbox in the Disc Inspector is selected. See DVD@CCESS for more information on DVD@CCESS. You can also choose to read content from a DLT drive and format that content. See Reading a DLT Drive for more information. Starting a Format Process You can set the format process to start automatically after a build or you can manually start the format. In either case, a window appears at the beginning of the format process; you can set the format properties here, if you have not already set them in the Disc Inspector. To format your project 1 Do one of the following: • Choose File > Advanced Burn > Format (or press Command-F) to perform a format only. • Click Format in the toolbar to perform a format only. • Choose File > Advanced Burn > Build and Format (or press Command-Option-F) to perform both a build and a format. See About the Build/Format Command for more information. • Click Build/Format in the toolbar to perform both a build and a format. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 585 The format dialog appears. By default, DVD Studio Pro assumes you want to format the project that was built last. The settings in the format dialog are set to match the last build. It is a good idea to verify that the settings in the General, Disc/Volume, and Region/Copyright tabs are correct. You can use the Choose button next to Current Build to select a folder that contains the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder you want to format. Important: DVD Studio Pro attempts to find the .layout and .LAY files in the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder you choose. An error message appears if they are not found, and in this case, you must manually configure the settings in the General, Disc/Volume, and Region/Copyright tabs. Additionally, if the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder contains a dual-layer project, you are not able to specify the break point and must use the automatic method. See Non-Standard SD DVD Video Zone Files and Non-Standard HD DVD Video Zone Files for more information. 2 Configure the Destination section in the General tab in the format dialog. This is where you select and configure the output type. See Output Type Settings for more information. 3 Click Burn to start formatting the project if you are writing to DVD or DLT, Format if you are writing to a hard disk, or Build & Burn if you used the Build/Format command. The format process begins and a progress bar appears that shows the format steps currently being performed. 586 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project Output Type Settings Once you start the format process, you can configure the output type you want to format to. The Destination section in the General tab in the format dialog contains the output type settings. • Output Device: Use this pop-up menu to choose the actual device to format to. It displays a list of your system’s suitable output devices, including DVD-R drives, DLT drives, and the system’s hard disk drive. The other Destination settings change depending on the device you select. See Output Devices for details on the devices available. • DVD-R Simulation Mode: This is active only when writing to a DVD-R drive. When selected, the format goes through the motions of writing to the DVD-R drive, but does not actually write to the disc. Note: This mode can only be used with DVD-R media. It cannot be used with DVD+R media. This is useful when you want to ensure that your system is able to support writing to a disc without any buffer underrun issues. Buffer issues indicate that data is not flowing smoothly and continuously from the source disk to the DVD-R drive. This can be caused by a slow device (for example, a networked hard disk) or a system that is too busy doing additional tasks. (A buffer underrun error that occurs while data is actually being written to a disc results in an unusable disc.) Once you finish the simulation with no problems, you can deselect the DVD-R Simulation Mode checkbox and feel comfortable that you can safely burn a DVD. • Lossless Linking: This checkbox is active only when writing to a DVD-R drive that supports this feature. When selected, it adds protection against buffer underrun conditions by allowing the drive to pause during the writing process, and then pick up where it left off once additional data becomes available. For normal DVD burning, especially on systems that may be prone to having buffer underrun conditions, it is suggested to select Lossless Linking. While Lossless Linking usually results in a flawless write process, there is a slight potential for an error to be introduced. If you are burning a disc for use by a replication facility, you may want to deselect Lossless Linking so that you can ensure that your disc is written without interruption. Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 587 • Output Format: Depending on the selected output device, there may be multiple formats available. Use this pop-up menu to select the specific format to use. See Output Devices for details on the formats available for each device. Output Devices There are three output device types that you can format your project for: DVD drives, DLT drives, and your system’s hard disk. DVD-R Drives With respect to formatting, DVD drives can be one of two types: • Authoring: These drives use authoring media and are capable of writing Cutting Master Format (CMF) discs, which provide advanced features when working with a replicator. The most common authoring drive used is the Pioneer S201. With an authoring drive, you can set the Output Format to either Standard or CMF. See The Cutting Master Format for more information on CMF discs. • General: These drives use general media and cannot write CMF discs. The Apple SuperDrive is the most common drive used for writing general media discs. Depending on your system, the SuperDrive is listed in the Output Device pop-up menu as a Pioneer DVR-103, a Pioneer DVR-104, a Pioneer DVR-105, or a Matshita UJ-815. Note: The list of drives used as SuperDrives will continue to change as newer drives become available. DLT Drives You have three output format options when formatting an SD project to a DLT drive: • DDP 2.0: Writes to the tape using the Data Description Protocol using DDP version 2.0. • DDP 2.1: Writes to the tape using the Data Description Protocol using DDP version 2.1. • CMF 1.0: Writes to the tape using the CMF format version 1.0. If this is a dual-layer project, you will be required to write two tapes—one for each layer. Important: You cannot use the DLT format to deliver your HD DVD projects to a replicator. Hard Disk In most cases, when you use the format process you will be writing directly to a DVD or DLT drive. Writing to the hard disk can be useful if you do not have a DVD or DLT drive available. For example, if you have a project that needs copyright management and you don’t have an authoring DVD-R drive or a DLT drive to get the project to your replicator, you can use a DDP or CMF output option and write the files to your hard disk. You can then copy the files as data to a general DVD disc or a FireWire drive for transport to your replicator. You may even be able to electronically copy the files to your replicator’s server over the Internet. 588 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project Important: Be sure to verify with your replicator that they are able to work with files given to them this way. Additionally, be sure to find out which output option (DDP 2.0, DDP 2.1, or CMF 1.0 for SD projects and DDP 3.0 or CMF 2.0 for HD projects) they need you to use. You have six output format options when writing to your hard disk: • DDP 3.0: HD projects only. Use this (Data Description Protocol) option to create a file compatible with DLT drives using DDP version 3.0. This DDP option is required for HD projects when you need to use a DDP format. • DDP 2.0: SD projects only. Use this (Data Description Protocol) option to create a file compatible with DLT drives using DDP version 2.0. • DDP 2.1: SD projects only. Use this (Data Description Protocol) option to create a file compatible with DLT drives using DDP version 2.1. • CMF 2.0: HD projects only. Writes to the tape using the CMF format version 2.0. This CMF option is required for HD projects when you need to use a CMF format. • CMF 1.0: SD projects only. Use this option to create a file compatible with authoring DLT and DVD-R drives using CMF format version 1.0. • .img: Use this option to create a disk image. With a dual-layer project, a single “.img” file contains the entire project, without any break point information. If you select your hard disk drive as your output device, you will be asked where you want the format to be written to. Important: The format files will require the same amount of space as the build’s VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder plus any DVD-ROM content you have included. Be sure you have enough free hard disk space before clicking Format. If you are formatting a dual-layer project and use either DDP or CMF as the output format, two folders are created—one for each layer. Each folder contains all the information required by a replicator. If you use .img as the output format, one file is created, even for dual-layer projects. The Cutting Master Format There are some features of the DVD specification that you cannot include on red laser DVD-R discs that you burn with your system. These features, which must be added by a replication facility, include: • Copyright management (including CSS and Macrovision) • Double-sided disc information Chapter 22 Finishing a Project 589 Traditionally, the only way to include these features on your replicated disc was to use a DLT drive. The Cutting Master Format (CMF) has been adapted to the DVD-R format so that now you can burn a DVD-R disc on your system and a replication facility can use that disc and include these features on the discs they make. CMF for DVD-R is only supported by authoring drives and media. Not all replication facilities support CMF discs; be sure to check with them ahead of time. Also, discs formatted as CMF may not play correctly on all DVD players. Only use CMF when supplying a disc to a replication facility. Important: Only a replicator can create DVDs with copyright management features. Using CMF discs allows you to format the data properly so that the replicator can add the copyright information. Reading a DLT Drive With DVD Studio Pro, you can copy the contents of a DLT drive to your hard disk as a disk image file. If the disk image is a single-layer project, you can then use the format feature to write the file to a second tape or to a DVD-R disc. By opening the disk image, you can access the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folder. This technique can be useful if you want to verify the DLT tape’s contents, make a backup of a DLT tape, or burn a DVD of a previous project without having to load the project and all its assets onto your system. To read a DLT drive 1 Make sure the DLT drive is connected and the tape is inserted. 2 Click Read DLT in the toolbar. 3 Select the location for the tape’s contents to be written to in the dialog that appears. 4 Click Open to start the process. If the tapes are from a dual-layer project, you are prompted to insert the second tape once the first has been read. The contents of the second tape are appended to the first tape’s contents. Important: When you read from a DLT drive, the “.layout” file that DVD Studio Pro uses to track the copy protection settings, position of the dual-layer break point, and other format related settings is not available. This means that, for single-layer projects, you have to verify the settings in the format dialog before you burn a DVD or write a new DLT from the file. It also means that you cannot burn a DVD or write a new DLT of a dual-layer project. 590 Chapter 22 Finishing a Project DVD Studio Pro contains a number of advanced features that are used mostly in specialized projects: VTS Editor, DVD@CCESS, user operations, display conditions, remote control settings, and Line 21 settings. In most cases, these features are available in several elements, such as menus and tracks. This chapter covers the following: • VTS Editor (p. 591) • DVD@CCESS (p. 598) • User Operations (p. 602) • Display Condition (p. 607) • Remote Control Settings (p. 612) • Line 21 Settings for Closed Captions (p. 614) VTS Editor The VTS Editor allows you to verify and control the VTS (Video Title Set) structure of your project. Using the VTS Editor, you are able to manually assign elements to VTS blocks. This makes it possible for you to optimize the final DVD’s layout so that when it’s played there are minimum pauses due to the player having to move between elements in different parts of the disc. For most projects, the VTS assignments automatically made by DVD Studio Pro while you build your project will work fine. However, complicated or specialized projects using many scripts and menus can have their playback performance improved by manually moving elements between the VTS blocks. 591 Using Advanced Features 23 About VTS Blocks The contents of a video DVD are contained in one or more VTS blocks. In DVD Studio Pro, each track and slideshow must reside in its own VTS. Additionally, each VTS has a structure to support one or more menus and one or more scripts. Also, all DVDs have a video manager that knows the VTS structure of the disc. Video Title Set (VTS) blocks (up to VTS_99) VTS_01 VTS_02 VTS_03 Main content space (8 GB maximum) Menu space (1 GB maximum) Script space VTS block detail Video manager Menus and VTS Blocks All menus in a VTS must use the same video and audio settings, including formats, aspect ratios, resolutions, and in the case of audio, sample size. For example, if you have some menus using AIFF audio and others using AC-3, they must be placed in different VTS blocks. DVD Studio Pro automatically places menus into VTS blocks as needed by their assets. Each VTS in an SD project is limited to a single file to hold the menu content, with a maximum file size of 1 GB. If you have a lot of motion menus, you may exceed this limit and need to split the menus between multiple VTS blocks. Note: A single VTS in an HD project can contain up to 99 1 GB files for menus. DVD Playback and VTS Blocks When you play a DVD and a jump must occur, such as when a menu button is selected that jumps to a track’s chapter marker, there is a slight pause while the DVD player’s laser locates where to jump to on the disc. • If the track is in a different VTS block than the menu: The laser must first jump to the video manager files, and from there on to the track’s VTS. • If the track is in the same VTS block as the menu: The laser is able to go directly to the track. 592 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features You can improve a disc’s playback performance by keeping related elements together whenever possible. For example, you should place the scripts used with a specific track in the same VTS as the track. Because menus often link to multiple tracks or slideshows, you will not be able to keep them together with everything they can jump to. However, you can minimize the time a DVD player spends jumping from the menu to the video manager files by keeping the menus in the first VTS, which is physically located close to the video manager files. See Standard SD DVD Video Zone Files for more information. Showing the VTS Editor The VTS Editor is located in the Outline tab. By default, the VTS Editor is hidden in the Outline tab. Indicates that the project’s elements are listed by their type, with no VTS information. Alternate View button swaps view between By Type and By VTS. Adds a new empty VTS (active only when the By VTS display is visible). Drag this edge to split the tab and show both By Type and By VTS. To show the VTS Editor Do one of the following: μ Click the Alternate View button. Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 593 The Outline tab changes from the current display, either By Type or By VTS, to the alternate display. If the display is in a split-view mode (showing both By Type and By VTS), clicking the Alternate View button swaps sides between the two views. μ Drag the partition toward the tab’s center. The partition edge can be on the left or right—it is the side that has the handle indication. Comparing the By VTS and By Type Displays The elements in the By VTS and By Type displays are very similar and can be used to do many of the same things. For example, double-clicking an element in either display opens it in its editor and inspector. (Selecting an element in one display also selects that same element in the other.) 594 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features The primary difference is in how they are organized. • By VTS: Lists the elements based on the VTS they belong to. A VTS can have only one track (which can also have stories) or one slideshow, but it can have multiple menus and scripts. • By Type: Lists the elements based on their type (menus, tracks, slideshows, and scripts). See Using the Outline Tab for more information on using the By Type display. Note: The Languages section in the By Type display does not represent actual elements—it represents languages that can be used for the menus. It does not appear in the By VTS display because it is not specific to a VTS. Moving Elements from One VTS to Another You can move elements from one VTS to another by dragging. This is most often done to place scripts and menus in the same VTS blocks as the tracks or slideshows they most closely relate to. To move an element to a different VTS μ Select the element and drag it to the destination VTS block’s name. As you drag the element, a black box surrounds the VTS name that it will be moved to as you pass over it. Releasing the element places it in that VTS. The element has a “pin” added to its icon to indicate it has been manually placed in that VTS. Once you start dragging the element, all incompatible VTS blocks (containing pinned incompatible menus) have their names struck through and yellow warning triangles placed in front of them. If you move a menu into an incompatible VTS, a warning appears, and the incompatible menus have a line through their names. See About Pinning Elements in the By VTS Display for more information. Important: It is possible to manually move incompatible menus to the same VTS. The project will not build, however. Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 595 About Pinning Elements in the By VTS Display As you create elements for your DVD project, DVD Studio Pro automatically places them in appropriate VTS blocks. For example, if you create a menu that uses a different audio format than the others, it is automatically placed in a separate VTS. If you manually move an element from one VTS to another, the VTS Editor indicates it with a pin on the element’s icon. The pin indicates that the element was either manually placed in this VTS or has been “pinned” to it. You can also pin an element to a VTS to prevent DVD Studio Pro from moving it to another VTS. To pin an element to a VTS μ Control-click the element in the By VTS display, then choose Pin Element Type to Video Title Set from the shortcut menu, with Element Type being the type of element being pinned (menu, script, and so on). To unpin an element from a VTS μ Control-click the element in the By VTS display, then choose Pin Element Type to Video Title Set from the shortcut menu, with Element Type being the type of element being pinned (menu, script, and so on). (Because the element was pinned, it has a checkmark next to this entry in the shortcut menu.) Once it is unpinned, the element is moved to the VTS where DVD Studio Pro would normally automatically place it. Adding Additional VTS Blocks You can add additional VTS blocks to your project as needed. To add a VTS to your project 1 Ensure the By VTS display is visible by doing one of the following: • Click the Alternate View button. 596 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features • Drag the partition toward the center of the Outline tab. 2 Do one of the following: • Control-click in the By VTS display, then choose Add Video Title Set from the shortcut menu. • Click the Add VTS button along the top of the Outline tab. A project can have up to 99 VTS blocks. The actual number of VTS blocks you can have depends on the number of stories in your project. Even though stories do not get placed in their own actual VTS blocks (they share the VTS block that contains the track they are related to), they use virtual VTS blocks. For example, a project with five stories can have a maximum of 94 actual VTS blocks. If any VTS blocks are empty when you build the project, you are asked if you want them to be deleted. While it does not violate compatibility with the DVD specification to have empty VTS blocks in the build, they do use a small amount of disc space. Additionally, each VTS block that does not contain a track or slideshow reduces by one the total number of tracks, slideshows, and stories your project can have. VTS Inspector You can see the properties of a VTS block by clicking its name in the VTS Editor. The VTS Inspector shows the name of the VTS block and its audio and video properties. The properties are defined by the menus assigned to the VTS. If there are no menus in the VTS, these properties are left blank. It is these properties that determine whether or not any new menus that are added are compatible. Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 597 DVD@CCESS The DVD@CCESS feature allows you to add additional interactivity to your DVD title when it is played on a computer. For example, you can set a marker so that when it is reached, the computer’s web browser opens and is directed to the specified URL, which can be a website on the Internet or an HTML file on the DVD. DVD@CCESS is compatible with both Macintosh computers and most Windows-based computers. See Configuring Computers for DVD@CCESS Playback for details on configuring both types of computers. While the most common use of DVD@CCESS is to link to a website, you can also use it to open a program to view other types of files, such as PDF, PICT, or JPEG files. You can use DVD@CCESS links for: • Internet access: You can enter a URL that links to a specific page on the Internet. • Opening a file: You can enter a filename. As long as the file type can be recognized by the computer’s operating system and a suitable application for that file type is available, the application opens and displays the file. Most often you will want to link to a file that you have included on the DVD. • Email: You can enter an email address. The computer’s default email application opens, creates a new email, and enters the address you specify as the recipient. Creating DVD@CCESS Links in Your Project There are three elements within DVD Studio Pro that can include DVD@CCESS links: • Menus: Each menu can have a DVD@CCESS link. The link is activated as soon as the menu is displayed. While you cannot assign a DVD@CCESS link directly to a button, you can assign the link to a menu that appears only when you click that button. • Markers: Each marker within a track can have a DVD@CCESS link. The link is activated as soon as you reach the marker while playing the track. • Slideshow slides: Each slideshow slide can have a DVD@CCESS link. The link is activated as soon as the slide starts playing. The DVD@CCESS settings appear in the Inspector of each element. To enter a DVD@CCESS link 1 Select the item to add the link to. Its Inspector appears. 2 Select the DVD@CCESS checkbox to enable the link for the item. 598 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 3 In the Name field, enter text to help you remember what the DVD@CCESS link is for. This text is not seen by the viewer and is only for your use while authoring the title. It can be helpful because the link text is often difficult to interpret directly. 4 Enter the link text in the URL field. This is the text that gets processed during playback. See Rules for Entering DVD@CCESS Links for guidelines on entering the links. Note: The Embed Text Data checkbox in the Advanced tab in the Disc Inspector is automatically selected when you add DVD@CCESS links to your project. Configuring a DVD@CCESS link to a file included on the DVD requires some additional steps. To enter a DVD@CCESS link to a file on the DVD 1 Select the item to add the link to. Its Inspector appears. 2 Select the DVD@CCESS checkbox to enable the link for the item. 3 In the Name field, enter text to help you remember what the DVD@CCESS link is for. 4 Enter the link text in the URL field. This is the text that gets processed during playback. To link to a file located on the DVD, you would enter: file:///DVDName/FolderName/FileName where DVDName is the name of the disc entered in the Disc Inspector, FolderName is the folder the file will be in on the DVD, and FileName is the file (the name must include an extension such as .pdf or .jpg). 5 Do one of the following to open the Disc Inspector: • Click an empty area in the Graphical tab. • Click the disc icon in the Outline tab. 6 Click the General tab in the Disc Inspector. 7 Select the Content checkbox. 8 Choose the folder that contains the folders and files you want to include on the DVD. Note: The actual folder you choose is not included on the DVD—only the folders and files contained within it are added to the root level of the DVD. Rules for Entering DVD@CCESS Links Enter your links in the following format: Note: The entry cannot contain any spaces. • Internet links: Enter the entire link. For example: http://www.apple.com Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 599 • File links: To view a file you have placed in a folder on the DVD, enter: file:///DVDName/FolderName/FileName where DVDName is the name of the disc entered in the Disc Inspector, FolderName is the folder the file will be in on the DVD, and FileName is the file (the name may include an extension such as .pdf or .jpg). The file path information is case-sensitive. Be sure you enter it exactly right. Additionally, what you enter for FolderName is not the same folder you enter as the DVD-ROM Location in the General tab of the Disc Inspector—it is actually the name of the folder that is placed at the root of the disc. See DVD-ROM for more information. Important: Filenames and paths using double-byte characters may not work correctly on systems configured for single-byte characters. • Email links: Enter the email link as: mailto:yourname@yourplace.com Testing DVD@CCESS Links It is important to test the DVD@CCESS links you add to your project before committing the title to replication. The Simulator and the Apple DVD Player application can test most DVD@CCESS functionality. Using the Simulator You can use the Simulator to test DVD@CCESS links that rely on Internet access or email; you can also see the text of each link when it is reached during playback in the Simulator’s information drawer. The Simulator pane in DVD Studio Pro Preferences contains a setting that allows the Simulator to process DVD@CCESS links. See Simulator Preferences for more information. Using the Apple DVD Player You can use the Apple DVD Player application to test DVD@CCESS links that rely on Internet access or email. You must first build your project, creating the VIDEO_TS folder that DVD Player can open and play. Note: Be sure to select Enable DVD@CCESS Web Links in the Disc tab of DVD Player Preferences. Testing DVD@CCESS Links to Files with the Apple DVD Player Because the files you intend to include on the DVD for access by DVD@CCESS links are not in their actual locations until you create the DVD, you cannot test these links as easily as the others with the Apple DVD Player. To test DVD@CCESS links that rely on opening files located on the DVD, you can either: • Build and format the title and burn it to a disc: You can then test the disc on a variety of computers to verify that the links work as expected. 600 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features • Build and format the title and write it as a disk image to your hard disk: The disk image contains the specified DVD-ROM content in addition to the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders. Using the Apple DVD Player, you can play the disk image as if it were a burned DVD, and the DVD@CCESS links that rely on the DVD-ROM files can be tested. Configuring Computers for DVD@CCESS Playback Any DVD discs burned by DVD Studio Pro that include DVD@CCESS links also include an Installer for a small program that allows Windows computers to process the links. This program needs to be installed only once on a computer—it is not specific to that DVD title and will work with all DVD titles that use DVD@CCESS. The Installer is located on the DVD in the DVD@CCESS folder, along with installation instructions. Macintosh Computers In the Apple DVD Player version 2.4 and later, DVD@CCESS playback functionality is built in. When using version 2.4 or later of the Apple DVD Player, you need to configure it to process the links. Select Enable DVD@CCESS Web Links in the Disc tab in DVD Player Preferences. Windows Computers The DVD@CCESS Installer for Windows installs a program that works with most DVD player applications and Windows computers to process the DVD@CCESS links in the DVD title. See DVD Studio Pro Late-Breaking News, accessible through DVD Studio Pro Help, for specific information on known issues. Including the DVD@CCESS Installer with a DVD The DVD@CCESS Installer is automatically added to a DVD when you burn it directly from DVD Studio Pro. When you need to burn your DVD using another method, the Installer is not automatically added. You can manually add the Installer to the disc by copying it from the DVD Studio Pro application package. Important: Be very careful when working within the DVD Studio Pro package. You can easily corrupt the data, lose custom settings, and be forced to reinstall DVD Studio Pro. This procedure should only be followed if you understand the concept of opening an application’s package and working within it. To copy the DVD@CCESS Installer manually 1 Locate the DVD Studio Pro application icon in your computer’s Applications folder. (This is the default location; the application may be located elsewhere depending on how it was installed.) Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 601 2 Control-click the icon, then choose Show Package Contents from the shortcut menu. The package opens in a Finder window. 3 Open the Contents folder, then the Resources folder. The DVDccess folder is in the Resources folder. 4 Copy the DVDccess folder to your desktop by holding down the Option key and dragging. This leaves the original in place and makes a copy you can add to your DVD. 5 Close the package’s Finder window. User Operations You can disable various viewer operations in menus, tracks, stories, and markers. For example, you may want to prevent the viewer from skipping through the FBI warning. By providing this ability for individual menus, tracks, stories, and markers, DVD Studio Pro allows you to be very specific about which elements have disabled operations. Setting User Operations To disable specific viewer controls for a menu, track, story, or marker, use the user operations settings. Note: Selecting an item in the User Operations tab disables that item. Selecting an item does not enable it. To set user operations 1 Select the element you want to work with to display its properties in the Inspector. 2 Click the User Operations tab in the Track, Marker, or Story Inspector or the Advanced tab in the Menu Inspector. 602 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 3 Select each item you want to disable. See User Operations Properties for a description of all the items. Click the triangles to show or hide each group’s items. Indicates some items in the group are selected. Select to disable all items in a group. You can also click Disable All to disable all items. You can then deselect any items to enable them. The Enable All button enables all items. When working with markers, you can also select Same as Track. This allows you to customize just those markers that require it. User Operations Properties The user operations are broken into four groups: Playback Control, Stream Selection, Menu Call, and Button. The following sections describe what happens when you select each item. Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 603 Playback Control The Playback Control group contains the following settings. • Title Play: Available only in tracks, menus, and stories. Prevents jumping to a different title by entering a title number using a DVD player remote control. • PPT Search/PTT Play: Available only in tracks. Prevents jumping to or playing from a new chapter marker by using a remote control’s numeric keypad. PTT stands forpart of titleand corresponds to track sections defined by markers. • Time Search/Time Play: Available only in tracks. Prevents jumping to or playing from a new time by using a remote control’s numeric keypad. • Stop: Available in tracks, menus, stories, and markers. Prevents stopping movie playback before the end of the movie while a selected menu is displayed or until the next track, marker, or story is reached. • Resume: Available only in menus. Prevents resuming movie playback while a selected menu is displayed or until the next track, marker, or story is reached. • Time/PTT Search: Available only in tracks and markers. Prevents locating specific points in a video stream by entering an exact time. • Still Off: Available in tracks, menus, stories, and markers. By default, disabled in menus. Disables the ability to prevent a still image from stopping in a slideshow. In other words, allows a still image to be paused. • Pause On/Off: Available in tracks, menus, stories, and markers. By default, disabled in menus. Disables the pause on/off function during track playback until the next track, marker, or story is reached. • Forward Scan: Available in tracks, menus, stories, and markers. By default, disabled in menus. Prevents scanning forward through the disc. 604 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features • Backward Scan: Available in tracks, menus, stories, and markers. By default, disabled in menus. Prevents scanning backward through the disc. • Next Program: Available in tracks, menus, stories, and markers. By default, disabled in menus. Prevents skipping forward through chapters. • Previous Program: Available in tracks, menus, stories, and markers. By default, disabled in menus. Prevents skipping backward through chapters. • Go Up: Available only in menus. Prevents using the Return button on a remote control. Stream Selection All items available in tracks, menus, stories, and markers. • Audio Stream Change: Prevents changing to an alternate audio track during movie playback until the next track, marker, or story is reached. • Subpicture Stream Change: Prevents viewing an alternate subpicture stream (another name for the subtitle stream). • Angle Change: Prevents viewing different camera angles of the same material. • Video Presentation Mode Change: Prevents switching between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios or switching between pan-scan and letterbox presentations. Menu Call All items available in tracks, menus, stories, and markers. • Root Menu (DVD Menu): Prevents using the Menu button on a remote control to access a DVD menu that you have previously set up in the Connections tab. • Title Menu: Prevents using the Title button on a remote control to access a DVD menu that you have previously set up in the Connections tab. • Subpicture Menu: Prevents accessing the subtitle menu during movie playback. • Audio Menu: Prevents accessing the audio menu during movie playback. • Angle Menu: Prevents accessing the angle menu during movie playback. • Chapter Menu: Prevents accessing the chapter menu during movie playback. Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 605 Button There is only one item in the Button group. • Selection/Activation: Available only in tracks, menus, and stories. Prevents selecting and activating button highlight areas. Getting Consistent Previous and Next Button Behavior The action that happens when a viewer uses the Previous or Next button to skip through chapter markers on a track and reaches the first or last marker can vary, depending on the DVD player. For example, if the viewer is at the last marker in a track and presses the Next button one more time, different DVD players will do different things. There are two common approaches that DVD players take: • The viewer is constrained to that track: Additionally, the Previous or Next button (depending on whether you have reached the first or last marker, respectively) is disabled. • The viewer is not constrained to that track: Additionally, the DVD player jumps to the previous or next track (which could also be a story or slideshow) and allows the viewer to continue skipping through that track’s markers. You can use user operations to force consistent behavior in these situations, ensuring that the viewer has the same experience regardless of which player they are using. To ensure consistent Previous and Next button behavior 1 Select a track in either the Outline or Graphical tab, or in the Track Editor. 2 Select the first marker in the Track Editor. The Marker Inspector appears, displaying that marker’s properties. 3 Click the User Operations tab. 4 Select the Previous Program checkbox. This disables the remote control’s Previous button for this marker, which prevents the viewer from skipping to a marker on a different track. 5 Select the last marker in the track. The Marker Inspector now displays that marker’s properties. 6 Click the User Operations tab. 7 Select the Next Program checkbox. This disables the remote control’s Next button for this marker, which prevents the viewer from skipping to a marker on a different track. 606 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features Note: The same issue can occur with slideshows; however, you cannot correct it unless you convert the slideshow to a track. Display Condition The menus, tracks, and stories within DVD Studio Pro can have a display condition applied to them that determines whether they appear, and if not, what should appear instead. For example, based on the DVD player’s aspect ratio setting, the condition can determine whether to play the current track or a track that is better suited to the aspect ratio setting. Or, you can choose to show or not show a menu based on the language setting. By assigning a pre-script to the element or running a script before it is selected, you can include settings in the General Purpose Register Memories (GPRMs) as part of the condition. See Scripting Overview for information on setting up scripts. Comparing Display Conditions and Pre-Scripts All three elements (menus, tracks, and stories) that can have display conditions can also have pre-scripts. Pre-scripts are scripts that are assigned to an element. They can do everything a display condition can do and more. There are some specific differences to be aware of: • When an element has both a pre-script and a display condition, the pre-script executes first. • Pre-scripts only execute if you have jumped to the root of the element they are assigned to, either by choosing the element’s name in the Connections tab or the name in square brackets in the shortcut menus. If you connect directly to a marker, slide, or menu button, the pre-script does not run. Display conditions, however, run any time the element it is assigned to is jumped to, whether you jump to its root or to a specific marker, slide, or button. • On the DVD, pre-scripts are automatically placed with all other scripts in the VTS 1 file group. This can cause slight delays when executing them because the DVD player may have to jump significant distances to get to and from the script. Display conditions reside in the same file groups as the element they are assigned to, which makes them more efficient when playing. Note: You can use the VTS Editor to manually place pre-scripts in the same VTS block as the element it is assigned to. See VTS Editor for more information. Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 607 Display Condition Parameters There are four parameters you need to configure when setting up a display condition: Choose the conditional state. Choose the alternative element. Choose the conditional element. Choose the conditional relationship. Select to enable display conditions for this element. • The conditional element: You choose what is to be evaluated to determine whether the menu, track, or story should be displayed. Examples of what you can choose include the DVD player’s region code, aspect ratio, or the contents of a GPRM. Note: Display conditions can only use full 16-bit GPRMs. • The conditional relationship: You choose the operation to use to determine the relationship between the conditional element and the conditional state. Example settings include smaller, greater, and equal. • The conditional state selection: You choose the state of the conditional element. The choices depend on the conditional element. For example, the states for the player region code element are the eight regions (1 USA, 2 Europe, Japan, 3 Indonesia, Taiwan, and so on). • The alternative target selection: You choose the project element (menu, track, story, and so on) that should be displayed if the condition is not satisfied. Important: You must set all four parameters or else errors will occur during the build process. When setting display conditions for a track, there is an additional checkbox named Apply to Stories. Select it to have the display condition apply to the stories associated with this track. Setting Up a Display Condition You need to set four parameters to create a display condition. To set up a display condition 1 Choose the element (menu, track, or story) to set up a display condition for. 2 Do one of the following: • If you are setting up a menu: Click the Advanced tab in the Menu Inspector. • If you are setting up a track or story: Click the General tab in the Track or Story Inspector. 608 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 3 Select the Display Condition checkbox. 4 Choose the conditional element (the first parameter—defines what the condition is to be based on). For a list of conditional elements you can use, see Conditional Elements and States. 5 Choose the conditional relationship (the second parameter—determines how the conditional element is to be compared with the conditional state, set in the next step). For a list of conditional relationships, see Conditional Relationships. 6 Choose the conditional element’s state (the third parameter—defines the state that the conditional element is to be compared to). See Conditional Elements and States for the states you can choose for each element. 7 Choose the Alternate Target element (the fourth parameter—defines what happens if the condition is not met). To turn off the display condition, select the Display Condition checkbox to remove the checkmark. Stories can have their own display conditions, or you can use the track’s settings by selecting Apply to Stories in the Track Inspector’s General tab. Example: Setting a Video Configuration Display Condition For this example, you have a project with two versions of a track; one has the buttons over video optimized for pan-scan and the other has them optimized for letterbox. This display condition will use the video configuration information (SPRM 14) to choose which version to play. To configure a video configuration display condition for a track 1 Choose the track containing the pan-scan optimized video. 2 Click the General tab in the Track Inspector. 3 Select the Display Condition checkbox. 4 Choose Video Player Config from the conditional element pop-up menu. 5 Choose = (equal) from the conditional relationship pop-up menu. 6 Enter 256 as the conditional state. This is the value for SPRM 14 that indicates the DVD player is set for pan-scan. See SPRM 14: Player Video Configuration for more information. 7 Choose the track, optimized for letterbox, that you want to use as the alternative to this track from the Alternate Target pop-up menu. With this display condition, the video configuration of the DVD player is checked to see if it is set at pan-scan. If it is, the track plays. If not, the player jumps to the letterbox track and it is played. Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 609 Conditional Elements and States The conditional elements are based on settings read from the System Parameter Register Memories (SPRMs) or the General Purpose Register Memories (GPRMs). The conditional states are determined by the element. For example, the menu language element has all supported languages as the possible states. If the state is a numeric entry, you need to enter a decimal-based number (binary and hex numbers are not supported). • Menu Language: Use to set up a condition based on the DVD player’s menu language setting (SPRM 0). The states include all supported languages. • Audio Language: Use to set up a condition based on the DVD player’s audio language setting (SPRM 16). The states include all supported languages. • Subtitle Language: Use to set up a condition based on the DVD player’s subtitle language setting (SPRM 18). The states include all supported languages. • Audio Stream Number: Use to set up a condition based on the currently selected audio stream (SPRM 1). The states include audio stream numbers 1 through 8. “Not set” appears next to any streams that currently have no assets assigned. • Subtitle Stream Number: Use to set up a condition based on the currently selected subtitle stream (SPRM 2). The states include subtitle stream numbers 1 through 32. “Not set” appears next to any streams that currently have no subtitles assigned. • Player Aspect Ratio: Use to set up a condition based on the DVD player’s aspect ratio setting (4:3 or 16:9—bits 8 and 9 of SPRM 14). The states include 4:3, 16:9 Pan-Scan, 16:9 Letterbox, and 16:9 Pan-Scan and Letterbox. • Last Track Played: Use to set up a condition based on the most recently played track (SPRM 4). The states include all track numbers in the project. • Last Chapter Played: Use to set up a condition based on the most recently played chapter (SPRM 7). The states include all chapter marker numbers in the track. • Last Button Selected: Use to set up a condition based on the most recently selected button (SPRM 8). The states include numbers 1 through 36. • Player Region Code: Use to set up a condition based on the DVD player’s region setting (SPRM 20). The states include all eight regions. • Parental Level: Use to set up a condition based on the DVD player’s parental level setting (SPRM 13). The states include all eight parental levels plus a Not Rated setting. Important: DVD players will always set SPRM 13 to Not Rated when playing DVDs authored with DVD Studio Pro. • Video Player Config: Use to set up a condition based on the DVD player’s aspect ratio setting (4:3 or 16:9) and display mode (letterbox or pan-scan) (SPRM 14). The state requires a decimal number entry. 610 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features • Audio Player Config: Use to set up a condition based on the DVD player’s audio configuration—PCM, AC-3, and MPEG (SPRM 15). The state requires a decimal number entry. • GPRM 0 - 7: Use to set up a condition based on the values stored in one of the eight GPRM locations. The values must first be placed into the GPRM by a separate script that you have run. The state requires a decimal number entry. Note: Display conditions can only use full 16-bit GPRMs. See Scripting Overview for details on scripts, GPRMs, and SPRMs. Conditional Relationships There are seven conditional relationships for you to choose from when setting up your display condition. • = (equal): The element and state are exactly equal. For example, if you choose the Player Region Code element, a state of 1-USA, and the “equal” relationship, you can only play the track if the DVD player is set for region 1-USA. • != (not equal): The element and state are not exactly equal. For example, if you choose the Audio Language element, a state of French, and the “not equal” relationship, you can play the track as long as the DVD player is not set for French. • > = (greater or equal): The element is either greater than the state, or they are equal. For example, if you choose the Parental Level element, a state of PG-13, and “greater or equal,” you can play the track as long as the DVD player is set to PG-13 or higher (R or NC-17). • > (greater): The element is greater than the state. For example, if you choose the Audio Stream Number element, a state of 2, and “greater,” you can play the track as long as one of the two first audio streams is not selected. • <= (smaller or equal): The element is either less than the state, or they are equal. For example, if you choose the Last Track Played element, set the state to 12, and “smaller or equal,” you can play this track as long as the previous track is from 1 to 12. • < (smaller): The element is less than the state. For example, if you choose the Subtitle Stream Number element, set the state to 4, and “smaller,” you can play this track as long as subtitle streams 1 through 3 are selected. Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 611 • & (and): Provides a binary bit-wise “and” function. Several of the elements contain multiple settings. You can use the “and” relationship to extract one setting from the element. For example, if you choose the Audio Player Config element (which contains several settings related to the DVD player’s audio capabilities), a state of 2048-DTS, and the “and” relationship, you can only play the track if bit 11 of the 16-bit byte is one, indicating that the DVD player supports DTS audio. See Using Bit-Wise Operations for details on using a bit-wise “and” function. Issues with Display Conditions There are several issues with using display conditions that you should be aware of: • The Last Chapter Played setting is reliable only when assigned to menus: When using the Last Chapter Played setting for display conditions assigned to a track or story, you get unreliable playback on some DVD players. The Last Chapter Played setting can be used reliably with display conditions assigned to menus. • Display Conditions using the subtitle stream number only work with the subtitle stream set to View: When you configure a display condition for a track or story that uses the subtitle stream number option, the display condition works correctly only if the subtitle stream is set to be viewed. For example, if you configure a menu’s button to use subtitle stream S1 and a track has a display condition configured for subtitle stream S1, the display condition only works correctly if you also select the subtitle stream’s View checkbox in the Button Inspector. • Some DVD players do not allow parental level in display conditions: Some DVD players do not process the parental level option correctly when used in a display condition, allowing content to play that should be disallowed. Important: DVD players always set SPRM 13 to Not Rated when playing DVDs authored with DVD Studio Pro. Remote Control Settings An important part of authoring a DVD title is to assign functions to the DVD player’s remote control buttons. For most projects, you set these functions for the entire disc. However, you can override several of the disc settings for individual tracks, stories, markers, slideshows, and menus. If an individual element has more than one remote control setting: • Track, slideshow, story, and menu settings take precedence over disc settings while they play. • Marker settings override all other settings while that part of the track or story plays. Note: All of these settings can also all be made in the Connections tab. 612 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features Remote Control Buttons The disc’s remote control settings support seven buttons. Remote control settings for tracks, stories, markers, slideshows, and menus support only certain ones: • Title: Supported by the disc settings only. This button is typically linked to the primary menu so that, no matter where the viewers are in the title, when they press the Title button they will always go to the same place. • Menu: Supported by all elements that can set remote control settings (disc, track, story, marker, and slideshow) except menus. You should generally link this button to the last menu viewed. • Angle: Supported by the disc, track, and slideshow elements. You can link this button to a menu that allows the viewer to select the angle to view. • Chapter: Supported by the disc, track, and slideshow elements. Typically found only on specialized DVD players, you can link this button to a menu that allows the viewer to select the chapter to view. • Audio: Supported by the disc, track, and slideshow elements. You can link the Audio button to a menu that allows the viewer to select the audio stream to listen to. • Subtitle: Supported by the disc, track, and slideshow elements. You can link this button to a menu that allows the viewer to select whether subtitles appear and the subtitle stream to view. • Return: Supported by the disc and menu settings only. The Return button is usually used to provide an easy way for the viewer to navigate back through nested menus. Beware of Similar-Sounding Buttons The remote controls of most DVD players include stream select buttons labeled Angle, Audio, and Subtitle. These are not the same as the remote control buttons you can assign menus to. These three buttons allow the viewer to directly select the angle, audio, and subtitle stream without going to a menu first. The Angle, Chapter, Audio, and Subtitle remote control buttons that you can assign menus to are in addition to these three stream select buttons, and are found only on a few remote controls, typically grouped in a “Menus” section of the remote control. It is important to include alternative methods for viewers to get to these menus. You cannot count on all remote controls to have these buttons. Configuring the Remote Control Buttons You can configure the remote control buttons either in the Inspector or in the Connections tab. Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 613 To set the remote control buttons using the Inspector 1 Select the element whose remote control buttons you want to set. You can select the element in the Outline tab, the Graphical tab, or use the pop-up menu in the appropriate editor. 2 In the Inspector, open the pop-up menu for the button to be set, then choose the function to link to. All elements currently set in the project are available to be linked to. The remote control settings are in different Inspector locations for different elements: • Disc Inspector: The commonly used remote control settings (Title, Menu, and Return) are in the General tab. The Advanced tab contains the settings that are not often used (Angle, Chapter, Audio, and Subtitle). • Track, Story, and Marker Inspectors: All remote control settings are in their General tabs. • Slideshow and Story Marker Inspectors: All remote control settings are in its main area (there are no tabs). • Menu Inspector: Its only remote control setting (Return) is in its Menu tab. To set the remote control buttons using the Connections tab 1 Click the Connections tab. You can see all source elements in the project together, or see one element at a time: • To see the remote control buttons for all project elements at once: Select the disc in the Outline tab or click an empty area in the Graphical tab. • To see the remote control buttons for a single element: Select that element in the Outline tab, the Graphical tab, or use the pop-up menu in the appropriate editor. 2 Use the View pop-up menu in the Connections tab to control which of the remote buttons are visible: • Basic: Shows the disc’s title button, and the track’s, story’s, and slideshow’s menu buttons. • Standard: Shows all basic buttons plus menu buttons for a track’s markers. • Advanced: Shows all possible remote buttons. 3 Set the link for the remote button by either dragging the target to the source element or Control-clicking the button’s setting in the Target column, and choosing the element to link to from the shortcut menu. Line 21 Settings for Closed Captions To add text to a video on a DVD, most users use the subtitle feature. To meet accessibility requirements, however, you may also need to consider closed captions. Note: The closed caption settings apply only to NTSC SD DVD projects. 614 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features About Subtitles and Closed Captions Subtitles have several advantages: You can create them within DVD Studio Pro or using a third-party subtitle authoring application, you can set their font and color, and they can be displayed by any DVD player. Closed captions offer other advantages. Subtitles generally provide a text version of the dialogue only—they do not describe any other sounds that may be in the title (such as a dog barking or a phone ringing). Closed captions typically include descriptive text along with the dialogue, which makes them better suited for viewers with impaired hearing. You can add descriptive text to subtitles and make them more similar to the content of closed captions, and there are third-party programs that will convert closed captions to a suitable subtitle format. Closed captions require a decoder for playback. The decoder can be built in to the television or it can be a standalone box. Computers typically do not have closed caption decoders, so they cannot display captions. The font used by closed captions is determined by the decoder. Adding Closed Captions to a DVD With DVD Studio Pro, you can import closed caption files as part of a track. This is the most reliable way to include closed captions with your title. Do not assume that just because the closed-captioning information was present in the video during the MPEG encode that it will be available when the disc is played by the viewer. Be sure to perform a test before relying on this method of adding closed captions to your title. Some MPEG encoders can create separate closed caption files that DVD Studio Pro can use to add the function to your disc. DVD Studio Pro supports closed caption files in the “.cc” and “.scc” formats. Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features 615 About the Field 1 and Field 2 Settings The closed caption standard provides for encoding up to four caption streams in Line 21. The two most commonly used streams (C1 and C2) use field 1, and the other two streams (C3 and C4) use field 2. A closed caption file assigned to a track in DVD Studio Pro can have captions only in field 1 (C1 and C2) or in both fields (support for all four streams). It is important for you to configure the track’s Line 21 settings to match the file’s configuration. Note: Because the C3 and C4 streams are rarely used, you may assume the closed caption file contains only the C1 and C2 streams, and only supports field 1. Be sure to verify this with a test disc and a DVD player connected to a television monitor before sending your disc to a replicator. To assign a closed caption file to a track 1 Select the track so that it appears in the Track Editor and its properties appear in the Inspector. 2 Click the Other tab in the Track Inspector. 3 To choose the closed caption file, do one of the following: • In the Closed Caption (Line 21) area, click Choose. In the navigation dialog, locate and select the closed caption file to assign to this track. Click Choose. • Control-click in the Track Editor’s video stream, then choose Import Line 21 File from the shortcut menu. Locate the closed caption file in the navigation dialog and click Import. 4 Select the Field 1 and Field 2 boxes to match the configuration of the caption file. Note: Most often you should select Field 1 and leave Field 2 unselected. You can only assign one file to a track. 616 Chapter 23 Using Advanced Features Keyboard shortcuts let you perform commands in DVD Studio Pro using the keyboard instead of by pointing and clicking. The following are keyboard shortcuts available in DVD Studio Pro, grouped by function. Note: Some keyboard shortcuts are always active, whether or not you are working in the group that they are listed in. Other keyboard shortcuts are only active under special circumstances. This appendix covers the following: • General Interface and Application Controls (p. 618) • General Project Controls (p. 619) • Adding Project Elements (p. 620) • Scrolling Through Lists (p. 621) • Assets Tab (p. 622) • Connections Tab (p. 622) • Graphical Tab (p. 623) • Log Tab (p. 624) • Menu Tab (Menu Editor) (p. 624) • Outline Tab (p. 626) • Palette (p. 627) • Script Tab (Script Editor) (p. 627) • Simulator (p. 627) • Slideshow Tab (Slideshow Editor) (p. 628) • Story Tab (Story Editor) (p. 628) • Subtitle Editor (p. 628) • Track Tab (Track Editor) (p. 629) • Viewer Tab (p. 631) 617 Keyboard Shortcuts Appendix A General Interface and Application Controls Keyboard shortcut Function Opens the first 15 interface configurations, with F1 assigned to the basic configuration, F2 assigned to the extended configuration, and F3 assigned to the advanced configuration. F4 through F15 can be assigned to your custom configurations. (Note that F9, F10, and F11 may be used by Mac OS X for the Exposé feature, and F14 and F15 may be used to control the monitor’s brightness.) Function keys F1 through F15. Accesses the Viewer tab. 0 This tab is brought to the front of its quadrant or, if in its own window, it’s brought to the front of the application. If the tab is closed, it’s opened as a window at its last position. Accesses the Assets tab. 1 This tab is brought to the front of its quadrant or, if in its own window, it’s brought to the front of the application. If the tab is closed, it’s opened as a window at its last position. Accesses the Connections tab. 2 This tab is brought to the front of its quadrant or, if in its own window, it’s brought to the front of the application. If the tab is closed, it’s opened as a window at its last position. Accesses the Log tab. 3 This tab is brought to the front of its quadrant or, if in its own window, it’s brought to the front of the application. If the tab is closed, it’s opened as a window at its last position. Accesses the Menu tab. 4 This tab is brought to the front of its quadrant or, if in its own window, it’s brought to the front of the application. If the tab is closed, it’s opened as a window at its last position. Accesses the Outline tab. 5 This tab is brought to the front of its quadrant or, if in its own window, it’s brought to the front of the application. If the tab is closed, it’s opened as a window at its last position. Accesses the Graphical tab. option 5 This tab is brought to the front of its quadrant or, if in its own window, it’s brought to the front of the application. If the tab is closed, it’s opened as a window at its last position. Accesses the Script tab. 6 This tab is brought to the front of its quadrant or, if in its own window, it’s brought to the front of the application. If the tab is closed, it’s opened as a window at its last position. 618 Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts Keyboard shortcut Function Accesses the Slideshow tab. 7 This tab is brought to the front of its quadrant or, if in its own window, it’s brought to the front of the application. If the tab is closed, it’s opened as a window at its last position. Accesses the Story tab. 8 This tab is brought to the front of its quadrant or, if in its own window, it’s brought to the front of the application. If the tab is closed, it’s opened as a window at its last position. Accesses the Track tab. 9 This tab is brought to the front of its quadrant or, if in its own window, it’s brought to the front of the application. If the tab is closed, it’s opened as a window at its last position. Toggles the currently selected tab between full window and normal. Additionally, holding down the Shift and Space bar keys toggles the tab only until you release them. shift space Toggles the currently selected tab between full window and normal. Additionally, holding down the Shift and Space bar keys toggles the tab only until you release them. option Shows or hides the Palette. option P Shows or hides the Inspector. option I Opens or closes the Fonts window. T Opens or closes the Colors window. shift C , Opens Preferences. Opens DVD Studio Pro Help. shift ? Quits DVD Studio Pro. Q Minimizes DVD Studio Pro. M Hides DVD Studio Pro. H General Project Controls Keyboard shortcut Function Undoes the last change. Z Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts 619 Keyboard shortcut Function Redoes a change you just undid. shift Z Creates a new project. N Opens an existing project. O Closes the project. W Saves the project. S Saves a project as a new project. shift S Copies the selected text, menu item, script command line, or subtitle button to the Clipboard. C This shortcut works with both text in your menus and subtitles and element names. Copies the selected text, menu item, script command line, or subtitle button to the Clipboard and deletes it from selection. X This shortcut works with both text in your menus and subtitles and element names. Pastes the Clipboard contents. V This shortcut works with both text in your menus and subtitles and element names. Duplicates the selected item. D Simulates a project from the current element or, if none are selected, from the project’s First Play setting. option 0 Burns the project. option B Builds the project. option C Formats the project. F Builds and formats the project. option F Adding Project Elements Keyboard shortcut Function Adds a track. control T Adds a story. shift T 620 Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts Keyboard shortcut Function Adds a standard menu. Y Adds a layered menu. shift Y Adds a slideshow. K Adds a script. Adds a menu language. / Scrolling Through Lists Lists in DVD Studio Pro are found in the Assets, Log, Outline, Connections, Slideshow, Script, and Story tabs. Keyboard shortcut Function Drag scroller. Scrolls through the list. Press Option and drag scroller. Scrolls slowly through the list (useful for large lists). Selects the previous line in the list. Selects the next line in the list. Selects the previous line in the list, leaving the current line selected. shift Selects the next line in the list, leaving the current line selected. shift Goes to the top of the list. option Goes to the bottom of the list. option page Scrolls up one page in the list. up Press Option and click scroller’s Scrolls up one page in the list. up arrow. page Scrolls down one page in the list. down Press Option and click scroller’s Scrolls down one page in the list. down arrow. Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts 621 Assets Tab Keyboard shortcut Function Double-click empty area. Imports an asset. Imports an asset. shift I Double-click asset name. Previews the selected asset. Previews the selected asset. space Selects all assets and folders. A Deselects all assets and folders. shift A Removes the selected asset. delete Creates a new folder. shift N Shows the encoder settings for the selected QuickTime movie. E Does the opposite of the “Find matching audio when dragging” preference, used when you drag a video asset to a project element. You must start dragging the video asset before pressing the Command key. Press Command and drag. Connections Tab Keyboard shortcut Function Scrolls up through items in the list not currently selected. control Scrolls down through items in the list not currently selected. control Double-click. Connects or disconnects the currently selected items. Connects or disconnects the currently selected items. return Disconnects the selected source’s connection. delete Connects the selected source to the selected target and moves down to the next source or target (whichever was last selected). enter Drag source’s target setting. Copies a source’s target setting to another source. Press Control and click separator. Switches between horizontal and vertical views. 622 Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts Graphical Tab Keyboard shortcut Function Fits the tiles to the current window size. shift Z Zooms one step in while maintaining the current center. = Zooms one step out while maintaining the current center. Press Z and click in window. Zooms one step into the area you click. Press Option-Z and click in Zooms out one step from the area you click. window. Press Z and drag. Zooms into the selected area. Press Space bar and drag. Repositions the tile area in the window. Toggles macro view on and off. Additionally, you can hold down the key to temporarily show the macro view. M Toggles a tile’s flag on and off. F After a short pause, a ghost image of the tile appears that you can drag to the Menu Editor to link to an existing button or to create a new button linking to this tile. Click tile and hold it. Click tile. Selects the tile. Deselects any currently selected tiles first. Press Shift and click tile. Selects the tile. Retains any currently selected tiles. Press Command and click tile. Selects the tile. Retains any currently selected tiles. Selects all tiles. A Deselects all tiles. shift A Moves the selected tiles up. Moves the selected tiles down. Moves the selected tiles left. Moves the selected tiles right. Drag tile, then press Z. Temporarily zooms out to show more of the tile area. Toggles the tile position lock on and off. L Prints the Graphical tab. P Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts 623 Log Tab Keyboard shortcut Function Copies the selected text. C Selects all text. A Menu Tab (Menu Editor) Keyboard shortcut Function Press Option and drag. Creates a duplicate of the selected item. Creates a duplicate of the selected item. D Drag. Creates a button. Press Option and drag. Creates a drop zone. Press Command and drag. Selects multiple items. Deselects any currently selected items first. Press Command-Shift and drag. Selects multiple items. Retains any currently selected items. Selects all menu items. A Deselects all menu items. shift A Double-click. Creates a text object. Press Command-Option and Creates a text object. drag. Applies a bold attribute to the selected text. B Applies an italic attribute to the selected text. I Adds an underline to the selected text. U Left aligns the selected text. shift { Center aligns the selected text. shift Right aligns the selected text. shift } Press Return while typing text. Creates a new line. Applies to button text and text objects. While typing text into the Menu Editor, exits text entry mode. While typing text in the Button or Text Object Inspector, creates a new line. Press Enter while typing text. 624 Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts Keyboard shortcut Function Deletes the selected item. delete Press Shift-Option and drag. Repositions an asset in a drop zone or button (if possible). Forces a button or drop zone to match its asset’s aspect ratio, and maintains that aspect ratio while being resized. Press Shift and drag. Moves the selected item up 1 pixel. Moves the selected item down 1 pixel. Moves the selected item left 1 pixel. Moves the selected item right 1 pixel. Moves the selected item up 10 pixels. shift Moves the selected item down 10 pixels. shift Moves the selected item left 10 pixels. shift Moves the selected item right 10 pixels. shift Moves the selected item up 20 pixels. shift option Moves the selected item down 20 pixels. shift option Moves the selected item left 20 pixels. shift option Moves the selected item right 20 pixels. shift option Creates a submenu and adds a button to link to it. option Y Creates a slideshow and adds a button to link to it. option K Creates a track and adds a button to link to it. option T Sets button navigation when you drag from a button’s edge to another button. Press Command-Option and drag button’s edge. Performs a one-time Auto Assign button navigation pass. shift D Sends the selected item to the back. shift B Sends the selected item backward one step in priority. [ Brings the selected item forward one step in priority. ] Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts 625 Keyboard shortcut Function Brings the selected item to the front. shift F Constrains the movement of an item to the vertical or horizontal direction only. Press Shift and drag. Duplicates the selected item and constrains its movement to the vertical or horizontal direction only. You must wait to press Shift until you have started dragging the item. Press Shift-Option and drag. Moves the selected item without snapping or showing the dynamic guides. Press Command and drag item. Changes the item size based on its center. (You must wait to press the Option key until after you start dragging.) Drag button’s edge to resize and press Option. Shows or hides rulers. R Shows or hides alignment guides. ; Toggles the button state through normal, selected, and activated. W Toggles the background view through background only, overlay only, and composite. Q Toggles the pixel display between square and rectangular. P Shows and hides the title safe area. shift E Shows the action safe area. option E Toggles menu motion on and off. space Toggles menu motion on and off. J Outline Tab Keyboard shortcut Function Press Option and click track Opens all disclosure triangles in the track area. disclosure triangle. Selects all items. A Deselects all items. shift A Duplicates the selected item. D 626 Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts Palette Keyboard shortcut Function In a media tab, removes the selected folder from the list. delete In a Template, Style, or Shape tab, deletes the selected item from your system’s hard disk. delete Selects all items in the current view. A Deselects all items in the current view. shift A Applies the selected item to the menu (templates, styles, and shapes, if applicable). return Applies the selected item to the menu (templates, styles, and shapes, if applicable). Double-click. Does the opposite of the “Find matching audio when dragging” preference, used when you drag a video asset to a project element. You must start dragging the video asset before pressing the Command key. Press Command and drag. Script Tab (Script Editor) Keyboard shortcut Function Inserts a new command line. shift + Adds a new command line to the end of the script. = Deletes the current command line. delete Selects all command lines. A Simulator Keyboard shortcut Function Provides the up navigation arrow function. Provides the down navigation arrow function. Provides the left navigation arrow function. Provides the right navigation arrow function. Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts 627 Keyboard shortcut Function Activates the selected button. return Shows or hides the information drawer on the left/right edges. shift ? Shows or hides the information drawer on the top/bottom edges. shift option ? Closes the Simulator. W Slideshow Tab (Slideshow Editor) Keyboard shortcut Function Shows large thumbnails. = Shows small thumbnails. Selects all slides. A Plays slideshow in Viewer tab or, if playing, stops and returns to the slide it started from. space Plays slideshow in Viewer tab or, if playing, stops and returns to the slide it started from. K Plays slideshow in Viewer tab, or if playing, pauses playback. L Story Tab (Story Editor) Keyboard shortcut Function Selects all markers in the list. A Plays story in Viewer tab or, if playing, stops and returns to the story entry it started from. space Plays story in Viewer tab or, if playing, stops and returns to the story entry it started from. K Plays story in Viewer tab, or if playing, pauses playback. L Subtitle Editor Keyboard shortcut Function Press Return while typing text. Creates a new line. 628 Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts Keyboard shortcut Function While typing text into the Subtitle Editor, exits subtitle text entry mode. While typing text in the Subtitle Inspector, creates a new line. Press Enter while typing text. Drag. Creates a button. Press Option and drag. Duplicates the selected button. Duplicates the selected button. option D Press Command and drag. Selects multiple buttons. Selects the next subtitle. Selects the previous subtitle. Sets button navigation when you drag from a button’s edge to another button. Press Command-Option and drag button’s edge. Changes the button size based on its center. (You must wait to press the Option key until after you start dragging.) Press Option and drag button’s edge to resize. Press Command-A while editing Selects all of the text. text. Applies a bold attribute to the selected text. B Applies an italic attribute to the selected text. I Adds an underline to the selected text. U Left aligns the selected text. shift { Center aligns the selected text. shift Right aligns the selected text. shift } Track Tab (Track Editor) Keyboard shortcut Function Plays track in Viewer tab or, if playing, stops or pauses playback (depending on the “Space bar toggles between play/pause” setting in DVD Studio Pro Preferences). space If you hold down the Space bar, playing automatically stops or pauses when you release it. Plays track in Viewer tab or, if playing, pauses playback. L Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts 629 Keyboard shortcut Function Stops playback and moves the playhead to where it started. K Moves the playhead to the beginning of the timeline. home Moves the playhead to the beginning of the selected clip. Moves the playhead to the beginning of the selected clip. option E Moves the playhead forward one frame. Moves the playhead backward one frame. Moves the playhead to the end of the timeline. end Moves the playhead to the end of the selected clip. Moves the playhead to the end of the selected clip. shift E Moves the playhead one second earlier. shift Moves the playhead one second later. shift Moves the playhead to the previous marker. control Moves the playhead to the previous marker. option M Moves the playhead to the next marker. control Moves the playhead to the next marker. shift M Moves the playhead to the previous GOP. option Moves the playhead to the next GOP. option Selects all clips in a stream. A Drag. Moves the clip in the stream or to another stream. Creates a duplicate of the clip that can be placed in this or another stream. Press Option and drag. Creates a duplicate of the clip that can only be placed in another stream at exactly the same time or in any suitable place on the current stream. Press Shift-Option and drag. Jumps playhead forward to next timeline event (marker, clip edge, and so on). 630 Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts Keyboard shortcut Function Jumps playhead backward to next timeline event (marker, clip edge, and so on). Zooms the Track Editor timeline out to its maximum. shift Z Fits current clip to the Track Editor. shift option Z Toggles through stream height settings. shift T Zooms the timeline in on the Track Editor, scrolling to show the playhead if necessary. = Zooms the timeline out on the Track Editor, scrolling to show the playhead if necessary. Zooms the timeline in on the Track Editor, ignoring the playhead position. shift + Zooms the timeline out on the Track Editor, ignoring the playhead position. shift Locks or unlocks all streams. shift F4 Creates a marker. M Single-click above timeline. Creates a marker. Press M while playing. Creates a marker on the fly. Removes the selected clip from the timeline. delete Double-click in subtitle stream. Adds a subtitle clip. Adds a subtitle at the playhead. shift Viewer Tab The Viewer tab keyboard shortcuts apply to those tabs in which an asset can play. These include the Assets, Track, Story, and Slideshow tabs. Keyboard shortcut Function Plays the video asset or, if playing, stops or pauses playback (depending on the “Space bar toggles between play/pause” setting in DVD Studio Pro Preferences). space If you hold down the Space bar, playing automatically stops or pauses when you release it. Plays the video asset or, if playing, pauses playback. L Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts 631 Keyboard shortcut Function Stop. K Frame step forward, or with slideshows, advance to the next slide. Step one second forward (not applicable with slideshows). shift Frame step backward, or with slideshows, go back to the previous slide. Step one second backward (not applicable with slideshows). shift 632 Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts Using DVD Studio Pro 4, you can import projects created with earlier versions of DVD Studio Pro. This appendix covers the following: • Importing DVD Studio Pro 2 and DVD Studio Pro 3 Projects into DVD Studio Pro 4 (p. 633) Importing DVD Studio Pro 2 and DVD Studio Pro 3 Projects into DVD Studio Pro 4 There are several issues you should be aware of if you are importing projects created in DVD Studio Pro 2 and DVD Studio Pro 3 into DVD Studio Pro 4. These issues are discussed in the following sections: • Opening Old Projects • Importing Item Descriptions • Menu and Subtitle Text May Change • DVD Studio Pro 3 Projects Using Custom Transitions That Have Been Moved May Not Work Note: DVD Studio Pro 4 cannot import projects from DVD Studio Pro 1. Opening Old Projects When you open a project created in DVD Studio Pro 2 or DVD Studio Pro 3 in DVD Studio Pro 4, a warning appears saying that when you save the project, you will no longer be able to open it in DVD Studio Pro 2 or DVD Studio Pro 3. DVD Studio Pro 4 has improved the way text items in menus are handled, which may cause some menus to look slightly different. 633 Importing Other Projects Appendix B Importing Item Descriptions You cannot import item descriptions saved with any earlier version of DVD Studio Pro (1, 2, or 3) into DVD Studio Pro 4. Because an item description is a text file describing an element such as a menu or track, you can create a new item description by importing a project that contains the element into DVD Studio Pro 4, then saving an item description of it. Menu and Subtitle Text May Change When you open a project created in DVD Studio Pro 2 or DVD Studio Pro 3 that contains text typed onto a menu or subtitle within DVD Studio Pro, that text may appear different. DVD Studio Pro 4 correctly processes the text for both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios, and for both NTSC and PAL resolutions. Additionally, if the project contains rotated menu text items, the rotated items may appear different. DVD Studio Pro 4 now correctly rotates menu text items without distorting them. DVD Studio Pro 3 Projects Using Custom Transitions That Have Been Moved May Not Work Projects created with DVD Studio Pro 3 that use custom Alpha Transitions may not build correctly if the transitions have been moved. (When you play the VIDEO_TS files, the transition is skipped.) You can correct this by choosing a different transition, then choosing the correct transition again everywhere the transition is used. 634 Appendix B Importing Other Projects A major concern when authoring your DVD project is knowing whether it will fit on the disc size you intend to use. The following describes in detail how to determine the amount of disc space your project requires, and provides a way to determine a safe bit rate to encode your video assets with. Note: The following example is specific to an SD project on a red laser disc. The same process applies to HD projects on blue laser discs. Also see Making Sure Your Content Will Fit for additional information on fitting your content to the disc. This appendix covers the following: • Calculating a Project’s Disc Space Requirements (p. 635) • Using the Calculated Bit Rate (p. 640) Calculating a Project’s Disc Space Requirements While the video bit rate is the single biggest factor in controlling the size of your project, a number of other factors determine how much disc space will be required to hold your project: • The number of and types of audio assets • The number of slideshows and their audio • The number of subtitles • Any DVD-ROM content to be included The steps below guide you through the process of estimating your project’s disc space requirements. For this example, the project has: • Video asset 1 with a duration of 01:26:13:12 and two audio streams: an AC-3 5.1 surround and an AC-3 stereo • Video asset 2 with a duration of 00:45:34:07 and one PCM 16-bit 48 kHz audio stream 635 Calculating Disc Space Requirements Appendix C • Motion menu video with a duration of 00:00:16:20 and one AC-3 stereo audio stream • Stage 1: Calculating the Total Video Play Time • Stage 2: Calculating Disc Capacities • Stage 3: Calculating the Bit Rates for Each Disc Size • Stage 4: Calculating the Audio Allowances • Stage 5: Calculating the Effect of Audio on the Video Bit Rate • Stage 6: Calculating DVD-ROM Allowances • Stage 7: Calculating Other Allowances Stage 1: Calculating the Total Video Play Time You first need to determine the total play time of all video assets and motion menus in your project. To make calculations easier, you need to convert the time from hours, minutes, and seconds to the total number of seconds. For frames, round up to the next second when there are frames left over. In the example above, video asset 1 is 5174 seconds long, video asset 2 is 2735 seconds long, and the motion menu contains 17 seconds of assets, for a total of 7926 seconds. Note: Slideshows do not count as video play time, and are discussed later. Stage 2: Calculating Disc Capacities To calculate the appropriate bit rate for your content, you need to know each disc type’s capacity in bits. The capacity of a DVD-5 disc is 4.7 GB (or 4.37 binary gigabytes). For the purposes of this calculation, you should use the 4.7 GB value because it does not have to be corrected to account for the difference that counting in binary adds. To make the calculation, you multiply the byte capacity by 8 (the number of bits in a byte). DVD name Byte capacity Bit capacity DVD-1 1.46 GB 11.68 gigabits (Gbit) DVD-2 2.66 GB 21.28 Gbit DVD-3 2.92 GB 23.36 Gbit DVD-4 5.32 GB 42.56 Gbit DVD-5 4.7 GB 37.6 Gbit DVD-9 8.54 GB 68.32 Gbit DVD-10 9.4 GB 75.2 Gbit DVD-14 13.24 GB 105.92 Gbit DVD-18 17.08 GB 136.64 Gbit 636 Appendix C Calculating Disc Space Requirements Stage 3: Calculating the Bit Rates for Each Disc Size Once you know the play time in seconds and the bit capacity of the different disc sizes, you can calculate a basic bit rate for each disc size. To do this, divide the disc size by the play time (7926 seconds in this example). DVD name Bit capacity Bit rate DVD-1 11.68 gigabits (Gbit) 1.47 megabits per second (Mbps) DVD-2 21.28 Gbit 2.68 Mbps DVD-3 23.36 Gbit 2.95 Mbps DVD-4 42.56 Gbit 5.37 Mbps DVD-5 37.6 Gbit 4.74 Mbps DVD-9 68.32 Gbit 8.62 Mbps DVD-10 75.2 Gbit 9.49 Mbps DVD-14 105.92 Gbit 13.36 Mbps DVD-18 136.64 Gbit 17.24 Mbps These bit rate values should not be considered final at this point because you still have to take into consideration the audio and DVD-ROM content. However, these values do provide an indication as to which DVD disc size you will need to use. If your project uses compressed audio, such as the Dolby Digital AC-3 format, and has little or no DVD-ROM content, you would need to decide whether encoding at 4.74 Mbps (or slightly less to ensure the video and audio all fit on the disc) would provide satisfactory results. If so, a DVD-5 disc should work for this project. If the project includes multiple soundtracks, a lot of slides or subtitles, and some DVD-ROM content, you may decide it is best to use a DVD-9 disc size so that everything you want to include will fit on the disc. Another point to keep in mind is that video assets are not required to use the same bit rate. For some assets, you may decide that quality is not as important as it is for others, and choose to use a lower bit rate for them, allowing more disc space for the other video assets. Choosing a bit rate that provides satisfactory results depends on the video content and the encoder you use. In general, bit rates below 4.0 Mbps are marginally acceptable. For bit rates between 4 and 6 Mbps, you should get good results when using a good variable bit rate (VBR) encoder, such as the integrated MPEG encoder, or, for more options, Compressor directly. For rates between 6 and 8 Mbps, you should have no trouble getting good results even when using a constant bit rate (CBR) encoder. Eight Mbps is usually considered the highest usable bit rate—the DVD specification allows up to 9.8 Mbps, but this can cause playback problems on some DVD players and limit your audio options. For more information on encoding, see Encoding Video Materials for DVD. Appendix C Calculating Disc Space Requirements 637 Stage 4: Calculating the Audio Allowances Depending on your project, the audio may have a relatively minor effect on disc space. It can also be challenging to determine the audio allowances because each video asset can have up to eight audio streams, and each stream can be a different type and length. The following table lists the typical bit rates for the common audio formats. Audio format Bit rate AC-3 stereo 192 kilobits per second (kbps) to 224 kbps AC-3 5.1 surround 384 to 448 kbps DTS 5.1 surround 754.5 kbps or 1509.75 kbps PCM stereo 16 bits at 48 kHz 1536 kbps PCM stereo 24 bits at 96 kHz 4608 kbps In the earlier example, video asset 1 has two audio streams, each 5174 seconds long. The first stream is AC-3 5.1 surround, and the second is AC-3 stereo. The video asset 2 has one audio stream 2735 seconds long, using 16-bit 48 kHz PCM audio. The motion menu has an AC-3 stereo audio stream 17 seconds long. If your slideshow includes audio, you also need to include that in the formula. To calculate the storage required, you determine each video asset’s total audio bit rate and multiply that by the duration. Section Duration Bit rate Disc space Video 1, AC-3 5.1 5174 seconds 448 kbps 2.32 gigabits (Gbit) Video 1, AC-3 stereo 5174 seconds 224 kbps 1.16 Gbit Video 2, 16-bit 48 kHz 2735 seconds 1536 kbps 4.20 Gbit PCM Menu, AC-3 stereo 17 seconds 224 kbps 0.004 Gbit Total: 7.684 Gbit As you can see, using PCM audio requires substantially more disc space than using a compressed format like AC-3. See Preparing Audio Assets for more information on the different audio formats. Stage 5: Calculating the Effect of Audio on the Video Bit Rate Now that you know how much disc space is required for the audio, you can more accurately determine the video bit rate you can use. Because the DVD-5 and DVD-9 discs were the only practical ones based on the previous calculations, you will continue experimenting with them in this example. 638 Appendix C Calculating Disc Space Requirements For the DVD-5 disc, you need to subtract the total audio amount from the total disc size: 37.6 gigabits – 7.684 gigabits = 29.916 gigabits for the video. Dividing the available space by the video duration provides a new bit rate: 29.916 gigabits ÷ 7926 = 3.77 Mbps. You can see that the audio has considerably affected the original bit rate for the DVD-5 disc (4.74 Mbps). The use of PCM audio for the second video asset in this example has forced the video bit rate to drop below 4 Mbps, making the use of a DVD-5 disc questionable because a bit rate that low may not provide suitable quality. For the DVD-9 disc, you end up with 60.636 gigabits available for the video (68.32 gigabits – 7.684 gigabits). The adjusted video bit rate is now 7.65 Mbps (60.636 gigabits ÷ 7926 seconds)—easily high enough to provide good quality. Stage 6: Calculating DVD-ROM Allowances If you intend to include DVD-ROM content on the disc, you need to subtract it from the disc space before coming up with your video bit rate. Because the size of your DVD-ROM content is expressed in binary megabytes, you must convert it to the same standard as used for the DVD disc size. In this example, there is a total of 36 MB of data. Each computer MB is equal to 1,048,576 actual bytes. To convert the DVD-ROM content, you need to multiply its size (36 MB) by 1,048,576 to get the actual size of 37,748,736. The next step is to convert this number into bits by multiplying it by 8, providing a final size of approximately 0.3 gigabits. While this is not a large amount of space, you should take it into account if you are trying to maximize usage of the disc’s available space. Stage 7: Calculating Other Allowances There are several other factors that should be taken into account when determining available disc space. • Slideshows: Each still in a slideshow requires approximately 200 kilobytes (KB) of disc space. A full slideshow with 99 stills requires about 20 MB of disc space. If the slideshow contains audio, you will find that the audio can require as much or more disc space than the stills. If your disc contains many stills, you will need to take them into account. • Still menus: Each standard still menu requires about 300 KB of space, depending on the number of buttons. Layered menus can require a lot more space than standard menus because a new menu is created for each button in each of its separately specified states (normal, selected, and activated). This can mean as many as 12 menus are created to support 4 buttons. See Creating Menus Using the Layered Method for more information on layered menus. Note: Menus that use button shapes with motion assets assigned are considered to be motion menus, and need to count as a video asset. Appendix C Calculating Disc Space Requirements 639 • Subtitles: The amount of space required by subtitles can vary widely, depending on how many of the 32 streams you use, the type of content you use (simple text characters or full-screen graphics), and how often you change them (several times a second, or more typically, once every four or five seconds). Simple subtitles average about 10 kbps—roughly 2 megabits of space per hour, which is negligible on most titles. If you intend to use subtitles more as an animation tool, with full-screen graphics that change often, you must make significant allowances for them. (The maximum bit rate allowed for a subtitle stream is 3.36 Mbps—almost as much as the video stream.) • Transitions: The amount of disc space required by each transition varies depending on the transition’s length and type. In general, for SD projects, which use a bit rate of 6 Mbps for transitions, you should allow 750 KB of disc space for every second of transition time in the project. For HD projects, which use a bit rate of 20 Mbps for transitions, you should allow 2.5 MB of disc space per second. Note: Keep in mind that adding a transition to a menu results in a separate transition clip for each button—a menu with 18 buttons can require 18 transition clips. Unless you are using an exceptional number of stills, menus, or subtitles, you can usually account for the amount of space required by these items by allowing a five percent overhead. The easy way to apply this overhead amount is to multiply the bit rate you have figured out by 0.95. In the earlier example, the DVD-5 disc bit rate drops from 3.77 Mbps to 3.58 Mbps; the DVD-9 bit rate drops from 7.65 Mbps to 7.27 Mbps. Important: It is much better to be conservative and find yourself with some disc space left over than to get to the end of the project and find it will not fit on the disc. Using the Calculated Bit Rate The bit rates you calculate can be used as the bit rate entry of your encoder, regardless of the encoding method you intend to use (one pass, one-pass variable bit rate [VBR], or two-pass VBR). See MPEG Encoding Methods for more information. 640 Appendix C Calculating Disc Space Requirements Most of the parameters of the standard transitions supplied with DVD Studio Pro are self-explanatory. However, some parameters are not as obvious. This appendix explains the parameters for each of the transitions. For details on using transitions with menus, see Using the Menu Transition Feature. For details on using transitions with tracks, see Adding Transitions to Still Clips. For details on using transitions with slideshows, see Using Slideshow Transitions. This appendix covers the following: • Transition Duration (p. 641) • Video Transition (p. 641) • Alpha Transitions (p. 642) • Standard Transitions (p. 642) Transition Duration All transitions have a duration setting. The duration can be set from a minimum defined for each transition (usually one second) to a maximum based on the source length or 10 seconds maximum, whichever is smaller. For example, a slide with a duration of 5:00 can have a maximum transition duration of 4:15 because the minimum duration for a slide is 15 frames. (This is in an NTSC project—in a PAL project, the maximum transition duration would be 4:13 because the minimum duration for a slide is 12 frames.) Video Transition Menus and buttons have an additional transition to choose called Video Transition. With Video Transition, you choose a video asset to play as the transition when a button is pressed. 641 Transition Parameters Appendix D Alpha Transitions DVD Studio Pro includes several Alpha Transitions. These transitions use short video clips to produce a transition from the current picture to the new picture. These transitions, indicated with the Greek letter alpha in front of their name, have no settings other than a duration, and are not listed with the standard transitions. Additionally, you can even create and import your own Alpha Transitions. See Preparing Alpha Transitions for details on the process. Standard Transitions The following sections contain details about the standard transitions available in menus, tracks, and slideshows. Blur Blurs the current picture while it fades, revealing the new picture underneath. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Defines the amount of blur shown before the transition finishes. Blur Soft or Intense Cube Rotates the current picture off the screen while revealing the new picture as if on an adjacent side of a rotating cube. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Right, left, up, and Defines the direction the cube rotates in. down Direction Defines the amount of perspective, with 0 being maximum and 10 being minimum. Field of View 0–10 Defines the color that appears in areas the pictures do not cover. Background Color Dissolve Dissolves between the current and new pictures. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds 642 Appendix D Transition Parameters Drop Slides in the new picture over the current one, with a bounce as it “hits” the side. Use Move In to have the slide without the bounce. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Right, left, up, and Defines the direction the new picture moves in. down Direction Droplet The current picture ripples from its center and fades away, revealing the new picture. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Defines the severity of the ripple before the transition finishes; 0 is subtle while 10 is extreme. Amplitude 0–10 Fade Through Color Dissolves from the current picture to a color, then to the new picture. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Color Color Defines the color dissolved to. Flip Rotates the current picture in 3D space, revealing the new picture on its back. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Defines the direction the current image rotates toward. Right, left, up, and down Direction Defines the color that appears in areas the pictures do not cover. Background Color Defines the amount of perspective, with 0 being maximum and 10 being minimum. Field of View 0–10 Melt “Melts” the current picture while it fades, revealing the new picture. Appendix D Transition Parameters 643 Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Defines how far the picture melts before the transition finishes. Viscosity 0-10 Mosaic Divides the picture into panels that each flip independently to reveal the new picture on their back. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Defines the direction the current image panels rotate toward. Right, left, up, and down Direction Defines the number of rows the picture is broken into. Rows 1–16 Defines the number of columns the picture is broken into. Columns 1–16 Defines the amount of perspective, with 0 being maximum and 10 being minimum. Field of View 0–10 Motion Dissolve Current picture zooms out while it dissolves to the next picture. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Move In Slides in the new picture over the current picture. Use Drop to have the slide with a bounce as it “hits” the side. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Right, left, up, and Defines the direction the new picture moves in. down Direction Page Flip Creates a page turn effect to remove the current picture, revealing the new picture underneath. 644 Appendix D Transition Parameters Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Right, left, up, and Defines the direction the page is turned to. down Direction Defines the amount the page flip’s fold rotates during the transition. Angle 0–359 degrees Defines the tightness of the fold, with 0 being minimum and 10 being maximum. Field of View 0–10 Push Current picture slides off as the new picture slides in. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Right, left, up, and Defines the direction the new picture moves in. down Direction Radial Blur Current picture blurs and zooms out while fading to reveal the new picture. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Defines the amount of blur and zoom before the transition finishes, with 0 being minimum and 10 being maximum. Depth 0–10 Reveal Current picture slides off, revealing the new picture sitting underneath it. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Defines the direction the current picture moves in. Right, left, up, and down Direction Rotate Spins the current picture about its Z-axis while zooming out and fading to reveal the new picture underneath. Appendix D Transition Parameters 645 Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Defines the amount of rotation and zoom before the transition finishes, with 0 being minimum and 10 being maximum. Depth 0–10 Rotation Blur Spins the current picture about its Z-axis while blurring, zooming out, and fading to reveal the new picture underneath. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Controls how far the current picture rotates during the transition. Angle 0–359 degrees Wipe Current picture is wiped off and the new picture wiped on using a straight edge soft wipe. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Right, left, up, and Defines the direction the wipe moves in. down Direction Defines the softness of the wipe edge, with 0 being minimum and 10 being maximum. Thickness 0–10 Zoom Current picture zooms out and fades to reveal the new picture. Parameter name Range Notes You can enter a duration or drag the slider to set the duration. Duration 1 to 10 seconds Defines the amount of zooming before the transition finishes, with 0 being minimum and 10 being maximum. Depth 0–10 646 Appendix D Transition Parameters 4:3 The most common video aspect ratio, used for NTSC and PAL video standards. Also known as the 1.33 aspect ratio. See also aspect ratio. 16:9 The widescreen aspect ratio supported by the DVD-Video specification. Also known as the 1.78 aspect ratio. See also anamorphic, aspect ratio. AC-3 audio A compressed audio format developed by Dolby Laboratories. Also known as Dolby Digital audio. Supports single-channel through 5.1 surround sound configurations. The AC-3 encoder in Compressor outputs AC-3 format audio. active area The rectangular area that defines the part of the overlay graphic used for a button. Also defines a buttons hot spot that can be clicked when viewing the title on a computer. See also button. anamorphic A type of widescreen video in which the video uses the same frame size as standard 4:3 video, but with a horizontally compressed image, giving it a distorted appearance. Widescreen SD-based DVDs require you to use anamorphic 16:9 video. aspect ratio A video frames width-to-height ratio on your viewing screen. The most common aspect ratio is 4:3 used for standard video. The DVD specification also supports the 16:9 aspect ratio. See also 4:3, 16:9, anamorphic. assets The audio, video, and still image files used by DVD Studio Pro in authoring DVD projects. AUDIO_TS folder One of two folders required on standard definition DVD-Video discs (the VIDEO_TS folder is the other). The AUDIO_TS folder is reserved for use on DVD-Audio titles, and is always created but left empty when building projects with DVD Studio Pro. See also VIDEO_TS folder. authoring The process of creating a DVD. Authoring a DVD project requires you to use your sources to create elements, such as menus and tracks, connect the elements so that the viewer can get from one to the other, and then format the project into a DVD-compliant set of files, image, or DVD. See also elements. 647 Glossary Glossary authoring media The DVD-R format that supports the Cutting Master Format (CMF) for adding advanced features to master discs supplied to a replication facility. Requires using a special authoring DVD-R drive. See also Cutting Master Format (CMF), general media. AVC (Advanced Video Codec) See H.264. background image All menus have a background image, over which the menu’s buttons are placed. The background can be a still image or a motion video (creating a motion menu). See also motion menu. B-frame Bi-directional frame. In an MPEG video stream, a B-frame contains the motion differences between I-frames and P-frames occurring before and after it. With respect to file sizes, these are the most efficient frame types, although they have the greatest difficulty in handling abrupt scene changes. See also Group of Pictures (GOP), I-frame, P-frame. bit rate The number of bits per second that makes up a digital video or audio asset. The higher the bit rate, the better the quality. However, higher bit rates require larger file sizes and can cause playback problems if the DVD player is unable to keep up. The DVD specification places bit rate limits on assets used in DVD titles. blue laser The name for the new disc format supported by HD-based DVDs. The name refers to the color of the laser that plays the discs. Because a blue laser has a shorter wavelength than the red laser used with traditional SD-based DVDs, it is able to handle data that is more tightly packed than on red laser discs. This results in a little more than three times higher disc capacity. See also red laser. build To compile the project into its DVD-compliant format, creating the AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders for SD projects, and the HVDVD_TS folder for HD projects. The streams that make up a track are multiplexed into a single video object file. See also format. burn To write data to a disc. Within DVD Studio Pro, burn refers to a process that builds the project and then formats and writes it to a DVD-R, simplifying the process. See also build, format. button Each DVD menu has at least one button that the viewer can activate to access areas within the DVD. You can also place buttons over a video track. DVD Studio Pro supports three button types: overlay-based using an overlay graphic, shape-based using supplied or custom shape graphics, and layer-based using layers in an Adobe Photoshop (PSD) format file. You can connect buttons to a wide variety of project elements, including buttons on other menus, tracks, stories, slideshows, and scripts. See also button navigation, button states, motion button. 648 Glossary button navigation The actions that occur when a viewer presses a remote control’s arrow buttons. You can manually configure each button’s navigation settings or use the DVD Studio Pro Auto Assign feature to automatically set the navigation of all buttons on a menu at once. It is important to set the navigation so that viewers can logically get from the current button to the desired one. buttons over video Interactive buttons that appear over a video stream by way of a subtitle stream. Used to provide the viewer with viewing options while watching a title’s main program. Also known as interactive subtitles and interactive markers. button states Each button on a menu can be in one of three states: normal, selected, and activated. In the normal state, the button displays its inactive condition. All buttons on a menu except one are in the normal state. A button is selected when the viewer navigates to it. Only one button at a time can be in the selected state. The selected button becomes activated when the viewer presses the remote control’s Enter button. Depending on the button type, highlights or layers are used to indicate each button’s state. chapter Places in a track where you can connect to. Commonly used to identify scenes for a chapter index menu. You can assign up to 99 chapters in each track. clip The term used to describe a video or audio asset, especially after it has been added to a track. See also assets. color mapping When working with overlay graphics, the process of assigning a color and opacity setting to colors used in the overlay graphic. You assign separate colors and opacities for all three button states (normal, selected, and advanced). See also overlay. compile See build. constant bit rate (CBR) encoding A video MPEG encoding method that uses the same bit rate for the entire video file. Its primary advantage is that you can reliably predict the resulting file size. Its disadvantage is that all video scenes, whether still or with a lot of motion, are treated the same. See also variable bit rate (VBR) encoding. Content Scrambling System (CSS) Provides digital-based copyright protection for an SD DVD’s contents. See also Copy Generation Management System (CGMS), Macrovision. Copy Generation Management System (CGMS) Used to set whether an SD DVD can have unlimited copies made, a single copy made, or no copies made. Allowing no copies to be made activates the CSS and Macrovision settings. See also Content Scrambling System (CSS), Macrovision. Cutting Master Format (CMF) A format that provides the information needed by replication facilities to add advanced features to a DVD, such as support for copy protection and dual-layer discs. The cutting master format can be applied to DLTs and authoring DVD-Rs, but not general DVD-Rs. Glossary 649 Digital Linear Tape (DLT) drive The tape drive most often used to supply an SD DVD project to a replication facility. A separate tape is written for each project layer during the format process. See also disc description protocol (DDP), format. Digital Theatre Systems (DTS) audio A compressed audio format for single channel through 5.1 surround sound configurations. Requires an external DTS decoder for playing on your computer. disc description protocol (DDP) The file type most often used when formatting a project onto a DLT drive. See also Digital Linear Tape (DLT) drive. Dolby Digital See AC-3 audio. double-layer disc A recordable disc format that you can burn a dual-layer project to. Because it has the same capacity as a dual-layer disc, it is able to use the dual-layer settings in your project to place the break point, making it possible to test the project before sending it to the replicator. See also dual-layer disc. double-sided disc A DVD with content on both sides of the disc. Most DVD players require you to turn the disc over to play the second side. Each side can be single- or dual-layer. See also dual-layer disc. drop frame timecode Timecode that represents the actual time duration of NTSC at 29.97 frames per second (fps). To achieve this accuracy in numbering the frames, two frame numbers are dropped every minute on the minute, except for the tenth minute. See also non-drop frame timecode, timecode. drop zone An element you can add to a menus background. You can assign a still image or moving video asset to the drop zone. You can size, position, and rotate the drop zone. When you build the title, the drop zone is merged with the background. Drop zones cannot be linked to other elements in the project. dual-layer disc A DVD with two layers on a single disc side, almost doubling a single-layer disc’s capacity. While you can burn a dual-layer project on a double-layer drive, they are most often created by a replication facility. See also double-layer disc, double-sided disc, opposite track path (OTP), parallel track path (PTP). duplication facility When you need to create multiple copies of a DVD, and the disc fits on a standard DVD-R and requires no special high-end features such as copy protection, you can use a duplication facility. The duplication process creates DVD-R copies from a DVD-R that you burn on your system; they can automate the process and add professional labels. See also replication facility. 650 Glossary DVD@CCESS A feature in DVD Studio Pro that allows you to add additional interactivity to your title when it is played on a computer. With DVD@CCESS, you can add links to menus, tracks, and markers that can be used to open an application on the computer to display extra content. For example, you can open the system’s web browser and direct it to a specific URL. DVD-R The DVD format supported by the Apple SuperDrive, using write-once discs. See also authoring media, Cutting Master Format (CMF), general media. DVD-ROM A DVD with files in addition to those included on a standard DVD-Video disc. These files can be accessed when the title is played on a computer—they are ignored by standard set-top DVD players. The files can be almost anything you can write to a disc such as additional graphics or software. elements The parts of a DVD project, such as menus, tracks, stories, slideshows, and scripts. Authoring a project involves creating the elements and connecting them together. See also authoring. encoding The process of converting video or audio to a different format. For DVD projects, this means converting the video to an MPEG-2 file, and the audio to one of several DVD-compliant formats. First Play The element of a project that appears when the title begins playing. You can assign any of your projects elements as the First Play. format The process of writing the build files to an output device, which can be a DVD-R drive, an DLT drive, or your system’s hard disk. See also build. general media The DVD-R format most commonly used by DVD-R drives, including the Apple SuperDrive. It does not support the Cutting Master Format (CMF). See also authoring media, Cutting Master Format (CMF). General Purpose Register Memories (GPRMs) DVD players contain memory registers that are set aside for use by DVDs while they play. Scripts in a DVD use the GPRMs to store values used to provide special playback features, such as language customization or random playback. See also System Parameter Register Memories (SPRMs). Group of Pictures (GOP) A small section of an MPEG-2 encoded video clip, built from one I-frame and several B-frames and P-frames. Typical GOP sizes range from a few frames to a maximum of 18 frames (NTSC) or 15 frames (PAL). Marker placement and video trims can only occur at GOP boundaries. See also B-frame, I-frame, P-frame. Glossary 651 H.264 Based on the MPEG-4 part 10 format, the H.264 format, the H.264 video format, also known as Advanced Video Codec (AVC), provides for encoding with about twice the efficiency as with the MPEG-2 format. This results in better quality at the same bit rate, or you can choose to use a lower bit rate to achieve the same quality (with a smaller file size). In DVD Studio Pro, the H.264 format can only be used with HD projects. HDV An HD video format, using high bit rate MPEG-2 encoding, designed to be recorded on standard mini-DV tapes. HDV video can be edited in Final Cut Pro 5 and used in your HD projects without ever needing to be transcoded. HVDVD_TS The folder required on HD DVD-Video discs. DVD Studio Pro creates the HVDVD_TS folder when you build your HD project. It contains all of the video, audio, subtitle, menu, and navigation files that make up your HD DVD-Video title. I-frame Intra frame. In an MPEG video stream, I-frames, also known as reference or key frames, contain the complete image of the current frame. Unlike B-frames and P-frames, I-frames do not rely on other frames to provide image information. Each GOP contains one I-frame. See also B-frame, Group of Pictures (GOP), P-frame. interactive markers See buttons over video. interactive subtitles See buttons over video. jacket picture An optional part of the DVD-Video specification that is intended to allow a DVD player to display a graphic representing a DVD, either on a separate display or when the DVD player is stopped. layered menu creation method A method of creating menus that takes advantage of a Photoshop PSD file having separate layers for each button in its three states (normal, selected, and activated). This allows you to use complex graphics for the button highlights; however, you cannot include a motion video background or audio. See also button states, standard menu creation method. letterbox A method of displaying 16:9 video on a 4:3 monitor. The entire frame appears, with black bars at the top and bottom. See also pan-scan. Line 21 support In NTSC systems, the video line that can contain special data. Most often used to contain closed caption information. Macrovision Provides analog-based copyright protection for an SD DVD’s contents. See also Content Scrambling System (CSS), Copy Generation Management System (CGMS). marker An element you can add to a track to identify specific parts of the track’s content. There are several marker types, including chapter markers used to link chapter buttons and button highlight markers used to control buttons over video. You can have up to 99 chapter markers in a track, and up to 255 total markers in a track. Markers can only be placed at GOP boundaries. See also Group of Pictures (GOP). 652 Glossary menu An element in a project that provides buttons for the purpose of connecting to other elements in your project, such as tracks and slideshows. A menu can have a still or full motion background, and can include audio. See also background image, drop zone, motion button, motion menu. motion button Button shapes that can display a thumbnail image of an assigned asset. The asset can be a still image or a video clip. motion menu A menu that contains moving video content, either as the background, a motion button, or a drop zone. See also background image, drop zone, motion button. MPEG Acronym for Moving Picture Encoding Group. A group of encoding standards that define the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 encoding standards used by DVDs. multiplexing The process of combining multiple streams, such as video streams, audio streams, and subtitle streams, into a single stream. This occurs when you build your title and create DVD-compatible streams. See also build. muxing See multiplexing. non-drop frame timecode Normal NTSC timecode, where frames are numbered sequentially and there are 30 frames per second, 60 seconds per minute, and 60 minutes per hour. Because NTSC’s frame rate is actually 29.97 fps, non-drop frame timecode is off by 3 seconds and 18 frames per hour in comparison to actual elapsed time. See also drop frame timecode, timecode. NTSC Abbreviation for National Television Standards Committee. The organization that defines North American broadcast standards. The term NTSC video refers to the video standard defined by the committee, which has a specifically limited color gamut, is interlaced, and is approximately 720 x 480 pixels, 29.97 fps. See also PAL. one-pass and two-pass VBR (variable bit rate) encoding See variable bit rate (VBR) encoding. opposite track path (OTP) Used when creating dual-layer discs to control where the second layer starts. With OTP, the second layer starts at the outside edge of the disc, which is the opposite of the first layer, which starts at the disc’s inside edge. See also dual-layer disc, parallel track path (PTP). overlay A still graphic that provides the highlight information for buttons when creating menus or buttons over video. Overlays can be simple, using a single color on a white background, or advanced, using up to four predefined colors. You use color mapping to assign highlight colors to those used in the overlay, setting different colors for each button state (normal, selected, and activated). See also color mapping. PAL Acronym for Phase Alternating Line. A 25 fps (720 x 576 pixels) interlaced video format used by many European countries. See also NTSC. Glossary 653 pan-scan A method for displaying 16:9 video on a 4:3 monitor. Content is cropped at each end so that the 4:3 monitor is filled. An MPEG-2 video clip with pan and scan can include vectors that dynamically change the part of the picture that is cropped. See also letterbox. parallel track path (PTP) Used when creating dual-layer discs to control where the second layer starts. With PTP, the second layer starts at the inside edge of the disc, the same as the first layer. See also dual-layer disc, opposite track path (OTP). patches Specialized shapes that provide features not normally available with traditional shapes, such as shading and colorization. You cannot create your own patches. See also shapes. P-frame Predicted frame. In an MPEG video stream, P-frames are encoded based on the closest preceding I-frame or P-frame. They can be referenced by B-frames occurring before or after them. With respect to file size, they are not as efficient as B-frames, but handle abrupt scene changes better. See also B-frame, Group of Pictures (GOP), I-frame. pixel aspect ratio The distance between a pixel, the one next to it, and the one below it defines its aspect ratio. A square pixel aspect ratio, as used on computer systems and HD video monitors, has the same pixel distance in both directions. SD video monitors do not have the same distance in both directions, and have rectangular pixels. NTSC and PAL video each have different pixel aspect ratios. This difference must be accounted for when creating graphics on a computer for use in an SD project. project When you author a DVD title with DVD Studio Pro, you create and work in a project. red laser Refers to the color of the laser used to play the discs used by SD projects. See also blue laser. region codes DVDs can be set to play only in certain parts of the world by selecting the supported regions when you author your title. The DVD specification divides the world into six regions plus an additional region for use by airlines and cruise ships. replication facility You can use a replication facility when you need to reproduce a significant number of copies of your DVD (generally more than 100). You must use a replication facility if you require dual-layer discs, or if you intend to include high-end features such as copy protection or region codes. Replication facilities use a glass mastering process to create DVDs that are compatible with all DVD players, as opposed to the DVD-R process used by duplication facilities. See also duplication facility. scripts Simple programs you create to access specialized information from the DVD player, such as its region code, and to perform advanced functions, such as randomly playing all tracks. You can connect most elements of a project to scripts. See also General Purpose Register Memories (GPRMs), System Parameter Register Memories (SPRMs). 654 Glossary shapes Used with standard menus, shapes can be added to a menu as buttons or drop zones. In addition to their primary graphic, shapes can include the graphics required for highlights and video thumbnails. You can use those supplied with DVD Studio Pro or create your own. See also motion button, patches, standard menu creation method. slideshow An element in a project that can contain up to 99 still images and accompanying audio. DVD Studio Pro allows you to convert a slideshow into a track so that you can add additional features to it, such as a subtitle or additional languages for the audio. S/PDIF audio Sony/Philips Digital Interface. Digital audio output used by external AC-3 or DTS decoders to listen to DVD Studio Pro audio. standard menu creation method In DVD Studio Pro, refers to the process of creating menus that provides the most flexibility, including the ability to use motion video for the background, motion buttons, shapes, drop zones, and audio. Standard menus can also use templates and styles. See also layered menu creation method. story An element in a project that is specific to a particular track, allowing you to create a customized version of that track. For example, you can use stories to create alternate versions of a track that skip violent content or play just the track’s highlights. styles Used with standard menus, styles define how specific menu items, such as text objects, buttons, and drop zones, work in a menu. You can use those supplied by DVD Studio Pro or create your own. See also standard menu creation method, templates. subpicture See overlay. subtitle The DVD specification provides for up to 32 subtitle streams to be included in each track. These streams can contain plain text, similar to a closed caption function. They can also be used to provide buttons over video, allowing you to have buttons appear outside of menus. You can create the subtitles within DVD Studio Pro or import them from outside sources. System Parameter Register Memories (SPRMs) DVD players contain memory registers that contain configuration information, such as languages, video configuration, and region codes, for use by DVDs while they play. Scripts in the DVD can use the SPRMs to determine which version of a track to play or whether the DVD player has the proper region code. See also General Purpose Register Memories (GPRMs). templates Used with standard menus, templates can contain styles that define a menu’s background, button layout, text, and drop zones. You can use those supplied with DVD Studio Pro or create your own. See also standard menu creation method, styles. Glossary 655 timecode A method of associating each frame of video in a clip with a unique, sequential unit of time. The format is hours: minutes: seconds: frames. See also drop frame timecode, non-drop frame timecode. track The element of a DVD Studio Pro project that contains the video, audio, and subtitle streams that provide the primary content of the DVD. Each project can have a combination of up to 99 tracks, stories, and slideshows. transitions A short video clip that plays in place of the normal direct jump from one button or still image to the next element. There are a variety of transition types supplied with DVD Studio Pro that you can use. Transitions can be configured between a menu button and its target, between slides in a slideshow, and between still image clips in a track. variable bit rate (VBR) encoding A video MPEG encoding method that varies the bit rate based on the video content. Scenes with little motion use low bit rates to reduce the disc space needed, while scenes with a lot of motion use higher bit rates for greater quality. One-pass VBR encoding is faster than two-pass VBR encoding, but its quality is not quite as good and the final file size may be slightly different than you predicted. Two-pass VBR encoding makes a first pass through the video to determine its motion content, and then uses a second pass to perform the encode, with the advantage of better quality and providing a predictable file size. VIDEO_TS folder One of two folders required on DVD-Video discs (the AUDIO_TS folder is the other). DVD Studio Pro creates the VIDEO_TS folder when you build your SD project. It contains all of the video, audio, subtitle, menu, and navigation files that make up your DVD-Video title. video title set (VTS) The contents of a DVD are contained in one or more VTS blocks. DVD Studio Pro creates a VTS block for each track and slideshow in your project, with a maximum of 99 total. In addition to a track or slideshow, each VTS can also contain menus and scripts. You can use the VTS Editor to view and manage the VTS structure of your DVD projects. video zone The area of the DVD that contains the VIDEO_TS or HVDVD_TS folders. Logic Express 8 Manuel de l’utilisateur  Apple Inc. © 2007 Apple Inc. Tous droits réservés. En vertu des lois sur le copyright, il est interdit de copier le présent manuel en tout ou partie sans l’autorisation écrite d’Apple. Vos droits sur le logiciel sont régis par le contrat de licence du logiciel annexé. Le logo Apple est une marque d’Apple Inc. déposée aux États-Unis et dans d’autres pays. L’utilisation du logo Apple « clavier » (Option + 1) à des fins commerciales sans l’autorisation écrite préalable d’Apple peut constituer une contrefaçon de marque et une concurrence déloyale en violation des lois fédérales et nationales. Tous les efforts ont été mis en oeuvre pour garantir l’exactitude des informations contenues dans le présent manuel. Apple Inc. ne saurait être tenu pour responsable des coquilles, ni des erreurs d’écriture. Note : Apple fait souvent paraître de nouvelles versions et des mises à jour de ses logiciels système, applications et sites Internet. Les illustrations fournies dans ce manuel peuvent présenter de légères différences par rapport à ce qui apparaît sur votre écran. Apple Inc. 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014-2084 408-996-1010 www.apple.com Apple, le logo Apple, Bonjour, Final Cut, Final Cut Pro, FireWire, iMovie, iPod, iTunes, Jam Pack, Logic, Mac, MacBook, Macintosh, Mac OS, PowerBook, QuickTime, Soundtrack et Ultrabeat sont des marques d’Apple Inc. déposées aux États-Unis et dans d’autres pays. Finder, GarageBand et Safari sont des marques d’Apple Inc. AppleCare est une marque de service d’Apple Inc. déposée aux États-Unis et dans d’autres pays. .Mac et iTunes Store sont des marques de service d’Apple Inc. Adobe, le logo Adobe, Acrobat, le logo Acrobat, Distiller, PostScript et le logo PostScript sont des marques ou des marques déposées d’Adobe Systems Incorporated aux États-Unis et/ou dans d’autres pays. Tout autre nom de société et de produit mentionné dans le présent manuel est une marque de son détenteur respectif. La mention de produits tiers n’est proposée que dans un souci d’information et ne constitue en rien un cautionnement ou une recommandation. Apple n’assume aucune responsabilité en ce qui concerne les performances ou l’utilisation de ces produits. 3 1 Table des matières Préface 15 Logic Express 8 : ressources et documentation 16 Conventions dans la documentation Logic Express 8 17 Logic Express aide à l’écran 17 Sites web Apple Chapitre 1 19 Présentation de Logic Express 20 Création de musique avec Logic Express 23 Opérations de base : projets et régions Chapitre 2 27 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 28 Visite guidée de l’interface Logic Express 50 Fonctions standard des fenêtres Logic Express 53 Interaction entre les zones de la fenêtre Arrangement 58 Utilisation des éléments de l’interface Logic Express 60 Utilisation du clavier de l’ordinateur Chapitre 3 61 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 62 Types de fenêtres 64 Ouverture et fermeture des fenêtres 65 Déplacement et redimensionnement de fenêtres 68 Utilisation des différents niveaux de hiérarchie 69 Sélection de la zone de travail 71 Zoom 75 Relations entre les fenêtres 77 Personnalisation de la barre de transport 77 Personnalisation de la barre d’outils de la fenêtre Arrangement 79 Masquage ou affichage de l’Inspecteur 79 Réglage de l’affichage de la règle Mesure 81 Affichage des pistes globales 83 Utilisation des screensets Chapitre 4 87 Configuration du système 87 Conception de votre système de production musicale 94 Branchement de vos appareils MIDI et audio 4 Table des matières 103 Utilisation des appareils MIDI externes 103 Utilisation d’effets audio externes 103 Configuration de votre matériel audio Chapitre 5 109 Navigation dans votre projet 109 Réglage de la position de la tête de lecture 112 Utilisation des boutons de transport 114 Utilisation des raccourcis clavier de transport 115 Utilisation du mode Cycle 121 Utilisation de la fonction Suivi d’événements 123 Personnalisation de la barre de transport Chapitre 6 131 Utilisation des marqueurs 132 Ouverture des fenêtres et des zones relatives aux marqueurs 133 Création de marqueurs 136 Sélection de marqueurs 136 Suppression de marqueurs 137 Dénomination des marqueurs 139 Modification de l’apparence du texte du marqueur 140 Modification des marqueurs 142 Navigation à l’aide de marqueurs 143 Personnalisation de l’affichage des marqueurs dans la liste des marqueurs Chapitre 7 145 Utilisation des projets 145 À propos des projets 147 Création de projets 149 Ouverture de projets 151 Ouverture et création automatique de projets 152 Importation de réglages à partir d’autres projets 154 Vérification et correction de projets 155 Définition des propriétés de projet 163 Gestion des projets 165 Enregistrement de projets 167 Fermeture et sortie Chapitre 8 169 Fonctionnement de base 169 Utilisation de la souris 171 Saisie de valeurs numériques 172 Saisie de texte 172 Utilisation des raccourcis clavier 181 Utilisation d’outils 187 Utilisation des bulles d’aide 188 Utilisation du menu contextuel 189 Techniques de sélection Table des matières 5 195 Utilisation du Presse-papiers 196 Annulation et rétablissement d’opérations d’édition Chapitre 9 199 Utilisation des pistes 201 Configuration de l’en-tête de piste 202 Espace de travail et en-tête de piste 203 Création de pistes et de canaux 210 Suppression de pistes 211 Sélection de pistes 211 Réorganisation des pistes 212 Attribution de noms à des pistes 214 Assignation de pistes aux canaux 216 Zoom sur des pistes particulières 217 Assignation d’icônes à des pistes 218 Désactivation du son des pistes 220 Écoute en solo de pistes 221 Activation de l’enregistrement de pistes 222 Freeze des pistes 226 Masquage de pistes 227 Protection des pistes 228 Utilisation de la fonction d’activation en série pour les boutons placés au niveau de chaque piste Chapitre 10 229 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 230 Aperçu des bandes de canaux et de la table de mixage 234 Insertion, déplacement et retrait de modules 242 Chargement et suppression de configurations entières de bandes de canaux 246 Utilisation de la fenêtre de module 249 Fonctions communes de la fenêtre de module 256 Utilisation de la bibliothèque pour sélectionner les réglages de module 258 À propos des acheminements d’effets 262 Utilisation des instruments 275 Utilisation des applications ReWire 277 Utilisation d’effets audio externes 278 Utilisation de modules provenant d’autres fabricants Chapitre 11 281 Ajout de données préenregistrées 281 Formats de fichiers pris en charge 282 À propos des types de données préenregistrées pris en charge par Logic Express 284 Accès aux fichiers multimédia depuis le navigateur 290 Recherche de boucles Apple Loops dans le navigateur de boucles 299 Ajout et suppression de fichiers audio 309 Ajout de fichiers d’un projet et de fichiers MIDI 6 Table des matières Chapitre 12 311 Présentation des régions 311 Qu’est-ce qu’une région ? 315 Comparatif des régions MIDI et audio 317 Gestion des régions dans le chutier Audio et l’Éditeur des échantillons Chapitre 13 327 Création de votre arrangement 329 Accélération et simplification de la modification des régions 341 Sélection de régions 342 Sélection de parties d’une région 344 Ajout et enregistrement des régions 344 Suppression et restauration des régions 346 Déplacement de régions 352 Redimensionnement des régions 359 Coupe, copie et collage des régions 360 Ajout ou suppression de passages de morceaux 365 Répétition des régions 373 Division, démixage et fusion de régions 381 Utilisation des dossiers 385 Création de fondus et de fondus enchaînés dans des régions audio 389 Définition des paramètres de région Chapitre 14 395 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 395 Enregistrement audio 395 Vue d’ensemble de la procédure d’enregistrement 396 Préparation de l’enregistrement 405 Configuration des canaux de piste 407 Création d’un enregistrement audio 419 Gestion des enregistrements audio 420 Création d’accompagnements 424 Gestion des dossiers de prises 426 Enregistrement MIDI 427 Enregistrement de régions MIDI en temps réel 433 Enregistrement MIDI avec entrée pas-à-pas 439 Utilisation du clavier avec verrouillage majuscules Chapitre 15 441 Présentation de l’édition MIDI 442 Ouverture des éditeurs 444 Écoute des événements MIDI lors de l’édition 444 Édition d’événements MIDI dans la zone Arrangement 445 Contrôle et réinitialisation des événements MIDI Chapitre 16 447 Modification d’événements MIDI dans l’Éditeur Clavier 447 Découverte de l’interface de l’Éditeur Clavier 450 Création et édition d’événements de notes Table des matières 7 465 Scission d’accords 466 Utilisation d’Hyper Draw 468 Personnalisation de l’Éditeur Clavier 468 Raccourcis de l’Éditeur Clavier Chapitre 17 469 Modification d’événements MIDI dans l’Hyper Editor 471 Création et modification d’événements dans Hyper Editor 481 Utilisation de définitions d’événements 489 Utilisation d’hyper sets Chapitre 18 493 Modification d’événements MIDI dans la Liste des événements 494 Présentation et utilisation de l’interface Liste des événements 497 Sélection et création d’événements 501 Modification d’événements 503 Suppression d’événements et désactivation du son 504 Lecture en solo de régions ou de dossiers et changement de leur nom 505 À propos des types d’événements 511 Fenêtre Événement en premier plan Chapitre 19 513 Quantification d’événements MIDI 514 Quantification de régions 519 Quantification des événements et des notes 522 Création de modèles de groove Chapitre 20 527 Modification d’événements MIDI dans la fenêtre de transformation 528 Choix et utilisation des jeux de transformations 539 Utilisation des paramètres de la fenêtre de transformation 546 Création de vos propres jeux de transformations 547 Importation de jeux de transformations à partir d’autres projets 548 Exemples d’utilisation Chapitre 21 553 Modification de données audio dans l’Éditeur des échantillons 554 Lecture des fichiers audio 556 Navigation dans les fichiers audio 557 Modification des échelles des axes X et Y 559 Affichage de la forme d’onde sous forme de bits d’échantillonnage 560 Sélection de données 561 Copie, collage, suppression et coupe 562 Modification et traitement de données audio de façon destructrice 568 Réglage du tempo du projet 568 Fonctions de la boucle d’échantillonnage 568 Annulation des étapes de modification dans l’Éditeur des échantillons 570 Création de copies de sauvegarde manuelles 572 Utilisation de Digital Factory 8 Table des matières 588 Utilisation d’un Éditeur externe des échantillons Chapitre 22 589 Suppression des passages silencieux dans les régions audio 589 Utilisation de la fonction Éliminer les silences 591 Utilisation du processus d’élimination des silences Chapitre 23 595 Réglage du tempo des régions audio 595 Adaptation automatique au tempo 596 Réglage du tempo d’un projet afin de l’adapter à une région audio 598 Étirement temporel de régions 598 Utilisation de la fonction Suivre le tempo Chapitre 24 601 Gestion de fichiers audio 601 Tri, regroupement et changement de nom de fichier dans le chutier audio 606 Déplacement de fichiers audio 607 Copie ou conversion de fichiers audio 608 Suppression de fichiers audio 609 Optimisation des fichiers audio 609 Enregistrement de régions en tant que fichiers audio individuels 610 Exportation de pistes en tant que fichiers audio 611 Utilisation des fichiers SDII 611 Recherche et remplacement de fichiers audio orphelins Chapitre 25 613 Mixage 615 Étapes de mixage élémentaires 617 Éléments des bandes de canaux 618 Réglage des niveaux des bandes de canaux 621 Réglage du contrôle Pan ou Balance 622 Activation du mode solo et désactivation du son des canaux 624 Ajout d’effetsà l’aide d’insertions 624 Utilisation des envois 624 Utilisation des réglages des bandes de canaux 625 Monitoring à l’aide de modules d’effets 625 Armement des bandes de canaux 625 Modification du format d’entrée d’un canal 626 Réglage du mode Automation 626 Gestion des entrées et des sorties de la table de mixage 627 Ajustement des éléments de plusieurs bandes de canaux 629 Ajustement des bandes de canaux en mode Enregistrement ou Lecture 629 Utilisation des groupes 633 Types de bande de canal 641 Personnalisation de la table de mixage 647 Utilisation de la fenêtre Étiquettes E/S Table des matières 9 Chapitre 26 649 Utilisation de l’automatisation 650 Affichage des données d’automatisation de piste 653 Réglage d’un mode d’automatisation 657 Écriture des données d’automatisation de piste 658 Édition des données d’automatisation de piste dans la zone Arrangement 664 Édition des données d’automatisation de piste dans une liste des événements 664 Écriture des données d’automatisation avec des contrôleurs externes 666 Utilisation de la fonction Hyper Draw 670 Conversion de données d’automatisation Chapitre 27 673 Bounce de votre projet 674 Création d’un bounce 674 Direction des canaux vers une sortie 675 Définition de la plage de bounce 675 Utilisation de la fenêtre Bounce 685 Définition du nom et du dossier d’un fichier de bounce 685 Bounce et Dithering POW-r Chapitre 28 687 Création de boucles Apple Loops 688 Création de boucles Apple Loops dans Logic Express 691 Création de boucles Apple Loops dans l’Utilitaire de boucles Apple Loops 692 Conversion de fichiers ReCycle en boucles Apple Loops 693 Ajout de boucles Apple Loops au navigateur de boucles 694 Pistes globales et boucles Apple Loops 697 Conversion de boucles Apple Loops en fichiers audio 697 Boucles Apple Loops et fréquences d’échantillonnage Chapitre 29 699 Échange de projets et de fichiers 700 Partage de données Logic Express sur un réseau 705 Sauvegarde de fichiers audio 705 Sauvegarde et partage de projets 707 Utilisation des fichiers SMF 710 Importation de projets GarageBand 711 Utilisation des fichiers OMF 712 Utilisation des fichiers OpenTL 714 Ouverture, importation et exportation de fichiers AAF 715 Importation et exportation de fichiers XML Final Cut Pro 716 Exportation de régions 717 Exportation de pistes sous forme de fichiers audio Chapitre 30 719 Opérations avancées relatives au tempo 719 Affichage du tempo 720 Utilisation de la piste de tempo 725 Enregistrement des changements de tempo 10 Table des matières 725 Ajustement du tempo par rapport aux régions audio 726 Utilisation de la liste de tempos 729 Utilisation de la fenêtre Opérations sur le tempo 732 Utilisation de l’Interpréteur de tempo 734 Utilisation du curseur de tempo Chapitre 31 737 Régions de table des battements 738 Table des battements avec des régions MIDI 740 Table des battements avec des régions audio 741 Battements issus de la région 742 Table des battements réglée sur les marqueurs de scène 742 Table des battements réglée sur les marqueurs Chapitre 32 743 Transposition avec les pistes d’accord et de transposition 744 Méthode de transposition des événements MIDI et des boucles Apple Loops 745 Création et modification d’événements de transposition et d’accord 747 Analyse de régions MIDI Chapitre 33 749 Utilisation de la notation 750 À propos de l’éditeur de partition 757 Saisie de notes et de symboles dans l’éditeur de partition 757 Enregistrement MIDI en temps réel 758 Saisie des étapes 759 Saisie à l’aide la souris (à partir de la palette des symboles) 762 Utilisation d’Hyper Draw dans l’éditeur de partition 763 Utilisation de la palette des symboles 766 À propos des groupes de la palette des symboles 776 Notes et symboles d’édition : fonctionnement de base 776 Utilisation du menu contextuel 776 Modification simultanée de plusieurs objets 777 Suppression d’objets dans l’éditeur de partition 778 Déplacement ou copie d’objets à l’aide de la souris 781 Utilisation d’alias dans l’éditeur de partition 782 Modification de la position graphique des objets 784 Redimensionnement des notes et des symboles 785 Modification de notes et de symboles : opérations avancées 785 Modification de notes 791 Création et insertion de silences 793 Édition de clés 795 Édition d’articulations et de crescendi 797 Modification de signes de reprise et de traits de mesure 799 Utilisation du texte 799 Insertion de texte Table des matières 11 801 Édition de texte 802 Utilisation de polices de symboles musicaux 803 À propos des styles de texte 804 Utilisation de styles de texte 805 Utilisation de texte global 807 Utilisation d’objets textuels automatiques 808 Création de paroles 810 Création de symboles d’accords 814 Utilisation des temps et des armatures 815 Création de temps 816 Création d’altérations 816 Sélection d’articulations 817 Copie d’articulations 818 Édition d’articulations 818 Suppression d’articulations 819 Création et sélection d’articulations alternatives 820 Transcription d’enregistrements MIDI 821 Réglages par défaut des nouvelles régions MIDI 822 Sélection de plusieurs régions dans l’éditeur de partition 822 Paramètres d’affichage 828 Régions MIDI masquées 828 Utilisation des attributs de note pour modifier des notes séparément 835 Utilisation des styles de portée 858 Création de partitions et de rubriques instrumentales au moyen des jeux de partitions 866 Impression de la partition 866 Préparation de la mise en page de la partition pour l’impression 870 Impression de la partition 872 Exportation de la partition sous forme de fichier graphique 872 Préparation de l’exportation 872 Exportation de la partition 873 Personnalisation de l’apparence de l’éditeur de partition 873 Sélection d’un mode de couleur 874 Affichage des dossiers 874 Affichage des pistes globales 874 Affichage du nom des instruments 874 Réglages de projet associés à l’affichage des partitions 875 Réglages Partition globale 880 Nombres et noms 884 Tabl. guitare 888 Clefs et altérations 890 Mise en page 893 Réaction MIDI 895 Couleurs 12 Table des matières 897 Préférences de partition Chapitre 34 899 Utilisation de vidéo 900 Utilisation de la fenêtre Film 901 Utilisation de la piste vidéo 902 Utilisation de marqueurs de scène 903 Création de marqueurs de scène 904 Gestion de pistes audio de films QuickTime 906 Réglages de projet vidéo 908 Préférences vidéo Chapitre 35 909 Synchronisation de Logic Express 910 Relation de synchronisation maître-esclave 910 Utilisation d’une synchronisation externe 912 Réglages du projet de synchronisation 922 Affichage et utilisation des positions SMPTE 924 Contrôle de la machine MIDI (MCC, MIDI Machine Control) 926 Problèmes de synchronisation et solutions Chapitre 36 929 Utilisation des latences des modules 929 Au sujet des temps de latence 930 Utilisation du Mode de temps de latence faible 931 Utilisation de la compensation de retard de module Chapitre 37 937 Utilisation de formats de fichiers audio avec canaux scindés 938 Importation de fichiers avec canaux scindés 938 Utilisation de fichiers stéréo scindés 939 Exportation de fichiers avec canaux scindés Chapitre 38 941 Utilisation de l’Environnement 942 Utilisation de l’Environnement 942 Présentation de l’Environnement 944 Utilisation des couches 947 Personnalisation de l’affichage de l’Environnement 949 Utilisation des objets 954 Trajectoire du signal MIDI 961 Paramètres courants des objets Environnement 963 Échange d’Environnements 968 Objets Environnement 968 Instruments standard 971 Multi Instruments 977 Instruments mappés 981 Table de mixage GM 984 Boutons d’enregistrement MMC Table des matières 13 984 Clavier 985 Objet Moniteur 986 Objet Séparateur de canal 986 Arpégiateur 989 Objet Transformateur 994 Objet Ligne de retard 995 Objet Limiteur de voix 996 Objet Mémoriseur d’accord 999 Objet Touch Tracks 1002 Objets Entrée Physique et Entrée Séquenceur 1004 Objet Clic MIDI 1005 Objets internes 1006 Alias 1008 Ornement 1008 Macros 1010 Curseurs 1029 Objets Bandes de canaux Chapitre 39 1033 Réglages du projet et préférences 1034 Enregistrement des réglages du projet et des préférences 1034 Réglages du projet 1034 Réglages Synchronisation 1035 Réglages Métronome 1037 Réglages d’enregistrement 1039 Réglages d’accord 1045 Réglages audio 1047 Réglages MIDI 1048 Réglages de projet Partition 1048 Réglages de projet Vidéo 1049 Réglages de projet Ressources 1049 Préférences 1049 Préférences globales 1054 Préférences Audio 1060 Préférences MIDI 1063 Préférences d’affichage 1066 Préférences de partition 1066 Préférences vidéo 1067 Préférences d’automatisation 1068 Préférences de surface de contrôle 1068 Préférences de partage Annexe 1069 En savoir plus, service et assistance 1070 Informations relatives au service et à l’assistance AppleCare 14 Table des matières Glossaire 1071 Index 1109 15 Préface Logic Express 8 : ressources et documentation Logic Express 8 offre un recueil de documentation vous permettant d’apprendre à utiliser de manière approfondie l’ensemble des fonctionnalités de l’application. Pour obtenir des informations complémentaires sur Logic Express, notamment sur les mises à jour et les textes d’assistance, reportez-vous au site web Apple. Logic Express 8 est fourni avec la documentation suivante :  Manuel de l’utilisateur de Logic Express 8 : ce livret sert d’arbitre final pour tous les aspects de Logic Express. Il explique chaque élément du programme en détail, à l’exception des modules.  Premiers contacts avec Logic Express 8 : ce livret vous apprend à utiliser Logic Express rapidement.  Prise en charge des surfaces de contrôle de Logic Express 8 : ce document explique comment utiliser des surfaces de contrôle avec Logic Express 8.  Utilisation du matériel Apogee avec Logic Express 8 : ce document explique comment utiliser le matériel Apogee avec Logic Express 8.  Instruments et effets de Logic Express 8 : ce manuel traite de l’utilisation de tous les modules d’instruments et d’effets de Logic Express. Il n’aborde pas l’utilisation spécifique des modules dans les applications. Il couvre uniquement leurs fonctions, leurs paramètres et leur utilisation en général.  Informations de dernière minute : ce document est publié en ligne et fait l’objet de mises à jour au fur et à mesure des nouvelles versions de Logic Express 8 ou de la disponibilité d’informations inédites. Important : toutes les informations sur les sujets abordés dans ce manuel étaient exactes lorsque ce dernier a été rédigé. Pour obtenir des informations récentes sur les modifications et les ajouts effectués après la publication, reportez-vous au document intitulé Informations de dernière minute, que vous trouverez dans le menu Aide Logic Express, et au document Informations de mise à jour fourni avec chaque mise à jour de Logic Express. 16 Préface Logic Express 8 : ressources et documentation Conventions dans la documentation Logic Express 8 La rubrique qui suit vous présente les conventions utilisées dans la documentation de Logic Express 8. Fonctions des menus Les différents niveaux des menus hiérarchiques permettant d’accéder aux fonctions se présentent comme suit : Menu > Entrée du menu > Fonction. Entrées importantes Un texte apparaît comme suit : Important : informations sur la fonction ou le paramètre. Ces entrées traitent un concept clé ou donnent des informations techniques à suivre ou à prendre en compte. Vous devez leur prêter une attention particulière. Remarques certaines rubriques offrent des informations ou des astuces complémentaires vous facilitant l’utilisation de Logic Express. Elles s’affichent de la manière suivante : Remarque : informations sur la fonction ou le paramètre. Raccourcis clavier Un grand nombre de fonctions Logic Express sont accessibles à partir de raccourcis sur le clavier de votre ordinateur. Les raccourcis clavier mentionnés dans ce guide suivent le jeu de raccourcis clavier standard. Astuces Un certain nombre de raccourcis, de méthodes alternatives et d’astuces générales figurent tout au long de la documentation. Ces indications sont susceptibles d’améliorer votre flux de production ou de vous fournir des informations complémentaires sur d’autres utilisations possibles des fonctions. Les astuces se présentent de la manière suivante : Π Conseil : informations sur la fonction ou le paramètre. Avertissements Des messages d’avertissement sont inclus pour certaines fonctions destructives pouvant provoquer des pertes de données irrécupérables ou endommager votre matériel. Les avertissements sont affichés de la manière suivante : Prêtez une attention particulière à ces entrées car elles peuvent vous épargner de graves erreurs. Avertissement : informations sur la fonction ou le paramètre. Préface Logic Express 8 : ressources et documentation 17 Logic Express aide à l’écran L’Aide Logic Express comprend la documentation utilisateur Logic Express 8 au format électronique. Ces documents ont le mérite particulier d’être à portée de main dès que nécessaire et d’être interrogeables, vous offrant un accès rapide aux renseignements dont vous avez besoin.  Le menu Aide Logic Express présente également des fonctions complémentaires, notamment un accès direct aux pages Logic Express du site web Apple.  Une liste complète de signets vous permet de choisir (et de baliser) rapidement ceux que vous voulez consulter et vous renvoie directement à la source lorsque vous cliquez sur un lien. Informations de dernière minute Ce document est publié en ligne et fait l’objet de mises à jour au fur et à mesure des nouvelles versions de Logic Express 8 ou de la disponibilité d’informations inédites. Pour effectuer une vérification des dernières mises à jour, choisissez « Informations de dernière minute » dans le menu Aide. Le fichier PDF « Informations de dernière minute » est téléchargé. Si Safari est le navigateur web par défaut de votre système, le fichier PDF « Informations de dernière minute » s’affiche directement dans Safari. Certains navigateurs web peuvent ne pas afficher directement les fichiers PDF, auquel cas le fichier PDF sera téléchargé à l’emplacement de téléchargement par défaut. Sites web Apple Il existe sur le web une grande variété de groupes, de forums de discussion et de ressources pédagogiques relatifs à Logic Express. Sites web Logic Express Les sites web qui suivent offrent des mises à jour, des informations d’assistance et des informations générales sur Logic Express ainsi que les toutes dernières informations, ressources et documentation. Pour obtenir des informations à propos de Logic Express, consultez le site suivant : http://www.apple.com/fr/support/logicexpress Pour en savoir plus sur les formations dispensées par Apple, accédez au site suivant : http://www.apple.com/fr/training Pour faire part de vos commentaires à Apple et donner votre avis sur Logic Express, rendez-vous sur les forums de discussion Apple (en anglais) : http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=156 18 Préface Logic Express 8 : ressources et documentation Site web de service et d’assistance Apple Consultez ce site pour obtenir des mises à jour de logiciels et des réponses aux questions fréquemment posées sur les produits Apple, en particulier Logic Express. Vous avez également accès à la spécification des produits, à la documentation de référence, ainsi qu’à des articles techniques sur les produits Apple et de tierce partie. Pour accéder à la page web du service et de l’assistance Apple : m Ouvrez votre navigateur Internet et tapez l’adresse http://www.apple.com/fr/support. Autres sites web  http://www.apple.com/fr : commencez par la page de démarrage d’Apple afin d’obtenir les dernières informations sur les produits Apple.  http://www.apple.com/fr/quicktime : QuickTime est la technologie standard développée par Apple pour le traitement de la vidéo, du son, des animations, des graphismes, du texte, de la musique et des scènes de réalité virtuelle (VR) à 360 degrés. QuickTime offre un haut niveau de performance, de compatibilité et de qualité pour la diffusion de la vidéo numérique. Rendez-vous sur le site web de QuickTime pour obtenir des informations sur les types de données compatibles, avoir un aperçu des spécifications et de l’interface QuickTime, etc.  http://www.apple.com/fr/firewire : FireWire est l’un des standards de périphériques les plus rapides, ce qui le rend indispensable pour l’utilisation de périphériques multimédia tels que les interfaces audio, les caméscopes vidéo ou les tout derniers disques durs ultra-rapides. Consultez ce site web pour obtenir des informations sur les avantages de la technologie FireWire, sur le logiciel FireWire et sur les produits FireWire de tierce partie.  http://www.apple.com/fr/pro : ce site web fournit des informations et d’autres ressources sur les séminaires, les événements et les outils de tierce partie utilisés pour la publication sur le web, la conception et l’impression de documents, la CAO, la musique et le son, la vidéo en fond d’écran, l’imagerie numérique, la modélisation et l’animation, ainsi que les arts médiatiques.  http://www..apple.com/fr/store : rendez-vous sur ce site pour acheter des logiciels, du matériel et des accessoires directement auprès d’Apple. Vous y trouverez également des promotions et des offres spéciales, notamment sur du matériel et des logiciels de tierce partie. 1 19 1 Présentation de Logic Express Logic Express est une application MIDI et audio complète et élaborée qui fournit tous les outils nécessaires à la réalisation de créations musicales de qualité professionnelle. Logic Express vous permet d’enregistrer des données audio et MIDI, de modifier des boucles audio et des éléments d’instruments logiciels et MIDI, d’ajouter des effets de grande qualité et de mixer votre musique en stéréo. La version mixée finale peut être exportée vers un fichier audio standard, gravée sur un CD audio ou sur un DVD susceptible d’être lu sur n’importe quel ordinateur ou chaîne hi-fi ou importée dans d’autres applications et périphériques. Voici un aperçu de ce que vous pouvez faire avec Logic Express :  Enregistrement d’informations MIDI via un périphérique d’entrée MIDI connecté, tel qu’un clavier, puis lecture de ces informations via tout appareil MIDI connecté (module ou clavier de synthétiseur) ou des instruments logiciels intégrés de Logic Express.  Création, arrangement et modification de projets MIDI, puis impression de notations musicales par le biais d’une imprimante connectée à votre ordinateur.  Enregistrement numérique d’instruments acoustiques et électriques ou de voix dans vos projets, puis traitement de ces enregistrements audio à l’aide d’un large éventail d’effets en temps réel intégrés.  Utilisation des instruments logiciels intégrés, notamment : Ultrabeat, ES1, ES2, EXS24 mkII, plus d’une dizaine d’instruments GarageBand de haute qualité ou d’instruments Audio Unit de tierce partie.  Chargement de projets ou de bandes de canaux depuis GarageBand, puis amélioration de ces éléments grâce aux possibilités de traitement et de modification supplémentaires offertes par Logic Express.  Mixage de vos pistes MIDI et audio, comprenant des effets et des réglages d’instruments logiciels, par l’intermédiaire d’un système élaboré d’automatisation du mixage avec remémoration totale. Logic Express fournit des effets de haute qualité, utilisables dans vos projets. Vous pouvez également installer et utiliser des effets et des instruments Audio Unit de tierce partie. 20 Chapitre 1 Présentation de Logic Express  Bounce (mixage) de toutes les données audio, y compris les instruments, les effets et les réglages d’automatisation du mixage, vers un fichier stéréo afin de les masteriser ou de leur appliquer un traitement supplémentaire.  Travail en temps réel : Logic Express vous permet de travailler sur vos projets en temps réel, d’ajouter des éléments audio et MIDI et de les modifier en cours de lecture, puis d’écouter immédiatement le résultat de vos modifications.  Utilisation de bibliothèques de boucles existantes : Logic Express prend directement en charge les fichiers Apple Loops et est compatible avec un grand nombre de types de fichiers audio existants, notamment ceux créés avec ReCycle.  Recherche et aperçu de fichiers : la zone Média, qui fait partie de l’interface Logic Express, offre des fonctions performantes de recherche et de navigation dans les fichiers, ce qui facilite la localisation de fichiers audio et d’autres types de fichiers pris en charge. Création de musique avec Logic Express Logic Express peut être utilisé de différentes façons, de la plus simple à la plus recherchée. La rubrique suivante décrit un exemple de processus courant auquel contribuent plusieurs projets. Le cas échéant, la structure de ce manuel suit ce processus de base. Étape 1 : création d’un projet Pour commencer à utiliser Logic Express, vous devez créer un projet ou en ouvrir un. Un fichier de projet contient des enregistrements de données MIDI, ainsi que des informations concernant les fichiers audio ou autres utilisés, y compris les pointeurs vers ces fichiers. Tous les fichiers (audio, vidéo, échantillons, etc.) peuvent être enregistrés dans un dossier de projet. Tous les fichiers d’un projet sont automatiquement placés dans les sous-dossiers appropriés, au sein du dossier principal. Pour plus de détails, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Opérations de base : projets et régions » à la page 23. Étape 2 : création et importation de vos oeuvres musicales L’importation d’une oeuvre musicale dans Logic Express peut être effectuée selon deux méthodes :  Nouveaux enregistrements de données audio ou MIDI (ces derniers peuvent ensuite être lus à l’aide de synthétiseurs MIDI externes ou d’instruments logiciels).  Importation d’enregistrements audio (fichiers audio, échantillons, boucles) ou de fichiers MIDI (et d’autres données de fichier) dans vos projets. Vous pouvez importer des enregistrements audio existants simplement en les faisant glisser depuis la zone Média, qui figure à droite de la fenêtre Arrangement. Chapitre 1 Présentation de Logic Express 21 Pour effectuer un enregistrement, vous devez faire appel à du matériel audio ou MIDI adapté, connecté à votre Macintosh ou installé sur ce dernier. Les enregistrements MIDI permettent de déclencher soit des périphériques MIDI externes, tels que les synthétiseurs, soit des instruments logiciels internes. Les instruments logiciels sont calculés sur l’unité centrale du Macintosh, puis lus par l’intermédiaire de votre interface audio ou des sorties audio Macintosh. Non seulement vous pouvez enregistrer les notes de vos performances, mais vous pouvez également enregistrer puis lire des informations telles que les changements de réglage du synthétiseur, et tout cela en temps réel. Pour effectuer un enregistrement audio, vous pouvez, entre autres, jouer d’un instrument (de la guitare par exemple) ou chanter dans un micro. Étape 3 : arrangement et modification Une fois vos oeuvres musicales importées ou enregistrées dans Logic Express, vous serez généralement amené à les organiser en une « structure de morceaux ». Pour ce faire, vous devez utiliser la fenêtre principale de Logic Express, appelée fenêtre Arrangement. Les oeuvres musicales apparaissent sous la forme de blocs rectangulaires, appelés régions. Ces régions s’exécutent de gauche à droite dans la fenêtre Arrangement et sont classées verticalement sous forme de pistes. Vous pouvez librement copier, répéter, passer en boucle, déplacer, raccourcir, allonger ou supprimer des régions, et ce sur une ou plusieurs pistes. Cette présentation en forme de grille et l’utilisation de blocs de construction (régions) permet de créer et de visualiser plus facilement la structure globale des morceaux. Vous serez souvent amené à modifier vos enregistrements de données audio ou MIDI de façon plus précise que cela n’est possible au niveau de la région. Logic Express dispose de plusieurs fenêtres d’édition qui vous permettent de modifier vos oeuvres musicales à différents niveaux. Voici quelques exemples de situations où cela peut s’avérer utile :  Vous avez réalisé l’enregistrement d’une performance principalement vocale mais on entend un bruit sourd lors des passages silencieux entre deux phrases, dus au fait que l’interprète donne un coup dans le pied du micro. Bien évidemment, c’est un son dont vous vous passeriez volontiers sur la version finale du CD. Cela ne pose pas de problème. Il vous suffit de modifier l’enregistrement en insérant un silence au moment du bruit sourd, voire même en supprimant complètement cette partie de l’enregistrement.  Vous avez réalisé un enregistrement MIDI au clavier qui serait parfait sans cette note erronée, qui aurait dû être un Do et non un Si. Cela ne pose pas de problème. Il vous suffit de faire glisser l’événement de note MIDI du Si vers le Do. Pour plus de détails, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Opérations de base : projets et régions » à la page 23. 22 Chapitre 1 Présentation de Logic Express Étape 4 : mixage, automatisation et utilisation de modules Après avoir créé un arrangement et y avoir apporté les modifications nécessaires, l’étape suivante du projet correspond généralement à la phase de mixage. Globalement parlant, le terme « mixer » signifie équilibrer les niveaux relatifs de chaque composant d’un morceau. En d’autres termes, la partie vocale principale doit être plus forte que la basse, les guitares, les percussions et les synthétiseurs, afin que l’on puisse entendre les paroles. Le mixage implique également l’utilisation d’effets audio, qui ont pour effet de modifier, d’améliorer ou de supprimer certains composants de morceau spécifiques, jusqu’à obtenir un produit final impeccable et unifié. Logic Express fournit divers effets que vous pouvez utiliser pour transformer votre morceau basique en un projet à la finition digne d’un professionnel. Logic Express vous permet d’enregistrer ou d’automatiser les modifications apportées aux réglages d’effet, d’instrument et de piste, tels que le volume, la balance, les filtres et d’autres commandes. Ces opérations peuvent être effectuées en temps réel ou hors ligne à l’aide de la souris ou d’un périphérique MIDI externe. Ces modifications sont répercutées lorsque vous lisez le projet et peuvent être modifiées indépendamment de l’oeuvre musicale. Cette fonction est très utile, pour diverses raisons :  Si vous utilisez la souris de l’ordinateur, vous ne pouvez ajuster qu’un seul niveau ou réglage d’une piste de lecture. La possibilité d’enregistrer et de lire plusieurs ajustements de tous les éléments de piste permet d’obtenir une version mixée élaborée.  Il est rare qu’une performance soit parfaitement cohérente. En effet, un interprète chante souvent plus ou moins fort au cours des différentes parties de sa performance, vous devrez donc égaliser ces changements de niveaux tout au long du morceau ou équilibrer les rubriques vocales basses et fortes par rapport au fond musical.  La dynamique d’un morceau (ses rubriques basses et fortes) bénéficie de l’animation. En d’autres termes, l’intensité d’une rubrique de morceau est souvent obtenue grâce à des changements de niveaux immédiats ou progressifs. Les morceaux dont le niveau reste régulier pendant toute leur durée ont tendance à paraître plats et à manquer d’énergie. Étape 5 : exportation et bounce La dernière étape du processus de création musicale dans Logic Express consiste à exporter votre produit final. Logic Express vous permet de créer un fichier stéréo de votre version mixée finale dans divers formats de fichier audio. Pour ce faire, vous devez accéder à la fenêtre Bounce. Choisissez simplement le ou les types de fichiers souhaités dans les menus disponibles, puis cliquez sur le bouton Bounce à l’écran. Vous pouvez même graver une version mixée stéréo directement sur un CD ou un DVD en une seule étape. Chapitre 1 Présentation de Logic Express 23 Opérations de base : projets et régions Cette rubrique fournit une présentation des éléments de base et de la terminologie d’un projet Logic Express. Des instructions détaillées concernant l’utilisation des projets, régions et événements sont fournies dans les chapitres ultérieurs. Si vous êtes un utilisateur chevronné, vous pouvez passer directement à la rubrique « Visite guidée de l’interface Logic Express » à la page 28. Projets Pour commencer à utiliser Logic Express, vous devez créer un projet ou en ouvrir un. Ce processus est similaire à l’utilisation d’une application de traitement de texte, où vous devez commencer par ouvrir un document pour pouvoir taper. Tout comme les applications de traitement de texte, Logic Express vous permet d’ouvrir plusieurs documents (projets) à la fois et de transférer des données multimédia (ou autres) de l’un à l’autre. Un fichier de projet Logic Express contient l’ensemble des événements MIDI et des réglages de paramètres, des informations sur les fichiers audio et vidéo devant être lus et toutes les modifications apportées aux données MIDI et audio. Il est important de noter que le fichier de projet pointe vers vos fichiers audio et vidéo, qui sont stockés sous la forme d’entités indépendantes sur le disque. Vous avez la possibilité d’inclure ces fichiers, ainsi que d’autres types de fichiers, dans le dossier du projet. Cette approche présente deux avantages essentiels :  L’enregistrement d’un projet sans ses « ressources » (fichiers d’échantillons, audio, vidéo, etc.) réduit la quantité de mémoire nécessaire au stockage des fichiers de projet (et des fichiers de sauvegarde de ce dernier).  L’enregistrement d’un projet avec ses ressources simplifie certaines tâches telles que l’archivage et le transport vers d’autres studios utilisant l’application Logic Express. Dossier de projet Un projet peut comprendre l’ensemble des fichier utilisés, y compris le « morceau » lui-même (le document de projet), les copies de sauvegarde du morceau, toutes les données audio, tous les instruments échantillonnés et les échantillons des instruments EXS24 ou Ultrabeat, ainsi que toutes les données vidéo. Ces éléments sont collectivement désignés comme étant les ressources du projet. Lorsque vous créez un nouveau projet, un dossier de projet est créé et nommé et son emplacement sur le disque dur est spécifié. Les nouveaux enregistrements sont automatiquement placés dans un sous-dossier intitulé Fichiers audio, au sein du dossier de projet principal. Si vous décidez d’inclure les ressources du projet, d’autres sous-dossiers sont automatiquement créés. Il s’agit notamment des dossiers Fichiers audio, Copies de sauvegarde du projet, Échantillons, Vidéo, ReCycle et Instruments de l’échantillonneur. 24 Chapitre 1 Présentation de Logic Express La structure de sous-dossiers est identique pour tous les projets, ce qui rend la navigation dans vos projets et ceux d’autres utilisateurs Logic Express plus simple et plus cohérente. Régions La fenêtre principale de Logic Express est intitulée fenêtre Arrangement. Il s’agit de la fenêtre qui s’affiche en premier lorsque vous ouvrez l’application et qu’un projet se charge. Cette fenêtre permet d’enregistrer, de modifier et d’arranger vos projets. Vos fichiers audio et MIDI apparaissent dans la fenêtre Arrangement sous forme de zones rectangulaires appelées régions. Les fichiers audio sont représentés par des régions audio, les fichiers MIDI par des régions MIDI. Régions audio et fichiers audio Les régions audio font tout simplement référence (pointent vers) un fichier audio sousjacent. Elles font office de marqueurs de lecture (signes de début et de fin), qui peuvent couvrir l’intégralité du fichier audio ou au contraire ne durer que quelques secondes au cours desquelles une petite partie du fichier audio est lue. Dossier du projet Dossier des fichiers audio Dossier des fichiers film Dossier des instruments de l’échantillonneur Dossier des réponses d’impulsion Ressources du projet Fichier de projet (« morceau ») Région audio 1 Fichier audio Région audio 2 Région audio 3 Chapitre 1 Présentation de Logic Express 25 Tout fichier audio utilisé dans Logic Express est automatiquement associé à au moins une région audio, qui correspond par défaut à l’intégralité du fichier en question. Vous pouvez librement créer autant de régions audio que vous le souhaitez. Pour vous convaincre de l’utilité des régions, imaginez une piste de batterie stéréo couvrant toute la durée de votre projet. Le batteur a parfaitement joué le deuxième refrain, mais s’est montré un peu brouillon le reste du temps. Logic Express vous permet de créer une région audio pointant sur le deuxième refrain du fichier audio (le morceau de batterie), puis d’utiliser cette prise parfaite à différents endroits du projet. Pour ce faire, la région audio (pointée sur le 2e refrain dans le fichier audio de la piste de batterie) doit être créée et copiée dans chacun des emplacements du refrain dans l a zone Arrangement. L’un des gros avantages des régions audio sur les fichiers audio réside dans le fait qu’elles n’utilisent que très peu de mémoire, alors que plusieurs copies d’une même rubrique du fichier audio prendraient beaucoup de place sur le disque dur. Bien entendu, il est possible de modifier, copier et déplacer directement des fichiers audio. Pour ce faire, vous devez faire appel à l’Éditeur des échantillons et à la zone Média. Régions et événements MIDI Les régions MIDI, quant à elles, contiennent des événements de données MIDI. Elles ne sont pas liées à des informations stockées dans des fichiers internes. Les régions MIDI peuvent être enregistrées sous forme de fichiers individuels mais elles peuvent également, et c’est le plus souvent le cas, être stockées comme faisant partie du projet. Les événements de données MIDI stockés au sein de régions MIDI incluent des informations telles que les changements de notes, de contrôleur, de programme, etc. Ces événements de données représentent des performances MIDI que vous avez enregistrées dans Logic Express. Ces prestations sont généralement créées à l’aide d’un clavier MIDI, mais elles peuvent également l’être au moyen de contrôleurs MIDI, de guitares MIDI, du clavier ou de la souris de votre ordinateur. Région MIDI Événements de note MIDI Événements de contrôleur MIDI 26 Chapitre 1 Présentation de Logic Express Les événements de données peuvent être affectés sous forme de groupe en traitant la région MIDI dans laquelle ils se trouvent. De tels traitements comprennent notamment les opérations de transposition, de quantification (correction temporelle semblable à la correction orthographique d’une application de traitement de texte, mais adaptée au domaine de la musique), de délai de temporisation et bien d’autres. Vous pouvez aussi modifier les événements d’une région MIDI un à un. Pour ce faire, ouvrez la région en question dans l’un des éditeurs MIDI. Ces fenêtres vous permettent de modifier de façon précise la position, la longueur et la tonalité d’événements de note MIDI. Les autres types d’événement MIDI sont modifiables de différentes façons. Grâce aux éditeurs mis à votre disposition, vous pouvez saisir librement des données MIDI à l’aide de votre clavier MIDI, de votre souris et/ou du clavier de votre ordinateur. Pour plus d’informations sur les données et les types d’événements MIDI, reportez-vous au chapitre 15, « Présentation de l’édition MIDI » à la page 441. 2 27 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express L’interface Logic Express se compose de plusieurs zones, chacune étant spécialement conçue pour des tâches particulières. L’espace de travail principal est la fenêtre Arrangement, qui peut comprendre l’ensemble des zones et éditeurs. Ce chapitre vous présente la fenêtre Arrangement. Vous allez y découvrir quelles sont ses interactions avec les autres fenêtres et éditeurs à votre disposition dans Logic Express. Pour obtenir des informations détaillées concernant ces éditeurs et leurs fonctions, reportez-vous aux chapitres figurant en référence croisée. Nous vous conseillons d’ouvrir dès à présent Logic Express afin de visualiser ces fenêtres et de vous familiariser avec elles. Cliquez sur les différentes parties de l’interface Logic Express et explorez-les à mesure qu’elles sont présentées. Vous pourrez ainsi mieux situer les différents éléments et avoir un bref aperçu de leurs fonctions et de la façon dont ils fonctionnent conjointement. Pour ouvrir Logic Express : m Dans le Finder ou le Dock, double-cliquez sur l’icône Logic Express dans le dossier Applications. Lorsque vous ouvrez Logic Express pour la première fois, la zone de dialogue Modèles s’affiche, vous permettant de sélectionner un modèle pour le type de projet que vous souhaitez créer (pour plus d’informations sur la zone de dialogue Nouveau, reportezvous à la rubrique « Création de projets » à la page 147). La présentation de l’interface de Logic Express dépend du modèle choisi. 28 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express Visite guidée de l’interface Logic Express La rubrique ci-après vous présente les divers éléments de l’interface Logic Express. Elle vise principalement à vous familiariser avec l’interface en vous faisant découvrir les caractéristiques de base de chaque zone. Toutes les options et fonctions ainsi que leur utilisation seront décrites en détail ultérieurement dans des chapitres spécifiques du manuel de l’utilisateur. Fenêtre Arrangement La fenêtre Arrangement peut incorporer l’ensemble des zones de travail et des éditeurs. Elle comporte une barre d’outils située dans sa partie supérieure et une barre de transport figurant dans sa partie inférieure. Vous pouvez afficher d’autres zones comme suit :  la zone d’édition, juxtaposée horizontalement, sous la zone Arrangement,  la zone Média ou Listes, juxtaposée verticalement, à droite de la zone Arrangement (et de la zone d’édition),  l’Inspecteur, juxtaposé verticalement, à gauche de la zone Arrangement (et de la zone d’édition). Si une zone n’est pas visible, il vous suffit de cliquer sur le bouton approprié de la barre d’outils ou de la zone Arrangement pour l’ouvrir, puis de redimensionner les zones affichées pour faire de la place à cette nouvelle zone. Π Conseil : vous pouvez également ouvrir un grand nombre de zones d’éditeurs et d’autres zones dans des fenêtres distinctes, indépendantes de la fenêtre Arrangement. Il convient pour cela d’utiliser le menu Fenêtre (et les raccourcis clavier associés). Cliquez sur ce bouton pour afficher la fenêtre Inspecteur. Fenêtre Arrangement Barre de transport Zone Arrangement Cliquez sur ce bouton pour afficher la zone Listes Cliquez sur ce bouton pour afficher la barre d’outils. Zone Média Inspecteur Barre d’outils Cliquez sur ces boutons pour afficher l’un des éditeurs. Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 29  Zone Arrangement : zone dans laquelle vous enregistrez des rubriques audio et instrumentales sous forme de régions, puis arrangez ces régions audio et MIDI sous la forme d’un morceau musical.  Zone Média ou Listes : si vous avez cliqué sur le bouton Média de la barre d’outils Arrangement, utilisez les divers onglets pour localiser et écouter un aperçu des fichiers audio (onglet Navigateur) ou bien sélectionner des éléments tels que des effets, des instruments et leurs réglages (onglet Bibliothèque). Lorsque vous cliquez sur le bouton Listes, vous pouvez afficher notamment les événements MIDI (Liste des événements) et les événements de tempo (Liste des tempos). Vous pouvez également activer la zone Média ou Listes via le menu Présentation de la fenêtre Arrangement (ou à l’aide des raccourcis clavier correspondants).  Zone d’édition : vous pouvez ouvrir ou fermer la Table de mixage, l’Éditeur Clavier, l’Hyper Editor, l’éditeur de partition ou l’Éditeur des échantillons directement dans la fenêtre Arrangement en cliquant sur un des boutons se trouvant dans la partie inférieure de la zone Arrangement. Ces fenêtres vous permettent de modifier précisément, de supprimer ou d’ajouter différents types de données.  Barre de transport : permet de naviguer dans le projet. La position actuelle de lecture, d’enregistrement ou d’édition est indiquée par la tête de lecture (trait fin vertical qui apparaît dans toutes les fenêtres Logic Express permettant l’affichage en temps réel de la lecture, à savoir la zone Arrangement et les fenêtres d’éditeurs).  Inspecteur : permet de définir les paramètres de piste et de région dans la fenêtre Arrangement ou les paramètres de la fenêtre d’édition active. Exemples :  En cliquant sur la zone éditeur de partition située en bas de la zone de l’éditeur, vous affichez tous les symboles de sonorisation de l’Inspecteur.  En cliquant sur la zone Éditeur Hyper, vous affichez les paramètres de la définition hyper actuellement sélectionnée (ligne sélectionnée dans la fenêtre Éditeur Hyper). Barre d’outils Arrangement La barre d’outils s’affiche en haut de la fenêtre Arrangement. Elle contient des boutons correspondant aux commandes fréquemment utilisées. La barre d’outils peut être personnalisée pour inclure des boutons permettant d’afficher les zones Inspecteur, Média et Listes, de créer des pistes, d’ajouter des fichiers audio et d’exécuter d’autres fonctions courantes. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Personnalisation de la barre d’outils de la fenêtre Arrangement » à la page 77. 30 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express Barre de transport La barre de transport occupe toute la partie inférieure de la fenêtre Arrangement. Elle vous permet de vous déplacer au sein de votre projet et de lancer un enregistrement. Elle contient des boutons que vous n’aurez aucun mal à reconnaître si vous avez déjà utilisé un magnétoscope ou un lecteur de CD/DVD : Lecture, Rembobiner, Pause, etc. La barre de transport intègre également diverses fonctions simplifiant les tâches que vous allez exécuter dans Logic Express, telles que l’enregistrement sur une rubrique qui se répète régulièrement ou l’écoute d’un morceau isolé. La barre de transport se compose des trois parties suivantes :  Boutons de transport : utilisés pour naviguer dans le projet.  Zone d’affichage : fournit des informations facilitant la navigation au sein du projet.  Boutons de mode : permettent d’activer des fonctions d’enregistrement et de lecture avancées. Vous pouvez modifier la barre de transport en ajoutant ou en supprimant des boutons et des affichages, de façon à pouvoir accéder plus rapidement aux fonctions dont vous avez le plus souvent besoin. Vous avez également la possibilité d’ouvrir une fenêtre d’affichage de la barre ou SMPTE. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Personnalisation de la barre de transport » à la page 77. Zone Arrangement La zone Arrangement s’affiche directement sous la barre d’outils. Elle permet d’enregistrer, d’importer, de trier et d’organiser des conteneurs de données audio et MIDI, appelés régions, dans un projet. Boutons de transport Zone d’affichage Boutons de mode Règle Mesure Grille Arrangement Liste des pistes Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 31  Règle Mesure : barre linéaire divisée en segments de mesures et de battements. La règle Mesure permet également d’afficher l’heure dans un format comprenant les heures, les minutes, les secondes et des divisions plus fines. Elle offre divers moyens pour marquer les rubriques du projet en vue de l’exécution de différentes tâches de lecture et d’enregistrement. Des informations plus détaillées sont présentées dans le chapitre 5, « Navigation dans votre projet » à la page 109.  Grille Arrangement : emplacement où sont affichées toutes les régions audio et MIDI sur des rangées horizontales, appelées pistes, alignées par rapport aux positions temporelles et présentées sous la forme d’une grille.  Liste des pistes : emplacement où vous définissez la bande de canaux cible pour la lecture des régions MIDI ou audio sur chaque rangée de piste horizontale. Les en-têtes de chaque rangée de la liste des pistes peuvent afficher le nom de la piste, les icônes correspondantes et plusieurs boutons associés aux pistes. Zone Média Vous pouvez ouvrir ou fermer la zone Média en cliquant sur le bouton Média dans la barre d’outils. La zone Média est l’emplacement où vous gérez tous les fichiers associés à votre projet, et notamment les réglages de module, audio et vidéo. Elle comporte quatre onglets :  Chutier audio : permet de gérer tous les fichiers audio utilisés dans le projet.  Navigateur de boucles : permet de rechercher des fichiers de boucle (par exemple, des boucles Apple Loops).  Bibliothèque : emplacement où vous pouvez rechercher (et éventuellement assigner directement) les réglages de module, de bande de canaux et d’instrument MIDI.  Navigateur : permet de rechercher tous les fichiers associés à Logic Express. Présentation du chutier Audio Le chutier audio affiche tous les fichiers audio utilisés dans le projet. Vous pouvez vous représenter le chutier audio comme un catalogue des fichiers audio du projet. Il vous donne également un aperçu des régions obtenues à partir de chaque fichier audio. 32 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express Vous pouvez définir des fichiers audio et des régions dans le chutier audio ou bien encore modifier, supprimer ou renommer des régions et des fichiers audio existants. Vous avez la possibilité de faire glisser directement l’ensemble des fichiers audio et des régions depuis le chutier audio vers la zone Arrangement, où ils peuvent alors être modifiés, déplacés et copiés. Vous pouvez également ajouter au chutier audio des fichiers qui ne sont pas encore utilisés dans l’arrangement, de façon à ce qu’ils soient facilement accessibles lors de la création du morceau.  Colonne Nom : répertorie tous les fichiers audio du projet actuel par leur nom. Le triangle d’affichage situé à gauche du nom de fichier indique toutes les régions associées au fichier audio sélectionné.  Colonne Infos : affiche des informations sur les régions et les fichiers audio. Les barres horizontales indiquent la longueur totale du fichier audio. Les rubriques colorées de ces barres spécifient l’emplacement et la taille des régions dans le fichier audio. D’autres informations, telles que la fréquence d’échantillonnage, la profondeur de bits, l’état mono ou stéréo et la taille des fichiers sont également indiquées dans cette colonne Infos. Les fichiers mono sont signalés par un symbole représentant un seul cercle et les fichiers stéréo par un symbole représentant deux cercles entrelacés.  Bouton Lecture : cliquez sur ce bouton pour écouter la région ou le fichier audio sélectionné. Cliquez une seconde fois pour arrêter la lecture.  Bouton Boucle : cliquez sur ce bouton pour écouter en boucle la région ou le fichier audio sélectionné Cliquez une seconde fois pour arrêter la lecture. Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 33 Lorsque vous ouvrez le chutier audio en tant que fenêtre indépendante et que vous le redimensionnez, la colonne Infos du chutier audio peut afficher des aperçus des formes d’onde des régions et des fichiers audio. 34 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express Présentation du navigateur de boucles Le navigateur de boucles est conçu pour accélérer la recherche de boucles Apple Loops et la rendre intuitive. Vous pouvez rechercher des boucles en utilisant des mots-clés, effectuer des recherches de texte, afficher un aperçu des boucles, afficher des informations sur les boucles ou bien encore limiter l’affichage aux boucles d’un Jam Pack ou d’une bibliothèque de boucles spécifique. Les fichiers correspondants s’affichent dans la liste des résultats de la recherche. Lorsque vous trouvez des fichiers que vous souhaitez utiliser, il vous suffit de les ajouter à votre projet en les faisant glisser dans la zone Arrangement. Trois présentations sont disponibles dans l’onglet Boucle : Colonne, Musique et Effets sonores. La présentation Musique, qui est la présentation par défaut, comprend 54 boutons qui correspondent chacun à une catégorie musicale. Il vous suffit de cliquer sur les boutons souhaités dans la matrice pour limiter la recherche aux boucles Apple Loops appropriées. Les boutons activés sont mis en surbrillance. Boutons Catégorie Cliquez sur ces boutons pour limiter la recherche aux boucles appropriées. Liste des résultats de la recherche Affiche toutes les boucles correspondant aux critères de recherche définis. Curseur de volume Menu Présentation Boutons de présentation Champ Recherche Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 35 La présentation Effets sonores inclut des boutons de catégories liés aux effets (par exemple, Explosions, Bruitage ou Personnes). La présentation Colonne offre un menu standard de fichiers en colonne Mac OS X, classé de façon hiérarchique selon les critères de recherche Tous, Par genre, Par instrument, Par ambiance et Signets.  Boutons de présentation : cliquez sur ces boutons pour passer d’une des trois présentations à une autre. Le bouton de gauche permet de passer en présentation Colonne, le deuxième (sur lequel figure l’icône d’une note) en présentation Musique et le troisième (sur lequel figure l’icône FX) en présentation Effets sonores.  Menu local d’affichage : affiche uniquement les boucles d’une bibliothèque de boucles spécifique.  Champ Recherche : saisissez du texte dans ce champ pour afficher les fichiers dont le nom contient la chaîne de texte recherchée.  Boutons Catégorie (présentations Musique et Effets sonores uniquement) : cliquez sur ces boutons pour afficher les fichiers qui correspondent à la catégorie dans la liste des résultats de la recherche. Colonnes Catégorie 36 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express  Colonnes Catégorie (présentation Colonne uniquement) : choisissez une colonne Catégorie pour afficher ses sous-catégories.  Liste des résultats de la recherche : affiche toutes les boucles qui correspondent aux critères de recherche.  Curseur de volume : règle le niveau de lecture du fichier sélectionné. Présentation de la bibliothèque La bibliothèque est un outil puissant permettant d’accéder aux types de fichiers suivants :  réglages des bandes de canaux (.cst),  réglages des modules (.pst),  instruments EXS (.exs),  programmes de l’environnement et instruments ou banques d’instruments MIDI créés dans l’utilitaire Configuration audio et MIDI,  instruments MIDI ReWire et hôtes ReWire actifs. La bibliothèque affiche automatiquement les fichiers de réglages qui correspondent à la rubrique et au type de bande de canaux sélectionnés (menu Réglages des bandes de canaux, emplacement d’insertion, emplacement d’instrument). Un cadre blanc entoure la rubrique sélectionnée des bandes de canaux de la fenêtre Arrangement. Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 37 Vous pouvez rechercher des fichiers en ouvrant des dossiers ou en effectuant des recherches de texte. Les fichiers de réglages qui correspondent s’affichent dans la liste des résultats de la recherche. Lorsque vous trouvez un fichier que vous souhaitez utiliser, il vous suffit de le sélectionner pour le charger. Présentation du navigateur Le navigateur vous permet de parcourir et de rechercher tous les types de fichiers pouvant être utilisés dans Logic Express, de façon à ce que vous puissiez accéder facilement à ces données et les utiliser lors de la phase de production. Il affiche les types de fichiers suivants sur tout volume de données connecté :  fichiers de projet Logic,  fichiers de morceaux de versions antérieures de Logic,  projets GarageBand,  tous les formats PIF (Project Interchange Format) avec lesquels Logic Express est compatible (fichiers OMF, AAF, OpenTL, XML et MIDI),  fichiers audio,  vidéos QuickTime. Boutons Précédent et Suivant Bouton Lecture Menu local Curseur de volume Action Champ Recherche Filtres de recherche Liste de fichiers Menu Chemin Boutons Ordinateur, Départ et Projet Boutons de présentation 38 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express  Boutons Précédent et Suivant : permettent le déplacement dans les niveaux précédemment affichés de la hiérarchie des dossiers.  Menu local Chemin : affiche les niveaux du chemin jusqu’à l’emplacement actuel, vous permettant ainsi de revenir à un niveau précédent.  Bouton Ordinateur : affiche le contenu du disque dur local, du lecteur optique et des autres supports de stockage connectés à votre ordinateur, le cas échéant.  Bouton Départ : affiche le contenu de votre répertoire de départ.  Bouton Dossier Projet : affiche le contenu du dossier Projet actuel.  Boutons de présentation : passe du mode d’affichage Colonne de la liste de fichiers au mode Liste et vice versa.  Champ Recherche : saisissez du texte dans ce champ pour afficher les fichiers dont le nom contient le texte recherché. Vous pouvez non seulement rechercher des fichiers par leur nom, mais également en fonction d’autres critères (informations supplémentaires enregistrées avec vos fichiers). Cliquez sur le bouton Plus pour afficher d’autres filtres de recherche. Logic Express effectue toujours la recherche dans l’emplacement affiché.  Filtres de recherche : les menus permettent d’affiner la recherche en fonction de types ou de formats de fichiers spécifiques, d’une date, d’une taille ou d’autres critères.  Liste de fichiers : affiche les fichiers et dossiers Logic se trouvant dans l’emplacement actuel. En présentation Colonne, vous pouvez parcourir le contenu des dossiers en cliquant sur les dossiers souhaités.  Menu local Action : choisissez des options de ce menu pour ajouter un fichier audio sélectionné au chutier audio ou afficher son emplacement dans le Finder.  Curseur de volume : permet de régler le volume de lecture.  Bouton Lecture : cliquez sur ce bouton pour lire le fichier audio sélectionné. Zone Listes Vous pouvez ouvrir ou fermer la zone Listes en cliquant sur le bouton Listes de la barre d’outils. Elle comporte quatre onglets indépendants affichant une liste des types de données suivants :  Liste des événements : affiche des régions ou des événements MIDI.  Liste des marqueurs : répertorie tous les marqueurs de votre projet.  Liste des tempos : affiche tous les changements de tempo.  Liste des articulations : affiche tous les événements de changement de temps et d’armature du projet. Les onglets de liste sont parfaitement adaptés si vous avez besoin d’exécuter des tâches d’édition précises ou d’avoir une vue complète de l’ensemble des données. Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 39 Présentation de la liste des événements La liste des événements répertorie tous les événements de votre projet, tels que les événements de note MIDI ou de début de région. Utilisez-la chaque fois que vous avez besoin d’apporter des modifications précises à des données enregistrées et que l’affichage graphique des autres éditeurs n’est pas aussi bien adapté à la tâche à exécuter. Vous pouvez restreindre les types d’événements affichés, afin de repérer plus aisément des types d’événements spécifiques. La liste des événements peut afficher deux types de données : celles relatives aux régions ou celles relatives aux événements. Les informations affichées dépendent du niveau actuel de la hiérarchie (c’est-à-dire du fait que vous affichez des informations dans la zone Arrangement ou que vous examinez une ou plusieurs régions MIDI dans la zone Arrangement). Pour plus d’informations sur la hiérarchie d’affichage, reportezvous à la rubrique « Utilisation des différents niveaux de hiérarchie » à la page 68.  Bouton Hiérarchie : cliquez sur ce bouton pour passer au niveau supérieur dans la hiérarchie de la liste des événements. Cela vous permet d’afficher toutes les régions du projet actuel. Bouton Hiérarchie Boutons Créer et Filtrer Boutons Type d’événement Zone Liste Écran des régions Écran des événements 40 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express  Boutons Créer et Filtrer : détermine la fonction des boutons de types d’événements. Lorsque vous activez le bouton Créer, le type d’événement sélectionné est ajouté quand vous cliquez sur le bouton de type d’événement. Lorsque vous activez le bouton Filtrer, vous pouvez utiliser les boutons de types d’événements pour faire disparaître de l’affichage des types d’événements spécifiques. Les événements sont alors simplement masqués, cela n’a aucune incidence sur la lecture.  Boutons Type d’événement : cliquez sur ce bouton pour faire disparaître de l’affichage des types d’événements spécifiques ou les ajouter (selon l’état des boutons Créer et Filtrer).  Zone Liste : affiche la liste actuelle des événements ou des régions, répartis en colonnes. Les détails relatifs à ces opérations sont présents dans la rubrique chapitre 18, « Modification d’événements MIDI dans la Liste des événements ». Présentation de la liste des marqueurs La liste des marqueurs affiche tous les marqueurs du projet. Vous pouvez l’utiliser pour créer et modifier des marqueurs ou encore sélectionner des marqueurs pour modifier du texte. Elle sert également d’aide à la navigation étant donné que vous pouvez cliquer sur un nom de marqueur pour accéder directement à la position correspondante (ou pour y placer la tête de lecture). Bouton Créer Zone de liste des marqueurs Zone de texte des marqueurs Bouton Zone de texte des marqueurs Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 41  Bouton Créer : crée un marqueur.  Zone de liste des marqueurs : affiche tous les marqueurs de votre projet.  Bouton Zone de texte des marqueurs : cliquez sur ce bouton pour afficher la zone de texte des marqueurs facultative vous permettant de saisir ou de modifier le texte des marqueurs.  Zone de texte des marqueurs : saisissez le texte du marqueur sélectionné ici. Présentation de la liste des tempos La liste des tempos affiche tous les changements de tempo intervenus dans le projet. Vous pouvez également l’utiliser pour créer ou modifier des événements de tempo.  Bouton Créer : cliquez sur ce bouton pour créer un événement de tempo.  Liste des tempos : affiche tous les changements de tempo et leur position dans le projet. Bouton Créer Liste des tempos 42 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express Présentation de la liste des articulations La liste des articulations affiche tous les événements de temps et d’armature qui interviennent dans le projet. Si des symboles de sonorisation sont présents dans la partition du projet, ils sont également affichés. Ces commandes sont les suivantes : signes de répétition et doubles traits de mesure (y compris les événements de fin de partition), traits de mesure courts, demi-traits, traits de mesure masqués et insérés manuellement. Vous pouvez utiliser la liste des articulations pour créer, copier, déplacer et supprimer des événements de temps et d’armature. Le temps et l’armature d’origine du projet s’affichent toujours en haut de la liste, sans indicateurs de position de mesure. Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 43 Inspecteur Vous pouvez afficher ou masquer l’Inspecteur en cliquant sur le bouton Inspecteur dans la barre d’outils. Le contenu de l’Inspecteur dépend de la zone active : la zone Arrangement ou une des zones d’édition figurant sous celle-ci. La capture d’écran suivante montre l’Inspecteur lorsque la zone Arrangement est active :  Zone Paramètres de région : permet de définir des paramètres de lecture, tels que la transposition et la quantification, pour des régions individuelles sur des rangées de piste. Aucun des paramètres de la zone Paramètres de région ne modifie vraiment les données d’origine de la région. Ils n’affectent que la lecture de cette dernière (et les événements qu’elle contient). Ces articulations de paramètres se produisent en temps réel, au fur et à mesure de la lecture de la région. En cliquant sur le petit triangle à gauche du nom, vous affichez ou masquez le contenu de la zone.  Zone Paramètres de piste : permet de modifier divers aspects de la bande de canaux d’une piste. Toutes les régions situées sur la rangée de cette piste sont affectées par les éventuelles modifications apportées dans cette zone (puisque toutes les régions sont acheminées via cette bande de canaux). En cliquant sur le petit triangle à gauche du nom, vous affichez ou masquez le contenu de la zone. La fermeture de la zone permet de libérer de l’espace pour les éléments ci-dessous. Zone Paramètres de région Zone Paramètres de piste Bandes de canaux de la fenêtre Arrangement 44 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express  Bandes de canaux de l’arrangement : la bande de canaux de gauche contrôle la sortie de la piste d’arrangement sélectionnée. La bande de canaux figurant sur la droite peut varier, en fonction des opérations effectuées dans la bande de canaux de gauche. Par exemple, la bande de canal à droite peut afficher la première bande de canal de destination auxiliaire ou de sortie correspondant à la bande de canal située à gauche. Cette fonction permet de configurer facilement et rapidement des effets et des schémas de routage audio flexibles. Elle fournit également une vue instantanée du processus de traitement et de routage pour la piste d’arrangement sélectionnée ; vous avez la possibilité d’accéder à toutes les fonctions de canal de mixage (volume, balance, envois, insertions, etc.) directement à partir de la zone Arrangement. Toute modification apportée à une bande de canal d’arrangement d’une piste est répercutée dans la bande de canal correspondante de la table de mixage, et inversement. Remarque : la taille horizontale de l’Inspecteur ne peut pas être modifiée. Si la zone active ne comporte pas de zone de paramètre, l’Inspecteur de la zone Arrangement s’affiche. Pour en savoir plus sur la façon dont l’Inspecteur procède aux mises à jour pour afficher les paramètres de la fenêtre active, reportez-vous aux chapitres relatifs à chaque fenêtre. Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 45 Zone d’édition Vous pouvez ouvrir la Table de mixage, l’Éditeur des échantillons, l’Éditeur Clavier, l’éditeur de partition et l’Hyper Editor directement dans la fenêtre Arrangement en cliquant sur le bouton correspondant au bas de cette dernière. Voici un bref aperçu des fonctions disponibles dans chaque fenêtre. Présentation de la Table de mixage La Table de mixage est l’emplacement où vous procédez au mixage de votre projet. Chaque piste est lue par le biais d’une bande de canaux. Vous pouvez régler le niveau et la balance d’une bande de canal, ajouter des effets, activer la lecture solo et désactiver le son des pistes ou bien encore envoyer la sortie d’une bande de canal à d’autres types de bandes de canaux, tels que des canaux de sortie et auxiliaires.  Bandes de canaux : utilisez les contrôles de bandes de canaux pour régler le niveau et d’autres aspects du signal audio lu par le biais de la bande de canaux.  Boutons de présentation : affiche la table de mixage en mode Vue unique, Arrangement ou Intégralité de la table, afin de limiter la vue de la table de mixage aux bandes de canaux requises pour la tâche en cours.  Boutons Filtrer : permettent de filtrer l’affichage de types de bandes de canaux spécifiques. Pour plus de détails, reportez-vous au chapitre 25, « Mixage » à la page 613. Bandes de canaux Boutons Boutons de présentation Filtrer 46 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express Présentation de l’Éditeur des échantillons L’Éditeur des échantillons affiche le contenu des fichiers audio sous la forme de graphiques de forme d’onde. Vous pouvez l’utiliser pour modifier précisément des fichiers audio (et des régions). L’Éditeur des échantillons comporte également de nombreux outils de traitement destructif utiles qui vous permettent de procéder à un étirement temporel (time stretch) et de changer de tonalité audio (pitch shift), de modifier des fréquences d’échantillonnage, d’extraire des grooves MIDI des données audio, et même de quantifier ces données.  Règle : affiche la position de la région dans l’arrangement. Si vous n’avez pas encore ajouté le fichier audio à l’arrangement, les traits de position du marqueur apparaissent en pointillé, indiquant qu’il n’existe aucune connexion temporelle.  Écran d’informations : affiche le point de départ et la longueur de la zone sélectionnée.  Vue d’ensemble de la forme d’onde : affiche une vue miniature de la forme d’onde complète. Le cadre blanc montre l’étendue de la rubrique visible dans l’affichage de la forme d’onde. Le cadre gris foncé indique la zone actuellement sélectionnée.  Écran de forme d’onde : fournit un affichage détaillé de la forme d’onde. Si vous utilisez un fichier stéréo, les deux canaux s’affichent, avec la partie gauche figurant en haut et la partie droite apparaissant en dessous. À gauche de l’écran de forme d’onde se trouve l’échelle d’amplitude.  Tête de lecture : le trait gris figurant dans l’affichage de la forme d’onde indique la position actuelle de la tête de lecture.  Point d’ancrage : définit un point de référence temporelle pour une région. Lorsque vous déplacez une région dans la zone Arrangement, Logic Express affiche la position du point d’ancrage dans la bulle d’aide et aligne le point d’ancrage de la région sur la division de la grille sélectionnée du menu Magnétisme.  Zone Région : modifiez cette barre pour ajuster la longueur de la région. Règle Écran Vue d’ensemble de la forme d’onde d’informations Affichage Oscilloscope Point d’ancrage Zone Région Tête de lecture Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 47 Présentation de l’Éditeur Clavier L’Éditeur Clavier affiche les notes MIDI sous forme de barres sur une grille. Le clavier du piano situé à gauche est aligné par rapport aux hauteurs de note représentées par chaque barre. La longueur des notes est indiquée par la longueur relative de chaque barre. La position des notes est affichée de la gauche vers la droite ; une règle et un quadrillage vertical permettent d’identifier plus facilement le début et la fin des notes. La vélocité des notes (force avec laquelle la note est frappée et généralement le niveau du volume sonore) est indiquée par des couleurs. Pour plus de détails, reportez-vous au chapitre 16, « Modification d’événements MIDI dans l’Éditeur Clavier » à la page 447. 48 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express Présentation de l’éditeur de partition L’éditeur de partition utilise une notation musicale traditionnelle pour afficher les événements de note MIDI (ainsi que des types de pédales et d’autres événements) des régions MIDI. Vous pouvez insérer et modifier des événements de note MIDI dans des portées et utiliser des symboles musicaux pour clarifier leur signification dans cet éditeur. Vous pouvez également intégrer du texte, tel que des paroles, des titres et des commentaires, à la partition. La fonction d’impression vous permet d’imprimer des partitions complètes, le nombre de portées n’étant limité que par le format du papier. Pour plus de détails sur l’utilisation de l’éditeur de partition, reportez-vous au chapitre 33, « Utilisation de la notation » à la page 749. Présentation de Hyper Editor Hyper Editor affiche les événements de contrôleur et de note MIDI sous forme de barres verticales, placées le long d’une grille temporelle définie par l’utilisateur. Cet éditeur est par conséquent l’emplacement idéal pour :  Ajouter ou modifier des données de contrôleur, telles que la vélocité des notes. Il permet d’effectuer beaucoup plus rapidement certaines tâches d’édition, telles que la mise à l’échelle des données. Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 49  Créer et modifier rapidement des morceaux de batterie MIDI.  Définition d’événement : chaque ligne (ou rangée) horizontale fournit une définition d’événement, qui détermine le type d’événement affiché/affecté. Lorsque vous sélectionnez une ligne dans la colonne des noms, la définition d’événement correspondante s’affiche dans la zone de paramètre Définition d’événement de l’Inspecteur.  Événements MIDI : chaque événement MIDI est représenté par une barre verticale, alignée par rapport à une position temporelle particulière. La valeur du contrôleur, ou vélocité de la note, est indiquée par la hauteur de la barre. Une barre plus haute indique des valeurs plus élevées. Définitions d’événements Zone Paramètre de définition d’événement Événements MIDI 50 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express Fonctions standard des fenêtres Logic Express Toutes les fenêtres Logic Express, y compris la zone Arrangement, comportent de nombreux éléments communs. Cette approche cohérente entre les fenêtres facilite votre travail étant donné que vous retrouverez ces éléments au même endroit dans toute l’application. Barres de menus locales La barre de menus locale d’une fenêtre contient des boutons permettant d’accéder aux fonctions propres à cette fenêtre. Par exemple, l’éditeur de partition offre une fonction Enharmonique, qui est utile pour la notation, mais pas pour l’édition de clavier. Menus Outil Les outils disponibles dans le menu Outil de chaque fenêtre sont spécifiques aux tâches exécutées dans cette dernière. Exemples : la zone Arrangement inclut des outils permettant d’exécuter différentes tâches d’arrangement telles que le découpage ou le déplacement de régions et la modification des données d’automatisation. L’éditeur de partition fournit des outils utilisés pour la présentation des partitions et pour des tâches telles que la séparation de voix. Le menu Outil de gauche affecte l’outil par défaut. Le menu de droite affecte un outil secondaire. Un menu Outil supplémentaire s’affiche si le bouton droit de la souris n’est pas affecté à d’autres tâches. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Utilisation d’outils » à la page 181. Barre de menus locale Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 51 Boutons Capture, Lien et Hiérarchie La plupart des fenêtres comportent des boutons Capture, Lien et Hiérarchie. Ils sont utilisés pour relier ou associer des fenêtres Logic Express et peuvent faciliter la navigation à travers différents niveaux de la structure de votre morceau. Cette fonction peut, par exemple, s’avérer utile dans le cas suivant : si vous cliquez sur une région MIDI de la zone Arrangement, le contenu d’une fenêtre liée (l’Éditeur Clavier, par exemple) sera immédiatement mis à jour pour afficher les événements de cette région. Barres de défilement Les barres de défilement verticale et horizontale s’affichent dans les parties inférieure et droite de la fenêtre. Elles vous permettent de visualiser des rubriques se trouvant hors de la zone d’affichage visible. Curseurs de zoom Les curseurs vertical et horizontal s’affichent dans l’angle inférieur droit de la fenêtre. Ils vous permettent de redimensionner horizontalement ou verticalement le contenu de la fenêtre, de façon à obtenir une vue des données plus rapprochée ou plus éloignée. Bouton Hiérarchie Bouton Lien Bouton Capture 52 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express Règle Mesure Une règle Mesure figure dans la partie supérieure de toutes les fenêtres d’édition linéaire. La position des régions et des événements dans un projet est alignée par rapport aux positions de la règle Mesure. La règle Mesure affiche des marqueurs et des locators et reflète les modifications apportées au temps. Elle indique également le mode de fonctionnement activé parmi les trois principaux : solo, enregistrement ou synchronisé. Pistes globales Toutes les fenêtres d’édition linéaire sont également dotées de pistes globales, qui s’affichent juste au-dessous de la règle Mesure, lorsqu’elles sont ouvertes. Cliquez sur le triangle d’affichage à gauche de la règle Mesure (intitulé Pistes globales) pour afficher les pistes globales.  Piste des marqueurs : contient des marqueurs utilisés pour identifier la position des mesures et les parties du projet. Vous pouvez librement modifier la longueur, le texte et la couleur de ces marqueurs (pour plus de détails, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Utilisation des marqueurs » à la page 131).  Piste de tempo : contient tous les changements de tempo d’un projet. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Utilisation de la piste de tempo » à la page 720.  Piste de table des battements : permet d’affecter la position de mesure souhaitée à tout événement musical (notes MIDI et accents distincts des régions audio). Il est ainsi possible d’ajuster le plan de montage musical sur la synchronisation d’origine d’une région MIDI ou audio ayant été enregistrée en rubato (temps libre, et notamment accélérations et ralentis), ou simplement sans clic de métronome. La sortie audible reste inchangée, mais l’affichage ainsi obtenu est adapté au plan de montage musical. Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 53  Piste d’articulation : contient la clé de base du projet et toutes les articulations (temps et armature), telles qu’elles sont affichées dans l’éditeur de partition.  Piste d’accord : contient les symboles d’accord pouvant être obtenus à partir des régions MIDI ou créés avec la souris. Ces symboles d’accord peuvent également être insérés dans la partition. Les notes originales des accords déterminent la transposition (changement de tonalité) de toutes les boucles Apple Loops et peuvent aussi avoir une incidence sur la lecture des régions MIDI.  Piste de transposition : affiche les événements de transposition globale. Elle est liée à la progression des notes racines des accords dans la piste d’accord : le changement d’une racine d’accord est reflété dans la piste Transposition, et inversement.  Piste vidéo : affiche des images d’une séquence QuickTime sous forme de miniatures parfaitement synchronisées avec la musique. Cette piste est donc tout à fait adaptée aux partitions de film. Les séquences de film coupées peuvent être automatiquement détectées et marquées. Interaction entre les zones de la fenêtre Arrangement La fenêtre Arrangement contient diverses rubriques qui interagissent les unes avec les autres. Ces rubriques vous permettent d’accéder à l’ensemble des fichiers, méthodes d’édition, paramètres de piste et de canal dans un seul emplacement, accélérant ainsi considérablement votre travail. Suivez la procédure décrite ci-dessous pour découvrir comment ces éléments de la fenêtre Arrangement fonctionnent en harmonie pour accélérer la production musicale. Pour découvrir comment les zones de la fenêtre Arrangement interagissent : 1 Ouvrez la zone Média en cliquant sur le bouton Navigateur de média dans la barre d’outils. 2 Cliquez sur l’onglet Navigateur, puis recherchez un dossier contenant des fichiers audio. 3 Cliquez sur le nom d’un fichier audio tout en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé et faites glisser ce fichier sur une rangée de pistes audio de la zone Arrangement. 54 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express Relâchez le bouton de la souris lorsque la bulle d’aide affiche la position 1 1 1 1. Une région va être créée dans la zone Arrangement. 4 Cliquez sur le bouton Éditeur des échantillons en bas de la zone Arrangement. L’Éditeur des échantillons s’affiche, présentant le contenu de la région que vous venez de créer dans la zone Arrangement. 5 Cliquez sur l’onglet Chutier audio. Le chutier audio contient le fichier audio que vous venez d’ajouter au projet. Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 55 6 Cliquez sur l’onglet Boucles, puis sur un bouton de catégorie pour afficher les boucles correspondantes dans la liste des résultats de la recherche de l’onglet Boucles. 7 Sélectionnez une boucle associée à une icône verte et faites-la glisser dans une piste d’instruments logiciels de la zone Arrangement. Relâchez le bouton de la souris lorsque la bulle d’aide affiche la position 1 1 1 1. Une région MIDI va être créée dans la zone Arrangement. Π Conseil : s’il n’existe aucune piste d’instruments logiciels, vous pouvez également faire glisser la boucle Apple Loops depuis le navigateur de boucles directement dans la zone Arrangement vide (ou au-dessous des pistes existantes). Une piste et la bande de canal correspondante (qui comprend les réglages d’effet et d’instrument) sont automatiquement créées, et une boucle Apple Loops est chargée. 56 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 8 Cliquez sur le bouton Clavier en bas de la zone Arrangement. L’Éditeur Clavier s’affiche, présentant le contenu de la région que vous venez de créer dans la zone Arrangement. 9 Placez la tête de lecture au début de votre projet en cliquant sur le bouton Aller au début dans la barre de transport. 10 Écoutez votre projet en cliquant sur le bouton Lecture de la barre de transport. Vous allez écouter le fichier audio et la boucle d’instrument que vous avez ajoutés au projet. Vous apprécierez peut-être la mélodie de la boucle d’instrument logiciel, mais pas le son associé. Utilisez la bibliothèque pour affecter un autre son à la piste d’instruments logiciels. Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 57 11 Sélectionnez la piste d’instruments logiciels, puis cliquez sur le bouton Inspecteur. La bande de canal de gauche affiche l’instrument logiciel et le(s) effet(s) de la piste sélectionnée. 12 Cliquez sur l’onglet Bibliothèque et parcourez les réglages de bandes de canaux affichés. Étant donné qu’il s’agit d’une bande de canaux/de piste d’instruments logiciels, seuls les réglages de cette bande sont affichés dans l’onglet Bibliothèque. 13 Sélectionnez un des réglages de bandes de canaux pour le charger. 14 Redémarrez la lecture pour écouter le nouveau son. Utilisation des éléments de l’interface Logic Express Vous pouvez accéder à l’ensemble des boutons, commutateurs, curseurs et menus présentés ci-dessus à l’aide de la souris et du clavier de l’ordinateur. L’utilisation des éléments de l’interface Logic Express est décrite ci-après. Cases à cocher et boutons Les cases à cocher sont des cases carrées que vous pouvez activer en cliquant dessus de façon à rendre une option (ou une fonction) disponible. Cliquez sur la case à cocher une deuxième fois pour la désactiver et rendre l’option indisponible. Certains boutons se comportent de la même façon, dans la mesure où la fonction qu’ils représentent est temporairement activée lorsqu’ils sont enfoncés (ils sont alors généralement éclairés). Un deuxième clic sur le bouton désactive la fonction. Les boutons Muet et Solo illustrent parfaitement ces types de boutons. Il existe un autre type de case à cocher : le bouton d’option. Plusieurs boutons groupés (représentant chacun une option différente) sont disponibles et vous devez n’en sélectionner qu’un. Ils diffèrent des cases à cocher habituelles et autres boutons, car vous ne pouvez en activer qu’un seul à la fois. On peut citer par exemple les boutons d’option Type de la zone de dialogue Nouvelles pistes. Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express 59 Menus déroulants et menus locaux Les menus déroulants s’ouvrent lorsque vous cliquez sur l’option de menu souhaitée. Les menus locaux s’ouvrent lorsque vous cliquez sur certains champs de saisie ou boutons. Dans certains menus, une flèche apparaît en regard d’une ou de plusieurs options, indiquant un sous-menu. Pour choisir une option dans un sous-menu, positionnez la souris dans la direction de la flèche, puis déplacez le pointeur verticalement vers l’option souhaitée. Cliquez pour activer la commande ou le réglage de votre choix. Si vous souhaitez sélectionner une option se trouvant hors de la rubrique visible du menu, placez le pointeur de la souris sur la flèche située en haut ou en bas du menu. Le menu défile. Menus contextuels Pour accéder aux menus contextuels, il suffit de cliquer tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée (ou avec le bouton droit de la souris) sur différentes zones des diverses fenêtres Logic Express. Ces menus offrent de nombreuses commandes de sélection ou d’édition ainsi que d’autres commandes spécifiques aux zones, vous permettant ainsi d’accéder rapidement à des fonctions courantes. Remarque : la fonction « clic droit » dépend du bouton droit de la souris : elle ouvre l’option de menu contextuel choisie dans l’onglet Logic Express > Préférences > Globales > Édition. 60 Chapitre 2 Présentation de l’interface Logic Express Utilisation du clavier de l’ordinateur Vous pouvez accéder à la plupart des fonctions de Logic Express au moyen de raccourcis clavier. Chaque fois que le présent manuel fait état d’un raccourci clavier, il se rapporte à une fonction ou à une option accessible par le biais d’une touche du clavier de l’ordinateur (ou d’une combinaison de touches, obtenue par exemple en appuyant simultanément sur les touches Contrôle et W du clavier). L’utilisation de raccourcis clavier à la place de la souris peut accélérer de façon considérable votre travail dans Logic Express. Tout au long de ce manuel, vous allez découvrir de nombreux exemples d’utilisation pratique, souvent présentés sous forme de procédures, qui incluent les raccourcis clavier par défaut correspondant à des fonctions particulières. Il est recommandé de suivre les procédures décrites dans le présent manuel et d’utiliser ces raccourcis clavier par défaut tandis que vous vous familiarisez avec Logic Express. Cela vous permet non seulement de les mémoriser, mais également de développer des méthodes de travail efficaces (et plus rapides) dès le départ. Une fois que vous aurez bien identifié les concepts fondamentaux de Logic Express et la façon dont vous souhaitez travailler, vous pourrez librement définir vos propres raccourcis clavier. Les fonctions et options de Logic Express pouvant être associées à des raccourcis clavier peuvent également être affectées à des commandes MIDI envoyées à partir de votre contrôleur MIDI. Pour plus de détails sur ces questions complexes, reportez-vous à la section « Utilisation des raccourcis clavier » à la page 172. 3 61 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres Logic Express vous permet de personnaliser la configuration de vos fenêtres en fonction de votre mode de travail et de la tâche en cours. Bien que l’essentiel de votre travail s’effectue dans la fenêtre Arrangement, vous avez la possibilité d’ouvrir différentes combinaisons de fenêtres (et même plusieurs fenêtres de même type) et de les ajuster individuellement. Il est également facile d’enregistrer différentes dispositions de fenêtres (appelées « screensets » et présentées dans la rubrique « Utilisation des screensets » à la page 83) et de les rappeler en appuyant sur une touche. Toutes les fenêtres ouvertes d’un projet sont mises à jour en permanence d’après la position de la tête de lecture. D’ailleurs, les modifications apportées dans une fenêtre sont immédiatement prises en compte dans toutes les autres fenêtres ouvertes. Par exemple, si la tonalité d’un événement de note est modifiée dans l’éditeur de partition, ce changement est instantanément reflété dans une fenêtre « Éditeur de piano roll » ouverte. Ce chapitre vous explique comment personnaliser et enregistrer l’ensemble de la configuration de vos fenêtres. Les options d’affichage de fenêtres ou d’éditeurs individuels ne sont pas présentées dans ce chapitre. 62 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres Types de fenêtres Il existe deux types de fenêtres dans Logic Express : les fenêtres normales et celles dites flottantes. Fenêtres normales Vous pouvez ouvrir autant de fenêtres normales que vous le souhaitez, y compris plusieurs fenêtres du même type. Bien que le contenu de toutes les fenêtres soit constamment mis à jour, une seule fenêtre peut avoir le statut de fenêtre « de premier plan » ou de fenêtre « active ». Il s’agit de la fenêtre qui se trouve au premier plan lorsque plusieurs fenêtres normales sont superposées ou affichées les unes à côté des autres. On dit alors que cette fenêtre est « active » ou « sélectionnée ». Les fenêtres actives sont identifiables par leur barre de titre « lumineuse », dont le texte (nom du projet) est affiché en noir. Pour activer une fenêtre ou une zone, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur la barre de titre de la fenêtre ou dans la zone de travail. Dans le cas d’une zone de travail, faites attention à ne pas insérer par mégarde un événement ou une région lorsque l’outil Crayon est actif dans la fenêtre. m Choisissez Fenêtre > Parcourir les fenêtres (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Si elle est intégralement masquée par d’autres fenêtres, la fenêtre ouverte suivante est activée. Bien évidemment, la fenêtre Arrangement peut inclure plusieurs autres fenêtres dans différentes zones. Pour les activer, il suffit de cliquer sur leur arrière-plan ou leur barre de titre (la zone de la fenêtre Arrangement que vous souhaitez utiliser) ou bien encore de sélectionner un de leurs outils. Π Conseil : vous pouvez également utiliser les touches Tabulation ou Maj + Tabulation pour parcourir les diverses zones de la fenêtre Arrangement : la touche Tabulation les passe en revue l’une après l’autre, alors que la combinaison Maj + Tabulation les parcourt en sens inverse. Lorsqu’elle est active, une fenêtre (ou une zone de la fenêtre Arrangement) se caractérise par le fait qu’elle est la seule à être affectée par les raccourcis clavier. En effet, ils n’ont aucun impact sur les autres fenêtres. Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 63 Gestion des fenêtres d’arrière-plan Les fenêtres d’arrière-plan ne sont pas complètement masquées : leur barre de titre est grisée (elles peuvent être positionnées à côté de la fenêtre de premier plan ou juxtaposées sous cette dernière) et leur nom estompé. Dans une fenêtre d’arrière-plan, vous pouvez non seulement observer les modifications apportées, mais aussi effectuer pratiquement n’importe quel type de modification, sans avoir à activer la fenêtre au préalable. L’outil sélectionné est mémorisé dans chaque fenêtre, ce qui vous permet de modifier directement le contenu de toute fenêtre, qu’elle soit activée ou pas. Dès lors que ce type de modification est effectué, la fenêtre est automatiquement activée. Dans une fenêtre Arrangement avec les éditeurs Clavier et Liste des événements affichés, l’outil Pointeur est par exemple actif dans la zone Arrangement, le Crayon dans l’Éditeur Clavier et la Gomme dans l’Éditeur Liste des événements. Lorsque vous faites glisser le curseur de la souris d’une zone de la fenêtre Arrangement à une autre, l’outil correspondant devient automatiquement actif. Fenêtres flottantes Comme leur nom l’indique, ces fenêtres flottent au premier plan, recouvrant même la fenêtre active (l’ouverture de plusieurs fenêtres flottantes entraînant inévitablement leur superposition, il vous suffit de cliquer sur la fenêtre souhaitée pour la placer au premier plan). En général, la plupart des fenêtres d’aide affichées par Logic Express, telles que Préférences ou Réglages du projet, sont des fenêtres flottantes. Les fenêtres flottantes sont généralement identifiables par leur barre de titre grise, plus étroite (à l’exception de la fenêtre de module dont la barre de titre est différente). La souris s’utilise de la même façon dans les fenêtres flottantes que dans les fenêtres normales. 64 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres Ouverture et fermeture des fenêtres Vous pouvez ouvrir toutes les fenêtres principales de Logic Express en choisissant leur type (Arrangement, Partition, etc.) dans le menu Fenêtre. Un raccourci clavier permettant d’ouvrir les fenêtres sans utiliser la souris est associé à chaque type de fenêtre. Par exemple, Commande + 1 ouvre la fenêtre Arrangement, Commande + 2 ouvre la Table de mixage, etc. Le menu Fenêtre indique ces raccourcis clavier à la suite du nom de chaque fenêtre. Il est fortement recommandé de se familiariser avec ces raccourcis clavier et de les utiliser à la place de la souris car ils accélèrent votre travail. Si nécessaire, vous pouvez ouvrir plusieurs fenêtres de même type. Cela peut s’avérer utile si vous souhaitez afficher et modifier individuellement le contenu de plusieurs régions dans un type d’éditeur particulier. Vous pouvez également ouvrir tous les éditeurs Logic Express de la fenêtre Arrangement en cliquant sur les boutons situés au bas de cette fenêtre. Si vous double-cliquez sur une région audio de l’arrangement, vous ouvrez automatiquement l’Éditeur des échantillons en bas de la fenêtre Arrangement. En revanche, si vous double-cliquez sur une région MIDI de l’arrangement, vous ouvrez l’éditeur par défaut en bas de la fenêtre Arrangement. Vous pouvez déterminer quel est l’éditeur par défaut grâce au menu « Double-cliquer une région MIDI ouvre » dans la fenêtre Préférences globales. Il vous suffit de maintenir la touche Option enfoncée tout en double-cliquant pour ouvrir l’éditeur par défaut dans une fenêtre séparée. Les raccourcis clavier Ouvrir/fermer la fenêtre… vous permettent de définir un raccourci clavier pour ouvrir ou fermer la fenêtre ou la zone correspondant au type affecté dans la fenêtre Arrangement active. Si cette fenêtre n’est pas disponible en tant que zone de la fenêtre Arrangement, elle s’ouvre en tant que fenêtre indépendante. Voici des exemples associés à la fenêtre Arrangement : vous pouvez ouvrir et fermer les zones Listes et Média grâce aux raccourcis clavier Afficher/Masquer le navigateur de fichiers, Afficher/ Masquer la bibliothèque, etc. Vous pouvez fermer la fenêtre active (qui est généralement la fenêtre affichée sur le dessus ou au premier plan) en choisissant Fichier > Fermer dans la barre des menus principale (ou en utilisant le raccourci clavier Fermer la fenêtre, par défaut : Commande + W). Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 65 Vous pouvez également fermer les fenêtres en cliquant sur le symbole de fermeture situé dans l’angle supérieur gauche. Cliquez sur le symbole de fermeture en appuyant sur la touche Option pour fermer toutes les fenêtres du projet actif. Remarque : si vous fermez toutes les fenêtres ouvertes d’un projet, Logic Express suppose que vous souhaitez fermer le projet et vous demande si vous voulez enregistrer vos modifications. Déplacement et redimensionnement de fenêtres Vous pouvez déplacer et redimensionner toutes les fenêtres ouvertes individuellement, même si elles sont affichées sur plusieurs écrans. Vous avez également la possibilité de modifier la taille de tous les éléments de fenêtres dotés de la barre de redimensionnement. Vous pouvez par ailleurs ajuster la taille relative des zones d’édition et Arrangement de la fenêtre Arrangement en cliquant entre ces zones, puis en faisant glisser le pointeur verticalement. Le curseur se transforme en pointeur Redimensionner. La hauteur de la zone Table de mixage est mémorisée séparément. Toutes les autres zones d’édition partagent la même hauteur. Vous ne pouvez pas redimensionner les autres éléments de la fenêtre Arrangement (c’est-à-dire la zone Inspecteur, Média ou Listes). Ces zones peuvent uniquement être ouvertes ou fermées. 66 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres Voici un exemple de configuration de fenêtres possible : imaginons que vous souhaitiez modifier les notes MIDI de diverses régions MIDI. Vous avez la possibilité d’augmenter la hauteur de l’Éditeur de piano roll de façon à utiliser un niveau de zoom élevé, ce qui réduit la hauteur de la zone Arrangement. Vous pouvez alors réduire le niveau de zoom de la zone Arrangement étant donné qu’elle n’est utilisée que pour la sélection des régions. Pour déplacer une fenêtre : m Cliquez sur la barre de titre tout en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé et faites glisser la fenêtre vers l’emplacement souhaité. Pour ajuster la taille d’une fenêtre, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Faites glisser l’angle inférieur droit de la fenêtre, comme pour toute autre fenêtre du Finder. m Placez le pointeur de la souris sur le bord de la fenêtre. Lorsque le pointeur de la souris se transforme en pointeur de redimensionnement, faites-le glisser dans la direction souhaitée. Pointeur Redimensionner Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 67 Pour ajuster la taille des éléments de fenêtre : 1 Placez le pointeur de la souris sur la barre de redimensionnement. 2 Lorsque le pointeur de la souris se transforme en pointeur de redimensionnement, faites glisser l’élément de fenêtre dans la direction souhaitée. Pour agrandir une fenêtre, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Sélectionnez la fenêtre, puis choisissez Fenêtre > Réduire/Agrandir. m Cliquez sur le bouton de zoom (situé à l’extrême droite des trois contrôles de fenêtre) dans l’angle supérieur gauche de la barre de titre de la fenêtre. Un deuxième clic sur l’icône permet de restaurer la fenêtre à sa taille initiale. Pour réduire une fenêtre, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Sélectionnez la fenêtre, puis choisissez Fenêtre > Placer dans le Dock (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Commande + M). m Cliquez sur le bouton de réduction (situé au milieu de la rangée des trois contrôles de fenêtre) dans l’angle supérieur gauche de la barre de titre de la fenêtre. Cette opération permet de placer une icône (version réduite de la fenêtre) dans le Dock. Vous pouvez restaurer la fenêtre en cliquant sur cette icône. 68 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres Utilisation des différents niveaux de hiérarchie Logic Express vous permet d’afficher une vue globale des projets (niveau Arrangement) ou détaillée (niveau Éditeur). Ces différents niveaux hiérarchiques sont conçus pour différents types de tâches, tels que l’arrangement des rubriques d’un projet ou le remaniement d’une partie instrumentale. Dans de nombreux cas, vous pouvez passer directement d’un niveau d’affichage à un autre, sans avoir à accéder à une autre fenêtre ou à en ouvrir une. Cliquez sur le bouton Hiérarchie situé dans l’angle supérieur gauche d’une fenêtre ou d’une zone de fenêtre pour remonter la vue affichée d’un niveau dans la hiérarchie (qui correspond généralement au niveau Arrangement). Remarque : en double-cliquant sur l’arrière-plan de la zone d’édition d’une fenêtre, vous passez également au niveau d’affichage supérieur. Niveaux d’affichage des éditeurs En général, les éditeurs sont configurés avec le niveau d’affichage le plus bas, qui permet d’afficher des événements individuels de la région sélectionnée. Dans l’Éditeur de piano roll et l’Éditeur Hyper, le niveau supérieur de la hiérarchie d’affichage affiche les événements de toutes les régions de la zone Arrangement. Lorsque vous cliquez sur le bouton Hiérarchie de la Liste d’événements, vous passez au niveau supérieur de la hiérarchie d’affichage, exactement comme dans les autres éditeurs. Toutefois, dans la Liste des événements, l’affichage reste quasiment identique, à cette différence près qu’il présente une liste des régions (au lieu d’une liste des événements individuels) avec la position et le nom des régions, ainsi que le numéro et la durée des pistes. La région MIDI que vous venez de modifier sera sélectionnée dans la liste des noms de régions. Si vous double-cliquez sur une région MIDI (ou au moyen du raccourci clavier Aller dans Dossier ou Région), vous revenez au niveau d’affichage le plus bas et affichez le contenu de la région MIDI. En double-cliquant sur une région audio, vous l’ouvrez dans l’Éditeur des échantillons. Dans l’éditeur de partition, vous passez au niveau d’affichage supérieur lorsque vous cliquez sur le bouton Hiérarchie. Contrairement aux autres éditeurs, l’éditeur de partition vous permet de modifier des événements individuels alors que vous vous trouvez dans un niveau d’affichage supérieur. Lorsque vous double-cliquez sur une portée (dans un point vide), vous revenez à un niveau d’affichage inférieur. Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 69 Sélection de la zone de travail Les barres de défilement situées sur les bords droit et inférieur d’une fenêtre permettent de vous déplacer verticalement ou horizontalement sur la zone de travail. Vous pouvez déplacer la rubrique visible en cliquant sur les flèches ou en faisant glisser le défileur. Il convient de noter les deux points suivants :  La taille relative du défileur par rapport à la longueur totale de la barre de défilement correspond à celle de la rubrique visible de la fenêtre par rapport à la taille totale de cette dernière.  La rubrique visible change à mesure que vous déplacez le défileur. Barre de défilement Barre de défilement 70 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres Utilisez les raccourcis clavier Page préc., Page suiv., Page Gauche et Page Droite pour revenir à la page précédente, passer à la page suivante ou vous déplacer d’une page vers la gauche ou vers la droite, comme si vous aviez cliqué dans la zone grisée (dans la barre de défilement) au-dessus ou en dessous du curseur de défilement vertical ou bien à gauche ou à droite du curseur de défilement horizontal. Les raccourcis clavier Page Haute, Page Basse, Page la plus à gauche et Page la plus à droite permettent de décaler la rubrique visible de la zone de travail vers le haut, le bas, la gauche ou la droite, comme si vous aviez saisi un des curseurs de défilement et l’aviez placé à l’une des extrémités des barres de défilement. Dans la zone Arrangement, la Liste d’événements, l’Éditeur Hyper et l’Éditeur de piano roll, la rubrique visible de la fenêtre d’édition se déplace vers le premier ensemble d’événements sélectionnés si vous choisissez Présentation > « Aller à la sélection ». Cette fonction est disponible sous la forme d’un raccourci clavier dans la fenêtre active. Pour défiler simultanément à la verticale et à l’horizontale, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Appuyez sur Maj + Contrôle, cliquez sur l’arrière-plan de la fenêtre Arrangement tout en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, puis faites glisser le pointeur dans la direction de votre choix. m Cliquez sur l’arrière-plan de la fenêtre Arrangement avec le troisième bouton de la souris (par exemple, la roulette) et maintenez ce dernier enfoncé, puis faites glisser le pointeur dans la direction souhaitée. La distance qui sépare le pointeur de la souris de l’emplacement sur lequel vous avez initialement cliqué détermine la vitesse de défilement. Remarque : cette opération fonctionne uniquement si vous n’avez pas affecté le troisième bouton de la souris à une commande globale (par exemple, Exposer). Cliquez dans la zone grisée en dessous du curseur de défilement vertical pour passer à la page suivante. Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 71 Zoom Les commandes de zoom de zoom permettent d’effectuer un zoom avant et arrière sur la zone d’affichage en cours. La sélection des différentes valeurs de zoom réduit ou augmente la taille des événements ou des régions dans la rubrique d’écran affichée. Cela vous permet d’effectuer les opérations suivantes :  afficher un plus grand nombre d’événements ou de régions dans le même espace à l’écran (zoom arrière),  afficher plus en détail les événements ou les régions (zoom avant). Pendant le zoom, l’événement ou la région (sélectionné(e)) situé(e) le plus près de l’angle supérieur gauche demeure dans la zone visible à l’écran. En d’autres termes, l’événement ou la région qui est sélectionné en premier sera conservé dans la fenêtre à laquelle le zoom est appliqué. Si aucune région ou aucun événement n’est visible, le zoom est centré sur la tête de lecture. Si la tête de lecture n’est pas visible, le centre de la fenêtre est pris en compte. Les contrôles de zoom horizontal et vertical sont situés dans la partie inférieure droite de la zone de travail de la fenêtre. Pour effectuer un zoom arrière : m Cliquez sur les barres peu espacées pour réduire le niveau de zoom. Pour effectuer un zoom avant : m Cliquez sur les barres très espacées pour augmenter le niveau de zoom. Pour faire défiler les niveaux de zoom, vous pouvez déplacer les curseurs correspondants. Les différences de taille relative entre les pistes sont conservées lors du zoom. Si vous cliquez sur une valeur de contrôle de zoom tout en maintenant la touche Commande enfoncée, vous définissez le curseur de zoom sur le niveau correspondant. Commande de zoom vertical Commande de zoom horizontal 72 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres Zoom au moyen des barres de défilement Les barres de défilement ne permettent pas seulement de naviguer entre les fenêtres Arrangement et d’édition. Elles peuvent également être utilisées pour effectuer un zoom. Pour effectuer un zoom avec les barres de défilement : m Cliquez sur l’une des poignées de zoom situées aux extrémités de la barre de défilement tout en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, puis déplacez-la :  vers le haut ou le bas sur la barre de défilement verticale,  vers la gauche ou la droite sur la barre de défilement horizontale. À mesure que vous déplacez les poignées, un zoom est effectué sur le contenu de la fenêtre. Zoom sur la forme d’onde des régions audio La zone Arrangement offre un outil « Zoom de forme d’onde » unique se trouvant à gauche du curseur de zoom horizontal. Cet outil vous permet de redimensionner visuellement l’oscilloscope, ce qui permet de déterminer plus facilement les points de repère (hit points) pouvant s’avérer utiles pour certaines tâches d’édition. Pour faire un zoom sur la forme d’onde des régions audio : 1 Cliquez sur le bouton « Zoom de forme d’onde » et maintenez le bouton de la souris enfoncé. Un curseur apparaît. Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 73 2 Faites glisser le curseur ; tandis que vous effectuez cette opération, la taille de la forme d’onde affichée dans toutes les régions audio augmente ou diminue. Si le bouton « Zoom de forme d’onde » est activé, il apparaît en gris foncé. Cliquez dessus pour le désactiver. Remarque : il s’agit d’une fonction purement visuelle. L’amplitude (niveau) de la forme d’onde n’est pas affectée. Enregistrement et rappel des réglages de zoom Vous pouvez enregistrer trois réglages de zoom différents pour chaque fenêtre au moyen des raccourcis clavier Sauver zoom 1-3. Utilisez les raccourcis clavier Rappel zoom 1-3 pour rappeler vos réglages de zoom. Ces raccourcis s’appliquent uniquement à la fenêtre ou zone de fenêtre active. Zoom avant sur une rubrique de l’écran Pour agrandir une rubrique de l’écran afin qu’elle occupe l’intégralité de la fenêtre, sélectionnez-la par étirement avec l’outil Zoom. Vous pouvez répéter cette opération si vous devez effectuer un autre zoom avant. Π Conseil : vous pouvez accéder à l’outil Zoom lorsque d’autres outils sont sélectionnés en maintenant les touches Contrôle et Option enfoncées. Rétablissement du réglage de zoom précédent Cliquez sur l’arrière-plan de la fenêtre avec l’outil Zoom. Vous rétablissez le réglage initial du niveau de zoom ou revenez aux niveaux de zoom précédents si l’outil a été utilisé plusieurs fois. 74 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres Raccourcis clavier de navigation dans les réglages de zoom Vous pouvez définir et rappeler jusqu’à trente niveaux de zoom et positions de barre de défilement pour chaque fenêtre. Vous avez ainsi la possibilité de naviguer entre plusieurs niveaux de zoom et positions de barre de défilement, de façon à accélérer les tâches d’édition répétitives. Vous avez la possibilité d’utiliser les commandes ci-dessous pour effectuer un zoom sur les événements sélectionnés ou sur une région définie par les locators, afin d’adapter leur taille à l’écran. L’utilisation de toutes les commandes de zoom crée une nouvelle étape dans le chemin de navigation.  Réduire/agrandir pour cadrer la sélection verticalement et horizontalement, enregistrer le réglage de navigation : affiche la sélection actuelle avec la taille la plus grande possible et l’enregistre dans le chemin de navigation.  Zoom pour afficher la sélection horizontale, enregistrer réglage de navigation : affiche la sélection actuelle avec la taille horizontale la plus grande possible et l’enregistre dans le chemin de navigation.  Agrandir pour afficher les locators, enregistrer réglage de navigation : affiche la zone de locator actuelle avec la taille la plus grande possible et l’enregistre dans le chemin de navigation. Les raccourcis clavier de navigation vous permettent de rappeler les réglages de zoom précédents ou suivants.  Enregistrer réglage de navigation : les réglages actuels du zoom et de la barre de défilement (position de la fenêtre) sont enregistrés en tant qu’étape du chemin de navigation.  Navigation : arrière : rappelle l’étape précédente du chemin de navigation.  Navigation : avance rapide : passe à l’étape suivante du chemin de navigation. Les commandes associées au chemin de navigation peuvent par exemple être utiles si vous souhaitez couper et coller des rubriques d’une région audio dans plusieurs autres emplacements, dans le cadre d’un projet comportant des centaines de pistes. Une étape de votre chemin de navigation est une vue de la région audio sur laquelle vous effectuez un zoom. Une autre étape peut être une version de plusieurs pistes sur laquelle vous effectuez un zoom avant verticalement (pistes cibles des rubriques de région collées). Une étape postérieure peut correspondre à une rubrique sur laquelle vous effectuez un zoom arrière horizontalement, ce qui permet de coller les segments de la région sur une position ultérieure. Remarque : étant donné qu’il n’existe pas de raccourci clavier par défaut pour la plupart de ces options de navigation, vous devez les définir dans la fenêtre Raccourcis clavier. Choisissez Logic Express > Préférences > Raccourcis clavier et saisissez « nav » dans la zone Trouver. Les entrées décrites ci-dessus s’affichent. Pour plus en savoir plus sur l’affectation des raccourcis clavier, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Attribution de raccourcis clavier à des touches de l’ordinateur » à la page 178. Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 75 Relations entre les fenêtres Logic Express permet d’associer ou de dissocier indépendamment des fenêtres, offrant ainsi des options d’affichage flexibles. De cette façon, vous pouvez par exemple configurer deux fenêtres Liste d’événements, l’une affichant les régions Arrangement et l’autre présentant le contenu des régions. Il vous suffit de cliquer sur le nom de région de votre choix pour mettre à jour le contenu de la deuxième liste d’événements. Les deux boutons situés dans l’angle supérieur gauche de la plupart des fenêtres déterminent leur position par rapport à :  la position de la tête de lecture (Capture),  d’autres fenêtres (Pas de lien, « Lien de même niveau » ou Lien de contenu). Capture Activez le bouton Capture pour vous assurer que la rubrique visible d’une fenêtre suit la tête de lecture lors de la lecture ou de l’enregistrement. Si le bouton est désactivé, l’affichage n’est pas mis à jour, même lorsque la tête de lecture se déplace au-delà du bord droit de la partie visible de la fenêtre. L’option « Capturer au démarrage de Logic » (Logic Express > Préférences > Globales > Capturer) permet d’activer le mode Capture chaque fois que vous appuyez sur la touche Lecture ou Pause. Quant à la préférence « Capturer lors du déplacement de la tête de lecture », elle active le mode Capture chaque fois que vous déplacez la tête de lecture. Glissement en lecture Les menus Présentation de toutes les fenêtres affichant la durée horizontalement (zone Arrangement, éditeur de partition, « Éditeur de piano roll » et Éditeur Hyper) comportent le réglage Présentation > Glissement en lecture. Si la fonction Capture de la fenêtre est également activée, la tête de lecture reste au milieu de la fenêtre, tandis que l’arrière-plan défile doucement de la droite vers la gauche. 76 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres Modes Pas de lien, Lien de même niveau et Lien au contenu Ces options d’affichage permettent de définir la façon dont les informations sont présentées lorsque vous utilisez des fenêtres d’éditeurs connexes. Pour définir l’un de ces modes : m Cliquez sur le bouton Lien tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée (ou avec le bouton droit de la souris), puis choisissez le mode requis dans le menu.  Pas de lien : dissocie la fenêtre des autres fenêtres.  Lien de même niveau : lorsque ce mode est activé dans une fenêtre donnée, celle-ci affiche toujours un contenu identique à celui de la fenêtre active. L’affichage est mis à jour chaque fois que la sélection (de données) change dans la fenêtre active. Exemple : supposons que la fenêtre active soit l’Éditeur de piano roll. En mode « Lien de même niveau », l’éditeur de partition et la Liste des événements affichent les mêmes données sous une autre forme.  Lien au contenu : dans ce mode, la fenêtre affiche toujours le contenu de la région sélectionnée dans la fenêtre active. L’affichage est par conséquent toujours situé juste au-dessous de la fenêtre supérieure. Voici un exemple de lien de contenu : si la zone Arrangement est la fenêtre active, toute fenêtre d’éditeur MIDI ouverte affiche les événements de la région MIDI sélectionnée. Si une autre région MIDI est sélectionnée dans la zone Arrangement, l’affichage de l’éditeur lié est mis à jour pour présenter le contenu de cette région. Vous pouvez également utiliser le mode Lien de contenu dans une zone Arrangement pour afficher le contenu des dossiers d’une autre zone Arrangement. Π Conseil : vous avez aussi la possibilité de passer d’un mode à un autre en cliquant sur le bouton Lien : lorsque vous cliquez une seule fois sur ce bouton, vous passez du mode Pas de lien au mode « Lien de même niveau » ou vice versa. Si vous cliquez deux fois sur le bouton Lien, vous activez le mode Lien de contenu. Le symbole figurant sur le bouton Lien indique le mode d’affichage choisi : Mode Lien de même niveau Mode Lien au contenu Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 77 Mode Capture du contenu Le mode Capture du contenu est généralement utilisé dans la zone Arrangement, avec des fenêtres d’éditeurs MIDI liées mises à jour pour présenter les événements de la région MIDI en cours de lecture (sur la piste Arrangement sélectionnée). Initialement, ce mode équivaut au mode Lien de contenu ; toutefois, lorsque la tête de lecture atteint la région suivante de la même piste, le contenu de cette région est affiché. Pour activer le mode Capture du contenu : 1 Cliquez sur le bouton Capture pour l’activer. 2 Cliquez sur le bouton Lien tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée (ou avec le bouton droit de la souris) et choisissez le mode Lien de contenu. Personnalisation de la barre de transport Vous pouvez personnaliser la barre de transport en ajoutant ou en supprimant dans celle-ci des boutons et des affichages, de façon à avoir accès aux fonctions dont vous avez le plus souvent besoin. Cette opération a toutefois une incidence sur la taille de la fenêtre Transport. Vous avez également la possibilité d’ouvrir une fenêtre d’affichage de la barre ou SMPTE. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Personnalisation de la barre de transport » à la page 123. Personnalisation de la barre d’outils de la fenêtre Arrangement Vous pouvez personnaliser la barre d’outils en ajoutant des boutons pour les commandes que vous utilisez le plus souvent. Il est également possible de configurer l’affichage pour visualiser uniquement les icônes des boutons ou leur libellé. Pour ajouter un bouton à la barre d’outils Logic Express : 1 Cliquez sur la barre d’outils de la fenêtre Arrangement tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée (ou avec le bouton droit de la souris) et choisissez « Personnaliser la barre d’outils » dans le menu contextuel. 78 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 2 Faites glisser les boutons que vous souhaitez ajouter depuis la zone de dialogue « Personnaliser la barre d’outils » vers une zone vide située dans la partie supérieure de la fenêtre. Si vous faites glisser un bouton vers un emplacement situé entre deux boutons, ces derniers se déplacent afin de libérer de l’espace pour le nouveau bouton. Remarque : vous pouvez également choisir de faire glisser tout l’ensemble par défaut depuis le bas de la zone de dialogue « Personnaliser la barre d’outils », si vos modifications ne fonctionnent pas aussi bien que vous l’espériez. 3 Cliquez sur Terminé une fois l’opération effectuée. Pour supprimer un bouton de la barre d’outils : m Cliquez sur le bouton de votre choix tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, puis sélectionnez l’option Supprimer dans le menu. Pour modifier l’apparence des éléments de la barre d’outils : m Le menu contextuel et le menu Afficher de la zone de dialogue « Personnaliser la barre d’outils » vous permettent de présenter les éléments de la barre d’outils sous différentes formes : icône et texte, Icône seulement ou Texte seulement. Il vous suffit de choisir l’option d’affichage que vous préférez. Lorsque vous redimensionnez la fenêtre Arrangement, l’espace disponible dans la barre d’outils peut s’avérer insuffisant pour afficher tous les boutons. Pour qu’un bouton de la barre d’outils reste visible lorsque vous redimensionnez la fenêtre Arrangement : m Cliquez sur le bouton de votre choix tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée (ou avec le bouton droit de la souris), puis sélectionnez « Rendre l’élément visible » dans le menu. Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 79 Masquage ou affichage de l’Inspecteur Vous pouvez masquer toute la zone Inspecteur située dans la partie gauche de la fenêtre Arrangement et des fenêtres d’éditeurs, de façon à libérer de l’espace pour les régions, les événements et d’autres données. Pour masquer ou afficher l’Inspecteur dans la fenêtre Arrangement, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur le bouton Inspecteur dans la barre d’outils. m Choisissez Présentation > Inspecteur (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Afficher/Masquer l’inspecteur). Pour masquer ou afficher l’Inspecteur dans les fenêtres d’édition : m Choisissez Présentation > Inspecteur (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Afficher/Masquer l’inspecteur). Si l’espace disponible verticalement est insuffisant pour afficher toutes les zones de l’Inspecteur, vous pouvez cliquer sur les triangles d’affichage pour les masquer individuellement. Réglage de l’affichage de la règle Mesure Vous pouvez choisir parmi quatre modes d’affichage de la règle Mesure :  Temps : affiche une règle de temps SMPTE divisée en heures, minutes, secondes et images.  Mesure : affiche une règle Mesure divisée en mesures, battements, divisions et ticks. Selon les réglages de zoom (voir la rubrique « Zoom » à la page 71), les mesures sont affichées en diverses unités (1, 4, 8 ou 16) dans la partie supérieure. Les modifications apportées à la signature apparaissent également ici. Une ligne verticale s’affiche pour chaque mesure dans le tiers inférieur. Les lignes plus courtes représentent un battement, mais ne sont pas toujours visibles (selon le réglage du zoom). 80 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres  Mesure et temps : affiche la règle Mesure au-dessus de la règle SMPTE.  Temps et mesure : affiche la règle SMPTE au-dessus de la règle Mesure. Pour définir le mode d’affichage de la règle Mesure : m Cliquez sur la petite icône de la flèche vers le bas à droite de la règle Mesure et choisissez le mode d’affichage souhaité dans le menu contextuel. Le réglage Outil Sélecteur masque ou affiche l’outil sélecteur, qui permet d’effectuer les tâches de sélection. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Sélection de parties d’une région » à la page 342. Vous pouvez également utiliser les raccourcis clavier suivants pour modifier l’affichage de la règle :  Position et durée de l’événement en unités SMPTE : permet de basculer entre l’affichage de la règle Mesure et de la règle SMPTE si une règle est affichée et inverse la position de ces règles si elles sont affichées toutes les deux.  Règle secondaire : active/désactive l’affichage de la deuxième règle. Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 81 Affichage des pistes globales Toutes les fenêtres d’édition linéaire peuvent afficher des pistes globales sous la règle Mesure. Vous pouvez limiter l’affichage à des pistes globales particulières, redimensionner les pistes et les déplacer. Pour masquer ou afficher des pistes globales, procédez de l’une des manières suivantes : m Cliquez sur le triangle d’affichage Pistes globales à gauche de la règle Mesure. m Choisissez Présentation > Pistes globales (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Activer/Désactiver pistes globales). m Utilisez l’un des raccourcis clavier suivants :  Masquer toutes les pistes globales  Afficher toutes les pistes globales Affichage et masquage de pistes globales individuelles Par défaut, les pistes globales de marqueur, d’articulation et de tempo s’affichent dès que vous ouvrez les rangées de pistes globales à l’aide des méthodes décrites ci-dessus. Pour masquer ou afficher des pistes globales particulières : 1 Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes :  Cliquez n’importe où dans la zone d’en-tête des pistes globales tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée (ou avec le bouton droit de la souris), puis choisissez « Configurer les pistes globales » dans le menu contextuel. 82 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres  Choisissez Présentation > Configurer les pistes globales (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Configurer les pistes globales). 2 Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes dans la zone de dialogue « Configurer les pistes globales » :  Cochez les cases correspondantes pour afficher ou masquer chaque type de piste globale.  Cliquez sur les boutons Tout activer ou Tout désactiver pour respectivement afficher ou masquer toutes les pistes globales. Tous les réglages effectués dans la zone de dialogue « Configurer les pistes globales » n’affectent que la fenêtre active. En effet, chaque fenêtre peut disposer de sa propre configuration de l’affichage des pistes globales. Remarque : vous pouvez également affecter et utiliser les raccourcis clavier suivants pour activer ou désactiver chaque piste globale : Marqueur, Transposition, Accord, articulation, Tempo, Table de battements et Vidéo. Cette opération a un effet immédiat et la zone de dialogue « Configurer les pistes globales » ne s’ouvre pas. Redimensionnement et déplacement des pistes globales Vous pouvez redimensionner chaque piste globale ou bien encore l’intégralité de la zone des pistes globales. Pour redimensionner des pistes globales individuelles, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur le triangle d’affichage dans l’angle supérieur gauche de chaque piste globale. La hauteur des pistes augmente et d’autres contrôles s’affichent. Si vous cliquez de nouveau sur le triangle, la hauteur des pistes diminue. Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 83 m Placez le pointeur de la souris sur l’un des diviseurs de voie situés entre les pistes globales dans la zone d’en-tête, puis faites-le glisser vers le haut ou le bas. Pour redimensionner l’intégralité de la zone des pistes globales : m Placez le pointeur de la souris sur la ligne de séparation entre les pistes globales et les pistes Arrangement, puis faites-le glisser vers le haut ou le bas. Pour changer l’ordre des pistes globales : m Cliquez n’importe où (sauf sur les commandes) dans la zone d’en-tête de la piste globale que vous souhaitez déplacer et maintenez le bouton de la souris enfoncé, puis glissez vers le haut ou le bas. L’ordre d’affichage des pistes globales est enregistré indépendamment pour chaque fenêtre. Π Conseil : si les sélecteurs de protection de piste sont visibles (Présentation > Configurer l’en-tête de piste > Sélecteurs de protection), vous pouvez empêcher que des modifications ne soient apportées accidentellement à des pistes globales individuelles en cliquant sur le sélecteur de protection correspondant. Utilisation des screensets Vous allez positionner les fenêtres de façon choisir une disposition adaptée à vos méthodes de travail. Cette présentation des diverses fenêtres, et notamment la taille de l’affichage, les niveaux de zoom et la position de chaque fenêtre (et d’autres réglages), est appelée « screenset ». Une fois que vous avez défini des screensets, vous pouvez les enregistrer et passer librement de l’un à l’autre, tout comme vous le feriez avec des écrans d’ordinateur. 84 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres Enregistrement et rappel des screensets Les screensets sont numérotés de 1 à 99 (exclusivement au moyen des touches d’ordinateur 1 à 9, la touche 0 étant affectée par défaut à la commande Arrêter). Vous n’êtes pas obligé d’enregistrer les screensets avec une commande explicite. L’enregistrement s’effectue automatiquement dès lors que vous passez à un autre screenset. Par conséquent, la vue de travail actuelle est toujours enregistrée en tant que screenset actif, sans que vous ayez à intervenir. Pour créer un screenset : 1 Appuyez sur une touche numérique, telle que 7. Pour les screensets à deux chiffres, maintenez la touche Contrôle enfoncée tout en saisissant le premier chiffre. 2 Choisissez la disposition souhaitée pour vos fenêtres (modifications des réglages de zoom, relation entre la zone Arrangement et les zones d’éditeurs, zones Inspecteur, Média ou Listes ouvertes ou fermées, etc.). Remarque : lorsque vous choisissez le numéro d’un screenset qui n’a pas été enregistré, une fenêtre Arrangement agrandie s’ouvre. Pour rappeler un screenset ou passer d’un screenset à un autre, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Saisissez le numéro du screenset souhaité (1 à 9). Pour les screensets à deux chiffres, maintenez la touche Contrôle enfoncée tout en saisissant le premier chiffre. m Sélectionnez le screenset de votre choix dans le menu Screenset. m Utilisez le raccourci clavier Screenset suivant ou Screenset précédent. Rappel des screensets 1 à 9 au moyen des raccourcis clavier Les screensets 1 à 9 peuvent être rappelés au moyen de raccourcis clavier librement définis, et pas uniquement des touches numérotées du clavier de votre ordinateur. Cela vous permet d’utiliser les touches numérotées à d’autres fins, telles que l’ouverture ou la fermeture des fenêtres. Les raccourcis clavier 1 à 9 correspondent respectivement à Rappeler screenset 1 (jusqu’à 9) dans la fenêtre Raccourcis clavier. Changement de screenset contrôlé par le séquenceur Vous pouvez passer automatiquement d’un screenset à un autre par le biais du métaévénement n° 49 ; il vous suffit de l’ajouter à une région MIDI de la Liste d’événements. Pour passer automatiquement d’un screenset à un autre : 1 Sélectionnez la région MIDI dans laquelle vous souhaitez insérer le méta-événement. 2 Placez la tête de lecture sur le point à partir duquel vous souhaitez changer de screenset. Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 85 3 Cliquez sur le bouton Créer dans la Liste d’événements, puis sur le bouton Méta-événements. La valeur par défaut du méta-événement est de 50 (sélection du projet). 4 Remplacez le nombre 50 figurant dans la colonne Nombre par 49. Le nom « screenset » s’affiche. 5 Saisissez le numéro du screenset souhaité dans la colonne Valeur. Vous pouvez arrêter le processus de changement de screenset en désactivant la région MIDI contenant le méta-événement 49. Protection, copie, changement de nom et suppression de screensets Logic Express vous permet de protéger, copier, renommer et supprimer des screensets, ce qui simplifie leur gestion. Pour empêcher toute modification du screenset actif : m Choisissez Screensets > Verrouiller screenset (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Verrouiller/ Déverrouiller screenset actuel correspondant, par défaut : Maj + L). Une puce apparaît devant le numéro du screenset pour indiquer qu’il est verrouillé. Réutilisez le raccourci clavier ou la commande de menu pour déverrouiller le screenset. Important : la commande Fichier > Nouveau désactive tous les verrous de screenset. Pour copier des screensets : 1 Activez le screenset que vous souhaitez copier, puis choisissez Screensets > Dupliquer (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). 86 Chapitre 3 Personnalisation de la configuration de vos fenêtres 2 Dans la fenêtre Duplication de screenset qui s’ouvre : saisissez le numéro du screenset cible (vers lequel vous souhaitez effectuer la copie) et un nom. Pour renommer le screenset actuel : m Choisissez Screensets > Renommer (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant), puis saisissez un nouveau nom dans la fenêtre Renommer le screenset. Cliquez sur le bouton Nom automatique pour attribuer automatiquement un nom au screenset. Les noms de fenêtres visibles définis par défaut sont utilisés (par exemple, Arrangement/Piano roll ou Arrangement/Table de mixage). Le nom est automatiquement mis à jour chaque fois qu’une fenêtre ou une vue est ouverte ou fermée. Pour supprimer le screenset actuel : m Choisissez Screensets > Supprimer (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Importation de screensets à partir d’un autre projet Vous pouvez importer des screensets d’un autre projet. Pour importer tous les screensets d’un autre projet : 1 Ouvrez la fenêtre Importation de réglages en effectuant l’une des opérations suivantes :  Choisissez Fichier > Réglages du projet > Importer réglages (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Importer réglages).  Cliquez sur le bouton de barre d’outils Réglages, puis choisissez Importer réglages dans le menu local. 2 Dans la zone de dialogue Importation, cliquez sur l’option Screensets. 3 Accédez au projet voulu (celui depuis lequel vous voulez importer) et sélectionnez-le. 4 Cliquez sur Ouvrir (ou double-cliquez sur le nom du projet source). Les réglages sont importés dans le projet actif. Rétablissement des screensets enregistrés La commande de menu « Revenir au screenset enregistré » (ou le raccourci clavier correspondant) restaure l’écran à son état initial, c’est-à-dire avant toute modification de l’aspect du screenset actuel. 4 87 4 Configuration du système Logic Express recherche et configure automatiquement le matériel MIDI et audio pris en charge lors de sa première exécution, à la suite de son installation. Il existe de nombreuses situations dans lesquelles vous souhaiterez sans doute améliorer ou étendre cette configuration automatique de base. Le présent chapitre vous permettra d’optimiser votre matériel afin de l’utiliser avec Logic Express. Il contient également de nombreuses informations de base sur les composants que votre système de production musicale peut intégrer. Si c’est la première fois que vous utilisez Logic Express, et que vous souhaitez vous familiariser avec l’application, ignorez ces informations et poursuivez. Vous pourrez toujours revenir aux rubriques suivantes lorsque vous envisagerez d’ajouter un composant à votre système. Il n’est toutefois pas nécessaire d’en prendre connaissance pour utiliser Logic Express. Conception de votre système de production musicale Votre système de production musicale peut intégrer bien davantage que votre ordinateur et le logiciel Logic Express. Un studio Logic Express complet peut parfaitement être constitué de l’un des composants suivants, voire de l’ensemble de ces composants :  Un ordinateur Macintosh et des périphériques connexes, tels qu’une souris ou tout autre dispositif de pointage, un clavier, des écrans, etc.  Des interfaces MIDI et audio.  Des générateurs de sons MIDI externes, tels que des échantillonneurs et des synthétiseurs.  Des périphériques audio externes, tels que des tables de mixage, des convertisseurs audio, des préamplificateurs, des bandes de canaux, des unités d’effets, etc.  Des claviers et des surfaces de contrôle MIDI externes. Un éclairage externe contrôlé via MIDI peut également être géré par Logic Express.  Un système d’amplification et des haut-parleurs. 88 Chapitre 4 Configuration du système  Un logiciel supplémentaire qui s’exécute et s’intègre avec Logic Express. Par exemple, une série d’applications ReWire et un logiciel MIDI ou audio.  Des modules d’instrument et d’effets supplémentaires, notamment ceux qui sont accélérés via DSP tels que PowerCore. Prenez connaissance de cette rubrique si vous envisagez d’intégrer certains de ces composants à votre système de production musicale Logic Express. Si vous disposez déjà de tous ces composants, et que leur intégration vous donne satisfaction, vous pouvez ignorer cette rubrique. Ordinateur Cette rubrique présente plusieurs facteurs informatiques dont vous devez tenir compte pour votre système Logic Express. La configuration requise est décrite dans le document Avant d’installer, situé dans le dossier Documentation des disques d’installation de Logic Express. Remarque : la configuration requise peut varier d’une version de Logic Express à une autre ; il est donc conseillé de toujours consulter le site web d’Apple et le dernier document Avant d’installer figurant dans les mises à jour de Logic Express. Puissance requise Le traitement audio est complexe, de sorte que la règle qui s’applique généralement est la suivante : plus votre ordinateur est puissant, mieux c’est. Cette règle ne concerne pas seulement la vitesse de la ou des UC de votre Macintosh, mais aussi la taille des mémoires principales, la vitesse des bus et l’efficacité de la communication avec les périphériques connectés. Un studio mobile ou fixe ? Vous hésitez peut-être entre un ordinateur Macintosh de bureau ou portable pour installer votre système Logic Express et réfléchissez sans doute à l’utilité d’un ordinateur portable pour réaliser des compositions lors de vos déplacements. Sachez que les ordinateurs portables Macintosh sont parfaitement adaptés à l’utilisation de Logic Express. Ils offrent d’excellentes capacités d’extension pour le matériel MIDI et audio sous forme de connecteurs FireWire et USB. Ils sont également suffisamment rapides pour permettre une large utilisation des effets et des instruments logiciels. Les ordinateurs portables étant économes en énergie par nature, ils comportent généralement des disques durs plus lents, ce qui entraîne un nombre de pistes inférieur par rapport à un ordinateur de bureau. Bien évidemment, les ordinateurs de bureau sont munis de logements d’extension supplémentaires, ce qui offre plus de possibilités en matière de matériels MIDI et audio. Ils peuvent aussi être équipés de plusieurs processeurs. Les vitesses du disque dur et du processeur sont généralement plus élevées, ce qui permet un nombre de lectures de pistes supérieur ainsi que l’utilisation simultanée d’un plus grand nombre d’effets et d’instruments logiciels. Chapitre 4 Configuration du système 89 Π Conseil : si vous disposez à la fois d’un ordinateur portable et d’un ordinateur de bureau Macintosh, vous pouvez aisément transférer les projets et autres données de l’un à l’autre. Emplacements de stockage et disques durs La production musicale génère un nombre considérable de gros fichiers. Ces derniers comportent des échantillons pour instruments audio, des bibliothèques de boucles, des enregistrements audio, des fichiers vidéo, etc. Il vous faudra envisager d’acheter séparément un (voire plusieurs) disque dur de grande capacité pour vos fichiers audio. Vous devrez également réfléchir à un système de sauvegarde de haute capacité, et automatiser votre routine de sauvegarde, sur une fréquence quotidienne de préférence. Interfaces MIDI et audio Une interface audio est nécessaire pour transmettre des signaux sonores à votre ordinateur, ou pour qu’il en restitue. Une interface MIDI est nécessaire pour des signaux MIDI d’entrée et de sortie. Lorsque vous utilisez des interfaces MIDI et audio, vous devez installer leurs gestionnaires avant de démarrer Logic Express. Logic Express peut ainsi identifier et utiliser ces périphériques au démarrage. Les interfaces audio doivent être prises en charge par un gestionnaire Core Audio et les interfaces MIDI doivent être prises en charge par un gestionnaire Core MIDI. Contactez le fabricant de votre équipement pour plus de détails sur la prise en charge de Mac OS X. Interface audio Lorsqu’un signal audio analogique arrive aux entrées de l’interface audio de votre ordinateur, il doit être converti en données numériques pour que l’ordinateur puisse l’utiliser. Ce processus appelé conversion analogique-numérique est géré par le convertisseur prévu à cet effet de votre interface audio. Il existe un nombre considérable d’interfaces audio externes disponibles sur le marché, et presque autant de façons de les configurer et de les utiliser avec Logic Express et des appareils audio externes. Compte tenu de la diversité des besoins et des méthodes de travail, qui varient d’un utilisateur à l’autre et d’un pays à l’autre, il n’existe aucun branchement « universel » s’appliquant à toutes les interfaces audio. Dans le scénario le plus simple, il suffit d’utiliser l’interface audio interne de votre ordinateur pour enregistrer et reproduire les données audio. Lors du choix de votre interface audio, assurez-vous qu’elle peut s’exécuter sur du matériel Macintosh. Si le périphérique nécessite un gestionnaire, vérifiez qu’il est compatible avec la version Mac OS X requise par Logic Express. 90 Chapitre 4 Configuration du système Logic Express prend en charge les entrées provenant d’interfaces audio numériques, avec une fréquence d’échantillonnage et une profondeur de bits maximales de 192 kHz et 24 bits. Vous trouverez des informations détaillées sur la configuration de votre interface audio, notamment des informations sur les optimisations, les gestionnaires, etc., dans la rubrique « Configuration de votre matériel audio » à la page 103 et les rubriques suivantes. Interface MIDI Votre ordinateur Macintosh ne fournit ni sorties, ni entrées MIDI. Si vous souhaitez utiliser des périphériques MIDI équipés de ports MIDI, une interface MIDI est nécessaire pour communiquer avec votre ordinateur. Les interfaces MIDI sont généralement connectées à vos ports USB Macintosh. Certaines interfaces MIDI nécessitent l’installation d’un logiciel pilote, d’autres sont automatiquement reconnues par votre Macintosh. Remarque : de nombreux appareils MIDI modernes, en particulier les claviers, comprennent un port de connexion FireWire ou USB qui permet la communication MIDI (et audio dans certains cas) avec votre ordinateur. Les appareils de ce type ne nécessitent pas d’interface MIDI (ou audio) supplémentaire. Certains appareils nécessitent l’installation d’un logiciel pilote, d’autres sont automatiquement reconnus par Mac OS X. Pour en savoir davantage, consultez les sites web des fabricants d’appareils MIDI. Types d’appareils MIDI Il existe une large gamme d’appareils MIDI : générateurs de sons, claviers, surfaces de contrôle, processeurs d’effets, tables de mixage, contrôleurs d’éclairage MIDI, etc. Clavier MIDI Voici le candidat le plus probable à une intégration dans votre système Logic Express. Les claviers MIDI sont utilisés pour entrer des informations de notes (et de contrôleur) dans Logic Express. Certains claviers MIDI sont de simples périphériques d’entrée (également appelés « claviers de contrôleur »), d’autres comprennent leurs propres moteurs de synthèse (synthétiseurs et claviers arrangeurs). Logic Express peut être utilisé pour enregistrer les performances du clavier sous forme de données MIDI, et peut les rejouer via un instrument logiciel interne ou un appareil MIDI connecté. Pas de panique si votre clavier MIDI n’est pas très pratique ! Logic Express offre un clavier avec verrouillage des majuscules qui vous permet d’utiliser le clavier de votre ordinateur pour entrer les notes MIDI. Reportez-vous à la rubrique « Utilisation du clavier avec verrouillage majuscules » à la page 439. Chapitre 4 Configuration du système 91 Surfaces de contrôle Les surfaces de contrôle sont des périphériques équipés de diverses commandes, dont des curseurs, des sélecteurs rotatifs, des commutateurs et des écrans. Ces commandes peuvent être mappées à des fonctions de Logic Express, ce qui permet de modifier des paramètres de manière plus précise et plus rapide que cela n’est possible avec la souris et le clavier de l’ordinateur. Vous pouvez également contrôler plusieurs paramètres simultanément. Vous trouverez des informations détaillées sur la configuration et l’utilisation des surfaces de contrôle dans le manuel relatif aux surfaces de contrôle. Synthétiseurs et effets MIDI contrôlés Logic Express fournit de nombreux effets et instruments logiciels et peut également être utilisé comme hôte pour les modules Audio Unit de fabricants tiers. Vous trouverez plus d’informations sur l’utilisation des effets et des instruments de modules au chapitre 10, « Utilisation des instruments et des effets » à la page 229. Vous pouvez également intégrer des unités d’effets contrôlés MIDI et des instruments matériels MIDI à votre système de production musicale Logic Express. Ceux-ci sont connectés via une interface MIDI, à l’aide de câbles MIDI (voir « Branchement de vos appareils MIDI et audio » à la page 94). Les unités d’effets contrôlés MIDI ne traitent pas les données MIDI. Il existe, en revanche, des processeurs audio (tels que des appareils à multi-effets ou de réverbération) qui peuvent être gérés via des messages MIDI. Cela vous permet d’automatiser les paramètres de ces appareils, tels que le décalage ou la vitesse du flanger, depuis Logic Express. En règle générale, tous les périphériques externes, tels que les synthétiseurs et les unités d’effets contrôlées MIDI, sont connectés à l’interface audio ou à une console matérielle de mixage. Les unités d’effets contrôlés MIDI sont connectées au sein d’une boucle envoi/retour, en utilisant :  Une paire d’entrée/sortie audio (ou d’entrée/sortie auxiliaire, le cas échéant) sur votre interface audio  Une paire d’entrée/sortie auxiliaire (parfois appelée FX envoi/retour) sur votre console de mixage Les deux méthodes permettent d’utiliser le module In/Out de Logic Express ; vous pouvez ainsi acheminer librement des informations audio via l’unité d’effets externe ; la connexion MIDI fournit un contrôle sur les paramètres des effets. Sous de nombreux aspects, cela revient à utiliser les modules d’effets internes de Logic Express. Remarque : le module d’entrée/sortie pour l’acheminement de périphériques externes est utile lorsque vous disposez d’une interface audio équipée de plusieurs ports d’entrée/sortie. 92 Chapitre 4 Configuration du système Les effets et les instruments MIDI permettent une sélection des correctifs à distance (présélection) depuis Logic Express. Cette sélection, ainsi que d’autres informations (de contrôle) peuvent être stockées sous forme de fichiers du projet Logic Express, garantissant une lecture parfaite depuis vos appareils MIDI lors du prochain chargement du projet. Appareils audio auxiliaires Toute discussion à propos d’un système audio Logic Express serait incomplète sans aborder un certain nombre d’options que vous devrez bien connaître pour exploiter pleinement l’application. Système de lecture audio Votre interface audio fournit des entrées et des sorties entre le monde réel et votre ordinateur. Lors de la lecture audio, l’interface audio convertit les données informatiques en données audibles et compréhensibles : des sons et de la musique. Pour faciliter cette opération, un amplificateur et des haut-parleurs sont requis. Vous pouvez certainement utiliser des écouteurs, connectés à la prise casque de votre interface audio, ou votre chaîne hi-fi pour écouter le morceau Logic Express, mais cela n’est pas recommandé sur le long terme. Il faudra vous procurer un ensemble de moniteurs de référence dédié (haut-parleurs) et l’amplificateur de référence correspondant. Actuellement, de nombreux systèmes de contrôle disposent de haut-parleurs amplifiés. Dans ce cas, un amplificateur séparé n’est pas nécessaire. Remarque : des moniteurs de référence sont des haut-parleurs spécialement conçus qui offrent une réponse en fréquence plate parmi une large gamme (généralement de 20 Hz à 20 kHz). Il ne s’agit en aucun cas de vos haut-parleurs hi-fi personnels. Ces moniteurs sont généralement disponibles auprès de revendeurs de matériel musical professionnel ou d’équipement pour studios. Ce type de système est recommandé en raison de sa précision. Logic Express permet d’obtenir un son au moins de qualité CD ; généralement, les morceaux créés sur une chaîne hi-fi classique ne sont pas correctement équilibrés. En effet, la plupart des haut-parleurs de chaîne hi-fi personnelle ont tendance à renforcer certaines zones du spectre des fréquences ; les morceaux ainsi créés ont trop de fréquences basses, moyennes ou aiguës lorsqu’ils sont joués sur d’autres systèmes. Les amplificateurs et les moniteurs de référence sont conçus pour fournir une réponse en fréquence plate, sans accentuer certaines zones de votre morceau. Vous disposez ainsi d’un produit dont le son est de bonne qualité (ou, tout du moins, de qualité acceptable) sur la plupart des systèmes de contrôle, tels que les équipements stéréo utilisés dans les voitures, les chaînes hi-fi, les lecteurs portables, etc. Chapitre 4 Configuration du système 93 Écouteurs Un bon ensemble d’écouteurs de type studio est utile pour certaines tâches, telles que l’édition d’échantillons et l’égalisation précise. De par la conception de la plupart écouteurs et du fait qu’ils sont utilisés si près des oreilles, la majorité des gens estiment qu’ils rendent les morceaux trop nets ou trop lourds. C’est pourquoi il n’est pas recommandé de les utiliser pour des tâches de contrôle courantes. Ils restent toutefois de précieux outils. Si vous enregistrez plusieurs groupes de personnes, vous aurez probablement besoin de plusieurs paires d’écouteurs, d’un amplificateur de distribution pour écouteurs et d’une console de mixage. Π Conseil : il ne faut pas utiliser les écouteurs pendant plus de 10 à 20 minutes en continu, car ils peuvent générer une fatigue auditive et vous amener à faire des choix inappropriés pour votre morceau. Consoles de mixage audio L’ajout d’une table de mixage audio (analogique ou numérique) dépend surtout de l’utilisation que vous faites de votre studio en général. Il dépend également du nombre d’entrées et de sorties fournies par votre interface audio et de vos préférences de travail. Par exemple, si vous envisagez d’enregistrer des groupes, plusieurs synthétiseurs MIDI ou de la batterie dans votre studio, vous aurez besoin de plusieurs micros et de plusieurs entrées de niveau de ligne pour enregistrer simultanément les interprétations des musiciens et des chanteurs du groupe. Les entrées des micros varient entre les différentes entrées de niveau de ligne sur le plan de l’alimentation fournie (appelée alimentation fantôme), qui est utilisée pour amplifier le signal entrant provenant des micros à condensateur. Plusieurs sorties de table de mixage et un amplificateur de distribution pour écouteurs sont également utiles lorsque vous enregistrez des groupes, car différents signaux peuvent être envoyés à chaque interprète. Exemples : une piste-métronome pour le batteur, une version mixée de la batterie et une piste-métronome pour le bassiste, une version mixée composée pour le chanteur et le guitariste, avec une pointe de réverbération pour le chanteur, etc. Cette approche en différentes phases est couramment utilisée, car elle permet d’obtenir la meilleure interprétation de chaque membre du groupe. Les tables de mixage peuvent également comporter plusieurs canaux de bus ou canaux auxiliaires qui permettent de simplifier un certain nombre de tâches. Par exemple : envoyer différents signaux (ou versions mixées si vous préférez) vers plusieurs emplacements, tels qu’un système de sonorisation Front of House et un enregistreur multipistes, ajouter des effets individuels à plusieurs canaux, réacheminer un fichier audio traité vers une autre position sur le chemin du signal, etc. 94 Chapitre 4 Configuration du système Une grande partie de ces tâches de mixage peuvent être effectuées avec une interface audio à plusieurs entrées/sorties, en utilisant Logic Express (et le logiciel de contrôle d’interface, le cas échéant) pour ajuster les niveaux et les routages. Cette méthode présente toutefois deux inconvénients : elle n’est pas aussi instantanée que le fait de déplacer physiquement un curseur ou un bouton sur une console de mixage, et votre ordinateur doit être mis sous tension pour permettre le contrôle. Pour équilibrer l’équation, vous pouvez ajouter une surface de contrôle à votre système Logic Express afin de rendre son fonctionnement plus pratique. Enfin, un certain nombre d’interfaces audio actuelles peuvent être utilisées en mode autonome, mais le problème du contrôle de niveaux demeure, à moins que l’ordinateur ne soit sous tension. Des microphones Si vous enregistrez des performances acoustiques (parlées, chantées ou jouées) dans Logic Express, vous devez disposer d’un ou de plusieurs micros. La gamme de micros actuellement disponible est considérable. En résumé, elle se divise en deux catégories : les micros à condensateur et les micros dynamiques.  D’une manière générale, les micros à condensateur sont plus sensibles, et sont couramment utilisés pour des enregistrements de voix. Ils sont également utilisés pour l’enregistrement d’ambiances et pour les instruments tels que des guitares et les instruments à vent en bois.  Les micros dynamiques sont souvent utilisés pour les enregistrements avec des niveaux de pression sonore élevés (c’est-à-dire des signaux lourds), tels que de la batterie ou des percussions. Enfin, les deux types de micros peuvent être utilisés pour tout travail d’enregistrement, mais chacun présente un avantage spécifique (du point de vue de la sonorité) dans différentes situations d’enregistrement. En bref, les deux types de micros, à condensateur et dynamiques, sont disponibles sous diverses formes, dont beaucoup sont tout spécialement conçues pour l’enregistrement de certains instruments. De ce fait, il n’existe pas de micro universel pour tous les enregistrements que vous réaliserez. Il est donc conseillé d’acheter ou de louer différents micros en fonction des projets réalisés. Remarque : les micros à condensateur nécessitent une alimentation électrique. Celle-ci peut être fournie par un préamplificateur ou une console de mixage reliée à une alimentation fantôme. Branchement de vos appareils MIDI et audio Pour permettre la communication entre Logic Express et les différents appareils, vous devez brancher vos appareils MIDI et audio externes à votre ordinateur. La rubrique suivante vous présente les capacités d’extension d’un ordinateur Macintosh, le câblage MIDI et audio ainsi que d’autres éléments à prendre en compte lors du branchement des interfaces MIDI et audio à votre système. Chapitre 4 Configuration du système 95 Extensions de l’ordinateur Les ordinateurs Macintosh actuels offrent les capacités d’extension suivantes, pouvant être utilisées pour des interfaces MIDI et audio :  FireWire  USB  PCI  ExpressCard Remarque : les taux de transfert des données évoqués dans les rubriques suivantes correspondent au maximum théorique. En réalité, ces taux sont réduits à cause des temps système. En général, les protocoles associés à un maximum théorique plus rapide transmettent les données plus rapidement que les protocoles plus lents. FireWire (IEEE 1394) FireWire est une norme grand public et professionnelle qui peut être utilisée pour les types d’appareils MIDI et audio, ainsi que pour des disques durs et autres périphériques. Elle combine des taux de transfert de données rapides, de hautes capacités de stockage et une connexion plug-and-play (prête à l’emploi). Tous les ordinateurs Macintosh actuels s’accompagnent de connecteurs FireWire, et un certain nombre d’interfaces MIDI et audio FireWire sont disponibles. FireWire 1.0 transfère les données à une vitesse de 400 Mbits/sec. FireWire 2.0 transfère les données à une vitesse de 800 Mbits/sec. Il existe deux types de connecteurs FireWire : un connecteur à 4 broches (généralement utilisé pour les équipements vidéo, comme les caméscopes) et un connecteur à 6 broches (celui des ordinateurs et des équipements audio). USB (Universal Serial Bus) USB est une norme grand public destinée aux périphériques et autres dispositifs informatiques. La norme USB 1.1 permet un débit de transmission de données très inférieur à celui de FireWire (11 Mbits/sec). USB 2.0, toutefois, transfère les données à une vitesse de 480 Mbits/sec. Elle permet un fonctionnement plug-and-play et la connexion de plusieurs appareils en série (chaîne). Certains périphériques USB tirent leur alimentation d’un câble USB, d’autres requièrent une alimentation séparée. Tous les ordinateurs Macintosh actuels comportent des ports USB 2.0. FireWire 400 (6 broches) (parfois étiqueté iLINK) FireWire 400 (4 broches) 96 Chapitre 4 Configuration du système Il existe deux types de connecteurs USB :  Connecteur A, généralement utilisé pour connecter un appareil à un concentrateur USB.  Connecteur B, généralement utilisé pour connecter des appareils les uns aux autres, et également pour connecter un appareil à un ordinateur. Remarque : les interfaces audio USB doivent toujours être connectées directement à votre ordinateur. Évitez systématiquement les connexions via un concentrateur, l’écran, le clavier ou tout autre périphérique raccordé à votre ordinateur. PCI Contrairement aux interfaces FireWire et USB, les interfaces PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) nécessitent l’installation d’une carte dédiée sur votre ordinateur. Les PCI fournissent des taux de transfert de données rapides et une bande passante très élevée, ce qui vous permet d’enregistrer et de lire un grand nombre de fichiers aux fréquences d’échantillonnage et aux profondeurs de bits les plus élevées possibles. ExpressCard ExpressCard est une version mise à jour des cartes PC (PCMCIA ou CardBus) installées sur les ordinateurs MacBook Pro. ExpressCard ressemble beaucoup aux interfaces PCI décrites ci-dessus, mais les cartes de ce format s’insèrent dans un logement situé à l’extérieur de votre ordinateur portable. Les cartes ExpressCard et PC disponibles comportent des interfaces audio, des disques durs, des interfaces réseau et SCSI, des adaptateurs sans fil, etc. Câblage audio Les types de connecteurs et câbles audio suivants sont généralement utilisés sur des équipements audio grand public et professionnels :  XLR  Jack audio d’1/4 de pouce et mini-jack d’1/8 de pouce  RCA (Cinch)  Toslink  AES-EBU, S/PDIF, ADAT USB (Universal Serial Bus) Chapitre 4 Configuration du système 97 XLR Les câbles et connecteurs XLR sont utilisés avec des micros de qualité professionnelle, des moniteurs et d’autres équipements de musique. Ils assurent un signal stable et de haute qualité à un niveau de + 4 dB. Jack audio d’1/4 de pouce Les connecteurs d’1/4 de pouce (parfois appelés phono ou prises phono) sont utilisés par un grand nombre d’équipements musicaux professionnels et grand public, y compris des instruments de musique, des amplificateurs, des haut-parleurs et des périphériques d’effets externes. Ils peuvent être équilibrés ou déséquilibrés. Certains appareils nécessitent des connecteurs TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve). Ces connecteurs à trois contacts sont utilisés pour des signaux mono équilibrés et des signaux stéréo déséquilibrés. Mini-jack d’1/8 de pouce Les connecteurs mini-jack sont utilisés pour des entrées/sorties audio vers des ordinateurs, et sur certains appareils électroniques destinés au grand public, en particulier les appareils portables. RCA (Cinch) Les connecteurs RCA sont utilisés sur les équipements audio grand public, tels que les chaînes hi-fi et les magnétoscopes. Connecteur XLR (symétrique) Prise 1/4 de po (TRS) Prise 1/4 de po (TR) Miniprise stéréo (asymétrique) Prise RCA (asymétrique) 98 Chapitre 4 Configuration du système AES/EBU, S/PDIF et ADAT Les protocoles AES/EBU, S/PDIF et ADAT fournissent une connexion numérique entre des équipements audio grand public et professionnels, notamment des interfaces audio, des machines DAT (bande audionumérique), des consoles de mixage, des échantillonneurs, etc. S/PDIF et AES/EBU fournissent deux canaux audio, lorsque le format ADAT optique en fournit huit. Vous pouvez utiliser des connecteurs optiques TOSLINK pour transporter des flux audio numériques entre des composants S/PDIF et ADAT. Connexion de votre interface audio Logic Express prend en charge la fonction plug-and-play pour les interfaces audio, ce qui permet de se connecter et de basculer sur une nouvelle interface audio lorsque Logic Express est en cours d’exécution. Lorsque vous vous connectez à un nouvel appareil, une alerte apparaît, vous invitant à sélectionner et confirmer le gestionnaire et l’interface audio que vous souhaitez utiliser. Toutes les interfaces audio numériques sont susceptibles de subir un temps de latence, c’est-à-dire un retard notable entre le moment où le signal audio est émis et celui où vous l’entendez. Une interface audio doit toujours être connectée directement à l’ordinateur, et non via un concentrateur ou en chaîne par l’intermédiaire d’un autre appareil. Cela peut, en effet, générer un temps de latence considérable, en particulier avec les appareils USB 1.1 qui sont plus lents. Branchement MIDI MIDI signifie Musical Instrument Digital Interface (interface numérique pour instruments de musique). Il s’agit d’une norme de connexion universelle à 5 broches et d’un langage informatique, qui permettent la communication entre des appareils MIDI. Prise numérique optique Toslink Prise MIDI Chapitre 4 Configuration du système 99 Connexion des modules et des claviers MIDI Si vous utilisez un simple clavier maître MIDI, n’intégrant pas de fonctions de génération audio internes, il suffit de connecter son port de sortie MIDI Out au port d’entrée MIDI In de votre interface MIDI, en utilisant un câble MIDI. Si le clavier peut générer ses propres sons, vous devez également connecter le port de sortie MIDI Out de l’interface MIDI au port d’entrée MIDI In du clavier. Si votre interface MIDI dispose de plusieurs sorties MIDI, connectez d’autres générateurs de sons (ou d’autres appareils MIDI, tels que des surfaces de contrôle qui nécessitent une communication MIDI bidirectionnelle) à ces sorties. Ordinateur Interface MIDI Sortie Clavier Entrée Ordinateur Interface MIDI Générateur audio Sortie Sortie Clavier Entrée Entrée Entrée 100 Chapitre 4 Configuration du système Si l’interface MIDI connectée à votre ordinateur ne dispose que d’une seule sortie MIDI, vous devez connecter l’entrée MIDI In du second générateur de sons au port MIDI Thru du clavier. Un troisième appareil pourra être relié au port MIDI Thru de la seconde unité et ainsi de suite. Le port MIDI Thru délivre toujours une copie des signaux reçus via le port d’entrée MIDI In de l’appareil. Il est préférable d’utiliser une connexion directe entre la sortie MIDI Out de l’ordinateur et l’appareil, plutôt que de mettre en chaîne un trop grand nombre d’appareils, les uns après les autres. Cela peut, en effet, entraîner d’éventuels problèmes de décalage temporel dans la chaîne si de nombreuses commandes MIDI sont envoyées sur une courte période. Cela s’explique par le léger retard induit par chaque relais du MIDI In au MIDI Thru. C’est pourquoi il est recommandé d’utiliser une interface MIDI à plusieurs entrées/sorties dans les studios disposant de plusieurs contrôleurs et générateurs de sons MIDI. Utilisation d’appareils MIDI multicanaux La plupart des générateurs de sons MIDI modernes peuvent recevoir simultanément des données MIDI sur plusieurs canaux MIDI (appareils MIDI multitimbraux). Chaque canal MIDI peut être affecté à une tonalité ou à un son, tel que le piano, les instruments à cordes, la basse, etc. Pour tirer pleinement parti des fonctionnalités de chaque appareil multitimbral connecté, vous devez utiliser des ports de sortie MIDI Out séparés (de l’interface MIDI de l’ordinateur aux ports d’entrée MIDI In) pour chaque appareil. Pour bien comprendre, imaginez un scénario où :  Il y a quatre générateurs de sons MIDI capables de recevoir des données sur plusieurs canaux.  Tous les appareils disposent de 16 canaux MIDI pour la réception.  L’ordinateur ne dispose que d’une sortie MIDI Out, et tous les appareils sont connectés en chaîne via des connexions MIDI Thru vers MIDI In. Ordinateur Interface MIDI Sortie Sortie Clavier Entrée Entrée Entrée Entrée Port MIDI Thru Générateur audio 2 Générateur audio 3 Chapitre 4 Configuration du système 101 Logic Express permet de canaliser les données MIDI (en les acheminant via les canaux MIDI 1 à 16) et d’envoyer ces données canalisées vers des ports de sortie MIDI Out spécifiques. Malheureusement, dans le scénario ci-dessus, nous ne disposons que d’un seul port de sortie MIDI Out. Dès lors, toutes les données envoyées sur le canal MIDI 1 seront envoyées aux quatre générateurs de sons MIDI installés en chaîne. Chaque générateur de sons MIDI lira les données d’entrée avec le son assigné au canal 1, qui peut être :  Une cornemuse sur le module 1  Une batterie sur le module 2  Un effet d’hélicoptère sur le module 3, etc. Le résultat sera sans doute coloré, mais certainement pas musical, à moins que vous ne soyez adepte de l’avant-garde. Le même processus s’applique aux 15 autres canaux MIDI. Comme vous avez pu le constater dans cet exemple, l’interface MIDI peut être divisée en 16 canaux distincts, mais elle ne peut être divisée entre appareils, à moins d’utiliser une interface MIDI à plusieurs sorties. Prenons le scénario décrit ci-dessus, en remplaçant l’interface MIDI à une seule sortie par une interface MIDI à 4 sorties, connectée via les ports de sortie MIDI Out A, B, C et D aux ports d’entrée MIDI In respectifs de chaque appareil. Il n’y a pas de connexions MIDI Thru, ce qui permet à Logic Express d’assigner et d’envoyer :  un enregistrement ou une interprétation sur le canal MIDI 1 vers le port A/module 1,  un autre enregistrement ou une interprétation (également sur le canal MIDI 1) vers le port B/module 2,  un autre enregistrement encore, ou une autre interprétation sur le canal MIDI 1 vers le port C/module 3, et ainsi de suite sur les canaux et modules suivants. En réalité, disposer d’une interface MIDI à plusieurs sorties revient à disposer de plusieurs canaux MIDI. Dans le présent scénario, cela revient à avoir 64 canaux MIDI indépendants, avec 16 canaux par port (A, B, C et D). Cela permet de jouer jusqu’à 64 sons différents en même temps via les générateurs de sons, mais cela permet également un contrôle MIDI complet pour chacun des canaux de chaque appareil. Cette option devient primordiale lors de l’arrangement et de l’orchestration d’un grand nombre de morceaux instrumentaux. Si votre ordinateur dispose de plusieurs entrées MIDI, vous pouvez lui connecter les sorties MIDI d’autres contrôleurs et expandeurs MIDI. 102 Chapitre 4 Configuration du système Claviers MIDI USB Si le clavier MIDI dont vous disposez est pourvu d’un connecteur USB, il n’est pas nécessaire d’utiliser une interface MIDI séparée, car elle est déjà intégrée au clavier. Veillez simplement à bien installer le gestionnaire, si nécessaire, et à connecter le clavier à votre ordinateur à l’aide d’un câble USB. Certains contrôleurs et claviers USB modernes sont automatiquement reconnus par Mac OS X. Séparation d’un clavier MIDI de son générateur de sons Si votre clavier dispose de sons internes, il est important de désactiver le déclenchement de ces sons dès lors que vous appuyez sur les touches. Autrement dit : si vous achetez un nouveau clavier prévu pour être utilisé sans séquenceur et que vous le connectez à un amplificateur, vous en attendrez sans doute qu’il produise un son lorsque vous jouez sur les touches. En d’autres termes, qu’il soit directement connecté au générateur de sons. À l’inverse, cela n’est pas souhaitable lorsque vous utilisez un clavier MIDI avec Logic Express. Dans ce cas, le clavier est utilisé comme un appareil d’entrée de données informatiques, et Logic Express retransmettra les informations entrantes de l’interprétation au générateur de sons du clavier (ou à un instrument logiciel interne ou encore à un autre module de sons connecté, si vous le souhaitez). Si la connexion directe entre le clavier et son générateur de sons n’est pas coupée, chaque note est jouée en double : l’une est jouée directement par le clavier vers le générateur de sons interne et l’autre est renvoyée vers le générateur de sons par Logic Express. Non seulement cela génère un son phasé, mais cela réduit en outre de moitié la polyphonie du générateur de sons du clavier. Si vous vouliez contrôler ou enregistrer un autre module de sons ou instrument logiciel via votre clavier, les sons de ce dernier et ceux de l’instrument MIDI ou logiciel seraient également entendus (du fait de la connexion directe entre le clavier et le générateur de sons). C’est pourquoi le clavier doit être séparé de son propre générateur de sons. Cette fonction est appelée Local Off et peut être activée directement depuis votre clavier. Pas d’inquiétude, vous pourrez toujours utiliser le générateur de sons de votre clavier. Logic Express peut toujours communiquer avec le générateur de sons de votre clavier comme avec n’importe quel instrument logiciel ou module de sons, dépourvu de clavier, auquel il serait connecté. Remarque : si vous ne trouvez pas la fonction Local Off dans le menu MIDI de votre clavier, consultez le manuel correspondant pour connaître la meilleure utilisation avec un séquenceur. Certains claviers vous donnent le choix entreLocal, MIDI ou Both pour chacune de leurs parties (sons/canaux MIDI individuels des appareils MIDI multitimbraux). Le réglage MIDI, s’il est disponible sur votre clavier, est l’équivalent de la fonction Local Off. Chapitre 4 Configuration du système 103 Utilisation des appareils MIDI externes Logic Express reconnaît tous les appareils MIDI configurés dans l’utilitaire AMS (Audio MIDI Setup), l’outil de configuration audio et MIDI intégré de Mac OS X. Vous trouverez cet utilitaire dans le menu Applications/Utilitaires. Pour en savoir plus sur son utilisation, consultez l’Aide d’AMS. L’onglet Bibliothèque affiche tous les appareils MIDI détectés par l’utilitaire AMS (divisés en canaux MIDI, dans le cas d’appareils multicanaux) lorsqu’une piste MIDI externe est sélectionnée. Il vous suffit de sélectionner l’appareil/le sous-canal MIDI pour l’assigner à la piste. Vous pouvez configurer des appareils MIDI externes dans l’Inspecteur. Pour en savoir plus, reportez-vous aux rubriques « Instruments standard » à la page 968, « Multi Instruments » à la page 971 et « Instruments mappés » à la page 977. Utilisation d’effets audio externes Si vous souhaitez envoyer un son vers un appareil d’effets audio externes (contrôlé via MIDI), vous devez insérer le module d’entrée/sortie dans l’un des emplacements d’insertion du canal audio que vous voulez traiter. Pour plus d’informations, reportezvous à la rubrique « Utilisation d’effets audio externes » à la page 277. Remarque : le module d’entrée/sortie pour l’acheminement de périphériques externes est utile lorsque vous disposez d’une interface audio équipée de plusieurs ports d’entrée/sortie. Configuration de votre matériel audio Pour utiliser des interfaces audio spécifiques avec Logic Express, le pilote de l’appareil doit être installé, activé et configuré correctement. Les gestionnaires sont des programmes logiciels qui permettent d’utiliser différents matériels et logiciels avec Mac OS X. Ils permettent la reconnaissance de l’appareil par les applications telles que Logic Express, ainsi que la transmission des données entre les logiciels et le matériel, dans un format compris par les deux parties. Vous pouvez sélectionner, activer et configurer un gestionnaire audio particulier via les préférences des périphériques audio de Logic Express. Pour ouvrir les préférences relatives aux périphériques audio, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Choisissez Logic Express > Préférences > Audio (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Ouvrir les Préférences Audio), puis cliquez sur l’onglet Périphériques. 104 Chapitre 4 Configuration du système m Cliquez sur le bouton de la barre d’outils des préférences, choisissez Audio dans le menu local, puis cliquez sur l’onglet Périphériques. Sous Mac OS X, l’accès à tous les périphériques audio se fait via Core Audio, qui fait partie intégrante du système d’exploitation. Core Audio est un système audio hautes performances, à faible temps de latence, qui permet à plusieurs applications d’utiliser une interface audio en même temps. Logic Express est compatible avec tous les appareils audio équipés d’un gestionnaire Core Audio. Configuration d’appareils Core Audio Logic Express reconnaît automatiquement tout matériel Core Audio installé et utilise les réglages par défaut définis dans l’utilitaire Configuration audio et MIDI (Applications/ Utilitaires/Configuration audio et MIDI). Il peut toutefois être préférable d’optimiser les réglages de configuration de votre matériel individuel, en particulier si vous utilisez plusieurs interfaces audio ou un appareil à plusieurs entrées/sorties. Pour cela, cliquez sur Logic Express > Préférences > Audio > onglet Core Audio. Activé Cochez cette case pour activer le gestionnaire Core Audio. Remarque : dans les cas où le matériel souhaité n’est pas disponible, par exemple, lorsque votre interface audio n’est pas connectée (ou lorsqu’elle est désactivée), Logic Express sélectionne automatiquement le matériel audio intégré à votre Macintosh. Chapitre 4 Configuration du système 105 Mémoire système requise La quantité de mémoire RAM disponible requise (en dehors de la mémoire assignée à Logic Express) est indiquée ici. Le volume requis change dès lors que vous modifiez les paramètres décrits ci-dessous. Périphérique Cette option vous permet de choisir un appareil parmi les périphériques Core Audio installés, y compris le matériel audio interne. Il peut également s’agir d’appareils audio agrégés qui se composent de plusieurs interfaces audio. Pour plus d’informations sur les appareils agrégés, reportez-vous à l’aide sur la configuration audio et MIDI. Taille mémoire tampon E/S Ce paramètre détermine la taille de la mémoire tampon utilisée par le matériel audio, aussi bien en entrée qu’en sortie. Plus la mémoire tampon est petite, plus le temps de latence est réduit lors du contrôle en cours d’enregistrement ou de l’utilisation d’instruments logiciels. Quelques points à prendre en compte :  Plus ce paramètre est réduit, plus la pression sur l’unité centrale du système est élevée.  Il peut y avoir un niveau où la taille de la mémoire tampon E/S sélectionnée est trop faible pour votre système et altère alors la lecture. Cela apparaît généralement sous forme de cliquetis, de petits bruits secs et de grésillements sur votre morceau.  Vous devez, par conséquent, utiliser la taille de mémoire tampon E/S la plus faible possible sans introduire ce type de phénomène. Π Conseil : si vous trouvez une valeur de réglage de l’option Taille mémoire tampon E/S plus élevée et qui génère un faible temps de latence lors du contrôle de l’enregistrement et de la lecture d’instruments logiciels, utilisez-la. Cela permettra de minimiser l’impact sur l’unité centrale de votre système. Délai d’Enregistrement Ce paramètre vous permet de retarder l’enregistrement audio d’une certaine valeur fixe, afin de compenser tout retard d’informations causé par le gestionnaire audio. Remarque : vous n’avez pas, normalement, à modifier ce paramètre. Mode de piste Universelle Le mode de piste universelle est activé par défaut. Il vous permet de jouer des séquences mono et stéréo sur une seule piste. Vous devez le laisser activé. 106 Chapitre 4 Configuration du système Enregistrement 24 Bit Lorsque ce réglage est activé, Logic Express peut enregistrer des fichiers 24 bits. Les enregistrements 20 ou 24 bits offrent une amélioration significative dans la plage dynamique disponible, mais nécessitent des composants périphériques de haute qualité tels que des micros, des préamplificateurs et des convertisseurs numériques- analogiques/analogiques-numériques de haute qualité. Les fichiers 20 et 24 bits utilisent une fois et demie l’espace disque utilisé par des fichiers 16 bits comparables. Remarque : activer ce paramètre est utile uniquement si vous utilisez une interface 20 ou 24 bits. Monitoring Logiciel Cette option vous permet d’activer ou de désactiver le Monitoring Logiciel (en écoutant le signal d’entrée réel). Dans la plupart des cas, vous devez la laisser activée. Remarque : lorsque l’option Contrôle logiciel est activée, le signal audio est traité via le logiciel et un certain retard audible (couramment appelé « temps de latence ») est inévitable. Si vous écoutez le signal enregistré via votre console de mixage, ou si votre interface audio prend en charge le contrôle matériel, vous devez désactiver cette option. Niveau de monitoring indépendant pour les bandes de canaux activées pour l’enregistrement Cochez cette case pour activer l’utilisation d’un niveau de monitoring indépendant pour les bandes de canaux audio activées pour l’enregistrement. Après avoir activé une piste pour l’enregistrement, vous pouvez régler le curseur sur le niveau de votre choix. Le niveau d’origine sera restauré lorsque vous désactiverez le bouton d’activation pour l’enregistrement. Remarque : les réglages effectués à l’aide ce curseur n’affectent pas le niveau lors de l’enregistrement, mais seulement lors du monitoring. Taille de la mémoire tampon de calcul Ce paramètre détermine la taille de la mémoire tampon utilisée pour calculer les effets et les versions mixées. Vous pouvez choisir entre différentes tailles : Petite, Moyenne et Grande. Remarque : les mémoires tampon les plus grandes génèrent un temps de latence plus important. En fonction de la vitesse de l’unité centrale, les mémoires tampon trop petites peuvent compromettre le traitement audio en temps réel. Chapitre 4 Configuration du système 107 Comportement ReWire Ce menu permet de configurer le comportement ReWire lors de l’envoi de données MIDI vers un instrument logiciel ReWire compatible.  Mode Lecture : utilisé lors de la lecture de pistes MIDI via ReWire. Ce réglage nécessite moins de puissance d’unité centrale.  Mode Live : utilisé lors de la lecture en direct d’un instrument ReWire. Ce réglage utilise davantage de ressources d’unité centrale, mais permet un temps de latence inférieur. Vitesse de Scrub Maximum Ce menu local vous permet de définir la vitesse de défilement. Vous pouvez choisir entre les options suivantes :  Normal : la vitesse de lecture normale est utilisée pour le défilement.  Double : la vitesse de lecture par défilement est deux fois plus rapide. Réponse du Scrub Ce menu détermine le temps de réaction pour le défilement audio. Choisissez la valeur la mieux adaptée à votre configuration système. Les options sont les suivantes : Lente, Normale, Rapide, Plus rapide. 5 109 5 Navigation dans votre projet Dans ce chapitre, vous allez apprendre à lire et à répéter différentes parties de votre projet, ainsi qu’à naviguer à travers ces parties. Logic Express offre un certain nombre de méthodes pour contrôler la lecture et la navigation dans les différentes rubriques de votre projet. Vous pouvez utiliser la barre de transport, les raccourcis clavier, la règle Mesure, ainsi que les marqueurs pour baliser des rubriques de votre projet et passer facilement de l’une à l’autre. La tête de lecture indique la position de lecture en cours. Ce chapitre se concentre sur l’utilisation de la barre de transport et de la règle Mesure pour la navigation. Des informations sur l’utilisation de marqueurs se trouvent dans le chapitre 6, « Utilisation des marqueurs » à la page 131. Réglage de la position de la tête de lecture La tête de lecture est une ligne verticale qui indique la position en cours dans toutes les fenêtres temporelles horizontales. Tête de lecture Locator Locator gauche droit 110 Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet Pour placer la tête de lecture dans la règle Mesure : m Cliquez sur la position voulue dans le tiers inférieur de la règle Mesure. Double-cliquer dans le tiers inférieur de la règle Mesure repositionne la tête de lecture et bascule entre les modes lecture (ou enregistrement) et arrêt. Le partie supérieure de la règle Mesure contient deux locators affichés sous forme de bande grise semi-transparente lorsqu’ils sont désactivés et sous forme de bande verte lorsque le mode Cycle est activé. Le point de départ de la bande est déterminé par la position du locator gauche, et le point d’arrivée par celle du locator droit. Pour en savoir plus sur l’utilisation des locators au moment de l’enregistrement et de la lecture, consultez le présent chapitre et les chapitres suivants. Réglage de la tête de lecture avec l’écran de position L’écran de position de la barre de transport affiche la position actuelle de la tête de lecture dans deux formats :  Temps SMPTE : la ligne supérieure affiche la position de la tête de lecture en format de temps SMPTE ; heures: minutes: secondes: trames/sous-trames.  Division musicale du temps : la ligne inférieure affiche la position de la tête de lecture en mesures, battements, division et ticks. Un battement correspond au dénominateur dans la signature temporelle. La valeur de la division est définie dans la barre de transport, en dessous de la signature temporelle. Un tick représente la plus petite subdivision possible d’une mesure ; le tick est égal à 1/3840e de note. Valeur de division Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet 111 Pour définir la position de la tête de lecture dans l’écran de position, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur l’un des nombres de l’écran de position en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, puis déplacez la souris vers le haut ou le bas. m Double-cliquez sur un champ d’affichage, puis tapez une nouvelle position. La tête de lecture bouge pour se placer à la position d’affichage. Ajuster le premier nombre dans l’écran de mesure déplace la tête de lecture par mesures et par heures dans l’affichage SMPTE. Ajuster le second nombre entraîne un déplacement par battements dans l’écran de mesure et par minutes dans l’affichage SMPTE, et ainsi de suite, en divisions de plus en plus petites avec les autres valeurs affichées dans l’écran de position. Lors de la saisie d’une position entière, via l’écran de mesure, par exemple, procédez comme suit :  3 espace 3 espace 2 espace 2, touche Entrée pour quitter le mode d’entrée de texte.  3.3.2.2, touche Entrée pour quitter le mode d’entrée de texte. Si vous tapez simplement 3322 et que vous appuyez ensuite sur la touche Entrée, la tête de lecture se déplace jusqu’à la mesure 3322 et non à la mesure 3, battement 3, division 2, tick 2. L’avantage de cette approche est que vous pouvez naviguer rapidement jusqu’au début d’une mesure en saisissant simplement le premier chiffre. Réglage de la tête de lecture au niveau d’un marqueur Si vous avez utilisé un marqueur pour étiqueter un passage, cliquez n’importe où sur ce marqueur tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée pour positionner la tête de lecture au début de ce marqueur. Si Logic Express est arrêté, vous pouvez démarrer la lecture au début du marqueur en double-cliquant dessus tout en maintenant la touche Commande enfoncée. Ajustement de la taille de la tête de lecture Vous pouvez ajuster l’épaisseur de la tête de lecture dans les préférences d’affichage générales. Pour ajuster l’écran de tête de lecture : 1 Ouvrez les préférences d’affichage en effectuant l’une des opérations suivantes :  Choisissez Logic Express > Préférences > Affichage (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Ouvrir les préférences d’affichage). 112 Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet  Cliquez sur le bouton « Barres d’outils de préférences », puis choisissez Affichage dans le menu. 2 Cliquez sur l’onglet Général et activez la case « Tête de lecture large ». Utilisation des boutons de transport Vous pouvez utiliser les boutons de transport de la barre de transport pour contrôler la lecture ou pour définir la position de la tête de lecture. Vous pouvez cliquer sur les boutons pour activer ou désactiver des fonctions ou mieux encore, utiliser les raccourcis clavier correspondants (raccourcis clavier de l’ordinateur) pour accélérer votre flux de production. Remarque : la capture d’écran ci-dessous montre tous les boutons de transport. Les boutons disponibles dans la barre de transport de votre projet peuvent être différents, car vous pouvez la personnaliser. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Personnalisation de la barre de transport » à la page 123. De gauche à droite :  Aller au début : positionne la tête de lecture au début du projet. Raccourci clavier par défaut : Retour.  Aller à la position : ouvre une zone de dialogue permettant de taper la position de la tête de lecture voulue (cible) sous forme numérique. Tête de lecture par Tête de lecture épaisse défaut Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet 113  Aller au locator gauche : place la tête de lecture au niveau du locator gauche.  Aller au locator droit : place la tête de lecture au niveau du locator droit.  Aller au début de la sélection : place la tête de lecture au point de départ de la première région ou du premier événement sélectionné dans la fenêtre active. Raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + Retour  Lire depuis le début : démarre la lecture au début du projet.  Lire depuis le bord de fenêtre gauche : lit depuis le point le plus à gauche de la zone d’affichage visible dans la fenêtre active.  Lecture depuis locator gauche : place la tête de lecture sur la position du locator gauche et commence la lecture.  Lecture depuis locator droit : place la tête de lecture sur la position du locator droit et commence la lecture.  Lecture depuis la sélection : place la tête de lecture au point de départ des régions ou des événements sélectionnés et commence la lecture. Raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + Entrée.  Rembobinage et Avance rapide : un clic sur l’un des boutons permet de déplacer la tête de lecture d’une barre, vers l’avant ou vers l’arrière. Cliquer en maintenant la touche Commande enfoncée permet de placer la tête de lecture sur le marqueur suivant ou précédent. Cliquer en maintenant l’un des boutons enfoncés permet de rembobiner ou d’effectuer une avance rapide. Cliquer sur l’un des boutons tout en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, puis glisser vers la gauche ou la droite pour effectuer un une avance rapide ou un retour arrière Shuttle (ces deux boutons permettent des déplacements Shuttle lorsqu’ils sont utilisés de cette façon).  Stop : arrête l’enregistrement ou la lecture. Cliquer une seconde fois sur le bouton Stop place la tête de lecture au point de départ du projet ou à la position du locator gauche si le mode Cycle est activé. Raccourci clavier par défaut : 0.  Lecture : lance la lecture à partir de la position actuelle de la tête de lecture ou depuis la position du locator de gauche en mode Cycle. Raccourci clavier par défaut : Entrée.  Pause : interrompt l’enregistrement ou la lecture, jusqu’à ce que vous cliquiez sur le bouton Pause ou Lecture.  Enregistrement : cliquez pour commencer l’enregistrement (si une piste est activée pour l’enregistrement). Raccourci clavier par défaut : *. Cliquez tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée ou cliquez avec le bouton droit de la souris pour ouvrir le menu Enregistrement.  Capture de l’enregistrement : permet de conserver la performance la plus récente, même si Logic Express n’était pas en mode d’enregistrement lors de celle-ci. Remarque : tous les raccourcis clavier du bouton de transport ci-dessus, à l’exception de Rembobinage et Avance rapide, utilisent le pavé numérique du clavier de votre ordinateur. 114 Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet Utilisation des raccourcis clavier de transport Il existe un certain nombre de fonctions de transport uniquement disponibles sous forme de raccourcis clavier. La plupart des raccourcis clavier correspondant à ces fonctions ne sont pas attribués par défaut. Vous devrez donc les définir. Reportez-vous à la rubrique « Attribution de raccourcis clavier à des touches de l’ordinateur » à la page 178.  Lecture ou Stop : bascule entre la lecture et l’arrêt, en fonction de l’état de lecture ou d’arrêt au moment de l’utilisation de la commande. Raccourci clavier par défaut : Barre d’espace. Π Conseil : la barre d’espace peut être utilisée pour démarrer ou arrêter la lecture de fichiers audio ou de régions dans l’Éditeur des échantillons, le chutier audio et le navigateur de boucles, lorsque ces fenêtres sont au premier plan. Ce raccourci clavier particulièrement pratique mérite d’être mémorisé.  Lecture depuis la mesure précédente : démarre la lecture au début de la mesure précédente.  Arrêter et aller au locator gauche : arrête le lecture et place la tête de lecture à la position du locator gauche.  Aller à la dernière position de lecture : place la tête de lecture à la dernière position atteinte avec une commande de positionnement ou un positionnement direct de la tête de lecture à l’aide de la souris ou de la règle.  Arrêter et aller à la dernière position de lecture : comme ci-dessus avec arrêt de la lecture.  Retour arrière Shuttle et Avance rapide Shuttle : appuyer à plusieurs reprises sur les touches augmente la vitesse de rembobinage. Appuyer à plusieurs reprises sur la touche « shuttle » opposée ralentit la vitesse et, à terme, modifie le sens de rembobinage. Shuttle désactive le mode Cycle. La navigation par shuttle est arrêtée par la commande Stop.  Aller à la fin de la sélection : place la tête de lecture à la fin de la première région ou du premier événement sélectionné dans la fenêtre active. Remarque : il existe un grand nombre de raccourcis clavier « Aller à » disponibles pour les marqueurs. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Navigation à l’aide de marqueurs » à la page 142. Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet 115 Utilisation du mode Cycle Vous pouvez utiliser le mode Cycle pour qu’un passage sélectionné soit lu à plusieurs reprises. Ce mode est utile pour :  composer une section d’un projet (un couplet ou un refrain, par exemple) ;  s’entraîner avant d’effectuer un enregistrement ;  enregistrer des pistes individuelles de manière consécutive ;  modifier des événements ;  enregistrer plusieurs prises. La zone de lecture en boucle est définie par la position des locators gauche et droit. Lorsque le mode Cycle est activé, il est affiché sous la forme d’une bande verte dans le haut de la règle Mesure. Pour activer et désactiver le mode Cycle, procédez de l’une des manières suivantes : m Cliquez sur le bouton Cycle dans la barre de transport (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier du mode Cycle). m Cliquez sur la partie supérieure de la règle Mesure (sur la bande grisée des locators). Comportement de Logic Express en mode Cycle :  La tête de lecture passe de la fin du cycle au début.  La commande Lecture commence la lecture depuis le début du cycle. Locator gauche Locator droit Zone de lecture en boucle 116 Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet  Pour commencer la lecture depuis une autre position, cliquez deux fois sur Pause ou sur Pause, puis Lecture.  Au point de saut de cycle, vous pouvez utiliser la fonction Suivi des Événements : Fichier > Réglages du projet > MIDI > Suivi > « Suivi sur le saut de Cycle ». Pour en savoir plus sur le suivi des événements, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Utilisation de la fonction Suivi d’événements » à la page 121.  Vous pouvez déterminer la façon dont fonctionne l’enregistrement en mode Cycle, en utilisant les différentes options de la sous-fenêtre Fichier > Réglages du projet > Enregistrement. Définition du cycle Il existe plusieurs façons de définir un cycle. Vous pouvez :  le tracer directement dans la règle Mesure (définir en fait les positions des locators gauche et droit),  utiliser les affichages des locators dans la barre de transport,  créer un cycle basé sur des séquences sélectionnées,  créer un cycle basé sur des marqueurs. Définition et ajustement d’un cycle dans la règle Mesure Cliquez dans le tiers supérieur de la règle Mesure tout en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, puis définissez la zone du cycle en faisant glisser le pointeur de gauche à droite. La zone de lecture en boucle s’affiche sous la forme d’une bande verte dans la règle Mesure et le mode Cycle est activé automatiquement. Pour déplacer le cycle : m Placez la souris au milieu de la bande de cycle verte (le curseur se transforme en main), puis faites-la glisser vers la gauche ou la droite. Deux lignes s’étendent sur l’écran depuis les points de début et de fin du cycle. Cela facilite l’alignement du cycle avec les séquences dans la zone Arrangement ou des événements dans l’Éditeur de piano roll. Pour redimensionner le cycle : m Saisissez les poignées (triangles) à chaque extrémité du cycle pour déplacer les points de début ou de fin (vous pouvez même le faire en cours d’exécution de Logic Express). Remarque : vous pouvez définir le début ou la fin d’un cycle (selon ce qui est le plus proche) en cliquant sur la position voulue dans la règle Mesure tout en maintenant la touche Maj enfoncée. Cela fonctionne même si la bande est en dehors de la plage visible ou si le mode Cycle est désactivé. Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet 117 Lorsque vous voulez définir la taille d’un cycle graphiquement dans la règle Mesure, ses points de début et de fin (et donc sa taille) sont quantifiés en fonction du réglage sélectionné dans le menu Alignement. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Alignement des régions modifiées sur des positions temporelles » à la page 329. Définition d’un cycle via les écrans du locator de la barre de transport Vous pouvez saisir au format numérique la position des locators et ce faisant, définir les limites du cycle, dans l’affichage des locators de la barre de transport. Les locators sont affichés sur la droite de l’écran Position : la valeur du haut indique la position du locator de gauche et celle du bas, la position du locator de droite. Pour définir des positions de locator dans la barre de transport, procédez de l’une des manières suivantes : m Double-cliquez sur l’une des zones de l’écran du locator, puis tapez directement une valeur de position de gauche ou de droite. Tapez toutes les valeurs de mesure, de battement, de battement secondaire et de tick (en insérant un espace ou un point entre les numéros), puis appuyez sur Retour pour fermer la zone d’entrée et définir le locator. Remarque : vous pouvez définir rapidement le locator au début d’une mesure en tapant simplement le premier chiffre. m Cliquez en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé sur l’une des zones de numéros de locator gauche ou droit dans la barre de transport, puis déplacez la souris vers le haut ou vers le bas. La limite de cycle correspondante (si elle est affichée dans la règle Mesure) se déplace en conséquence. Locator droit Locator gauche Écran de position 118 Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet Utilisation des boutons de mode de la barre de transport pour définir des locators Vous pouvez utiliser les commandes suivantes, disponibles sous la forme de boutons de la barre de transport, pour définir les positions de locator. Vous pouvez cliquer sur les boutons pour activer ou désactiver des fonctions ou mieux encore, utiliser les raccourcis clavier correspondants (raccourcis clavier de l’ordinateur) pour accélérer votre flux de production. Remarque : la capture d’écran ci-dessous montre tous les boutons pertinents. Les boutons disponibles dans la barre de transport de votre projet peuvent être différents, car vous pouvez la personnaliser. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Personnalisation de la barre de transport » à la page 123.  Régler locator gauche et Régler locator droit : ces boutons permettent de taper directement l’un des points de locator dans une zone de dialogue. Également disponibles en tant que raccourcis clavier.  Régler le locator gauche sur la tête de lecture et Régler le locator droit sur la tête de lecture : la position actuelle de la tête de lecture est utilisée pour définir la valeur du locator gauche ou droit.  Déplacer en avant les locators par longueur de cycle et Déplacer en arrière les locators par longueur de cycle : déplace le passage du cycle d’une longueur égale à la longueur du cycle. Également disponible en tant que raccourci clavier. Utilisation de séquences ou d’événements pour définir un cycle Vous pouvez utiliser les raccourcis clavier suivants pour définir des locators aux points de début et de fin des séquences ou événements sélectionnés :  Définir des locators par séquences/événements : définit des locators aux points de début et de fin des séquences ou événements sélectionnés.  Définir des locators et lire : définit des locators aux points de début et de fin des régions (ou événements) sélectionnés, puis commence la lecture.  Régler les locators arrondis sur les séquences/événements : arrondit la position des locators selon la ligne de mesure la plus proche des points de début et de fin des séquences ou événements sélectionnés.  Définir des locators arrondis et lire et Définir des locators arrondis et enregistrer : arrondit la position des locators selon la ligne de mesure la plus proche des points de début et de fin des séquences ou événements sélectionnés et commence la lecture ou l’enregistrement. Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet 119  Définir des locators arrondis et lire en boucle et Définir des locators arrondis et enregistrer en boucle : arrondit la position des locators selon la ligne de mesure la plus proche des points de début et de fin des séquences ou événements sélectionnés et passe au mode de lecture ou d’enregistrement en boucle. Définition d’un cycle à l’aide de marqueurs Si vous faites glisser un marqueur vers la partie supérieure de la règle Mesure, un cycle de même longueur que ce marqueur est automatiquement créé. Le chapitre 6, « Utilisation des marqueurs » à la page 131 fournit des détails sur la création et l’utilisation de marqueurs. Vous pouvez aussi utiliser l’un des raccourcis clavier suivants :  Définir des locators par marqueur et activer la lecture en boucle : définit le cycle sur le marqueur sélectionné et active le mode Cycle. La longueur du cycle est déterminée par la longueur du marqueur.  Placer les locators sur le marqueur suivant et activer la lecture en boucle : définit le cycle sur le marqueur suivant et active le mode Cycle.  Définir des locators par marqueur précédent et activer la lecture en boucle : définit le cycle sur le marqueur précédent et active le mode Cycle. Remarque : ces commandes conviennent parfaitement pour la répétition de passages au cours de performances en direct. Définissez des marqueurs pour toutes les parties de projet à répéter de cette façon au cours de votre performance. 120 Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet Cycle d’omission Vous pouvez omettre un passage en mode lecture, ce qui est utile pour tester l’effet musical de diverses transitions d’une rubrique de morceau à une autre, sans qu’il soit nécessaire de déplacer physiquement des séquences. Cette fonction est très pratique lors de l’arrangement. Le cycle d’omission est également utile lors de l’édition pour ignorer les parties d’un projet qui ne doivent pas être affectées par l’édition. Pour configurer un cycle d’omission, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Faites glisser la zone du cycle d’omission de droite à gauche dans la règle Mesure. m Si une zone de lecture en boucle (normale) existe déjà, vous pouvez échanger les locators gauche et droit en cliquant sur le bouton « Intervertir les locators gauche et droit » dans la barre de transport (ou via le raccourci clavier correspondant). La zone Cycle d’omission est affichée sous la forme d’une barre rayée verte dans la règle Mesure. Lorsque la tête de lecture atteint la position du locator de droite, elle passe directement au locator de gauche (c’est-à-dire que la position des locators droit et gauche est intervertie). Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet 121 Utilisation de la fonction Suivi d’événements Si vous lancez la lecture au milieu d’un projet, il se peut que certains événements ne soient pas entendus (comme des notes, des événements de pédale Sustain et Pitch Bend commençant avant le point de départ de la lecture). Grâce à la fonction Suivi d’événements, Logic Express peut analyser le projet et inclure certains ou la totalité de ces événements lors de la lecture. Pour configurer la fonction Suivi d’événements : 1 Ouvrez les réglages du projet MIDI en procédant de l’une des manières suivantes :  Choisissez Fichier > Réglages du projet > MIDI (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant).  Cliquez sur le bouton de barre d’outils Réglages, puis choisissez MIDI. 2 Cliquez sur l’onglet Suivi, puis cochez les cases de tous les événements que doit rechercher la fonction Suivi d’événements avant le point de départ de la lecture. Vous pouvez choisir parmi les options suivantes :  Notes : les notes à lire au point de départ de lecture.  Soutenues : les notes qui continuent à être lues au point de départ de lecture en raison d’un événement de pédale Sustain.  Dans les bandes de canaux d’instruments « Aucun transposition » : les bandes de canaux d’instruments (particulièrement les percussions) peuvent se voir affecter le paramètre « Pas de Rég Trp » dans l’Inspecteur. Il s’agit d’un paramètre de lecture qui serait ignoré si la séquence contenant les notes de l’instrument était lancée à mi-chemin.  Changement de programme : les changements de programme dans les séquences chevauchant le point de départ de la lecture sont envoyés lorsque la case est activée.  Pitch Bend : les événements de ce type qui précèdent immédiatement le point de départ de lecture sont envoyés. 122 Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet  Changements de commande 0–15, 64–71, Tous les autres : cliquez pour rechercher les contrôleurs continus 0 à 15, les contrôleurs de commutation continus 64 à 71 ou tous les autres contrôleurs.  Aftertouch : cliquez pour rechercher des messages Aftertouch (de canal) monophonique.  Aftertouch Polyphonique : activez pour rechercher des messages Aftertouch Polyphonique.  System Exclusive : le message SysEx le plus récent avant le point de départ de la lecture est transmis.  Meta Events Texte : le message Meta Event Texte le plus récent avant le point de départ de lecture est transmis.  Suivi séparé des canaux dans « Tous les canaux » : les Multi Instruments (figurant dans l’Environnement) ont un canal général et peuvent posséder jusqu’à 16 sous-canaux MIDI. Activez cette option pour rechercher des événements sur chaque sous-canal MIDI, plutôt que sur le canal Multi Instrument général.  Suivi sur le saut de Cycle : recherche et envoie tous les types d’événement si les points de départ et de fin du cycle se trouvent dans des séquences.  Notes : limite la recherche de saut de cycle aux événements de type note.  Envoyer la réinitialisation MIDI complète avant suivi : envoie un message de réinitialisation MIDI avant le suivi, garantissant que tous les périphériques MIDI déclenchés sont réglés sur leurs valeurs par défaut. Il existe un problème potentiel lors du suivi de notes utilisées pour déclencher une boucle de percussions dans un échantillonneur. À moins que vous ne parveniez à démarrer la séquence MIDI précisément au début de la boucle d’échantillonnage, l’échantillon est déclenché au mauvais moment et est donc lu de façon désynchronisée avec d’autres séquences (au moins jusqu’à la prochaine note de déclenchement). Ce problème se produit car la plupart des échantillonneurs ne peuvent lire les échantillons que depuis le début et ne peuvent pas les synchroniser avec le battement lorsqu’ils démarrent au milieu. Pour éviter de déclencher les boucles de percussions d’un échantillonneur lors du suivi d’événements de type note : 1 Activez le paramètre « Aucun transposition » de votre instrument de boucles de percussions dans la zone Paramètres de piste de l’Inspecteur. 2 Désactivez l’option « Dans les bandes de canaux d’instruments « Aucun transposition » de l’onglet Réglages du projet > MIDI > Suivi. Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet 123 Ces réglages empêchent la lecture des boucles de percussions de votre échantillonneur jusqu’à ce qu’elles atteignent la prochaine note de déclenchement, lorsque le projet passe à une nouvelle position. Le paramètre « Aucun transposition » empêche la transposition par les paramètres de lecture de la séquence, ce qui n’est pas souhaitable non plus pour les sons ou les boucles de percussions. Personnalisation de la barre de transport La barre de transport propose un jeu de boutons, d’écrans et de curseurs par défaut. Ce sont les éléments les plus utilisés et les plus utiles pour la majorité des utilisateurs. Il se peut cependant que vous ayez besoin d’accéder régulièrement à des fonctions particulières ne faisant pas partie du jeu par défaut, pour les raisons suivantes :  type de projet utilisé : la bande son d’un film par exemple ;  méthode de travail très spécifique ;  volonté d’accéder rapidement à tous les éléments. Quelle que soit votre motivation, vous pouvez facilement personnaliser la barre de transport en fonction de vos besoins. Masquage et affichage des fonctions de la barre de transport Vous pouvez masquer ou afficher indépendamment différentes parties de la barre de transport. Cela vous permet alors de contrôler la largeur de la barre de transport. N’affichez sur la barre de transport que les fonctions auxquelles vous devez accéder régulièrement ou mieux encore, configurez et mémorisez tous les raccourcis clavier de transport ou de mode correspondants. Cela vous permettra d’étendre la zone d’affichage de la barre de transport, afin d’obtenir un plus grand nombre d’informations consultables rapidement. Remarque : si vous voulez que toutes les commandes et options soient visibles dans la barre de transport, vous devez vous procurer un second écran d’ordinateur ou un écran ayant une résolution horizontale exceptionnellement élevée. Π Conseil : Logic Express autorise l’ouverture simultanée d’un nombre illimité de barres de transport. Vous pouvez personnaliser individuellement chacune de ces barres de transport supplémentaires, afin de visualiser et d’accéder à d’autres fonctions qui ne tiendraient pas sur la barre de transport standard au bas de la fenêtre Arrangement. Des barres de transport personnalisées (et d’autres fenêtres) peuvent être enregistrées dans le cadre d’un screenset. 124 Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet Pour personnaliser la barre de transport : 1 Cliquez tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée (ou cliquez avec le bouton droit de la souris) sur la barre de transport, puis choisissez « Personnaliser la barre de transport » dans le menu. 2 Activez ou désactivez les fonctions voulues en cochant des cases dans la zone de dialogue Personnaliser. Boutons de transport Cette zone contient des cases pour les boutons qui transportent littéralement la tête de lecture au sein du projet. Consultez la rubrique « Utilisation des boutons de transport » à la page 112 (dans ce chapitre) pour obtenir une explication sur chaque fonction et commande individuelle. Zone d’affichage Cette rubrique sert principalement à vous informer sur la position de la tête de lecture et des locators, mais vous pouvez aussi vous en servir pour naviguer dans le projet.  Positions (SMPTE/Mesure) : indique la position actuelle de la tête de lecture. La ligne du haut indique la position au format SMPTE (heures: minutes: secondes: images), la ligne du bas en mesures, battements, division et ticks. Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet 125  Locators (gauche/droit) : la ligne du haut indique la position du locator gauche, la ligne du bas celle du locator droit. Les locators sont utilisés pour définir une rubrique particulière du projet pour un certain nombre de tâches d’enregistrement ou de lecture.  Fréquence d’échantillonnage ou locators du punch : indique la fréquence d’échantillonnage du projet en cours ou les locators d’entrée/de sortie d’enregistrement Punch (lorsque le mode d’enregistrement Punch est activé). Comme pour d’autres zones d’affichage de la barre de transport, vous pouvez définir la fréquence d’échantillonnage ou les locators Punch à l’aide de la souris ou en saisissant directement des valeurs numériques.  Fin de tempo/projet : l’écran Tempo indique la vitesse de lecture ou d’enregistrement en cours. L’écran Fin du projet affiche le nombre total de mesures ou de temps. Il se comporte comme un marqueur d’arrêt de lecture ou d’enregistrement pour le projet.  Altération/Fraction : l’écran articulation (du temps) indique l’articulation temporelle de lecture ou d’enregistrement en cours, dans un format musical standard : 4/4, 5/4, etc. L’écran Division détermine la résolution d’affichage (et d’édition) actuelle. La valeur /16 indique qu’une mesure 4/4 est divisée en 16 sous-sections, soit 4 battements secondaires pour chaque battement de la mesure.  Activité MIDI (E/S) : affiche les données MIDI entrantes et sortantes. L’écran Entrée MIDI (haut) affiche les noms des accords pour les données de note MIDI entrantes.  Charger les curseurs (CPU/DD) : cliquez pour afficher les indicateurs de charge du processeur et de charge de débit du disque dur. Double-cliquez pour ouvrir les indicateurs de charge sous forme de fenêtre distincte. Modes et fonctions Les boutons de mode et le curseur de niveau principal situés à droite sont utilisés pour plusieurs fonctions d’enregistrement et de lecture avancées, notamment la répétition de rubriques de projet, la réalisation de solos et l’enregistrement Punch. Les boutons ne déclenchent pas immédiatement une action. Ils servent à changer d’état de fonctionnement. Le bouton adéquat est mis en évidence pour indiquer que le mode est activé.  Monitoring Logiciel : active le monitoring logiciel, permettant de traiter des sources externes via des effets Logic Express. Permet aussi d’entendre des sources externes lors de l’enregistrement.  Monitoring automatique d’entrée : permet d’entendre automatiquement des sources externes au niveau des entrées audio.  Témoin du vu-mètre pré-équilibreur : fait basculer tous les indicateurs de canaux de la table de mixage du mode pré-équilibreur (l’équilibreur de niveau sur chaque canal) au mode post-équilibreur (si désactivé) et vice versa. 126 Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet  Mode de temps de latence faible : active le Mode de temps de latence faible, ce qui vous permet de limiter le délai (temps de latence) généré par certains effets.  Régler locator gauche et Régler locator droit : ces boutons permettent de taper directement l’un des points de locator dans une zone de dialogue. Également disponibles en tant que raccourcis clavier.  Régler le locator gauche sur la tête de lecture et Régler le locator droit sur la tête de lecture : la position actuelle de la tête de lecture est utilisée pour définir la valeur du locator gauche ou droit.  Déplacer en avant les locators par longueur de cycle et Déplacer en arrière les locators par longueur de cycle : déplace le passage du cycle d’une longueur égale à la longueur du cycle.  Déplacer les locators à gauche par cycle : conserve le cycle existant, mais le déplace vers la gauche d’une valeur égale à la longueur du cycle. Par exemple, si le cycle a une longueur de 4 mesures et couvre les mesures 12 à 16, utiliser cette commande décale le cycle de quatre mesures vers la gauche, aboutissant à un cycle allant de la mesure 8 à la mesure 12.  Déplacer les locators à droite par cycle : comme ci-dessus, mais décale le cycle vers la droite.  Cycle : active ou désactive la lecture ou l’enregistrement répété sur une rubrique de projet. Les limites du cycle sont indiquées (ou définies) par les valeurs des locators de gauche et de droite.  Autopunch : active ou désactive le point de départ et de fin d’un enregistrement. Couramment utilisé avec les locators autopunch de gauche et de droite pour enregistrer automatiquement sur une rubrique de projet particulière. Cette méthode est souvent utilisée pour corriger une erreur dans un enregistrement vocal ou instrumental.  Régler le point Autopunch gauche sur la tête de lecture : la position actuelle de la tête de lecture est utilisée pour définir la valeur du locator Autopunch de gauche.  Régler le point Autopunch droit sur la tête de lecture : la position actuelle de la tête de lecture est utilisée pour définir la valeur du locator Autopunch droit.  Remplacer : permet l’écrasement d’un enregistrement existant par un nouvel enregistrement.  Solo : seules les séquences sélectionnées sont lues, le son des autres est désactivé.  Synchro : activez cette option pour synchroniser Logic Express avec une source externe (faire de Logic Express l’« esclave » de synchronisation d’un autre périphérique). Cliquez tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée ou cliquez sur ce bouton en le maintenant enfoncé pour ouvrir le menu Synchronisation.  Clic : utilisé pour activer ou désactiver le métronome interne de Logic Express. Cliquez tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée ou cliquez sur ce bouton en le maintenant enfoncé pour ouvrir le menu Métronome. Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet 127  Niveau principal : cliquez pour afficher un curseur de volume à droite de la barre de transport. Ce curseur est directement lié au canal principal de la table de mixage et fait office de contrôle de niveau principal pour toutes les pistes audio et d’instruments logiciels. 128 Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet Utilisation d’un affichage SMPTE ou d’un affichage de mesures géant Vous pouvez configurer la barre de transport pour qu’elle présente un affichage SMPTE ou un affichage de mesures géant au lieu de la zone de d’affichage de la barre de transport standard. Vous pouvez aussi créer une fenêtre d’affichage SMPTE ou d’affichage de mesures géante. Pour remplacer la zone d’affichage de la barre de transport standard par un affichage SMPTE ou un affichage de mesures : m Cliquez sur la zone d’affichage de la barre de transport tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, puis choisissez « Grand affichage de la barre » ou « Grand affichage des codes SMPTE », en fonction de vos besoins. La zone d’affichage de transport est remplacée par le grand affichage choisi. Répétez l’étape ci-dessus pour revenir à l’affichage standard. Pour ouvrir une nouvelle fenêtre d’affichage SMPTE ou d’affichage de mesures : m Cliquez sur la zone d’affichage de la barre de transport tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, puis choisissez « Ouvrir ’affichage maxi de la barre » ou « Ouvrir l’affichage maxi des codes SMPTE », en fonction de vos besoins. Une nouvelle fenêtre transparente flottante est alors affichée. Elle peut être positionnée et redimensionnée librement. Pour redimensionner la fenêtre d’affichage SMPTE ou d’affichage de mesures : 1 Positionnez le curseur sur l’un des bords ou coins inférieurs. Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet 129 2 Lorsque le curseur se transforme en pointeur de redimensionnement, cliquez dessus et faites-le glisser dans la direction voulue. Pour fermer l’affichage géant choisi, cliquez sur l’icône de fermeture située dans le coin supérieur gauche de la fenêtre. Remarque : Logic Express autorise l’ouverture simultanée d’un nombre illimité de fenêtres de transport (et d’affichage SMPTE ou d’affichage de mesures géantes). Personnalisation des affichages de mesures, SMPTE et du tempo Vous pouvez personnaliser les affichages de mesures, SMPTE et du tempo dans les préférences d’affichage. Pour personnaliser les affichages de mesures, SMPTE ou du tempo : 1 Ouvrez les préférences d’affichage générales en procédant de l’une des manières suivantes :  Choisissez Logic Express > Préférences > Affichage (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Ouvrir les préférences d’affichage).  Cliquez sur le bouton « Barres d’outils de préférences », puis choisissez Affichage dans le menu. 2 Choisissez l’un des réglages suivants dans le menu Format d’horloge :  Format d’horloge 1 1 1 1  Format d’horloge 1. 1. 1. 1  Format d’horloge 1 1 1 0  Format d’horloge 1. 1. 1. 0  Format d’horloge 1 1. _ 1  Format d’horloge 1. 1. _ 1  Format d’horloge 1 1. _ 0  Format d’horloge 1. 1. _ 0 3 Choisissez l’un des réglages suivants dans le menu Affichage SMPTE :  Avec Bits : les sous-images (de 0 à 79 bits SMPTE) sont affichées.  Sans Bits : les sous-images ne sont pas affichées.  Avec Quart d’images : les quart d’images sont affichés. 130 Chapitre 5 Navigation dans votre projet  Respecter taille des images, film 35 mm : l’affichage est défini en pieds et en images, pour les films de 35 mm.  Respecter taille des images, film 16 mm : l’affichage est défini en pieds et en images, pour les films de 16 mm.  Avec millisecondes : les fractions d’image sont affichées en millisecondes, et non en bits SMPTE (également appelés sous-images). N’oubliez pas que cette valeur dépend de la fréquence d’images : à 25 ips, une image dure 40 millisecondes, à 30 ips, elle dure environ 33 ms.  Avec échantillons : les fractions d’image sont affichées comme des valeurs d’échantillon.  Avec images et échantillons : les fractions d’image sont affichées, tout comme les valeurs d’échantillon. 4 Cochez la case Zéros comme espaces si vous voulez que les zéros soient représentés par des espaces plutôt que par le chiffre 0 dans les affichages du temps SMPTE. 5 Choisissez l’un des réglages suivants dans le menu Afficher Tempo en :  Battements à la minute (BPM, Maelzel) : battements par minute, jusqu’à quatre décimales pouvant être paramétrées individuellement.  BPM sans décimales : battements par minute, sans aucune décimale.  Images par clic avec croches : images par battement avec croches. L’unité ipc s’affiche après la valeur.  Images par clic avec décimales : images par battement, jusqu’à quatre décimales. Faites attention, cet affichage peut être facilement confondu avec l’affichage BPM. 6 131 6 Utilisation des marqueurs Les marqueurs ont pour principale fonction de baliser différentes parties d’un morceau et de permettre une sélection rapide de ces parties afin de les lire, de les modifier et de les arranger. Ils sont utilisés comme une sorte de plan de route représentant un morceau sous forme graphique. Ils peuvent être affichés et modifiés dans les zones de la fenêtre suivantes : Piste des marqueurs Zone de texte des marqueurs Liste des marqueurs 132 Chapitre 6 Utilisation des marqueurs  Piste des marqueurs: affiche les marqueurs sous forme de rubriques de couleur (facultatif ). Si la piste des marqueurs est cachée, les marqueurs apparaissent sous forme de courtes chaînes de texte dans la règle des mesures de toutes les fenêtres d’édition linéaire. La zone Piste des marqueurs présente un avantage par rapport au marqueur affiché dans la règle des mesures : elle vous permet de sélectionner, de copier, de déplacer ou de redimensionner des marqueurs directement avec la souris. Cliquez sur le triangle d’affichage situé dans l’angle supérieur gauche de la colonne de noms associée à la piste des marqueurs pour développer la hauteur de la piste, et afficher ainsi des contrôles supplémentaires. Vous pouvez ajuster le bord inférieur de la piste des marqueurs comme il vous convient, en la faisant glisser avec la souris vers le haut ou vers le bas.  Liste des marqueurs : répertorie les noms de tous les marqueurs, ainsi que la durée et la position de la mesure.  Zone et fenêtre Texte des marqueurs : affiche le texte associé au marqueur. Les marqueurs peuvent ainsi être utilisés comme des bloc-notes, permettant de sauvegarder, avec le morceau, des commentaires. Le texte du marqueur peut être tapé et édité, comme dans un éditeur de texte classique. Les commandes Couper, Copier, Coller, Effacer et Tout sélectionner peuvent être utilisées pour importer ou exporter du texte à partir ou vers d’autres applications logicielles (telles que des applications de traitement de texte). Exception faite des fonctions relatives au texte, les marqueurs peuvent également être considérés comme des zones de stockage de positions de locators (qui peuvent être nommés individuellement). Ouverture des fenêtres et des zones relatives aux marqueurs Comme mentionné dans l’introduction, Logic Express présente plusieurs méthodes pour interagir avec les marqueurs, les créer ou les supprimer. Pour ouvrir la piste des marqueurs : 1 Cliquez sur le triangle d’affichage situé dans la zone d’en-tête Pistes globales. 2 Cliquez sur le triangle d’affichage de la piste des marqueurs. Vous pouvez également définir et utiliser le raccourci clavier Afficher/Masquer la piste des marqueurs. Pour ouvrir la liste des marqueurs, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur le bouton Listes dans la barre d’outils Arrangement, puis sur l’onglet Marqueur (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Afficher/Masquer la liste des marqueurs). m Choisissez Options > Marqueur > Ouvrir la liste des marqueurs (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Chapitre 6 Utilisation des marqueurs 133 Remarque : double-cliquer sur un marqueur (avec l’outil Pointeur) dans la Piste des marqueurs permet d’afficher ou de masquer la zone Liste. Le marqueur sur lequel vous avez cliqué est alors sélectionné dans la liste. Pour ouvrir la fenêtre Texte des marqueurs : m Maintenez la touche Option enfoncée tout en double-cliquant sur un des marqueurs de la piste à l’aide de l’outil Pointeur. Le marqueur sur lequel vous avez cliqué est alors sélectionné dans la liste. Remarque : veillez à ne pas effectuer cette opération lorsque l’outil Crayon est sélectionné, car vous créez alors un nouveau marqueur. La fenêtre Texte des marqueurs est également disponible au bas de la fenêtre Liste des marqueurs, où elle est nommée « Zone de texte des marqueurs ». Utilisation des menus contextuels des marqueurs Il est possible d’accéder à de nombreuses commandes concernant les marqueurs, telles que les commandes de sélection, d’édition et autres, en cliquant à n’importe quel endroit dans les zones de marqueurs tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée (ou en cliquant avec le bouton droit de la souris). Ces commandes vous permettent d’accélérer votre travail. Remarque : le menu contextuel accessible via le bouton droit de la souris n’est disponible que si l’option de menu local « Bouton droit de la souris : Ouvre le menu contextuel » est sélectionnée dans Logic Express > Préférences > Global > onglet Édition. Création de marqueurs Vous pouvez créer des marqueurs à n’importe quelle position du morceau. La rubrique suivante décrit toutes les options permettant de créer des marqueurs. Pour créer un marqueur au début de la mesure la plus proche, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Dans la piste des marqueurs :  Réglez la tête de lecture sur la position voulue, puis cliquez sur le bouton Créer.  Sélectionnez l’outil Crayon, puis cliquez sur la position désirée. 134 Chapitre 6 Utilisation des marqueurs m Dans la règle Mesure : placez le pointeur sur le tiers inférieur de la règle Mesure, puis cliquez sur la position désirée tout en maintenant les touches Option et Commande enfoncées. Cette opération n’est possible que si la piste des marqueurs n’est pas affichée. m Dans la liste des marqueurs :  Sélectionnez Options > Créer.  Sélectionnez l’outil Crayon, puis cliquez dans la Liste des marqueurs.  Cliquez sur le bouton Créer de la Liste des marqueurs. m Dans n’importe quelle fenêtre : sélectionnez Options > Marqueur > Créer dans la barre des menus principale (ou utiliser le raccourci clavier Créer un marqueur). Le marqueur est créé au début de la mesure la plus proche. Si un marqueur existe déjà à cet endroit (ou est éloigné de cette position de moins d’une valeur de noire), aucun marqueur n’est créé. La durée du marqueur se prolonge automatiquement jusqu’au point de départ du marqueur suivant, ou jusqu’à la fin du morceau ou du dossier, s’il n’y a pas d’autres marqueurs. Π Conseil : vous pouvez utiliser les raccourcis clavier Créer un marqueur pour ajouter des marqueurs à la volée au cours de la lecture. Pour créer un marqueur qui ne soit pas arrondi à la mesure la plus proche : m Dans n’importe quelle fenêtre : sélectionnez Options > Marqueur > Créer sans arrondis (ou le raccourci clavier Créer un marqueur sans arrondis). m Dans la liste des marqueurs : sélectionnez Options > Créer sans arrondis. Pour créer un marqueur et déterminer sa position : m Cliquez sur le début ou la fin de la zone des marqueurs de la liste des marqueurs avec l’outil Crayon, puis entrez la position désirée dans la zone de saisie correspondante. Chapitre 6 Utilisation des marqueurs 135 Pour créer des marqueurs aux emplacements des régions actuellement sélectionnées : m Dans la piste des marqueurs : cliquez sur le bouton De régions ou faites glisser une région d’une piste d’arrangement vers la piste des marqueurs. m Sélectionnez Options > Marqueur > Créer par régions, dans la barre de menus principale (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Créer des marqueurs par régions). Les marqueurs ainsi créés se voient attribuer les noms, la couleur, la durée et la position de mesure des régions dont ils sont dérivés. Pour créer un marqueur qui corresponde exactement à la durée et à la position d’une boucle : m Faites glisser la boucle vers le bas, dans la piste des marqueurs ou dans le tiers inférieur de la règle des mesures. La boucle ne peut être déplacée dans la règle des mesures que sur le plan horizontal ou vertical. Cela permet d’éviter d’effectuer de manière accidentelle les opérations suivantes :  Déplacer la boucle lors de la création de marqueurs (en faisant glisser la boucle vers le tiers inférieur de la règle des mesures ou dans la Piste des marqueurs).  Créer des marqueurs lors du déplacement de la zone de lecture en boucle. 136 Chapitre 6 Utilisation des marqueurs Le déplacement des marqueurs et la boucle interagissent de la manière suivante :  Lorsque vous faites glisser la boucle vers la zone des marqueurs dans la règle Mesure, le pointeur se transforme en main munie d’une flèche vers le bas et d’une flèche vers le haut. Lorsque vous déplacez le pointeur à l’horizontale dans la zone des marqueurs de la règle Mesure, le pointeur se transforme en main (sans flèches). La copie de la boucle vers la zone des marqueurs est annulée.  Si vous déplacez d’abord la boucle à l’horizontale, puis tentez de le faire glisser vers la zone des marqueurs de la règle Mesure, aucun marqueur n’est créé.  Si vous appuyez sur la touche Maj après avoir cliqué sur la boucle tout en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, vous pouvez déplacer la boucle à l’horizontale et la faire glisser vers la zone des marqueurs en un seul mouvement. Remarque : si vous appuyez sur la touche Maj avant de cliquer sur la boucle, la limite de la boucle la plus proche est fixée à l’endroit où vous avez cliqué. Pour copier un marqueur : m Dans la piste des marqueurs : vous pouvez faire glisser le marqueur ou utiliser les commandes standard Copier (Commande ) et Coller (Commande V). m Dans la liste des marqueurs : utilisez les commandes standard Copier et Coller. Sélection de marqueurs Pour sélectionner des marqueurs, vous pouvez utiliser les techniques de sélection habituelles. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Techniques de sélection » à la page 189. Suppression de marqueurs Vous pouvez supprimer des marqueurs à tout moment. Une fois supprimés, ils n’apparaissent plus dans la règle des mesures, la piste des marqueurs, la liste des marqueurs ni dans la fenêtre Texte des marqueurs. Pour supprimer des marqueurs : m Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes dans la piste des marqueurs et la liste des marqueurs :  Cliquez sur les marqueurs avec l’outil Gomme.  Sélectionnez les marqueurs, puis choisissez Éditer > Supprimer (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : retour arrière). Chapitre 6 Utilisation des marqueurs 137 m Dans la règle Mesure : saisissez le marqueur que vous souhaitez supprimer et faites-le glisser à l’extérieur de la règle des mesures. Relâchez le bouton de la souris lorsque le curseur représente une main maintenant deux flèches. m À la position actuelle du morceau : sélectionnez Options > Marqueur > Supprimer (ou utiliser le raccourci clavier Supprimer le marqueur). Dénomination des marqueurs Les marqueurs créés se voient automatiquement attribués le nom « Marqueur ## » (exceptés ceux issus de régions, comme indiqué ci-dessus). Les signes « ## » représentent une valeur numérique qui reflète l’ordre d’apparition des marqueurs dans la règle des mesures (soit « Marqueur 1 », « Marqueur 2 », etc.). Le nombre attribué dépend de l’ordre réel de tous les marqueurs du morceau, y compris ceux qui ont été renommés. Les noms attribués automatiquement peuvent être modifiés directement dans la règle des mesures, la piste des marqueurs, la liste des marqueurs ou dans la fenêtre Texte des marqueurs. La longueur du nom affiché dans la piste des marqueurs, la règle des mesures et la liste des marqueurs dépend de l’espace disponible sur l’écran ou de la position du marqueur suivant. Si vous souhaitez modifier un nom de marqueur lors de sa création, maintenez les touches Contrôle + Option + Commandes enfoncées tout en cliquant sur la position de la piste des marqueurs désirée : une zone de texte s’affiche, vous permettant de saisir le nouveau nom. Appuyez sur la touche Retour pour valider le nom saisi. Vous pouvez également double-cliquer sur la règle Mesure tout en maintenant les touches Contrôle, Maj et Commande enfoncées (si la piste des marqueurs n’est pas visible). Pour modifier le nom d’un marqueur dans la règle Mesure : 1 Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes :  Sélectionnez Options > Marqueur > « Édition rapide de marqueur » (ou utiliser le raccourci clavier correspondant).  Appuyez sur Contrôle et Maj tout en double-cliquant sur le marqueur. 138 Chapitre 6 Utilisation des marqueurs 2 Tapez le nom désiré dans la zone de texte. Pour modifier un nom de marqueur dans la Piste des marqueurs : 1 Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes :  Sélectionnez Options > Marqueur > « Édition rapide de marqueur » (ou utiliser le raccourci clavier correspondant).  Sélectionnez l’outil Texte, puis cliquez sur un marqueur.  Appuyez sur Contrôle et Maj tout en double-cliquant sur le marqueur. 2 Tapez le nom de marqueur désiré dans la zone de texte. Pour modifier un nom de marqueur dans la Liste des marqueurs : 1 Cliquez sur le marqueur désiré dans la colonne des noms de marqueur. 2 Cliquez ou faites glisser le curseur dans l’entrée « Marqueur ## » de la Zone de texte des marqueurs au bas de la fenêtre, et tapez le nom désiré. Lorsque vous saisissez le nom, le texte affiché dans la colonne Nom de marqueur (et Piste des marqueurs) est mis à jour. Pour modifier un nom de marqueur dans la fenêtre Texte des marqueurs : m Ouvrez le marqueur dans la fenêtre Texte des marqueurs, puis tapez le texte. Toute frappe sur le clavier d’ordinateur (avec ou sans la touche Maj enfoncée) sera interprétée comme une entrée de texte si la fenêtre Texte des marqueurs est la fenêtre active, même si un raccourci clavier est défini pour la touche. Le premier paragraphe de la fenêtre sera utilisé comme nom de marqueur. Remarque : si vous utilisez la touche Retour pour créer des paragraphes dans la zone ou la fenêtre Texte des marqueurs, le premier paragraphe du texte s’affiche dans une ligne de titre distincte (du marqueur) dans la piste des marqueurs. Chapitre 6 Utilisation des marqueurs 139 Contrairement au marqueur qui s’affiche uniquement dans la règle des mesures, le texte situé en dessous du premier paragraphe s’affiche également dans la piste des marqueurs, selon l’espace disponible (vous pouvez modifier la hauteur de la piste des marqueurs pour afficher la totalité du texte). Cette option peut être utilisée pour des notes techniques ou musicales, par exemple. Dans ce cas, la couleur du marqueur n’apparaît que dans la ligne du titre, le reste du texte étant affiché en blanc sur gris. Modification de l’apparence du texte du marqueur Vous pouvez modifier l’apparence du texte du marqueur dans la fenêtre et la zone Texte des marqueurs. Vous pouvez définir une police, une taille et un style différents pour n’importe quelle rubrique sélectionnée du texte du marqueur. Toutes les polices installées sur votre système peuvent être utilisées. Différentes couleurs peuvent être attribuées à l’ensemble du texte ou aux parties sélectionnées, ainsi qu’à l’arrière-plan de la zone et de la fenêtre Texte des marqueurs. Pour modifier l’apparence du texte du marqueur : 1 Sélectionnez le texte de marqueur que vous souhaitez modifier. 2 Cliquez sur le bouton Police de la fenêtre ou de la zone Texte des marqueurs ou de la fenêtre Liste des marqueurs. 3 Effectuez les réglages désirés dans la fenêtre Police. 140 Chapitre 6 Utilisation des marqueurs Modification des marqueurs Les marqueurs peuvent être modifiés de différentes manières. Les tâches communes comprennent la modification des positions des marqueurs, l’attribution de couleurs aux marqueurs et l’ajustement de leur durée. Pour modifier la position d’un marqueur, procédez de l’une des manières suivantes : m Dans la piste des marqueurs : faites glisser le marqueur vers la gauche ou la droite. m Dans la règle Mesure : faites glisser le marqueur vers la gauche ou la droite, tout en maintenant la touche Commande enfoncée. m Dans la liste des marqueurs : utilisez la souris comme un curseur sur l’affichage de la position de mesure, ou double-cliquez sur une valeur de position pour en saisir une nouvelle sur votre clavier. Remarque : la définition des plus petits déplacements réalisables dans la Piste des marqueurs et dans la règle Mesure dépendent du réglage de la division dans la zone Transport, du menu Alignement et du niveau de zoom horizontal (y compris le placement précis des échantillons aux niveaux de zoom les plus élevés). Observez la bulle d’aide pour connaître précisément les déplacements en cours. Des ajustements de position très fins peuvent également être obtenus grâce à la liste des marqueurs. Dans certaines situations, il peut être nécessaire de bloquer la suppression des marqueurs. Heureusement, Logic Express a une caractéristique qui préserve la position temporelle absolue des événements. Pour verrouiller la position des marqueurs sélectionnés : 1 Choisissez Options > Verrouiller la position SMPTE dans la Liste des marqueurs (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Cette opération permet de verrouiller (fixer) la position SMPTE des marqueurs. Ce statut est symbolisé par un cadenas placé en tête du nom du marqueur. Ces marqueurs conservent toujours leur position temporelle absolue : si le tempo du morceau est modifié, les positions des mesures sont également modifiées afin de conserver les marqueurs aux mêmes positions SMPTE. Π Conseil : vous pouvez également verrouiller/déverrouiller la position SMPTE des marqueurs depuis le menu Région de la zone Arrangement et le menu Fonctions des fenêtres Éditeur Clavier et Hyper Editor en activant l’affichage des pistes globales. Chapitre 6 Utilisation des marqueurs 141 Pour déverrouiller la position des marqueurs sélectionnés : m Choisissez Options > Déverrouiller la position SMPTE dans la Liste des marqueurs (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Remarque : il est impossible de déverrouiller la position SMPTE des marqueurs de scène (reportez-vous à la rubrique « Utilisation de marqueurs de scène » à la page 902). Pour modifier la durée d’un marqueur : m Dans la piste des marqueurs : placez le pointeur sur le bord du marqueur désiré. Lorsque le curseur se transforme en pointeur de redimensionnement, faites glisser l’extrémité du marqueur à la position désirée. m Dans la liste des marqueurs : utilisez la souris comme un curseur sur l’affichage de la position de mesure, ou double-cliquez sur une valeur de position pour en saisir une nouvelle sur votre clavier. L’extrémité du marqueur peut également être le début du marqueur suivant, en particulier si la durée du second marqueur n’a pas été définie. Les marqueurs ne peuvent pas se chevaucher. Pour adapter un marqueur à une boucle : m Faites glisser une boucle sur un marqueur dont l’extrémité gauche ou droite (ou les deux) se trouve à l’intérieur des limites de la boucle. Le glissement de la zone de la boucle dans la règle des mesures est limité aux mouvements horizontaux et verticaux. Cela permet d’éviter d’effectuer de manière accidentelle les opérations suivantes :  Déplacer la boucle lors de la création de marqueurs (en faisant glisser la boucle vers le tiers inférieur de la règle des mesures ou dans la Piste des marqueurs).  Créer des marqueurs lors du déplacement de la boucle. Π Conseil : si vous appuyez sur la touche Maj après avoir cliqué sur la boucle tout en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, vous pouvez déplacer la boucle à l’horizontale et la faire glisser sur un marqueur en un seul mouvement. 142 Chapitre 6 Utilisation des marqueurs Remarque : si vous appuyez sur la touche Maj avant de cliquer sur la boucle, la limite de la boucle la plus proche est fixée à l’endroit où vous avez cliqué. Pour attribuer une couleur à un marqueur : m Sélectionnez un marqueur dans la piste des marqueurs, puis choisissez Présentation > Couleurs et cliquez sur la couleur désirée dans la palette proposée. Si des couleurs sombres sont utilisées, le texte du marqueur s’affiche automatiquement dans une couleur plus claire. Si vous créez des marqueurs à partir de régions, le marqueur correspondant utilise la couleur de la région. Navigation à l’aide de marqueurs Vous pouvez parcourir votre morceau à l’aide de marqueurs. Cela est utile lorsque vous souhaitez, par exemple, passer rapidement à une position spécifique du morceau (et modifier des régions ou des événements). Pour déplacer la tête de lecture sur un marqueur, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Dans la piste des marqueurs : appuyez sur la touche Option, puis cliquez sur le marqueur. m Dans la règle Mesure : appuyez sur la touche Commande, puis cliquez sur le marqueur. m Dans la liste des marqueurs : cliquez sur un marqueur à l’aide de l’outil Doigt. Π Conseil : si vous appuyez sur la touche Option, puis cliquez sur un marqueur dans la liste des marqueurs avec l’outil Doigt, les locators sont définis sur les points de départ et de fin du marqueur sélectionné. m Utilisez les raccourcis clavier Aller au marqueur numéro 1 à 20 (20 commandes différentes). Les numéros figurant dans ces commandes font référence à l’ordre (en série) de tous les marqueurs du projet. m Le raccourci clavier Aller au marqueur ouvre une fenêtre qui vous permet de saisir le numéro de marqueur auquel vous souhaitez accéder. La tête de lecture se déplace alors au début du marqueur choisi. Pour accéder au marqueur suivant ou précédent : m Utilisez les raccourcis clavier « Aller au marqueur précédent » et « Aller au marqueur suivant ». Les locators sont définis aux points de départ et de fin du marqueur sélectionné. Chapitre 6 Utilisation des marqueurs 143 Pour commencer une lecture à partir de la position de départ d’un marqueur, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Dans la règle Mesure : double-cliquez sur un marqueur tout en maintenant la touche Commande enfoncée. m Dans la liste des marqueurs : cliquez sur un marqueur sans relâcher le bouton de la souris, à l’aide de l’outil Doigt. Logic Express continue la lecture jusqu’à ce que le bouton de la souris soit relâché. Pour créer une boucle à partir d’un marqueur, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Faites glisser un marqueur jusqu’au tiers supérieur de la règle des mesures. Cette opération permet de définir une boucle dotée des mêmes position et durée que le marqueur. Si Logic Express est arrêté lorsqu’il effectue cette action, la tête de lecture est replacée au point de départ de la boucle. m Sélectionnez le marqueur, puis utilisez l’un des raccourcis clavier suivants :  Définir des locators à l’aide d’un marqueur et activer la lecture en boucle  Définir des locators à l’aide du marqueur précédent et activer la lecture en boucle  Définir des locators à l’aide du marqueur suivant et activer la lecture en boucle Personnalisation de l’affichage des marqueurs dans la liste des marqueurs Il existe deux options permettant d’afficher la position et la durée d’un marqueur dans la liste des marqueurs :  Présentation > Position et durée de l’événement en unités SMPTE : permet de faire basculer l’affichage de la durée et de la position du marqueur entre les positions de mesure et les positions temporelles SMPTE.  Présentation > Durée en tant que position absolue : permet de faire basculer l’affichage de la durée du marqueur entre la durée (valeur relative) réelle et l’affichage (valeur absolue) de la position de fin du marqueur (indiquée comme une position de mesure). 7 145 7 Utilisation des projets Les projets Logic Express offrent des options souples de stockage et d’extraction de vos productions musicales. Ce chapitre fournit des informations sur tous les aspects de la création et de la gestion des projets Logic Express. À propos des projets Dans Logic Express, vous devez d’abord ouvrir ou créer un projet pour pouvoir commencer à travailler. Ce processus est similaire à l’utilisation d’une application de traitement de texte, où vous devez commencer par ouvrir un document pour pouvoir taper. Logic Express, comme les applications de traitement de texte, autorise l’ouverture simultanée de plusieurs documents (projets). Le principal type de document de Logic Express est le fichier de projet. Il contient tous les événements MIDI et les réglages de paramètres (sauf les préférences et les raccourcis clavier), ainsi que des informations sur les fichiers audio et vidéo à lire. Il est important de noter que les fichiers de projet pointent sur vos fichiers audio et vidéo, qui sont stockés en tant qu’entités distinctes sur le disque. Les fichiers audio et vidéo ne sont pas enregistrés avec le projet. Lorsque vous créez un projet (ou que vous utilisez la fonction Enregistrer, en général), vous pouvez aussi choisir d’enregistrer tous les fichiers associés (ressources). 146 Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets Logic Express crée un dossier de projet qui contient le fichier de projet, ainsi que des dossiers distincts pour les fichiers utilisés dans le projet (fichiers audio, etc.). La possibilité d’enregistrer des projets sans ressources réduit la mémoire requise pour le stockage des projets, ce qui permet de facilement les transférer (physiquement ou comme pièces jointes de courrier) vers d’autres studios exploitant Logic. Cela signifie aussi que le projet, une fois déplacé, ne pourra plus charger les fichiers audio et vidéo référencés, sauf si ces derniers sont également déplacés (en d’autres termes, le projet est enregistré avec ses ressources). Les dossiers de projet permettent d’effectuer un suivi de votre travail ; en effet, tous les fichiers relatifs à un projet particulier sont enregistrés dans un seul emplacement. Ce système facilite la sauvegarde et le transfert de projets entre ordinateurs ou disques et permet d’éviter des problèmes graves tels que la perte de fichiers audio ou d’échantillons que vous devez rechercher ou recréer dans le studio. Dossier du projet Dossier des fichiers audio Dossier des fichiers film Dossier des instruments de l’échantillonneur Dossier des réponses d’impulsion Ressources du projet Fichier de projet (« morceau ») Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets 147 Création de projets Dans Logic Express, vous devez commencer par créer un projet. Pour créer un projet : 1 Choisissez Fichier > Nouveau (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant ; affectation par défaut : Commande + N). 2 Choisissez le modèle voulu dans la zone de dialogue Modèles. La zone de dialogue Modèles est scindée en deux zones : Collection et Modèle.  Cliquez sur un dossier de collection pour afficher le modèle associé dans la zone Modèles.  Cliquez sur un modèle pour le charger. Une zone de dialogue Enregistrer sous s’affiche automatiquement. 148 Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets 3 Accédez à l’emplacement dans lequel vous voulez stocker le projet, puis tapez un nom pour le projet dans le champ correspondant. 4 Cochez la case Inclure les ressources si vous voulez inclure les fichiers audio et autres dans le dossier de projet (voir « Gestion des ressources d’un projet » à la page 162). Π Conseil : il est recommandé de cocher la case Inclure les ressources, car votre projet est ainsi « sécurisé ». En effet, vous pouvez alors déplacer ou copier le dossier du projet sans perdre les références des fichiers qui pointent vers des éléments contenus dans ce dossier. 5 Cliquez sur le triangle d’affichage Options avancées pour afficher et choisir les types de fichier à enregistrer dans le dossier de projet. Vous pouvez modifier ces réglages à tout moment en choisissant Fichier > Réglages du projet > Ressources. Pour obtenir plus d’informations sur ces ressources de projet, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Gestion des ressources d’un projet » à la page 162. Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets 149 6 Cliquez sur Enregistrer.  Un dossier nommé contenant plusieurs sous-dossiers (selon les choix effectués aux étapes 3 et 4) est créé à l’emplacement cible.  Par défaut, un sous-dossier Fichiers audio est créé dans le dossier de projet, même si vous n’avez pas activé la case Inclure les ressources. Ce dossier est utilisé pour les nouveaux enregistrements audio.  Le chemin d’accès aux enregistrement audio est, par défaut également, automatiquement défini en fonction du nouveau sous-dossier de projet/fichiers audio. Si vous décidez de ne pas créer de dossier de projet dans un premier temps, mais que vous souhaitez le faire ultérieurement, choisissez simplement la commande Enregistrer sous. Π Conseil : vous pouvez créer rapidement un projet par défaut vide en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée tout en choisissant Fichier > Nouveau. Ouverture de projets Dans Logic Express, vous devez d’abord ouvrir un projet pour pouvoir commencer à travailler. Un projet peut aussi être constitué de données créées dans d’autres applications, comme les morceaux provenant de versions antérieures de fichiers XML Logic Express ou Final Cut Pro. Pour ouvrir un projet, procédez comme suit : 1 Choisissez Fichier > Ouvrir (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Commande + O). Si un projet est déjà chargé, vous êtes invité à indiquer si le projet chargé doit être fermé ou non. Vous pouvez bloquer l’affichage de ce message en désactivant l’option « À l’ouverture d’un projet, demander de fermer les projets en cours », accessible via Logic Express > Préférences > Global > Gestion du projet. 150 Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets La zone de dialogue Ouvrir comporte un menu Type de fichier, permettant de choisir les options suivantes :  Tout type de document Logic : affiche tous les types de documents pris en charge par Logic Express  Projets Logic : projets créés avec la version en cours ou des versions antérieures de Logic  Projets GarageBand : projets créés dans GarageBand  Morceaux Notator SL : morceaux créés dans C-Lab/Emagic Notator ou Creator SL  Fichiers MIDI : fichiers MIDI standard au format 0 ou 1  Fichiers AAF : format AAF (Advanced Authoring Format) utilisé par d’autres applications DAW telles que Pro Tools.  Fichiers d’échange OMF : fichier OMF (Open Media Framework) utilisés par d’autres applications DAW telles que Pro Tools  Fichiers OpenTL : fichiers OpenTL (Open Track List) utilisés dans les appareils tels que les enregistreurs sur disque dur Tascam  XML (Final Cut Pro) : norme de source libre prise en charge par Final Cut Pro et Soundtrack Pro Pour plus d’informations sur les types de fichier, reportez-vous au chapitre 29, « Échange de projets et de fichiers » à la page 699. 2 Pour limiter l’affichage à certains types de fichier dans la zone de sélection des fichiers, choisissez le type voulu dans le menu Type de fichier. Choisissez « Tout type de document Logic » pour afficher tous les types de fichier pris en charge et y accéder. 3 Accédez au fichier voulu et sélectionnez-le, puis cliquez sur Ouvrir. Pour ouvrir un projet récent : m Choisissez le nom du projet directement depuis le menu Fichier > « Ouvrir le projet récent ». Cela permet de ne pas passer par la zone de dialogue Ouvrir. Vous pouvez effacer tous les éléments du menu « Ouvrir le projet récent » en choisissant Effacer le menu. Π Conseil : si vous réglez Action de démarrage (dans les préférences de gestion du projet) sur l’option « Ouvrir le projet le plus récent », Logic Express charge votre dernier projet automatiquement au démarrage (voir « Ouverture et création automatique de projets » à la page 151). Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets 151 Ouverture de projets par glisser-déposer Il est possible d’ouvrir des projets et des fichiers MIDI en les faisant glisser depuis le Finder dans la zone Arrangement. La position du curseur de la souris (lorsque vous relâchez le bouton) détermine l’emplacement du fichier importé. Cela comprend la position (arrondie à la mesure la plus proche) et la destination de la première piste. Pour plus d’informations sur les fichiers MIDI standard, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Utilisation des fichiers SMF » à la page 707. Vous pouvez aussi ouvrir un projet Logic Express ou un fichier MIDI en le faisant glisser sur l’icône Logic Express dans le Dock. Ouverture de morceaux issus de versions antérieures à la version 8 Vous pouvez ouvrir des morceaux issus de Logic 5, Logic 6 et Logic 7 dans Logic Express 8. Lors du chargement d’un morceau ou d’un projet créé dans une version antérieure à la version 8 de Logic, il est converti au format de la version 8. Une zone de dialogue Enregistrer sous s’ouvre pour vous permettre d’enregistrer le projet sous un nouveau nom. Le morceau de la version d’origine est conservé. Important : les projets enregistrés dans Logic Express 8 ne sont pas compatibles avec les versions antérieures de Logic Express. Navigation entre plusieurs projets Vous pouvez ouvrir plusieurs projets simultanément, afin de copier ou de déplacer des données entre eux ou de comparer différentes versions d’un projet. Pour naviguer entre les projets : m Choisissez le nom du projet en bas du menu Fenêtre (le projet actif est signalé par une coche). Ouverture et création automatique de projets Vous pouvez configurer Logic Express pour ouvrir ou créer automatiquement des projets, au démarrage, en choisissant une action de démarrage dans l’onglet Logic Express > Préférences > Globales > Gestion du projet.  Ne rien faire : comme l’indique son nom, cette option n’a aucun effet. Logic Express s’ouvre et vous devez créer un projet ou ouvrir un projet ou un modèle existant. 152 Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets  Ouvrir le projet le plus récent : ouvre automatiquement le dernier projet ouvert la dernière fois que vous avez quitté Logic Express.  Ouvrir un projet existant : affiche automatiquement la zone de dialogue Ouvrir, dans laquelle vous pouvez rechercher un projet existant.  Créer un projet d’après un modèle : ouvre automatiquement la zone de dialogue Modèles.  Créer un projet vide : charge automatiquement un projet vide et ouvre la zone de dialogue Enregistrer sous, dans laquelle vous pouvez nommer et enregistrer votre projet.  Créer un projet via un modèle par défaut : ouvre automatiquement le modèle par défaut et la zone de dialogue Enregistrer sous, dans laquelle vous pouvez nommer et enregistrer votre projet. Pour définir le modèle par défaut : 1 Cliquez sur le bouton Choisir sous le champ Modèle par défaut dans l’onglet de préférences de gestion du projet. 2 Accédez au modèle (ou au projet) voulu et choisissez-le. Le chemin d’accès complet et le nom du modèle ou projet choisi sont affichés dans le champ Modèle par défaut. Vous pouvez utiliser n’importe quel modèle ou projet comme modèle par défaut. Importation de réglages à partir d’autres projets Vous pouvez importer les réglages suivants à partir d’autres projets :  Screensets  Jeux de transformations  Jeux Hyper  Jeux de partitions  Styles de portée de partition  Réglages de partition (tous les réglages du projet relatifs à la partition, comme Nombres et Noms ou Clés et Signatures.)  Styles de texte de partition Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets 153 Pour importer des réglages depuis un autre projet : 1 Choisissez Fichier > Réglages du projet > Importer réglages (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Importer réglages). 2 Sélectionnez les réglages voulus en cochant les cases au bas de la fenêtre Importation de réglages. 3 Accédez au projet voulu (celui depuis lequel vous voulez importer) et sélectionnez-le. 4 Cliquez sur Ouvrir (ou double-cliquez sur le nom du projet source). Les réglages sont importés dans le projet actif. 154 Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets Vérification et correction de projets Il peut arriver que vous ayez besoin de connaître le nombre de séquences d’un projet, la quantité de mémoire utilisée, etc. Ces données sont disponibles dans la fenêtre « Informations sur le projet ». Il peut arriver, très rarement, qu’un projet semble lent ou devienne corrompu en raison de conflits liés au gestionnaire ou à la mémoire. En cas de corruption, un message d’avertissement vous informe de l’existence et de la nature du problème. Ces problèmes peuvent généralement être rectifiés dans la fenêtre « Informations sur le projet ». Pour ouvrir la fenêtre « Informations sur le projet » : m Choisissez Options > « Informations sur le projet ». La fenêtre « Informations sur le projet » fournit la fonction Réorganiser la mémoire qui permet d’augmenter la quantité de mémoire disponible et de prévenir certains types de corruption ou de problèmes relatifs à des projets. Pour reconfigurer la mémoire : m Cliquez sur le bouton Réorganiser la mémoire dans la fenêtre « Informations sur le projet ». Simultanément, le projet en cours est contrôlé afin d’y détecter tout signe de dommage, de problèmes structurels et de blocs inutilisés. Si des blocs inutilisés sont détectés (ce qui ne devrait normalement pas se produire), vous pouvez les supprimer et corriger le projet. Remarque : cette réorganisation est également effectuée automatiquement après l’enregistrement ou le chargement d’un projet. L’un des usages habituels (recommandé) de cette fonction a pour but de libérer de la mémoire après la fermeture d’un projet, si au moins deux projets étaient ouverts avant cette opération. Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets 155 Définition des propriétés de projet Après avoir créé un projet, il est nécessaire de vérifier, et de modifier si nécessaire, le nombre de propriétés du projet. Cette pratique est recommandée car elle limite le nombre de corrections à apporter par la suite, telle que la conversion de fréquences d’échantillonnage d’une centaine de fichiers audio ou plus. Cette rubrique présente les propriétés de projet que vous devez prendre en compte avant de commencer votre travail. Définition de la fréquence d’échantillonnage La fréquence d’échantillonnage du projet détermine le nombre d’échantillons utilisés par Logic Express pour la lecture audio. Lorsque vous ajoutez ou enregistrez des fichiers audio dans votre projet, leur fréquence d’échantillonnage est automatiquement adaptée à celle du projet. Important : le réglage de projet « Convertir la fréquence du fichier audio lors de l’importation » doit être activé pour pouvoir adapter automatiquement la fréquence d’échantillonnage. Vous pouvez activer ce réglage dans la sous-fenêtre Fichier > Réglages projet > Ressources. Pour définir la fréquence d’échantillonnage, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Choisissez Fichier > Réglages du projet > Audio (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier « Ouvrir les réglages du projet audio »), puis choisissez la fréquence d’échantillonnage voulue dans le menu correspondant. m Cliquez sur l’écran Fréquence d’échantillonnage dans la barre de transport, puis choisissez la fréquence voulue dans le menu local. Remarque : si l’écran Fréquence d’échantillonnage ne figure pas dans votre barre de transport, cliquez sur cette dernière en appuyant sur la touche Contrôle, puis choisissez « Personnaliser la barre de transport » dans le menu local. Activez la case « Fréquence d’échantillonnage ou locators du punch » dans la zone de dialogue « Personnaliser la barre de transport ». 156 Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets Vous constaterez peut-être que les fichiers audio de votre projet ne correspondent pas à la fréquence d’échantillonnage que vous venez de sélectionner. La lecture des fichiers qui ne correspondent pas à la fréquence d’échantillonnage du projet est anormalement plus lente (si la fréquence du fichier est plus élevée) ou plus rapide (la fréquence est plus faible). Pour adapter la fréquence d’échantillonnage d’un fichier à celle du projet, vous pouvez procéder de deux façons : m Utilisez la commande Copier/Convertir Fichier(s) du chutier audio, puis replacez le fichier dans le projet. Logic Express effectue une conversion de fréquence d’échantillonnage native en temps réel. Toute fréquence d’échantillonnage disponible dans Logic Express (via Audio > Fréquence d’échantillonnage) peut être utilisée pour la conversion, même si votre matériel audio ne prend pas en charge la fréquence sélectionnée. La fonction logicielle native de conversion de fréquence d’échantillonnage s’adapte à la fréquence d’échantillonnage de tout matériel audio, permettant ainsi la lecture de projets sur pratiquement tout système audio, même si le matériel n’est pas compatible en terme de fréquence d’échantillonnage. Rien n’est perdu au cours du processus. Tout traitement et opération de bounce interne est toujours effectué à la fréquence d’échantillonnage d’origine et au niveau de qualité le plus élevé, même dans les cas où le matériel ne prend pas en charge une fréquence particulière. Cette fonction vous permet de travailler sur des projets créés sur des systèmes audio de pointe avec des configurations de niveau inférieur. Exemple : un projet a été créé avec du matériel audio configuré pour fonctionner à 96 kHz. Déplacer ce projet sur un ordinateur portable ou sur une configuration qui ne prend pas en charge la fréquence d’échantillonnage du projet d’origine entraîne généralement une vitesse de lecture incorrecte. La fonction native de conversion de fréquence d’échantillonnage en temps réel va contrebalancer cet effet, permettant une lecture correcte du projet sur l’ordinateur portable, quelle que soit la fréquence d’échantillonnage. Remarque : les fréquences d’échantillonnage élevées consomment plus d’espace disque et entraînent une surcharge du processeur. Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets 157 Réglage du tempo d’un projet Vous pouvez définir le tempo de base du projet dans le transport, la piste Tempo ou la liste des tempos. Logic Express affiche le tempo sous la forme de noires par minute ou de battements par minute (bpm). Le tempo varie de 5 à 9 999 bpm et peut-être ajusté jusqu’à quatre décimales après la valeur entière. Pour définir le tempo du projet, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur la valeur de tempo du transport en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, puis faites glisser cette valeur vers le haut ou le bas ou double-cliquez sur le champ Tempo, puis tapez une nouvelle valeur. m Cliquez sur la valeur de tempo dans la liste des tempos en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, puis faites glisser cette valeur vers le haut ou le bas ou double-cliquez sur le champ Tempo, puis tapez une nouvelle valeur. m Ouvrez la piste Tempo et faites glisser la ligne de tempo vers le haut ou le bas avec l’outil Pointeur. Pour plus d’informations sur les opérations avancées liées au tempo, reportez-vous au chapitre 30, « Opérations avancées relatives au tempo » à la page 719. 158 Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets Réglage de l’articulation du temps dans un projet La signature temporelle définit le nombre de battements que contient une mesure dans la règle Mesure, ainsi que la valeur de note qui constitue un battement. Les signatures temporelles n’affectent pas la lecture de votre projet, mais déterminent la grille d’édition du champ Arrangement et les éditeurs MIDI, comme l’illustrent les images ci-après. Les deux images présentent la même séquence MIDI, la première avec une signature temporelle de 2/8 et la deuxième de 6/8. Vous pouvez définir la signature temporelle du projet dans le transport, la liste des signatures ou la piste Signature. Le transport affiche la signature temporelle dans le format suivant : numérateur: dénominateur de mesures: valeur de division. Dénominateur de Numérateur mesures Valeur de division Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets 159 La valeur de division définit la division dans tous les écrans de position (comme dans les éditeurs d’événements) et forme la grille pour les différentes opérations relatives à la durée et au placement. La valeur de division est normalement réglée sur 1/16 de note mais dispose d’une plage de valeurs du 1/4 au 1/192 de note. Si la valeur de note de la division est supérieure ou égale au dénominateur de mesures, la troisième valeur de l’écran de position est automatiquement supprimée. Π Conseil : vous pouvez utiliser le raccourci clavier « Définir la division supérieure/inférieure suivante » pour passer à la division immédiatement supérieure ou inférieure. L’indicateur de tempo de la fenêtre Transport est toujours relatif aux noires, même si huit notes sont choisies comme dénominateur pour la signature temporelle. Pour modifier la signature temporelle, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé sur l’une des valeurs de signature temporelle de transport et faites-la glisser vers le haut ou le bas ou double-cliquez sur les nombres du champ et tapez une nouvelle valeur. m Cliquez en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé sur la valeur dans la liste des signatures, puis faites glisser cette valeur vers le haut ou le bas ou double-cliquez sur la valeur de signature, puis tapez une nouvelle valeur. m Ouvrez la piste Signature et double-cliquez sur la valeur affichée. Définissez les valeurs du numérateur et du dénominateur (et d’autres réglages, le cas échéant). Pour en savoir plus sur les signatures temporelles, reportez-vous à la section « Utilisation des temps et des armatures » à la page 814. 160 Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets Définition des points de départ et de fin d’un projet Un projet débute normalement à la position 1 1 1 1. Vous pouvez placer le point de départ du projet sur une position antérieure, permettant la lecture des commandes de temps faible ou de changement de programme avant le premier temps fort. Pour définir le point de départ d’un projet : m Faites glisser le marqueur de début du projet dans la règle Mesure vers la gauche ou la droite. Pour définir le point de fin d’un projet, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Faites glisser le marqueur de fin du projet dans la règle Mesure vers la gauche ou la droite. m Définissez la valeur voulue dans l’écran « Fin du projet numérique » de la barre de transport. Remarque : si votre barre de transport n’inclut pas l’écran Fin du projet, cliquez dessus en appuyant sur la touche Contrôle et choisissez « Personnaliser la barre de transport » dans le menu local. Activez la case Tempo/Fin du projet dans la sous-fenêtre « Personnaliser la barre de transport ». Dès que Logic Express atteint le point de fin du projet, il s’arrête automatiquement sauf lors d’un enregistrement. Dans cette situation, le point de fin du projet est automatiquement déplacé à la fin de l’enregistrement. Écran de fin du projet Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets 161 Réglage du volume de base du projet Vous pouvez définir le volume de base du projet en faisant glisser le curseur Niveau du master qui se trouve sur la droite de la barre de transport (si votre écran est assez large). Ce curseur est directement lié au canal principal de la table de mixage et fait office de contrôle de niveau principal pour toutes les pistes audio et d’instruments logiciels. Important : ce curseur définit le niveau de lecture de votre projet et affecte le nivea u général de votre mixage Cliquez sur le symbole du haut-parleur à droite du curseur Niveau du master pour régler le curseur principal sur 0 dB. Cliquez sur le symbole du haut-parleur à gauche du curseur Niveau du master pour activer le mode Niveau d’assourdissement : le volume de lecture adopte alors la valeur de Niveau d’assourdissement définie dans les préférences Logic Express > Audio > Général. Cliquez à nouveau sur ce bouton pour désactiver le mode Niveau d’assourdissement et définissez le niveau sonore de la lecture à la valeur actuelle du curseur Niveau du master. 162 Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets Ajustement des réglages du projet Les réglages du projet incluent un certain nombre d’options pouvant avoir un impact significatif sur le comportement de Logic Express. Ils sont enregistrés indépendamment avec chaque projet, ce qui signifie que chaque projet peut avoir ses réglages propres. Vous pouvez à tout moment modifier les réglages d’un projet, mais il est généralement préférable de commencer avec les réglages nécessaires, car cela rendra vos processus plus fluides. Pour ouvrir les réglage d’un projet, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Choisissez Fichier > Projet > Réglages (Synchronisation, MIDI, Partition, etc.) ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant. m Cliquez sur le bouton Réglages dans la barre d’outils, puis choisissez l’entrée de menu voulue. Pour plus d’informations sur les réglages d’un projet, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Réglages du projet » à la page 1034. Gestion des ressources d’un projet Les réglages du projet comprennent également un onglet Ressources. Si vous avez enregistré votre projet avec ses ressources, vous pouvez utiliser cet onglet pour déterminer la façon dont les fichiers importés depuis des emplacements externes (emplacements en dehors du dossier du projet) doivent être traités. Pour ouvrir les réglages de projet Ressources, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Choisissez Fichier > Réglages du projet > Ressources (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier « Ouvrir les réglages des ressources pour le projet »). m Cliquez sur le bouton Réglages dans la barre d’outils, puis choisissez Ressources dans le menu local.  Activez les cases de copie pour copier les types de fichier respectifs dans le dossier du projet.  Activez la case « Convertir la fréquence du fichier audio lors de l’importation » pour convertir automatiquement la fréquence d’échantillonnage de tous les fichiers importés (utilisant une autre fréquence) afin qu’elle corresponde à celle du projet. Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets 163  Si vous désactivez la case « Copier les échantillons EXS dans le dossier du projet », seuls les fichiers d’instruments EXS sont copiés dans le dossier du projet lors de l’enregistrement, mais aucun échantillon associé à ces fichiers d’instruments EXS. Les fichiers ne sont copiés dans le dossier de projet que lorsque le projet est enregistré. Une fois enregistré, votre projet est sécurisé. Vous pouvez donc déplacer ou copier la totalité du dossier de projet sans perdre la moindre référence à un des fichiers présents dans le dossier. Gestion des projets Cette rubrique présente les opérations de maintenance qui sont parfois nécessaires pour optimiser vos projets. Copie ou déplacement d’un dossier de projet Un dossier de projet peut être déplacé ou copié librement dans un autre emplacement à l’aide de l’une des méthodes de système d’exploitation standard. Cela s’avère fort utile pour archiver et transporter des projets dans d’autres studios ou installations. Tous les fichiers du dossier cible (copié) demeurent à l’emplacement correct, pourvu qu’ils soient tous à la racine (ou dans des sous-dossiers) du dossier de projet ; les fichiers audio sont dans le sous-dossier Fichiers audio, les échantillons dans le sous-dossier Échantillons, les instruments de l’échantillonneur dans le sous-dossier Instruments de l’échantillonneur, etc. Nettoyage de projets Si votre dossier de projet contient des fichiers de projet inutilisés, utilisez la commande Fichier > Projet > Nettoyer. Si des fichiers inutilisés sont trouvés, la zone de dialogue suivante s’affiche : Cochez les cases de la première colonne pour choisir les fichiers à supprimer. Le nom et le chemin d’accès au fichier à supprimer figure dans les deux dernières colonnes. Seuls les fichiers correspondant à des cases cochées dans la première colonne sont supprimés. Les entrées non cochées demeurent intactes. 164 Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets Si plusieurs lignes sont sélectionnées, il suffit de cliquer sur l’une des cases pour cocher/décocher toutes les lignes sélectionnées. Remarque : la commande Nettoyer ne supprime que les fichiers inutilisés (de tout type sauf les fichiers de film). Le nettoyage prend en compte le projet en mémoire ainsi que tous les autres fichiers du projet Logic Express se trouvant dans le dossier du projet. Seuls les fichiers non utilisés par ces projets sont affichés dans la liste de nettoyage. Consolidation des réglages du projet Si votre projet contient des fichiers ne se trouvant pas dans les sous-dossiers corrects, vous pouvez utiliser la commande Consolider pour les organiser automatiquement selon la structure standard de fichiers de projet. Pour consolider votre projet : 1 Choisissez Fichier > Projet > Consolider (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Consolider le Projet). 2 Choisissez l’option de menu voulue pour les différents types de fichier dans la zone de dialogue de consolidation, afin de déplacer, conserver ou copier les fichiers existants. Les deux boutons de raccourci en bas à gauche de la fenêtre permettre d’effectuer rapidement et facilement la consolidation du projet.  Cliquez sur Tout copier pour régler tous les menus sur l’option de copie.  Cliquez sur Tout déplacer pour régler tous les menus sur l’option de déplacement. 3 Cochez la case « Supprimer dossiers vides après déplacement » pour retirer les dossiers vides du projet source, une fois que les fichiers ont été placés dans le projet cible. 4 Cochez la case « Créer dossiers pour les groupes de fichiers audio » pour créer des dossiers de groupes dans le sous-dossier Audio Files du projet cible. Les groupes doivent d’abord être créés dans le chutier audio du projet source. Reportez-vous à la rubrique « Regroupement de fichiers dans le chutier audio » à la page 603. 5 Cliquez sur OK lorsque vous avez terminé. Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets 165 Gestion de l’importation ReCycle dans les projets Les instruments EXS créés via une importation ReCycle sont placés dans un sous-dossier Instruments de l’échantillonneur/ReCycle du dossier de projet. Toutes les données audio générées par une importation ReCycle sont placées dans le dossier Audio ReCycle, avec le fichier de projet. Remarque : cela se produit automatiquement et ne peut pas être changé. Si aucun dossier de projet n’existe, les fichiers ReCycle sont enregistrés dans ~Musique/Logic/ ReCycle Audio. Enregistrement de projets Si vous choisissez Fichier > Enregistrer (ou que vous utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Commande + S), le projet en cours est enregistré et son nom demeure inchangé. Si vous ne voulez pas écraser la version la plus récente du fichier de projet enregistré avec ce nom (ce qui se produira si vous utilisez Fichier > Enregistrer ou Commande + S), utilisez Fichier > Enregistrer sous ou Fichier > « Enregistrer une copie sous ». Dans la zone de dialogue de sélection de fichiers qui apparaît, vous pouvez saisir un nouveau nom pour le projet et définir Ressources comme bon vous semble (et sélectionner un nouveau répertoire ou même créer un dossier).  Fichier > Enregistrer : lors du prochain enregistrement à l’aide de la commande Enregistrer (Commande + S), le nouveau nom de fichier et le nouveau chemin seront utilisés.  Fichier > Enregistrer une copie sous : lors du prochain enregistrement à l’aide de la commande Enregistrer (Commande + S), le nom de fichier et le chemin existants continueront à être utilisés. La copie est une réplique du projet existant, stockée dans un autre emplacement. Elle ne met pas à jour le chemin d’enregistrement du fichier. La commande « Enregistrer une copie sous » est idéale pour archiver et déplacer des données. Sauvegarde automatique de fichiers Lorsque vous enregistrez un projet, Logic Express enregistre automatiquement une copie de sécurité (une sauvegarde) du fichier du projet. Les fichiers de sauvegarde sont enregistrés dans le même dossier et sous le même nom que le projet, le caractère ~ apparaissant toutefois à la fin du nom. Retour à une version enregistrée Vous pouvez annuler vos éventuelles erreurs en choisissant Edition > Annuler (Commande + Z). En cas d’erreur vraiment grave (même si cela est fort improbable) ou bien si le travail réalisé lors des quinze dernières minutes depuis le dernier enregistrement ne vous satisfait pas du tout, la fonction Fichier > Revenir à la version enregistrée (ou le raccourci clavier correspondant) peut s’avérer très utile. Le projet en cours est alors remplacé par la version précédemment enregistrée. Enregistrement d’un projet en tant que modèle Vous pouvez enregistrer un projet en tant que modèle, créant ainsi des points de départ pour de nouveaux projets. Tous les projets n’ont pas les mêmes besoins. Par conséquent, personnaliser plusieurs projets ayant les mêmes besoins offre un point de départ idéal pour différentes tâches. Exemples :  Un modèle axé sur des instruments logiciels et destiné à des projets de musique dansante. Il pourrait comprendre 32 pistes d’instruments logiciels et huit pistes audio.  Un modèle centré sur des pistes audio, comportant par exemple 64 pistes audio, serait idéal pour les enregistrements en direct.  Un modèle de performances en direct qui permet de passer plus rapidement d’une partie à une autre ou pouvant utiliser intensément le traitement d’environnement.  Plusieurs modèles de sonorisation pour des choeurs, un groupe de rock, un orchestre symphonique, un quatuor à cordes, une petite formation de jazz, etc.  Un modèle contenant des réglages de synchronisation modifiés pour le contrôle de matériel ADAT.  Un modèle pour le travail vidéo. Il pourrait contenir une piste vidéo et une zone de dialogue spécifique, un bruitage et des pistes de musique.  Un second modèle vidéo pourrait être utilisé pour des tâches où la vidéo est lue sur un magnétoscope externe synchronisé avec Logic Express via SMPTE. Il est possible de personnaliser des screensets pour chaque modèle ou vous pouvez utiliser la commande Fichier > Réglages du projet > Importer réglages pour les copier d’un modèle à un autre. Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets 167 Pour enregistrer un projet comme modèle : m Choisissez Fichier > Enregistrer comme modèle (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant), puis tapez le nom voulu. Le projet est enregistré dans le dossier ~/Bibliothèque/Application Support/Logic/ Project Templates. Lors de la prochaine ouverture de la zone de dialogue Modèles, votre modèle se trouvera dans la collection Mes modèles, sous les collections de modèles par défaut. Vous pouvez créer des collections sous Mes modèles en créant des sous-dossiers dans le dossier ~/Bibliothèque/Application Support/Logic/Project Templates. Cela peut être effectué dans le Finder ou à l’aide du bouton Créer un dossier dans la zone de dialogue Enregistrer comme modèle. Lorsque tous les modèles créés par l’utilisateur sont placés dans des sous-dossiers, les noms de ces sous-dossiers apparaissent en dessous des collections par défaut. Π Conseil : vous pouvez inclure un texte descriptif dans vos modèles en ajoutant un commentaire au fichier de projet dans le Finder. La zone de dialogue Modèles affiche l’icône affectée à un fichier de modèle, ce qui vous permet de la changer très facilement. Pour plus d’informations sur l’ajout d’un commentaire à un fichier ou le changement de l’icône d’un fichier, reportez-vous à l’aide du Finder. Fermeture et sortie Après avoir créé ou écouté un projet, il est préférable de le fermer et de quitter Logic Express. Voici comment procéder : Pour fermer le projet actif : m Choisissez Fichier > Fermer le projet (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Option + Commande + W). Si vous avez apporté des modifications depuis la dernière opération d’enregistrement, Logic Express vous demande si le projet doit être enregistré à nouveau avant de le fermer, afin de conserver les modifications apportées. Pour fermer la fenêtre active : m Choisissez Fichier > Fermer (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Commande + W). Cette opération ne ferme que la fenêtre du haut, pas la totalité du projet. Le projet ne sera correctement fermé que lorsque toutes les fenêtres seront fermées. 168 Chapitre 7 Utilisation des projets Pour quitter l’application : m Choisissez Logic Express > Quitter Logic Express (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Commande + Q). Si vous avez apporté des modifications à votre projet, mais que vous ne les avez pas sauvegardées, vous êtes invité à le faire avant de quitter l’application (appuyez sur Entrée pour enregistrer le projet). Si plusieurs projets sont ouverts, vous êtes alors invité à passer en revue les modifications ou à fermer simplement le projet en ignorant les modifications. Le raccourci clavier « Fermer le projet sans sauvegarder » ferme le projet actif sans l’enregistrer (vous n’êtes pas invité à le faire). Cette commande a été incluse à la demande d’un grand nombre d’utilisateurs expérimentés de Logic Express. Ne l’utilisez que si vous êtes sûr de vous. 8 169 8 Fonctionnement de base Le chapitre suivant présente les techniques d’utilisation, de sélection et d’édition de base disponibles dans Logic Express. Vous y apprendrez les différentes techniques de saisie et de correction des erreurs, ainsi qu’un grand nombre de raccourcis et de fonctionnalités qui permettent d’accélérer votre travail et de vous assister lors de votre apprentissage de l’application Logic Express. Utilisation de la souris Si vous n’êtes pas habitué à vous servir de la souris dans Logic Express, où l’utilisation diffère de celle des autres applications, la rubrique suivante vous sera particulièrement utile. Elle explique comment utiliser la souris dans Logic Express. Si vous savez déjà comment utiliser une souris dans Logic Express, passez directement à la rubrique suivante. Cliquer Placez le pointeur au-dessus d’un élément (région, événement, bouton, menu, zone de saisie, etc.), puis et appuyez une fois sur le bouton de la souris. Double-cliquer Même chose que cliquer sur un élément, sauf que vous appuyez deux fois de suite sur le bouton de la souris, rapidement. Vous pouvez définir l’intervalle qui vous convient dans les Préférences système (sous-fenêtre Clavier et souris). Capturer ou cliquer et maintenir le bouton de la souris enfoncé Même chose que cliquer sur un élément, sauf que vous maintenez le bouton de la souris enfoncé. Déplacer ou faire glisser Sélectionnez l’élément et déplacez le curseur (en maintenant le bouton enfoncé) jusqu’à l’emplacement souhaité. 170 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base Cliquer avec le bouton droit de la souris Même chose que cliquer, sauf que vous appuyez sur le bouton droit de la souris, s’il est disponible. Cette opération a pour effet d’ouvrir un menu contextuel, d’ouvrir la boîte à outils ou de sélectionner un outil spécifique. Cliquer ou faire glisser en appuyant sur une touche de modification Plusieurs commandes, fonctions, outils supplémentaires ou ajustements plus précis sont accessibles si vous maintenez enfoncée une touche de modification : Contrôle, Maj, Option ou Commande tout en cliquant ou en faisant glisser un élément. Exemples : si vous faites glisser une région en appuyant sur la touche Option, une copie de la région est créée ; si vous cliquez sur un curseur ou un potentiomètre tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée, sa valeur par défaut ou sa valeur centrale est réinitialisée. Événements liés à la molette de souris Vous pouvez utiliser la molette de la souris pour faire défiler verticalement la page dans Logic Express. Certains outils de modification sont également pris en charge :  Si vous appuyez sur Commande, la molette de la souris effectue un défilement horizontal.  Si vous appuyez sur Option, la molette effectue un zoom avant ou arrière à la verticale.  Si vous appuyez simultanément sur Option et Commande, la molette effectue un zoom avant ou arrière à l’horizontale.  Si vous appuyez simultanément sur Option et Contrôle, la molette effectue un zoom avant ou arrière dans les deux sens. Remarque : Logic Express prend également en charge les souris ayant une molette de défilement dotée d’un axe des X et d’un axe des Y (telles que la souris Apple Mighty Mouse). Sur une souris à deux axes, la touche de modification Commande (qui permet de basculer entre les orientations horizontale et verticale sur une souris dotée d’un seul axe) n’est pas utilisée. Souris faisant office de curseur Vous pouvez définir la plupart des réglages numériques (même les valeurs et noms de notes) en sélectionnant la valeur d’un réglage et en faisant monter ou descendre la souris. Si le réglage contient plusieurs nombres distincts (position du projet, par exemple), vous pouvez ajuster chaque nombre à l’aide de cette méthode. Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 171 Saisie de valeurs numériques Vous pouvez utiliser des entrées numériques dans de nombreuses zones du programme. Le fait de double-cliquer sur une valeur de réglage numérique a pour effet d’ouvrir une zone de saisie. La valeur est mise en surbrillance et peut être écrasée par une nouvelle entrée. Cette méthode est idéale pour définir rapidement une valeur de réglage dans l’Inspecteur ou pour accéder instantanément à une mesure lorsque vous l’appliquez dans la fenêtre Transport. Voici un exemple d’utilisation : double-cliquez sur l’écran Position dans la fenêtre Transport, saisissez 45, puis appuyez sur la touche Retour. La tête de lecture se place directement au début de la mesure 45. Vous pouvez également utiliser la souris pour effectuer une sélection partielle dans une zone de saisie, de sorte que seule la partie mise en surbrillance est écrasée. Tant que la zone de saisie est ouverte, le clavier de l’ordinateur peut uniquement être utilisé pour saisir des données, il ne permet pas de faire appel à des raccourcis clavier (à l’exception des fonctions de menu principales). Voici quelques-unes des méthodes possibles. Vous pouvez saisir des données sous forme de :  Nombres décimaux : 1, 01, 2, 3, 4, 127, …  Nombres hexadécimaux : $1, $01, $2, $3, $A, $0A, $7F  Notes : « C3 », « C#3 », « Cb3 », « C##2 » (équivalent de D2), « Dbb2 » (équivalent de C2). Si vous double-cliquez sur la note « E3 », vous pouvez saisir une valeur décimale telle que « 64 » ou hexadécimale telle que « $40 » à la place du nom de la note.  Code ASCII : vous pouvez également saisir des nombres sous forme de code ASCII. Il vous suffit de saisir le caractère ` ou " avant la touche sélectionnée et le code ASCII est saisi sous forme de nombre. Par exemple : "! correspond à la valeur 33 et "a à la valeur 97. Cette fonction s’avère particulièrement utile pour saisir du texte dans des chaînes SysEx. Opérations arithmétiques Dans de nombreuses zones de l’application Logic Express, des opérations mathématiques peuvent également servir à modifier des valeurs. Exemples :  Vous pouvez effectuer une soustraction sur valeur existante en saisissant « –5 ».  Vous pouvez additionner deux valeurs en saisissant « 38+17 ».  Vous pouvez multiplier deux valeurs en saisissant « 7*8 ».  Vous pouvez diviser deux valeurs en saisissant « 80/5 ». 172 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base Annulation d’une entrée numérique Pour annuler une entrée numérique, ne saisissez aucun texte, puis appuyez sur la touche Entrée ou Retour. Saisie de texte Vous pouvez saisir un nom de la même façon que des nombres, si ce n’est que vous devez cliquer une fois sur une zone de nom pour activer la saisie. Vous pouvez cliquer directement sur une région (ou une bande de canal dans la table de mixage) avec l’outil Texte pour la renommer. Un même nom peut être attribué à autant d’objets sélectionnés (tels que des régions) que vous le souhaitez. Si le nom se termine par un nombre, celui-ci est automatiquement incrémenté de 1, objet après objet. Cela vous permet, par exemple, de nommer toutes les régions d’une piste de façon rapide et unique. Remarque : pour désactiver la numérotation automatique, insérez un espace après le numéro, à la fin du nom que vous saisissez. Tous les objets sélectionnés se terminent alors par le même numéro. Cette méthode peut s’avérer très utile pour identifier, par exemple, toutes les régions enregistrées au cours d’une autre session avec la voix principale (il vous suffit alors de les renommer en « voix principale 030707 » suivi d’un espace, pour identifier les régions par date). Utilisation des raccourcis clavier Vous pouvez exécuter quasiment toutes les fonctions de Logic Express à l’aide d’un raccourci clavier ou d’un message MIDI. À chaque fois que ce manuel mentionne un raccourci clavier, il est fait référence à une fonction, une commande ou une option à laquelle vous pouvez accéder en appuyant sur des touches de votre clavier (comme Option + R pour ouvrir les réglages d’enregistrement du projet) ou à l’aide d’un message MIDI. L’utilisation de raccourcis clavier à la place de la souris peut accélérer de façon considérable votre travail. Tout au long de ce manuel, vous allez rencontrer un certain nombre d’exemples pratiques, souvent détaillés, précisant le raccourci clavier par défaut pour chaque fonction. Π Conseil : il est recommandé d’utiliser ces raccourcis clavier par défaut à mesure que vous vous familiarisez avec l’application, en suivant les étapes décrites dans le manuel. Non seulement cela va vous aider à les mémoriser, mais également à vous habituer à des pratiques de travail efficaces (et rapides) dès le départ. Dès que vous maîtrisez les concepts de base de Logic Express et que vous avez adopté une méthode de travail qui vous convient, vous pouvez attribuer les raccourcis clavier de votre choix aux fonctions que vous utilisez le plus. Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 173 La fenêtre Raccourcis clavier vous permet d’associer des fonctions de Logic Express à des touches de votre clavier ou à des messages MIDI. Ainsi, vous pouvez entièrement personnaliser l’application afin qu’elle soit adaptée au mieux à votre façon de travailler. Remarque : certaines de ces fonctions sont disponibles uniquement sous forme de raccourcis clavier. Il est possible que certaines ne soient associées à aucun raccourci clavier par défaut. Dans ce cas, vous devez créer vous-même un raccourci pour utiliser la fonction concernée. Si vous débutez avec Logic Express et souhaitez vous familiariser avec l’application, passez directement à la rubrique « Utilisation d’outils » à la page 181. Vous pouvez toujours revenir à la rubrique suivante une fois que vous êtes prêt à créer et personnaliser vos propres raccourcis clavier, mais cela n’est pas indispensable pour utiliser Logic Express. Enregistrement de raccourcis clavier Vos raccourcis clavier personnels sont stockés dans un fichier séparé, situé dans le dossier ~Bibliothèque/Application Support/Logic/Key Commands. Il est conseillé d’effectuer les opérations suivantes :  Effectuez une copie de sauvegarde de vos raccourcis clavier personnalisés à un autre emplacement du disque avant de modifier le moindre raccourci clavier.  Effectuez une copie de sauvegarde sur un support amovible (un CD-ROM ou un lecteur flash USB, par exemple), sur un Macintosh en réseau (à l’aide de Bonjour) ou dans un compte .Mac (reportez-vous à la rubrique « Partage de données Logic Express sur un réseau » à la page 700). Ces différentes options de sauvegarde facilitent le transfert de vos raccourcis clavier lorsque vous utilisez Logic Express sur un autre ordinateur. Même si vous installez des mises à jour de Logic Express, vos raccourcis clavier personnels sont conservés. Remarque : presque tous les raccourcis clavier peuvent être définis par l’utilisateur. Certains raccourcis attribués par défaut aux commandes standard telles que Annuler, Enregistrer, Quitter, Nouveau, Ouvrir, Couper, Copier et Coller suivent les conventions de Mac OS X et il est préférable de ne pas les modifier. Certaines touches sont « attribuées de manière définitive » à des fonctions ou des commandes spécifiques, et ne peuvent donc pas être modifiées. Elles sont d’ailleurs estompées dans la liste des raccourcis clavier afin de signaler leur état « fixe ». Reportez-vous à la rubrique ci-dessous. 174 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base Touches spéciales Certaines touches sont associées à des fonctions spéciales :  Les touches de modification Maj, Contrôle, Option et Commande peuvent uniquement être utilisées conjointement avec d’autres touches.  La touche Arrière a une fonction fixe qui consiste à supprimer les objets sélectionnés. Elle ne peut être attribuée à une autre fonction que si elle est associée à l’une des touches de modification.  Les combinaisons de touches affectées aux commandes de la barre de menus principale peuvent être redéfinies, mais il est généralement conseillé de conserver leur valeur par défaut. Les raccourcis clavier sont affichés à la suite des éléments de menu principaux. Exemples : Commande + 1 ouvre la fenêtre Arrangement, Maj + L verrouille le screenset actuel.  Les touches Plus et Moins sont associées aux raccourcis clavier « Augmenter/Diminuer le dernier paramètre de 1 ». Comme leur nom le laisse supposer, ces fonctions permettent d’augmenter ou de diminuer la valeur d’un paramètre sélectionné d’une unité à la fois.  Si vous combinez la touche Maj avec les touches Plus et Moins, vous accédez aux raccourcis clavier « Augmenter/Diminuer le dernier paramètre de 10 ». Fenêtre Raccourcis clavier La fenêtre Raccourcis clavier vous permet d’associer des fonctions de Logic Express à des touches de votre clavier ou à des messages MIDI. Vous pouvez ainsi entièrement personnaliser l’application, afin qu’elle corresponde à votre façon de travailler. Pour ouvrir la fenêtre Raccourcis clavier, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur Logic Express > Préférences > Raccourcis clavier (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Option + K, qui correspond à l’option Ouvrir raccourcis clavier). m Cliquez sur le bouton Préférences de la barre d’outils, puis cliquez sur Raccourcis clavier dans le menu contextuel. Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 175 Π Conseil : si vous sélectionnez une commande dans un menu tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, la fenêtre Raccourcis clavier apparaît avec la commande en question sélectionnée. Cela fonctionne également avec les menus contextuels.  Liste des raccourcis clavier : répertorie tous les raccourcis clavier disponibles. La puce identifie les raccourcis clavier qui ne sont pas disponibles sous forme d’éléments de menu.  Colonnes Touche et Attribution : affichent la touche actuellement attribuée et, le cas échéant, le message MIDI.  Zone Rechercher : permet de rechercher des raccourcis clavier par nom ou partie du nom.  Zone Combinaison de touches : affiche la combinaison de touches associée au raccourci clavier sélectionné.  Zone Attributions : affiche l’attribution de la surface de contrôle associée à la commande sélectionnée.  Boutons Apprendre : cliquez dessus pour apprendre à Logic Express à utiliser une touche ou combinaison de touches spécifique pour effectuer une opération. Liste des raccourcis clavier Colonnes Touche et Attribution Zone réservée aux combinaisons de touches Champ Rechercher Boutons Apprendre Zone réservée aux attributions Bouton Apprendre 176 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base Groupes et hiérarchies de raccourcis clavier Les raccourcis clavier globaux sont toujours actifs, quelle que soit la fenêtre active. Quant aux commandes non globales, elles nécessitent que la fenêtre correspondante soit active (et qu’elle figure au premier plan ou au-dessus des autres fenêtres). Cela vous permet d’affecter le même raccourci clavier (ou la même combinaison de touches) à différentes fonctions dans différentes fenêtres. Important : il existe une hiérarchie des classes de raccourcis clavier, qui ne sont pas simplement réparties en raccourcis globaux et locaux. Par exemple, il existe une classe de raccourcis qui s’applique à toutes les fenêtres affichant des régions. Cette classe a un niveau de priorité supérieur aux raccourcis clavier globaux, mais inférieur aux raccourcis locaux dans les fenêtres correspondantes (Arrangement, Partition, Clavier, etc.). Sélection de jeux de raccourcis clavier Le menu Options dispose de commandes vous permettant de passer d’un jeu de raccourcis clavier à un autre, de les importer ou de les exporter. Cela s’avère particulièrement utile lorsque vous devez travailler provisoirement sur le système Logic Express d’un autre utilisateur : vous pouvez ainsi utiliser vos raccourcis clavier personnels sans modifier les réglages de l’autre système.  Menu Options > Préréglage : affiche tous les jeux de raccourcis clavier enregistrés dans le dossier ~Bibliothèque/Application Support/Logic/Key Commands, ce qui vous permet de passer rapidement d’un jeu à l’autre.  Options > Importer raccourcis clavier : ouvre une zone de sélection des fichiers vous permettant d’importer des jeux de raccourcis clavier depuis n’importe quel emplacement. Le fichier existant (sur le système cible) est automatiquement enregistré sous forme de fichier *.bak. Ce dernier contient les anciens raccourcis clavier. Il n’est pas nécessaire de redémarrer Logic Express pour utiliser le nouveau jeu de raccourcis clavier.  Options > Exporter raccourcis clavier : ouvre une zone de sélection des fichiers vous permettant d’enregistrer les attributions de raccourcis clavier en cours dans n’importe quel emplacement. Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 177 Navigation au sein des raccourcis clavier Les raccourcis clavier sont regroupés en plusieurs catégories. Vous pouvez développer ou réduire un groupe en cliquant sur son triangle d’affichage. La commande Options > Étendre tout affiche le contenu de tous les groupes de raccourcis clavier. La commande Options > Tout condenser masque le contenu de tous les groupes de raccourcis clavier. Si vous développez des groupes de raccourcis clavier, il est possible que le raccourci clavier que vous aviez sélectionné ne soit plus visible. Pour y revenir rapidement, choisissez Options > Aller à la sélection. Lorsque la liste est activée, vous pouvez utiliser un raccourci clavier (ou une combinaison de raccourcis) pour sélectionner la fonction associée dans la liste. Recherche de raccourcis clavier Vous pouvez utiliser le champ Rechercher de la fenêtre Raccourcis clavier pour rechercher des raccourcis par nom ou partie du nom :  La recherche s’effectue à mesure que vous tapez du texte. Il n’est pas nécessaire d’appuyer sur la touche Retour, sauf si vous souhaitez conserver un historique des recherches de raccourcis clavier.  Le bouton Annuler situé sur la droite (qui apparaît dès que vous tapez du texte) efface toute entrée de texte et affiche l’ensemble des raccourcis clavier.  Le menu Rechercher situé à gauche (la loupe) conserve un historique des termes récemment recherchés. L’option de menu Effacer permet d’effacer l’historique de recherche. Remarque : l’historique de recherche contient uniquement les recherches validées à l’aide de la touche Retour. 178 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base Attribution de raccourcis clavier à des touches de l’ordinateur Cette rubrique vous explique comment associer certaines touches de votre clavier à des fonctions Logic Express. Pour associer une fonction à une touche : 1 Sélectionnez la commande voulue dans la colonne Commande. 2 Activez le bouton « Apprendre par nom de touche ». 3 Appuyez simultanément sur la touche et la ou les touches de modification à utiliser (Maj, Contrôle, Option ou Commande). 4 Si vous souhaitez définir une autre attribution, répétez les étapes 1 à 3. 5 Désactivez le bouton « Apprendre par nom de touche ». La fonction « Apprendre par position de touche » fonctionne à l’identique, mais elle ne se limite pas à stocker une référence à un code ASCII : elle enregistre le code matériel de la touche sur laquelle vous appuyez. En pratique, cela signifie que vous pouvez, par exemple, affecter différentes commandes aux touches numérotées du pavé numérique et à celles situées dans la partie supérieure du clavier. Par ailleurs, la position de la touche reste la même, quels que soient les réglages linguistiques de votre système d’exploitation ou le clavier utilisé. À titre d’exemple, l’utilisation du code matériel pour une fonction affectée à la touche Y d’un clavier anglais fonctionne de la même façon sur un clavier allemand, même si la touche Z du clavier allemand figure à la place de la touche Y du clavier anglais. Seul inconvénient : c’est le code de la touche (un numéro) qui est affiché dans la fenêtre Raccourcis clavier, et non le symbole ASCII. Ce dernier est plus utile à des fins de référence. Pour clarifier la différence entre ces deux fonctions, voici une petite comparaison :  Si vous utilisez la fonction « Apprendre par nom de touche » et définissez un seul raccourci clavier pour une touche donnée, celui-ci est toujours utilisé, que vous appuyiez sur l’une ou l’autre des deux touches (la touche 7 du clavier alphanumérique ou le 7 du pavé numérique, par exemple).  Si vous utilisez la fonction « Apprendre par position de touche » et définissez deux raccourcis clavier (un pour le clavier alphanumérique, un autre pour le pavé numérique), seul le raccourci clavier approprié est utilisé (un pour chaque touche numérotée 7, par exemple). Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 179 Utilisation de raccourcis clavier Si vous attribuez une combinaison de touches déjà définie au niveau local à un nouveau raccourci clavier global, le message d’avertissement suivant apparaît : Trois possibilités s’offrent à vous : Annuler, Remplacer ou OK.  Annuler : ne modifie pas les attributions existantes.  Remplacer : remplace le raccourci existant (attribué à une combinaison de touches particulière) par la fonction sélectionnée.  OK : attribue la combinaison de raccourci clavier à la fonction sélectionnée, tout en conservant le raccourci clavier ou la fonction existante. Pour supprimer des attributions de raccourcis clavier : 1 Sélectionnez la fonction dont vous souhaitez supprimer l’attribution de raccourci clavier. 2 Activez le bouton « Apprendre par nom de touche » ou « Apprendre par position de touche ». 3 Appuyez sur la touche Retour arrière. 4 Pour supprimer d’autres attributions, répétez les étapes 1 et 3. 5 Désactivez le bouton « Apprendre par nom de touche » ou « Apprendre par position de touche ». Attribution de raccourcis clavier à des surfaces de contrôle Le bouton « Apprendre nouvelle assignation » vous permet d’attribuer des raccourcis clavier particuliers à des messages de surface de contrôle, dans le but d’apprendre à Logic Express à réellement comprendre ces messages. Pour apprendre une assignation du contrôleur : 1 Cliquez sur le bouton « Apprendre nouvelle assignation ». 2 Sélectionnez une commande dans la colonne Commande. 3 Envoyez le message MIDI souhaité depuis votre contrôleur. 180 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base Le champ Assignations affiche l’assignation apprise, ce qui peut inclure l’un ou l’ensemble des éléments suivants :  Le nom de la surface de contrôle (ou la chaîne MIDI), si l’assignation provient d’une surface de contrôle non prise en charge.  Le nom du contrôle.  La zone et le mode auxquels l’assignation appartient, le cas échéant. Remarque : le bouton « Apprendre nouvelle assignation » est automatiquement désactivé une fois que vous avez reçu l’intégralité du message, ce qui vous évite de recevoir d’autres messages (éventuellement) envoyés par le périphérique lorsque vous relâchez le bouton. Pour vous assurer de bien recevoir le message, maintenez le bouton enfoncé pendant quelques secondes, puis relâchez-le. 4 Si vous souhaitez définir une autre assignation, répétez les étapes 2 et 3. Si vous souhaitez assigner d’autres fonctions, en dehors des raccourcis clavier, à une surface de contrôle, ouvrez l’éditeur des assignations du contrôleur. Pour y accéder, double-cliquez sur une ligne de la rubrique d’assignation ou choisissez Logic Express > Préférences > Surfaces de contrôle > Apprendre l’assignation pour xxx (raccourci clavier Ouvrir l’éditeur des assignations du contrôleur). Cette procédure est détaillée dans le manuel d’assistance sur les surfaces de contrôle. Réinitialisation des attributions de raccourcis clavier Vous pouvez restaurer les attributions par défaut de tous les raccourcis clavier. Cette opération vous fera perdre tous vos raccourcis clavier, donc pensez à créer d’abord une copie de votre fichier de raccourcis clavier. Pour réinitialiser toutes les attributions de raccourcis clavier : m Cliquez sur Options > Initialiser tous les raccourcis clavier dans la fenêtre Raccourcis clavier. Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 181 Impression d’une liste de raccourcis clavier Vous pouvez utiliser la fonction Options > Copier les raccourcis dans le Presse-papiers pour copier toutes vos attributions de raccourcis clavier dans le Presse-papiers sous forme de texte. Ensuite, il vous suffit de coller les résultats dans n’importe quelle application de traitement de texte, de leur appliquer la mise en forme souhaitée et de les imprimer. La commande « Copier vers le Presse-papiers » se limite à copier les attributions de raccourcis clavier actuellement affichées. Ainsi, vous pouvez exporter un groupe donné de raccourcis clavier (ceux contenant une chaîne de caractères spécifique, par exemple). Ce que vous voyez dans la fenêtre affichée correspond exactement au contenu exporté. Utilisation d’outils Chaque éditeur fournit des outils différents, adaptés aux tâches effectuées dans la fenêtre. Ces outils ne fonctionnent que dans les limites de la zone de travail de la fenêtre dans laquelle vous les avez sélectionnés. Vous pouvez définir des outils individuels pour chaque fenêtre. Un outil (comme les Ciseaux) agit sur les régions ou événements sur lesquels vous cliquez. Si vous avez sélectionné plusieurs régions, elles sont donc toutes modifiées par l’outil (les Ciseaux ont pour effet de couper toutes les régions sélectionnées au même emplacement de la tête de lecture). La commande « Copier vers le Presse-papiers » copie uniquement les attributions de raccourcis clavier actuellement visibles. 182 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base Pour accéder aux outils, il vous suffit de cliquer sur les menus Outil situés dans l’angle supérieur droit de chaque fenêtre. Ils vous permettent d’effectuer directement des opérations de modification et de gestion des régions, événements ou fichiers. Vous pouvez affecter librement au moins deux outils, un dans chaque menu Outil. Dans certaines fenêtres, des menus Outil supplémentaires peuvent apparaître si vous avez déjà affecté deux outils. Pour assigner l’outil de clic gauche (outil par défaut) : m Cliquez sur le menu Outil de gauche pour l’ouvrir, puis sélectionnez l’outil souhaité. Pour assigner l’outil de clic + touche Commande (outil secondaire) : m Cliquez sur le menu Outil de droite, puis sélectionnez l’outil souhaité. Lorsque vous modifiez une région, un événement ou un fichier, les deux outils sont disponibles au niveau du pointeur de la souris. L’outil du menu de gauche est actif par défaut. Pour basculer de l’outil par défaut à l’outil secondaire : 1 Maintenez la touche Commande enfoncée pour activer l’outil secondaire (menu de droite). 2 Relâchez la touche Commande pour revenir à l’outil par défaut (menu de gauche). Le pointeur de la souris adopte la forme de l’outil « actif ». Vous pouvez donc immédiatement l’identifier en regardant sa forme. Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 183 Assignation du bouton droit de la souris Si vous possédez une souris qui convient, vous pouvez également affecter le bouton droit de la souris à l’un des éléments suivants :  Un troisième outil  Le menu Outils  Un menu contextuel (par défaut) Pour définir le comportement du bouton droit de la souris : 1 Ouvrez les préférences globales en procédant de l’une des manières suivantes :  Cliquez sur Logic Express > Préférences > Global (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant).  Cliquez sur le bouton Préférences de la barre d’outils, puis cliquez sur Globales dans le menu contextuel. 2 Cliquez sur l’onglet Édition, puis sélectionnez le réglage souhaité dans le menu local « Bouton droit de la souris ».  Est assignable à un outil : lorsque cette option est sélectionnée, un troisième menu Outil apparaît (à droite des menus Outil par défaut et secondaire) dans la fenêtre de travail. Sélectionnez l’option de menu appropriée pour affecter un outil au bouton droit de la souris. Le fait de cliquer avec le bouton droit de la souris active le troisième outil dans la fenêtre de travail. Menu Outil (clic gauche) Menu Outil (clic droit) Menu Outil (clic + touche Commande) 184 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base  Ouvre le menu Outil : si vous cliquez avec le bouton droit de la souris sur la zone de travail de la fenêtre active, le menu Outil s’ouvre à l’endroit où se trouve le curseur de la souris. Pour sélectionner l’outil souhaité, il vous suffit de cliquer dessus. Lorsque le menu Outil est ouvert, vous pouvez également appuyez sur le chiffre indiqué en regard du nom d’un outil pour le sélectionner.  Ouvre le menu contextuel : si vous cliquez avec le bouton droit de la souris sur la zone de travail de la fenêtre active, un menu s’affiche dans lequel plusieurs commandes d’édition et de sélection spécifiques à la zone sont disponibles (voir « Utilisation du menu contextuel » à la page 188). Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 185 Utilisation de raccourcis clavier pour sélectionner des outils Vous pouvez également utiliser les raccourcis clavier suivants pour sélectionner des outils :  Régler outil suivant et Régler outil précédent : permettent d’accéder à l’outil le plus proche dans la fenêtre active.  Afficher menu Outil : ouvre le menu Outil à l’emplacement du curseur. Lorsque le menu Outil est ouvert, vous pouvez également utiliser la touche numérotée indiquée en regard d’un outil pour sélectionner ce dernier. (Raccourci clavier par défaut : Échap).  Régler outil X : chaque outil peut être sélectionné via un raccourci clavier spécifique. Les raccourcis clavier assignés à un outil donné permettent de basculer entre cet outil et l’outil précédemment sélectionné. À propos des outils courants La rubrique suivante décrit les outils les plus courants disponibles dans Logic Express. Quant aux outils spécifiques à certaines fenêtres d’édition, ils sont détaillés dans les chapitres correspondants à ces fenêtres. Outil Pointeur Le Pointeur est l’outil par défaut lorsque Logic Express s’ouvre. Le curseur de la souris prend également cette forme en dehors de la zone de travail, lorsque vous sélectionnez un menu ou saisissez une valeur. Au sein de la zone de travail, vous pouvez utiliser l’outil Pointeur pour :  Sélectionner un ou plusieurs événements, régions ou autres éléments en cliquant dessus. Reportez-vous à la rubrique « Techniques de sélection » à la page 189.  Déplacer un élément (en le saisissant, puis en le faisant glisser) ;  Copier un élément (en le faisant glisser tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée) ;  Modifier des longueurs (en saisissant l’angle inférieur droit ou gauche, puis en le faisant glisser) ;  Lire des régions en boucle (en saisissant leur angle supérieur droit, puis en le faisant glisser). 186 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base Outil Crayon Le Crayon permet d’ajouter de nouvelles régions ou de nouveaux événements. Il vous permet également de sélectionner, faire glisser, lire en boucle des régions, ainsi que de modifier la durée de régions ou d’événements. Outil Gomme La Gomme permet de supprimer les régions ou événements sélectionnés. Lorsque vous cliquez sur une région ou un événement avec la Gomme, l’ensemble des régions ou événements sélectionnés sont supprimés (comme si vous aviez appuyé sur la touche Retour). Grâce à la Gomme, vous pouvez également supprimer une région ou un événement non sélectionné en cliquant dessus. Outil Texte L’outil Texte permet de nommer des régions ou d’ajouter du texte à une partition musicale. Outil Ciseaux L’outil Ciseaux est utilisé pour dissocier des régions et des événements, ce qui permet de copier, déplacer ou supprimer des rubriques individuelles. Outil Colle La fonction de l’outil Colle est l’inverse de celle de l’outil Ciseaux. Toutes les régions ou tous les événements sélectionnés sont fusionnés en une région ou un événement unique. Outil Solo Lorsque vous cliquez sur une région avec l’outil Solo et que vous maintenez le bouton de la souris enfoncé, vous pouvez écouter la région ou l’événement sélectionné de façon isolée. Le déplacement de la souris à l’horizontale a également pour effet de produire (effectuer un scrub) tout événement touché par le curseur. Outil Muet Lorsque vous cliquez sur une région ou un événement avec l’outil Muet, cela empêche sa lecture. Il vous suffit de cliquer une seconde fois sur l’outil Muet pour activer le son de la région ou de l’événement. Si vous avez sélectionné plusieurs régions ou événements, le réglage Muet/Son actif de celui ou celle sur lequel vous avez cliqué s’applique à tous. Outil Zoom L’outil Zoom vous permet d’obtenir un zoom de la zone sélectionnée par étirement (jusqu’à ce qu’elle remplisse la fenêtre). Il vous suffit ensuite de cliquer sur l’arrière-plan de la fenêtre avec cet outil pour rétablir le niveau de zoom normal. Vous pouvez également accéder à la fonction Zoom (même si d’autres outils sont actifs) en maintenant les touches Contrôle et Option enfoncées. Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 187 Utilisation des bulles d’aide Lorsque vous utilisez plusieurs outils, une balise d’aide apparaît juste en dessous du curseur aussi longtemps que vous maintenez le bouton de la souris enfoncé. Cette bulle d’aide fournit des commentaires utiles concernant le type d’opération que vous effectuez. Remarque : vous devez activer l’option Logic Express > Préférences > Afficher > Général > Afficher les bulles d’aide afin de pouvoir visualiser les bulles d’aide au cours de vos opérations de modification. Lors d’opérations impliquant des régions, la bulle d’aide se présente comme ceci : De gauche à droite (et de haut en bas), les valeurs indiquent :  Nom de l’opération.  Position de la souris (ou de la région).  Nom de la région/l’événement.  Numéro de la piste.  Durée de la région. Lors d’opérations impliquant des événements, la bulle d’aide est semblable à ceci : De gauche à droite, les valeurs indiquent :  Nom de l’opération.  Position de la souris (ou de l’événement).  Type d’événement.  Canal MIDI de l’événement. 188 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base  Premier octet de données (tonalité, par exemple).  Second octet de données (vélocité de la note, par exemple).  Durée de l’événement (durée de la note, par exemple). Utilisation du menu contextuel Maintenez la touche Contrôle enfoncée et cliquez n’importe où dans la fenêtre Arrangement, l’Éditeur Clavier ou les Éditeurs de liste pour afficher un menu contextuel. Ce menu vous sert pour diverses tâches d’édition et de sélection. Les menus contextuels affichés varient d’une fenêtre à l’autre (et au sein d’une même fenêtre) selon l’état de sélection des événements ou régions figurant dans la fenêtre et le type d’informations géré par l’éditeur. Les éléments disponibles dans chaque menu reflètent le contexte actuel. Voici deux exemples associés à la fenêtre Arrangement :  Fenêtre Arrangement ne comportant aucune région ou dans laquelle aucune région n’est sélectionnée : les commandes Sélectionner, Coller et Glissement en lecture sont disponibles.  Fenêtre Arrangement dans laquelle une ou plusieurs régions sont sélectionnées : les commandes Couper, Copier, Supprimer, Pousser, SMPTE - Verrouiller/Déverrouiller la position, Nom et Couleur de la région sont alors disponibles. Remarque : vous pouvez toujours accéder au menu contextuel en cliquant tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, mais vous pouvez aussi utiliser le bouton droit de la souris pour l’ouvrir. Pour ce faire, vérifiez que l’option de menu contextuel « Bouton droit de la souris : ouvre le menu contextuel » est sélectionnée dans l’onglet Préférences > Globales > Édition. Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 189 Techniques de sélection À partir du moment où vous souhaitez effectuer une opération sur un ou plusieurs événements ou régions (ou d’autres éléments, tels que des bandes de canaux de la table de mixage), vous devez d’abord les sélectionner. Soit les éléments, régions ou événements sélectionnés sont affichés dans un schéma en couleur inversé, leur nom apparaissant en surbrillance, soit ils clignotent (les événements de note dans l’éditeur de partition, par exemple). Une région ou un événement sélectionné dans une fenêtre l’est également dans toutes les autres fenêtres dans lesquelles il ou elle figure. Ainsi, un événement de note sélectionné dans l’Éditeur Clavier l’est également dans l’éditeur de partition et dans la Liste d’événements. La région qui contient l’événement sélectionné est également sélectionnée dans la zone Arrangement. Si vous déplacez le focus principal sur une autre fenêtre, cela n’a pas d’incidence sur la sélection (tant que vous ne cliquez pas sur l’arrière-plan de la fenêtre, ce qui a pour effet de tout désélectionner). Veillez à cliquer sur les barres de titre des fenêtres lorsque vous changez de fenêtre. Π Conseil : pensez à utiliser les fonctions Zoom lorsque vous sélectionnez un élément, étant donné qu’un niveau de zoom élevé permet d’effectuer beaucoup plus facilement des sélections précises. Sélection de régions, d’événements et d’autres éléments individuels Vous pouvez sélectionner des régions ou des événements individuels (ou d’autres éléments, comme des bandes de canaux de la table de mixage) en cliquant dessus à l’aide de l’outil Pointeur. Pour les désélectionner, il vous suffit de cliquer sur l’arrière-plan de la fenêtre ou de sélectionner une autre région, un autre événement ou un autre élément. 190 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base Les raccourcis clavier Sélectionner la région ou l’événement suivant (assignation par défaut : touche Flèche droite) et Sélectionner la région ou l’événement précédent (assignation par défaut : touche Flèche gauche) permettent de passer rapidement d’une région ou d’un événement à un autre (et de les sélectionner individuellement). Si vous appuyez sur une touche d’une lettre dans la zone Arrangement, la première région dont le nom commence par cette lettre est sélectionnée (comme dans le Finder), à condition qu’aucun raccourci clavier ne soit affecté à cette touche. Sélection de plusieurs régions, événements et autres éléments Vous serez souvent amené à sélectionner plusieurs régions, événements ou autres éléments afin, par exemple, de les déplacer, traiter ou copier. Pour sélectionner l’ensemble des régions, événements ou éléments d’une fenêtre : m Choisissez Édition > Tout sélectionner (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Commande + A). Pour désélectionner l’ensemble des régions, événements ou éléments d’une fenêtre : m Cliquez sur Édition > Tout désélectionner (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut Maj + Commande + A). Pour sélectionner plusieurs régions, événements ou éléments non contigus d’une fenêtre : m Cliquez dessus l’un après l’autre, tout en appuyant sur la touche Maj. À mesure que vous sélectionnez des régions ou des événements, les sélections précédentes sont conservées. Sélections horizontales Vous pouvez effectuer des sélections horizontales dans différentes fenêtres d’édition, afin de sélectionner rapidement l’ensemble des régions ou événements alignés sur une voie. Pour sélectionner toutes les régions d’une piste dans la zone Arrangement, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur le nom de la piste souhaitée dans la liste de pistes. m Choisissez Édition > Tout sélectionner selon la même piste (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Toutes les régions suivant (situées après) la région choisie sont alors sélectionnées. Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 191 Pour sélectionner tous les événements (d’une définition d’événement spécifiée) dans l’Éditeur Hyper, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur le nom de la définition d’événement. m Cliquez sur Édition > Tout sélectionner selon la même hauteur tonale (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Tous les événements situés après l’événement choisi sont alors sélectionnés. Pour sélectionner toutes les notes d’une certaine tonalité dans l’Éditeur Clavier, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur la touche appropriée sur le clavier du piano roll. m Cliquez sur Édition > Sélectionner tous les éléments ayant la même tonalité (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Important : les techniques de sélection expliquées ci-dessus concernent uniquement les régions ou événements faisant partie de la zone de cycle définie dans la règle Mesure, lorsque le mode Cycle est activé. Sélections par étirement Pour sélectionner plusieurs régions ou événements consécutifs (ou d’autres éléments, tels que des bandes de canaux de la table de mixage), cliquez sur l’arrière-plan, puis tracez à l’aide du pointeur une zone autour de ces éléments. Toutes les régions ou tous les événements touchés ou entourés par cette zone grisée sont sélectionnés. 192 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base Inversement de l’état de sélection Si vous effectuez une sélection (y compris horizontale ou par étirement) tout en maintenant la touche Maj enfoncée, l’état actif de sélection des régions ou événements concernés est inversé. Vous pouvez également inverser l’état de sélection de l’ensemble des régions ou événements à l’aide de la commande Édition > Inverser la sélection (raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + T). Par exemple : si vous souhaitez sélectionner toutes les régions d’un projet à quelques exceptions près, commencez par sélectionner les régions à exclure de votre sélection, puis utilisez la commande Inverser la sélection. Sélection des régions ou événements consécutifs Pour sélectionner toutes les régions ou tous les événements qui figurent à la suite d’une région ou d’un événement sélectionné (ou, si aucun n’est sélectionné, pour sélectionner l’ensemble des régions ou événements situés après la tête de lecture), cliquez sur Édition > Sélectionner tous les suivants (raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + F). Pour ajouter la région ou l’événement suivant à votre sélection : m Utilisez le raccourci clavier Basculer sur région/événement suivant (par défaut : Maj + Flèche droite). Pour ajouter la région ou l’événement précédent à votre sélection : m Utilisez la commande Basculer sur région/événement précédent (par défaut Maj + Flèche gauche). Sélection de régions ou d’événements à l’intérieur de locators Cliquez sur Édition > Sélectionner entre les locators (raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + I) pour sélectionner l’ensemble des régions ou événements figurant en partie ou en totalité entre les positions des locators. La commande Édition > Désélectionner hors locators (ou le raccourci clavier correspondant) permet de sélectionner toutes les régions ou tous les événements figurant en dehors des locators. Les sélections à l’intérieur des limites de locators ne changent pas. Sélection de régions ou d’événements spécifiques Vous pouvez utiliser les commandes suivantes pour sélectionner des régions ou des événements répondant à une condition spécifique ou présentant une caractéristique particulière.  Édition > Sélectionner les régions vides (raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + U) : permet de sélectionner toutes les régions vides.  Édition > Sélectionner les régions/événements superposés : permet de sélectionner l’ensemble des régions ou événements superposés. Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 193  Édition > Sélectionner les régions/événements silencieux (raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + M) : permet de sélectionner l’ensemble des régions ou événements silencieux.  Édition > Sélectionner régions/événements aux couleurs équivalentes (raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + C) : si vous avez sélectionné une région ou un événement d’une certaine couleur, cette commande permet de sélectionner l’ensemble des régions ou événements dotés de la même couleur. Cette option s’avère particulièrement utile lorsque vous remplacez des rubriques d’un morceau ou effectuez d’autres tâches d’édition groupées.  Raccourci clavier Désélectionner toutes les régions sauf celles de la piste sélectionnée : permet de désélectionner toutes les régions ne faisant pas partie de la piste sélectionnée. Cette commande s’avère particulièrement utile si vous l’utilisez après d’autres commandes de sélection spéciales, car elle limite leurs effets à la piste d’enregistrement. Sélection d’objets, régions ou événements similaires ou identiques Si vous avez sélectionné une région, un événement ou un objet d’environnement, vous pouvez utiliser la fonction Édition > Sélectionner objets/régions/événements similaires pour sélectionner l’ensemble des objets, événements ou régions similaires (raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + S). La fonction Sélectionner régions/événements/objets équivalents permet de sélectionner l’ensemble des objets, régions ou événements identiques (raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + E). Le tableau ci-dessous présente les différences entre objets similaires et identiques (équivalents). Élément Similaire Identique Région Type de région (audio ou MIDI)  Régions MIDI : contenu et format identiques  Région audio : toutes les régions ayant la même durée et la même position Événements du contrôleur Numéro de contrôleur équivalent, octet de données indifférent (valeur de contrôle) Numéro de contrôleur et octet de données (valeur de contrôle) identiques Événement de note Note équivalente, octave indifférente Note et octave identiques Objet d’environnement Même type d’objet (par ex., curseur) Même type de curseur (par ex., texte) 194 Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base Sélection d’événements dotés du même canal MIDI Après avoir sélectionné un événement, vous pouvez sélectionner tous les autres événements partageant le même canal MIDI à l’aide de la commande Édition > Sélectionner les canaux de même valeur (raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + K). Par exemple : imaginez que vous changiez une région MIDI contenant des informations sur le contrôleur de volume et de balance pour 16 canaux MIDI. Pour sélectionner tous les événements des canaux 1 et 3 : 1 Tout en maintenant la touche Maj enfoncée, sélectionnez un événement du canal 1 et un autre du canal 3. 2 Cliquez sur Édition > Sélectionner les canaux de même valeur (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut Maj + K). Tous les autres événements de ces deux canaux sont sélectionnés. Sélection de régions ou d’événements ayant la même sous-position Vous pouvez sélectionner toutes les régions et tous les événements ayant une position relative donnée, par exemple l’ensemble des caisses claires sur le contretemps. Sélectionnez une région ou un événement à la position relative souhaitée, puis cliquez sur Édition > Sélectionner les sous-positions équivalentes (raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + P). L’ensemble des régions ou événements ayant la même position relative est sélectionné. Accélération des opérations d’édition à l’aide des commandes de sélection Comme vous avez pu le constater, il existe de nombreuses méthodes permettant d’effectuer des sélections en fonction de divers critères. Ces méthodes sont capables d’accélérer de nombreuses opérations d’édition lorsqu’elles sont complétées par l’utilisation de raccourcis clavier. Voici quelques exemples : Pour supprimer l’ensemble des régions, événements ou objets similaires, effectuez votre sélection, puis utilisez le raccourci clavier Supprimer objets similaires. À l’inverse, pour conserver l’ensemble des régions, événements ou objets similaires et supprimer tout le reste, utilisez le raccourci clavier « Supprimer mais conserver objets similaires ». Vous pouvez utiliser le raccourci clavier Canal événement +1 ou Canal événement -1 pour modifier d’une unité le numéro de canal du ou des événements sélectionnés, ce qui facilite leur réassignation ultérieure à un autre canal MIDI. Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 195 Utilisation du Presse-papiers Le Presse-papiers est une zone invisible de la mémoire, dans laquelle vous pouvez couper ou copier des informations sélectionnées (régions ou événements, par exemple) pour ensuite les copier à un autre emplacement. Le Presse-papiers est universel, ce qui signifie qu’il peut être utilisé pour échanger des informations d’un projet à un autre. Toutes les options suivantes sont disponibles dans le menu Édition. Couper Tous les éléments sélectionnés sont supprimés de leur emplacement actuel et placés dans le Presse-papiers. Lors de cette opération, tout contenu dans le Presse-papiers est écrasé (raccourci clavier par défaut : Commande + X). Copier Une copie de tous les éléments sélectionnés est placée dans le Presse-papiers. Ces éléments restent à leur place. Comme avec la fonction Couper, le contenu du Presse-papiers est écrasé (raccourci clavier par défaut : Commande + C). Coller Tout le contenu du Presse-papiers est copié dans la fenêtre active. Lors de cette opération, le contenu du Presse-papiers n’est pas effacé (raccourci clavier par défaut : Commande + V). Coller à la position originale Cette commande fonctionne de la même façon que la commande Coller, mais les régions ou événements contenus dans le Presse-papiers sont toujours collés à l’endroit où ils ont été coupés, quelle que soit la position actuelle de la tête de lecture (position où les objets seraient collés avec la fonction Coller standard). Coller Remplacer Cette fonction n’est disponible que dans la fenêtre Arrangement et dans l’Éditeur. Elle ressemble à la commande Coller, mais les régions ou événements collés remplacent les régions ou événements situés à un emplacement donné. Avertissement : lorsque vous utilisez cette fonction, toutes les régions ou tous les événements qui figurent dans la période de temps occupée par ces derniers dans le Presse-papiers sont effacés. Annulation et rétablissement d’opérations d’édition Changer d’avis ou faire une erreur d’édition, autant de situations inévitables au cours du processus de production musicale. Heureusement, Logic Express vous permet d’annuler très simplement vos modifications. Pour ce faire, vous disposez de la commande Annuler, conçue pour annuler votre dernière opération d’édition. Pour annuler la dernière opération : m Cliquez sur Édition > Annuler (raccourci clavier par défaut : commande + Z) de suite après avoir fait une erreur. La quasi-totalité des modifications (déplacement, suppression, changement de nom, modification de réglages, création d’événements, de régions ou de canaux, etc.) peut être annulée. Le réglage Nombre de pas d’annulation présent dans l’onglet Logic Express > Préférences > Globales > Édition vous permet de déterminer le nombre d’opérations qu’il est possible d’annuler. L’Historique d’annulation est enregistré avec le projet. Il est donc disponible dès que vous rouvrez le projet. Pour ouvrir la fenêtre Historique d’annulation : m Cliquez sur Édition > Historique d’annulation (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut Option + Z). Chapitre 8 Fonctionnement de base 197 L’Historique d’annulation affiche la liste de toutes les opérations pouvant être annulées. L’étape la plus récente (opération d’édition), qui est annulée en premier, est sélectionnée. Pour annuler ou rétablir plusieurs opérations : m Cliquez sur une entrée pour annuler ou rétablir toutes les opérations effectuées entre les entrées sur lesquelles vous avez cliqué et celles en surbrillance. Pour annuler ou rétablir une étape isolée : m Cliquez sur l’opération souhaitée tout en maintenant la touche Commande enfoncée. Vous annulez ou rétablissez alors une seule opération, sans aucun impact sur les opérations situées entre l’opération sur laquelle vous cliqué et les entrées en surbrillance. Pour effacer l’Historique d’annulation : m Choisissez sur Édition > Supprimer l’historique d’annulation. Avertissement : prenez garde à cette commande. En effet, annulations et rétablissements sont possibles concernant les opérations supprimées, une fois que l’Historique d’annulation a été effacé. 9 199 9 Utilisation des pistes Les pistes incluent les régions audio et les régions MIDI d’un projet. Les pistes sont répertoriées verticalement dans la liste des pistes Arrangement et présentées horizontalement, par lignes, dans la zone Arrangement. Chaque piste est assignée à un canal dans la table de mixage. En d’autres termes, la sortie produite par une piste donnée est envoyée vers une bande de canal. Si une piste n’est pas envoyée vers une bande de canal, ses régions ne peuvent pas être entendues. Remarque : les pistes de dossier sont l’exception à cette règle. Pour en savoir plus sur les dossiers, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Utilisation des dossiers » à la page 381. 200 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Une fois la piste associée à un type de canal de mixage donné, sa fonctionnalité est limitée de la manière suivante : Comme vous pouvez le voir, chaque type de piste traite des données particulières et a un objectif bien défini. En effet, chaque piste est acheminée vers un type de canal spécifique dans la table de mixage. Les paramètres d’une piste s’affichent dans la zone correspondante de l’Inspecteur. Important : ces paramètres font référence à la bande de canal (l’objet) vers laquelle la piste est acheminée et non à la piste proprement dite. Aussi, si vous modifiez des paramètres dans cette zone, vous affectez toutes les pistes assignées à cette bande de canal. La plupart des fonctions décrites dans ce chapitre s’appliquent indifféremment aux pistes audio, instruments logiciels et appareils MIDI externes. Outre les types de piste déjà décrits, il existe également des pistes dotées de fonctions spécifiques, telles que les pistes globales. Ces pistes, situées en haut des fenêtres d’édition linéaires, servent à visualiser et à modifier les événements globaux, tels que le tempo, qui ont une influence sur toutes les pistes de l’arrangement. Ces types de piste ne sont pas traités dans ce chapitre. Type de piste Assignation dans la table de mixage Utilisation de la piste Audio Canaux audio Lecture, enregistrement et automation de régions audio. Instrument Canaux instrumentaux Lecture, enregistrement et automation des données MIDI envoyées aux instruments logiciels MIDI Canaux MIDI Lecture, enregistrement et automation des données MIDI envoyées aux appareils MIDI externes Dossier Aucune assignation Lignes pour les régions de dossier. Les régions de dossier contiennent simplement d’autres régions et ne sont pas assignées à un canal de mixage. Zone Paramètres de piste Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 201 Configuration de l’en-tête de piste L’en-tête de chaque piste (qui apparaît dans la liste de pistes de la zone Arrangement) peut afficher un certain nombre de boutons en regard de l’icône et du nom de la piste. Par défaut, on trouve les boutons Activation pour l’enregistrement, Muet et Solo pour toutes les pistes. Le bouton Monitoring des entrées apparaît uniquement pour les pistes audio. Vous pouvez utiliser la zone de dialogue Configuration de piste pour afficher ou masquer ces éléments d’en-tête de piste, et d’autres. Pour déterminer les éléments affichés dans l’en-tête de piste : 1 Ouvrez la zone de dialogue Configuration de piste en effectuant l’une des méthodes ci-dessous :  Dans la zone Arrangement, sélectionnez Présentation > « Configurer l’en-tête de piste ».  Cliquez sur une en-tête dans la liste des pistes tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, puis sélectionnez « Configurer l’en-tête de piste » dans le menu local. 2 Activez les éléments d’en-tête souhaités dans la zone de dialogue Configuration de piste. Bouton Bouton Freeze Protection Bouton Contrôler les entrées Bouton Préparer à l’enregistrement Bouton Solo Bouton Désactiver l’audio Barre de couleur pour les pistes 202 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes  Barres des commandes de piste : activez cette option pour afficher les barres. Ces barres indiquent les pistes auxquelles vous accédez à partir des surfaces de contrôle connectées à votre système. Il est possible de définir une couleur différente pour chaque surface de contrôle dans la zone Paramètres d’appareil. Pour en savoir plus, consultez le manuel intitulé « Prise en charge des surfaces de contrôle ».  Numéros de piste/VU-mètre : cochez cette case pour afficher le numéro d’une piste. Durant la phase de lecture, un petit VU-mètre s’affiche à la place du numéro de la piste. Pour les pistes d’instruments logiciels ou d’appareils MIDI externes, ce VUmètre indique la vélocité de l’enregistrement et devient rouge lorsque la valeur de vélocité maximale est atteinte. Pour les pistes audio, le VU-mètre signale le niveau de sortie.  Icône des pistes : cliquez dessus pour afficher ou masquer l’icône des pistes dans l’en-tête.  Rubrique Noms : utilisez les différents menus de cette rubrique pour déterminer les noms affichés dans l’en-tête de piste. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Attribution de noms à des pistes » à la page 212.  Rubrique Boutons : cochez les cases associées aux divers boutons que vous souhaitez afficher dans l’en-tête de piste.  Barres de couleur pour les pistes : cochez cette case pour afficher une fine bande de couleur à droite de chaque piste. Cette aide visuelle permet de suivre les régions déplacées entre les pistes. Espace de travail et en-tête de piste Si vous activez la totalité des boutons, icônes, noms de piste et autres, la quantité d’informations à afficher dans l’en-tête de piste s’avère considérable. Pour visualiser tous ces éléments, vous pouvez redimensionner la liste des pistes, en faisant glisser le coin supérieur gauche de la zone Arrangement. Le curseur de la souris se transforme alors en icône de redimensionnement. L’inconvénient de cette technique est que cela réduit l’espace de travail dans la zone Arrangement ainsi que dans les zones d’édition. Pour libérer un peu plus d’espace de travail, vous pouvez masquer la totalité de la zone Inspecteur à gauche de la fenêtre Arrangement et des Éditeurs. Vous obtiendrez ainsi davantage d’espace pour l’affichage des régions, événements et autres données. Pour afficher ou masquer la zone Inspecteur dans la fenêtre Arrangement, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur le bouton Inspecteur dans la barre d’outils. m Sélectionnez Présentation > Inspecteur (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier par défaut Masquer/Afficher l’Inspecteur, à savoir : I). Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 203 Création de pistes et de canaux Si vous souhaitez enregistrer ou lire des données audio, MIDI ou issues d’un instrument logiciel dans Logic Express, vous devez d’abord créer une piste. Les bandes de canaux correspondantes sont alors automatiquement créées dans la table de mixage. Si des canaux d’un type particulier (canaux audio, par exemple) sont déjà définis dans la table de mixage, les pistes créées sont assignées aux canaux existants correspondants. Important : certaines options de création de pistes génèrent de nouveaux canaux, mais pas toutes. Chacune correspond à un type de tâche différent. Ces commandes sont expliquées une à une ci-après et des délimitations les distinguent dans le menu Piste au sein de l’application. Voici un exemple explicatif :  Supposons que vous créez 8 pistes audio dans la zone Arrangement d’un projet incluant 24 canaux audio déjà configurés dans la table de mixage.  Ces nouvelles pistes sont assignées aux canaux audio 1 à 8 dans la table de mixage.  Vous décidez de créer par la suite 16 pistes audio. Celles-ci sont assignées aux canaux audio 9 à 24 dans la table de mixage.  S’il n’existe aucun canal du type requis (ou en nombre suffisant) dans la table de mixage, les canaux nécessaires sont automatiquement créés lors de la création des pistes.  Vous avez besoin de 8 pistes audio supplémentaires pour votre projet ; or, vous avez déjà utilisé les 24 canaux audio de la table de mixage. Cela ne pose pas de problème. Créez simplement les 8 pistes audio supplémentaires. Logic Express génère alors automatiquement les canaux audio correspondants dans la table de mixage. Ces pistes (de 25 à 32) sont automatiquement assignées aux canaux audio 25 à 32. Remarque : la création automatique des canaux correspondants s’applique à tous les types de piste (jusqu’à ce que le nombre maximal de canaux autorisés soit atteint). Cette limite est de l’ordre de la centaine pour les canaux d’instrument ou audio, et de l’ordre du millier pour les canaux MIDI. Il est fort probable que votre ordinateur atteigne ses limites de capacités bien avant que vous ne parveniez à ce nombre maximal pour chaque type de canal. Π Conseil : la création simple et rapide de canaux, par le biais de la création de pistes, permet de ne pas avoir à générer des centaines de canaux de tout type dans la table de mixage avant de commencer à jouer. 204 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Commandes de création de pistes et de canaux Les commandes et méthodes présentées dans cette rubrique permettent de créer à la fois des pistes et les bandes de canaux correspondantes. Pour créer des pistes (et les canaux correspondants) : 1 Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes :  Dans la barre des menus locale de la zone Arrangement, sélectionnez Piste > Nouvelle (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Créer des pistes).  Cliquez sur le bouton Créer une piste (il s’agit du bouton avec le signe plus, au-dessus de la liste des pistes). 2 Dans la zone de dialogue Nouvelles pistes, sélectionnez le type et saisissez le nombre de pistes à créer. 3 Cochez la case Ouvrir la bibliothèque (le cas échéant) pour ouvrir automatiquement l’onglet Bibliothèque dans la zone Données. Vous pouvez ainsi définir immédiatement les réglages du type de piste créé. 4 Cliquez sur Créer. La nouvelle piste est créée à l’emplacement sélectionné et toutes les pistes suivantes (en dessous) se décalent dans la liste des pistes. Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 205 Utilisation de la zone de dialogue Nouvelles pistes Lors de la génération de pistes, la zone de dialogue Nouvelles pistes propose diverses options pour chaque type de piste. Ces options sont présentées ci-après. Création de pistes MIDI externes dans la zone de dialogue Nouvelles pistes Les pistes MIDI externes ne disposent d’aucune option supplémentaire mais, si vous choisissez MIDI externe dans la zone de dialogue Nouvelles pistes, voici ce qui se passe :  Un objet Multi Instrument MIDI est créé dans l’environnement pour la première piste. Cette dernière est ensuite assignée au sous-canal 1.  Les pistes suivantes sont assignées aux sous-canaux de l’objet Multi Instrument MIDI (jusqu’à 16).  Si plus de 16 pistes MIDI externes sont créées, elles reprennent à partir des canaux 1, 2, 3 et ainsi de suite. Il est possible de réassigner librement ces pistes à tout sous-canal. Si votre système dispose de plusieurs ports MIDI, vous pouvez réassigner les pistes supplémentaires (au-delà des 16 premières) à un second objet Multi Instrument MIDI.  Une bande de canal est automatiquement générée dans la table de mixage pour tous les sous-canaux de chaque objet Multi Instrument MIDI. Π Conseil : une fois la création des pistes terminée, vous pouvez rapidement réassigner les différentes pistes aux sous-canaux de tout objet Multi Instrument MIDI. Pour ce faire, vous pouvez utiliser la bibliothèque ou cliquer sur la liste des pistes tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée et en sélectionnant les éléments souhaités dans le menu Réassignation de l’objet. Pour en savoir plus sur la configuration de claviers MIDI externes et de leurs modules sonores internes, consultez la rubrique « Configuration d’instruments MIDI externes » à la page 262. Options de création de pistes audio dans la zone de dialogue Nouvelles pistes  Gestionnaire : ce menu local vous permet de sélectionner le gestionnaire du matériel audio, à utiliser pour les nouvelles pistes. Si vous n’avez qu’un seul appareil de reproduction musicale, ce menu ne s’affiche pas. 206 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes  Format : sélectionnez Mono ou Stéréo dans le menu local pour créer plusieurs pistes audio mono ou stéréo.  Entrée : choisissez l’entrée ou la paire d’entrées souhaitée.  Case Ordre croissant : cochez cette case pour assigner les entrées par ordre croissant (de l’entrée inférieure à l’entrée supérieure) à chaque piste, si plusieurs pistes sont créées. Cette option reste sans effet si une seule piste est créée. Si vous créez davantage de pistes que d’entrées (par exemple, si vous créez 8 pistes et utilisez 4 appareils en entrée), les pistes 1 et 5 sont assignées à l’entrée 1, les pistes 2 et 6, à l’entrée 2, les pistes 3 et 7, à l’entrée 3, les pistes 4 et 8, à l’entrée 4.  Sortie : sélectionnez la sortie ou la paire de sorties souhaitée.  Cases Monitoring de l’entrée et Activation pour l’enregistrement : cochez ces cases pour activer les boutons du monitoring de l’entrée et d’activation pour l’enregistrement. Ces boutons sont pratiques si vous souhaitez commencer à enregistrer immédiatement après avoir créé les pistes, par exemple. Options de création de pistes d’instruments logiciels dans la zone de dialogue Nouvelles pistes  Case Multitimbral : cochez cette case pour créer jusqu’à 16 pistes en utilisant les réglages de canaux MIDI par ordre croissant (en commençant par le canal MIDI 1 pour la première piste, le canal MIDI 2 pour la seconde et ainsi de suite).  Ces pistes sont indépendantes de la première : elles peuvent notamment être automatisées individuellement et comporter différentes régions. Toutefois, elles sont toutes associées au même canal d’instrument (qui les acheminent) dans la table de mixage.  Pour que cette option présente un intérêt, l’instrument logiciel inséré dans le canal d’instrument doit donc être multitimbral (capable de jouer divers sons sur des canaux MIDI différents). Aucun des instruments Logic Express fournis n’est multitimbral.  Sortie : sélectionnez la sortie ou la paire de sorties souhaitée. Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 207 Transfert d’un réglage de bande de canal vers une nouvelle piste Vous pouvez créer une piste utilisant l’assignation à la même bande de canal et les mêmes réglages que la piste sélectionnée. De cette manière, vous pouvez créer facilement et rapidement la copie d’une piste et d’une bande de canal existantes, sans avoir à recopier les données dans la nouvelle piste. Pour transférer l’assignation du canal à une nouvelle piste : 1 Sélectionnez la piste source (celle dont la bande de canal et les réglages correspondent à ce que vous souhaitez dupliquer). 2 Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes :  Dans la zone Arrangement, sélectionnez Piste > Nouvelle avec les même réglages.  Cliquez sur le bouton Dupliquer la piste, situé au-dessus de la liste des pistes dans la zone Arrangement. Logic Express crée, directement sous la piste source, la nouvelle piste qui utilise les mêmes réglages et assignations de canaux. Les données éventuellement présentes sur la piste ne sont pas dupliquées. Si vous souhaitez copier une piste, y compris ses données, mais non sa bande de canal, consultez la rubrique « Copie de pistes et déplacement de régions » à la page 209. Π Conseil : vous pouvez double-cliquer sur l’espace vide situé en dessous de l’en-tête de piste de la dernière piste, afin de créer une nouvelle piste. Elle sera du même type que la piste sélectionnée. Création de pistes par l’ajout de boucles Apple Loops Vous pouvez aussi créer des pistes en faisant glisser des boucles Apple Loops directement depuis le navigateur de boucles jusque dans une zone vide de la fenêtre Arrangement. Une piste ainsi que la bande de canal correspondante sont automatiquement créées et une boucle Apple Loops se charge. Pour en savoir plus sur l’ajout de boucles Apple Loops, consultez la rubrique « Recherche de boucles Apple Loops dans le navigateur de boucles » à la page 290. Création de pistes par l’ajout de fichiers audio Vous pouvez aussi créer des pistes en faisant glisser des fichiers audio depuis le navigateur multimédia jusque dans une zone vide de l’arrangement. Une piste ainsi que la bande de canal correspondante sont automatiquement créées et une région (de la longueur totale du fichier audio) s’ajoute à la nouvelle piste de l’arrangement. Le fichier audio est également ajouté automatiquement dans le chutier audio (de même que la région correspondante). 208 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Commandes de création de pistes Les commandes et méthodes présentées dans cette rubrique permettent uniquement de créer des pistes. La bande de canal active sert de cible pour la nouvelle piste. Création d’une piste avec la même assignation de canal Dans certains cas, il est préférable de disposer de plusieurs copies d’une même piste utilisant toutes le même canal dans la table de mixage. Par exemple : vous cherchez à créer plusieurs pistes pour un même instrument logiciel, tel que l’EXS24 mkII, avec une batterie chargée en mémoire. Chaque piste peut contenir des régions MIDI qui déclenchent des sons de batterie distincts (grosse caisse, caisse claire, cymbale charleston, etc.). Le fait de disposer d’une piste particulière pour chaque son permet de jouer en solo ou couper certains sons de la batterie. Π Conseil : utilisez une version de l’EXS24 mkII prévoyant des sorties différentes si vous voulez traiter individuellement les sons de la batterie avec des effets distincts. Pour créer une piste avec la même assignation d’instrument ou de bande de canal : 1 Sélectionnez la piste à copier. 2 Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes :  Choisissez la commande Piste > Nouvelle piste avec le même instrument/bande de canal (raccourci clavier par défaut : Contrôle + Retour) pour créer une piste sous la piste sélectionnée.  Utilisez le raccourci clavier « Ajouter la piste à la liste » pour créer une nouvelle piste en bas de la liste des pistes. Création d’une piste avec l’assignation de canal suivante La commande Piste > « Nouvelle avec le canal MIDI suivant » (raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + Contrôle + Retour) crée un piste sous la piste sélectionnée et lui assigne le canal MIDI ou instrumental suivant. Si le canal MIDI de la piste sélectionnée correspond au canal 16, le premier canal est réutilisé. Cette commande n’est pas disponible si des pistes audio (ou des pistes sans paramètre de canal MIDI, comme les pistes assignées aux canaux auxiliaires) sont sélectionnées. Création de pistes avec le canal MIDI/la bande de canal suivant(e) La commande Piste > Nouvelle avec l’instrument/bande de canal suivant(e) permet de créer une nouvelle piste, ou une nouvelle piste et une nouvelle bande de canal. La commande se comporte différemment en fonction du type de piste sélectionné :  Si la piste sélectionnée est une piste d’instrument logiciel ou audio : la commande crée une nouvelle piste sous la piste sélectionnée, et lui assigne la bande de canal suivante. Si aucune bande de canal n’existe, elle est automatiquement créée. Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 209  Si la piste sélectionnée est une piste MIDI : l’utilisation de cette commande revient à sélectionner Piste > Nouvelle avec le canal MIDI suivant : une nouvelle piste est créée et assignée au canal MIDI suivant. Copie de pistes et déplacement de régions Maintenez la touche Option enfoncée tout en déplaçant verticalement une piste (en faisant glisser le numéro de la piste) afin de créer une copie de la piste à l’emplacement voulu. Toutes les régions sélectionnées sur la piste source sont déplacées vers la nouvelle piste. Remarque : si vous maintenez la touche Option enfoncée avant de cliquer sur le numéro de piste, aucune autre région de la piste n’est sélectionnée. Si aucune région n’est sélectionnée au préalable, une piste vide (assignée au même canal que la piste initiale) est alors créée à l’emplacement voulu. Si la fonction Lecture en boucle est activée, toutes les régions du cycle sont déplacées de l’ancienne piste vers la nouvelle. Le résultat sonore reste le même : la nouvelle piste étant une copie, elle hérite du réglage de la sortie relative à la bande de canal de la piste source. Ainsi, une seule bande de canal est utilisée pour plusieurs pistes. Vous pouvez donc jouer certaines parties en double piste pour les renforcer. En outre, cela facilite et accélère certaines tâches telles que la création de voix à l’unisson (c’est-à-dire différant d’une octave entre deux pistes) pour les pistes d’instruments logiciels ou MIDI. Pour ce faire, en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée, faites glisser les régions de la piste de destination pour les répliquer/restaurer sur la piste source. Remarque : si vous modifiez le volume (ou d’autres paramètres) de la bande du canal, indépendamment de la piste choisie, toutes les pistes dirigées vers cette bande sont affectées par les changements. Création de pistes pour les régions superposées La fonction Piste > « Nouvelle pour les régions superposées » crée des pistes pour les régions totalement ou partiellement superposées. Les régions sont alors réparties entre les pistes créées. Le nombre de nouvelles pistes est égal au nombre de superpositions. Toutes les pistes sont dotées de la même assignation de canal que la piste d’origine. Comme présenté précédemment, une seule bande de canal est utilisée pour toutes les pistes. 210 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Création de pistes pour les régions sélectionnées La fonction Piste > « Nouvelle pour les régions sélectionnées » crée une piste destinée aux régions sélectionnées dans la piste initiale. Les régions sélectionnées sont déplacées vers la nouvelle piste, disparaissant ainsi de la piste source. Toutes les nouvelles pistes utilisent la même assignation de canal que la piste d’origine. Si vous utilisez cette commande alors que plusieurs régions sont sélectionnées entre diverses pistes, une piste est créée pour chaque piste source. Par exemple :  Deux régions sont sélectionnées sur la piste A, une région sur la piste B et quatre régions sur la piste C.  Suite à l’utilisation de la commande relative aux régions sélectionnées, les deux régions de la piste A sont déplacées vers la nouvelle piste « copie de A », la région de la piste B est déplacée vers « copie de B » et les quatre régions de la piste C vers « copie de C ».  Si vous souhaitez créer des pistes distinctes pour les deux régions de la piste A (désormais situées sur la copie de A), sélectionnez simplement la copie de A : l’ensemble des régions de cette piste sont alors automatiquement sélectionnées et vous pouvez à nouveau exécuter la commande. Suppression de pistes Si vous supprimez une piste, la bande de canal associée est également supprimée et ne figure plus dans la table de mixage (à moins qu’elle soit assignée à une piste en cours d’utilisation). Pour supprimer une piste, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Sélectionnez la piste, puis choisissez Piste > Supprimer. Π Conseil : si aucune région n’est sélectionnée dans la zone Arrangement, vous pouvez supprimer la piste sélectionnée en appuyant sur la touche Retour arrière. m Supprimez la piste en la faisant glisser vers la gauche, en dehors de la liste. Pour supprimer toutes les pistes ne comportant aucune région : m Dans la zone Arrangement, sélectionnez Piste > « Supprimer les pistes inutilisées ». Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 211 Sélection de pistes Vous pouvez sélectionner une piste en cliquant sur son nom ou son icône dans la liste des pistes. Cette opération sélectionne toutes les régions de la piste (ou celles qui figurent dans la boucle définie, si le mode Lecture en boucle est activé). Π Conseil : si vous cliquez sur une piste en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée, cette piste est sélectionnée sans que la sélection des régions déjà établie soit perturbée (pour la piste choisie ou les autres). Vous pouvez également utiliser les deux raccourcis clavier suivants pour sélectionner la piste située au-dessus ou en dessous de la piste active dans la liste des pistes :  Sélection de la piste suivante (touche affectée par défaut : flèche vers le haut)  Sélection de la piste précédente (touche affectée par défaut : flèche vers le bas) Réorganisation des pistes Il est possible de changer l’ordre des pistes dans la liste afin, par exemple, de regrouper visuellement des pistes en relation (les parties issues de la rubrique des cordes ou celles des percussions, notamment). Pour changer la place qu’occupe une piste dans la liste : m Passez le pointeur de la souris sur le numéro de la piste. Lorsque le pointeur représente une main, cliquez sur le numéro et faites-le glisser verticalement dans la liste des pistes. Relâchez le bouton de la souris une fois la piste placée à l’endroit souhaité. Le cas échéant, les pistes suivantes se décalent vers le bas. Vous pouvez également réorganiser les pistes à l’aide des commandes suivantes figurant dans le menu Piste > « Trier les pistes par » :  Canal MIDI  Canal audio  Canal de sortie  Nom d’instrument  Nom de piste 212 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Attribution de noms à des pistes Dans la zone de dialogue Configuration de piste, vous pouvez déterminer lequel des noms suivants s’affiche dans l’en-tête de piste :  Nom de piste : cette option permet d’entrer manuellement le nom d’une piste dans la liste des pistes.  Nom du réglage de bande de canal  Nom du réglage d’instrument logiciel  Nom de bande de canal  Numéro et type de bande de canal  Nom de piste automatique : cette option (par défaut) nomme la piste judicieusement, selon les actions utilisateur et l’ordre suivants :  Si vous saisissez le nom d’une piste manuellement, c’est ce nom qui s’affiche.  Si vous avez chargé un réglage de bande de canal ou un instrument logiciel, le nom de ce réglage ou instrument est celui affiché.  Si vous n’avez effectué aucune des actions ci-dessus, c’est alors le nom de la bande de canal qui est affiché. Pour indiquer le nom des pistes que vous souhaitez visualiser : 1 Ouvrez la zone de dialogue Configuration de piste en effectuant l’une des méthodes ci-dessous :  Dans la zone Arrangement, sélectionnez Présentation > « Configurer l’en-tête de piste ».  Cliquez sur une en-tête dans la liste des pistes tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, puis sélectionnez « Configurer l’en-tête de piste » dans le menu local. 2 Sélectionnez l’option souhaitée du nom de piste dans le premier menu local. 3 Cochez la case du second menu local pour visualiser deux possibilités pour le nom de la piste, puis choisissez l’option qui vous convient. L’option choisie dans le premier menu local s’affiche à gauche si les deux noms sont repris (séparés par un trait). Vous pouvez déplacer le trait de séparation en faisant glisser sa marque correspondante au-dessus de la liste des pistes. Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 213 Pour créer le nom d’une piste : m Sélectionnez Piste > « Créer le nom d’une piste », puis tapez le nom dans le champ de texte qui s’affiche. m Si le nom de la piste est déjà visible dans l’en-tête de la piste : double-cliquez sur le nom de la bande de canal repris dans la liste des pistes, puis tapez le nom dans le champ de texte qui s’affiche. Le nouveau nom de la piste remplace celui de la bande de canal. Il est utilisé a posteriori comme nom par défaut pour les nouvelles régions enregistrées. Le nom de la bande de canal (vers laquelle la piste sélectionnée est associée) figure également dans la zone Paramètre de piste de l’Inspecteur. Vous pouvez renommer la bande de canal en cliquant sur son nom. Pour supprimer le nom d’une piste, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Sélectionnez Piste > « Supprimer le nom de piste ». m Double-cliquez sur le nom de la piste pour ouvrir sa zone de texte et appuyez sur Retour arrière pour supprimer le nom. Le nom de la bande de canal de la piste (audio ou instrumentale) est alors utilisé comme nom par défaut dans la liste des pistes (et pour les nouvelles régions enregistrées). Important : l’option NomAuto doit être sélectionnée dans l’en-tête de configuration de la piste pour que la fonction fonctionne. Nom de bande de canal 214 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Assignation de pistes aux canaux En général, vous serez amené à créer des pistes pour enregistrer ou lire toute nouvelle région. Les bandes de canaux correspondantes sont alors automatiquement créées dans la table de mixage. Dans certains cas toutefois, vous pourriez être amené à réassigner une piste existante à une autre bande de canal. Par exemple, vous pouvez réassigner la sortie d’une piste d’instruments logiciels vers une autre bande de canal instrumentale. Les régions MIDI de la piste sont alors lues via le module d’instruments logiciels de la seconde bande de canal. Pour réassigner une piste à une bande de canal spécifique : m Cliquez, en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, sur le nom ou l’icône de la piste concernée et choisissez la destination de la piste dans le menu hiérarchisé Réassignation piste/objet.  Si vous souhaitez utiliser une piste pour l’enregistrement ou la lecture d’une région audio, sélectionnez Audio > « Bande de canal de piste audio » comme destination de la piste.  Si vous souhaitez utiliser une piste pour l’enregistrement ou la lecture d’une région MIDI (via un instrument logiciel), sélectionnez Audio > « Bande de canal instrumental » comme destination de la piste. Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 215  Si vous souhaitez utiliser une piste pour l’enregistrement ou la lecture d’une région MIDI (via un générateur de sons MIDI), sélectionnez Instr. MIDI > « Bande de canal du modèle/nom d’instrument » comme destination de la piste. Pour réassigner de manière globale plusieurs pistes partageant une même bande de canal de destination : m Maintenez la touche Option enfoncée tout en réassignant une bande de canal de piste, puis confirmez l’opération en cliquant sur le bouton « Réassigner toutes les pistes » dans la zone de dialogue. La nouvelle destination de piste (bande de canal réassignée) est alors utilisée par toutes les pistes partageant la même destination de départ dans le projet actif (y compris les pistes incluses dans des dossiers). Par exemple :  Les pistes 1 à 4 sont assignées au canal instrumental 6.  Tout en maintenant enfoncée la touche Option, réassignez l’une de ces pistes au canal d’instrument 15.  Les pistes 1 à 4 sont alors réassignées au canal instrumental 15. Assignation de pistes aux objets d’environnement Il n’est pas nécessaire, à proprement parlé, que les pistes soient redirigées vers une bande de canal audio ou instrumental puisque vous pouvez assigner tout objet d’environnement en tant que destination de piste. Les données de piste peuvent, en théorie, être envoyées vers un curseur ou directement vers un port MIDI, entre autres. Les objets d’environnement sont des représentations logicielles d’éléments particuliers pour le traitement des données. Parmi les divers objets Environnement, figurent les arpégiateurs, les potentiomètres, les curseurs, les mémoriseurs d’accord, les séparateurs de canaux, etc. Ces différents objets peuvent être connectés entre eux, à l’aide de câbles virtuels. Le résultat final du câblage de plusieurs objets est le traitement et la manipulation en temps réel de données MIDI (et de certaines données audio). Cela peut aller d’une tâche aussi simple que le contrôle du volume d’un synthétiseur MIDI à l’aide d’un curseur jusqu’à une tâche aussi complexe que l’utilisation d’un générateur de rythmes ou d’un séquenceur pas à pas, lequel existe en tant que machine virtuelle dans l’environnement. Cette machine peut être activée dès qu’elle est requise. (Pour en savoir plus, consultez la rubrique chapitre 38, « Utilisation de l’Environnement » à la page 941.) Évidemment, les signaux audio ne seraient pas compris par un module de son MIDI ; il est donc inutile d’acheminer une piste contenant des régions audio à une bande de canal instrumental, et inversement. 216 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Destinations particulières Outre les bandes de canaux normales, il existe deux autres destinations de sortie possibles pour les pistes :  Aucune sortie : les pistes ainsi sans assignation n’envoient aucune donnée. Cette option permet notamment de stocker des données (par exemple, SysEx) que vous ne souhaitez pas envoyer via Logic Express.  Dossier : vous pouvez utiliser ce réglage pour que la piste joue une région de dossier particulière (voir « Utilisation des dossiers » à la page 381). Les régions normales ne sont pas jouées sur une piste configurée pour la lecture de dossier. Zoom sur des pistes particulières Il est possible de zoomer sur chaque piste de la zone Arrangement, avec ou sans les outils Zoom généraux (et l’outil de zoom de forme d’onde) de la fenêtre. Un réglage de zoom par défaut pour les pistes est sélectionné automatiquement à la première ouverture de la fenêtre. Cela permet d’obtenir un bon compromis entre visibilité du texte et des régions, et espace de travail dans la zone Arrangement. Pour effectuer un zoom avant ou arrière sur une piste : 1 Placez le pointeur de la souris sur le coin inférieur gauche de la piste. Le pointeur prend alors la forme de l’index d’une main. 2 Cliquez puis faites glisser cet index pour effectuer un zoom avant ou arrière sur la piste. Le facteur zoom sur la piste, comparé au niveau de zoom général de la fenêtre, s’affiche dans une bulle d’aide si vous maintenez le bouton de la souris enfoncé. Π Conseil : vous pouvez zoomer simultanément sur toutes les pistes audio ou MIDI de votre projet en appuyant sur la touche Commande tout en zoomant. Si vous appuyez sur Maj pendant que vous zoomez, toutes les pistes s’affichent de nouveau avec le niveau de zoom par défaut. Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 217 Zoom automatique sur la piste sélectionnée Vous pouvez utiliser le réglage Présentation > « Zoom automatique sur piste » (également accessible via son raccourci clavier) pour augmenter automatiquement la taille de la piste actuellement sélectionnée. Utilisez la technique décrite précédemment pour définir le niveau de zoom souhaité pour la piste. Toute piste sélectionnée ultérieurement sera automatiquement affichée avec ce niveau de zoom. Zoom sur les pistes à l’aide de raccourcis clavier Vous pouvez assigner, puis utiliser, les raccourcis clavier suivants pour zoomer sur les pistes :  « Zoom avant sur une piste » et « Zoom arrière sur une piste » : permet d’augmenter ou de diminuer d’une unité le facteur de zoom sur la piste sélectionnée.  « Permuter le niveau de zoom » : permet de passer du niveau de zoom de la piste à celui de la fenêtre pour l’affichage de la piste sélectionnée, ce qui peut s’avérer utile pour effectuer un zoom avant sur une piste en vue de modifier ses données d’automation. Une fois la modification terminée, utilisez le raccourci clavier « Permuter le niveau de zoom » pour revenir au niveau de zoom initial.  « Réinitialiser le niveau de zoom d’une piste » : rétablit le niveau de zoom de la fenêtre pour la piste sélectionnée.  « Réinitialiser le niveau de zoom de chaque piste » : rétablit le niveau de zoom de la fenêtre pour toutes les pistes zoomées. Assignation d’icônes à des pistes Logic Express offre des icônes de haute résolution (128 x 128 pixels ou moins) pour représenter les pistes, qui sont redimensionnables et peuvent être définies par l’utilisateur. Pour assigner une icône à une piste : m Cliquez sur une icône de piste dans l’en-tête ou dans la zone Paramètres de piste et maintenez le bouton de la souris enfoncé, puis choisissez l’icône souhaitée dans le menu. 218 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Remarque : la case Icônes de piste doit être cochée dans la zone de dialogue « Configuration de l’en-tête de piste » pour que les icônes soient visibles. Cochez la case Autoriser les grandes icônes pour afficher des icônes de piste de grande taille. Les grandes icônes sont automatiquement redimensionnées et repositionnées lorsque vous zoomez sur une piste. Création de vos propres icônes Vous pouvez créer vos propres icônes de piste. Les icônes crées par l’utilisateur sont enregistrées dans le répertoire suivant : ~/Bibliothèque/Application Support/Logic/ Images/Icons. Ces icônes doivent présenter les attributs suivants :  Taille de 128 x 128 pixels  Canal alpha pour la transparence  Enregistrement au format portable network graphics (extension .png)  Nom de fichier débutant par un numéro à trois chiffres Remarque : si ce numéro est identique à celui d’une des icônes Logic Express fournies, l’icône figurant dans le dossier utilisateur est prioritaire. Vous pouvez, en outre, remplacer directement les icônes Logic Express fournies et figurant dans le répertoire /Contents/Resources/Images du paquet Logic Express. Pour ouvrir le paquet Logic Express : m Cliquez avec le bouton droit de la souris sur l’icône Logic Express dans le Finder et sélectionnez l’élément « Afficher le contenu du paquet » dans le menu local. Désactivation du son des pistes Le bouton Muet d’une piste permet d’en arrêter la lecture. Dans la fenêtre « Configuration de l’en-tête de piste », vous déterminez si les boutons Muet sont affichés ou masqués. Les sons des pistes et des bandes de canaux peuvent être désactivés indépendamment, en utilisant les boutons Muet (M) respectifs dans l’en-tête de piste ou la bande de canal correspondante (Arrangement ou Table de mixage). Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 219 Le comportement de ces boutons est défini par le réglage « Muet/Solo pour piste » choisi dans l’onglet Logic Express > Préférences > Audio > Général :  Rapide (bandes de canaux distantes) : lorsque vous cliquez sur le bouton Muet d’une bande de canal, l’état du bouton de piste associé se modifie en conséquence.  Non intensive (réaction lente) : utile si vous préférez limiter l’utilisation des ressources de traitement ; les boutons Muet associés aux pistes sont alors dissociés des bandes de canaux correspondantes. Remarque : les états Muet des différentes pistes acheminées vers la même bande de canal sont liés : si vous coupez le son de la bande de canal, toutes les pistes associées seront muettes. Désactivation du son quand les boutons Muet sont masqués Même si les boutons Muet sont masqués (par exemple pour économiser de l’espace), vous pouvez toujours couper le son d’une piste en cliquant à gauche de son numéro. En effet, si vous déplacez votre souris sur la gauche de la liste des pistes, en regard du numéro de la piste concernée, le pointeur prend la forme d’une main et, d’un clic rapide, vous pouvez rendre couper le son de la piste (ou le rétablir, si elle était déjà muette). Les pistes muettes sont signalées par une puce en regard de leur nom. Vous pouvez également utiliser le raccourci clavier Muet/Son pour la piste (par défaut : Contrôle + M) pour couper le son d’une piste. Désactivation du son de plusieurs pistes Si vous cliquez sur un bouton Muet tout en maintenant la touche Commande enfoncée, tous les boutons Muet ayant le même état (son activé ou désactivé) que le bouton sur lequel vous avez cliqué changent également d’état. Par exemple : si vous cliquez sur un bouton Muet activé, non seulement le son de cette piste est coupé, mais aussi celui de toutes les autres pistes pour lesquelles le son était activé jusqu’alors. Il est également possible d’utiliser le raccourci clavier Muet pour toutes les pistes du dossier. 220 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Désactivation du son de plusieurs pistes utilisant la même bande de canal de destination Si vous coupez le son d’une piste tout en maintenant les touches Commande et Option enfoncées, toutes les pistes assignées à la même bande de canal de destination (y compris celles incluses dans des dossiers) voient leur son désactivé. Vous pouvez, par ailleurs, utiliser le raccourci clavier « Muet/Son pour toutes les pistes utilisant le même instrument ». Il est également possible de cliquer sur le bouton Muet d’une piste et, en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, de déplacer la souris verticalement. Tous les boutons Muet des pistes ainsi sélectionnés passent au même état. Écoute en solo de pistes Les pistes (ainsi que les dossiers) MIDI et audio incluent des boutons Solo. Écouter une piste en solo permet d’isoler sa lecture et de couper par là même le son des autres pistes. Dans la fenêtre « Configuration de l’en-tête de piste », vous pouvez masquer ou afficher les boutons Solo des pistes. Dans la pratique, il peut s’avérer utile en musique d’écouter plusieurs pistes à part (les parties de basse ou de batterie, par exemple) pour faciliter l’adaptation avec d’autres morceaux. Connexion des boutons Solo d’une piste et Solo d’une bande de canal Les états Solo sur les pistes et les bandes de canaux peuvent fonctionner indépendamment, en utilisant les boutons S respectifs dans l’en-tête de piste ou la bande de canal correspondante (de l’arrangement ou de la table de mixage). Le comportement de ces boutons est défini par le réglage « Muet/Solo pour la piste » choisi dans l’onglet Logic Express > Préférences > Audio > Général :  Rapide (bandes de canaux distantes) : lorsque vous cliquez sur le bouton Solo d’une bande de canal, l’état du bouton de piste associé se modifie en conséquence.  Non intensive (réaction lente) : choisissez cette option si vous souhaitez économiser les ressources de traitement et rompre le lien entre les boutons Solo associés aux pistes et les bandes de canaux correspondantes. Remarque : les états Solo des différentes pistes acheminées vers une même bande de canal sont liés : si vous activez la lecture solo pour la bande de canal, cela s’applique à toutes les pistes associées. Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 221 Activation de la lecture solo des pistes en mode Non intensive Si la préférence « Muet/Solo de la piste » est définie sur Non intensive (réaction lente), l’activation du bouton Solo d’une piste quelconque active le mode Verrouillage Solo et ajoute toutes les régions de la piste en question au groupe Verrouillage Solo. (Le mode Verrouillage Solo verrouille l’état Solo de toutes les régions sélectionnées. Pour obtenir des informations détaillées à ce sujet, reportez-vous à la section « Verrouillage du mode Solo » à la page 337.) Le bouton Solo pour le transport devient jaune et s’orne d’une icône en forme de cadenas indiquant le mode Verrouillage Solo. En désactivant le bouton Solo d’une piste donnée, vous supprimez du groupe de verrouillage solo toutes les régions de cette piste. De plus, dans le cas où aucun autre bouton Solo n’est actif au niveau piste, cela désactive le mode Verrouillage solo. Si vous désactivez le bouton (Verrouillage) Solo général au niveau du transport, tous les boutons Solo des différentes pistes sont désactivés. Écoute en solo quand le bouton Solo est masqué sur des pistes Même si le bouton Solo est masqué sur des pistes (par exemple pour économiser de l’espace), vous pouvez toujours écouter une piste en solo en cliquant sur le bouton Solo de la barre de transport. Utilisez simplement le bouton Solo situé sur la barre de transport et cliquez sur la piste souhaitée. Écoute en solo de plusieurs pistes Si, alors que le bouton Solo est actif sur le transport, que vous maintenez la touche Maj enfoncée et que cliquez sur le nom des pistes à écouter, vous pouvez jouer les différentes pistes en solo (même si le bouton Solo est masqué au niveau des pistes). Si vous maintenez une touche de modification enfoncée (hormis la touche Contrôle) tout en cliquant sur un bouton Solo dans la liste des pistes, toutes les pistes du niveau d’affichage sélectionné sont lues en solo. Si les pistes étaient déjà en cours de lecture en solo, elles ne le sont plus. Il est également possible de cliquer sur le bouton Solo d’une piste et, en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, de déplacer la souris verticalement. Tous les boutons Solo des pistes ainsi sélectionnés présentent alors le même état. Activation de l’enregistrement de pistes Vous pouvez utiliser le bouton d’activation pour l’enregistrement d’une piste pour la préparer à l’enregistrement. Pour en savoir plus sur l’activation de pistes pour l’enregistrement, consultez la rubrique chapitre 14, « Enregistrement dans Logic Express » à la page 395. 222 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Freeze des pistes La fonction Freeze permet de libérer la quasi totalité des ressources de traitement dédiées au calcul pour les modules d’effets et d’instruments logiciels. Vous pouvez effectuer un Freeze chaque piste audio ou piste d’instruments logiciels indépendamment. À propos de la fonction Freeze Cette fonction effectue un bounce déconnecté en interne pour chaque piste « gelée » (faisant l’objet du Freeze). L’ensemble des modules de la piste (dont les modules d’instruments logiciels, le cas échéant, ainsi que toutes les données d’automation qui s’y rapportent) sont alors rendus sous forme de « fichier de Freeze ». Tant qu’une piste fait l’objet d’un Freeze, après avoir appliqué le processus de la fonction, le fichier de Freeze est lu à la place de la piste d’origine (et à la place de ses modules, gourmands en ressources de calcul). La piste d’origine et ses modules sont temporairement désactivés. Ils n’utilisent donc plus les ressources. Π Conseil : la fonction Freeze fonctionne également avec les matériels de traitement numérique des signaux (DSP) tels que les appareils PowerCore, LiquidMix, Duende et UAD, notamment. Vous pouvez ainsi combiner les instruments et effets Logic Express avec ceux fournis par votre matériel DSP, même si la capacité de traitement de votre ordinateur et/ou du matériel DSP est dépassée. La fonction Freeze effectue toujours un bounce sur la totalité du signal d’un canal. Ainsi, si vous utilisez plusieurs pistes pour un même canal audio ou instrumental dans l’arrangement, toutes ces (sous-)pistes font l’objet du Freeze et ne peuvent plus être modifiées séparément. En d’autres termes, la bande de canal est gelée, et non la piste. Critères de Freeze d’une piste Dans la réalité, la fonction Freeze permet d’effectuer les opérations suivantes :  Utilisation d’instruments logiciels ou modules d’effets complémentaires dans des pistes audio ou instrumentales supplémentaires, dans les cas où cela s’avère généralement impossible car la puissance de traitement de votre ordinateur est insuffisante.  Lecture de projets créés sur des ordinateurs dotés d’une puissance de calcul supérieure. La conception de la fonction Freeze permet de parer aux processus gourmands en ressources, lesquels sont généralement repérés de la manière suivante (du plus au moins demandeur) :  Instruments logiciels avec une architecture vocale complexe  Modules avec une structure complexe (réverbérations, banques de filtres ou effets FFT)  Instruments logiciels avec une architecture vocale simple  Échantillonneur logiciel où un filtre est activé  Échantillonneur logiciel où un filtre est désactivé  Modules de structure simple Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 223 Si votre ordinateur est capable de calculer tous les processus actifs en temps réel, il n’est pas nécessaire d’appliquer un Freeze aux pistes. Il est recommandé d’utiliser la fonction Freeze si votre système atteint ses capacités de traitement ou lorsque plusieurs pistes existantes utilisant des modules d’effets ou d’instruments logiciels (consommant énormément de ressources) sont finalisées ou, du moins, semblent ne plus nécessiter aucune modification pour le moment. En d’autres termes, si le mixage est terminé voire final. Tant qu’une piste fait l’objet du Freeze, l’utilisation des ressources qui lui sont allouées se limite à celle d’une piste de lecture audio de haute résolution, sans aucun ajout de module d’effets ; et ce, quel que soit le nombre de modules (ou nécessités de traitement) initialement utilisés sur la piste. Procédure de Freeze d’une piste Le Freeze d’une piste est une opération particulièrement simple. Pour ce faire, il suffit d’activer le bouton Freeze. Sur ce bouton figure une icône représentant un petit cristal de glace (blanc lorsque la fonction est active). Utilisez la fenêtre « Configuration de l’en-tête de piste » pour afficher ou masquer les boutons Freeze sur chaque piste. Si vous maintenez la touche Commande enfoncée pendant que vous cliquez sur un bouton Freeze dans la liste des pistes, toutes les pistes comprenant des données au même niveau d’affichage (ou dossier) sélectionné sont « gelées ». Si leur bouton Freeze était déjà activé, il ne l’est plus. Il est également possible de cliquer sur le bouton Freeze d’une piste et, en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, de déplacer la souris verticalement. Tous les boutons Freeze des pistes ainsi sélectionnés prennent le même état. Logic Express crée les fichiers de Freeze après avoir reçu la commande Lecture suivante. Vous pouvez ainsi activer les boutons Freeze de plusieurs pistes et effectuer leur rendu sous forme de fichier de Freeze en une fois. Vous pouvez abandonner les processus de Freeze en appuyant sur les touches Commande + point (.). Dans ce cas, la partie des pistes déjà rendue sous forme de fichier de Freeze demeure dans ces fichiers et est utilisée lors de la lecture. Le son des pistes faisant l’objet du Freeze reste désormais coupé. 224 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Coulisses du processus de Freeze Lors du processus de Freeze, la tête de lecture indique l’avancée du rendu. Une barre de progression libre est, en outre, affichée. Le rendu des fichiers de Freeze s’effectue toujours entre les marques de début et de fin de projet. Il est donc recommandé de vérifier la marque de fin de projet dans la règle Mesure avant de lancer le processus de Freeze. Π Conseil : vous devez régler la marque de fin de projet afin d’inclure les queues de réverbération ou les répétitions inhérentes à l’effet d’écho. Les zones vides (de valeur numérique zéro) à la fin des fichiers de Freeze sont automatiquement supprimées à la fin du processus de Freeze. Le processus de Freeze utilise la totalité des capacités de traitement disponible. Si, par exemple, une piste utilise 40 pour cent des ressources pour le calcul des modules en temps réel, la création de son fichier de Freeze est deux fois et demie plus rapide que sa lecture en temps réel. Si la piste d’origine utilise la totalité de la puissance de traitement, le processus de Freeze s’effectue (quasiment) en temps réel, même si le bounce déconnecté est utilisé. Utilisation de pistes faisant l’objet de Freeze Lorsqu’une piste se voit appliquée la fonction Freeze :  Il est impossible de couper certains fichiers de Freeze et de les réorganiser, ou de les associer à leurs originaux, sur une seule piste ; en effet, vous pouvez utiliser l’un ou l’autre, mais pas les deux.  Il est également impossible d’enregistrer des signaux audio sur les pistes où le Freeze a été appliqué. D’ailleurs, le bouton d’activation de l’enregistrement est masqué si le Freeze est appliqué à la piste.  Vous ne pouvez pas modifier les paramètres des instruments ou des modules (ou les données d’automation correspondantes). Vous pouvez, cependant, toujours modifier les paramètres suivants sur les pistes faisant l’objet du Freeze :  destinations et niveaux d’envoi des effets,  paramètres Panorama,  volume, muet et solo. Cela inclut les données d’automation de ces paramètres. Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 225 À chaque tentative de modification de paramètres « interdits » sur des pistes où le Freeze est appliqué (notamment les paramètres de module rendus sous forme de fichier de Freeze), Logic Express affiche un message d’erreur : Pour dégeler et modifier une piste : 1 Cliquez sur Libération du Freeze pour désactiver le bouton Freeze de la piste. Le fichier de Freeze est alors supprimé. Remarque : la piste utilise désormais la puissance de traitement requise initialement si vous appuyez sur Lecture. 2 Vous pouvez à présent effectuer vos modifications et activer de nouveau le bouton Freeze, si nécessaire. Fichiers Freeze Les fichiers de Freeze temporaires sont enregistrés dans un dossier intitulé « Freeze Files » qui est créé à la racine du répertoire de votre projet. En général, vous n’avez pas besoin d’accéder à ces fichiers directement. Logic Express gère ces fichiers automatiquement en arrière-plan : ils sont créés lors de la phase de Freeze et lus à la place des pistes d’origine (tant qu’elles font l’objet du Freeze), puis supprimés lorsque le bouton Freeze de la piste correspondante est désactivé. Actualisation des fichiers de Freeze La commande Options > Audio > « Actualiser tous les fichiers de Freeze » régénère tous les fichiers de Freeze actuels. Cette commande est utile si des modifications globales affectent également la lecture des pistes faisant l’objet du Freeze (changements de tempo, par exemple). 226 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Masquage de pistes S’il n’est pas utile que certaines pistes de la zone Arrangement soient visibles (par exemple, lorsque vous travaillez sur des arrangements avec de nombreuses pistes), vous pouvez utiliser la fonction Masquer les pistes. Les pistes masquées continuent d’être lues normalement. Un bouton général Masquer la présentation est situé dans le coin supérieur gauche de la zone Arrangement. Il s’agit du bouton représenté par un H (pour « Hide », « Masquer » en anglais), à droite du bouton Capture. Pour masquer des pistes : 1 Cliquez sur le bouton Masquer la présentation pour activer la fonction de masquage des pistes. De petits boutons Masquer (H) apparaissent alors en regard de chaque piste. 2 Activez les boutons Masquer individuellement pour les pistes appropriées. 3 Cliquez ensuite sur le bouton général Masquer la présentation : toutes les pistes (dont le bouton Masquer a été activé) disparaissent de la fenêtre Arrangement. La lettre H figurant sur le bouton général Masquer la présentation s’affiche en surbrillance, indiquant qu’une ou plusieurs pistes (dont le bouton Masquer est activé) sont masquées. Pour visualiser les pistes masquées : m Réactivez simplement le bouton Masquer la présentation lorsque vous souhaitez voir réapparaître les pistes masquées. Menu et raccourcis clavier pour le masquage Plusieurs éléments de menu et raccourcis clavier se rapportent à la fonction de masquage des pistes. Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes 227 Même lorsque le bouton général Masquer la présentation est désactivé, vous pouvez toujours masquer une piste particulière à l’aide de la commande Présentation > « Masquer la piste et sélectionner la suivante » (raccourci clavier par défaut : Contrôle + H). La commande Présentation > « Révéler toutes les pistes » (raccourci clavier par défaut : Maj + Contrôle + H) réinitialise le bouton Masquer de chaque piste ; toutes les pistes sont alors affichées. Remarque : masquer des pistes n’affecte en rien leur lecture. Vous pouvez, en outre, lier ensemble la fonction Masquer de toutes les pistes appartenant à un même groupe en sélectionnant Masquer dans les réglages des propriétés du groupe. (Pour en savoir plus sur les groupes, consultez la rubrique « Utilisation des groupes » à la page 629.) Par ailleurs, il n’existe aucun raccourci clavier permettant de révéler une piste masquée dans l’arrangement puisqu’il est impossible de la sélectionner ; elle est en effet masquée... Protection des pistes Les pistes peuvent être protégées contre toute modification. Dans ce cas, il est impossible :  de modifier les régions existantes (et leur contenu) ;  d’effectuer un enregistrement sur les pistes protégées ;  de créer des régions sur les pistes protégées. Si le bouton de protection ne figure pas dans la liste des pistes, vous pouvez l’activer via la fenêtre « Configuration de l’en-tête de piste ». En cliquant sur les boutons de protection, vous passez du mode verrouillé à la modification libre. Le bouton de protection d’une piste de la liste, activé tout en maintenant la touche Commande enfoncée, permet de protéger toutes les pistes du niveau d’affichage (ou dossier) sélectionné. Si les pistes étaient déjà protégées, elles ne le sont plus. 228 Chapitre 9 Utilisation des pistes Utilisation de la fonction d’activation en série pour les boutons placés au niveau de chaque piste Les boutons qui se trouvent en regard des pistes de l’arrangement (Solo, Muet, Masquer, Protection de piste, Freeze) prennent en charge la fonction d’« activation en série », ce qui revient, sur les tables de mixage matérielles de qualité, à déplacer simultanément plusieurs boutons de bande de canal. Un exemple d’utilisation de l’activation en série dans Logic Express consiste à cliquer sur le bouton Muet d’une piste et, en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, à déplacer la souris verticalement. Tous les boutons Muet des pistes ainsi sélectionnés passent au même état. Il vous suffit ensuite de faire à nouveau glisser le pointeur de la souris sur les boutons Muet de ces mêmes pistes pour rétablir le son. 10 229 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Logic Express est livré avec un vaste éventail d’instruments logiciels et de modules de traitement d’effets insérés dans des bandes de canaux. Vous avez également la possibilité d’utiliser des instruments et des unités d’effets MIDI externes. Ce chapitre couvre toutes les étapes importantes nécessaires à l’utilisation des instruments et des effets dans Logic Express.  Insertion, suppression et contournement de modules  Chargement et retrait de configurations entières de modules dans une bande de canaux  Utilisation de l’en-tête de la fenêtre de module  Sélection et gestion des réglages de modules  Configuration et utilisation d’instruments et d’effets MIDI externes  Configuration et utilisation d’applications et d’instruments ReWire externes La relation entre les pistes et les bandes de canaux de la fenêtre Arrangement est traitée au début du chapitre 9, « Utilisation des pistes » et est également abordée ici. Ce chapitre contient également d’autres informations utiles sur l’acheminement de modules et l’utilisation de modules d’autres fabricants. Pour en savoir plus sur les modules d’instruments et d’effets fournis et sur l’utilisation de tous leurs paramètres, reportez-vous au manuel Instruments et effets de Logic Express 8. 230 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Aperçu des bandes de canaux et de la table de mixage Avant d’aborder l’utilisation des modules, il est nécessaire de comprendre certaines fonctions essentielles des bandes de canaux. Pour en savoir plus sur l’ensemble des fonctions de la table de mixage et des bandes de canaux, reportez-vous au chapitre 25, « Mixage » à la page 613. Les bandes de canaux de la table de mixage et d’arrangement concernent les pistes audio et d’instruments (logiciel ou MIDI) affichées dans la fenêtre Arrangement, ainsi que les canaux de sortie et les canaux auxiliaires. Chaque piste de l’arrangement est représentée et contrôlée par une bande de canal. Autrement dit, les pistes d’arrangement sont acheminées vers des bandes de canaux spécifiques :  Les bandes de canaux audio contrôlent les pistes audio.  Les canaux d’instrument contrôlent les pistes d’instrument (les modules d’instruments logiciels sont insérés dans le logement d’instrument des canaux d’instrument).  Les canaux MIDI externes contrôlent les pistes MIDI externes. Les données de ces pistes sont acheminées vers un canal et un port de sortie MIDI, pour le contrôle des claviers et modules internes de son MIDI. Il est possible de représenter et de contrôler l’instrument entier ou les sous-canaux MIDI. Les canaux de la table de mixage sont générés automatiquement lorsque vous créez des pistes audio, des pistes d’instruments ou des pistes MIDI externes dans la fenêtre Arrangement. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 231 Les bandes de canaux de l’arrangement affichées en bas de l’Inspecteur représentent la bande de canal audio ou d’instrument de la piste sélectionnée sur la gauche et la destination principale (première) de cette bande de canal sur la droite. La destination peut être :  Une bande de canaux de sortie, qui représente une sortie audio physique (ou paire de sorties) de votre interface audio.  Une bande de canaux auxiliaire (où sont insérés les effets d’envoi). Par exemple, si l’envoi 1 de la bande de canaux gauche est acheminé vers le canal auxiliaire 4, la quatrième bande de canaux auxiliaire sera affichée. Si vous cliquez sur le logement d’envoi 2 sur la bande de canaux gauche (acheminée vers l’auxiliaire 7), cela met à jour le canal de droite afin d’afficher la septième bande de canaux auxiliaire. La sélection d’une sortie particulière dans le logement Sortie de la bande de canaux gauche permet d’afficher la bande de canaux de sortie choisie sur la droite. Si la bande de canaux gauche est simplement acheminée vers un canal de sortie, la bande de canaux de sortie est affichée par défaut. Dans le cadre de votre flux de production créatif, vous effectuerez la plupart des tâches d’insertion de modules, d’acheminement et de configuration de canaux dans la fenêtre Arrangement. Par conséquent, au lieu d’accéder à la table de mixage, vous devez utiliser les bandes de canaux d’arrangement pour toutes les fonctions associées abordées dans ce chapitre. 232 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets La bande de canaux d’arrangement (de la piste sélectionnée) est un « miroir » de la bande affichée dans la table de mixage. Elle peut être considérée comme une sorte de télécommande pour le canal de la table de mixage. Π Conseil : pour accéder rapidement à la zone Table de mixage, il vous suffit de doublecliquer sur l’icône de n’importe quelle piste dans la liste des pistes de la fenêtre Arrangement. La bande de canaux correspondante (de la piste sur laquelle vous avez cliqué) est alors sélectionnée dans la table de mixage. Avant de continuer, vous devez d’abord comprendre trois notions essentielles sur les bandes de canaux audio ou d’instrument : le format d’entrée du canal, la commande Pan et le curseur Niveau. Réglage du format d’entrée du canal Le format d’entrée du canal détermine l’état mono ou stéréo de ce dernier. Remarque : les canaux MIDI externes et d’instruments logiciels ne possèdent pas de bouton de format. Le format d’entrée choisi a un double impact :  Les modules affichés sur la bande de canaux sont disponibles en :  versions mono vers mono ou mono vers stéréo sur les bandes de canaux mono ;  versions stéréo vers stéréo sur les bandes de canaux stéréo.  La commande Pan détermine la position du signal du canal dans le champ stéréo. Bouton Format Contrôle Pan/Balance Curseur de niveau Menu Réglages des bandes de canaux Logement d’instrument Logement de sortie Logement d’envoi (Send) Logement d’insertion Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 233  Sur les canaux mono (y compris les canaux de format d’entrée gauche et droit), la commande Pan détermine la position gauche/droite du signal.  Sur les canaux stéréo, la commande Pan détermine la balance entre les signaux des canaux gauche et droit. Pour définir le format d’entrée de la bande de canaux pour la piste audio sélectionnée : m Cliquez sur le bouton situé directement sous le VU-mètre de la bande de canaux de l’arrangement et, tout en le maintenant enfoncé, choisissez le format d’entrée voulu dans le menu. Π Conseil : sur un canal stéréo ou mono, il suffit de cliquer sur le bouton pour passer de mono à stéréo et vice versa.  Mono : le format d’entrée mono est représenté par un cercle. Le VU-mètre ne contient qu’une seule colonne.  Stéréo : le format d’entrée stéréo est représenté par deux cercles entrelacés. Lorsque le format d’entrée stéréo est sélectionné, le VU-mètre se décompose en deux colonnes indépendantes.  Gauche : deux cercles, dont celui de gauche est plein, indiquent un format d’entrée de canal gauche. Lorsque ce format d’entrée est choisi, la bande de canaux lit uniquement le canal gauche d’un fichier audio.  Droit : deux cercles, dont celui de droite est plein, indiquent un format d’entrée de canal droit. Lorsque ce format d’entrée est choisi, la bande de canaux lit uniquement le canal droit d’un fichier audio. Mono Stéréo Gauche Droit 234 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Réglage de la balance et du niveau de lecture des canaux La commande Pan et le curseur Niveau permettent de régler la balance et le niveau de lecture d’un canal. Pour régler le Pan (pour les canaux au format d’entrée mono) ou la Balance (pour les canaux au format stéréo), effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez au centre de la commande Pan et, tout en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, faites glisser la souris verticalement.  Faites glisser le curseur vers le haut pour déplacer le Pan ou la balance vers le canal droit.  Faites glisser le curseur vers le bas pour déplacer le Pan ou la balance vers le canal gauche. m En maintenant la touche Option enfoncée, cliquez au centre de la commande Pan pour la ramener en position centrale. Pour régler le niveau de lecture, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez et faites glisser verticalement la poignée du curseur Niveau. m En maintenant la touche Option enfoncée, cliquez sur la poignée pour la ramener en position centrale (0,0 dB). Traitement des effets mono et stéréo Vous pouvez insérer des instances mono ou stéréo d’effets dans des bandes de canaux. Seules les versions des modules correspondant au format d’entrée des bandes de canaux peuvent être insérées (versions des modules mono vers mono ou mono vers stéréo dans des canaux dont le format d’entrée est mono, par exemple). Pour insérer des modules ne correspondant pas au format des canaux : m Cliquez sur un logement d’insertion de canal tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée. Le menu du module affiche alors tous les formats disponibles dans le module, et non uniquement le format correspondant. Tout mixage élévateur ou réducteur s’avérant nécessaire est effectué automatiquement. Insertion, déplacement et retrait de modules Les modules sont, d’une manière générale, divisés en deux catégories :  Les instruments logiciels (qui répondent aux messages des notes MIDI)  Les effets audio (qui ne répondent pas aux messages des notes MIDI) Le format Audio Units offre également deux types de modules supplémentaires :  Les générateurs  Les effets contrôlés par la norme MIDI Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 235 Comme leur nom l’indique, les modules Générateur Audio Unit génèrent des signaux audio. Toutefois, contrairement aux instruments logiciels, ils n’ont pas besoin d’un message de note MIDI pour être déclenchés. Contrairement aux modules d’effets audio standard, il est impossible de contrôler via MIDI les effets Audio Unit contrôlés par MIDI. Leur utilisation est donc différente. Cas d’emploi des différents types de modules  Les modules d’effet peuvent être installés dans les logements d’insertion de tous les types de bandes de canaux audio (audio, instrument, auxiliaire, sortie).  Les instruments logiciels peuvent uniquement être insérés dans des bandes de canaux d’instrument. Ces bandes de canaux disposent d’un logement Instrument, juste au-dessus du logement Sortie, réservé à l’insertion d’instruments logiciels.  De la même façon, les générateurs Audio Unit ne peuvent être insérés que dans des bandes de canaux d’instrument.  Les effets contrôlés MIDI Audio Unit doivent être insérés dans le logement Instrument des canaux d’instrument. Vous pouvez alors sélectionner le signal audio à traiter via le menu Side Chain du module. Pour insérer un module d’effet : 1 Cliquez sur le logement d’insertion d’une bande de canaux. Le menu Module s’affiche et fait apparaître tous les modules d’effet disponibles, classés sous différentes catégories. 2 Parcourez les différents niveaux du menu et cliquez sur le nom d’un module pour le sélectionner. Cela permet de charger une version de module qui correspond au format d’entrée de bande de canaux choisi. Vous avez également la possibilité de choisir une version mono ou mono vers stéréo du module, par exemple, en cliquant sur l’entrée adéquate. 236 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Les effets Logic Express sont affichés sous diverses catégories, telles que Retard et Réverbération, et les effets Audio Unit apparaissent dans les sous-menus correspondants (ces derniers ne s’affichent que si des modules utilisant ces formats sont installés sur votre système). Pour insérer un instrument logiciel, un Générateur Audio Unit ou un effet contrôlé par MIDI : m Cliquez sur le logement Instrument d’une bande de canaux d’instrument et choisissez l’instrument logiciel, le Générateur Audio Unit ou l’effet contrôlé par MIDI (nom et type) voulu dans le menu Module. Π Conseil : pour insérer un instrument en stéréo sur un canal au format stéréo, il suffit de choisir le nom d’un instrument. La fenêtre de module de l’instrument, de l’effet ou du générateur choisi s’ouvre automatiquement. Si vous ne souhaitez pas que la fenêtre de module s’ouvre automatiquement après l’insertion, désactivez la préférence « Ouvrir la fenêtre du module à l’insertion » dans l’onglet Logic Express > Préférences > Audio > Général. Vous pouvez ajuster tous les paramètres de module dans la fenêtre de module. Pour en savoir plus, consultez la rubrique « Ajustement des paramètres de module » à la page 247. Pour retirer un module : m Cliquez sur le logement d’insertion ou d’instrument souhaité et choisissez Aucun module dans le menu. Pour remplacer un module : m Cliquez sur le logement d’insertion et naviguez jusqu’au type de module souhaité. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 237 Accès à plusieurs sorties d’instrument Logic Express peut gérer les multiples sorties de l’EXS24 mkII, d’Ultrabeat et de tous les instruments Audio Unit. Une ou plusieurs options Multi Output peuvent apparaître en plus des versions Mono et Stéréo affichées dans le menu Module d’instrument. Le menu Module fournit des informations complémentaires sur la configuration d’une sortie. Exemples :  Nom d’instrument : sortie multiple (2 x stéréo, 4 x mono)  Nom d’instrument : sortie multiple (4 x stéréo) Remarque : tous les instruments (qu’il s’agisse de modules Logic Express ou tiers) n’offrent pas forcément plusieurs sorties. Si un instrument ne propose aucune option Multi-sortie, il n’est tout simplement pas équipé de plusieurs sorties. Pour insérer et configurer un instrument à plusieurs sorties : 1 Choisissez l’instance de sorties multiples voulue dans le menu Module.  Les deux premières sorties d’un instrument à plusieurs sorties voient toujours leurs données lues sous forme d’une paire stéréo par le canal d’instrument dans lequel le module est inséré.  Pour accéder aux autres sorties (3 et 4, 5 et 6, etc.), il faut passer par des bandes de canaux auxiliaires. 238 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 2 Dans l’interface de l’instrument, vous devez configurer l’acheminement de sortie pour chaque son ou échantillon. Cette action est généralement effectuée via un menu, qui présente des entrées telles que : principal, 3-4, 5-6, etc. 3 Ouvrez la table de mixage et cliquez sur le bouton + du canal d’instrument dans lequel vous avez inséré l’instrument à sorties multiples (Ultrabeat, par exemple). Remarque : le bouton + n’apparaît que sur les canaux d’instruments à sorties multiples. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 239 Une bande de canaux auxiliaire, déjà assignée à l’instrument à plusieurs sorties inséré, s’affiche à droite du canal d’instrument. 4 Cliquez à plusieurs reprises sur le bouton + pour créer d’autres canaux auxiliaires, pour toutes les sorties stéréo ou mono disponibles pour le module d’instrument. Vous devez créer exactement le même nombre de canaux auxiliaires que le nombre de sorties utilisées par l’instrument à plusieurs sorties. Après la création de la première bande de canaux auxiliaire de votre instrument à sorties multiples, un bouton – apparaît à côté du bouton +. Cliquez sur ce bouton – pour supprimer des canaux auxiliaires. Utilisation du Channel EQ Le Channel EQ est un effet d’insertion, semblable à n’importe quel autre. Dans la plupart des situations de mixage, il est utilisé comme premier effet sur un canal, ce qui vous permet de sculpter le son du signal du canal avant d’appliquer d’autres types d’effet. Pour insérer le Channel EQ, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Sur les bandes de canaux où le logement d’insertion 1 n’est pas utilisé : double-cliquez sur la zone de l’égaliseur dans la partie supérieure de la bande de canaux pour placer le Channel EQ dans le premier logement d’insertion. La zone de l’égaliseur adopte une vue miniature de l’écran Channel EQ. Les vignettes donnent un aperçu des réglages d’égalisation utilisés dans chaque canal. 240 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets m Sur les bandes de canaux où le logement d’insertion 1 est utilisé : double-cliquez sur la zone de l’égaliseur en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée afin d’insérer le Channel EQ comme premier module et déplacez tous les modules existants du logement 1 de la bande de canaux vers le bas (en redirigeant leurs données d’automatisation en conséquence, si nécessaire). Lorsque vous double-cliquez sur la zone de l’égaliseur des bandes de canaux dont le logement d’insertion 1 est occupé, le Channel EQ est inséré dans le prochain logement disponible (inutilisé). Comme pour les autres modules, vous pouvez insérer le Channel EQ dans n’importe quel autre logement d’insertion. Vous le trouverez dans la rubrique de l’égaliseur du menu Module. Notez que seul le premier (tout en haut) Channel EQ s’affiche sous forme de vignette dans la zone de l’égaliseur. Pour en savoir plus sur les paramètres du Channel EQ, reportez-vous au manuel Instruments et effets de Logic Express 8. Déplacement d’effets et d’instruments Pour déplacer des effets et des instruments d’une bande de canal à une autre, vous pouvez recourir à l’outil Main. Pour déplacer un module vers un autre logement d’insertion ou d’instrument : 1 Ouvrez la table de mixage et sélectionnez l’outil Main. 2 Sélectionnez le nom du module (visible sur une étiquette bleue) dans l’un des logements d’insertion ou d’instrument, puis faites-le glisser vers le logement cible souhaité (qui doit être inutilisé). Au cours de l’opération de glisser/déposer, la destination potentielle s’affiche sous forme de rectangle orange (logement vide) ou de ligne orange (lors du positionnement d’un effet entre deux logements d’insertion, voir ci-après). Pour copier un module dans un autre logement : m Après avoir sélectionné l’outil Main, cliquez sur le nom d’un module tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée, puis faites-le glisser d’un logement utilisé vers le logement cible inutilisé de votre choix. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 241 Pour permuter deux modules d’effet dans une même bande de canaux : m Après avoir sélectionné l’outil Main, faites glisser le nom d’un module d’effet depuis un logement Insertion utilisé jusque dans le logement cible utilisé de votre choix. Les deux modules échangent alors leurs positions respectives. Prenons l’exemple d’une bande de canaux avec des effets de réverbération, de chorus et de retard insérés respectivement dans les logements 1 à 3 ; si vous faites glisser le module du logement 1 sur le logement 3, l’effet de réverbération se retrouvera dans ce troisième logement, tandis que l’effet de retard sera déplacé vers le logement 1. Bien entendu, tout changement de position des effets modifie le son du canal. Remarque : si vous utilisez l’outil Main pour faire glisser des modules d’une bande de canal vers une autre, le module préalablement présent sur le canal de destination est remplacé, mais il n’est pas permuté. Pour placer un module d’effet entre deux logements d’insertion : 1 Sélectionnez l’outil Main. 2 Cliquez sur le nom de module d’un logement d’insertion utilisé et faites-le glisser entre deux autres logements d’insertion utilisés, puis relâchez le bouton de la souris. L’effet est alors inséré dans un logement créé entre les deux logements utilisés. Les effets situés sous le point d’insertion (le nouveau logement) sont décalés d’une position vers le bas. Remarque : si les 15 logements d’insertion sont utilisés, vous ne pouvez plus insérer aucun module dans le canal, à moins de remplacer un module existant. Utilisation de l’outil Main avec des touches de modification L’outil Main est le deuxième outil par défaut de la table de mixage. Si vous appuyez sur Commande tout en cliquant, vous passez de l’outil Pointeur à l’outil Main, ce qui vous permet de déplacer des modules en les faisant glisser tout en appuyant sur Commande. Pour copier un module, faites-le glisser tout en maintenant les touches Option et Commande enfoncées. Vous pouvez aussi utiliser l’outil Main dans les bandes de canaux de l’arrangement en appuyant sur la touche Commande lorsque le pointeur se trouve au-dessus d’un logement Instrument ou Insertion. 242 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Chargement et suppression de configurations entières de bandes de canaux L’onglet Bibliothèque de la zone Média vous permet de charger et d’enregistrer plusieurs modules (avec leur paramétrage) dans une bande de canaux. Vous pouvez faire de même en cliquant sur le bouton Réglages situé en haut d es bandes de canaux. Vous pouvez utiliser cette fonction de différentes façons :  Le réglage et l’enregistrement de configurations complexes comprenant plusieurs effets, sur n’importe quel type de canal.  Le réglage de configurations d’acheminement particulières pour leur utilisation avec des instruments logiciel à plusieurs sorties.  La copie d’une configuration d’acheminement ou d’effet entre projets.  La création rapide de nouveaux modèles de projet. Les réglages des bandes de canaux (fichiers CST) sont propres à chaque type de canal. Autrement dit, les canaux d’instrument bénéficient d’un certain nombre de réglages (ou préréglages) d’instrument, tels que Bright Pop Piano ou Hard Flanging Clav, répartis dans les catégories Instrument, GarageBand et Jam Pack. Les canaux audio offrent des acheminements d’effet optimisés pour des tâches de traitement instrumentales, vocales et autres. De même, les canaux auxiliaires et de sortie disposent de réglages de bandes de canaux destinés à des processus de mastérisation ou de « finalisation » particuliers. Pour charger un réglage de bande de canaux à l’aide du menu Réglages : 1 Cliquez sur le bouton Réglages en haut d’une bande de canaux. Un menu apparaît, dressant la liste de tous les réglages disponibles pour ce type de bande de canaux. 2 Naviguez jusqu’au réglage souhaité et sélectionnez-le en cliquant sur son nom. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 243 Pour charger un réglage de bande de canaux à l’aide de l’onglet Bibliothèque : 1 Sélectionnez tout d’abord la bande de canaux que vous souhaitez utiliser (dans la table de mixage ou en sélectionnant une piste d’arrangement). 2 Cliquez sur l’onglet Bibliothèque de la zone Média pour visualiser la Bibliothèque. Si la zone n’est pas visible, cliquez sur le bouton Média de la barre d’outils Arrangement. La Bibliothèque affiche tous les réglages de bandes de canaux disponibles pour la bande de canaux sélectionnée, classés par menus correspondant à des catégories. 3 Parcourez les différents menus, puis cliquez sur le nom du réglage voulu pour insérer tous les modules associés dans la bande de canaux sélectionnée. Pour réinitialiser un réglage de bande de canal : m Choisissez « Réinitialiser la bande de canaux » dans le menu « Réglages des bandes de canaux ». Pour revenir au réglage de bandes de canaux chargé au préalable : m Cliquez sur le bouton Rétablir au cas de l’onglet Bibliothèque. 244 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Pour supprimer un réglage d’une bande de canal : m Choisissez « Supprimer le réglage de bande de canal » dans le menu « Réglages des bandes de canaux ». Pour sélectionner le réglage de bande de canaux précédent ou suivant, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur le bouton Réglage et choisissez la commande « Réglage de bande de canaux précédent » ou « Réglage de bande de canaux suivant ». m Utilisez l’un des raccourcis clavier suivants :  Réglage de bande de canaux suivant  Réglage de bande de canaux précédent  Réglage de bande de canaux ou Programme ou Instrument EXS suivant  Réglage de bande de canaux ou Programme ou instrument EXS précédent Cela permet de charger le réglage de bande de canaux précédent ou suivant dans la liste. Cette fonction est très utile lorsque vous essayez de trouver le bon retard ou son de clavinet, par exemple. Pour copier et coller un réglage de bande de canaux : m Cliquez sur le bouton Réglage et choisissez l’option de menu « Copier réglage de bande de canaux » ou « Coller réglage de bande de canaux », selon le cas. Vous pouvez également utiliser les raccourcis clavier correspondants. Remarque : lorsque vous collez des bandes de canaux (au lieu de les charger), le curseur Niveau, le niveau d’envoi du panorama et toutes les destinations d’acheminement sont également définis en fonction du réglage de bande de canaux présent dans le Presse-papiers. Pour enregistrer un réglage de bande de canaux : 1 Cliquez sur le bouton Réglage et choisissez « Enregistrer réglage de bande de canaux sous » (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). 2 Dans la zone de dialogue « Enregistrer réglage de bande de canaux sous », sélectionnez le sous-dossier adéquat (si cela s’avère utile) et tapez un nom pour ce réglage de bande de canaux. Étant donné qu’il existe plusieurs catégories de bandes de canaux, le dossier « Channel Strip Settings » est subdivisé en plusieurs sous-dossiers propres à chaque type de canal. Cette hiérarchie de sous-dossiers est reproduite dans le menu Réglages pour chaque type de bande de canaux : Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 245 Il est déconseillé d’essayer de modifier la structure du dossier « Channel Strip Settings ». Vous pouvez en revanche, si vous le souhaitez, créer un dossier dans lequel vous pourrez enregistrer. Si aucun dossier n’est sélectionné, le réglage de bande de canaux enregistré est affiché directement dans le menu « Réglages des bandes de canaux », sous les fonctions. Vous pouvez modifier à distance les réglages de bande de canaux en envoyant des messages de changement de programme MIDI. Cela vous permet de sélectionner vos sons favoris (constitués d’un réglage de bande de canaux complet pouvant contenir un instrument logiciel et des modules d’effets) en appuyant sur un bouton de votre clavier MIDI. Cette fonction, appelée « Performances de bande de canaux », est conçue pour une utilisation en direct de Logic Express. Important : seuls les messages de changement de programme envoyés sur le canal MIDI 1 permettent de changer d’option « Performances de bande de canaux ». Tous les messages de changement de programme envoyés sur les autres canaux MIDI sont transférés vers les instruments Audio Units, le cas échéant. Les performances de bande de canaux peuvent être utilisées pour tous les types de bande de canaux audio. Elles sont enregistrées dans le sous-dossier Performances (dans ~/Bibliothèque/Application Support/Logic/Channel Strip Settings/). Les noms des performances commencent par le numéro du changement de programme correspondant (tels que : 001Piano, 045FlangeGuitar, 111ArcoCelloHall). Il existe 128 performances (correspondant aux 128 événements de changement de programme disponibles). Pour créer un réglage de performance : 1 Configurez une bande de canaux que vous souhaitez avoir à disposition en tant que performance (en ouvrant un réglage de bande de canaux à partir de la bibliothèque d’origine et en l’adaptant à vos besoins, par exemple). 2 Cliquez sur le bouton Réglage, puis choisissez Enregistrer comme performance. 3 Dans la zone de dialogue qui s’affiche, tapez le nom d’une performance, choisissez un numéro de changement de programme et cliquez sur OK. 4 Envoyez le numéro de changement de programme à partir de votre contrôleur MIDI. Lorsqu’une bande de canaux reçoit un message de changement de programme (sur le canal MIDI 1) correspondant à un numéro de performance assigné, elle charge cette performance. 246 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Remarque : si la valeur de changement de programme envoyée n’est pas assignée, la bande de canaux ignore le message et le réglage de performance de la bande de canaux actuellement chargé reste en place. Tous les réglages de performance enregistrés apparaissent dans le dossier Performances du menu « Réglages des bandes de canaux ». Utilisation de la fenêtre de module Toutes les manipulations pratiques de modules s’effectuent dans la fenêtre de module, qui permet d’accéder à tous les paramètres des modules. Chaque occurrence d’un module dispose de sa propre fenêtre, chacune peut donc avoir ses propres réglages. La fenêtre de module s’ouvre automatiquement lorsqu’un module est inséré. Ce comportement peut être modifié en désactivant la case à cocher « Ouvrir la fenêtre du module à l’insertion » dans l’onglet Logic Express > Préférences > Audio > Général. Pour fermer une fenêtre de module : m Cliquez sur l’icône X en haut à gauche de la fenêtre de module. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 247 Remarque : le fait de fermer la fenêtre ne désactive pas le module. Pour ouvrir une fenêtre de module fermée : m Double-cliquez sur un logement d’insertion ou d’instrument assigné (le nom du module est indiqué sur le logement). Pour afficher ou masquer toutes les fenêtres de module ouvertes : m Utilisez le raccourci clavier « Afficher/Masquer toutes les fenêtres de module » (par défaut : V). Ajustement des paramètres de module Cette rubrique aborde brièvement l’interaction avec les éléments de paramétrage communs que vous trouverez dans les fenêtres de module Logic Express. Pour obtenir des détails complets sur les paramètres de chaque module, reportez-vous au manuel Instruments et effets de Logic Express 8. Pour passer d’un bouton à l’autre dans la fenêtre de module : m Cliquez sur le bouton. Il passe à l’option suivante ou précédente ou est activé ou désactivé. Pour ajuster le curseur d’un paramètre : m Cliquez n’importe où sur le curseur, puis maintenez enfoncé le bouton de la souris et faites glisser vers le haut, vers le bas, vers la gauche ou vers la droite. m Cliquez n’importe où dans la plage de valeurs du curseur tout en maintenant la touche Commande enfoncée. La valeur définie correspond à la valeur sur laquelle vous avez cliqué. 248 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Pour ajuster les potentiomètres rotatifs : m Cliquez au centre du potentiomètre rotatif et, tout en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, faites glisser la souris vers le haut et vers le bas. m Cliquez n’importe où sur le cercle entourant le potentiomètre tout en maintenant la touche Commande enfoncée. La valeur définie correspond à la valeur sur laquelle vous avez cliqué. Pour ajuster les champs numériques, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur la valeur numérique tout en maintenant le bouton de la souris enfoncé, puis faites-le glisser vers le haut ou vers le bas. m Cliquez (ou double-cliquez) dans le champ et tapez des valeurs numériques à l’aide du clavier. m Si des flèches vers le haut et vers le bas se trouvent à côté de ces panneaux, cliquez dessus pour augmenter ou diminuer la valeur d’une unité. m Si le panneau numérique ouvre un menu local de valeurs, choisissez la valeur souhaitée. Pour rétablir la valeur par défaut (ou centrée) de n’importe quel paramètre : m Cliquez dessus en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée. Pour affiner les ajustements de paramètres : m Maintenant la touche Maj enfoncée avant de cliquer sur une commande et de la faire glisser. Vous pouvez également vous servir de la molette de la souris ou du clavier pour ajuster les paramètres des modules Logic Express. Pour ajuster les paramètres de module avec la molette de la souris : 1 Sélectionnez le paramètre de module Logic Express souhaité en cliquant dessus. 2 Faites tourner la molette de la souris. Π Conseil : vous pouvez également utiliser le trackpad d’un MacBook ou d’un PowerBook au lieu de la molette de la souris. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 249 Pour ajuster les paramètres d’un module à l’aide du clavier : m Sélectionnez le paramètre de module Logic Express souhaité, puis procédez de l’une des manières suivantes :  Appuyez sur la touche plus pour augmenter la valeur du paramètre.  Appuyez sur la touche moins pour réduire la valeur du paramètre. Fonctions communes de la fenêtre de module La zone d’e Appuyez sur n-tête située en haut de la fenêtre de module est commune à tous les modules. Elle contient un certain nombre de fonctions importantes pour l’utilisation des modules. Pour masquer ou afficher l’en-tête de la fenêtre de module : m Cliquez sur l’icône située en haut à droite de la fenêtre de module. Liaison de la fenêtre de module Le bouton situé à l’extrême gauche de la fenêtre (avec une chaîne représentée dessus) est le bouton Lien. Lorsque le bouton Lien est activé  Une seule fenêtre de module est utilisée pour afficher tous les modules ouverts. Chaque fois que vous ouvrez un nouveau module, la fenêtre est actualisée pour prendre en compte le module que vous venez de choisir.  La sélection d’une piste d’arrangement différente actualise la fenêtre de module ouverte, de façon à afficher le numéro de logement correspondant à la piste ou à la bande de canaux récemment sélectionnée. Par exemple :  Une instance ES1 est chargée (dans le logement Instrument) sur la piste 1, assignée à la bande de canaux d’instrument 1.  Une instance EXS24 mkII est chargée dur la piste 11, assignée à la bande canal d’instrument 2.  Lorsque vous basculerez entre les pistes 1 et 11, la fenêtre de module sera automatiquement actualisée pour afficher respectivement l’ES 1 ou l’EXS24 mkII. 250 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Lorsque le bouton Lien est désactivé Vous pouvez ouvrir plusieurs fenêtres de module simultanément, sans qu’elles ne soient actualisées pour refléter les pistes ou les modules que vous sélectionnez. Toutes les fenêtres de module ouvertes continueront bien sûr à afficher toutes les mises à jour et modifications apportées aux paramètres. Il est pratique de désactiver le bouton Lien lorsque vous souhaitez comparer les réglages de deux modules ou ajuster en même temps les paramètres de plusieurs fenêtres de module ouvertes. Contournement de modules Pour désactiver un module, sans pour autant le supprimer ou le retirer d’un canal, vous avez la possibilité de le contourner. Les modules contournés n’utilisent pas de ressources système. Pour contourner un module, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur le bouton Contournement à gauche de l’en-tête de la fenêtre de module. m Tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée, cliquez sur le logement d’insertion ou d’instrument approprié sur la bande de canaux voulue (dans la table de mixage ou dans l’Inspecteur). Le logement d’insertion du module contourné passe du bleu au gris, indiquant que le module est actuellement contourné. Utilisation des fonctions de réglages Tous les réglages actuels des paramètres d’un module sont stockés avec le fichier du projet et sont automatiquement rappelés lors du prochain chargement. Vous pouvez également enregistrer et rappeler toutes les modifications apportées aux paramètres de module. Ces paramètres sont stockés et rappelés sous forme de réglages individuels (ou préréglages, si vous préférez) via la zone Réglages. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 251 La zone Réglages se trouve à droite du bouton Contournement.  Boutons Réglage suivant et Réglage précédent : cliquez sur ces boutons pour charger le réglage de module suivant ou précédent.  Champ Réglages : affiche le nom du réglage de module actuel. Cliquez sur ce champ pour accéder au menu Réglages.  Bouton Comparer : cliquez sur ce bouton pour comparer un réglage de module modifié avec le réglage enregistré avec le projet.  Boutons Copier et Coller : cliquez sur ces boutons pour copier ou coller un réglage de module. Pour charger un réglage : 1 Ouvrez le menu Réglages (de la fenêtre de module, et non du menu « Réglages des bandes de canaux ») en cliquant sur le champ Réglages. 2 Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes :  Accédez au réglage souhaité depuis le menu ou les sous-menus de catégorie, puis sélectionnez-le.  Choisissez la commande Charger Réglages. Lorsque cette commande est utilisée, une zone de sélection de fichier s’ouvre. Seuls les réglages correspondant aux types de modules compatibles s’affichent. Chaque module possède son propre jeu de paramètres, et donc son propre format de fichier. Remarque : vous pouvez également sélectionner les réglages de module dans l’onglet Bibliothèque de la zone Média de la fenêtre Arrangement. Reportez-vous à la rubrique « Utilisation de la bibliothèque pour sélectionner les réglages de module » à la page 256. 252 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Pour choisir le réglage suivant ou précédent, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Dans l’en-tête de la fenêtre de module, cliquez sur la flèche gauche pour choisir le réglage précédent, ou sur la flèche droite pour choisir le suivant. m Utilisez les raccourcis clavier suivants :  Réglage de module suivant  Réglage de module précédent  Programme ou instrument EXS suivant  Programme ou instrument EXS précédent  Réglage de bande de canaux ou Programme ou Instrument EXS suivant  Réglage de bande de canaux ou Programme ou instrument EXS précédent Pour remplacer un réglage, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Naviguez jusqu’au menu des réglages de module et choisissez le réglage que vous souhaitez utiliser. m Sélectionnez la commande Charger Réglages et choisissez le réglage voulu dans la zone de sélection de fichier. Remplacement de modules compatibles avec les réglages Lorsque vous remplacez un module par un autre module compatible avec les réglages, le nouveau module utilise automatiquement les réglages du module remplacé. Par exemple : lorsque vous remplacez un instrument GarageBand reposant sur le module ES2 par l’ES2 lui-même, ce dernier utilise le même réglage que l’instrument GarageBand ES2 remplacé. Il en va de même pour la plupart des instruments Garage- Band reposant sur ESW, à deux exceptions près : Métamorphose hybride et Hybride de base. Pour comparer les paramètres de module modifiés avec les réglages d’origine : 1 Ajustez les paramètres de module souhaités. 2 Cliquez sur le bouton Comparer pour passer des réglages de paramètres chargés à l’origine (avec le projet) à ceux qui ont été modifiés. Cette fonction vous permet d’auditionner la lecture de vos pistes audio ou instrument sur deux variations d’un même module. Si vous décidez de conserver la version remaniée, vous pouvez l’enregistrer en tant que nouveau réglage de module via le menu Réglages. Le bouton Comparer permet de comparer le réglage modifié au réglage de référence qui a été sauvegardé lors du dernier enregistrement du projet (même si vous avez enregistré le réglage depuis la dernière ouverture du projet). Cela signifie que, pour modifier rapidement le réglage de référence, il suffit d’enregistrer le projet. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 253 Pour rétablir le réglage par défaut d’un module : m Dans le menu Réglages, choisissez Réinitialiser le réglage. Pour copier les paramètres de module actuels : m Cliquez sur le bouton Copier dans l’en-tête de la fenêtre de module (ou choisissez Copier le réglage dans le menu Réglages). Cela permet de copier tous les réglages de paramètre dans le Presse-papiers des réglages de module, qui est indépendant du Presse-papiers global de Logic Express. Pour coller les paramètres de module copiés : m Cliquez sur le bouton Coller dans l’en-tête de la fenêtre de module (ou choisissez Coller le réglage dans le menu Réglages). Remarque : cela ne fonctionne qu’avec des modules du même type (deux instances de Compressor, par exemple). Certains modules, tels que l’ES2 et certains instruments GarageBand basés sur ES2 partagent un certain nombre de paramètres, ce qui vous permet de copier et coller librement les réglages de paramètre d’un module à l’autre (voir « Changement du contenu de la fenêtre de module » à la page 254). Pour enregistrer un réglage, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes dans le menu Réglages : m Choisissez Enregistrer le réglage : les valeurs actuelles des paramètres de module sont enregistrées comme réglage. Cette action écrase le réglage existant. m Choisissez Enregistrer le réglage sous : cette option permet de nommer et d’enregistrer un réglage en indiquant l’emplacement du dossier. Vous pouvez également, si vous le souhaitez, créer un dossier dans la zone de dialogue Enregistrer sous. Remarque : l’emplacement du dossier (existant ou nouvellement créé) doit se trouver dans le dossier du module associé. Par exemple, vous pourriez enregistrer un réglage appelé Euro Lead dans le sous-dossier Lead Synths du dossier ES2. Pour créer un réglage par défaut : m Enregistrez un réglage appelé « #default » dans le dossier Réglages de n’importe quel type de module. Ce réglage sera chargé automatiquement à l’ouverture de ce type de module. Le réglage « #default » constitue également un bon point de départ pour créer de nouveaux réglages de module ou une bonne position de repli lorsque vous faites des essais. Pour supprimer un réglage : m Choisissez Supprimer le réglage dans le menu Réglages. 254 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Changement du contenu de la fenêtre de module Vous pouvez réassigner n’importe quelle fenêtre de module ouverte (de deux façons différentes) via les menus « Afficher la bande de canaux » et Afficher l’insertion :  Cliquez sur le menu « Afficher la bande de canaux » pour que la fenêtre de module bascule entre tous les canaux qui utilisent le même module. Par exemple, si vous avez inséré l’ES2 sur les pistes 1 et 6, vous pouvez passer de l’une de ces bandes de canaux à l’autre et ajuster les paramètres de chaque instance ES2 respectivement.  Cliquez sur le menu Afficher l’insertion pour basculer entre les logements de module du canal sélectionné. Par exemple, si un canal particulier utilise un égaliseur et un module ES2, vous pouvez passer de l’un à l’autre. Changement du mode de présentation de la fenêtre de module Les paramètres de module peuvent être affichés sous deux formes : la présentation Contrôles et la présentation Éditeur. La présentation Éditeur affiche l’interface graphique du module, s’il en comprend une. La présentation Contrôles affiche toutes les fonctions du module sous forme d’ensembles de curseurs horizontaux, avec des champs numériques à gauche de chaque paramètre. Ces champs servent aussi bien à l’affichage qu’à la saisie des valeurs. Pour passer d’un mode de présentation à l’autre : m Choisissez l’option Contrôles ou Éditeur dans le menu Présentation de l’en-tête de module. Présentation Contrôles Présentation Éditeur Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 255 Modules avec entrée latérale (Side Chain) Tous les modules qui gèrent les entrées latérales comportent un menu supplémentaire Side Chain à droite de l’en-tête de la fenêtre de module. Cela vous permet d’acheminer n’importe quel canal audio, d’entrée ou auxiliaire dans le module, via une entrée latérale. Vous pouvez également acheminer un canal d’instrument sous forme de signal Side Chain en suivant ces étapes : 1 Créez un envoi (Send) vers un canal auxiliaire (par exemple « Aux 3 ») sur le canal d’instrument (« Instrument 5 », par exemple). 2 Sur le canal audio que vous souhaitez traiter, choisissez le canal auxiliaire sélectionné (Aux 3) dans le menu Side Chain du module. Une fois l’entrée latérale choisie, le module traite l’audio du canal dans lequel il est inséré, en tenant compte des impulsions de déclenchement fournies par l’entrée latérale. Les crêtes du signal arrivant sur l’entrée latérale (le signal d’instrument envoyé), associées au paramètre Seuil du module, conditionnent le déclenchement du module. Quelques exemples d’utilisation d’entrée latérale (Side Chain)  Un son de nappe de niveau quasi-constant est envoyé à travers une porte de bruit, elle-même déclenchée par le signal d’une piste de batterie arrivant sur son entrée latérale. Vous obtenez un son de nappe « découpé » en rythme par les crêtes du signal provenant de la piste de batterie.  Une porte de bruit insérée dans le canal d’une guitare basse est déclenchée par la piste de grosse caisse via l’entrée latérale. Cette astuce permet de resserrer le timing de la guitare basse, qui suit alors le signal de la grosse caisse.  Les entrées latérales peuvent également être utilisées pour mélanger une musique et une voix off. Pour cela, le mixage doit être acheminé à travers un compresseur qui reçoit par ailleurs sur son entrée latérale la piste de la voix off. Dans ce type de configuration, le niveau de la musique baisse lorsque le narrateur parle et remonte lorsqu’il ne parle plus. Cet effet est également appelé atténuation (ou Ducking). Veuillez noter que pour que cette configuration puisse fonctionner, il faut désactiver la fonction de compensation automatique de gain ou « Auto Gain » (si celle-ci s’applique au module de compression). 256 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Masquage et affichage des paramètres étendus Certains modules de Logic Express peuvent disposer de paramètres supplémentaires qui n’apparaissent pas dans la présentation Éditeur (l’interface graphique du module). Leur présence est signalée par un triangle d’affichage qui apparaît en bas à gauche de la fenêtre de module. Si aucun triangle d’affichage n’est visible, cela signifie que le module de possède pas de paramètres supplémentaires. Pour masquer ou faire apparaître les paramètres supplémentaires : m Cliquez sur le triangle d’affichage situé en bas de la fenêtre de module. Utilisation de la bibliothèque pour sélectionner les réglages de module Au lieu d’utiliser le menu Réglages de l’en-tête de la fenêtre de module, vous pouvez aussi utiliser l’onglet Bibliothèque de la zone Média. Pour charger un réglage de module à partir de la Bibliothèque : 1 Si la zone Média n’est pas visible, cliquez sur le bouton Média dans la barre d’outils de la fenêtre Arrangement, puis cliquez sur l’onglet Bibliothèque. 2 Sélectionnez la piste d’arrangement qui est acheminée vers la bande de canaux dont vous souhaitez ajuster les réglages. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 257 3 Cliquez sur le logement d’insertion ou d’instrument du module souhaité dans la bande de canaux de la zone Arrangement. La Bibliothèque affiche tous les réglages disponibles pour le type de module choisi, classés par menus de catégories. Par exemple, pour le module Compressor : Drum Compressors, Instrument Compressors, Vocal Compressors. 4 Cliquez sur le menu de catégorie approprié, puis cliquez sur le nom du réglage voulu afin de modifier le réglage du module sélectionné. Remarque : vous pouvez cliquer sur le bouton Rétablir pour revenir au réglage de module précédent. 5 Le cas échéant, cliquez sur d’autres logements d’insertion ou d’instrument pour mettre à jour l’onglet Bibliothèque et ainsi afficher tous les réglages associés au type de module sélectionné. 6 Si vous cliquez sur un logement d’insertion ou d’instrument non utilisé, le menu du module est affiché normalement. Choisissez un module et l’onglet Bibliothèque est actualisé pour refléter votre sélection. Dossier Bibliothèque et structure de menus Chaque type de module possède un sous-dossier spécifique (portant le nom du module en question) qui est créé automatiquement dans le dossier Plug-in Settings. D’autres sous-dossiers, destinés aux catégories, peuvent être créés à l’intérieur de ces sous-dossiers. Ces structures de dossier sont reproduites dans l’onglet Bibliothèque (et dans le menu Réglages) pour chaque module. Les dossiers Plug-In Settings se trouvent dans les emplacements suivants :  ~/Bibliothèque/Application Support/Logic : contient les réglages de module définis ou modifiés par l’utilisateur.  /Bibliothèque/Application Support/Logic : les réglages d’origine sont toujours stockés dans ce répertoire. Les réglages de module sont identifiés par l’extension de fichier .pst. Le cadre blanc indique que la Bibliothèque est active. 258 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets À propos des acheminements d’effets Il existe deux moyens d’envoyer des données audio dans les effets : via une insertion ou via un envoi auxiliaire. Effets d’insertion Lorsqu’un module est inséré directement dans un canal, on parle d’effet d’insertion. Le signal est traité intégralement ou, autrement dit, 100 % du signal traverse l’effet. Ce comportement intégral est idéal pour les égaliseurs et les effets dynamiques, tels que les compresseurs. Si vous disposez d’une puissance de calcul suffisante, vous pouvez utiliser jusqu’à 15 effets d’insertion sur chaque bande de canaux. Par défaut, deux logements d’insertion seulement sont affichés sur les bandes de canaux. Un logement d’insertion supplémentaire vierge est automatiquement créé, dès que tous les logements d’insertion actuellement affichés sont utilisés, jusqu’au maximum utilisé. Autrement dit, si vous insérez un module d’effet dans le logement d’insertion 2, un troisième logement est automatiquement affiché. De même, si vous insérez un module dans le logement 3, un quatrième est affiché et ainsi de suite. Effets d’envoi Lorsque vous utilisez un effet d’envoi, une quantité contrôlée du signal est envoyée à l’effet en question. Cette méthode est généralement employée pour des effets qui seront appliqués à plusieurs signaux en même temps. Les effets d’envoi sont également appelés effets bus, envois ou retours de bus, envois ou retours auxiliaires, ou tout simplement envois ou retours. Dans Logic Express, les effets d’envoi sont placés dans un logement Insertion d’un canal auxiliaire. Les signaux des différents canaux que vous souhaitez traiter sont envoyés vers ce canal auxiliaire par le biais d’un bus. La quantité de signal est contrôlée par un potentiomètre d’envoi (Send) sur chaque canal. Le signal audio est alors traité par l’effet inséré dans le canal auxiliaire, puis mélangé à la sortie stéréo. Cette méthode est indéniablement plus efficace que l’insertion directe dans les pistes. En effet, au lieu d’insérer le même effet directement dans plusieurs canaux, elle permet de traiter plusieurs canaux avec un seul effet inséré et donc d’économiser beaucoup de puissance de calcul (et de temps). Un autre avantage est que vous pouvez passer rapidement de la version sèche à la version mouillée (et inversement) de tous les canaux qui sont envoyés à un canal auxiliaire, en contournant simplement l’effet sur ce dernier. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 259 De même, vous pouvez complètement modifier la configuration des effets pour plusieurs canaux envoyés en choisissant différents effets pour le canal auxiliaire. Il est toujours préférable d’insérer les effets très gourmands en puissance de calcul, tels que la réverbération, dans un canal auxiliaire. Il en va de même pour les effets Chorus, Flanger et Delay s’ils doivent être utilisés sur plusieurs pistes. Toutefois, dans certains cas, il peut être judicieux d’un point de vue musical de placer un effet tel qu’un retard ou un chorus directement dans le logement d’insertion d’un canal. Cela vous permet en effet d’utiliser des couleurs et des réglages précis sur les différents éléments de votre mixage. La règle d’or est que vous devez utiliser ce qui convient le mieux à votre mixage. Logic Express n’impose aucune restriction sur l’endroit où peuvent être insérés les effets. Pour envoyer un signal de canal à un canal auxiliaire : 1 Cliquez sur un logement d’envoi (d’un canal audio, par exemple) et sélectionnez un bus dans le menu. 2 Faites glisser le potentiomètre d’envoi sur la quantité de signal que vous souhaitez envoyer au canal auxiliaire. Lorsque vous faites cela, la valeur (quantité d’envoi) s’affiche dans le logement d’envoi. Lorsqu’elle est définie sur 100 %, la quantité d’envoi achemine l’intégralité du signal depuis le canal audio ou d’instrument vers le canal auxiliaire cible (reportez-vous aux informations Pré et Post ci-après). 260 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 3 Insérez les modules d’effet voulus et réglez le niveau, la balance et la sortie du canal auxiliaire cible. Π Conseil : il est plus facile d’effectuer cette action dans les bandes de canaux de l’arrangement de l’Inspecteur : la bande de canaux gauche correspond à la source (le canal audio dans l’exemple) et la bande de canaux droite correspond à la destination (le canal auxiliaire) de cette source. Si vous travaillez dans la table de mixage, vous pouvez double-cliquer sur un logement d’envoi pour accéder directement au canal auxiliaire alloué. Pour supprimer un envoi : m Cliquez sur un logement d’envoi actif, puis sélectionnez Pas d’envoi dans le menu. Pour contourner un envoi : m Cliquez sur le logement d’envoi tout en appuyant sur la touche Option. L’arrière-plan de ce dernier devient grisé. Pour normaliser (réinitialiser) le niveau d’envoi : m Cliquez sur le potentiomètre d’envoi tout en appuyant sur la touche Option. Le niveau d’envoi est alors ramené à 0 dB. Effets d’envoi auxiliaires Post, Post-pan et Pré-fader Les effets d’envoi peuvent être positionnés avant (Pré) ou après (Post) le curseur de niveau des bandes de canaux (source). Un niveau de signal Post-fader, acheminé vers un effet d’envoi, évolue en même temps que les mouvements du curseur de volume. Si vous utilisez l’effet d’envoi pour acheminer un signal depuis le canal vers une réverbération insérée sur un canal auxiliaire, cela signifie que la relation entre le signal initial et le signal d’effet reste constante. Lorsque vous baissez au maximum le curseur de volume du canal, la réverbération disparaît également. Ce réglage est généralement le plus utile, c’est pourquoi il est défini par défaut dans Logic Express. Envoi Pré-fader Envoi Post-balance Envoi Post-fader Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 261 Si un effet d’envoi est réglé en mode Pré-fader, le niveau du signal acheminé vers l’effet d’envoi reste constant, quels que soient les mouvements du curseur de volume sur le canal source. Le signal est toujours envoyé au canal auxiliaire sélectionné, même si le curseur de volume du canal source est entièrement abaissé. Les envois Pré-fader sont principalement utilisés pour les tâches de contrôle : contrôle du casque dans un studio ou contrôle du foldback sur scène. Les envois Pré-fader sont également utiles lorsque vous souhaitez entendre le signal d’effet de façon isolée (sans le signal d’origine). L’égaliseur continue d’affecter les envois en mode Pré-fader (pré-fader, post-égaliseur). Si vous optez pour le mode Post-pan, le signal est non seulement en post-fader, mais aussi en post-pan. Cela signifie que la balance du signal d’envoi sur l’auxiliaire (qui doit être stéréo ou multicanal) correspondra à la position Pan/Balance de la bande de canal. Pour sélectionner l’une de ces options dans Logic Express : m Cliquez sur un logement d’envoi utilisé, puis choisissez Post-pan, Post ou Pré en haut du menu. Acheminement d’envois en parallèle et en série Lorsque plusieurs effets sont insérés dans une bande de canaux, on dit qu’ils sont acheminés en série. Ce terme fait référence à la nature séquentielle de la chaîne d’effets, selon laquelle les données de sortie d’un effet sont insérées dans les données d’entrée de l’effet suivant, et ainsi de suite. Lorsqu’une bande de canaux est acheminée vers plusieurs canaux auxiliaires par le biais d’envois, alors que des effets de réverbération, de chorus et de retard sont assignés respectivement aux canaux 1, 2 et 3, on parle d’acheminement en parallèle. Cela signifie que les données de sortie de la bande de canaux sont divisées et acheminées vers trois effets distincts, un pour chaque bande de canaux auxiliaire. Ces trois signaux indépendants sont renvoyés depuis leurs canaux auxiliaires respectifs, puis réunis en un flux de sortie depuis la bande de canaux. Vous pouvez également diriger le signal audio depuis les bandes de canaux auxiliaires vers des canaux de sortie individuels (ou d’autres canaux auxiliaires), indépendamment ou en association avec la sortie mixte de bandes de canaux. D’autres possibilités vous sont offertes si vous combinez des acheminements en série et des acheminements en parallèle pour des canaux individuels. 262 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Pourquoi acheminer une bande de canaux vers plusieurs canaux auxiliaires, eux-mêmes renvoyés vers le canal, vers des sorties ou vers d’autres canaux auxiliaires ? Pour résumer, les résultats sonores de chaque approche, simple ou combinée, peuvent être différents. À vous de jouer : explorez, testez ! Utilisation des instruments Cette rubrique traite de l’utilisation des instruments logiciels et des générateurs de son MIDI externes. Les pistes des instruments logiciels et celles des instruments MIDI externes sont traitées de manière presque identique. Les régions MIDI des pistes acheminées vers l’un ou l’autre type de canal (instrument logiciel ou MIDI externe) peuvent être utilisées de manière interchangeable. Vous pouvez également réassigner complètement une piste acheminée vers un synthétiseur MIDI externe vers une piste utilisant des instruments logiciels, ou encore copier les données d’une piste MIDI externe vers une piste d’instrument logiciel, afin d’obtenir une lecture superposée du morceau sur les deux instruments. Les instruments logiciels utilisent des bandes de canaux d’instrument, tandis que les instruments MIDI utilisent des bandes de canaux MIDI externes. Les instruments ReWired utilisent quant à eux des bandes de canaux auxiliaires. Pour en savoir plus sur la configuration et l’utilisation des instruments ReWired, consultez la rubrique « Utilisation des applications ReWire » à la page 275. Π Conseil : bon nombre des tâches de configuration et d’acheminement décrites dans cette rubrique peuvent être effectuées une seule fois et enregistrées comme modèle. Ce qui signifie que, la prochaine fois que vous chargerez le modèle, toutes ces tâches préliminaires ne seront pas nécessaires et vous pourrez ainsi vous consacrer pleinement à la création musicale. Pour en savoir plus, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Enregistrement d’un projet en tant que modèle » à la page 166. Configuration d’instruments MIDI externes La configuration et l’utilisation des modules internes et claviers MIDI externes peuvent s’effectuer de plusieurs façons dans Logic Express. Pour illustrer cela, nous prendrons quelques exemples concrets. Suivez les étapes décrites ci-dessous. Pour créer un instrument MIDI externe dans la fenêtre Arrangement : 1 Cliquez sur le bouton Nouvelles pistes (le signe plus au-dessus de la liste des pistes) de la fenêtre Arrangement. 2 Choisissez l’option MIDI externe et cliquez sur le bouton Créer. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 263 Remarque : la case Ouvrir la bibliothèque de la zone de dialogue Nouvelles pistes est cochée par défaut. Ne changez rien car l’onglet Bibliothèque (qui s’ouvre automatiquement) vous facilitera grandement la tâche. Une nouvelle piste est créée dans la liste et assignée au Périphérique GM 1. Chaque fois que vous créez une nouvelle piste MIDI externe dans un projet, Logic Express génère automatiquement un nouvel objet Multi Instrument MIDI externe. Ce dernier est inséré dans la couche Instr. MIDI de la fenêtre Environnement. Choisissez Fenêtre > Environnement pour visualiser cet objet (pour plus de détails, consultez le chapitre 38, « Utilisation de l’Environnement » à la page 941). Une autre tâche effectuée en arrière-plan est la création automatique des bandes de canaux de la table de mixage pour tous les sous-canaux Multi Instrument. Cliquez sur le bouton Table de mixage au bas de la fenêtre Arrangement et cliquez sur le bouton Tous dans la barre des menus de la table de mixage. Vous verrez apparaître 16 bandes de canaux assignées aux Périphériques GM 1 à 16 (plus quelques autres pour les canaux audio). À droite de la zone Arrangement se trouve l’onglet Bibliothèque. Il affiche la liste de vos ports et autres objets MIDI. Parmi les éléments affichés figure le Périphérique GM. 264 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 3 Cliquez sur Périphérique GM dans la colonne gauche de l’onglet Bibliothèque et vous verrez s’afficher 16 entrées dans la colonne de droite : 1 (Grand Piano), 2 (Polysynth), etc. 4 Cliquez sur le triangle d’affichage situé à gauche de l’entrée Périphérique GM 1 dans l’Inspecteur (si la zone Paramètre de piste n’est pas déjà ouverte). Si l’Inspecteur n’est pas visible, appuyez sur le bouton Inspecteur dans la barre d’outils Arrangement. Deux paramètres sont particulièrement importants ici : Port et Canal (voir « Réglages des paramètres de canaux MIDI externes » à la page 269). 5 Cliquez sur Tous, à côté du paramètre Port. Tous les ports de sortie de votre interface MIDI sont présentés dans une liste. Exemples : Port 1 (Unitor 8), Port 2 (Unitor 8), MIDI1 (Réseau mLan). Si vous choisissez un port spécifique, par exemple le Port 1 (Unitor 8), l’objet Multi Instrument Périphérique GM sera acheminé vers ce port MIDI en particulier. Cette liste de ports est identique à la liste de la colonne gauche de l’onglet Bibliothèque. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 265 6 Vous remarquerez que le paramètre Canal est défini sur 1. Créez plusieurs nouvelles pistes MIDI externes en suivant les étapes 1 et 2. Vous remarquerez que ces nouvelles pistes sont appelées Périphérique GM 2, Périphérique GM 3, Périphérique GM 4, etc. Cliquez sur chacune de ces pistes dans la liste des pistes et observez bien le paramètre Canal dans la zone Paramètre de piste de l’Inspecteur. Chacune de ces pistes est acheminée vers un sous-canal de l’objet Multi Instrument Périphérique GM. La sélection de chaque piste est reflétée par les 16 entrées de sous-canaux affichées dans la colonne droite de l’onglet Bibliothèque. Il est important de noter que Logic Express n’a pas créé de nouvel objet Multi Instrument pour chaque nouvelle piste MIDI externe. Au lieu de cela, il a assigné chaque piste à des sous-canaux de l’objet Multi Instrument Périphérique GM. Vous pouvez créer jusqu’à 16 pistes, chacune pouvant être assignée à un sous-canal d’un objet Multi Instrument. Mais alors, que se passe-t-il si vous avez besoin de canaux supplémentaires pour d’autres modules internes et synthétiseurs MIDI externes ? Plusieurs options s’offrent à vous. Le plus simple est d’utiliser l’onglet Bibliothèque pour réassigner les pistes nouvellement créées vers des ports et des canaux MIDI particuliers. Pour réassigner des pistes à des canaux à l’aide de l’onglet Bibliothèque : 1 Créez plusieurs pistes MIDI externes dans la fenêtre Arrangement, en suivant les étapes 2 et 3 de l’exemple ci-dessus. 2 Cliquez sur une piste, puis sur un Port et sur une entrée de sous-canal dans l’onglet Bibliothèque.  Si vous choisissez un sous-canal du Périphérique GM, vous devez réassigner la piste sélectionnée à ce sous-canal.  Si vous choisissez le sous-canal d’un autre Port MIDI, la piste sera réassignée en conséquence (Unitor 8 Port 5, sous-canal 4 par exemple). Observez le nouvel objet Multi Instrument (Unitor 8, Port 5) dans la fenêtre Environnement. Remarque : la première fois que vous effectuez cette opération pour chaque port ou sous-canal, un nouvel objet Multi Instrument est créé dans l’Environnement (ainsi que les canaux correspondants dans la Table de mixage). Une fois que des objets ont été créés pour tous les ports, la réaffectation des pistes vers des ports ou des canaux n’entraîne pas la création de nouveaux objets. Outre l’onglet Bibliothèque, vous avez également la possibilité d’utiliser la fenêtre Environnement pour créer des objets Multi Instrument. 266 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Pour créer un instrument MIDI externe dans la fenêtre Environnement : 1 Ouvrez la fenêtre Environnement en choisissant Fenêtre > Environnement (ou en utilisant le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Commande + 8). 2 La fenêtre devrait s’ouvrir par défaut sur la couche Instr. MIDI, sinon, cliquez sur la flèche vers le bas située à gauche du bouton Lien et choisissez l’entrée Instr. MIDI. 3 Cliquez sur le menu Nouveau et examinez les options disponibles. Il s’agit de tous les objets d’environnement que vous pouvez créer. Pour l’instant, choisissez Multi Instrument. 4 Le nouvel objet Multi Instrument créé est appelé « (Multi Instr.) ». Vous pourrez le renommer par la suite (en général d’après le nom de votre synthétiseur, JV5080, Microwave, etc.).  Vous noterez la présence de lignes diagonales qui barrent chacune des 16 cases de sous-canal.  Notez également que les paramètres Port et Canal s’affichent à gauche de la fenêtre Environnement. 5 Cliquez sur le menu Port et choisissez une nouvelle sortie MIDI pour l’objet Multi Instr. Assurez-vous qu’il s’agit un port différent de celui utilisé par l’objet Périphérique GM. 6 La dernière étape consiste à activer chaque sous-canal. Pour cela, il suffit de cliquer sur la case de chaque sous-canal. La ligne diagonale disparaît dès que la case est cochée. 7 Cliquez sur le bouton Table de mixage au bas de la fenêtre Arrangement et vous verrez apparaître 16 nouvelles bandes de canaux (Multi Instr.). Π Conseil : dès qu’un objet a été créé dans la fenêtre Environnement (à l’aide de l’une des méthodes décrites précédemment), vous pouvez cliquer sur les noms de piste de la liste en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée. Choisissez le port et le sous-canal voulus dans le menu « Réassigner l’objet de piste » pour réassigner rapidement les pistes. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 267 Réglage des paramètres de canaux pour les instruments Lorsque vous sélectionnez une piste qui est déjà assignée à une bande de canal MIDI ou d’instrument logiciel, la zone Paramètres de piste de l’Inspecteur affiche les paramètres décrits dans cette rubrique. Toute modification apportée à ces paramètres affecte l’ensemble de la bande de canal, ainsi que toutes les pistes acheminées vers cette bande. Cette distinction est importante car certains paramètres, tels que la transposition, sont disponibles à la fois en tant que paramètre de canal et que paramètre de région. Pour remettre cela en contexte, imaginez un projet composé de 6 pistes acheminées vers le module EXS24 mkII (avec un kit de batterie chargé) sur le canal d’instrument 1. Vous voudriez transposer la rubrique de la caisse claire (jouée par des régions de la piste 2) de deux demi-tons. Cela va déclencher un échantillon de caisse claire différent.  Si vous utilisez le paramètre Transposition de la zone Paramètre de région pour toutes les régions de la piste 2, tout se déroulera comme prévu.  Si vous utilisez le paramètre Transposition de la zone de paramètres Piste (canal), l’intégralité du kit de batterie EXS24 mkII (canal Instrument 1) sera affecté. Toutes les régions des 6 pistes seront alors lues par d’autres échantillons de batterie. Paramètres communs à tous les instruments Les paramètres suivants sont disponibles à la fois pour les bandes de canaux d’instruments MIDI et d’instruments logiciels. Icône L’icône utilisée par l’instrument peut être modifiée pour répondre à vos envies ou à vos besoins. Il suffit pour cela de cliquer sur l’icône et d’en choisir une autre dans le menu. Une icône par défaut est utilisée lors de l’insertion de tous les instruments Logic Express internes, vous pouvez ainsi reconnaître instantanément une piste EXS24 mkII ou ES1. 268 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Transposition Le paramètre Transposition vous permet de définir le nombre de demi-tons selon lequel tous les événements de note seront transposés à la sortie. Les valeurs négatives effectuent une transposition vers le bas. Vélocité Le paramètre Vélocité vous permet d’augmenter ou de diminuer les vélocités de note activée de tous les événements de note, d’une valeur comprise entre –99 et 99. Lim Les deux valeurs de note du paramètre Lim définissent une plage de tonalités. Toutes les notes non comprises dans cette gamme ne sont pas prises en compte par l’instrument. VLim Les deux valeurs du paramètre VLim définissent l’étendue des valeurs de vélocité. Toutes les notes dont la valeur Vélocité n’est pas comprise dans cette plage ne sont pas jouées par l’instrument. Retard Le paramètre Retard a pour effet de retarder ou d’avancer l’envoi de tous les événements MIDI d’une valeur comprise entre –99 et 99. Il vous permet de compenser les différences de temps de réponse entre vos divers équipements MIDI ou de créer des décalages entre les canaux. Si vous cherchez à créer des effets de retard rythmique, utilisez plutôt l’option Retard de la zone Paramètres de région, qui autorise des temps de retard supérieurs sans avoir d’impact sur la synchronisation de la lecture du canal (toutes les régions de la piste ou d’autres pistes acheminées vers le même canal). Aucune transposition Activez le paramètre Aucune transposition pour protéger toutes les régions MIDI (sur n’importe quelle piste acheminée vers ce canal) contre la transposition. En d’autres termes, le paramètre Transposition de la zone Paramètres de région est ignoré. Cela s’avère très utile pour les instruments assignés à des échantillons de batterie ou d’autres échantillons multitimbraux, car une transposition modifierait les sons (et pas seulement la tonalité) de ces instruments. Aucune réinitialisation Activez le paramètre Aucune réinitialisation pour qu’aucun message de réinitialisation ne soit envoyé à ce canal. Cela peut être utile si des contrôleurs sont utilisés dans un but autre que musical, tel que l’automatisation de la table de mixage. L’onglet Logic Express > Préférences > MIDI > Messages de réinitialisation détermine quels messages de réinitialisation sont envoyés, mais ces messages ne sont pas envoyés aux instruments définis sur Aucune réinitialisation. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 269 Style À chaque fois qu’une région MIDI est créée sur l’une des pistes acheminées vers un canal donné, le style de portée défini dans le menu local Style lui est assigné. Si vous sélectionnez le paramètre Auto, Logic Express utilise un style approprié en fonction de la tessiture des notes de la région. Π Conseil : vous pouvez modifier à tout moment le style de portée d’une région MIDI dans la case Paramètre d’affichage de l’Éditeur de partition. Réglage des paramètres de canaux des instruments logiciels Les paramètres suivants sont propres aux bandes de canaux d’instrument. Canal MIDI Ce paramètre définit le canal MIDI utilisé par l’instrument logiciel. Valeur en Ce paramètre permet de changer l’affichage des bandes de canaux (compteurs et autres paramètres) pour afficher des valeurs en décibels (dB) et des valeurs numériques (Num). L’affichage par défaut est en décibels. Réglages des paramètres de canaux MIDI externes Les paramètres suivants sont propres aux bandes de canaux MIDI externes. Connexion du canal MIDI et du port Le paramètre Port définit la sortie MIDI physique vers laquelle les données sont envoyées. Votre module interne de son MIDI est connecté à cette prise de sortie MIDI. Le canal MIDI est défini à l’aide du paramètre Canal. Celui-ci définit le canal utilisé pour la sortie MIDI par la piste d’instrument, ce qui permet à votre instrument « réel » de recevoir les données. 270 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Réglage du canal MIDI : multi-instruments Vous pouvez également changer le canal MIDI d’une partition d’instrument MIDI externe en choisissant un autre sous-canal du multi-instrument actuel. Un sous-canal correspond à l’une des rubriques ou l’un des 16 canaux MIDI pouvant être lus par un objet multi-instrument. Bien entendu, le synthétiseur MIDI externe (représenté par l’objet multi-instrument) doit être capable de jouer sur plusieurs canaux MIDI pour que la sélection de sous-canaux soit utile. Vous ne pouvez pas réellement modifier le canal de réception d’un sous-canal dans le synthétiseur multitimbral. Cela n’est possible que sur quelques modèles (et, de toute façon, ce n’est pas particulièrement utile si vous utilisez Logic Express). Si le canal MIDI est réglé sur Tous, vous pouvez modifier les paramètres de tout l’objet multi-instrument. Une fonction fort utile pour remplacer de manière globale le port MIDI (Port A, B, etc.), par exemple. Programme, Volume et Panoramique Les paramètres Programme, Volume et Pan transmettent respectivement les informations de changement de programme, de contrôleur de volume (CC n° 7) et de contrôleur de panoramique (CC n° 10). Si la case correspondante n’est pas cochée, la valeur par défaut du périphérique MIDI est utilisée. Un changement de programme (préréglage ou numéro de sonorité dans votre module interne MIDI) peut être sélectionné sur la droite, via un menu local. Lorsqu’il s’agit de sous-canaux multi-instruments, les sons peuvent être sélectionnés par leur nom dans un menu local. Vous pouvez également double-cliquer sur le nom de la piste (Périphérique GM 1, par exemple). Cela permet de lancer la fenêtre Multi Instrument. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 271 Il suffit de cliquer sur le nom du son (sonorité) que vous souhaitez utiliser. Cliquez sur le bouton de fermeture situé en haut à gauche pour fermer la fenêtre ou appuyez sur Commande + W. Pour en savoir plus sur cette fenêtre, notamment sur la personnalisation des noms de sonorités, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Utilisation de la fenêtre Multi Instrument » à la page 973. À droite du numéro de programme se trouve un paramètre supplémentaire utilisé pour la Sélection de banque. Si votre source de sons reçoit des messages Sélection de banque (contrôleur MIDI n° 0 ou n° 32, consultez le manuel de votre synthétiseur pour plus de détails sur le format), vous pouvez basculer entre les différentes banques contenant chacune un maximum de 128 sons. Pour en savoir plus sur les autres paramètres d’instrument, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Instruments standard » à la page 968. Ajout de réglages de changement de programme, de volume et de panoramique à une région MIDI La commande MIDI > Insérer les réglages MIDI d’instruments sous forme d’événements vous permet d’insérer les réglages de changement de programme, de volume et de panoramique (depuis la zone Paramètres de piste de l’Inspecteur) sous la forme d’événements MIDI proprement dits, dans une ou plusieurs régions MIDI sélectionnées. Les événements sont placés un quart de note avant le début des régions MIDI concernées. Seuls les réglages activés (cochés) dans la ou les zones Paramètres de piste peuvent être ajoutés comme événements. S’il existe déjà des événements du même type dans la ou les régions, ils sont écrasés. Les valeurs des paramètres Programme, Volume et Pan ne sont pas actualisées chaque fois que de tels événements Control Change sont lus. Ces paramètres sont les valeurs initiales, lorsque vous chargez un projet ou choisissez la commande MIDI > « Insérer les réglages MIDI d’instruments sous forme d’événements » (avant de commencer à enregistrer les données d’automatisation de la table de mixage). Traitement d’instruments MIDI externes à l’aide d’effets Vous pouvez acheminer des générateurs de son MIDI externes via la table de mixage de Logic Express, afin de les traiter à l’aide d’effets Logic Express. Vous devez pour cela utiliser le module External Instrument. L’idéal serait d’utiliser une interface audio à plusieurs entrées et sorties pour éviter de brancher/débrancher constamment les périphériques. Pour traiter des instruments MIDI externes avec des effets : 1 Connectez la sortie (ou paire de sorties) de votre module interne MIDI à une entrée (paire d’entrées) de votre interface audio. 272 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Remarque : Il peut s’agir aussi bien de connexions analogiques que numériques si votre interface audio et l’unité d’effets sont équipées de l’une ou de l’autre, ou bien des deux. 2 Créez un canal d’instrument. 3 Cliquez sur le logement Instrument et choisissez External Instrument dans le menu local. 4 Choisissez la destination MIDI dans le menu de la fenêtre de module External Instrument. Le menu MIDI Destination affiche tous les sous-canaux des objets multi-instrument de l’Environnement. 5 Choisissez l’entrée (de votre interface audio) à laquelle le générateur de son MIDI est connecté dans le menu local Entrée. 6 Ajustez le volume d’entrée, si nécessaire. 7 Insérez les effets voulus dans les logements d’insertion du canal. Étant donné que la piste est acheminée vers un canal d’instrument (qui est destiné à un module de son MIDI externe), elle se comporte comme une piste d’instrument logiciel standard, ce qui signifie que vous pouvez y enregistrer et y lire des régions MIDI. Cela présente les avantages suivants :  Vous pouvez tirer profit des sons et du moteur de synthèse de votre module interne MIDI, sans surcharger l’unité centrale de votre Macintosh (sauf par les effets utilisés sur le canal).  Vous pouvez, bien entendu, utiliser des effets d’insertion, mais pouvez également utiliser des effets d’envoi (Send) en acheminant le canal Instrument vers des canaux auxiliaires.  Vous pouvez effectuer un bounce en temps réel des parties d’instrument MIDI externe, avec ou sans les effets, dans un fichier audio. Cela permet de créer un mixage, avec tous les périphériques et pistes internes et externes, en une seule étape. Remarque : vous n’avez pas la possibilité d’utiliser la fonction Freeze sur de telles pistes, ni d’effectuer un bounce hors ligne. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 273 Lecture des instruments logiciels Contrairement aux modules d’effet, les modules d’instrument logiciel répondent à des messages de note MIDI. Le signal de sortie d’un instrument logiciel est inséré dans l’entrée (logement Instrument) de la bande de canaux de l’instrument, où il peut alors être traité via des modules d’effets insérés ou envoyés vers des bus. Logic Express peut gérer jusqu’à 255 canaux d’instrument distincts. Le nombre d’instruments logiciels que vous pouvez exécuter simultanément dépend de la quantité de ressources de traitement disponible sur l’ordinateur. Après l’insertion d’un module d’instrument, le canal d’instrument peut être piloté par une région MIDI enregistrée ou une entrée MIDI directe qui, autrement dit, contrôle votre clavier MIDI ! Activation du mode Live des instruments logiciels Lorsque vous sélectionnez une piste d’instrument (logiciel), celle-ci ne passe pas immédiatement en mode Live ou Performances. Vous devez envoyer un événement MIDI pour activer le mode Live ; il faut toutefois environ 100 millisecondes pour que l’opération prenne effet, ce qui suffit à anéantir la synchronisation de la note lue en premier. S’il est nécessaire que la première note lue soit parfaitement synchronisée, vous devez envoyer des événements MIDI silencieux à l’avance ; par exemple, appuyez sur la pédale Sustain ou faites bouger légèrement la roulette de modulation de hauteur. Ainsi, le mode Live sera activé. Nécessité du mode Live Les instruments en mode Live doivent le rester tant que le moteur audio tourne (lorsque Logic Express est en mode de lecture ou d’enregistrement). En effet, si vous désactivez le mode Live pour une piste d’instrument logiciel, cela risque de créer un blanc (ou un bruit) dans le flux audio. Évidemment, cela n’est pas acceptable. Les instruments logiciels en mode Live (prêts pour la lecture) requièrent beaucoup plus de ressources que ceux qui se contentent de lire des régions existantes. Si le mode Live était automatiquement activé dès que l’on sélectionnait une piste d’instrument logiciel, le passage d’une piste à une autre ne ferait qu’aggraver le problème et risquerait même d’entraîner des surcharges sur le processeur. 274 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Le bouton Enregistrer des pistes d’instrument logiciel sélectionnées permet de savoir en temps réel l’état d’un instrument : Économies de puissance de calcul pour les instruments logiciels La fonction Bounce permet d’enregistrer une piste d’instrument entière sous la forme d’un fichier audio. Ce fichier audio qui a fait l’objet d’un bounce peut ensuite être utilisé (comme une région audio) sur une piste audio standard, ce qui vous permet de libérer des ressources du processeurs pour d’autres pistes d’instrument logiciel. Pour en savoir plus, reportez-vous à la rubrique chapitre 27, « Bounce de votre projet » à la page 673. Vous pouvez également utiliser la fonction Freeze pour récupérer la sortie d’une piste d’instrument logiciel, là aussi en économisant de la puissance de calcul. Pour en savoir plus, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Freeze des pistes » à la page 222. Accord des instruments logiciels Le paramètre Fichier > Projet Réglages > Accord > « Tonalité de l’instrument logiciel » contrôle à distance le paramètre d’accord principal de tous les instruments logiciels (l’ES1 ou l’EXS24 mkII, par exemple) par pas de ± 50 centièmes. La valeur par défaut est le La de concert à 440 Hz. Faites simplement glisser le curseur jusqu’à la valeur voulue. Les valeurs de centième et de Hz sont actualisées en fonction de la position du curseur. Remarque : certains instruments Audio Unit ne reconnaissent pas cette commande à distance. Aucun Hermode Tuning Logic Express permet d’accorder simultanément tous les instruments logiciels selon différents tempéraments, notamment l’Hermode Tuning (reportez-vous à la rubrique « Définition d’Hermode Tuning » à la page 1042). Il se peut toutefois que vous souhaitiez soustraire certains instruments logiciels de cet accord global. Instrument en mode Live Instrument sélectionné, pas encore en mode Live Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 275 Lorsque l’option Fichier > Réglages projet > Accord > Hermode Tuning est activée, une case à cocher Pas d’HMT est visible dans les zones Paramètres de l’Inspecteur de tous les canaux d’instrument. Il suffit de cocher cette case pour éviter que l’instrument logiciel sélectionné ne suive le tempérament Hermode Tuning global. Les pistes d’instrument logiciel dont la case Pas d’HMT est cochée sont jouées selon un tempérament égal. Cette fonction est idéale pour une batterie EXS que vous ne voulez pas accorder comme vos rubriques d’instrument logiciel mélodiques, par exemple. Utilisation des applications ReWire Logic Express fait office d’hôte pour les applications ReWire, telles que Ableton Live et Propellerhead Reason. Important : commencez par lancer Logic Express, puis démarrez votre ou vos applications ReWire. Lorsque ces applications sont exécutées en même temps que Logic Express, les informations audio synchronisées sont acheminées vers des bandes de canaux auxiliaires dans la table de mixage de Logic Express, où elles peuvent alors être associées à d’autres pistes, recevoir des effets et un bounce dans de nouveaux fichiers audio. En principe, la sortie de ces programmes ReWired est traitée à peu près comme les données audio Logic Express internes. La synchronisation est automatique, vous n’avez donc pas grand-chose à faire à part, si vous le souhaitez, configurer les canaux auxiliaires. Une fois que les sorties des applications ReWired sont acheminées dans Logic Express, vous pouvez aussi directement jouer, enregistrer et lire les instruments logiciels disponibles dans ces programmes. Propellerhead Reason, par exemple, est l’équivalent logiciel d’un rack de synthétiseurs et d’échantillonneurs. Vous pouvez directement lire chaque synthétiseur dans le rack de Reason et enregistrer ces rubriques sous forme de régions MIDI sur les pistes Logic Express, comme vous le feriez avec les instruments internes ou externes MIDI de Logic Express. 276 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Pour accéder à un instrument ReWired : 1 Créez une piste MIDI externe dans la fenêtre Arrangement. 2 Double-cliquez sur le nom de l’application ReWire dans l’onglet Bibliothèque (Reason ou Ableton Live, par exemple). L’application ReWired s’ouvre et une liste de tous les instruments ReWire disponibles s’affiche dans la Bibliothèque. 3 Cliquez sur la piste d’instrument souhaitée dans la Bibliothèque. Pour configurer manuellement un canal auxiliaire pour l’utilisation de ReWire : 1 Cliquez sur le bouton Table de mixage au bas de la fenêtre Arrangement. Dans la fenêtre Table de mixage, choisissez Options > Créer des bandes de canaux auxiliaires. 2 Créez autant de bandes de canaux auxiliaires que nécessaire, avec les réglages Format, Entrée et Sortie appropriés. Pour cet exemple, créez une bande de canal stéréo acheminée vers les Entrée/Sortie 1-2. 3 Choisissez le canal ReWire voulu dans le menu Entrée de la bande de canaux auxiliaires. Différentes entrées Canal RW sont disponibles dans le menu Canal. Elles peuvent être assignées individuellement pour permettre à chaque canal ReWired d’être acheminé vers un canal auxiliaire particulier dans la table de mixage de Logic Express. Cela offre des options de traitement et de mixage plus vastes. Définition du comportement des applications ReWire Dans Logic Express > Préférences > Audio > Périphériques, vous pouvez choisir parmi les modes suivants lorsque vous utilisez des applications ReWired :  Mode Lecture (Charge CPU inférieure) : utilisez ce mode lorsque vous diffusez des canaux via ReWire. Ce réglage nécessite moins de puissance de calcul de la part de l’unité centrale. Il est conseillé de l’utiliser lors de la lecture de pistes dans les applications ReWired.  Mode Live (Charge CPU élevée) : utilisez ce mode lorsque vous souhaitez jouer un instrument ReWire (un instrument exécuté dans une application ReWired externe) en temps réel. Ce réglage nécessite davantage de ressources CPU mais réduit le temps de latence, ce qui garantit que l’instrument ReWired peut être joué. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 277 Utilisation d’effets audio externes Vous pouvez utiliser des unités d’effets audio externes de la même façon que vous utilisez les effets internes de Logic Express. Vous devez pour cela utiliser le module E/S, associé à une interface audio dotée de plusieurs entrées et sorties. Pour intégrer et utiliser une unité d’effets externes dans Logic Express : 1 Connectez une sortie (ou paire de sorties) de votre interface audio à l’entrée (paire d’entrées) de votre unité d’effets. 2 Connectez la sortie (ou paire de sorties) de votre unité d’effets à une entrée (paire d’entrées) de votre interface audio. Remarque : il peut s’agir aussi bien de connexions analogiques que numériques si votre interface audio et l’unité d’effets sont équipées de l’une ou de l’autre, ou bien des deux. 3 Cliquez sur un logement d’insertion du canal que vous souhaitez traiter avec l’unité d’effets externes, puis choisissez Utilitaire > E/S. 4 Dans la fenêtre du module E/S, sélectionnez l’entrée et la sortie (affichées sous forme de numéros) auxquelles votre unité d’effets est connectée. 5 Ajustez le volume d’entrée ou de sortie si nécessaire. Dès que la lecture commence, le signal du canal audio est traité par l’unité d’effets externes. Astuces concernant l’utilisation des effets externes Certaines interfaces audio disposent de leur propre logiciel d’acheminement, que vous pouvez être amené à utiliser pour configurer les entrées et les sorties choisies pour ce type d’utilisation. Consultez la documentation fournie par le fabricant de votre interface audio. La plupart des unités d’effets matérielles sont contrôlées par MIDI. Si c’est le cas de votre unité d’effets, vous pouvez connecter ses câbles d’entrée et de sortie MIDI à votre interface MIDI. Vous pouvez ainsi choisir des préréglages d’effets et éventuellement contrôler, enregistrer et automatiser à distance les paramètres de l’unité d’effets depuis Logic Express. 278 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Utilisation de modules provenant d’autres fabricants Logic Express peut servir d’hôte pour des modules d’instrument et d’effets Audio Unit (compatibles, autorisés et correctement installés) provenant d’autres fabricants. Important : Logic Express ne peut pas faire office d’hôte pour les modules au format VST ou RTAS. Toutefois, certains utilitaires tels que VST to Audio Unit Adapter (http://www.fxpansion.com, en anglais) permettent d’ajuster les versions Mac OS X des modules VST pour créer des modules Audio Unit virtuels. Une fois ajustés, la plupart de ces modules ont un comportement et une utilisation identiques à celles des modules Audio Units. Chargement de préréglages De nombreux modules de fabricants tiers utilisent un format de stockage propriétaire pour leurs préréglages (l’équivalent des réglages de module Logic Express). Dans la majorité des cas, il existe un menu Préréglage (ou d’appellation similaire) distinct dans l’interface du module. Une fois ces préréglages chargés, vous pouvez les enregistrer en tant que réglages Logic Express. Dans tous les cas, les options globales Comparer, Copier et Coller de l’en-tête de la fenêtre de module fonctionnent de la même manière qu’avec les modules natifs de Logic Express. Utilisation d’Audio Units (AU) Manager Logic ExpressLogic utilise l’outil de validation AU d’Apple pour s’assurer que seuls des modules conformes aux spécifications Audio Unit sont utilisés dans Logic Express. Cela permet de réduire les problèmes qui pourraient être causés par des modules Audio Unit tiers. Le processus de validation se lance automatiquement lorsque :  vous ouvrez Logic Express pour la première fois ;  une version mise à jour de Logic Express est installée ;  vous installez de nouveaux modules Audio Unit ou mettez à jour les modules existants. Les résultats de l’analyse de validation (de tous les modules Audio Unit et VST « ajustés ») sont présentés dans Audio Units Manager. Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets 279 Pour ouvrir Audio Units Manager : m Choisissez Logic Express > Préférences > Audio Units Manager dans la barre de menus principale (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Lancer Audio Units Manager). Les résultats du test sont affichés dans la colonne Compatibilité. Important : la première chose à faire, c’est de se rendre sur le site Web du fabricant pour télécharger les versions mises à jour des modules Audio Units qui n’ont pas été validés. Activation manuelle de modules Les modules Audio Unit qui n’ont pas satisfait aux critères du test de validation peuvent être activés manuellement en cochant les cases correspondantes dans la colonne Logic. Toutefois, sachez que ces modules peuvent être à l’origine de problèmes. Si vous rencontrez des difficultés avec des modules activés manuellement, cliquez sur le bouton « Désactiver les modules Audio Units disfonctionnant ». Avertissement : l’utilisation de modules n’ayant pas passé l’étape de validation peut avoir un impact négatif sur les prochains résultats de tests effectués sur d’autres modules. Ces modules peuvent également empêcher Logic Express de démarrer, fermer ce dernier de façon inattendue ou même provoquer des pertes de données (d’où une destruction des fichiers de projet). 280 Chapitre 10 Utilisation des instruments et des effets Désactivation de modules Le gestionnaire Audio Units Manager vous permet de désactiver les modules Audio Units que vous ne souhaitez pas utiliser dans Logic Express, même si leur test de validation a été concluant. Pour désactiver n’importe quel module, il suffit de désélectionner la case à cocher correspondante dans la colonne Logic. Pour enregistrer votre sélection de modules Audio Units, cliquez sur Terminer. Cliquez sur le bouton « Réinitialiser et revérifier la sélection » pour relancer l’analyse d’une sélection de modules, après l’installation de nouveaux modules ou programmes de mise à jour ou bien suite au déplacement de composants dans le Finder, alors que Logic Express ou Audio Units Manager est ouvert. Si ces modules sont validés, ils seront automatiquement activés. Remarque : si vous appuyez sur les touches Contrôle + Maj lors de l’ouverture de Logic Express, le mode sans échec Audio Units est utilisé : seuls les modules validés sont disponibles ; les modules activés manuellement et non validés ne le sont pas. 11 281 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées Les données préenregistrées jouent un rôle important dans la production audio actuelle. La combinaison de boucles audio existantes avec d’autres fichiers permet de créer rapidement la structure de base d’un morceau. L’application Logic Express est fournie avec un ensemble important de boucles audio, offrant un point de départ idéal pour bon nombre de vos projets. Ce chapitre explique comment ajouter des données préenregistrées dans Logic Express, notamment des fichiers audio et MIDI, des boucles Apple Loops et d’autres formats de boucle courants. Formats de fichiers pris en charge Logic Express vous permet d’accéder à tout enregistrement audio stocké de façon numérique (fichier audio) sur vos disques durs, aux formats de fichiers Macintosh les plus fréquents et sous plusieurs autres formats. Les fichiers audio importés dans un projet Logic Express peuvent se présenter sous n’importe quelle profondeur de bits et n’importe quelle fréquence d’échantillonnage prises en charge. Logic Express prend en charge les profondeurs de bits égales à 16, 20 et 24 bits, ainsi que les fréquences d’échantillonnage de 44,1, 48, 88,2, 96, 176,4 et 192 kHz. Logic Express peut utiliser la fréquence d’échantillonnage des fichiers ou effectuer une conversion en temps réel de cette fréquence (reportez-vous à la rubrique « Réglage du tempo d’un projet » à la page 157). Outre les fichiers audio, Logic Express peut également importer des données de projet et des données MIDI. Vous pouvez ajouter les types de fichier multimédia préenregistré ci-dessous à un projet Logic Express :  Fichiers WAV (y compris Broadcast Wave), AIFF et SDII (Sound Designer II)  CAF  Fichiers MP3  Fichiers Apple Lossless 282 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées  Fichiers AAC (MPEG-4)  Fichiers Apple Loops (types d’instruments audio et logiciels)  Données audio ReCycle (REX, RCY) Logic Express peut également importer des fichiers SMF (Standard MIDI Files, type 0 et 1), GarageBand, OMF Interchange, AAF, OpenTL et XML. Toutefois, ces types de fichiers sont généralement utilisés pour échanger des projets et ne sont donc pas traités dans le cadre de ce chapitre. Pour obtenir des détails complets sur l’importation de ces types de fichiers, reportez-vous au chapitre 29, « Échange de projets et de fichiers » à la page 699. À propos des types de données préenregistrées pris en charge par Logic Express La rubrique suivante décrit tous les types de fichiers multimédia pris en charge par Logic Express. Fichiers WAVE et AIFF Les fichiers audio aux formats WAV (Wave) et AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) sont très similaires. Ils peuvent être stockés avec des profondeurs de bits différentes (Logic Express prend en charge des profondeurs de 16 et 24 bits), en mono ou en stéréo et avec des fréquences d’échantillonnage pouvant atteindre 192 kHz. Logic Express prend également en charge les fichiers Broadcast Wave, capables de contenir des informations d’horodatage. Les fichiers qui fournissent de telles données sont identifiables grâce au symbole représentant une horloge, affiché dans la fenêtre du chutier audio, en regard du nom de la région audio. L’extension des fichiers Broadcast Wave est .wav, ce qui leur permet d’être lus par toute application prenant en charge le format de fichier Wave standard. Dans ces programmes, les informations supplémentaires du fichier Broadcast Wave sont ignorées. Fichiers Core Audio Format Les fichiers Core Audio Format (CAF) sont des conteneurs prenant en charge les formats PCM entiers et à virgule flottante, les formats A-law et u-law ainsi qu’un certain nombre d’autres formats tels que AAC et ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec). Il est possible de bénéficier de tailles de fichier illimitées, à des fréquences d’échantillonnage et des profondeurs de bits élevées. Sound Designer Les fichiers audio Sound Designer I et II (SDII) ont une structure semblable à celle des fichiers AIFF et peuvent contenir les informations d’horodatage associées aux régions. L’utilisation de fichiers au format Sound Designer facilite le transfert entre logiciels Logic Express et Digidesign Pro Tools. Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 283 MP3, Apple Lossless et AAC Les fichiers MP3 et AAC contiennent des informations audio compressées. Ils sont généralement beaucoup plus petits que leurs équivalents aux formats WAV, AIFF ou SDII. Cette diminution de la taille des fichiers est due à des techniques d’encodage différentes qui « se débarrassent » de certaines données audio. Par conséquent, la qualité sonore des fichiers MP3 et AAC n’est pas aussi bonne que celle de leurs homologues WAV, AIFF ou SDII, en fonction du matériel audio source. Les fichiers Apple Lossless contiennent également des informations audio compressées. Comme leur nom l’indique, la compression utilisée (ALAC) ne rejette aucune donnée audio (en anglais, « lossless » signifie « sans perte »), contrairement aux fichiers MP3. Le son du fichier audio compressé est identique à celui de l’enregistrement original. Apple Loops Les boucles Apple Loops sont des fichiers audio contenant des informations d’identification supplémentaires, telles que la date et l’heure, la catégorie, l’ambiance, la clé, le tempo, etc. Ils peuvent également contenir un certain nombre de marqueurs provisoires qui les divisent en courtes tranches temporelles. L’avantage indéniable des fichiers audio Apple Loops vient de leur capacité à s’adapter automatiquement à la clé et au tempo d’un projet Logic Express. Un second type de fichier Apple Loops est également pris en charge par Logic Express. Ces fichiers contiennent des informations de note MIDI qui ont pour effet de déclencher une phrase musicale ou riff. Lorsque ces types de boucles Apple Loops sont ajoutés à un fichier audio, le motif est lu tel quel. En revanche, lorsqu’ils sont ajoutés à une piste instrumentale dans Logic Express, les informations de note MIDI peuvent être modifiées, comme avec n’importe quelle région MIDI. ReCycle Les fichiers ReCycle (REX, RCY) sont générés par le logiciel ReCycle de Propellerhead. Ils sont semblables aux fichiers audio Apple Loops dans la mesure où ils contiennent un certain nombre de tranches et où ils s’adaptent au tempo du projet. Une fois ces fichiers importés, un petit dossier contenant plusieurs régions (une correspondant à chaque tranche) est créé. Toutes ces régions peuvent être traitées comme n’importe quelle région audio. Les fichiers ReCycle, contrairement aux fichiers Apple Loop, ne suivent pas la clé du projet. Fichiers SMF Le format SMF (Standard MIDI Files) est, comme son nom l’indique, un format de fichier standard utilisé par les séquenceurs MIDI. Les fichiers dotés de ce format peuvent être lus et enregistrés dans Logic Expresset peuvent contenir des données de type notes, paroles, contrôleur et SysEx. Celles-ci sont ajoutés aux pistes d’instruments MIDI ou logiciels dans Logic Express. 284 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées Accès aux fichiers multimédia depuis le navigateur Pour pouvoir ajouter vos fichiers (audio ou autres) à vos projets, vous devez d’abord les localiser. Le navigateur constitue l’interface principale pour la navigation, l’aperçu et la recherche de données préenregistrées. Remarque : bien que tous les types de données pris en charge soient accessibles de puis le navigateur général, le navigateur de boucles est plus adapté pour traiter les boucles Apple Loops. Pour en savoir plus sur son utilisation, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Recherche de boucles Apple Loops dans le navigateur de boucles » à la page 290. Pour accéder au navigateur depuis la fenêtre Arrangement : m Cliquez sur le bouton Média dans la barre d’outils Arrangement, puis sur l’onglet Navigateur (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Afficher/Masquer le navigateur de fichiers). Pour ouvrir le navigateur dans une nouvelle fenêtre : m Cliquez sur Fenêtre > Navigateur de fichiers (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Ouvrir le navigateur de fichiers). Utilisation du navigateur Le navigateur est disponible sous deux formes : la présentation Liste et la présentation Navigateur.  La présentation Liste affiche les dossiers et leur contenu sous forme de liste. Pour accéder au contenu d’un dossier, double-cliquez sur ce dernier.  La présentation Navigateur expose le contenu d’un dossier dans des cadres supplémentaires, à droite du dossier sélectionné. Il vous suffit de cliquer sur un dossier pour accéder à son contenu. Présentation Présentation Liste Navigateur Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 285 Pour passer de la présentation Liste à la présentation Navigateur : m Cliquez sur le bouton Navigateur pour accéder à la présentation Navigateur et sur le bouton Liste pour accéder à la présentation Liste. L’utilisation du navigateur est semblable à celle du Finder sous Mac OS X. La méthode de navigation est la même pour tous les types de fichiers et elle est facilitée par les boutons de signet, le menu Chemin et les boutons de navigation Précédent et Suivant. Pour parcourir le navigateur à l’aide des boutons de signet : m Cliquez sur l’un des boutons de signet : Ordinateur, Départ ou Projet.  Ordinateur : affiche tous les volumes (disques durs, CD ou DVD) figurant dans l’ordinateur ou y étant associés.  Départ : affiche tous les dossiers présents dans le dossier de départ.  Projet : affiche le contenu du dossier de votre projet. Pour parcourir le navigateur à l’aide du menu Chemin : 1 Cliquez sur le menu Chemin pour afficher le chemin d’accès au dossier ou fichier actif. 2 Cliquez sur l’une des entrées du menu Chemin pour revenir au dossier sur lequel vous avez cliqué. Bouton Bouton Liste Navigateur 286 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées Pour passer aux éléments précédents ou suivants de l’historique de navigation : m Cliquez sur le bouton Précédent ou Suivant. Recherche de fichiers dans le Navigateur L’onglet Navigateur possède un outil de recherche très complet et rapide. Il vous permet de trouver tout type de fichier pris en charge par Logic Express, sur le disque local ou sur des périphériques de stockage connectés au réseau. Pour effectuer une recherche de base dans le navigateur : 1 Cliquez sur le menu Chemin (seul ou associé aux boutons de signet) pour déterminer l’étendue de la recherche : un dossier spécifique, l’intégralité du disque dur, le volume root de l’utilisateur, l’ordinateur, etc. Si vous limitez la recherche à un dossier ou un volume spécifique, les résultats s’affichent plus rapidement. 2 Saisissez le terme à rechercher dans le champ Rechercher, puis appuyez sur la touche Retour. Par exemple, si vous tapez 80s après avoir choisi Macintosh HD dans le menu Chemin, un certain nombre de fichiers Apple Loops s’affichent dans la zone de présentation. Pour trier les résultats de la recherche : m Cliquez sur le titre d’une des colonnes pour trier la liste de fichiers par nom, par date ou par taille. Π Conseil : vous pouvez redimensionner les colonnes en faisant glisser la ligne verticale située entre deux titres de colonne. Pour effacer un terme de recherche : m Cliquez sur la petite croix à droite du champ Rechercher. Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 287 Pour afficher les termes récemment recherchés : 1 Cliquez sur l’icône représentant une loupe à gauche du champ Rechercher. 2 Sélectionnez l’un des termes de recherche dans le menu pour afficher les résultats associés. Pour effacer tous les termes récemment recherchés : m Cliquez sur l’icône représentant une loupe à gauche du champ Rechercher, puis sélectionnez « Effacer les recherches récentes » dans le menu. Pour effectuer une recherche avancée : 1 Cliquez sur le menu Chemin (seul ou associé aux boutons Ordinateur, Départ et Projet) pour déterminer l’objet de la recherche. 2 Cliquez sur le signe Plus (+) à droite de la zone de saisie Rechercher. La zone de recherche se développe alors. Les menus disponibles dans la zone de recherche élargie permettent d’affiner (ou de limiter) votre recherche en fonction de types ou de formats de fichiers spécifiques, d’une date, de la taille et d’autres critères. Par défaut, le menu Concordance indique que tous les critères spécifiés pour la recherche avancée doivent être respectés pour afficher les fichiers correspondants. Vous pouvez définir le menu Concordance sur la valeur Quelconque pour afficher tous les fichiers répondant à l’un des critères spécifiés. 288 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 3 Cliquez sur le menu Type de fichier et sélectionnez l’option Format. Vous pouvez constater que le menu de droite s’actualise (la mention AIFF y est affichée) pour refléter la sélection du menu de gauche. 4 Cliquez sur le signe Plus (+) à droite du menu AIFF. Des menus de critères de recherche complémentaires apparaissent en dessous. 5 Cliquez sur le menu Type de fichier à la deuxième ligne de ces critères de recherche, puis sélectionnez l’option Durée. Le champ de droite et le menu actualisé affichent la valeur 30,0 sec. 6 Mettez en surbrillance la valeur 30,0, puis saisissez 8. 7 Cliquez maintenant sur le champ Rechercher, entrez le terme souhaité, puis appuyez sur Retour. Une liste beaucoup plus courte de fichiers AIFF, chacun d’une durée de 8 secondes, ainsi qu’un nom contenant le terme recherché, s’affiche. Pour supprimer une seule ligne de critère avancé : m Cliquez sur le signe Moins (–) en regard de la ligne. Cette fonction est pratique lorsque votre recherche est trop précise et que vous n’obtenez aucun résultat. Remarque : la ligne est masquée et désactivée (plutôt que définitivement supprimée). Pour la rétablir, cliquez sur le signe Plus (+) à droite de la ligne. Pour revenir à une recherche simple, si plusieurs lignes de critères avancés sont affichées : m Cliquez sur le signe Moins (–) à droite de la zone de saisie Rechercher. Toutes les lignes de critères avancés sont masquées. Pour restaurer toutes les lignes de critères de recherche avancés : m Cliquez sur le signe Plus (+) à droite de la zone de saisie Rechercher. Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 289 Informations complémentaires sur les recherches conditionnelles Comme vous vous en doutez sûrement ; rechercher un fichier au sein du navigateur peut s’avérer beaucoup plus rapide que parcourir ce dernier pour accéder au fichier en question. Vous pouvez définir jusqu’à dix lignes de critères avancés pour affiner vos recherches. Les lignes de recherche proposent les critères suivants. Premier menu Deuxième menu Menus/champs supplémentaires Commentaire contient, ne contient pas, est, n’est pas, commence par, se termine par Champ de saisie Type de fichier est, n’est pas Menu dans lequel vous avez le choix entre Audio, Séquence et Projet. Format est, n’est pas Menu proposant les options suivantes : AIFF, Apple Loop, WAV (BWF), Apple Lossless, AAC, MP3, CAF, Sound Designer I, Sound Designer II, Projet Logic, Fichier MIDI, ReCycle, Fichier OMF, Fichier AAF, Fichier OpenTL, Fichier XML, Song Notator SL Notez que les recherches de fichiers au format AIFF n’incluent pas les boucles Apple Loops. Durée est, n’est pas, est inférieur à, est supérieur à  Champ de saisie numérique  Menu supplémentaire dans lequel vous pouvez choisir entre secondes, minutes et heures. Date de modification est, n’est pas, après, avant Champ de saisie Nom contient, ne contient pas, est, n’est pas, commence par, se termine par Champ de saisie Fréquence d’échantillonnage est, n’est pas, est inférieur à, est supérieur à Menu proposant les options suivantes : 44,1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88,2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176,4 kHz, 192 kHz. Taille est, n’est pas, est inférieur à, est supérieur à  Champ de saisie  Menu supplémentaire, proposant les unités octets, kilo-octets, méga-octets, giga-octets et téra-octets. Profondeur de bits est, n’est pas, est inférieur à, est supérieur à Menu proposant les valeurs 8 bits, 16 bits et 24 bits. 290 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées Recherche de boucles Apple Loops dans le navigateur de boucles Le navigateur de boucles affiche uniquement les fichiers au format Apple Loop. Vous pouvez effectuer une recherche de boucles Apple Loops à l’aide de mots-clés décrivant certains aspects tels que leur genre, un instrument, leur ambiance ou tout autre descripteur. Vous pouvez également parcourir le navigateur de boucles pour y rechercher les fichiers Apple Loop. Par rapport aux boucles audio standard, les boucles Apple Loops présentent un avantage significatif : elles peuvent contenir des informations complémentaires utilisées par Logic Express à différentes fins, notamment pour les changements automatiques de tonalité et de durée, l’indexation et la recherche. Les boucles Apple Loops peuvent comprendre deux types de données importantes : les balises de métadonnées et les marqueurs transitoires. Logic Express utilise des balises de métadonnées pour faciliter la localisation de fichiers lorsque vous utilisez les fonctionnalités de recherche du navigateur de boucles. Les marqueurs transitoires indiquent l’emplacement des battements dans le fichier. Logic Express combine ces informations aux balises de métadonnées afin d’adapter le tempo et la clé du fichier avec ceux du projet, dans le but de garantir une qualité de lecture optimale. Cette fonctionnalité vous permet de lire plusieurs boucles Apple Loops simultanément et de faire en sorte que leur qualité sonore soit bonne, même s’ils ont une clé et un tempo différents. Pour accéder au navigateur de boucles depuis la fenêtre Arrangement : m Cliquez sur le bouton Média dans la barre d’outils Arrangement, puis sur l’onglet Boucle (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Afficher/Masquer le navigateur de boucles). Pour ouvrir le navigateur de boucles dans une nouvelle fenêtre : m Cliquez sur Fenêtre > Navigateur de boucles (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 291 Boucles Apple Loops vertes et bleues Le navigateur de boucles contient deux types de boucles Apple Loops : celles présentant une icône d’onde sonore bleue et celles caractérisées par une icône illustrant une note verte. Ces deux types de boucles contiennent des données audio et peuvent inclure des informations complémentaires concernant l’étirement temporel, la transposition, l’indexation et la recherche. Les boucles Apple Loops vertes et bleues peuvent être ajoutées à des pistes audio existantes ou bien directement à une piste ou une zone Arrangement vide. Dans la zone Arrangement, elles apparaissent comme des régions audio classiques mais sont facilement identifiables grâce au symbole Apple Loops situé en haut à droite. Elles diffèrent des régions audio standard dans le sens où elles suivent la clé et le tempo du projet. Vous pouvez faire glisser les boucles Apple Loops bleues (audio) directement vers une fenêtre Arrangement vide (ne contenant aucune piste) ou vers une zone vide en dessous de pistes existantes. Une piste audio et la bande de canal correspondante sont automatiquement créées et la région Apple Loops (d’une durée égale à la durée complète du fichier) est placée sur la piste. En outre, le fichier Apple Loops est ajouté au chutier Audio et une région correspondante est automatiquement créée. Boucles Apple Loops vertes et bleues dans le navigateur de boucles Symbole de boucle Apple Loops stéréo Symbole de boucle Apple Loops mono 292 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées Les boucles Apple Loops vertes sont appelées SIAL (Software Instrument Apple Loops). Elles diffèrent des boucles Apple Loops bleues (audio) car elles contiennent également une région MIDI et des réglages d’effet et d’instrument logiciel. Lorsque les boucles SIAL sont placées sur des pistes instrumentales, la région affichée dans la zone Arrangement peut être modifiée comme vous le feriez pour toute autre région MIDI, ce qui inclut l’édition de notes individuelles. Si vous faites glisser une boucle SIAL sur une piste instrumentale vierge (dont la bande de canal est vide), les réglages d’effet et d’instrument correspondants sont automatiquement insérés. Vous pouvez également faire glisser les boucles SIAL directement dans une fenêtre Arrangement vide (sans aucune piste) ou dans une zone vide en dessous des pistes existantes. Une piste instrumentale et sa bande de canal correspondante sont automatiquement créées et la boucle Apple Loops est chargée (l’instrument est inséré dans le canal instrumental, avec les effets éventuels, et la région Apple Loops est placée sur la piste). Lorsque vous placez des boucles SIAL sur des pistes audio, elles sont importées sous la forme de régions audio (et se comportent comme des boucles Apple Loops bleues). La charge de traitement est réduite si vous ajoutez des boucles Apple Loops vertes aux pistes audio. Remarque : les boucles Apple Loops bleues ne sont pas reproduites si vous les placez sur des pistes instrumentales. Réglages préalables à la recherche ou à la navigation dans les boucles Apple Loops Si des milliers de boucles sont installées sur vos disques durs, la recherche d’une boucle Apple Loops spécifique peut s’avérer quelque peu fastidieuse. Heureusement, diverses options vous permettent de restreindre vos résultats de recherche ou de navigation selon un certain nombre de critères-clefs. Ces options peuvent être combinées les unes aux autres et influer directement les résultats des fonctions de navigation et de recherche proposées dans le navigateur de boucles. Boucle Apple Loops verte placée sur une piste d’instrument logiciel Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 293 Pour limiter l’affichage des boucles à un Jam Pack spécifique ou à une autre catégorie : m Sélectionnez le réglage souhaité dans le menu Présentation. Vous avez le choix entre les options suivantes :  Tout afficher : cette option par défaut permet d’afficher toutes les boucles Apple Loops présentes sur votre système. Elle s’avère pratique si vous ne parvenez pas à localiser une boucle qui est effectivement installée et indexée pour votre système mais dont vous ne connaissez pas le Jam Pack.  Mes boucles : sélectionnez cette option pour afficher toutes les boucles Apple Loops figurant dans le dossier ~/Bibliothèque/Audio/Apple Loops/User Loops/Single Files (~ correspond au nom de l’utilisateur).  Boucles partagées sur mon Mac : choisissez cette option pour afficher toutes les boucles Apple Loops figurant dans les dossiers /Bibliothèque/Audio/Apple Loops/ User Loops/SingleFiles. Ce réglage n’est visible que si des boucles Apple Loops sont partagées avec l’application GarageBand sur votre système.  GarageBand : sélectionnez cette option pour afficher toutes les boucles Apple Loops installées avec GarageBand.  Jam Pack x : cette option permet d’afficher toutes les boucles Apple Loops d’un Jam Pack spécifique. Les Jam Packs sont des collections Apple Loops spécifiques à un genre ou un instrument, créées par des professionnels et disponibles auprès d’Apple.  Fournisseur X : cette valeur entraîne l’affichage de toutes les boucles Apple Loops d’un fournisseur tiers donné.  Autres : cette option permet d’afficher toutes les boucles que vous avez ajoutées manuellement à la bibliothèque de boucles en les faisant glisser dans le navigateur de boucles. Pour limiter l’affichage du navigateur de boucles à une gamme spécifique : m Cliquez sur le menu local Gamme et sélectionnez l’une des options suivantes : Quelconque, Mineure, Majeure, Aucune, Valable pour les deux. L’utilisation de ces options limite la recherche de boucles Apple Loops au type de gamme sélectionné, au sein de la catégorie choisie. Par exemple, si les catégories Country, Acoustique et Détendu ont été sélectionnées, vous obtenez une vingtaine de fichiers correspondant à vos sélections. Sélectionner le réglage Gamme mineure réduirait cette liste à dix boucles Apple Loops, d’où une écoute et une sélection du matériel approprié plus rapides. Pour limiter l’affichage du navigateur de boucles à une articulation de temps spécifique : m Sélectionnez la signature temporelle souhaitée dans le menu local Signature. 294 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées Navigation pour rechercher des boucles Apple Loops Il existe trois présentations de navigation disponibles dans le navigateur de boucles. Il s’agit des présentationsColonne, Musique et Effets sonores. Pour passer d’un mode de navigation à l’autre : m Cliquez sur un des boutons de présentation situés en haut à droite du navigateur de boucles. Le bouton de gauche active la présentation Colonne, le bouton du milieu active la présentation Musique et le troisième bouton active la présentation Effets sonores. La présentation Musique affiche une matrice de 54 boutons, chacun correspondant à une catégorie musicale. La présentation Effets sonores inclut des boutons de catégorie liés aux effets (par exemple, Explosions, Bruitage ou Personnes). Présentation Musique Présentation Effets sonores Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 295 La présentation Colonne offre un menu standard de fichiers en colonnes Mac OS X, classé de façon hiérarchique selon les critères de recherche Tous, Par genre, Par instrument, Par ambiance et Signets. Pour rechercher des boucles Apple Loops dans la présentation Colonne : 1 Cliquez sur l’un des dossiers de catégorie affiché dans la colonne de gauche de la zone de présentation des dossiers. Dans cet exemple, l’option Par genre est sélectionnée. 2 Dans la deuxième colonne, cliquez sur Électronique. 3 Dans la troisième colonne, cliquez sur Battements. La valeur entre guillemets indique le nombre de fichiers correspondant à cette souscatégorie (à savoir, Battements). Les fichiers sont répertoriés dans la liste figurant au dessous. Colonnes Catégorie 296 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées Pour rechercher des boucles Apple Loops dans les présentations Musique et Effets sonores : 1 Cliquez sur l’un des boutons de catégorie. La liste de fichiers affiche toutes les boucles Apple Loops qui appartiennent à la catégorie indiquée. Le nombre de fichiers obtenus est indiqué au bas du navigateur de boucles. 2 Cliquez sur un autre bouton de catégorie. La liste des fichiers se met à jour pour afficher toutes les boucles Apple Loops correspondant aux deux catégories. 3 Ainsi de suite en cliquant sur un autre bouton de catégorie, vous pouvez ainsi affiner davantage le regroupement. Le nombre de fichiers répondant aux trois critères (Guitares, Acoustique et Country) diminue encore. Remarque : si vous cliquez à nouveau sur le bouton d’une catégorie, cette dernière est désélectionnée. Comme vous pouvez le voir dans cet exemple, l’utilisation de plusieurs boutons de catégories permet de restreindre facilement le nombre de boucles Apple Loops répertoriées dans la liste de fichiers. Il devient alors beaucoup plus facile de localiser une boucle Apple Loops caractérisée par une touche particulière ou une ambiance donnée. Pour réinitialiser toutes les sélections de catégorie : m Cliquez sur le bouton Réinitialiser pour désélectionner tous les boutons activés des catégories précédemment choisies. Vous pouvez remplacer une catégorie affichée via le menu contextuel qui s’affiche lorsque vous cliquez sur le bouton d’une catégorie tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée (ou que vous cliquez dessus avec le bouton droit de la souris). Pour personnaliser la présentation Musique ou Effets sonores : m Cliquez sur le bouton d’une catégorie tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée (ou cliquez dessus avec le bouton droit de la souris), puis choisissez l’une des options suivantes :  Genre : ce sous-menu offre des catégories musicales telles queRock/Blues et Électronique. Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 297  Instruments : les réglages Basse, Effets, Chant, Textures et Jingles sont, entre autres, proposés.  Descripteurs : les éléments de ce sous-menu ajustent l’ambiance des boucles Apple Loops et incluent notamment les options Sombre, Détendu, Groove, etc. Écoute de boucles Apple Loops dans le navigateur de boucles Quelle que soit la méthode de navigation (ou de recherche) utilisée pour rechercher des boucles Apple Loops, vous pouvez écouter un extrait des résultats répertoriés dans le navigateur de boucles. Pour écouter des boucles Apple Loops : 1 Cliquez sur l’un des noms de fichier dans la liste des résultats de recherche. La lecture du fichier commence automatiquement en boucle. 2 Cliquez sur un autre nom de fichier pour lancer la lecture du fichier en question. La boucle Apple Loops en cours de lecture s’arrête. Vous ne pouvez écouter qu’une seule boucle Apple Loops à la fois. Pour régler le volume de lecture : m Faites glisser le curseur au bas de la zone de présentation des fichiers. Pour régler la clé de lecture : m Cliquez sur le menu « Lecture dans » à droite du curseur du volume et au bas de la zone de présentation des fichiers, puis sélectionnez la clé souhaitée. La clé du projet est sélectionnée par défaut, mais vous pouvez également écouter la boucle dans sa clé d’origine ou dans toute autre clé comprise entre do et si. Pour arrêter la lecture : m Cliquez sur l’icône représentant un haut-parleur à gauche du nom de la boucle Apple Loops sélectionnée. Tri de boucles Apple Loops dans le navigateur de boucles Vous pouvez trier les résultats de votre recherche manuelle ou selon des critères, dans le navigateur de boucles :  Cliquez sur le titre d’une des colonnes pour trier la liste des résultats par : Nom, Concordance, Tempo, Clé, etc. 298 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées  Cliquez sur la flèche dans l’un des titres de colonne sélectionnés pour trier la liste par ordre croissant ou décroissant alphabétique, en fonction du pourcentage de correspondance, du tempo, de la clé, du rythme ou selon l’ordre de votre choix. Π Conseil : vous pouvez librement permuter les colonnes en cliquant sur le nom d’une colonne tout en le faisant glisser vers la gauche ou la droite. Les colonnes se redimensionnent en cliquant sur la ligne verticale qui sépare deux colonnes et en la faisant glisser. Création d’une collection de boucles Apple Loops favorites La colonne Fav (Favoris) dispose d’une case à cocher pour chaque boucle affichée. Il vous suffit de cocher cette case pour ajouter la boucle à la catégorie Favoris. Cette fonction est idéale pour compiler une collection des boucles Apple Loops que vous utilisez régulièrement. Si vous produisez de la musique disco, vous serez sûrement amené à créer des projets commençant souvent par des extraits de batterie en boucle. En toute logique, lors de la création de votre arrangement, vous allez élaborer un rythme simple à quatre temps (la grosse caisse sur chaque temps, le charleston en triple ou quadruple croches, la caisse claire ou un clap tous les deux ou quatre temps), puis utiliser ces boucles comme base de votre groove. De telles boucles peuvent facilement être remplacées ou ajoutées à mesure que votre projet évolue, mais l’utilisation de ces boucles, définies comme favoris, peut constituer un bon point de départ pour bon nombre de vos morceaux. Recherche de boucles Apple Loops Le champ Rechercher permet de trouver des boucles Apple Loops à partir de leur nom ou d’une partie de ce nom. Il fonctionne conjointement avec les options traitées à la rubrique « Réglages préalables à la recherche ou à la navigation dans les boucles Apple Loops » à la page 292. Pour rechercher une boucle Apple Loop : m Entrez le terme souhaité dans la zone de saisie Rechercher, puis appuyez sur la touche Retour. Menu Rechercher Bouton Annuler Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 299 Le terme recherché peut être alphabétique ou numérique. Tous les fichiers qui contiennent le terme recherché s’affichent dans la liste de fichiers. Le bouton Annuler situé sur la droite (qui apparaît dès que vous tapez du texte) permet d’effacer le texte saisi. Il permet également d’effacer l’historique de recherche. Le menu Rechercher situé à gauche (la loupe) conserve un historique des termes récemment recherchés. Cliquez sur ce menu pour sélectionner un terme recherché auparavant. Ajout et suppression de fichiers audio Vous pouvez ajouter des données audio directement dans la zone Arrangement ou dans le chutier Audio à l’aide de l’une des méthodes décrites dans cette rubrique.  Le chutier Audio fait office de point de référence central pour tous les fichiers audio ajoutés au projet, qu’ils soient utilisés dans la zone Arrangement ou non. Cela est utile pour conserver toutes les prises associées au projet dans un seul emplacement, même si, en fin de compte, elles ne sont pas toutes utilisées dans la production finale.  Lorsque vous ajoutez des fichiers Audio à la zone Arrangement, elles sont automatiquement ajoutées au chutier Audio et apparaissent en tant que régions audio dans votre arrangement. La durée par défaut de ces régions est égale à celle du fichier audio entier. Vous pouvez redimensionner, couper et déplacer ces régions à votre guise dans la zone Arrangement. Toutes les méthodes décrites dans cette rubrique peuvent être utilisées pour importer les types de fichiers suivants : WAV, AIFF, CAF, MP3, SDII, AAC, Apple Lossless et Apple Loop. Les boucles Apple Loops disposent de fonctions spéciales une fois ajoutées à votre arrangement. Pour en savoir plus, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Boucles Apple Loops vertes et bleues » à la page 291. Les fichiers ReCycle sont traités différemment. Pour en savoir plus, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Ajout de fichiers ReCycle à votre projet » à la page 307. Ajout de fichiers audio à votre arrangement Vous pouvez faire appel à l’une des méthodes ci-après pour ajouter des fichiers audio directement dans votre arrangement :  Vous pouvez cliquer n’importe où sur une piste audio Arrangement à l’aide de l’outil Crayon, tout en appuyant sur la touche Maj.  Vous pouvez utiliser la commande « Importer un fichier audio ». 300 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées  Vous pouvez simplement localiser les fichiers souhaités (par le parcours de disque ou la recherche de leur nom) dans le navigateur, le chutier Audio ou le navigateur de boucles (ou encore dans le Finder Mac OS X), puis les faire glisser dans la zone Arrangement. Double-cliquez sur le nom d’un fichier dans le navigateur pour ajouter le fichier au niveau de la tête de lecture, sur la piste d’arrangement sélectionnée. Pour ajouter des fichiers audio à votre arrangement à l’aide de l’outil Crayon : 1 Sélectionnez l’outil Crayon dans la zone Arrangement. 2 Tout en appuyant sur la touche Maj, cliquez sur une piste audio à l’endroit souhaité de la zone Arrangement. 3 Accédez au fichier que vous souhaitez insérer et sélectionnez-le dans la zone de dialogue Ouvrir un fichier. 4 Cliquez sur le bouton Lecture pour écouter un aperçu du fichier audio sélectionné. L’intitulé du bouton Lecture se renomme en Arrêt. Cliquez dessus pour interrompre la lecture. 5 Cliquez sur le bouton Ouvrir pour ajouter le fichier à la piste sélectionnée, à l’endroit où vous avez cliqué dans la zone Arrangement. Pour ajouter des fichiers audio à votre arrangement à l’aide de la commande « Importer un fichier audio » : 1 Sélectionnez une piste audio dans la zone Arrangement. 2 Cliquez sur Fichier > « Importer un fichier audio » (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier pour importer un fichier audio). 3 Accédez au fichier que vous souhaitez insérer et sélectionnez-le dans la zone de dialogue Ouvrir un fichier. 4 Cliquez sur le bouton Lecture pour écouter un aperçu du fichier audio sélectionné. L’intitulé du bouton Lecture se renomme en Arrêt. Cliquez dessus pour interrompre la lecture. 5 Cliquez sur le bouton Ouvrir pour ajouter le fichier à la piste sélectionnée, au niveau de la tête de lecture, dans la zone Arrangement. Pour ajouter un fichier audio à votre arrangement en le faisant glisser : m Faites glisser le fichier souhaité directement sur une piste audio de la zone Arrangement, depuis le navigateur, le navigateur de boucles ou le Finder. Vous pouvez faire glisser des fichiers audio sur tous les types de pistes mais la lecture n’est possible que sur les pistes audio. Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 301 Avec création automatique de piste et de canal Vous pouvez faire glisser des fichiers audio directement vers une fenêtre Arrangement vide (ne contenant aucune piste) ou vers une zone vide en dessous des pistes existantes. Une piste audio et la bande de canal correspondante sont automatiquement créées et une région audio (d’une durée égale à la durée totale du fichier) est placée sur la piste. En outre, le fichier est ajouté au chutier Audio et la région correspondante est automatiquement créée. Pour ajouter plusieurs fichiers audio à votre arrangement en les faisant glisser : 1 Dans le chutier Audio, le Finder ou le navigateur, cliquez sur des fichiers audio adjacents tout en maintenant la touche Maj enfoncée ou sur des fichiers non contigus tout en maintenant la touche Commande enfoncée. 2 Faites-les glisser à l’endroit souhaité dans la zone Arrangement, puis relâchez le bouton de la souris. Remarque : si vous ajoutez des fichiers depuis le chutier Audio, vous pouvez également utiliser l’option de menu Fichier audio > Ajouter le fichier dans la zone Arrangement. La position de la tête de lecture détermine l’endroit où la première région audio est créée. 3 Sélectionnez l’une des options ci-dessous, disponibles dans la zone de dialogue « Ajouter les fichiers sélectionnés dans la zone Arrangement ».  Créer des pistes : crée de nouvelles pistes (et les bandes de canaux audio correspondantes) pour chaque fichier que vous avez fait glisser.  Utiliser des pistes : place de façon séquentielle les fichiers que vous avez fait glisser (sous la forme de régions) sur les pistes existantes, en commençant par la piste sélectionnée. Par exemple, si vous faites glisser trois fichiers audio dans la zone Arrangement (où la piste 4 est sélectionnée), le premier fichier est placé sur la piste 4 et les deux fichiers suivants respectivement sur les pistes 5 et 6.  Placer tous les fichiers sur une piste : cette option permet simplement de placer de façon séquentielle tous les fichiers (l’un après l’autre) sur la piste à mesure que vous les faites glisser.  Copier les noms des fichiers audio sur le nom des pistes : renomme les pistes d’après le nom des fichiers. Cette option est disponible uniquement lorsqu’elle est associée aux fonctions Créer des pistes et Utiliser des pistes. 302 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées  Créer des régions audio : ajoute les fichiers dans la zone Arrangement et crée une région audio pour chacun d’eux. Une valeur numérique est ajoutée à chaque région audio de la zone Arrangement et une région est créée pour chaque fichier présent dans le chutier Audio. Par exemple, une région appelée folk-04 engendre une nouvelle région intitulée folk-04.1. La région d’origine est conservée dans le chutier Audio (et, si vous l’utilisez, dans la zone Arrangement). Ajout et suppression de fichiers audio du projet Le chutier Audio fait office de point de référence central pour tous les fichiers audio ajoutés au projet, qu’ils soient utilisés dans la zone Arrangement ou non. Cela est utile pour conserver toutes les prises associées au projet dans un seul emplacement, même si, en fin de compte, elles ne sont pas toutes utilisées dans la production finale. Toutes les méthodes d’ajout de fichiers audio décrites ci-dessus placent automatiquement les fichiers dans le chutier Audio. Dans le cas de méthodes qui ajoutent des fichiers directement dans la zone Arrangement, une région associée à chaque fichier est automatiquement créée dans le chutier Audio. Le chutier Audio propose également des fonctions vous permettant d’ajouter des fichiers à votre projet (dans le chutier Audio) et depuis le chutier Audio dans la zone Arrangement. Pour utiliser le navigateur ou le Finder afin d’ajouter des fichiers audio à votre projet : 1 Cliquez sur des fichiers adjacents du Finder ou du navigateur tout en appuyant sur la touche Maj ou cliquez sur des fichiers non adjacents tout en appuyant sur Commande. 2 Faites-les glisser dans le chutier Audio et relâchez le bouton de la souris. Remarque : si vous ajoutez des fichiers depuis le navigateur, vous pouvez également utiliser l’option de menu « Ajouter les fichiers audio sélectionnés dans le chutier ». Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 303 Pour utiliser le chutier Audio afin d’ajouter des fichiers à votre projet : 1 Cliquez sur Fichier audio > Ajouter un fichier audio (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier de l’option). La zone de sélection des fichiers du chutier Audio s’ouvre. 2 Accédez à un fichier audio et sélectionnez-le. Vous pouvez l’écouter en cliquant sur le bouton Lecture. 3 Cliquez sur le bouton Ajouter. Le fichier s’affiche en dessous, dans la zone de présentation des fichiers. 4 Accédez à un autre fichier audio, sélectionnez-le, puis cliquez sur le bouton Ajouter. 5 Répétez la procédure jusqu’à ce que tous les fichiers souhaités figurent dans la zone de présentation des fichiers. 6 Si vous ajoutez un fichier par erreur, sélectionnez-le dans la zone de présentation des fichiers, puis cliquez sur le bouton Supprimer. Remarque : vous pouvez également ajouter tous les fichiers d’un dossier ; pour cela, sélectionnez le dossier en question et cliquez sur le bouton Tout ajouter. Si vous vous trompez de dossier et en ajoutez les fichiers, appuyez sur le bouton Tout supprimer pour retirer les fichiers de la liste. Cette opération ne supprime pas les fichiers du disque dur. 7 Cliquez sur Terminé pour ajouter les fichiers sélectionnés au chutier Audio. Remarque : les fichiers qui ont déjà été ajoutés au chutier Audio apparaissent en grisé et ne peuvent pas être sélectionnés. Cela permet d’écarter toute risque de confusion et de duplication. 304 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées Pour supprimer un ou plusieurs fichiers du projet : 1 Sélectionnez le nom des fichiers dans le chutier Audio. 2 Appuyez sur la touche Retour arrière. Les fichiers sont ainsi supprimés du projet, mais pas du disque dur. La seule façon de supprimer définitivement un fichier audio d’un projet réside dans le chutier Audio. La suppression d’une région audio dans la zone Arrangement (grâce à l’outil Gomme ou en appuyant sur la touche Arrière) ne supprime pas cette région du projet, elle supprime simplement la référence au fichier audio. Avertissement : soyez très prudent lorsque vous utilisez la commande Fichier audio > Supprimer le/des fichier(s) (ou le raccourci clavier de la commande, par défaut Contrôle + Retour arrière). Cette option supprime non seulement le ou les fichiers sélectionnés du projet, mais aussi du disque dur. Les fichiers audio supprimés sont déplacés dans la Corbeille, où ils sont conservés jusqu’à ce que vous la vidiez. Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 305 Remarque relative à l’importation des fichiers audio compressés Logic Express vous permet de lire directement les formats de fichiers audio suivants :  AAC  Format de compression : MPEG4 AAC  Fréquences d’échantillonnage : 8 kHz ; 11,025 kHz ; 12 kHz ; 16 kHz ; 22,05 kHz ; 24 kHz ; 32 kHz ; 44,1 kHz ; 48 kHz ; 64 kHz ; 88,2 kHz ou 96 kHz  MP3  Fichiers à 44,1 kHz  Fichiers stéréo encodés à 48 kbps ou plus, fichiers mono encodés à 32 kbps ou plus  Fichiers encodés d’iTunes/Logic  Fichiers Apple Lossless Ces fichiers ne sont pas convertis automatiquement lorsqu’ils sont importés dans Logic Express. Le fichier audio compressé est ajouté à la zone Arrangement et une région incluant le fichier audio complet est créée. Vous pouvez modifier cette région de la même façon qu’une région audio classique de la zone Arrangement : vous pouvez ainsi la couper, la lire en boucle, la renommer, etc. Remarque : il n’est pas possible d’assigner des fondus à des fichiers audio compressés, ni de les modifier définitivement. Les régions audio qui pointent vers des fichiers audio compressés sont signalées par le symbole suivant : Vous pouvez convertir des fichiers audio au format AAC, MP3 et Apple Lossless en effectuant l’une des opérations suivantes : m Sélectionnez les régions audio pointant vers le fichier audio souhaité de la zone Arrangement, puis cliquez sur Audio > Convertir les régions en nouveaux fichiers audio, dans le menu local de la zone Arrangement (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut Option + Commande + F). La partie du fichier audio couverte par la région audio est convertie en un nouveau fichier audio. m Sélectionnez les fichiers audio dans le chutier Audio, puis cliquez sur Fichier audio > « Copier/Convertir un ou des fichiers » dans le menu local du chutier Audio (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Symbole Fichier audio compressé 306 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées Important : les fichiers audio compressés protégés par le système DRM (Digital Rights Management) ne s’ouvrent pas dans Logic Express. La musique achetée sur l’iTunes Store est généralement protégée par le système DRM. Création de vues d’ensemble Lorsque vous ajoutez un fichier audio à votre projet, Logic Express crée automatiquement une vue d’ensemble de celui-ci. Il s’agit d’un fichier graphique utilisé pour afficher la forme d’onde. Le calcul des données de la vue d’ensemble associée au fichier audio est affiché dans une fenêtre. Ce calcul est effectué en arrière-plan, ce qui vous permet de continuer à utiliser Logic Express. L’activation de l’option « Calcul plus rapide lors de la vue d’ensemble » permet d’accélérer considérablement le processus de calcul mais ralentit les autres processus (sans toutefois bloquer totalement les opérations qu’effectue l’utilisateur). Logic Express mémorise l’état de l’option « Calcul de vue d’ensemble plus rapide » d’un projet à l’autre. Vous pouvez actualiser manuellement la vue d’ensemble des fichiers sélectionnés en cliquant sur Options > Audio > Actualiser la ou les vues d’ensemble si jamais vous avez remplacé des enregistrements (et utilisé des régions) ou si vous avez apporté des modifications à l’aide d’un éditeur d’échantillons externe. Vue d’ensemble de la forme d’onde Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 307 Ajout de fichiers ReCycle à votre projet ReCycle est le nom d’une application éditée par Propellerhead, qui sert principalement d’outil de production et d’édition des boucles (fichiers audio dont la lecture se fait en boucle). Les formats de fichiers spécifiques utilisés par ReCycle peuvent être importés et utilisés directement dans Logic Express ou bien être convertis en boucles Apple Loops. Remarque : vous devez installer REX Shared Library (© Propellerhead Software) pour pouvoir utiliser les fichiers ReCycle avec Logic Express. Pour en savoir plus sur les fichiers ReCycle, consultez le site web de Propellerhead. Logic Express peut importer les formats de fichiers ReCycle suivants :  Ancien fichier ReCycle : ce type de fichier possède l’extension .rcy et l’abréviation qui lui est associée est RCSO.  Ancien fichier d’exportation ReCycle : ce type de fichier possède l’extension .rex et l’abréviation qui lui est associée est REX.  Fichier ReCycle 2.0 : ce type de fichier possède l’extension .rx2 et l’abréviation qui lui est associée est REX2. Pour importer un fichier ReCycle dans la zone Arrangement : 1 Sélectionnez le fichier ReCycle à importer en effectuant l’une des opérations suivantes :  Cliquez sur Fichier > Importer un fichier audio, puis sélectionnez un fichier ReCycle au lieu d’un fichier AIFF, SDII, MP3 ou WAV.  Tout en appuyant sur la touche Maj, cliquez sur une piste audio à l’aide de l’outil Crayon et sélectionnez un fichier ReCycle.  Faites glisser un fichier ReCycle depuis le Finder vers une piste audio. 2 Sélectionnez les réglages souhaités dans la zone de dialogue « Importer un fichier ReCycle », puis cliquez sur OK.  Ne pas corriger : importe le fichier tel quel. Toutes les tranches du fichier se chevauchent pour s’adapter au tempo de Logic Express.  Ajouter des pistes : répartit les tranches sur plusieurs pistes audio, ce qui vous permet d’ajuster la position de ces tranches ou de les supprimer librement. Le champ « Nombre de pistes audio supplémentaires » détermine le nombre de pistes utilisées pour la répartition des tranches. Ces pistes viennent s’ajouter à la piste d’origine à laquelle le fichier ReCycle a été ajouté. 308 Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées  Fondu enchaîné : toutes les tranches du fichier sont importées dans la même piste et un fondu enchaîné leur est automatiquement appliqué. La durée du fondu enchaîné est déterminée par la valeur (en millisecondes) affichée dans le champ Durée du fondu.  Rendu sous forme de fichier unique : cette fonction écrit toutes les tranches ReCycle dans un fichier audio unique. Le tempo du projet Logic Express est utilisé dans le processus de rendu.  Rendu sous forme d’Apple Loop : importe le fichier ReCycle en tant que boucle Apple Loop. Si vous n’importez pas le fichier ReCycle en tant que boucle Apple Loops ou fichier audio, Logic Express crée un dossier de fichiers ReCycle sur une piste audio. Ce dossier contient des tranches du fichier ReCycle aux emplacements appropriés (tranches que vous pouvez afficher sous forme de régions miniatures dans le dossier). Chacune de ces tranches fait référence au même fichier audio, disponible dans le Chutier. Remarque : si vous déplacez le dossier de fichiers ReCycle vers une autre piste audio, la destination de la bande de canal audio (de la piste présente dans le dossier) reste la même. Vous devez ouvrir le dossier et modifier manuellement la destination de la bande de canal audio pour écouter les données audio ReCycle. Pour convertir un fichier ReCycle en boucle Apple Loop, effectuez une des opérations suivantes : m Utilisez l’option « Rendu sous forme d’Apple Loop » dans la zone de dialogue « Importer un fichier ReCycle ». m Choisissez « Conversion des fichiers/dossiers ReCycle sélectionnés en boucles Apple Loops » dans le menu Outil du Navigateur. Cette option vous permet de choisir un ou plusieurs dossiers dans le navigateur et d’effectuer une conversion par lot de tous les fichiers ReCycle qu’ils contiennent. Tranches ReCycle Dossier ReCycle Chapitre 11 Ajout de données préenregistrées 309 Transfert de données Audio entre Logic Express et ReCycle Vous pouvez transférer les données de Logic Express à ReCycle, et inversement, sans avoir recours à aucune zone de sélection de fichiers. Pour copier des régions audio dans le Presse-papiers en vue de les utiliser dans ReCycle : 1 Sélectionnez une région audio dans la zone Arrangement. 2 Cliquez sur Audio > « Copier en tant que boucle ReCycle » dans le menu Arrangement. Les données de la région audio sélectionnée sont copiées dans le Presse-papiers. 3 Utilisez la commande « Coller en tant que nouveau document » de ReCycle pour créer un document ReCycle (contenant les données audio sélectionnées dans la zone Arrangement). Remarque : la taille de la région audio transférée est limitée à 10 Mo, ce qui devrait être suffisant pour la plupart des boucles ReCycle (à titre d’exemple, une boucle stéréo de huit mesures en 4/4 à 70 bpm occupe environ 5 Mo). Pour coller les boucles ReCycle depuis ReCycle dans la zone Arrangement : 1 Utilisez la commande Copier la boucle ReCycle. Cette fonction permet de copier dans le Presse-papiers la boucle en cours d’édition dans ReCycle. 2 Cliquez sur Audio > « Coller la boucle ReCycle » dans le menu Arrangement pour coller cette boucle dans la zone Arrangement. Le même résultat s’obtient avec les options d’importation de fichier ReCycle. Ajout de fichiers d’un projet et de fichiers MIDI Vous pouvez également ajouter des fichiers d’un projet et des fichiers MIDI (tels que des fichiers OMF Interchange, AAF, OpenTL et XML) à votre arrangement. Toutefois, ces types de fichiers sont généralement utilisés pour échanger des projets et ne sont donc pas traités dans le cadre de ce chapitre. Pour obtenir des détails complets sur l’importation de ces types de fichiers, reportez-vous au chapitre 29, « Échange de projets et de fichiers » à la page 699. 12 311 12 Présentation des régions Lorsque des fichiers audio ou MIDI sont ajoutés à, ou enregistrés dans, la zone Arrangement, ils sont affichés sous forme de régions. Ce chapitre décrit les similarités et les différences entre les régions audio et MIDI et fournit des informations détaillées sur la gestion de ces régions. Pour plus de détails sur l’utilisation des régions pour la création de morceaux, consultez le chapitre 13, « Création de votre arrangement » à la page 327. Qu’est-ce qu’une région ? La gestion des données audio et MIDI est fort similaire dans la zone Arrangement, et se fait au moyen de blocs rectangulaires appelés « régions ». Ces blocs sont des représentations graphiques des données. Les régions audio représentent les données audio ; les régions MIDI représentent les données MIDI. 312 Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions Régions audio et fichiers audio Les régions audio se réfèrent simplement (par pointage) à un fichier audio sous-jacent. Elles servent de marqueurs de lecture (points de début et de fin) qui peuvent être de la longueur du fichier audio tout entier ou ne durer que quelques secondes et donc ne lire qu’une petite partie du fichier audio, partie délimitée par les marqueurs de début et de fin de la région. Tout fichier audio utilisé dans Logic Express (ajouté au projet et donc au chutier Audio) est automatiquement lié à au moins une région audio réglée par défaut sur la longueur du fichier audio tout entier. Les régions audio contiennent un point de référence temporel appelé point d’ancrage. Lorsque vous déplacez une région audio, ce n’est pas le point de départ qui s’affiche dans la bulle d’aide (comme pour les régions MIDI), mais le point d’ancrage. Vous êtes libre de créer autant de régions audio que nécessaire. Pour vous convaincre de l’utilité des régions, imaginez une piste de batterie stéréo couvrant toute la durée de votre projet. Le batteur a parfaitement joué le deuxième refrain, mais s’est montré un peu brouillon le reste du temps. Logic Express vous permet de créer une région audio pointant sur le deuxième refrain du fichier audio (le morceau de batterie), puis d’utiliser cette prise parfaite à différents endroits du projet. Pour ce faire, la région audio (pointée sur le 2e refrain dans le fichier audio de la piste de batterie) doit être créée et copiée dans chacun des emplacements du refrain dans la zone Arrangement. L’un des gros avantages des régions audio sur les fichiers audio réside dans le fait qu’elles n’utilisent que très peu de mémoire, alors que plusieurs copies d’une même rubrique du fichier audio prendraient beaucoup de place sur le disque dur. Région audio 1 Fichier audio Région audio 2 Région audio 3 Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions 313 Il est bien sûr possible de modifier, copier, déplacer et gérer directement les fichiers audio via l’Éditeur des échantillons et le chutier Audio. Pour en savoir plus, reportezvous au chapitre 24, « Gestion de fichiers audio » à la page 601. Régions et événements MIDI Les régions MIDI contiennent des événements de données MIDI. Elles ne sont pas liées à des informations stockées dans des fichiers internes. Les régions MIDI peuvent être enregistrées sous forme de fichiers individuels, mais aussi (et c’est généralement le cas) stockées avec le projet Logic. Les événements de données MIDI stockés dans des régions MIDI peuvent comprendre des informations sur les notes, les contrôleurs, le système, etc. Ils correspondent aux prestations MIDI que vous avez enregistrées ou importées dans Logic Express. Ces prestations sont généralement créées à l’aide d’un clavier MIDI, mais elles peuvent également l’être au moyen de contrôleurs MIDI, de guitares MIDI, du clavier ou de la souris de votre ordinateur. Les événements de données peuvent être affectés sous forme de groupe en traitant la région MIDI dans laquelle ils se trouvent. Ce type traitement, qui se fait via la zone Paramètre de région de l’Inspecteur, couvre la transposition, la quantification, les retards de synchronisation, etc. Vous pouvez aussi modifier les événements d’une région MIDI un à un. Pour cela, ouvrez la région dans l’un des Éditeurs MIDI disponibles dans Logic Express. Ces Éditeurs vous permettent de modifier avec précision la position, la durée et la tonalité des événements de notes MIDI. Les autres types d’événement MIDI sont modifiables de différentes façons. Pour saisir des données MIDI dans ces Éditeurs, vous pouvez aussi vous servir de votre clavier MIDI, de la souris ou du clavier de l’ordinateur. 314 Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions Régions « dossier » Un dossier est une région pouvant contenir d’autres régions, tout comme un dossier du Finder peut contenir d’autres dossiers ou fichiers. Il est possible de visualiser un dossier comme un projet au sein d’un projet. Un dossier peut contenir autant de pistes avec régions que nécessaire. Le dossier est placé sur une piste affectée à un dossier dans la liste des pistes plutôt que sur une piste d’instrument ou une piste audio. Les régions « dossiers » ressemblent aux régions MIDI, mais présentent une icône de dossier devant le nom du dossier. Une fois ouvert, un dossier est similaire à la zone Arrangement et à la liste des pistes d’un projet. Régions clonées et alias Il est possible de créer des alias pour les régions MIDI et les régions de type dossier. L’alias d’une région MIDI ou « dossier » ressemble à un alias du Finder. Il a l’aspect d’une région, mais ne contient en fait aucune donnée. Il s’agit simplement d’une référence aux données de la région originale (un reflet virtuel de cette dernière). L’alias est facilement reconnaissable car son nom est écrit en italique. Si les données de la région originale (source) sont modifiées, cela a une incidence immédiate sur tous les alias de cette région. Chaque alias dispose cependant de paramètres de région qui lui sont propres. Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions 315 Il est possible de créer des clones de région audio (en faisant glisser les régions tout en maintenant les touches Option + Maj enfoncées). Même s’ils sont comparables aux alias de régions MIDI, les clones présentent une différence majeure. En effet, si vous modifiez le point de départ ou de fin de n’importe quelle région clonée, toutes les autres régions clonées sont affectées à l’identique. Les modifications apportées à la région source n’ont cependant pas d’incidence sur les clones. Vous pouvez, naturellement, créer des copies de région audio indépendantes (en faisant glisser les régions tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée) qui pourront être modifiées sans que cela n’altère les autres copies de la région source. Pour en savoir plus, veuillez vous reporter au chapitre 13, « Création de votre arrangement » à la page 327. Comparatif des régions MIDI et audio L’aperçu suivant résume les principales différences existant entre les régions audio et les régions MIDI. Quelques remarques, en bas du tableau, apportent un éclairage sur les points les plus importants. Fonctionnalité Régions MIDI Régions audio Composées de données discrètes Oui Non. Les régions audio font simplement référence aux parties des fichiers audio. Possibilité de les nommer Oui Oui Option Boucle disponible Oui Oui Paramètre Quantifier disponible Oui Non, mais la position des régions peut être quantifiée à l’aide de la liste des événements (lorsque vous êtes en affichage Arrangement). Vous pouvez aussi quantifier les fichiers audio de manière destructive dans l’Éditeur des échantillons. Paramètre Transposition disponible Oui Non, mais vous pouvez utiliser les fonctions Time Machine et Changement de tonalité (dans l’Éditeur des échantillons et dans Arrangement). Les boucles Apple Loops audio sont transposables. Paramètre Vélocité disponible Oui Non Paramètre Dynamiques disponible Oui Non Paramètre Temps de maintien disponible Oui Non Paramètre Retard disponible Oui Oui Positionnement libre possible Oui Oui 316 Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions Naturellement, certains paramètres de lecture de l’Inspecteur (tels que Transposition) pouvant s’appliquer aux événements MIDI n’ont aucun effet sur les signaux audio. Pour la plupart d’entre eux, des opérations équivalentes sont disponibles par modification destructive dans l’Éditeur des échantillons. Les fonctions fondamentales (comme la position et la durée librement définissables, la possibilité de créer des arrangements complexes à l’aide de dossiers et la possibilité de nommer, désactiver le son ou mettre en solo) sont généralement disponibles pour tous les types de régions (MIDI, audio, dossiers ou copies de ces derniers, ainsi que les régions alias ou clonées). Modification de l’angle gauche ou droit Oui Oui. Cela influe sur la région audio, mais pas sur la position des formes d’onde audio par rapport à l’axe temporel du séquenceur. Coupe possible avec l’outil Ciseaux Oui Oui, une nouvelle région audio est alors créée. Composantes possibles des alias Oui Oui, bien qu’elles soient appelées régions (audio) clonées pour les différencier des régions (MIDI) alias. Possibilité de faire glisser l’angle gauche pour masquer des données au début Non Oui Présence d’un point de référence musical variable Non Oui, il s’agit d’un point d’ancrage variable. Il affecte toutes les régions issues d’un fichier audio donné, et peut modifier la position de l’audio par rapport à l’axe temporel du séquenceur. Désactivation possible via la fonction Silence Oui Oui Placement possible dans des dossiers Oui Oui Mise en solo possible Oui Oui Fonctionnalité Régions MIDI Régions audio Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions 317 Gestion des régions dans le chutier Audio et l’Éditeur des échantillons Le chutier Audio vous permet de gérer vos régions et d’apporter des modifications brutes à la (ou aux) région(s) associée(s) à un fichier audio. L’affichage graphique du chutier Audio est optimisé en vue d’une organisation simple et rapide des fichiers audio et des régions. La meilleure résolution pour le positionnement des marqueurs de début et de fin des régions, ou du point d’ancrage, est limitée à 256 opérations dans le chutier Audio. Cela est généralement suffisant, notamment si la fonction « Chercher les passages à zéro » est activée. Il peut arriver, cependant, que vous deviez effectuer des réglages très précis, jusqu’au niveau du simple mot. Les boucles de batterie en offrent un bon exemple. L’Éditeur des échantillons convient parfaitement à ce travail de précision. Pour ouvrir l’Éditeur des échantillons pour une région donnée : m Double-cliquez sur la région dans le chutier Audio ou dans la zone Arrangement. L’Éditeur des échantillons s’ouvre et la région est entièrement sélectionnée. Gestion des régions dans le chutier Audio Le chutier Audio répertorie tous les fichiers audio et les régions qui ont été ajoutés à votre projet ou enregistrés dans ce dernier. Cette rubrique décrit les différentes options de gestion des régions disponibles dans l’onglet et la fenêtre Chutier Audio. Les options et les opérations relatives aux fichiers audio disponibles dans le chutier Audio sont seulement abordées dans cette rubrique. Pour en savoir plus, reportez-vous au chapitre 24, « Gestion de fichiers audio » à la page 601. 318 Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions Quel chutier Audio utiliser ? L’onglet Chutier Audio est idéal pour ajouter rapidement des fichiers à la zone Arrangement, car il ne recouvre pas votre espace de travail. Une barre représentant la durée totale du fichier apparaît pour chaque fichier audio. La zone colorée située à l’intérieur de cette barre illustre la durée de la région. Vous ne pouvez pas redimensionner ou déplacer des régions d’un fichier audio dans l’onglet Chutier. Pour effectuer ce type de tâches, accédez à la fenêtre Chutier. Dans la fenêtre Chutier, que vous pouvez redimensionner à votre guise, les fichiers audio sont représentés par des formes d’ondes. Les régions situées dans les fichiers audio sont mises en surbrillance. Les autres informations relatives aux fichiers, telles que l’intégralité du chemin, s’affichent dans la fenêtre Chutier. On y trouve également le menu Options, où figure la commande Éliminateur de silence. En bref, l’onglet Chutier est le mieux adapté aux tâches telles que l’ajout de fichiers audio et de régions lors de la création de votre arrangement. La fenêtre Chutier, quant à elle, est votre outil numéro un pour gérer fichiers audio et régions. Onglet Chutier Fenêtre Chutier Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions 319 Pour ouvrir l’onglet Chutier : m Cliquez sur l’onglet Chutier dans la zone Média de la fenêtre Arrangement. Pour ouvrir le Chutier : m Choisissez Fenêtre > Chutier (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Commande + 9). Pour afficher une région associée à un fichier audio : m Cliquez sur le triangle d’affichage qui se trouve à côté du nom du fichier audio. Toutes les régions sont répertoriées sous le nom du fichier audio dont elles sont issues.  Les régions utilisées dans la zone Arrangement sont signalées par une barre colorée, à droite de leur nom. La couleur utilisée est celle de la région Arrangement. La durée de la région (rubrique colorée) est proportionnelle à la barre du fichier audio.  Les régions inutilisées dans la zone Arrangement sont grises. Pour voir toutes les régions du Chutier, choisissez l’une des possibilités suivantes : m Choisissez Présentation > Afficher toutes les régions (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). m Appuyez sur la touche Option tout en cliquant sur le triangle d’affichage situé à côté du fichier audio. Cela affiche instantanément toutes les régions de l’ensemble des fichiers audio présents dans le Chutier. Si vous choisissez Présentation > « Masquer toutes les régions » (à l’aide du raccourci clavier correspondant) ou que vous cliquez une deuxième fois sur le triangle d’affichage d’un fichier audio tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée, toutes les régions seront masquées. Pour trier les régions d’un fichier audio : m Sélectionnez le fichier audio souhaité, puis Présentation > Régions classées par.  Point de début : les régions sont classées selon leur position dans le temps au sein du fichier audio.  Durée : les régions sont classées selon leurs durées respectives.  Nom : les régions sont classées par ordre alphabétique. Il s’agit du réglage par défaut. Pour modifier l’affichage de la durée des régions dans la fenêtre Chutier : m Choisissez l’un des réglages suivants dans le menu Présentation > Afficher la durée :  Aucun : la durée n’est pas affichée.  Min : Sec: Ms: affiche la durée absolue de la région en heures, minutes, secondes et millisecondes.  Échantillons : affiche le nombre de mots échantillonnés de la région. 320 Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions  Temps SMPTE : affiche la durée SMPTE qui, à la différence de la durée absolue, utilise des images et des bits à la place des millisecondes.  Mesures/battements : la région est affichée en unités musicales : mesures : battements : divisions : ticks. Si les réglages de tempo, de signature temporelle ou de division sont modifiés, l’affichage est automatiquement recalculé. Pour savoir combien de fois une région est utilisée dans votre arrangement : m Activez le réglage Présentation > Afficher le compteur d’utilisation des régions. Création et suppression de régions Lorsque vous ajoutez un fichier audio à votre projet, Logic Express crée automatiquement une région englobant toute la durée du fichier. Vous pouvez créer autant de régions que vous le souhaitez à partir du même fichier audio. Il n’existe aucune limitation de durée pour les régions, pourvu qu’elles ne dépassent pas la durée du fichier audio source. La création de plusieurs régions à partir du même fichier audio est un atout pour nombre de tâches, par exemple l’utilisation de différentes portions d’une prise vocale couvrant toute la durée du projet. Vous pouvez créer des régions dans le chutier Audio, l’Éditeur des échantillons et la zone Arrangement. Cette rubrique concerne les options du chutier Audio et de l’Éditeur des échantillons. Remarque : pour tout savoir sur les options de modification des régions dans la fenêtre Arrangement, reportez-vous au chapitre 13, « Création de votre arrangement » à la page 327. Pour créer une région à partir d’un fichier audio dans le chutier Audio, vous pouvez : m Sélectionner le fichier audio voulu, puis Fichier audio > Ajouter une région (ou utiliser le raccourci clavier Ajouter une région, à savoir, par défaut : Contrôle + R). m Choisir Édition > Copier (Commande + C) dans la barre de menus principale, puis Édition > Coller (Commande + V). La nouvelle région apparaît sous les régions existantes dans la liste. Chaque région reçoit une extension numérique unique. Par exemple, si organ.wav est le fichier audio d’origine, la région créée automatiquement s’appelle simplement « orgue » et les nouvelles régions « orgue.1 », « orgue.2 », etc. Pour créer une région à partir d’un fichier audio dans l’Éditeur des échantillons : m Choisissez Édition > Créer une région (Commande + R). La nouvelle région apparaît dans la liste du chutier Audio. Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions 321 Pour supprimer une région du chutier Audio, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Sélectionnez une ou plusieurs régions et appuyez sur la touche de retour arrière. La suppression d’une région ne provoque pas la suppression du fichier audio dont elle est issue. Pour supprimer un fichier audio du projet en cours : 1 Sélectionnez le nom du fichier audio (et non d’une région) dans le chutier Audio. 2 Choisissez Fichier audio > Supprimer les fichiers (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Les fichiers sont ainsi supprimés du projet, mais pas du disque dur. Écoute des régions dans le chutier Audio Les modes de lecture abordés ci-dessous ne s’appliquent qu’aux régions du chutier Audio (lorsque la fenêtre est au premier plan) et n’ont aucune incidence sur la lecture du projet. Pour lire une région en entier : 1 Dans la liste, mettez le nom de la région en surbrillance. 2 Cliquez sur le bouton des haut-parleurs en bas du chutier Audio (ou appuyez sur la barre d’espace) pour lancer la lecture. Cliquez à nouveau sur ce bouton (ou appuyez à nouveau sur la barre d’espace) pour arrêter la lecture. Remarque : le canal Pré-écoute de l’environnement est utilisé pour le contrôle dans l’Éditeur des échantillons. Vous pouvez accéder au canal Pré-écoute dans la table de mixage de l’environnement, figurant à droite du numéro de bande de canaux audio le plus élevé. Avertissement : les régions supprimées figurant dans la zone Arrangement sont également effacées. Soyez donc prudent lorsque vous supprimez une région (ou le fichier audio d’origine). La fonction Annuler est toujours disponible au cas où vous supprimeriez la mauvaise région par mégarde. 322 Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions Pour lire la région en boucle : m Cliquez sur le bouton de lecture en boucle (signalé par une flèche circulaire) en bas du chutier Audio. Pour interrompre la lecture, cliquez à nouveau sur ce bouton. Pour lire une région depuis une position particulière dans la fenêtre Chutier Audio : m Cliquez sur la région souhaitée dans l’écran des régions en maintenant le bouton enfoncé ou servez-vous de la souris. Une icône « haut-parleur » remplace le pointeur de la souris. La lecture commence au point sur lequel vous cliquez. Cela vous permet de ne lire que certaines rubriques. La lecture s’arrête dès que vous relâchez le bouton de la souris. Remarque : seule la fenêtre Chutier Audio permet cette opération. Redimensionnement d’une région Vous pouvez redimensionner des régions dans la fenêtre Chutier Audio, l’Éditeur des échantillons et la fenêtre Arrangement. Cette rubrique concerne les options du chutier Audio et de l’Éditeur des échantillons. Remarque : pour tout savoir sur les options de modification des régions dans la fenêtre Arrangement, reportez-vous au chapitre 13, « Création de votre arrangement » à la page 327. Pour redimensionner une région dans la fenêtre Chutier Audio, choisissez l’une des possibilités suivantes : m Cliquez sur le tiers inférieur de la limite gauche ou droite de la région en maintenant le bouton enfoncé et faites glisser le pointeur dans la direction souhaitée. Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions 323 Pour redimensionner une région avec précision : m Faites glisser les points de début et de fin de la région dans l’Éditeur des échantillons, et non dans le chutier Audio, lorsque la précision est de mise. Assurez-vous que Édition > « Chercher les passages à zéro » est désactivé pour l’Éditeur des échantillons (voir ci-dessous). Les petits marqueurs situés tout en bas des formes d’ondes de l’Éditeur des échantillons offrent un accès direct aux limites de la région. Rétablissement des modifications sur les passages à zéro Si Édition > « Chercher les passages à zéro » est activé, les ajustements des positions de début et de fin d’une région se calent sur le point le plus proche de l’endroit où la forme d’onde passe par l’axe zéro. En d’autres termes, il existe sur un échantillon (une boucle de batterie, par exemple) des points de passage dont le niveau est très proche de celui d’autres points de l’échantillon. Si deux points très proches sont utilisés comme point de début et de fin de l’échantillon, la boucle sera lue sans qu’aucun glitch (saut) ne soit audible dans l’audio. Lorsque vous réglez le point de début, la zone qui le précède est analysée en vue d’identifier un point de passage sans heurt. Lorsque vous choisissez le point de fin, la zone qui suit la région est analysée aux mêmes fins. Pour caler les modifications audio sur les passages à zéro : 1 Cliquez sur la barre de titre du chutier Audio ou de l’Éditeur des échantillons pour mettre la fenêtre au premier plan. 2 Activez Édition > « Chercher les passages à zéro » (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Remarque : l’option « Chercher les passages à zéro » peut être définie indépendamment pour l’Éditeur des échantillons et pour le chutier Audio. Marqueurs de région 324 Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions Déplacement d’une région au sein d’un fichier audio La fenêtre Chutier vous permet également de déplacer l’intégralité d’une région au sein d’un fichier audio. Pour déplacer la zone de la région au sein du fichier audio : 1 Placez le curseur au-dessus du centre de la région. 2 Lorsque le curseur se transforme en flèche à deux pointes, faites glisser la région vers la gauche ou vers la droite. Remarque : pour modifier les limites de la région sans déplacer le point d’ancrage (voir rubrique suivante), maintenez la touche Option enfoncée pendant l’opération. Cela vaut aussi bien lorsque vous déplacez le point de début ou de fin, que la région tout entière. Modification du point d’ancrage de la région audio Le point d’ancrage est le point de référence temporelle d’une région audio. Lorsque vous déplacez une région audio, ce n’est pas le point de départ qui s’affiche dans la bulle d’aide (comme pour les régions MIDI), mais le point d’ancrage. Dans bon nombre de cas, le point d’ancrage doit être placé sur les crêtes d’amplitude plutôt qu’au début de la phase d’attaque sonore. L’enregistrement des cuivres, qui peuvent mettre un certain temps avant d’atteindre une crête, en est un bon exemple. Le positionnement du point d’ancrage sur ces crêtes oblige la région à se caler sur la grille de votre arrangement en utilisant le point d’ancrage comme pivot. Les réglages de zoom flexibles vous permettent d’obtenir toute la précision voulue, au bit près, avec le facteur d’agrandissement le plus élevé. Autre exemple : pour garantir une synchronisation parfaite entre une boucle de batterie d’une seule mesure et des régions MIDI, le point d’ancrage doit être assigné à un point musicalement caractéristique. Si la boucle s’ouvre sur une crête de niveau important (un coup de grosse caisse, par exemple), placez le point d’ancrage à l’endroit où le volume de ce battement est représenté par une crête précise. Lorsque vous enregistrez de l’audio ou ajoutez un fichier audio, le point d’ancrage et le point de début des régions se trouvent toujours au début du fichier audio. Si vous déplacez le point de début, le point d’ancrage bouge également, car il ne peut pas précéder la position de départ de la région. Curseur en flèche à deux pointes Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions 325 Il est possible de modifier le point d’ancrage d’une région dans la fenêtre Chutier et dans l’Éditeur des échantillons. Le point d’ancrage est représenté par un indicateur noir (orange dans l’Éditeur des échantillons) situé sous la forme d’onde de la région. Pour déplacer le point d’ancrage dans l’Éditeur des échantillons ou dans la fenêtre Chutier : m Sélectionnez le petit indicateur situé sous la région, puis placez le point d’ancrage à l’endroit souhaité. Les changements apportés au point d’ancrage modifient la position relative de la région audio dans le projet. Étant donné que le point de début de la région est la position par défaut du point d’ancrage, vous devez aussi faire attention lorsque vous déplacez ce point de début. Protection du point d’ancrage lors du déplacement du point de fin Si vous déplacez le point de début ou de fin d’une région au-delà du point d’ancrage, ce dernier est également déplacé. Cette situation n’est généralement pas souhaitable ! Pour que le point d’ancrage reste en place, maintenez la touche Option enfoncée alors que vous déplacez le marqueur de fin. Remarque : le point d’ancrage ne pouvant jamais se trouver à gauche (avant) du point de début de la région, il se déplace si vous faites glisser ce point de début au-delà (vers la droite), même si vous appuyez sur la touche Option. Mise à jour des positions dans la zone Arrangement Lorsque vous modifiez le point d’ancrage dans l’Éditeur des échantillons, vous pouvez utiliser la fonction « Compenser la position de la région » pour être sûr qu’une région audio donnée demeure au même endroit dans l’arrangement. Pour activer ou désactiver la fonction « Compenser la position de la région » : 1 Cliquez sur la barre de titre de l’Éditeur des échantillons, afin de vous assurer que ce dernier est au premier plan. 2 Choisissez Édition > Compenser la position de la région. Point Point d’ancrage d’ancrage 326 Chapitre 12 Présentation des régions  Si l’option « Compenser la position de la région » est activée, le déplacement du point d’ancrage n’a aucun impact sur ce que vous entendez. Le déplacement du point d’ancrage dans l’Éditeur des échantillons conduit au même résultat que si vous faites glisser le point de début de la région dans la zone Arrangement.  Si l’option « Compenser la position de la région » n’est pas activée, le déplacement du point d’ancrage change la position des régions audio dans la zone Arrangement. La région se décale par rapport à l’axe temporel, tandis que le point d’ancrage demeure lié à la même valeur de mesure et est signalé par une ligne en pointillés. Protection des régions Pour éviter toute modification accidentelle des points de début et de fin ou du point d’ancrage d’une région, vous pouvez verrouiller la région dans la fenêtre Chutier. Pour protéger la position des points de début, de fin et d’ancrage d’une région : m Dans la fenêtre Chutier, cliquez sur l’icône représentant un cadenas située à côté de la région pour la verrouiller. Cliquez à nouveau sur cette icône pour la déverrouiller. Si une région est verrouillée, vous pouvez la lire, mais pas la modifier. L’onglet Chutier affiche l’état des régions audio verrouillées (dans la colonne située entre les colonnes Nom du fichier/de la région et Infos), mais ne vous permet pas de verrouiller ou de déverrouiller des régions. Région protégée Région non protégée Avertissement : attention à ne pas confondre cette fonction avec la protection contre la suppression : une région protégée (verrouillée) peut toujours être supprimée ! 13 327 13 Création de votre arrangement Après avoir ajouté vos régions audio et MIDI dans la zone Arrangement, vous pouvez les modifier et les réorganiser afin de créer un arrangement global, ou morceau. La zone Arrangement offre une vue d’ensemble de la structure de votre morceau : elle indique à quel moment la lecture des séquences audio et MIDI débute, ainsi que la durée de ces dernières. Vous définissez quand et comment les régions sont lues en les déplaçant, les coupant, les copiant, les redimensionnant et les regroupant dans la zone Arrangement. Les régions sont placées horizontalement sur les rangées de pistes allant d’une extrémité à l’autre de la zone Arrangement. Leurs positions sur ces rangées déterminent à quel moment elles sont lues et celles-ci sont alignées avec la règle Mesure (et Temps) située sur la partie supérieure de la fenêtre. Les rangées de pistes sont empilées verticalement, créant ainsi une grille de rangées ainsi que des positions de mesure ou de temps particulières. Pour afficher la grille de la zone Arrangement : m Activez le réglage Grille dans le menu Présentation de la zone Arrangement. Il se peut que vous souhaitiez augmenter le contraste de la grille en modifiant la couleur d’arrière-plan de la zone Arrangement. Zone Arrangement avec grille Zone Arrangement sans grille 328 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Pour modifier la couleur d’arrière-plan de la zone Arrangement : 1 Ouvrez les préférences d’affichage en effectuant l’une des opérations suivantes :  Choisissez Logic Express > Préférences > Affichage (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Ouvrir les préférences d’affichage).  Cliquez sur le bouton Préférences dans la barre d’outils Arrangement et choisissez Affichage dans le menu. 2 Cliquez sur l’onglet Arrangement dans la fenêtre Préférences. 3 Choisissez Lumineux dans le menu Couleur d’arrière-plan. 4 Vous pouvez également choisir Personnalisé dans le menu et cliquer sur le champ Couleur situé à droite. 5 Dans la fenêtre Couleurs qui s’affiche : utilisez la souris pour déplacer la roulette de la palette de couleur, ainsi que les curseurs de contraste et d’opacité afin de créer une couleur personnalisée. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 329 6 Cliquez sur le bouton de fermeture en haut à gauche pour quitter la fenêtre Couleurs et assigner la couleur d’arrière-plan personnalisée de votre zone Arrangement. La plupart des techniques d’arrangement et d’édition fonctionnent de la même façon pour les séquences audio et MIDI. Les boucles Apple Loops procèdent également d’une manière similaire. Lorsque le traitement diffère, les variations sont signalées dans les rubriques appropriées de ce chapitre. Toutes les opérations mentionnées au pluriel (par exemple, régions) s’appliquent à une ou plusieurs région(s) sélectionnée(s). Accélération et simplification de la modification des régions Cette rubrique fournit des informations sur des options qui accélèrent et simplifient la modification des régions, vous permettant ainsi de vous concentrer sur les aspects musicaux de votre arrangement. Alignement des régions modifiées sur des positions temporelles Vous êtes amené à déplacer et à redimensionner les régions dans la zone Arrangement car vous souhaitez que celles-ci commencent et se terminent au niveau d’un point spécifique dans le temps. Par exemple : dans un projet de musique, il se peut que vous souhaitiez aligner les points de départ des régions aux mesures et aux battements. Logic Express offre une fonction Alignement permettant d’aligner automatiquement les points de départ et de fin des régions sur une valeur de grille sélectionnée lorsque vous les déplacez ou les redimensionnez. Π Conseil : activez l’élément de menu Présentation > Grille de façon à voir comment les éléments de menu Alignement alignent automatiquement les régions sur des positions spécifiques de la grille. Pour aligner des régions sur une grille : m Choisissez l’une des valeurs suivantes dans le menu Alignement situé en haut de la zone Arrangement : 330 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement  Intelligent : les opérations d’édition s’aligneront sur la mesure, le battement, le battement secondaire, etc. le plus proche, en fonction de la valeur de division et du niveau de zoom en cours de la règle Mesure.  Mesure : les opérations d’édition alignent les éléments sur la mesure la plus proche.  Battement : les opérations d’édition s’alignent sur le battement le plus proche d’une mesure.  Division : les opérations d’édition s’aligneront sur la valeur de division la plus proche (il s’agit de la signature affichée dans la règle Transport et Mesure).  Ticks : les opérations d’édition s’alignent sur le tick d’horloge le plus proche (1/3 840e d’un battement).  Images : les opérations d’édition s’alignent sur l’image SMPTE la plus proche.  QI (Quarts d’image) : les opérations d’édition s’aligneront sur le quart d’image SMPTE le plus proche.  Échantillons : les opérations d’édition s’aligneront sur l’échantillon le plus proche. Remarque : la modification précise de l’échantillon est directement liée au niveau de zoom. Si le niveau de zoom est insuffisant, il est impossible de modifier précisément l’échantillon. Utilisez le curseur Zoom situé en bas de la fenêtre Arrangement et tirez parti des raccourcis clavier Enregistrer et Récupérer le réglage de zoom pour accélérer votre processus. La fonctionnalité Alignement est relative, ce qui signifie que l’opération d’édition sera alignée sur les mesures, battements les plus proches, etc.—tout en conservant la même distance entre la région et sa position d’origine. Par exemple, si une région est placée sur la position 1.2.1.16 et que vous la déplacez vers la mesure 2 (avec le menu Alignement défini sur Mesure), elle va automatiquement s’aligner sur la position 2.2.1.16, plutôt que sur la position 2.1.1.1 (le point de départ de la mesure 2). Vous pouvez remplacer les alignements relatifs avec l’option « Aligner sur la valeur absolue ». Pour aligner sur une position absolue (pas relative) : m Choisissez l’option Aligner sur la valeur absolue du menu Alignement. Une coche apparaît à gauche de ce nom de fonction lorsque cette dernière est activée. Cette fonction fait également appel à la division de grille d’alignement sélectionnée. En d’autres termes, si l’option Mesure est sélectionnée dans le menu Alignement et que l’option Aligner sur la valeur absolue est activée, une région déplacée (depuis la position 1.2.1.16) vers la mesure 2 sera alignée sur la position 2.1.1.1 (le point de départ de la mesure 2), plutôt que sur sa position relative (2.2.1.16). Le réglage du menu Magnétisme s’applique aux opérations d’édition suivantes :  Déplacement et copie des régions  Redimensionnement des régions  Coupe des régions Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 331  Déplacement, ajout et redimensionnement de marqueurs  Définition de limites de cycle Annulation de la grille d’alignement Vous pouvez remplacer temporairement la grille d’alignement, permettant des éditions et des ajustements plus fins. Pour annuler la grille d’alignement : m Appuyez sur Contrôle tout en effectuant l’opération d’édition.  La valeur de division choisie dans la catégorie Transport (par exemple, 1/16) définit l’échelle de la grille d’édition à des niveaux de zoom inférieurs (affichage macroscopique ou étendu).  Si le niveau de zoom est supérieur (affichage microscopique ou gros plan), une mise à l’échelle selon un certain facteur est effectuée lorsque vous procédez à une modification en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée. m Maintenez les touches Contrôle et Maj enfoncées lors de l’opération d’édition :  Des ticks s’affichent dans la grille d’édition si la modification est effectuée à des niveaux de zoom inférieurs (affichage macroscopique ou étendu).  La grille d’édition affiche des échantillons si la modification s’effectue à des niveaux de zoom supérieurs (affichage microscopique ou gros plan). Remarques relatives à la relation entre le niveau de zoom et le réglage de menu Alignement Lorsque le niveau de zoom est très élevé (microscopique), au point que la valeur d’alignement choisie entraîne des modifications ou des déplacements importants, cette valeur est temporairement réduite et le mode d’alignement intelligent est utilisé à la place. Lorsque le niveau de zoom est extrêmement bas (macroscopique) et qu’une valeur d’alignement correcte (telle que Division ou Images) est choisie, des mouvements de souris normaux engendrent des unités de grille plus importantes. Dans ce cas, modifiez le niveau de zoom ou maintenez la touche Contrôle enfoncée afin de sélectionner la valeur d’alignement choisie. L’utilisation des touches Contrôle + Maj permet d’interrompre la relation 1:1 existant entre les mouvements du curseur de la souris et de la région (ou l’outil d’édition). Cela signifie que vous devrez peut-être déplacer le curseur de la souris sur une assez longue distance (horizontalement) afin que la région (ou l’outil d’édition) se déplace d’un pixel. Consultez la bulle d’aide pour obtenir des affichages numériques exacts. Supposons que vous souhaitiez réduire une région dans une mesure 4/4 afin que le 4 soit joué, mais pas le « 4 et » de la dernière mesure. 332 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Pour réduire une région d’une valeur de division lorsque l’alignement est défini sur Battement : 1 Agrandissez l’affichage de façon à voir les notes noires dans la règle Mesure. 2 Saisissez la partie inférieure droite d’une région et déplacez le curseur de la souris vers la gauche, jusqu’à ce que la région soit réduite d’une note noire. 3 Appuyez sur la touche Contrôle et déplacez lentement le curseur de la souris vers la droite, jusqu’à ce que la région possède une division supplémentaire. Lors de cette opération, la bulle d’aide indique la position de départ de la séquence, le numéro de la piste et la longueur actuelle de la région en mesures, battements et ticks. Les trois numéros de droite doivent être les suivants : 3 1 0. Utilisation des modes Déplacer Logic Express propose plusieurs modes Déplacer, qui permettent de définir le comportement des régions lorsque vous les modifiez. Vous pouvez définir le mode Déplacer dans le menu Déplacer, situé dans la zone Arrangement ainsi que dans plusieurs autres fenêtres d’éditeurs. Remarque : les options du menu Déplacer présentées dans cette rubrique font référence à des régions. Les comportements décrits ci-après (pour les régions) sont identiques pour les événements glissés dans les fenêtres des éditeurs. Le menu Déplacer de la fenêtre Arrangement et celui de chaque fenêtre d’éditeur sont réglés indépendamment. Pour modifier le mode Déplacer : m Choisissez un des réglages suivants dans le menu Déplacer :  Superposer : il s’agit du mode par défaut, qui vous permet de faire glisser une région sur une autre. Les limites de la région d’origine sont conservées.  Ne pas superposer : vous pouvez l’utiliser lorsque vous ne souhaitez pas que les régions soient superposées. Dans ce mode, la longueur de la première région (celle qui est placée précédemment sur la piste) sera réduite afin d’éviter toute superposition.  Fondu X : dans ce mode, Logic Express crée automatiquement un fondu enchaîné des deux régions lorsqu’elles se trouvent dans une position de superposition. Remarque : cette option ne s’applique pas aux régions MIDI ou Apple Loop. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 333  Organiser G et Organiser D : choisissez cette option pour aligner automatiquement des régions (respectivement sur la gauche ou la droite) lorsque vous les déplacez, les redimensionnez ou les supprimez.  Lorsque vous utilisez l’option Organiser D (ou Organiser G), le déplacement d’une région vers la droite (ou la gauche) permet d’aligner le point de fin de la région au point de départ de la région suivante, tout en veillant à ce qu’aucun blanc ne soit présent entre les deux régions.  Les positions des régions glissées les unes sur les autres sont interverties.  Lors de la suppression des régions, les régions restantes (situées à gauche ou à droite de la région supprimée) sont déplacées vers la gauche ou la droite, en fonction de la longueur de la région supprimée.  Si une région est agrandie ou réduite lorsqu’une des options Aléatoire est activée, les autres régions de la piste seront déplacées pour s’adapter à la nouvelle longueur.  Dans le mode Organiser G, la partie droite de la région est agrandie ou raccourcie, et les régions situées à droite de la région modifiée sont déplacées.  Dans le mode Organiser D, la partie gauche de la région est agrandie ou raccourcie, et les régions situées à gauche de la région modifiée sont déplacées. Les régions précédant celle modifiée peuvent uniquement être déplacées au niveau du point de départ du projet. Si suite à l’étirement d’une région, les régions précédentes sont positionnées sur le point de départ du projet et que l’espace disponible est insuffisant, la région modifiée va se superposer au contenu existant. Remarque : une seule région audio peut être lue à la fois par l’intermédiaire de la bande de canal d’une piste. Lorsque deux régions audio se chevauchent sur une piste, la dernière région est prioritaire. Scrub de votre arrangement Le scrub vous permet d’entendre les signaux audio et MIDI des régions situées au niveau de la tête de lecture, ce qui vous aide à localiser un événement sonore particulier. Vous pouvez ainsi facilement vous concentrer sur une percussion de grosse claire ou de caisse claire particulière, par exemple, avant de couper une région audio. Remarque : avant de pouvoir effectuer un scrub MIDI, vous devez activer l’option Fichier > Réglages projet > MIDI > Général > Scrub avec audio dans l’arrangement. Pour effectuer un scrub de votre projet : 1 Définissez un niveau de zoom fournissant un affichage optimal de la rubrique sur laquelle vous souhaitez effectuer le scrub (il peut s’avérer utile d’activer l’option Présentation > Contenu de la région). 2 Activez le bouton Pause dans le Transport. 334 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 3 Faites glisser la tête de lecture sur la règle Arrangement ou Mesure et déplacez-la vers les éléments du projet que vous souhaitez écouter, à la vitesse à laquelle vous souhaitez effectuer le scrub de la rubrique (ou utilisez les raccourcis clavier Scrub arrière et Scrub avant). La lecture des données audio et MIDI est parfaitement synchronisée lors du scrub. Remarque : le scrub est automatiquement activé lorsque vous divisez des régions (avec l’outil Ciseaux) dans la zone Arrangement, ce qui permet d’identifier plus facilement la position de coupe. Scrub de régions particulières La liste suivante définit la relation qui existe entre le scrub et la sélection de la région :  Si vous n’avez sélectionné aucune région, le scrub est effectué sur toutes les régions.  Si vous sélectionnez une région audio spécifique, le scrub est effectué uniquement sur cette dernière.  Si vous étirez ou sélectionnez à l’aide de la touche Maj des régions audio sur différentes pistes, le scrub sera effectué uniquement sur les régions audio sélectionnées.  Le scrub est toujours effectué sur les régions MIDI (logicielles ou externes) qu’elles soient sélectionnées ou non (dans la mesure où le réglage de projet Scrub avec audio dans l’Arrangement est activé).  Les états Silence ou Solo (reportez-vous à la rubrique suivante) de l’ensemble des pistes et des régions ont une incidence sur ce que vous entendez lors du scrub ; par conséquent, vous pouvez les utiliser pour effectuer un scrub des parties audio isolées (ou avec des pistes d’instrument MIDI externes ou logicielles spécifiques). Scrub contrôlé MIDI La fonction Scrub par valeur MIDI (-2-) (disponible dans l’éditeur des assignations du contrôleur ; reportez-vous au manuel Logic Express 8 : Prise en charge des surfaces de contrôle) permet d’activer le scrub via la commande MIDI externe. Vous pouvez assigner n’importe quel numéro de contrôleur MIDI à cette fonction. Un scrub avant est appliqué aux données supérieures à 64 octets tandis qu’un scrub arrière est appliqué à celles inférieures à 64 octets. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 335 Désactivation du son des régions Généralement, lors de l’arrangement, vous souhaitez tester des idées musicales en rendant certaines régions silencieuses. Pour rendre silencieuse ou pour activer le son d’une ou de plusieurs séquences sélectionnées, procédez selon l’une des méthodes suivantes : m Sélectionnez l’outil Silence, puis cliquez sur les régions de votre choix à l’aide de cet outil. m Sélectionnez les régions de votre choix à l’aide de l’outil Pointeur, puis utilisez le raccourci clavier « Rendre silencieux/activer le son des notes/régions/dossiers sélectionnés » (par défaut : M). Les régions silencieuses sont représentées par un point précédant le nom de la région. Lorsque vous cliquez avec l’outil Silence sur des régions silencieuses ou sélectionnez ces régions, puis utilisez le raccourci clavier « Rendre silencieux/activer le son des notes/régions/dossiers sélectionnés », cet état est inversé (activation du son). Activation de la lecture solo des régions Le mode Solo vous permet d’écouter séparément une ou plusieurs régions sélectionnées. Il est ainsi plus facile d’identifier des éléments particuliers devant être modifiés. Pour activer la lecture solo d’une région avec l’outil Solo : 1 Sélectionnez l’outil Solo. 2 Cliquez sur la région de votre choix et maintenez-la enfoncée à l’aide de l’outil Solo. La région (affichée en jaune) est écoutée séparément du point de données, jusqu’à ce que relâchiez le bouton de la souris, ce qui mettra fin à la lecture en mode Solo. Silence, outil Outil Solo 336 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Pour activer la lecture solo de plusieurs régions à l’aide de l’outil Solo : 1 Étirez ou sélectionnez à l’aide de la touche Maj les régions de votre choix. 2 Cliquez sur l’une des régions sélectionnées avec l’outil Solo et maintenez le bouton de la souris enfoncé. Pour procéder au scrub avec l’outil Solo : 1 Sélectionnez l’outil Solo, puis faites glisser le curseur de la souris horizontalement. 2 Relâchez le bouton de la souris pour mettre fin au scrub en mode Solo. Pour activer la lecture solo d’une ou de plusieurs régions à l’aide du mode Solo : 1 Cliquez sur le bouton Solo dans le Transport (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Mode Solo, par défaut : S). Lorsque la fonction Solo est activée, la règle Mesure s’affiche en jaune, ce qui indique que le mode Solo est activé. 2 Étirez ou sélectionnez à l’aide de la touche Maj les régions pour lesquelles vous souhaitez activer la lecture solo à l’aide de l’outil Pointeur. Les régions sélectionnées sont entourées de jaune. Cliquez à nouveau sur le bouton Définir le Transport en mode Solo (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Mode Solo) afin de désactiver le mode Solo, puis écoutez à nouveau l’ensemble des régions. Bouton Solo Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 337 Verrouillage du mode Solo Il se peut que vous souhaitiez verrouiller le statut Solo de plusieurs régions. Par exemple, cela s’avère particulièrement utile lorsque vous souhaitez modifier les paramètres de lecture d’une région, tout en écoutant un groupe spécifique de pistes en mode Solo. Pour conserver le statut Solo de plusieurs régions sélectionnées (ce qui est possible en mode Lecture) : 1 Sélectionnez plusieurs régions à l’aide de l’outil Pointeur. 2 Cliquez sur le bouton Solo sur le transport tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Régler le verrouillage du mode Solo, par défaut : Option + S) pour verrouiller l’état Solo des régions sélectionnées. Le bouton Solo sur le transport affiche une icône en forme de cadenas indiquant le mode Verrouillage Solo. Le raccourci clavier Resélectionner les régions où le mode Solo est verrouillé (par défaut : Maj + Option + S) sélectionne toutes les régions verrouillées en mode solo. Cette commande s’avère très utile si vous souhaitez retirer plusieurs régions de votre sélection verrouillée en mode Solo. Bouton Solo sur le transport 338 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Attribution d’un nom à une région L’identification des régions par un nom peut faciliter l’arrangement. Cela peut être effectué région par région et vous pouvez également nommer plusieurs régions simultanément. Pour nommer une région à l’aide de l’outil Texte : 1 Sélectionnez l’outil Texte. 2 Cliquez sur une région à l’aide de l’outil Texte. Une zone de saisie de texte s’affiche. 3 Entrez le nom de votre choix et appuyez sur Retour, ou cliquez sur une autre région ou sur l’arrière-plan de la zone Arrangement pour quitter la zone de saisie de texte. Pour nommer une région à l’aide de la zone Paramètres de région : 1 Cliquez sur la ligne supérieure de la zone Paramètres de région dans l’Inspecteur. Cette ligne affiche le nom de la région sélectionnée. Un champ de saisie de texte s’affiche, vous permettant de modifier le nom de la région. 2 Entrez le nom de votre choix. 3 Appuyez sur Retour, ou cliquez n’importe où en-dehors de la zone de saisie de texte pour quitter le mode de saisie de texte. Outil Texte Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 339 Pour attribuer le même nom à plusieurs régions : 1 Sélectionnez un groupe de régions (en l’étirant ou cliquant dessus tout en maintenant la touche Maj enfoncée) à l’aide de l’outil Pointeur. 2 Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes :  Sélectionnez l’outil Texte, puis cliquez sur une des régions sélectionnées à l’aide de l’outil Texte.  Cliquez sur la ligne supérieure de la zone Paramètres de région (affichant « x sélectionnés » : « x » représente le nombre de régions sélectionnées). Une zone de saisie de texte s’affiche. 3 Entrez le nom de votre choix et appuyez sur Retour, ou cliquez sur une autre région ou sur l’arrière-plan de la zone Arrangement pour quitter la zone de saisie de texte. Le même nom est assigné à l’ensemble des régions. Pour assigner un nom à plusieurs régions en incrémentant les numéros : m Procédez comme indiqué ci-dessus, mais le nom doit se terminer par un nombre. Exemple : ligne de basse 1. Le même nom est attribué à l’ensemble des régions sélectionnées, avec une incrémentation des numéros (ligne de basse 1, ligne de basse 2, ligne de basse 3, etc.). Puisque la numérotation des régions suit les positions temporelles des régions du projet, lorsque la région de la mesure 8 est renommée en « ligne de basse 1 » (lorsque sept régions sont sélectionnées dans les mesures précédentes), chaque région est numérotée séquentiellement de la mesure 1 à la mesure 8 en « ligne de basse 1 », « ligne de basse 2 », etc. Si vous souhaitez que toutes les régions se terminent par le même numéro : m Effectuez la même procédure, mais appuyez sur Espace après le numéro. Cela s’avère utile pour identifier les prises ayant été effectuées à une date spécifique (par exemple, ligne de basse 030806). Vous pouvez attribuer aux régions le nom de la piste sur laquelle elles figurent. Pour affecter aux régions le nom de leur piste parent : 1 Sélectionnez le nom de la piste dans la liste de pistes. Toutes les régions de la piste sont automatiquement sélectionnées. 2 Choisissez Région > Noms de piste des régions (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Noms de piste des régions, par défaut : Maj + Option + N) dans la zone Arrangement. Le nom de la piste est assigné à l’ensemble des régions sélectionnées. 340 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Assignation de couleurs aux régions Les couleurs permettent d’identifier les rubriques de votre arrangement ainsi que des types de piste particuliers. Les régions récemment enregistrées ou ajoutées adoptent initialement la couleur des bandes de canaux de la piste. Par défaut :  Les bandes de canaux de la piste audio sont bleues.  Les bandes de canaux de l’instrument logiciel sont vertes.  Les bandes de canaux ReWire et MIDI externes sont rouges.  Les bandes de canaux Auxiliaire, Entrée et Sortie sont jaunes. Pour modifier la couleur d’une ou de plusieurs régions : 1 Sélectionnez les régions de votre choix (en les étirant ou leur cliquant dessus tout en maintenant la touche Maj enfoncée, par exemple). 2 Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes :  Cliquez sur le bouton Couleurs dans la barre d’outils Arrangement.  Choisissez Présentation > Couleurs dans la zone Arrangement (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Option + C). 3 Dans la palette de couleurs ouverte, cliquez sur la couleur de votre choix.  Si vous souhaitez créer une couleur personnalisée : double-cliquez sur une couleur de la palette pour ouvrir la fenêtre Couleurs : utilisez la souris pour déplacer les curseurs de la roue de couleur, du contraste et de l’opacité afin de créer une couleur personnalisée. Cliquez sur le bouton OK pour remplacer le carré de couleur dans la palette Couleur, puis quittez la fenêtre Couleurs. Remarque : les couleurs personnalisées sont mémorisées et disponibles pour l’ensemble des projets. Pour assigner des couleurs de bandes de canaux à des régions : 1 Sélectionnez les régions de votre choix. Π Conseil : si toutes les régions se trouvent sur une seule piste, cliquez sur le nom de la piste dans la liste des pistes afin de sélectionner l’ensemble des régions. 2 Choisissez Région > Couleurs de la bande de canal/instrument dans les régions (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Couleurs de la bande de canal/instrument dans les régions, par défaut Maj + Option + C). Cette opération remplace les couleurs de l’ensemble des régions sélectionnées par les couleurs des bandes de canaux correspondantes. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 341 Π Conseil : cette fonction s’avère pratique si, après avoir copié ou déplacé des régions d’une piste vers une autre, vous trouvez que la zone Arrangement ressemble à une mosaïque. Utilisation du menu contextuel Vous pouvez accéder à de nombreuses commandes de sélection, d’édition et autres en cliquant à n’importe quel endroit de la zone Arrangement tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée ou avec le bouton droit de la souris. Ces commandes vous permettent d’accélérer votre travail. Remarque : la fonctionnalité de clic droit n’est activée que si l’option « Bouton droit de la souris : ouvre le menu contextuel » est sélectionnée dans l’onglet Logic Express > Préférences > Global > Édition. Sélection de régions Vous devez sélectionner une région avant de pouvoir y appliquer toute modification, fonction ou opération. Vous pouvez sélectionner une ou plusieurs régions, y compris des régions présentes sur différentes pistes et de types différents. Lorsqu’une région est sélectionnée, une barre noire s’affiche dans la partie supérieure de la région pour indiquer le statut sélectionné. Logic Express offre diverses méthodes de sélection sophistiquées. Pour plus d’informations, veuillez vous reporter à la rubrique « Techniques de sélection » à la page 189. 342 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Sélection de parties d’une région Vous pouvez vous servir de l’outil Sélecteur ou de la bande de sélection pour effectuer une sélection à l’intérieur d’une région ou de plusieurs parties de régions existantes. Vous pouvez alors exécuter quasiment toutes les options d’édition disponibles dans la zone Arrangement au sein de la zone sélectionnée, y compris des suppressions, des déplacements, des coupes et des copies. Une fois qu’une opération lui est appliquée, la zone sélectionnée devient une nouvelle région. Utilisation de l’outil Sélecteur L’outil Sélecteur, semblable à un pointeur à croix, vous permet de sélectionner et de modifier des parties d’une ou de plusieurs régions. Pour utiliser l’outil Sélecteur : 1 Sélectionnez l’outil Sélecteur. 2 Cliquez sur l’arrière-plan de la zone Arrangement ou les régions tout en les maintenant enfoncés pour commencer votre sélection, représentée par un rectangle de sélection ombré. 3 Faites glisser le rectangle de sélection afin d’effectuer des sélections—et ce, quelles que soient les limites des régions existantes. 4 Relâchez le bouton de la souris. Seule la zone se trouvant dans le sélecteur est sélectionnée. Pour régler la sélection d’un sélecteur existante : m Maintenez la touche Maj enfoncée pour modifier le rectangle de sélection actuel vers la droite ou vers la gauche, vers le haut ou vers le bas. Outil Sélecteur Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 343 Utilisation de la bande de sélection La bande de sélection est une fine ligne jaune qui peut être affichée en haut de la règle Mesure. Vous pouvez faire glisser le pointeur directement à l’intérieur de cette zone pour créer un rectangle de sélection. Pour activer la bande de sélection : m Cliquez sur l’icône représentant une note à l’extrémité droite de la règle Mesure, puis sélectionnez les réglages Outil Sélecteur dans le menu. Pour effectuer une sélection à l’aide de l’outil Sélecteur : m Cliquez et faites glisser le pointeur à l’intérieur de la bande de sélection pour effectuer une sélection sur toutes les pistes de la zone Arrangement. Pour supprimer la sélection effectuée à l’aide de la bande de sélection : m Cliquez n’importe où en dehors de la bande. Fonctions de sélection communes Vous pouvez utiliser les commandes suivantes lorsque vous vous servez de l’outil Sélecteur ou de la bande de sélection. Pour définir des locators avec une sélection du sélecteur : m Choisissez la fonction Région > Définir des locators par régions (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Cette opération permet de définir les locators sur les limites de la sélection du sélecteur, au lieu de définir la région entière. Pour supprimer l’ensemble des parties des régions situées hors de la sélection du sélecteur : m Utilisez le raccourci clavier Rogner les régions hors de la sélection du sélecteur. Cette commande permet de supprimer toutes les zones non sélectionnées des régions partiellement sélectionnées par le sélecteur. Si la zone que vous avez sélectionnée se trouve entre des valeurs pertinentes du point de vue musical, le rectangle de sélection s’alignera automatiquement sur la position la plus proche s’avérant pertinente pour la musique. Le réglage du menu Alignement détermine la résolution immédiate. Bande de sélection 344 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Pour définir la meilleure résolution possible dans le mode d’alignement choisi : m Maintenez les touches Contrôle + Maj enfoncées tout en sélectionnant le sélecteur. L’alignement sera effectué sur les ticks ou les échantillons lors de la modification des régions MIDI ou audio, en fonction du niveau de zoom actuel (voir « Annulation de la grille d’alignement » à la page 331). Pour aligner la valeur de division affichée dans le Transport : m Maintenez la touche Contrôle enfoncée tout en sélectionnant le sélecteur. Comme mentionné ci-dessus, le niveau de zoom peut avoir une incidence sur cette opération. Ajout et enregistrement des régions Cela va sans dire que l’ajout et l’enregistrement des régions sont essentiels pour créer un morceau. En fonction des options approfondies relatives à l’importation de régions ou de fichiers disponibles et des techniques d’enregistrement avancées offertes par Logic Express, veuillez vous reportez aux chapitres suivants :  « Ajout de données préenregistrées » à la page 281.  « Enregistrement dans Logic Express » à la page 395. Suppression et restauration des régions Lorsque vous travaillez sur un projet, il se peut que vous souhaitiez retirer une région de votre arrangement. Vous pouvez retirer des régions en les supprimant de la zone Arrangement. Remarque : la suppression des régions audio et MIDI de la zone Arrangement entraîne plusieurs conséquences (voir « Restauration de régions supprimées » à la page 345). Pour supprimer une région de votre arrangement, effectuez une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur la région avec l’outil Gomme. m Sélectionnez la région de votre choix à l’aide de l’outil Pointeur, puis choisissez Édition > Supprimer (ou appuyez sur la touche Retour arrière). Outil Gomme Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 345 Pour supprimer plusieurs régions de votre arrangement : 1 Sélectionnez les régions de votre choix à l’aide de l’outil Pointeur. 2 Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes :  Cliquez sur l’une des régions sélectionnées à l’aide de l’outil Gomme.  Choisissez Édition > Supprimer (ou appuyez sur la touche Retour arrière). Pour supprimer de votre arrangement toutes les régions pour lesquelles vous avez désactivé le son : 1 Sélectionnez toutes les régions en mode Solo en choisissant Édition > Sélectionner les régions/événements en mode Solo (ou à l’aide du raccourci clavier Sélectionner les régions/événements en mode Solo, par défaut : Maj + M). 2 Effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes :  Cliquez sur l’une des régions à l’aide de l’outil Gomme.  Choisissez Édition > Supprimer (ou appuyez sur la touche Retour arrière). Pour supprimer l’ensemble des régions sélectionnées, et sélectionner automatiquement la région suivante : 1 Sélectionnez la région (ou les régions) que vous souhaitez supprimer. 2 Utilisez les raccourcis clavier Supprimer et Sélectionner la région/événement suivant. Toutes les régions sélectionnées sont supprimées et la région suivante (non supprimée) est automatiquement sélectionnée. Restauration de régions supprimées Bien que similairement utilisées lors de la plupart des opérations d’édition, les régions audio et MIDI sont traitées différemment après avoir été supprimées de la fenêtre Arrangement.  Les régions audio sont uniquement supprimées de l’arrangement, et non du projet. Elles restent dans le chutier audio et peuvent être restaurées depuis cet emplacement, ou à l’aide des fonctions Annuler.  Les régions MIDI sont supprimées. Elles peuvent être restaurées par le biais de la fonction Édition > Annuler l’historique. 346 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Restauration de régions audio supprimées Lorsque vous supprimez une région audio enregistrée depuis l’ouverture du projet, Logic Express vous demandera si vous souhaitez également supprimer le fichier audio correspondant. Cela évite de perdre inutilement de l’espace disque, pouvant survenir si de mauvaises prises de son ou des enregistrements non souhaités sont conservés. Si l’enregistrement a été effectué à l’avance (fichier préenregistré) et importé dans le projet en cours, cette zone de dialogue ne s’affiche pas. Cela vous permet d’éviter de supprimer accidentellement des enregistrements utiles (pouvant être utilisés dans d’autres projets). Remarque : si vous supprimez un fichier audio préenregistré de votre projet (en appuyant sur la touche Retour arrière dans le chutier Audio), toutes les régions faisant référence à ce fichier sont également supprimées. La seule façon de restaurer le fichier dans le projet consiste à l’ajouter manuellement au chutier audio. Pour restaurer une région audio supprimée, procédez selon l’une des façons suivantes : m Choisissez les options Édition > Annuler l’historique, puis cliquez sur l’opération qui convient. m Ajoutez-la à nouveau manuellement dans la zone Arrangement depuis le chutier audio. Déplacement de régions Vous pouvez déplacer des régions horizontalement sur des pistes, et verticalement entre celles-ci. Vous pouvez également déplacer des régions entre deux fenêtres Arrangement, ainsi qu’entre différents projets. Pour déplacer une ou plusieurs régions : m Sélectionnez les régions de votre choix et faites-les glisser vers une nouvelle position. Les régions déplacées s’alignent automatiquement sur des incréments définis par le réglage du menu Alignement (voir « Alignement des régions modifiées sur des positions temporelles » à la page 329). Si elle sont déplacées sur d’autres régions, le réglage du menu Déplacer a une incidence sur leur comportement. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 347 Pour déplacer précisément des régions (annulant le réglage de menu Alignement) : m Maintenez la touche Contrôle enfoncée tout en faisant glisser les régions, pour les déplacer division par division (en 16e par exemple). m Maintenez les touches Contrôle et Maj enfoncées tout en faisant glisser les régions pour les déplacer d’un tick ou d’un échantillon (notez que la résolution maximale dépend du zoom). Déplacement de régions d’un projet dans un autre Si vous déplacez une région d’un projet pour la placer dans la zone Arrangement d’un autre projet, la région est automatiquement copiée, tout comme Mac OS X copie automatiquement des fichiers lorsqu’ils sont déplacés entre des disques durs. Limitation des mouvements des régions Vous pouvez limiter le déplacement initial des régions de façon à ce qu’il s’effectue uniquement selon l’axe horizontal ou vertical. Pour ce faire, activez la case à cocher Logic Express > Préférences > Global > Édition > Limiter le déplacement à une direction dans l’arrangement. Si le premier mouvement effectué après la capture d’une région est vers la gauche ou vers la droite, vous ne pouvez la déplacer que dans le plan horizontal. Si vous souhaitez en fait la déplacer d’une piste vers une autre, relâchez le bouton de la souris, resélectionnez la région et faites-la glisser vers le haut ou vers le bas. Remarque : vous pouvez annuler cette préférence de limitation de direction en appuyant sur la touche Maj lors du déplacement de régions. 348 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Modification numérique de la position de lecture des régions Vous pouvez modifier numériquement la position de lecture (et la durée) d’une région. Cette opération peut être effectuée dans la liste des événements, configurée de manière à afficher des régions au niveau de l’arrangement (voir « Modification du niveau d’affichage de la Liste des événements » à la page 494). Pour déplacer des régions en ajustant les positions dans la liste des événements : 1 Ouvrez la liste des événements en procédant selon l’une des façons suivantes :  Choisissez Fenêtre > Liste des événements.  Cliquez sur le bouton Listes dans la barre d’outils Arrangement, puis cliquez sur l’onglet Liste des événements.  Choisissez Options > Ouvrir les événements flottants (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Ouvrir les événements flottants). Une nouvelle fenêtre Liste des événements d’une seule ligne apparaît alors, présentée selon le niveau Arrangement défini. 2 Cliquez sur le bouton Hiérarchie situé dans le coin supérieur gauche de la liste des événements (non applicable à la fenêtre Événement en premier plan, qui correspond à une liste des événements miniature) pour monter d’un niveau dans la hiérarchie. 3 Modifiez la valeur Position de la région de votre choix. Lorsque vous sélectionnez des régions dans la zone Arrangement, la fenêtre Liste des événements (ou Événement en premier plan) est mise à jour afin de refléter cette sélection. Π Conseil : vous pouvez déplacer instantanément le point de départ d’une région vers le début d’une mesure en saisissant une valeur, puis en appuyant sur la touche Retour. Par exemple, lorsque vous saisissez la valeur 9, la région sélectionnée est déplacée au début de la mesure 9. Lorsque vous saisissez 112, la région est déplacée vers la mesure 112. Lorsque vous saisissez 1 espace 1 espace 2, le région est déplacée vers la mesure 1, le battement 1 et le sous-battement 2. Vous pouvez afficher la position de départ des régions sous forme de valeurs SMPTE dans les fenêtres Liste des événements et Événement en premier plan. Cette opération s’avère particulièrement utile si vous travaillez sur un support vidéo ou un film. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 349 Pour afficher la position des régions sous forme de valeurs SMPTE, effectuez une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur l’icône de note située à gauche du premier événement de région (ou du seul événement existant dans le cas de la fenêtre Événement en premier plan). L’icône s’affiche à présent sous forme d’horloge, et la durée et la position en unités SMPTE de l’événement sont affichées. m Activez le réglage Présentation > Position et durée de l’événement en unités SMPTE dans la liste des événements (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Cela vous permet de définir les positions SMPTE requises lors de la synchronisation de musique en image. Vous pouvez également afficher et régler les points de fin des régions sous forme de valeurs temporelles SMPTE. Pour ce faire, choisissez Présentation > Durée en tant que position absolue dans la liste des événements. Déplacements de régions vers la position de lecture en cours Vous pouvez utiliser le raccourci clavier Capter l’horloge (Déplacer l’événement vers la position de lecture) pour déplacer la région sélectionnée (ou la première des régions sélectionnées) vers la position de lecture en cours. Si plusieurs régions sont sélectionnées, toutes les régions suivantes sont déplacées. Remarque : si vous utilisez cette commande pour des régions audio, le point d’ancrage de la région est placé au niveau de la position de lecture en cours (voir « Modification du point d’ancrage de la région audio » à la page 324). 350 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Déplacement de régions audio vers leurs positions d’enregistrement initiales Vous pouvez déplacer une région audio sélectionnée vers sa position d’enregistrement initiale à l’aide des options Audio > Déplacer une région vers sa position d’enregistrement d’origine (ou à l’aide du raccourci clavier Définir des régions sur leur position d’enregistrement). Remarque : cette commande fonctionne uniquement si le fichier audio comporte un horodatage. Les exemples de fichiers horodatés comprennent les fichiers enregistrés dans le projet en cours ainsi que les fichiers Broadcast Wave ou SDII importés. Pour signaler les fichiers horodatés, leur nom est suivi d’un symbole en forme d’horloge dans la fenêtre Chutier Audio (mais pas dans l’onglet Chutier Audio). Décalage de régions Vous pouvez utiliser les raccourcis clavier suivants pour décaler (vers la droite ou la gauche) les régions sélectionnées vers le niveau de grille correspondant :  Décaler vers la droite la position de la région/événement vers l’image SMPTE  Pousser d’une image SMPTE à gauche la région/l’événement  Pousser d’une 1/2 image SMPTE à droite la région/l’événement  Pousser d’une 1/2 image SMPTE à gauche la région/l’événement  Pousser la région/l’événement de 5 images SMPTE à droite  Pousser la région/l’événement de 5 images SMPTE à gauche  Pousser la région/l’événement d’un bit SMPTE à droite  Pousser la région/l’événement d’un bit SMPTE à gauche  Pousser d’un tick à droite la région/l’événement  Pousser d’un tick à gauche la région/l’événement  Pousser d’une mesure à droite la division de la région/l’événement  Pousser d’une division à gauche la région/l’événement  Pousser d’un battement à droite la région/l’événement  Pousser d’un battement à gauche la région/l’événement Fichier audio horodaté Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 351  Pousser d’une mesure à droite la région/l’événement  Pousser d’une mesure à gauche la région/l’événement  Pousser la région/l’événement à droite, d’après la valeur de déplacement  Pousser la région/l’événement à gauche, d’après la valeur de déplacement Les régions sélectionnées sont décalées d’un incrément vers la droite (+1) ou vers la gauche (–1), l’unité utilisée étant celle mentionnée dans le nom de la commande concernée. Décalage de la position de lecture des régions Le paramètre Retard de la zone Paramètres de région de l’Inspecteur vous permet de décaler la position de lecture des régions sur une piste. Les valeurs positives correspondent à un retard (style de lecture ralenti ou déplacement), et les valeurs engendrent un pré-retard (lançant ou accélérant la musique). La valeur Retard s’affiche en millisecondes ou sous forme de valeurs de note, en fonction du paramètre Présentation > Retard. Vous pouvez également utiliser le raccourci clavier « Retard en ms » pour modifier l’affichage. Pour retarder ou avancer toutes les régions sélectionnées sur une piste : m Définissez le paramètre Retard de la zone Paramètres de région sur la valeur de votre choix. Le paramètre Retard de l’Inspecteur est principalement utilisé à des fins de créations musicales, tels que le décalage rythmique de parties musicales (régions). Il peut également être utilisé pour corriger des problèmes temporels pouvant survenir pour de nombreuses raisons. En voici quelques exemples :  La phase d’attaque du son est trop lente. Un bon musicien compensera immédiatement ce problème en jouant les notes assez tôt. Avec des sons très lents, vous pouvez avoir besoin d’un pré-retard de plus de 100 ms pour les effacer.  Le générateur de sons réagit trop lentement aux messages de notes entrantes. Les générateurs de sons multitimbraux plus anciens utilisent généralement des dizaines de millisecondes avant d’émettre une voix.  Le retard d’émission n’est pas constant car il dépend de l’ordre des notes reçues par le générateur de sons MIDI externe. Vous devez par ailleurs essayer de pré-retarder dynamiquement des pistes importantes de la taille d’un tick : cela peut être très utile pour la synchronisation ! 352 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Déplacement de régions vers une piste La commande Région > Déplacer les régions sélectionnées vers la piste en cours (également disponible sous forme de raccourci clavier, par défaut : Maj + Commande + T) déplace toutes les régions sélectionnées (des différentes pistes) vers la piste sélectionnée. Les positions temporelles de l’ensemble des régions sont conservées. Redimensionnement des régions Vous pouvez réduire ou allonger la durée d’une région en la faisant glisser vers son point de départ ou de fin, ce qui permet de déterminer quelle partie de la source (fichier audio ou événements MIDI) est diffusée dans votre projet. Les données des régions ne sont jamais supprimées lorsque la durée de ces dernières est réduite ; la lecture s’arrête simplement à la fin de la région. Pour redimensionner une région : 1 Sélectionnez l’outil Pointeur ou Crayon, puis placez le curseur sur le coin inférieur gauche ou droit. Le curseur se transforme en pointeur Redimensionner. 2 Cliquez sur le coin et faites-le glisser vers la gauche ou la droite. Remarque : si la fonction Dessin hyper ou l’automatisation est activée, vous devrez capturer les parties gauche ou droite de la zone de titre de la région. Pour redimensionner simultanément deux régions adjacentes (à l’aide du pointeur Jonction) : 1 Sélectionnez l’outil Pointeur ou Crayon, puis placez le curseur sur la partie supérieure gauche ou droite des deux régions adjacentes. Le curseur se transforme en pointeur Jonction. Remarque : si les deux régions sont séparées par un blanc, l’outil Boucle s’affiche lorsque le pointeur de la souris se déplace sur la partie supérieure droite de la première région. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 353 2 Cliquez, puis faites glisser le pointeur vers la gauche ou vers la droite. Les deux régions sont redimensionnées en conséquence, sans blanc intermédiaire. Remarque : vous ne pouvez pas étendre une région audio de sorte qu’elle soit plus longue que le fichier audio sous-jacent lorsque vous exécutez l’une des opérations de redimensionnement présentées ci-dessus. Réglage du point de départ des régions audio Le réglage du point de départ d’une région audio peut également entraîner le déplacement du point d’ancrage de la région, ce qui affecte son point de référence temporel. La lecture peut alors s’effectuer de manière non synchronisée par rapport à d’autres pistes. Il est préférable et plus simple de déplacer la région entière vers la droite, si vous souhaitez que la lecture démarre ultérieurement. Si vous souhaitez en fait couper la première portion de la région, plusieurs options, telles que les suivantes, sont disponibles :  Sélection du sélecteur et mise en mode Silence.  Coupe, désactivation du son ou suppression.  Création d’une région et redimensionnement dans la fenêtre Chutier audio.  Utilisation de l’Éditeur des échantillons pour redimensionner et remplacer la région Arrangement. Pour redimensionner une région audio de la zone Arrangement depuis l’Éditeur des échantillons : m Modifiez directement les marqueurs de début et de fin (dans la ligne Région située en bas de la fenêtre Éditeur des échantillons) ; cela affecte immédiatement la taille de la région Arrangement correspondante. Pour redimensionner et remplacer une région audio Arrangement depuis l’Éditeur des échantillons : 1 Sélectionnez la portion du fichier audio de votre choix dans l’Éditeur des échantillons en la faisant directement glisser dans l’affichage de la forme d’onde. 2 Choisissez Édition > Sélection → Région (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). 354 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Cela vous permet de définir un passage audio en tant que sélection, puis de le convertir en région, à la place de la région sélectionnée à l’origine. Vous pouvez également effectuer cette opération dans l’ordre contraire… Pour redimensionner la sélection de l’Éditeur des échantillons depuis l’arrangement : 1 Sélectionnez la région de votre choix dans l’arrangement (probablement d’une durée différente de la sélection de l’Éditeur des échantillons en cours). 2 Cliquez sur le titre Éditeur des échantillons pour vous assurer que les touches de l’Éditeur des échantillons sont activées. 3 Choisissez Édition > Région → Sélection (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Réglage de la grille sur des passages par zéro Si la fonction Audio > Chercher les passages à zéro est activée, les ajustements de durée apportés aux points de départ et de fin des régions audio entraîneront un alignement sur le point de passage à zéro le plus proche de la forme d’onde. Par contre, principal inconvénient, les points de départ ou de fin modifiés n’atterrissent jamais exactement sur la grille musicale sélectionnée. Si cela engendre un problème, vous pouvez simplement désactiver le paramètre Audio > Rechercher des passages par zéro. L’activation du paramètre Rechercher des passages par zéro permet principalement d’éviter tout bruit au niveau des points de départ et de fin de la région. Ajustement du point de départ ou de fin des régions MIDI Vous pouvez déplacer l’extrémité gauche d’une région MIDI au-delà du premier événement de celle-ci de façon à masquer les événements figurant au début de cette région ; toutefois, la lecture de ces événements masqués est poursuivie. Pour réellement supprimer les informations présentes depuis le début d’une région MIDI, vous devez couper cette région et désactiver le son, ou supprimer le nouveau segment du début (nouvelle région MIDI). La fonction de masquage s’avère utile lorsque vous souhaitez déclencher des événements du contrôleur MIDI (tels que la phase de maintien ou sustain) avant le début du morceau musical, mais que vous ne voulez pas utiliser une région MIDI ne correspondant pas à la grille Arrangement en cours (basée sur des mesures), étant donné que cela pourrait compliquer considérablement l’arrangement. Options d’utilisation des notes lors de la modification des longueurs des régions MIDI Le paramètre Durée du clip présent dans les paramètres de région étendus (uniquement visibles si le paramètre Présentation > Paramètres de région étendus est activé dans la zone Arrangement) détermine si : Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 355  La sonorité des notes s’arrête brusquement lorsque la région se termine (actif ).  Les notes doivent être lues au niveau de leur point de fin normal (inactif : par défaut), quel que soit le point où la région se termine. Cette fonction doit vous permettre de modifier la longueur des dernières notes d’une région directement dans la zone Arrangement, en ajustant la durée de la région MIDI. La durée du clip n’a aucune incidence sur les régions du dossier. Ajustement de régions pour qu’elles aient la même longueur Vous pouvez redéfinir la longueur de plusieurs régions sur la même valeur absolue, de façon à ce qu’elles aient la même longueur, même si elles étaient initialement de taille différente. Pour attribuer à la même longueur absolue à l’ensemble des régions sélectionnées : m Maintenez les touches Option + Maj enfoncées lors de la modification de la longueur à l’aide de l’outil Pointeur. Réglage des points de départ et de fin sur la position de la tête de lecture Vous pouvez déplacer le point de départ ou de fin d’une région sélectionnée vers la position de tête de lecture en cours à l’aide des raccourcis clavier suivants :  Définir le début de la région/événement sur la position de tête de lecture  Définir la fin de la région/événement sur la position de tête de lecture Remarque : le point d’ancrage est également déplacé lors de l’utilisation de l’option Définir une région/événement sur la position de tête de lecture sur une région audio. Réglage des longueur des régions pour les ajuster à la taille d’autres régions Il se peut que vous souhaitiez réduire ou agrandir la longueur de l’ensemble des régions d’une piste, ou entre des locators, en vous assurant qu’elles sont jointes les unes aux autres sans présence de blancs. Pour réduire la longueur des régions se superposant sur une piste : 1 Sélectionnez les régions se superposant sur une piste, ou sélectionnez l’ensemble des régions en cliquant sur le nom de la piste dans la liste des pistes. 2 Choisissez Région > Supprimer les superpositions (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Supprimer les superpositions). Cette fonction recherche toutes les superpositions des régions sélectionnées dans une piste. Lorsqu’une superposition est détectée, la longueur de la région la plus récente (dans le temps) est réduite, supprimant ainsi la superposition. Vous pouvez « lier » la ou les régions sélectionnées, afin qu’elles se terminent avec exactitude au niveau du point de départ de la région suivante sur la piste. 356 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Pour lier des régions (supprimer les blancs entre les régions) : 1 Sélectionnez les régions à lier. 2 Choisissez Région > Lier les régions par modification de la longueur (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). La longueur des régions sélectionnées augmente, ce qui leur permet de se terminer exactement au niveau du point de départ de la région suivante sur la piste. Vous pouvez restreindre la modification de la longueur à l’ensemble des régions sélectionnées dans les limites du locator. Pour lier les régions sélectionnées entre des locators : 1 Définissez les positions des locators droits et gauches en procédant selon l’une des façons suivantes :  Faites glisser la position du locator de la gauche vers la droite d’un côté à l’autre de la portion souhaitée de la règle Mesure.  Définissez la valeur de votre choix dans les champs Locator du transport. 2 Sélectionnez les régions de votre choix dans les limites du locator. Π Conseil : vous pouvez rapidement sélectionner l’ensemble des régions dans les locators en choisissant Édition > Sélectionner entre les locators (ou à l’aide du raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Maj + I). Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 357 3 Choisissez Région > Lier les régions dans les locators (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Cette fonction rallonge l’ensemble des régions sélectionnées (dans les limites des locators), permettant ainsi d’effacer les blancs entre eux. La dernière région de chaque piste (dans les limites des locators) n’est pas concernée. Étirement temporel du contenu d’une région lors de la modification de la longueur Lors d’une utilisation normale, la position des événements dans les régions MIDI n’est pas concernée par les modifications apportées à la longueur de la région. De la même façon, les modifications apportées aux longueurs des régions audio ont pour seule incidence le démarrage et l’arrêt de la lecture au niveau de positions de morceau particulières. Cependant, vous pouvez étendre ou compresser le contenu des régions lors de la modification de leur longueur. Pour étendre ou compresser la position des événements dans une région MIDI : m Tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée, faites glisser la fin d’une région MIDI. Les événements de la région sont proportionnellement étendus ou compressés, selon le niveau avec lequel la longueur de la région MIDI est modifiée. Vous pouvez lire une région MIDI rythmique en demi-temps en doublant sa longueur initiale ou en double-temps en réduisant de moitié sa longueur initiale. Pour étendre ou compresser des régions audio : m Tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée, faites glisser la fin d’une région audio. Cela étend ou compresse les données audio proportionnellement au facteur de modification de la longueur de la région et remplace la région d’origine par un nouveau fichier audio PCM (au format du fichier d’origine, ou AIFF, si le format d’origine n’était pas PCM). Remarque : le réglage en cours du menu Alignement a une incidence sur les modifications de longueur. Vous pouvez ralentir de moitié la lecture d’une région audio en étendant deux fois sa longueur d’origine, ou la rendre deux fois plus rapide en compressant de moitié sa longueur d’origine. Impressions Great for Darth Vader ou Munchkin. Vous pouvez sélectionner l’algorithme d’étirement temporel/de compression utilisé pour cette fonction dans le menu Audio de la zone Arrangement > Algorithme de la machine de temps. Vous trouverez des informations détaillées sur chaque algorithme dans la rubrique « Utilisation de Time and Pitch Machine » à la page 573. 358 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Compression ou étirement temporel de plusieurs régions Les touches de modification affectent le mode d’étirement temporel ou de compression dans le cas où plusieurs régions sont sélectionnées. Le tableau suivant présente toutes les options de modification et leur effet (le cas échéant) lorsque plusieurs longueurs de régions sont modifiées : Opérations de modification de longueur propres à une région MIDI Les fonctions suivantes s’appliquent uniquement aux régions MIDI. Pour arrondir le point de départ d’une région MIDI à une mesure : m Utilisez la commande MIDI > Positionner le point de départ d’une région sur une mesure (ou le raccourci clavier correspondant) pour arrondir le point de départ de la région MIDI sélectionnée à la valeur la plus proche. Ajustement de la longueur des régions MIDI au contenu La commande MIDI > Définir des tailles de régions optimales Arrondies à la mesure (ou le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Contrôle + B) permet de réduire ou d’augmenter la longueur d’une région MIDI sélectionnée, de façon à ce qu’elle soit juste assez longue pour contenir les événements (ou régions, s’il s’agit d’un dossier). Les limites de la région sont arrondies à la mesure la proche. Maintenez la touche Option enfoncée lors de l’utilisation de cette fonction afin d’arrondir les limites de la région à la valeur de dénominateur la plus proche (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Définir des tailles de régions optimales arrondies par dénominateur). Option de modification Résultat Aucune Changement de longueur absolue identique, pas de correction temporelle Maj Position de fin absolue identique, pas de correction temporelle Option Changement de longueur absolue identique, avec correction temporelle Option + Maj Longueur de région absolue identique, avec correction temporelle Contrôle Peut être utilisée après un clic pour effectuer des modifications de longueur avec une meilleure résolution. Toutefois, elle ne peut pas être employée conjointement avec la touche Option. Pas de correction temporelle Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 359 Coupe, copie et collage des régions Vous pouvez sélectionner, retirer ou répliquer une ou plusieurs régions d’une partie d’un arrangement à une autre. Vous pouvez en fait utiliser les commandes Couper, Copier et Coller entre les arrangements de deux projets, si vous le souhaitez. Pour couper une région : m Sélectionnez la région, puis choisissez Édition > Couper (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Couper, par défaut : Commande + X). La région est supprimée de l’arrangement et est placée dans le Presse-papiers. Pour copier une région (méthode 1) : m Tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée, faites glisser la région vers la position de l’arrangement de votre choix. Si la fonction Dessin hyper ou l’automatisation est activée, vous devrez capturer la zone de nom de la région afin de la copier. Pour copier une région (méthode 2) : 1 Sélectionnez la région, puis choisissez Édition > Copier (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Copier, par défaut : Commande + C). La région sélectionnée est copiée dans le Presse-papiers. 2 Définissez la position de tête de lecture de votre choix en cliquant sur la règle Mesure. 3 Choisissez Édition > Coller (Commande + V) pour coller le contenu du Presse-papiers dans l’arrangement. Le collage s’effectue sur la piste sélectionnée, au niveau de la tête de lecture. Si plusieurs régions sont sélectionnées, leurs positions de piste et de temps correspondantes sont conservées. Pour coller une région au même niveau que la région copiée : m Sélectionnez la piste dans laquelle vous souhaitez coller la région, puis choisissez Édition > Coller à la position d’origine (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Coller à la position d’origine). Logic Express insère la région copiée dans la piste sélectionnée, à la même position que la région source. Cela s’avère utile si vous souhaitez copier une région au même emplacement sur une autre piste, afin de traiter ou d’épaissir indépendamment cette partie, par exemple. Cette fonction s’avère également très utile lors la création de parties d’instruments logicielles et/ou MIDI à couches. 360 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Informations relatives aux régions copiées Les régions copiées correspondent à de réelles répliques indépendantes des régions d’origine. Les modifications apportées à une région parent n’ont aucune incidence sur les copies enfants. Si vous souhaitez utiliser ce type de comportement, dans lequel des modifications apportées à la région parent ont une incidence sur les régions enfants, utilisez la fonction Boucle (voir « Mise en boucle de régions » à la page 371) ou créez des régions clonées ou alias (voir « Répétition des régions » à la page 365). Lorsque vous copiez une région audio, une nouvelle région est automatiquement créée dans le chutier Audio. Cette nouvelle région possède le nom de la région d’origine et un numéro séquentiel est ajouté. Par exemple, boucle d’enfer.1 correspond au nom de la copie d’une région, si la région d’origine s’intitule boucle d’enfer. Sa deuxième copie sera intitulée boucle d’enfer.2, sa troisième boucle d’enfer.3, etc. Ajout ou suppression de passages de morceaux Vous pouvez à de nombreuses reprises être amené à supprimer un passage entier d’un arrangement—un refrain ou un couplet, qui comprend les régions de l’ensemble des pistes entre les mesures 16 et 20, par exemple. L’ensemble des régions existantes, des changements de mesure ou de tempo et des symboles de sonorisation globaux (à partir de la mesure 21) sont décalés de 4 mesures vers la gauche, ce qui supprime le blanc laissé par l’opération de coupe. Vous pouvez également insérer un blanc dans votre arrangement pour créer plusieurs mesures vides utilisables en tant que phrase musicale transitoire, ou bien encore pour libérer de l’espace pour un autre refrain ou couplet, voire même pour un pont. Tout comme lors de la coupe, tous les changements de tempos existants et autres sont déplacés en conséquence (vers la droite par le nombre de mesures insérées). Vous pouvez, bien entendu, simplement utiliser les commandes standard Couper, Copier et Coller du menu Édition afin de supprimer une rubrique de votre arrangement, telle qu’un refrain, ou de la réutiliser dans un autre emplacement. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 361 Vous pouvez également limiter les modifications à quelques régions sélectionnées. Si vous choisissez cela, plutôt que de déplacer toutes les régions d’une rubrique de morceau, vous devez décider si des changements de mesure, de tempo et des symboles de sonorisation globaux doivent également être modifiés ou non. Cette opération s’effectue dans la zone de dialogue affichée ci-dessous. Appuyez sur la touche Retour si vous ne souhaitez pas déplacer les changements de tempo et les symboles de sonorisation globaux. Le changement global mentionné ci-dessus est effectué sur l’ensemble des régions. Ces fonctions sont par ailleurs limitées aux pistes contenant les régions sélectionnées (ou du moins à celles situées entre les points du locator). Utilisation des boutons d’édition de la rubrique Arrangement La barre d’outils Arrangement comporte un certain nombre de boutons d’édition de rubrique pouvant être utilisés pour effectuer certaines des opérations décrites ci-dessous. Lorsque vous utilisez ces boutons, vous affectez toutes les régions situées entre les locators, que ces régions soient sélectionnées ou non dans cette zone. Si vous souhaitez vous limiter aux seules régions sélectionnées entre les locators, vous ne devez pas utiliser les boutons de la barre d’outils Arrangement. Une fois votre sélection de régions effectuée, utilisez la commande de menu Région > Couper/Insérer la durée (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Pour insérer un blanc dans l’arrangement à l’aide des locators (durée du cycle) : 1 Définissez les positions des locators droits et gauches en procédant selon l’une des façons suivantes :  Faites glisser la position du locator de la gauche vers la droite d’un côté à l’autre de la portion souhaitée de la règle Mesure.  Définissez les valeurs de votre choix dans les champs du locator du transport. 2 Sélectionnez les régions à déplacer selon la durée de leur cycle. Si vous n’avez rien sélectionné (ou que vous avez cliqué sur le bouton Insérer un silence dans une barre d’outils Arrangement personnalisée), toutes les régions situées entre les locators sont affectées. 3 Choisissez Région > Couper/Insérer la durée > Insérer un silence entre des locators (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). 362 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement  Pour les régions sélectionnées dépassant la durée du cycle : cette opération les coupe au niveau du locator gauche et déplace la deuxième région (venant d’être créée suite à la coupe) vers le locator droit, créant ainsi un blanc entre les régions.  Pour les régions sélectionnées entièrement situées entre les locators : les régions commençant au niveau du locator gauche commencent à présent au niveau du locator droit.  Pour combiner des régions partiellement et entièrement sélectionnées situées dans les locators : la rubrique concernée sera coupée et déplacée vers le locator droit. Vous pouvez également supprimer l’espace vide présent entre les régions sélectionnées, créant ainsi une continuité entre les régions. Pour supprimer les blancs entre les régions : 1 Sélectionnez les régions de votre choix. 2 Choisissez Région > Lier les régions par changement de position (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Lier les régions par changement de position). La première région reste inchangée et toutes les régions suivantes sont déplacées vers la gauche. Remarque : vous pouvez utiliser cette fonction pour accélérer la lecture des enregistrements de mots prononcés ayant été traités avec un silence de bande (en supprimant les blancs entre les mots). Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 363 Pour supprimer une rubrique de votre arrangement à l’aide des locators : 1 Définissez les locators afin qu’ils s’étendent sur la rubrique que vous souhaitez supprimer (par exemple, mesures 5 à 8). 2 Pour couper toutes les régions situées entre les locators : cliquez sur le bouton Couper la rubrique dans la barre d’outils Arrangement, ou utilisez l’option Région > Couper/ Insérer la durée > Ciseler : couper la rubrique entre les locators (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). 3 Pour couper les régions sélectionnées situées entre les locators : Choisissez Région > Couper/Insérer la durée > Ciseler : couper la rubrique entre les locators (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Toutes les régions couvrant la zone de lecture en boucle (par exemple, une région de 16 mesures commençant à la mesure 1 et se terminant au début de la mesure 17) sont coupées. La rubrique située entre les locators (mesures 5 à 8) est supprimée de l’ensemble des régions sélectionnées (celle-ci est copiée dans le Presse-papiers puis supprimée de l’arrangement). Toutes les régions situées à droite du locator droit sont déplacées vers la gauche, et ce de la longueur de la lecture (4 mesures). Les régions récemment créées à la suite de l’opération sont également concernées. Utilisons la région de 16 mesures, prise en exemple. Celle-ci est coupée en deux régions :  L’une s’étend de la mesure 1 à la mesure 4.  L’autre correspond maintenant à une région de 8 mesures, s’étendant de la mesure 5 au début de la mesure 13. Π Conseil : la commande Ciseler s’avère idéale lorsque vous souhaitez supprimer une rubrique entière de votre arrangement, telle qu’un refrain. 364 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Pour insérer une rubrique de coupe dans votre arrangement : 1 Procédez comme indiqué ci-dessus. 2 Définissez la tête de lecture sur la position au niveau de laquelle vous souhaitez insérer la rubrique coupée. 3 Cliquez sur le bouton Insérer une rubrique dans la barre d’outils Arrangement (afin que toutes les pistes soient concernées, quelle que soit la sélection), ou choisissez Région > Couper/Insérer la durée > Scission : insérer une rubrique ciselée sur la tête de lecture. Toutes les régions sélectionnées sont coupées au niveau du locator gauche et un passage d’une durée de cycle est inséré. Les régions présentes dans le Presse-papiers sont ensuite collées au niveau de la tête de lecture. Π Conseil : la commande Scission convient tout à fait si vous souhaitez insérer une partie (par exemple, un refrain) sur un autre point de votre arrangement. Pour vous assurer que toutes les pistes sont modifiées, y compris le tempo, les modifications des signatures temporelles et les marqueurs, veuillez tout sélectionner à l’avance (à l’aide des combinaisons de touches Commande + A ou Maj + I). Pour répéter une rubrique de votre arrangement à l’aide des locators : 1 Définissez les locators afin qu’ils s’étendent sur la rubrique que vous souhaitez répéter (par exemple, mesures 5 à 8). 2 Sélectionnez les régions que vous souhaitez répéter. Si aucune sélection n’est effectuée (ou si vous utilisez le bouton Répéter la rubrique dans la barre d’outils Arrangement), toutes les régions situées entre les locators seront concernées. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 365 3 Choisissez Région > Couper/Insérer la durée > Ciseler : répéter la rubrique entre les locators (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Les parties de toutes les régions intégralement ou partiellement comprises entre les locators seront copiées, puis collées au niveau du locator droit. Répétition des régions Logic Express offre un certain nombre de solutions permettant de répéter une région au moyen de boucles, d’alias et de clones. Ces options accélèrent et facilitent le processus d’arrangement. Utilisation des alias des régions MIDI Un alias présent dans Logic Express ressemble à un alias situé dans le Finder. Il a l’aspect d’une région, mais ne contient en fait aucune donnée. Il s’agit simplement d’une référence aux données de la région originale (un reflet virtuel de cette dernière). Relation entre les régions Parent et Alias Si les données de la région d’origine sont modifiées, ce changement a une incidence immédiate sur les alias de la région. Voici des exemples d’utilisation des alias :  Si un riff ou une phrase se reproduit dans un arrangement, l’utilisation d’alias est plus rapide que la création de copies de la région d’origine.  Si une partie n’est pas complètement satisfaisante, il suffit de modifier la version d’origine et la correction s’appliquera automatiquement à l’ensemble de l’arrangement. Cependant, si vous souhaitez modifier un détail situé sur un point de l’arrangement (par exemple, un couplet dont la tonalité a changé), vous pouvez transformer cet alias particulier en région indépendante (une copie de la région). Les alias possèdent un niveau d’indépendance par rapport à leur région parent :  Les alias possèdent leur propre jeu de paramètres de région. 366 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement  Les alias peuvent être nommés individuellement. Les noms des régions Alias figurent en italique. Si vous attribuez un nom à une région Alias, le nom de sa région parent apparaît sous le nom de l’alias (dans la mesure où le niveau de zoom est approprié). Les changements apportés à la région parent seront reflétés dans toutes les régions Alias. Remarque : il est impossible de modifier les alias des régions MIDI. Si vous double-cliquez sur un alias, Logic Express part du principe que vous souhaitez modifier la région d’origine ou transformer l’alias en région réelle. Une zone de dialogue vous demande si vous souhaitez créer ou modifier une copie réelle, ou si vous souhaitez modifier la version d’origine. Création d’alias de région MIDI Les alias peuvent être créés pour des dossiers et des régions MIDI. Le terme « région » se réfère uniquement aux dossiers et aux régions MIDI de cette rubrique. Remarque : seules les régions audio clonées (ou copies de régions indépendantes) peuvent être créées pour les régions audio (voir « Clonage de régions audio » à la page 368). Pour créer un alias, procédez selon l’une des façons suivantes : m Faites glisser la région tout en maintenant les touches Option + Maj enfoncées vers la position de votre choix pour l’alias. m Sélectionnez la piste sur laquelle vous souhaitez créer l’alias, placez la tête de lecture, sélectionnez la région à partir de laquelle vous souhaitez créer l’alias, puis choisissez MIDI > Alias > Créer (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Créer alias). L’alias s’affiche sur la piste sélectionnée et commence au niveau de la tête de lecture. Si plusieurs régions sont sélectionnées, leurs positions de piste et de temps correspondantes sont conservées. La piste sélectionnée correspond à la piste de destination de la première région de la ligne temporelle. Vous pouvez également utiliser la commande Répéter les régions (reportez-vous à la rubrique « Création de plusieurs copies de régions » à la page 370). Réassignation d’alias de région MIDI Vous pouvez assigner une nouvelle région d’origine à un alias existant. Cela s’avère très pratique pour des tâches d’arrangement qui ont une structure correcte, mais dont la partie musicale est inappropriée. Vous pouvez copier une région à l’endroit qui convient d’une nouvelle piste, créer un alias, passer en mode « Silence » la région existante et lancer la lecture, ou utiliser la méthode ci-dessous, bien plus simple : Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 367 Pour réassigner un alias : 1 Sélectionnez l’alias et la nouvelle région d’origine souhaitée. 2 Choisissez MIDI > Alias > Réassigner (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Réassigner les alias). Recherche d’une région d’origine ou d’un alias Si vous ne vous rappelez pas de l’emplacement de la région d’origine d’un certain alias, vous pouvez le rechercher. Pour rechercher et sélectionner la région d’origine d’un alias : m Sélectionnez l’alias, puis choisissez MIDI > Alias > Sélectionner la région d’origine (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Rechercher la région d’origine d’un alias). Pour rechercher des alias créés à partir d’une région : m Choisissez MIDI > Alias > Sélectionner tous les alias de la région (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Maj + A). Tous les alias existants seront trouvés et sélectionnés. Sélection et suppression d’alias orphelins Si vous supprimez une région source dont un ou plusieurs alias sont dérivés, Logic Express affichera le message d’erreur suivant :  Annuler : cliquez sur ce bouton pour annuler la procédure de suppression.  Convertir : cliquez sur ce bouton pour transformer toutes les régions MIDI alias en copies réelles.  Conserver : cliquez sur ce bouton pour supprimer la région parent et conserver toutes les régions alias (orphelines). Même si les alias orphelins n’ont pas d’utilité réelle, Logic Express ne les supprime pas automatiquement étant donné que vous pouvez choisir de les réassigner ultérieurement à de nouvelles régions d’origine. Si le fichier de votre projet contient plusieurs alias non souhaités, vous pouvez rapidement effectuer un tri en sélectionnant et en supprimant les alias orphelins. Pour sélectionner tous les alias orphelins : m Choisissez MIDI > Alias > Sélectionner tous les alias orphelins (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Sélectionner tous les alias orphelins). 368 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Pour supprimer tous les alias orphelins : m Choisissez MIDI > Alias > Supprimer tous les alias orphelins (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Supprimer tous les alias orphelins). Conversion d’un alias en région réelle Vous pouvez utiliser MIDI > Alias > Convertir en copie de région (ou le raccourci clavier Convertir l’alias en une copie de région) pour créer une région réelle à partir d’un alias ; son contenu sera identique à celui de la région d’origine référencée par l’alias, mais ses paramètres de lecture correspondront à ceux de l’alias. Étant donné qu’il s’agit d’une région réelle, vous pouvez librement la modifier (ou modifier la région parent d’origine, sans pour autant affecter la nouvelle région réelle). Remarque : vous pouvez également double-cliquer sur un alias pour créer une zone de dialogue vous demandant si vous souhaitez créer ou modifier une copie réelle, ou encore modifier la région d’origine. Clonage de régions audio Vous pouvez créer une autre version d’une région audio dans la zone Arrangement— en l’occurrence, une région clonée—comparable à un alias de région MIDI. Pour créer une région clonée : m Maintenez les touches Option + Maj enfoncées tout en faisant glisser une région audio. Lorsque vous réglez les points de départ ou de fin d’une de ces régions clonées, toutes les autres seront réglées de la même manière. Pour rendre plusieurs régions clonées indépendantes les unes des autres : m Sélectionnez les régions (clonées) de votre choix et choisissez Audio > Convertir les régions en nouvelles régions (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Option + Commande + R) dans la zone Arrangement. Il se peut que les points de départ et de fin des régions clonées devenues indépendantes de cette manière soient modifiés, sans que cela affecte pour autant les autres régions clonées. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 369 Pour convertir plusieurs régions sélectionnées en fichiers audio : 1 Choisissez Audio > Convertir les régions en nouveaux fichiers audio (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Option + Commande + F). 370 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 2 Dans la zone de dialogue : définissez la fréquence d’échantillonnage, la profondeur de bits, le format de fichier, la conversion stéréo et le type de tramage aléatoire pour les fichiers de destination. Les nouveaux fichiers audio sont créés dans le même dossier que votre fichier audio d’origine. Les fichiers sont également ajoutés au chutier audio et toutes les références relatives à ces nouvelles régions d’arrangement sont modifiées—et ce, afin de correspondre aux fichiers récemment créés. Il est alors possible de modifier indépendamment ces fichiers récemment créés, ce qui vous permet de procéder à des inversions, des étirements temporels et à bien d’autres opérations, sans affecter les autres régions basées sur le même fichier d’origine. Création de plusieurs copies de régions Vous pouvez créer plusieurs copies des régions audio et MIDI à l’aide de la commande Répéter les régions. Pour créer plusieurs copies d’une région : 1 Sélectionnez la région pour laquelle vous souhaitez créer plusieurs copies. 2 Choisissez Région > Répéter les régions dans le menu de la zone Arrangement (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Répéter les régions/événements). 3 Définissez les paramètres suivants dans la fenêtre Répéter les régions/événements :  Nombre de copies : il s’agit de la zone dans laquelle vous entrez le nombre de copies (hormis la région d’origine).  Ajustement : choisissez si vous souhaitez que la copie commence à la fin de la région d’origine (réglage : Aucun) ou si vous préférez que le point de départ soit quantifié (sur les mesures, battements, ticks, etc.).  Comme : Copier/Alias ou clones : vous définissez si les répétitions sont des copies, des alias (régions MIDI) ou des clones (régions audio) de la région d’origine. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 371 Mise en boucle de régions La fonction Boucle vous permet de répéter automatiquement une région, sans avoir à la copier. Une région mise en boucle se répétera jusqu’à ce qu’elle rencontre une autre région sur la même piste, sinon le projet se termine. La boucle s’arrête également au niveau du marqueur de fin d’un dossier, si la région mise en boucle se situe dans un dossier (voir « Utilisation des dossiers » à la page 381). Les répétitions de boucles sont affichées sous forme de segments étendus de la région d’origine. Chaque segment possède la même longueur que la région d’origine, et sera modifié si la longueur de la région d’origine change. Π Conseil : si vous souhaitez créer des structures polyrythmiques, faites des tests en vous fondant sur la durée de la région d’origine. Pour mettre en boucle une région à l’aide du paramètre Boucle : 1 Sélectionnez la région dans la zone Arrangement. 2 Cliquez (activez) sur l’option Boucle dans la zone Paramètres de région de l’Inspecteur (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Activer/Désactiver la boucle, par défaut : L). La région est mise en boucle jusqu’à ce que cette dernière rencontre une autre région sur la même piste (sinon le projet ou le dossier se termine). Pour désactiver le paramètre Boucle : m Cliquez sur l’option Boucle dans la zone Paramètres de région (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Activer/Désactiver la boucle, par défaut : L). Boucles de région 372 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Pour mettre en boucle une région à l’aide de la souris : 1 Déplacez le curseur jusqu’à la fin de la région que vous souhaitez mettre en boucle. Le curseur se transforme en flèche circulaire (l’outil d’édition de la durée de la boucle) lorsqu’il est placé sur la zone supérieure de la région. 2 Cliquez sur l’extrémité de la région tout en la maintenant enfoncée, puis faites-la glisser vers la droite, selon vos besoins, afin de définir la longueur de la région mise en boucle. Les répétitions de boucles s’affichent sous la forme de segments (de la même longueur que la région d’origine) dans la région mise en boucle globale. Le paramètre Boucle de la zone Paramètres de région est automatiquement activé. Remarque : la désactivation du paramètre Boucle permet de redéfinir la longueur de la boucle créée manuellement. Lorsque le paramètre Boucle est utilisé la fois suivante, la région est répétée jusqu’à ce que cette dernière rencontre une autre région sur la même piste, sinon le projet (ou dossier) se termine. Le curseur se transforme uniquement en flèche circulaire (et active les fonctions d’édition de la longueur de la boucle) lorsque la piste est suffisamment élevée. Utilisez une des options de zoom pour la redimensionner. Si vous souhaitez sélectionner la région mise en boucle (par exemple, pour la déplacer), cliquez sur la moitié inférieure de la zone mise en boucle, ou cliquez tout en maintenant la touche Maj enfoncée sur la zone de boucle supérieure. Remarque : la plupart des autres outils peuvent également être utilisés pour définir la durée de la boucle (ils prennent la forme de la flèche circulaire lorsqu’ils se trouvent sur la partie supérieure droite des régions). Cependant, vous devez utiliser l’outil Pointeur car, si vous cliquez sur un point erroné dans une région à l’aide de l’outil Gomme, la région sera supprimée, et la boucle que vous souhaitiez créer ne sera pas définie. Les répétitions de boucles sont simplement des pointeurs sur la région d’origine. Elles ne peuvent pas être transposées et ne possèdent aucun paramètre de lecture dans la zone Paramètres de région, affichée dans l’Inspecteur. Seules les régions réelles (ou les copies) offrent des paramètres de lecture et peuvent être transposées. Si vous souhaitez utiliser différents paramètres de lecture pour chaque répétition de boucle, vous devez les transformer en copies réelles. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 373 Pour convertir une boucle existante en copie réelle : 1 Sélectionnez la région d’origine. 2 Choisissez Région > Boucles > Convertir en copies réelles (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : K). Les nouvelles régions remplaceront les segments des répétitions de boucles. Les copies réelles possèdent un avantage majeur : elles peuvent être redimensionnées indépendamment. Cela s’avère utile lorsque vous souhaitez redimensionner quelques copies de boucles parmi des centaines d’entre elles réparties sur toute la chanson. Pour convertir une boucle en alias ou en clones : 1 Sélectionnez la région d’origine. 2 Choisissez Région > Boucles > Convertir en alias (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Les répétitions de boucles des régions MIDI sont converties en alias. Les répétitions de boucles des régions sont converties en régions audio clonées. De cette manière, la modification de la longueur de la région d’origine a une incidence sur les régions aliasées et clonées. Division, démixage et fusion de régions À de nombreuses reprises, il est possible d’utiliser certaines portions de régions, contrairement à certaines autres. Cette rubrique s’intéresse aux fonctions vous permettant de disperser des régions et de réutiliser des portions d’entre elles (ou des régions entières) pour créer des régions nouvelles et combinées. Π Conseil : n’oubliez pas d’utiliser l’outil Sélecteur (voir « Sélection de parties d’une région » à la page 342) pour effectuer des tâches d’édition de régions similaires. Division de régions Vous pouvez diviser une ou plusieurs régions sélectionnées à l’aide de l’outil Ciseaux. Pour diviser une ou plusieurs régions : 1 Sélectionnez vos régions. 2 Sélectionnez l’outil Ciseaux. 3 Cliquez tout en maintenant les régions de votre choix enfoncées. La bulle d’aide affiche la position de division actuelle. 374 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 4 Relâchez le bouton de la souris. Toutes les régions sélectionnées sont coupées au niveau de la position affichée dans la bulle d’aide. Lorsque vous sélectionnez un point de coupe à l’aide de l’outil Ciseaux, vous pouvez vous déplacer vers l’avant ou vers l’arrière division par division. La grille est basée sur le réglage du menu Alignement. Pour créer de meilleures divisions de résolution (remplaçant la valeur d’alignement actuelle) : m Maintenez la touche Contrôle enfoncée après avoir sélectionné à l’aide de l’outil Ciseaux la région à diviser en valeur de division (1/16e, 1/32e, etc., comme indiqué dans le transport). m Maintenez les touches Contrôle + Maj enfoncées afin de diviser plus précisément les régions (ticks ou échantillons). Les segments récemment créés d’une région audio sont nommés à partir de la région d’origine, et un numéro séquentiel est ajouté à la fin du nom. Les régions MIDI divisées possèdent le nom de la région d’origine, et ne possèdent pas de numéro séquentiel. Chaque région MIDI issue d’une division est indépendante et contient des données. Pour diviser une région en plusieurs parties de même longueur : m Maintenez la touche Option enfoncée tout en coupant une région à l’aide de l’outil Ciseaux. Un symbole « + » s’affiche en regard de l’outil Ciseaux et la bulle d’aide affiche le message Diviser plusieurs. La région sélectionnée est découpée en plusieurs parties, chacune d’entre elles ayant la même longueur que le premier segment. Par exemple : pour diviser une région de 16 mesures en huit régions de 2 mesures, coupez la région au début de la mesure 3, tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 375 Pour diviser des régions au niveau du locator : 1 Définissez les positions des locators droits et gauches. 2 Sélectionnez les régions que vous souhaitez diviser entre les limites du locator. 3 Choisissez Région > Séparer/Démixer > Séparer les régions selon les locators (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Toutes les régions sélectionnées situées partiellement ou entièrement entre les locators sont coupées au niveau des locators droit et gauche. Toutes les régions créées entre les positions du locator suite à l’opération de séparation sont ensuite automatiquement sélectionnées. Π Conseil : vous pouvez obtenir le même résultat en définissant un cycle à l’aide de la souris dans la règle Mesure, tout en maintenant la touche Commande enfoncée. Pour diviser des régions au niveau de la tête de lecture : 1 Sélectionnez les régions que vous souhaitez diviser. 2 Choisissez Région > Séparer/Démixer > Séparer les régions au niveau de la tête de lecture (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Toutes les régions sélectionnées sont exactement divisées au niveau de la tête de lecture. Π Conseil : pour couper au niveau de la mesure la plus proche, utilisez le raccourci clavier Scinder les régions/événements à la position arrondie de la tête de lecture. 376 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Gestion des notes superposées dans les régions MIDI divisées Si des notes d’une région MIDI divisée sont superposées sur d’autres notes de plus d’une note 1/16 (double-croche), la zone de dialogue suivante s’affiche :  Conserver : cliquez ici pour laisser toutes les notes telles quelles. Comme prévu, la région MIDI est coupée, mais vous pouvez terminer avec des notes dans la moitié gauche (région la plus ancienne) plus longues que la région MIDI les contenant. Ces notes vont être lues normalement, à moins que l’option Durée du clip ne soit activée (voir « Options d’utilisation des notes lors de la modification des longueurs des régions MIDI » à la page 354).  Diminuer : raccourcit (diminue) toutes les notes superposées, afin qu’elles se terminent à l’endroit où la région MIDI d’origine a été divisée.  Séparer : divise les notes superposées dans les deux régions MIDI ; deux notes sont créées, possédant les mêmes tonalités et vitesses que celles d’origine, ainsi que la même longueur totale que la note d’origine. Passages à zéro lors de la division de régions audio Le paramètre Audio > Chercher les passages à zéro situé dans le menu Arrangement local n’a aucune incidence lors de la division de régions audio, effectuée au moyen d’une des méthodes mentionnées ci-dessus. Lorsque l’option Audio > Chercher les passages à zéro est activée, celle-ci s’applique uniquement aux modifications des points de départ et de fin d’une région, et non aux opérations de division. Si vous souhaitez diviser automatiquement un fichier audio en plusieurs régions, utilisez la fonction Éliminer le silence. Division de régions audio à l’aide la fonction Éliminer le silence La fonction Audio > Éliminer le silence située dans le menu Arrangement ouvre une fenêtre qui vous permet de partitionner un enregistrement audio en différentes régions audio. Cette division est basée sur une analyse des degrés d’amplitude au sein du fichier audio. Vous trouverez une description détaillée de cette fonction dans le chapitre suivant : chapitre 22, « Suppression des passages silencieux dans les régions audio » à la page 589. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 377 Fusion de régions Vous pouvez fusionner deux régions sélectionnées ou plus (du même type—audio ou MIDI) en une seule région. Cette option facilite la gestion des régions et consiste également en un outil de création. Pour fusionner plusieurs régions à l’aide de l’outil Colle : 1 Sélectionnez l’outil Colle. 2 Cliquez sur les régions que vous souhaitez fusionner (si nécessaire, appuyez sur la touche Maj pendant la sélection). Pour fusionner deux régions ou plus à l’aide de la commande Fusionner les régions : 1 Sélectionnez les régions que vous souhaitez fusionner à l’aide de l’outil Pointeur. 2 Choisissez Région > Fusionner > Régions (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Toutes les régions sélectionnées sont fusionnées (ainsi que celles présentes sur des pistes différentes) en une seule région. Pour créer plusieurs fichiers de fusion, chacun figurant sur sa propre piste : 1 Sélectionnez les régions que vous souhaitez fusionner sur chaque piste à l’aide de l’outil Pointeur. Pour ce faire, il peut être utile de cliquer en maintenant la touche Maj enfoncée, de faire appel à la méthode de sélection par étirement ou d’utiliser la combinaison de touches Commande + A. Outil Colle 378 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 2 Choisissez Région > Fusionner > Régions par pistes (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Les régions sélectionnées sont regroupées en une seule région par piste. Par exemple, les pistes 1 à 4 possèdent des régions que vous souhaitez fusionner. Sélectionnez vos régions dans chaque rangée de pistes et appuyez sur Maj + J. Quatre régions fusionnées seront créées, une pour chaque piste. Événements survenant lorsque des régions MIDI sont fusionnées Lorsque vous fusionnez des régions MIDI :  Tous les événements de chaque région MIDI conservent leurs positions temporelles d’origine.  La nouvelle région MIDI (fusionnée) possède les mêmes nom et piste que la première région MIDI d’origine (sur la ligne temporelle).  Les paramètres de région Transposition, Vitesse et Dynamiques—s’ils ne sont pas identiques dans l’ensemble des régions sélectionnées—sont normalisés avant la fusion. Cela signifie que toutes les valeurs de paramètres sont créées sous forme de données modifiées pour chaque région avant la fusion. Les paramètres de la région MIDI récemment créée (fusionnée) sont tous définis sur des valeurs neutres (par défaut).  Si un des paramètres de région (par exemple, la valeur Transposition) est défini à l’identique dans l’ensemble des régions sélectionnées, cette valeur est conservée dans la zone Paramètres de région de la région fusionnée, et les événements conservent leurs valeurs d’origine. Remarque : veuillez noter que, au besoin, les canaux d’événements MIDI individuels sont remplacés par le canal MIDI de la bande de canal Instrument de la piste actuelle. Fusion de régions audio La fusion des régions audio est une opération non destructrice étant donné que Logic Express crée toujours un fichier pour les données audio fusionnées (parfois appelé mixage). Ce nouveau fichier audio est stocké (dans le dossier du projet) sur votre disque dur et est automatiquement ajouté au chutier audio. La région fusionnée remplace les régions d’origine. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 379 Aucune fusion Si plusieurs régions (mono ou stéréo) ayant été coupées d’une région à l’aide de l’outil Ciseaux sont présentes sur la même piste, aucune fusion n’est effectuée. Dans ce cas, une seule région est créée sur la zone entière. Vous obtenez le résultat escompté, sans avoir à utiliser d’espace disque supplémentaire. Remarque : Logic Express est en mesure de reconnaître des régions associées, même si des blancs existent entre elles. Le fait que la position relative des régions dans l’arrangement corresponde à la position relative des régions dans le fichier audio sous-jacent représente un facteur déterminant. Aucune fusion n’a lieu lorsque vous essayez de fusionner deux régions sur des pistes s’étendant d’une extrémité à l’autre, car les deux fichiers de fusion seraient identiques aux fichiers audio d’origine (dans les zones utilisées pour les régions). Fusion authentique à l’aide de l’option Clipscan Si vous combinez des données audio (dans les régions) à partir de deux pistes ou plus, les niveaux de volume et balance des pistes individuelles permettront de définir les paramètres de volume et de balance dans le nouveau fichier audio. Si vous souhaitez combiner les deux extrémités d’un fichier audio stéréo (un canal mono sur chacune des deux pistes), définissez en premier lieu les contrôles de balance des extrémités mono du composant sur les extrêmes gauche et droit. Suite à l’analyse de l’écrêtage numérique et à la fusion, Logic Express remplace les régions sélectionnées auparavant par une région contenant le fichier audio fusionné intégral. Vous pouvez utiliser la fonction Édition > Annuler (Commande + Z) pour restaurer les régions audio d’origine, si nécessaire. Si vous effectuez cette opération, vous devrez indiquer si vous souhaitez conserver ou supprimer le fichier audio fusion tout juste créé. Si vous décidez de le conserver, il restera dans le chutier audio et pourra ensuite être utilisé et traité. Au cours d’une fusion, la fonction Analyse de l’écrêtage avec résolution de 32 Bits permet de s’assurer que le niveau le plus élevé possible est conservé, sans écrêtage. Fusion de régions audio sur une piste Si plusieurs régions audio superposées sont sélectionnées sur une seule piste, aucune fusion n’est effectuée. Vous êtes invité à créer un fichier audio, possédant le nom de la première région de la piste. Les régions sélectionnées sont ensuite fusionnées, sans modification du volume et sans analyse de l’écrêtage. S’il existe des rubriques vides entre deux régions, celles-ci sont ajoutées au nouveau fichier audio—sous forme de passages silencieux. 380 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Fondus audio dans une fusion numérique La fonction Fusion numérique prend en charge les fondus entre les régions sélectionnées. Les paramètres de fondu sont définis dans l’onglet des préférences audio générales, auquel vous accédez en sélectionnant Logic Express > Préférences > Audio > Général (ou en utilisant le raccourci clavier Options de fondu enchaîné audio pour la fusion ). Il existe deux équilibreurs :  Durée du fondu enchaîné [en ms] : il s’agit de la durée du fondu enchaîné. Pour désactiver celui-ci, définissez cette valeur sur zéro.  Courbe de fondu enchaîné : pour obtenir un fondu enchaîné linéaire, définissez cette valeur sur zéro. Les autres valeurs (positives ou négatives) créent plusieurs fondus exponentiels. Les fondus sortants et entrants sont toujours symétriques afin d’éviter toute déviation dans le niveau. Les valeurs prédéfinies sont les suivantes : Durée = 0 ms, Courbe = 0 (linéaire). Démixage des régions MIDI Vous pouvez séparer des régions MIDI (ou des formats de fichiers MIDI standards 1 ou 0) selon les canaux d’événements ou la tonalité des notes. Pour séparer des régions MIDI selon des canaux d’événements : 1 Sélectionnez les régions MIDI de votre choix. 2 Choisissez Région > Séparer/Démixer > Démixer par canal d’événement (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Logic Express recherche les événements de régions MIDI sélectionnés à l’aide de différents canaux MIDI.  Une région MIDI séparée, contenant tous les événements similaires, est créée pour chaque canal MIDI détecté.  Chacune de ces régions est créée sur une piste à l’aide d’un canal d’instrument similaire au canal MIDI.  S’il n’existe aucune piste, de nouvelles pistes sont créées pour chaque canal. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 381 Pour séparer des régions MIDI selon les tonalités des notes : 1 Sélectionnez les régions MIDI de votre choix. 2 Choisissez Région > Séparer/Démixer > Démixer par hauteur de note (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Logic Express recherche les notes des régions MIDI sélectionnées à l’aide de différents numéros de notes.  Une région MIDI différente de la même durée est créée pour chaque numéro de note trouvé.  Les pistes sont créées pour ces régions MIDI, et la même bande de canal que la région MIDI d’origine leur est assignée. Cette fonction s’avère particulièrement utile pour séparer les éléments de batterie ayant été enregistrés dans Logic Express à partir d’une boîte à rythmes—dans laquelle toutes les notes se trouvent sur le même canal MIDI. Chaque région de note peut alors être assignée à un autre bande de canal et il est possible de supprimer certaines d’entre elles afin d’atténuer la rythmique des sons de batterie d’origine. Utilisation des dossiers Un dossier est une région pouvant contenir d’autres régions, tout comme un dossier du Finder peut contenir d’autres dossiers ou fichiers. En principe, vous pouvez modifier des dossiers de la même manière que des régions MIDI. Afin de mieux comprendre ce qu’est un dossier, celui-ci peut être considéré comme un arrangement dans un arrangement. Un dossier peut contenir autant de pistes avec régions que nécessaire. Un dossier fermé ressemble à une région MIDI, mais est placé sur une piste assignée à un dossier de la liste des pistes, plutôt qu’à une bande de canal. Une fois ouverts, les dossiers sont semblables à la zone Arrangement et à la liste des pistes d’un projet. 382 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Toutes les régions du dossier sont envoyées vers les bandes de canaux définies dans la liste des pistes du dossier et jouées par celles-ci comme elles le seraient au niveau supérieur de la fenêtre Arrangement. Remarque : si vous faites glisser un dossier vers une piste définie sur une bande de canal d’instrument, son contenu (toutes les régions MIDI du dossier) sont lues par cet instrument. Cela s’applique uniquement si le dossier contient des pistes d’un instrument ou d’un type d’instrument donné, telle qu’une batterie ou un bruit de corde générique. Cela permet d’écouter rapidement un arrangement de cordes, par exemple si certaines des sources de bruit souhaitées ne sont pas disponibles. Exemple : un dossier « rubrique des cuivres » peut contenir des pistes de trompette, de saxophone et de trombone, ou bien encore 14 pistes de batterie, que vous souhaitez peut-être utiliser comme une seule région de rythmique de sons de batterie. De la même manière, votre projet entier, comprenant toutes les pistes et régions, peut correspondre à un dossier, s’affichant sous la forme d’une barre de couleur grise dans un arrangement. Ainsi, vous pouvez arranger plusieurs projets pour un concert. Mais les dossiers ne se limitent pas à cela. Vous pouvez utiliser des dossiers pour représenter par exemple des refrains et des couplets d’un morceau. Tout comme dans le Finder, vous pouvez insérer autant de dossiers que vous le souhaitez dans d’autres dossiers, au sein desquels vous pouvez créer davantage de dossiers (par exemple, pour les groupes d’instruments au sein des différents éléments d’un morceau). Le nombre de niveaux pouvant être créés est illimité. Il est également possible de stocker différents arrangements d’un projet dans différents dossiers, ce qui vous permet de les intervertir rapidement. Compression et décompression de dossiers Vous pouvez compresser des régions sélectionnées dans un dossier, ou encore créer un dossier vide et y ajouter des régions. Pour compresser des régions sélectionnées dans un dossier : 1 Sélectionnez les régions de votre choix. 2 Choisissez Région > Dossier > Compresser le dossier (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Commande + F). Toutes les régions sélectionnées sont placées dans un dossier. Logic Express crée une piste et y place la région de dossiers. Si une piste dossier existante est sélectionnée, Logic Express copie les régions dans ce dossier. Si aucune région n’est sélectionnée, Logic Express crée un dossier vide. Il ne contient aucune région—uniquement les pistes assignées à l’ensemble des bandes de canaux du niveau actuel. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 383 Pour décompresser un dossier : 1 Sélectionnez le dossier. 2 Choisissez l’une des commandes suivantes :  Choisissez la commande Région > Dossier > Décompresser le dossier. La fenêtre Arrangement se mettra à jour afin d’afficher le contenu (les pistes et les régions) du dossier.  Choisissez Région > Dossier > Décompresser les dossiers (Créer de nouvelles pistes) ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant. Logic Express crée des pistes situées au même niveau que le dossier (sous la piste dossier précédente).  Choisissez Région > Dossier > Décompresser les dossiers (Utiliser les pistes existantes). Les régions contenues dans le dossier sont placées sur les pistes assignées aux bandes de canaux appropriées. Ouverture et fermeture des dossiers Après avoir compressé un dossier, vous allez généralement l’ouvrir, puis le fermer pour modifier des données, à mesure que vous développez votre arrangement. Vous pouvez facilement le différencier dans ou hors de l’affichage du dossier dans la fenêtre Arrangement :  Une fois dans la partie supérieure du niveau Arrangement (hors du dossier), le dossier est visible sur une piste, la barre de titre de la fenêtre Arrangement affiche le nom du projet et le bouton Hiérarchie est grisé.  Lorsque vous vous trouvez dans un dossier, la piste du dossier n’est pas visible. La barre de titre Arrangement affiche le nom du projet, suivi du nom du dossier (Sans titre : Dossier Refrain, par exemple) et le bouton Hiérarchie ne s’affiche pas en grisé. Pour ajouter un dossier, procédez selon l’une des façons suivantes : m Double-cliquez sur la région du dossier. m Sélectionnez le dossier que vous souhaitez ajouter, puis utilisez le raccourci clavier Aller dans Dossier ou Région. Vous devez vous assurer que le dossier est sélectionné avant d’utiliser la commande. Si une région MIDI est sélectionnée, l’éditeur de la liste des événements (affichant le contenu de la région MIDI) s’ouvre. Lorsque vous double-cliquez sur le nom de la piste du dossier dans la liste des dossiers, la table de mixage s’ouvre. 384 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Pour quitter un dossier, procédez selon l’une des façons suivantes : m Double-cliquez sur l’arrière-plan de la zone Arrangement (du dossier) (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Sortir du Dossier ou Région ). m Cliquez sur le bouton Hiérarchie situé au niveau de l’extrémité gauche de la barre de menu de la fenêtre Arrangement. La bulle d’aide affiche Quitter le dossier. Vous avancez alors d’un niveau dans la hiérarchie et le contenu de la fenêtre Arrangement (affichant le dossier fermé) est visible. Ajout et suppression de régions Vous pouvez facilement ajouter ou supprimer des régions dans un dossier existant. Ces opérations sont assez courantes car vous êtes généralement amené à ajouter et à supprimer des éléments lorsque vous travaillez sur un arrangement. Pour déplacer des régions vers un dossier : m Au niveau supérieur de la hiérarchie Arrangement (hors du dossier) : faites glisser les régions de votre choix dans le dossier, à l’emplacement souhaité. Si le dossier ne contient pas déjà de piste utilisant la même bande de canal que la région source, Logic Express en crée une. Si c’est le cas, ce canal sera ensuite utilisé. Lorsque vous entrez dans le dossier, les régions déplacées s’affichent en position de retrait. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 385 Pour extraire des régions individuelles des dossiers : 1 Ouvrez une deuxième fenêtre Arrangement à partir du menu Fenêtre ou utilisez le raccourci clavier par défaut : Commande + 1. 2 Entrez le nom du dossier pour lequel vous souhaitez retirer la région dans une des deux zones Arrangement. 3 Faites glisser la région du dossier vers l’autre zone Arrangement. Vous pouvez également couper une région d’un dossier, à l’aide de la commande Édition > Couper. La région est transférée vers le Presse-papiers. Vous pouvez alors copier la région vers l’emplacement de la zone Arrangement de votre choix à l’aide de la commande Édition > Coller. Création d’un dossier d’alias Vous pouvez créer une copie d’un dossier contenant des alias et des clones des régions du dossier d’origine. Grâce à cela, dans ce dossier, vous pouvez (par exemple) rendre des régions silencieuses et modifier les paramètres des programmes, instruments ou de lecture, si nécessaire. Vous disposez ainsi d’un deuxième dossier de mixage ; n’oubliez pas que le son des dossiers peut être désactivé et que ces derniers peuvent être lus en mode solo, comme c’est le cas pour les autres régions, ce qui vous permet de passer rapidement d’une version d’un arrangement à une autre. Pour créer un dossier d’alias : 1 Sélectionnez un dossier. 2 Choisissez MIDI > Alias > Créer mais copier dans Dossier. Création de fondus et de fondus enchaînés dans des régions audio Vous serez souvent amené à créer des fondus entrants et des fondus sortants dans des régions audio, ou à utiliser des fondus afin de créer des enchaînements en douceur entre deux régions audio adjacentes (ou superposées) sur une piste. Ce dernier type de fondu, le fondu enchaîné, peut être créé automatiquement par Logic Express sur des régions audio superposées. Pour activer la fonction de fondu enchaîné automatique : m Choisissez le paramètre X-Fade dans le menu Déplacer (voir « Utilisation des modes Déplacer » à la page 332). Les autres types de fondus—fondus entrants et fondus sortants—, ainsi que les fondus enchaînés, peuvent être créés manuellement à l’aide de l’outil Fondu enchaîné, ou des paramètres de fondu situés dans la zone Paramètres de région de l’Inspecteur. Π Conseil : il est conseillé d’utiliser ces deux méthodes, car chacune d’entre elles présente des avantages. Lorsqu’elles sont combinées, les méthodes de création et de modification de fondus sont simplifiées et plus rapides. Vous pouvez régler simultanément les paramètres de fondu de l’ensemble des régions audio sélectionnées. Remarque : ces paramètres de fondu ne modifient pas le fichier audio d’origine, contrairement aux fonctions de fondu disponibles dans l’Éditeur des échantillons. Création de fondus à l’aide de l’outil Fondu Un fondu entrant survient au début d’une région et un fondu sortant survient à la fin de cette région. Les fondus sont uniquement visibles si vous utilisez un zoom avant assez puissant pour voir la forme d’onde dans la région audio. Important : vous ne pouvez pas créer de fondus sur des fichiers Apple Loops représentés comme des régions dans la fenêtre Arrangement. Les paramètres sont affichés dans l’Inspecteur lorsqu’une région Apple Loops est sélectionnée. Pour créer un fondu entrant ou un fondu sortant : 1 Sélectionnez l’outil Fondu enchaîné. 2 Cliquez sur le point de départ ou de fin d’une région audio et faites-le glisser. Un fondu entrant ou sortant est créé. La longueur de la zone de glissement du fondu détermine la durée de ce dernier. Par conséquent, plus la zone est longue, plus la durée du fondu l’est également et vice versa. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 387 Pour créer un fondu enchaîné entre deux fichiers : m Faites glisser le pointeur sur le point de fin d’une région audio ou sur le point de départ de la région suivante à l’aide de l’outil Fondu enchaîné. Cela fonctionne, même si les deux rubriques ne sont pas directement jointes. Pour supprimer un fondu : m Tout en maintenant la touche Option enfoncée, cliquez sur une zone de fondu à l’aide l’outil Fondu enchaîné. Pour modifier un fondu existant : m Faites glisser sur le point de départ ou de fin d’une région à l’aide de l’outil Fondu enchaîné. La forme de courbe (voir ci-dessous) du fondu précédent est utilisée. Pour régler la forme de courbe du fondu : m Maintenez les touches Contrôle et Maj enfoncées tout en utilisant l’outil Fondu enchaîné. Dans l’exemple ci-dessous, une Courbe positive est affichée pour le fondu entrant et le fondu sortant. Dans l’exemple ci-dessous, une Courbe négative est affichée pour le fondu entrant, et un fondu linéaire (aucune courbe) est affichée pour le fondu sortant. 388 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Création et modification des fondus dans la zone Paramètres de région Vous pouvez également créer et modifier des fondus dans la zone Paramètres de région. Pour créer un fondu ou un fondu enchaîné : 1 Sélectionnez les régions de votre choix. 2 Définissez la valeur souhaitée pour les paramètres de fondu entrant ou de fondu sortant dans l’Inspecteur. Utilisez la souris comme curseur, ou double-cliquez puis entrez la valeur souhaitée. Cela fait, un fondu est créé à une extrémité ou l’autre des régions sélectionnées. Remarque : la valeur du fondu détermine la durée de ce dernier. Ainsi, une valeur plus importante entraîne une plus longue durée de fondu et une valeur faible entraîne un fondu rapide. Pour supprimer un fondu : m Définissez le paramètre Fondu entrant ou Fondu sortant sur 0. Pour modifier un fondu existant : m Modifiez la valeur du fondu entrant ou sortant. Pour régler la forme de courbe du fondu : m Modifiez la valeur Courbe dans la zone Paramètres de région. La courbe de fondu est immédiatement modifiée dans la région. Modification du type de fondu Si vous cliquez sur le menu Type de fondu (la flèche vers le haut/bas en regard du paramètre Fondu dans l’Inspecteur), quatre options s’affichent :  Sortant (par défaut) : crée un fondu sortant standard lorsque vous utilisez l’outil ou le paramètre Fondu.  X : crée un fondu enchaîné entre la région sélectionnée et la région suivante lorsque vous utilisez l’outil ou le paramètre Fondu. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 389  EqP : crée un fondu à puissance égale. Cela limite les baisses de volume entre les régions audio, créant ainsi un fondu enchaîné plus régulier entre les régions dont le niveau peut légèrement varier.  X S : crée un fondu à courbe en S. Comme son nom l’indique, cette courbe de fondu est en forme de S. Remarque : ces trois dernières options peuvent uniquement être appliquées à deux régions consécutives. Notez également que les paramètres de fondu entrant (et de courbe correspondants) deviennent redondants lorsque l’une des options X, EqP ou X S est choisie. Suppression de fichiers de fondu La commande Options > Audio > Supprimer l’ensemble du fichier de fondu permet de supprimer le fichier de fondu. Toutes les informations sont conservées lors de cette opération, car Logic Express crée automatiquement un fichier de fondu lors du prochain démarrage d’une séquence de lecture. Ce fichier de fondu est basé sur les paramètres de fondu de chaque région audio. Fondu de boucles Apple Loops Les boucles Apple Loops ne prennent pas en charge les fondus. De cette manière, vous ne pouvez pas leur assigner un fondu directement. Puisque vous ne pouvez pas appliquer de fondus à une boucle Apple Loops, aucun paramètre de fondu ne s’affiche dans la zone Paramètres de région lorsqu’une boucle Apple Loops est sélectionnée. Si vous souhaitez obtenir un effet de fondu, vous devez exporter la boucle Apple Loops (choisissez Fichier > Exporter > Région Audio sous dans la barre de menus principale). Importez ce fichier dans la zone Arrangement et appliquez-y le fondu. Définition des paramètres de région Les paramètres affichés dans la zone Paramètres de région de l’Inspecteur dépendent du type de région sélectionné dans la zone Arrangement. Il existe des paramètres :  Disponibles pour les régions audio et MIDI.  Uniquement disponibles pour les régions audio.  Uniquement disponibles pour les régions MIDI. Remarque : les paramètres de région MIDI s’appliquent également aux dossiers et ont une incidence globale sur l’ensemble des régions MIDI qu’ils contiennent. 390 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Paramètres généraux des régions audio et MIDI Seuls deux paramètres généraux sont disponibles lorsque vous sélectionnez une région audio ou MIDI. Boucle La lecture de l’ensemble des types de régions est répétée en continu si vous cochez la case Boucle, ou à l’aide de l’outil Boucle (voir « Mise en boucle de régions » à la page 371). Retard La lecture de tous les types de régions peut être retardée ou avancée (il peut s’agir d’une valeur positive ou négative) d’un certain nombre de ticks ou selon une variable de format musical. Exemples : 1/96, 1/16, 1/192, etc. (pour en savoir plus, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Décalage de la position de lecture des régions » à la page 351). La zone Paramètres de région possède également des comportements par défaut : MIDI Thru : paramètres par défaut des régions MIDI Si aucune région n’est sélectionnée, la ligne supérieure de la zone Paramètres de région affiche MIDI Thru. Toute entrée MIDI active (en mode arrêt, ainsi qu’au cours de l’enregistrement ou de la lecture) sera lue au moyen des réglages sélectionnés dans cette rubrique. Lorsque vous enregistrez une nouvelle région MIDI, les réglages effectués dans la zone Paramètres MIDI Thru sont répercutés dans la nouvelle zone Paramètres de région MIDI. La zone Paramètres MIDI Thru peut être considérée comme une zone de paramètres par défaut modifiable. Vous pouvez régler les paramètres MIDI Thru dans le cas où aucune région n’est sélectionnée. Cliquez sur l’arrière-plan de la fenêtre Arrangement pour désélectionner toutes les régions. Remarque : le raccourci clavier Définir des paramètres de piste & MIDI Thru par région/ dossier vous permet de définir les paramètres MIDI de manière à ce qu’ils soient identiques à ceux d’une région MIDI sélectionnée. Lors de cette opération, la piste de la région est également sélectionnée. Modification de plusieurs régions simultanément Si plusieurs régions sont sélectionnées, leur nombre s’affiche, à la place d’un nom de région. Si vous modifiez un paramètre de région, toutes les régions sélectionnées seront modifiées. Si un paramètre donné est défini différemment dans les régions individuelles, le symbole * s’affiche dans le champ Paramètre. Vous pouvez modifier ce paramètre pour l’ensemble des régions sélectionnées et le différentiel de niveau sera conservé (modification relative). Si vous souhaitez définir la même valeur pour l’ensemble des régions sélectionnées, maintenez la touche Option enfoncée tout en modifiant la valeur (modification absolue). Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 391 Paramètres de région audio Les paramètres de région audio varient en fonction du type de région audio sélectionné, qui est en fait subdivisé en deux catégories : les boucles Apple Loops et les régions audio standard. Les paramètres de fondu sont uniquement disponibles lorsque des régions audio standard sont sélectionnées. Lorsque des boucles Apple Loops (vertes ou bleues) sont ajoutées aux pistes audio, les paramètres Suivre le tempo et Transposition s’affichent. Suivre le tempo Ce paramètre (activé par défaut) permet aux boucles Apple Loops de suivre le tempo du projet. Transposition Ce paramètre permet d’augmenter ou de diminuer la tonalité de la région audio Apple Loops selon le niveau choisi. Paramètres de région MIDI Si vous sélectionnez une région MIDI (sur une piste MIDI logicielle ou externe), la zone Paramètres de région affiche les paramètres spécifiques de région MIDI suivants. Ces paramètres s’affichent également lorsqu’un instrument logiciel Apple Loops vert est ajouté à une piste dirigée vers un canal d’instrument (l’instrument Apple Loops est chargé dans le logement Instrument de la bande de canal). Quantifier La durée de tous les événements de note de la région MIDI est corrigée en fonction du format de grille (paramètre Quantifier) choisi dans le menu. L’ensemble des détails relatifs aux fonctions de quantification disponibles dans Logic Express se situent dans la rubrique chapitre 19, « Quantification d’événements MIDI » à la page 513. Zone de paramètres de région MIDI 392 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Transposition Tous les événements de note de la région MIDI sont transposés vers le haut ou vers le bas selon le niveau sélectionné pendant la lecture. Les dossiers entiers peuvent également être transposés instantanément de cette manière. Si plusieurs régions MIDI individuelles du dossier ont déjà été transposées, les différences relatives entre elles sont conservées. Si vous souhaitez transposer des octaves, cliquez sur les flèches situées à droite du paramètre Transposition. Un menu local s’affiche et vous permet d’effectuer des transpositions d’octaves directes. Pour éviter toute apparition de notes de batterie et ainsi leur transposition, la zone Paramètres d’un canal d’instrument possède la case à cocher Aucun réglage de transposition. Si vous activez cette option, le paramètre de transposition est ignoré dans toutes les régions MIDI lues par cette bande de canal d’instrument (y compris les boucles Apple Loops vertes ajoutées aux pistes dirigées vers les canaux d’instruments). Vélocité Toutes les notes de la région MIDI concernée sont décalées de la valeur sélectionnée. Les valeurs positives permettent d’augmenter la vélocité d’origine enregistrée, tandis que les valeurs négatives la diminuent, bien qu’il soit impossible d’outrepasser les limites définies par le standard MIDI (0–127). Si vous sélectionnez un décalage de vélocité dépassant les valeurs minimales et maximales autorisées pour une note particulière, cette note sera lue avec l’amplitude la plus extrême possible. Par exemple, lorsque vous définissez un réglage de +20, une note dotée d’une vélocité de 120 sera lue à une vitesse de 127. Dynamiques Ce paramètre permet également de modifier les valeurs de vélocité des notes, mais au lieu d’ajouter ou de soustraire une valeur fixe, les différences entre les notes douces et les notes fortes (la dynamique) augmentent ou diminuent. Cela s’applique également au compresseur ou à l’expanseur. Les valeurs supérieures à 100 % permettent d’augmenter la dynamique, ce qui accentue la différence entre les notes douces et fortes. En revanche, les valeurs inférieures à 100 % diminuent la dynamique, réduisant ainsi la différence entre les notes fortes et douces. Le réglage Fixe permet de transmettre toutes les notes avec une valeur de vélocité égale à 64. Utilisé conjointement avec le paramètre Vélocité (voir ci-dessus), il permet de définir n’importe quelle valeur de vitesse fixe. Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement 393 Temps de maintien Le terme « temps de maintien » est issu de la technologie utilisée dans les synthétiseurs analogiques et fait référence à la durée s’écoulant entre la pression et le relâchement d’une touche. Ce paramètre a une incidence sur la durée ou la longueur de la note absolue. Celui-ci ne doit pas être confondu avec la valeur de note musicale, faisant en temps normal référence à la durée écoulée avant la note suivante. Suite à l’utilisation de ce paramètre, les notes de la région sont davantage staccato ou legato. La plage de paramètres est liée aux longueurs des notes d’origine. Le réglage Fixe permet d’émettre des notes staccato extrêmes. Les valeurs inférieures à 100 % permettent de diminuer les longueurs des notes. Les valeurs supérieures à 100 % permettent d’augmenter la longueur des notes. Le réglage « legato » crée un effet legato intégral sur toutes les notes, quelle que soit leur longueur d’origine, ce qui permet d’éliminer les blancs présents entre les notes de la région concernée. Utilisé dans un dossier, ce réglage aura une incidence sur toutes les notes de l’ensemble des régions MIDI de ce dossier. Réglage des paramètres de région MIDI Vous pouvez normaliser les réglages des paramètres de région MIDI de l’ensemble des régions MIDI sélectionnées et des dossiers à l’aide de la commande MIDI > Paramètres de région > Normaliser les paramètres de région. Cela signifie que tous les réglages sont créés sous forme de données et les paramètres de lecture recouvrent leurs valeurs normales. L’effet sonore reste le même. Le paramètre Boucle et les paramètres de région MIDI étendus ne sont pas modifiés. L’utilisation de cette fonction revient à « rendre permanentes ces valeurs de paramètres de région MIDI/instrument ». Dans la plupart des cas, le recours à cette fonction est déconseillé, car vous disposerez d’une flexibilité plus importante si vous ne modifiez pas les données d’origine. Vous pourrez également modifier comme bon vous semble les régions MIDI, et ce grâce aux nombreuses opportunités offertes. Normaliser et canaux MIDI Tout comme la fonction Fusionner et l’outil Colle, la fonction Normaliser confère une utilisation intelligente car elle permet de traiter les numéros de canaux MIDI stockés. Si tous les événements stockés possèdent le même numéro de canal MIDI, le canal utilisé correspondra alors au canal de l’instrument assigné à la piste en cours. Si les événements se situent sur des canaux différents, Logic Express vous demandera si vous souhaitez ou non convertir les canaux d’événements. Les options Normaliser suivantes sont également disponibles dans le menu MIDI > Paramètres de région :  Normaliser sans canal : ne modifie pas le numéro de canal stocké.  Normaliser sans canal & retard : ne modifie pas les paramètres de retard et de numéro de canal stockés. 394 Chapitre 13 Création de votre arrangement Si le réglage de canal de l’instrument de lecture est défini sur Tout ou si utilisez un type d’objet d’environnement totalement différent (par exemple, un séparateur de canaux utilisé en tant que Lecture A), la fonction Normaliser habituelle n’a également aucune incidence sur les numéros de canaux MIDI enregistrés. Remarque : si vous modifiez des régions MIDI affichées sous forme de notation dans un style de portée polyphonique, il est conseillé d’utiliser la fonction Normaliser sans canal, car le canal d’événement est utilisé pour assigner des notes aux voix polyphoniques individuelles dans l’éditeur de partition. 14 395 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Ce chapitre décrit tous les aspects des enregistrements audio et MIDI dans Logic Express. Vous allez apprendre à configurer Logic Express pour vos enregistrements audio et MIDI, ainsi qu’à utiliser les diverses fonctions de gestion du flux de production. Parmi ces fonctions figurent notamment les méthodes d’enregistrement cyclique, de prises multiples et Punch. Enregistrement audio Cette rubrique fournit toutes les informations relatives aux enregistrements audio. Étant donné que les méthodes d’enregistrement et la gestion des régions présentent des similitudes pour les données audio et MIDI, la plupart des techniques générales d’enregistrement audio peuvent également s’appliquer aux enregistrements MIDI. Les informations spécifiques aux enregistrements MIDI sont détaillées dans la rubrique « Enregistrement MIDI », à la page 426. Vue d’ensemble de la procédure d’enregistrement Les principales étapes requises pour la création d’un enregistrement audio sont répertoriées ci-après. Pour chaque étape, la vue d’ensemble est suivie d’une description détaillée. Pour créer un enregistrement audio : 1 Vérifiez la configuration de votre système d’enregistrement (voir rubrique suivante) afin de vous assurer que vos données matérielles et logicielles communiquent correctement. 2 Dans la liste des pistes d’arrangement : sélectionnez le nom de la piste audio sur laquelle vous souhaitez effectuer l’enregistrement. La bande de canaux correspondante s’affiche dans l’Inspecteur. 3 Choisissez le format de bande de canaux souhaité. 396 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 4 Cliquez sur le logement d’entrée de la bande de canaux tout en maintenant la touche enfoncée, puis choisissez les entrées appropriées de votre interface audio dans le menu local. 5 Cliquez sur le bouton Activer l’enregistrement pour armer la piste. 6 Faites glisser l’équilibreur de niveau du canal activé vers la position souhaitée afin de définir le niveau de contrôle. Remarque : vous devez cocher la case Contrôle logiciel dans les préférences Audio pour pouvoir entendre les données audio entrantes dans Logic Express (que vous soyez en train d’enregistrer ou non). 7 Cliquez sur le bouton Enregistrer dans la zone Transport, puis commencez à jouer ou à chanter. 8 Appuyez sur Arrêt pour arrêter l’enregistrement. Préparation de l’enregistrement Il est recommandé de vérifier la configuration de votre système avant de commencer l’enregistrement. Assurez-vous que toutes les sources sonores que vous souhaitez utiliser dans votre session d’enregistrement (table de mixage, lecteur CD ou micro, par exemple) sont connectées aux entrées audio de votre système et fonctionnent correctement. Vérifiez les réglages matériels importants pour l’enregistrement, tels que le réglage de la mémoire tampon E/S. Pour en savoir plus, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Configuration de votre matériel audio » à la page 103. La qualité et la précision du fichier audio enregistré sont directement liées à la fréquence d’échantillonnage et à la profondeur de bits (ainsi qu’à la qualité des convertisseurs du matériel audio). Tous les fichiers audio sont enregistrés à la fréquence d’échantillonnage du projet. Veillez à ce que la fréquence d’échantillonnage (voir ci-après) soit adaptée à vos besoins. Vous devez également vous assurer d’avoir choisi un type de fichiers approprié (AIFF, WAV, SDII, CAF) dans le menu « Type de fichier enregistré », accessible via Logic Express > Préférences > Audio > Préférences générales. Lorsque vous effectuez un enregistrement audio dans Logic Express, le processus se déroule comme suit :  Un fichier audio est créé sur le disque dur.  Une région audio, qui représente le fichier audio enregistré intégral, est automatiquement créée sur la piste d’arrangement sélectionnée.  Le fichier et la région audio sont également ajoutés automatiquement dans le chutier audio. Le fichier audio s’affiche également dans le navigateur. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 397 Définition de la fréquence d’échantillonnage Il est conseillé de définir la fréquence d’échantillonnage lorsque vous démarrez un projet, et d’éviter de la modifier par la suite. Remarque : si l’option « Convertir la fréquence du fichier audio lors de l’importation » est activée, tout fichier audio qui ne correspond pas à la fréquence d’échantillonnage du projet est automatiquement converti lors de l’importation. Pour définir la fréquence d’échantillonnage d’un projet, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Choisissez Fichier > Réglages du projet > Audio (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier « Ouvrir les réglages du projet audio »), puis choisissez la fréquence d’échantillonnage souhaitée dans le menu correspondant. m Cliquez sur l’écran Fréquence d’échantillonnage dans la barre d’outils Transport, puis choisissez la fréquence voulue dans le menu local. Si l’écran Fréquence d’échantillonnage ne s’affiche pas, c’est probablement parce qu’il a été remplacé par les locators Punch. Désactivez l’option Cycle dans la barre d’outils Transport pour afficher l’écran Fréquence d’échantillonnage. Il se peut également que vous n’ayez pas coché la case Fréquence d’échantillonnage ou Locators Punch dans la zone de dialogue Personnaliser la barre de transport. Importance de la fréquence d’échantillonnage Les données audionumériques sont jouées à une vitesse différente lorsque la fréquence d’échantillonnage n’est pas appropriée. Les données audionumériques doivent être jouées à leur fréquence d’échantillonnage originale ou être converties à une autre fréquence avant d’être jouées à une autre fréquence d’échantillonnage. En d’autres termes, lorsque un fichier créé à partir d’un échantillon de 96 000 temps par seconde (fréquence d’échantillonnage de 96 kHz) est joué à 48 000 échantillons par seconde, il est lu plus lentement (vitesse réduite de moitié). 398 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express En règle générale, tout bounce créé pour être utilisé dans un projet doit être réglé sur la fréquence d’échantillonnage originale du projet. Il ne sert à rien de créer un bounce à 96 kHz, puis de l’importer et de le convertir à 44,1 kHz. Une fois que vous avez terminé votre projet, effectuez un bounce sur celui-ci à la fréquence d’échantillonnage souhaitée. Conseils relatifs à différentes situations :  Si le fichier de bounce est destiné à un CD audio (dans l’hypothèse où vous n’avez pas besoin de l’envoyer à un studio ou dans une application externe pour qu’il soit masterisé), il n’est pas nécessaire d’utiliser une fréquence supérieure à 44,1 kHz, car il s’agit de la fréquence d’échantillonnage standard pour les CD.  Si vous travaillez dans le secteur du cinéma ou de la télévision, vous devrez probablement utiliser une fréquence d’échantillonnage de 48 kHz pour les fichiers audio.  Si vous enregistrez des morceaux classiques ou jazz (ensembles plus petits) ou que vous archivez des enregistrements datant de plusieurs années, il peut être intéressant d’utiliser une fréquence de 96 kHz ou plus pour l’enregistrement. La lecture à 96 kHz (ou plus) des fichiers audio impose des contraintes de débit bien plus importantes à votre système et utilise beaucoup plus d’espace sur le disque dur. Dans la majorité des cas, il est conseillé d’effectuer l’enregistrement à une fréquence de 44,1 kHz et à une profondeur de 24 bits. Réglage de la profondeur de bits Par défaut, Logic Express enregistre les fichiers audio avec une profondeur de 16 bits. Si vous possédez un matériel audio approprié, les enregistrements à 24 bits constituent une amélioration considérable dans la dynamique disponible. Les fichiers de 24 bits utilisent une fois et demie plus d’espace disque que les fichiers de 16 bits. Si vous devez effectuer un enregistrement à 24 bits : 1 Ouvrez les préférences audio en effectuant l’une des opérations suivantes :  Choisissez Logic Express > Préférences > Audio (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier « Ouvrir les préférences audio »).  Cliquez sur le bouton Préférences dans la barre d’outils Arrangement et choisissez Audio dans le menu. 2 Cliquez sur l’onglet Appareils, puis sur l’onglet Core Audio. 3 Activez l’option Enregistrement 24 bit. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 399 Réglage du métronome Si vous souhaitez entendre le métronome (clic) pendant l’enregistrement, vous pouvez configurer cette option dans le menu des réglages du projet Métronome. Pour ouvrir les réglages de projet Métronome, procédez de l’une des manières suivantes : m Choisissez Fichier > Réglages du projet > Métronome (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier « Ouvrir les réglages du projet Métronome »). m Cliquez sur le bouton Réglages dans la barre d’outils Arrangement, puis choisissez Métronome dans le menu local. m Dans le menu Transport, cliquez sur le bouton Métronome tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, puis choisissez Réglages métronome dans le menu local. La fenêtre « Réglages du projet Métronome » contient tous les réglages pour :  Une source audio de métronome d’instrument logiciel appelée KlopfGeist (qui est activée par défaut). Vous pouvez la désactiver via la case à cocher « Instrument de clic logiciel (KlopfGeist) ».  L’objet Clic MIDI de l’Environnement (voir « Objet Clic MIDI » à la page 1004). Vous pouvez préciser à quel port MIDI cet objet est envoyé (Tous par défaut). Pour désactiver la sortie de métronome MIDI, choisissez Désactivé dans le menu local du port MIDI. Vous pouvez utiliser ces sources de clic de manière isolée ou les combiner. 400 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express KlopfGeist est un instrument logiciel qui se trouve dans le menu Module des logements d’instrument. KlopfGeist est inséré dans le canal d’instrument 128, par défaut. Lorsque la case KlopfGeist est cochée, Logic Express crée automatiquement un canal d’instrument 128 (dans lequel KlopfGeist est inséré). En théorie, tout autre instrument Logic Express ou de tierce partie peut servir de source audio de métronome par le biais du canal d’instrument 128. Pour en savoir plus sur l’instrument KlopfGeist, veuillez vous reporter au manuel Instruments et effets. Pour configurer le métronome en vue de l’enregistrement : 1 Définissez la fréquence à laquelle vous souhaitez entendre le clic du métronome : à chaque mesure, temps ou division, en activant la case à cocher correspondante (Mesure, Temps ou Division). 2 Activez l’option Clic pendant l’enregistrement (elle est déjà active par défaut). Définissez également les options « Seulement durant le décompte » et « Clic pendant la lecture » en fonction de vos besoins. Il est conseillé de laisser l’option Clics polyphoniques activée, car elle permet le chevauchement de clics. 3 Cliquez sur le bouton Enregistrer en haut de la fenêtre Réglages du projet pour ouvrir les réglages du projet d’enregistrement. 4 Activez le bouton radio Décompte (actif par défaut). 5 Choisissez la période de décompte qui précédera l’enregistrement. Ces options sont disponibles dans le menu local.  Aucun : l’enregistrement commence sans décompte.  x mesures : X mesures de décompte.  x/4 : zone permettant de définir le temps de décompte. Ces réglages sont utiles lorsque le décompte (et, par conséquent, l’enregistrement) se situe dans un trait de mesure. Pour plus d’informations sur les réglages du projet Métronome, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Réglages Métronome » à la page 1035. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 401 Utilisation du contrôle logiciel La fonction Contrôle logiciel permet de contrôler les données audio entrantes à l’aide des modules d’effets insérés dans un canal audio activé. Les entrées audio doivent être attribuées sur les pistes activées pour l’enregistrement afin de pouvoir utiliser la fonction de contrôle logiciel. Les modules d’effet sont contrôlés mais ne sont pas enregistrés. Cela peut être utile pendant une session d’enregistrement. Par exemple : au cours d’un enregistrement vocal, de nombreux chanteurs préfèrent entendre leurs performances avec un léger réverb, mais la piste est enregistrée de façon « sèche » (sans effet). Pour contrôler une piste avec des modules d’effet lors de l’enregistrement : 1 Cochez la case Logic Express > Préférences > Audio > Appareils > Core Audio > Contrôle logiciel. Remarque : aucun contrôle de quelque nature que ce soit n’aura lieu si cette option est désactivée pour le matériel audio actif. 2 Insérez l’effet souhaité dans le canal audio, armez la piste, puis commencez l’enregistrement. L’effet fera partie du mixage de contrôle mais ne sera pas enregistré. Monitoring automatique d’entrée Si l’option Monitoring automatique d’entrée est activée, vous entendez le signal d’entrée au cours de l’enregistrement (toutefois, avant et près, vous entendez l’audio précédemment enregistré sur la piste alors que le séquenceur était en fonctionnement). Cela vous permet d’évaluer les points de Punch-in et de Punch-out lors de l’enregistrement Punch. Si l’option Monitoring automatique d’entrée est désactivée, vous entendez toujours le signal d’entrée. L’activation de cette option vous permet également d’entendre la source d’entrée lorsque Logic Express est arrêté, ce qui facilite le réglage des niveaux. Pour activer le monitoring automatique d’entrée, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Choisissez Options > Audio > Monitoring automatique d’entrée dans la barre des menus principale (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier « Basculer Basculer Monitoring d’entrée Auto »). m Dans le menu Transport, cliquez sur le bouton Enregistrer tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, puis activez l’option Monitoring automatique d’entrée dans le menu local. 402 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Dans certaines circonstances, l’utilisation du monitoring automatique d’entrée avec les pistes activées pour l’enregistrement peut se révéler problématique :  Le chanteur ne s’entend pas lorsque Logic Express est en mode lecture ou enregistrement. Il n’entend que l’ancien enregistrement. Dans ce cas, désactivez le monitoring automatique d’entrée.  La piste est inaudible, bien que Logic Express ne soit pas en mode enregistrement. Activez le monitoring automatique d’entrée pour entendre l’audio sur la piste. En fonction des circonstances, chacune de ces options peut être utile. En règle générale, le monitoring automatique d’entrée est activé et n’est désactivé que dans des circonstances particulières. Utilisation des boutons de contrôle des entrées Vous pouvez utiliser le bouton Contrôler les entrées pour contrôler les pistes audio qui ne sont pas armées. Activez simplement le bouton Contrôler les entrées sur une piste audio (ou sur une bande de canaux dans la fenêtre Arrangement ou Table de mixage). Cela fonctionne lorsque Logic Express est arrêté ou en cours de lecture. Pour déterminer quel signal (entrée) est contrôlé : m Choisissez l’entrée (ou la paire d’entrées) appropriée dans le menu de logement audio pour la bande de canaux correspondante. Π Conseil : en règle générale, vous pouvez laisser le bouton Contrôler les entrées activé avant, pendant et après l’enregistrement. Lorsque le bouton Contrôler les entrées est activé, l’utilisation des boutons Activer l’enregistrement ou Monitoring automatique d’entrée n’affecte pas le contrôle logiciel. Dans le cadre d’un enregistrement Punch, il est conseillé d’utiliser la fonction Contrôle d’entrée automatique plutôt que le bouton Contrôler les entrées. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 403 Problèmes éventuels liés au contrôle des entrées Notez que le contrôle des entrées entraîne toujours un court temps de latence. Le temps de latence dépend entièrement des capacités du matériel audio et du réglage des gestionnaires. Dans certaines configurations, vous obtiendrez de meilleurs résultats si vous n’effectuez pas de contrôle dans Logic Express. Ainsi, vous bénéficierez de la meilleure synchronisation possible. Acheminez le signal que vous souhaitez enregistrer directement sur des écouteurs ou sur l’amplificateur de contrôle afin de contrôler le signal (et sur les entrées de l’interface audio pour l’enregistrement). Vous n’effectuerez pas de surmodulation accidentelle de vos convertisseurs A/N, car les VU-mètres d’entrée de Logic Express affichent un avertissement en cas de surcharge. Réglage du niveau de contrôle Si la préférence Niveau de contrôle indépendant (pour les bandes de canaux où l’enregistrement est activé) du menu Logic Express > Préférences > Audio > Appareils > onglet Core Audio est activée, un niveau de contrôle indépendant est disponible lorsque le canal audio est activé pour l’enregistrement. Une fois que la piste est armée, réglez l’équilibreur au niveau souhaité. Le niveau de lecture initial est rétabli lorsque le bouton d’enregistrement du canal est désactivé. Important : quand une piste est activée pour l’enregistrement, l’équilibreur de niveau s’applique uniquement au niveau de lecture (ou de contrôle), mais pas au niveau d’enregistrement. Les niveaux d’enregistrement doivent être définis de manière externe : sur votre table de mixage ou sur la source sonore d’origine. Soyez prudent lorsque vous réglez les niveaux d’entrée, car un écrêtage de l’audio numérique aura lieu en cas de surcharge. Cet écrêtage entraîne une distorsion métallique particulièrement dure. Si vous souhaitez éviter les styles musicaux lourds, il est donc recommandé de ne pas surcharger les entrées (voir « Comprendre le détecteur d’écrêtage » à la page 620). Réglage du dossier d’enregistrement Avant de procéder à l’enregistrement, il est conseillé de définir une cible (sur votre disque dur) pour les données audio. Remarque : si vous enregistrez votre projet avec ses ressources, Logic Express stocke votre fichier de projet (le « morceau ») dans un dossier de projet. Le dossier de projet contient un dossier « Fichiers audio » automatiquement créé, qui est utilisé comme dossier d’enregistrement par défaut. Si vous préférez enregistrer vos projets sans ressources, reportez-vous à la rubrique qui suit. Vous pouvez définir un dossier d’« enregistrement » différent pour chaque projet. Le dossier d’enregistrement est défini dans les réglages du projet Enregistrement. 404 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Pour définir le dossier d’enregistrement : 1 Ouvrez les réglages du projet Enregistrement en procédant de l’une des manières suivantes :  Choisissez Fichier > Réglages du projet > Enregistrement (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Ouvrir les réglages de projet Enregistrement).  Cliquez sur le bouton Réglages dans la barre d’outils Arrangement, puis choisissez Enregistrement dans le menu local.  Cliquez sur le bouton Enregistrer tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, puis choisissez Réglages d’enregistrement dans le menu local. 2 Cliquez sur le bouton Définir pour ouvrir un sélecteur de fichier, puis parcourez le disque pour accéder au dossier d’enregistrement souhaité. Taille maximale de l’enregistrement Les formats de fichier AIFF et SDII ne peuvent pas prendre en charge les enregistrements de fichier audio supérieurs à 2 Go. Pour les fichiers stéréo de 16 bits à 44,1 kHz, cela équivaut à un temps d’enregistrement d’environ 3 heures et 15 minutes. Le format de fichier WAV ne peut pas prendre en charge les enregistrements de fichier audio supérieurs à 4 Go. Pour les fichiers stéréo de 16 bits à 44,1 kHz, cela équivaut à un temps d’enregistrement d’environ 6 heures et 30 minutes. Si la taille de votre enregistrement est censée dépasser à ces limites, choisissez le type de fichier d’enregistrement CAF. Le format CAF peut prendre en charge les temps d’enregistrement suivants :  environ 13 heures et 30 minutes à une fréquence de 44,1 kHz ;  environ 6 heures à une fréquence de 96 kHz ;  environ 3 heures à une fréquence de 192 kHz. La profondeur de bits et le format de canal (mono ou stéréo) n’ont aucune incidence sur la taille d’enregistrement maximale des fichiers CAF. Vous pouvez définir un type de fichier par défaut dans le menu Type de fichier enregistré, accessible via Logic Express > Préférences > Audio > Préférences générales. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 405 Nom des enregistrements audio Le nom de la piste est utilisé comme nom de fichier par défaut pour un enregistrement. Les enregistrements ultérieurs sur cette piste se voient attribuer un suffixe numérique croissant. Ainsi, les enregistrements de « Audio 1 » se voient attribuer les noms « Audio 1_01 », « Audio 1_02 », etc. Si aucun nom n’est attribué à la piste, le nom de la bande de canaux vers laquelle la piste est acheminée est utilisé. Vous pouvez renommer les pistes dans les fenêtres Liste des pistes d’arrangement et Table de mixage (voir « Attribution de noms à des pistes » à la page 212 et « Attribution de nouveaux noms de pistes dans la fenêtre de la table de mixage » à la page 645). Configuration des canaux de piste Si vous souhaitez apporter des ajustements aux bandes de canaux audio, vous pouvez les effectuer directement dans la bande de canaux d’arrangement. Vous pouvez également régler la bande de canaux à l’aide de la fenêtre Table de mixage. Pour en savoir plus, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Réglage des niveaux des bandes de canaux » à la page 618. Création d’enregistrements mono ou stéréo Logic Express permet d’effectuer des enregistrements mono ou stéréo. Pour modifier le format d’enregistrement d’un canal : m Cliquez sur le bouton Format de la bande de canaux tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, puis choisissez le format souhaité dans le menu local. Le symbole figurant sur le bouton indique le statut actuel de la manière suivante : Mono Stéréo Gauche Droit 406 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express  Mono : le format d’entrée mono est représenté par un cercle. Le VU-mètre ne contient qu’une seule colonne.  Stéréo : le format d’entrée stéréo est représenté par deux cercles entrelacés. Lorsque le format d’entrée stéréo est sélectionné, le VU-mètre se décompose en deux colonnes indépendantes.  Gauche : deux cercles, dont celui de gauche est plein, indiquent un format d’entrée de canal gauche. Si ce format d’entrée est choisi, seul le canal de gauche est lu pour un fichier audio stéréo. Le VU-mètre ne contient qu’une seule colonne.  Droit : deux cercles, dont celui de droite est plein, indiquent un format d’entrée de canal droit. Si ce format de sortie est choisi, seul le canal de droite est lu pour un fichier audio stéréo. Le VU-mètre ne contient qu’une seule colonne. Activation d’une ou plusieurs pistes pour l’enregistrement Les pistes audio doivent être activées pour l’enregistrement (armées) de façon manuelle avant l’enregistrement, tout comme pour les pistes d’un magnétophone. Le bouton Activer l’enregistrement devient rouge pour indiquer le statut armé des pistes. Vous ne pouvez effectuer des enregistrements audio que sur des pistes armées, quel que soit le nom de piste sélectionné dans la liste des pistes d’arrangement. Si plusieurs pistes d’arrangement sont acheminées vers la même bande de canaux (« Audio 1 », par exemple), le nouveau fichier audio sera enregistré dans la piste sélectionnée (acheminée vers « Audio 1 »). Si aucune piste n’est sélectionnée, l’audio sera enregistré dans la première (plus haute) de ces pistes. Un espace est réservé sur le disque dur pour les pistes armées et n’est plus disponible pour les fichiers d’annulation. De ce fait, Logic Express désactive automatiquement les pistes audio lors des modifications apportées dans l’Éditeur des échantillons, ou si le disque dur est presque plein. Important : vous pouvez seulement utiliser le bouton Activer l’enregistrement sur les pistes audio qui possèdent une entrée unique. Il n’est pas possible d’armer simultanément plusieurs pistes qui utilisent la même entrée (sélectionnées dans le logement d’entrée). Pour activer l’enregistrement sur une ou plusieurs pistes audio, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur le bouton Activer l’enregistrement sur la(les) piste(s) souhaitée(s) dans la liste des pistes. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 407 m Cliquez sur le bouton Activer l’enregistrement pour tous les canaux de piste (dans la table de mixage) sur lesquels vous souhaitez effectuer l’enregistrement. m Sélectionnez la ou les piste(s) de votre choix dans la zone Arrangement et utilisez le raccourci clavier « Enregistrer la piste active ». Remarque : si ces boutons ne sont pas visibles dans la liste des pistes, choisissez Présentation > Configurer l’en-tête de piste. Dans la zone de dialogue, cochez la case Activer l’enregistrement. Si cette case est active mais que la coche n’est pas visible, activez le matériel audio correspondant dans Logic Express > Préférences > Audio > Matériel et gestionnaires audio. Pour désarmer une piste sur laquelle l’enregistrement est activé : m Cliquez une deuxième fois sur le bouton (mis en surbrillance) Activer l’enregistrement, soit dans la liste des pistes, soit dans la table de mixage. Pour désarmer toutes les pistes sur lesquelles l’enregistrement est activé : m Cliquez sur le bouton clignotant Activer l’enregistrement de n’importe quel canal de piste activé pour l’enregistrement. Activation simultanée des enregistrements de piste audio et MIDI Vous pouvez être amené à enregistrer simultanément des pistes audio et MIDI, par exemple pour capturer un enregistrement de groupe en direct avec un synthétiseur qui utilise un ou plusieurs instruments logiciels de Logic Express. Vous pouvez enregistrer simultanément plusieurs pistes MIDI et audio (voir « Enregistrement sur plusieurs pistes MIDI » à la page 431). Remarque : vous pouvez seulement utiliser le bouton Activer l’enregistrement sur les pistes audio qui possèdent une entrée unique. Il n’est pas possible d’armer simultanément plusieurs pistes qui utilisent la même entrée (sélectionnées dans le logement d’entrée). Pour activer plusieurs pistes audio et MIDI en vue de l’enregistrement : 1 Cliquez sur le bouton Activer l’enregistrement correspondant aux pistes audio que vous souhaitez utiliser. 2 Cliquez sur les boutons Activer l’enregistrement correspondant aux pistes MIDI. Création d’un enregistrement audio Logic Express met à votre disposition une variété de modes et de méthodes d’enregistrement, adaptés aux diverses situations auxquelles vous pouvez être confronté et à vos multiples tâches. Ces méthodes sont les suivantes :  Enregistrement standard : armez une piste, puis cliquez sur le bouton Enregistrer de la barre de transport. 408 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express  Enregistrement de prise : semblable à l’enregistrement standard, mais lorsque plusieurs enregistrements d’une même rubrique sont sur une piste unique, ils sont automatiquement compactés dans des « dossiers de prises ».  Enregistrement Punch : vous pouvez utiliser manuellement les méthodes de « punch-in » et de « punch out » à des positions de projet spécifiques, ce qui vous permet d’effectuer des enregistrements sur une région existante.  Enregistrement de remplacement : généralement associé à l’enregistrement Punch, où le nouvel enregistrement remplace l’enregistrement original (ou une partie de celui-ci). Tous les modes d’enregistrement peuvent fonctionner conjointement avec le mode Cycle, ce qui vous permet d’effectuer des enregistrements sur une rubrique continue répétée de votre projet. Enregistrement standard avec un décompte Vous pouvez débuter l’enregistrement à tout moment d’un projet, en réglant la tête de lecture à l’emplacement souhaité. En supposant que les pistes d’enregistrement sont correctement définies (les entrées du matériel audio souhaitées sont connectées, réglées et sélectionnées comme source d’entrée dans le canal) et que la piste est armée : Pour commencer l’enregistrement : m Cliquez sur le bouton Enregistrement dans le menu Transport (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Enregistrer, par défaut : *). Le décompte x défini dans Fichier > Réglages du projet > Enregistrement est entendu. Toute donnée audio présente au cours du décompte est enregistrée. Pendant l’enregistrement, un indicateur de progression affiche le temps d’enregistrement restant et le temps écoulé. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 409 Pour arrêter l’enregistrement : m Cliquez sur le bouton Arrêt dans le menu Transport. Logic Express crée automatiquement une région audio dans la zone Arrangement ainsi qu’une vue d’ensemble du fichier audio. Il s’agit d’un fichier graphique utilisé pour afficher la forme d’onde. Vous pouvez lire le nouvel enregistrement tandis que la vue d’ensemble est en cours de création. Remarque : si vous avez interrompu l’enregistrement (en appuyant sur le bouton Pause), vous pouvez le reprendre en cliquant sur Enregistrement, Pause ou Lecture. L’enregistrement commence au niveau de la position actuelle de la tête de lecture. Commandes d’enregistrement avancées Plusieurs commandes d’enregistrement avancées permettent de rendre le processus d’enregistrement beaucoup plus rapide. Il est conseillé de les utiliser, lorsque cela est possible, au cours de vos sessions d’enregistrement.  Enregistrement : la commande Enregistrement (par défaut) lance l’enregistrement. Si vous l’utilisez en cours d’enregistrement, elle n’a aucun effet et l’enregistrement continue. Vous devez appuyer sur la touche Arrêt pour mettre fin à l’enregistrement (raccourci clavier par défaut : touche astérisque sur le pavé numérique).  Enregistrement/Activation-désactivation de l’enregistrement : si vous utilisez cette commande en cours d’enregistrement, l’enregistrement est temporairement interrompu, mais la lecture continue. Utilisez de nouveau cette commande pour reprendre l’enregistrement à partir de la position actuelle de la tête de lecture.  Enregistrement/Répétition de l’enregistrement : si vous utilisez cette commande en cours d’enregistrement, l’enregistrement en cours est supprimé, la tête de lecture est repositionnée à la position de départ (de l’enregistrement) et un nouvel enregistrement est lancé immédiatement.  Abandonner l’enregistrement et revenir à la dernière position de lecture : ce raccourci clavier abandonne l’enregistrement en cours, supprime les fichiers correspondants du chutier audio et déplace la tête de lecture vers la dernière position de lecture (raccourci clavier par défaut : Command + Point). La différence entre cette commande et la fonction Enregistrement/Répétition de l’enregistrement est qu’elle ne lance pas automatiquement et immédiatement un nouvel enregistrement. Les communications rétroactives sont ainsi autorisées quand Logic Express est arrêté. Vous devez ensuite lancer un nouvel enregistrement (avec n’importe quelle commande d’enregistrement). 410 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Configuration du bouton d’enregistrement dans la barre de transport Vous pouvez remplacer la fonction du bouton Enregistrer de la barre de transport en la faisant passer d’Enregistrement (par défaut) à Activation-désactivation de l’enregistrement ou à Répétition de l’enregistrement. Pour configurer le bouton Enregistrer de la barre de transport : m Cliquez sur le bouton Enregistrer tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, puis choisissez l’option souhaitée dans le menu. La commande active est indiquée par une coche. Enregistrement de prises Logic Express met à votre disposition des fonctionnalités avancées de gestion des prises. Une prise est un morceau (tel qu’un solo de guitare) joué et enregistré plusieurs fois. Vous pouvez, par exemple, enregistrer plusieurs versions consécutives d’un solo et choisir ensuite la meilleure « prise ». Les prises sont généralement créées via un enregistrement en mode cyclique, mais elles peuvent également être créées par un simple enregistrement dans les régions existantes. Les prises constituent également la base des tâches de comping qui consistent à compiler les meilleurs enregistrements (tirés de prises différentes) en une seule « super prise ». Cette compilation sera utilisée comme version finale de votre prise. Pour obtenir des informations complètes sur les accompagnements, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Création d’accompagnements » à la page 420. La préparation de l’enregistrement des prises est identique à celle des enregistrements audio. Aucune configuration spécifique n’est requise. Vous pouvez donc lancer l’enregistrement comme vous le feriez pour un enregistrement audio. Reportez-vous à la rubrique « Enregistrement standard avec un décompte » à la page 408. La première prise apparaît sous forme de région audio, de manière habituelle. Une fois qu’un enregistrement est effectué sur une région existante (par exemple quand la deuxième phase d’un enregistrement cyclique prend fin et que la troisième phase commence, ou quand vous arrêtez l’enregistrement manuellement après la première mesure), un dossier de prise est créé.  L’enregistrement entier (toutes les prises) est stocké sous forme de fichier audio unique. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 411  Le dossier des prises n’occupe qu’une seule piste (mais peut être ouvert - fonction décrite ultérieurement). Remarque : les dossiers de prises sont uniquement créés lorsque le mode de remplacement est désactivé (valeur par défaut). Fonctionnement de l’enregistrement du dossier des prises Cette rubrique décrit comment les prises sont gérées dans les différents cas d’enregistrements. Enregistrement sur une région Lorsque vous effectuez un enregistrement sur une région existante, un dossier de prises est automatiquement créé. La taille de ce dossier est déterminée par la région la plus longue (la région existante ou la région résultant de l’enregistrement). Au cours de l’enregistrement cyclique :  L’arrêt manuel d’un enregistrement au sein de la première mesure de la répétition d’un cycle (si vous interrompez, par exemple, un enregistrement de quatre mesures à la moitié de la première mesure, au niveau de la quatrième passe d’un enregistrement cyclique) provoque la suppression de cette petite rubrique. Logic Express estime que vous avez suspendu l’enregistrement un peu tard et considère donc l’enregistrement comme « accidentel ».  L’arrêt manuel d’un enregistrement après la première mesure de la répétition d’un cycle (si vous interrompez, par exemple, un enregistrement de quatre mesures à la moitié de la deuxième mesure, au niveau de la quatrième passe d’un enregistrement cyclique) crée automatiquement un « accompagnement » constitué de la dernière prise et de l’avant-dernière. 412 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Remarque : les enregistrements de prises durant plus d’une mesure, mais ne couvrant pas la longueur totale du dossier (ou de la région) de prises sont automatiquement « accompagnés ». Enregistrement sur un dossier de prises Lorsque vous effectuez un enregistrement sur un dossier de prises existant, le nouvel enregistrement est ajouté à ce dossier (et sélectionné pour la lecture).  Si le nouvel enregistrement commence plus tôt ou se termine plus tard, le dossier de prises s’étend pour s’adapter à la taille de l’enregistrement.  Si le nouvel enregistrement commence plus tard ou se termine plus tôt, une nouvel accompagnement est créé, composé de la prise ou de l’accompagnement précédent ainsi que du nouvel enregistrement. Enregistrement sur plusieurs dossiers de prises Lorsque vous effectuez un enregistrement sur plusieurs dossiers de prises existants (placés les uns après les autres sur une piste), le nouvel enregistrement est fractionné au début de chaque dossier de prises (après la première prise).  Chaque fraction est alors considérée comme une nouvelle prise dans chaque dossier de prises.  Les dossiers de prises antérieurs sont étendus jusqu’au point de départ du dossier de prises suivant (en cas de blanc entre les dossiers de prises). Ajout d’enregistrements existants aux dossiers de prises Bien qu’il ne s’agisse pas d’une fonction d’enregistrement à proprement parler, vous avez la possibilité de glisser-déposer d’autres enregistrements (régions ou fichiers audio) sur un dossier de prises existant :  Si la région glissée-déposée est de la même longueur que le dossier de prises, elle est ajoutée comme s’il s’agissait d’une nouvelle prise. La nouvelle région est sélectionnée pour la lecture.  Si la région glissée-déposée est plus longue que le dossier de prises, ce dernier est redimensionné. La nouvelle région est sélectionnée pour la lecture.  Si la région glissée-déposée est plus courte que le dossier de prises, un nouvel accompagnement est créé. Ce nouvel accompagnement se compose de la prise ou de l’accompagnement précédent, auquel s’ajoute la nouvelle région. Important : seul un enregistrement peut déclencher la création d’un dossier de prises. Si vous tentez de faire glisser une région vers une autre région initialement importée (et non enregistrée), aucun dossier de prises n’est créé. Vous pouvez toutefois « compacter » un dossier de prises à partir de toute région sélectionnée, qu’elle soit enregistrée ou importée (voir « Compactage d’un dossier des prises » à la page 425). Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 413 Affichage du contenu du dossier de prises Il se peut que vous ayez besoin d’accéder au contenu du dossier de prises lors de l’enregistrement de prises (par exemple, pour supprimer une prise). Pour ouvrir un dossier de prises, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur le triangle d’affichage dans l’angle supérieur gauche d’un dossier de prises. m Double-cliquez sur le dossier de prises. Le contenu du dossier de prises est affiché sur des sous-voies temporaires de la piste d’arrangement, en dessous du dossier de prises proprement dit. Par défaut, la prise sélectionnée est la prise terminée la plus récente (ou la prise la plus complète). La prise sélectionnée sera celle entendue pendant la lecture. Pour sélectionner différentes prises lors de l’affichage d’un dossier de prises ouvert : m Cliquez sur l’en-tête de prise souhaité. 414 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Pour sélectionner différentes prises lors de l’affichage d’un dossier de prises fermé : m Choisissez une prise dans le menu Prise, puis cliquez sur la flèche dans l’angle supérieur droit du dossier de prises pour ouvrir cette prise. Les données de forme d’onde de la prise sélectionnée s’affichent dans le dossier de prises. Création d’accompagnements en temps réel Au cours de l’enregistrement, vous pouvez marquer les bonnes prises, ce qui vous permet d’obtenir un accompagnement parfait dès la fin de l’enregistrement. Pour marquer une bonne prise lors de l’enregistrement : m Utilisez le raccourci clavier Sélectionner la rubrique précédente pour l’accompagnement en temps réel. Une balise (non-visible) est placée dans la prise active, au niveau où le raccourci clavier a été utilisé. Toutes les données audio précédant l’utilisation du raccourci clavier sont marquées comme une bonne prise, qui sera utilisée dans l’accompagnement final. Enregistrement de prise sur plusieurs pistes L’enregistrement (et l’accompagnement) de prise est également possible lorsque vous enregistrez plusieurs prises. En règle générale, les dossiers de prises sur plusieurs pistes sont modifiés séparément, mais ils peuvent être traités en groupe. Ajoutez simplement plusieurs pistes à un groupe de modifications (utilisez le menu Groupe dans les bandes de canaux correspondantes, puis activez la propriété d’édition de groupe. Voir « Définition des réglages de groupe » à la page 631). Les modifications de prises sont ainsi regroupées et synchronisées entre toutes les pistes impliquées. N’importe quel dossier de prises peut être ouvert et toute modification ou accompagnement effectué dans le dossier ouvert est immédiatement reflété dans tous les autres dossiers de prises au même emplacement (sur les pistes du groupe de modifications). Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 415 Il est conseillé de regrouper les prises avant l’enregistrement, ou tout au moins avant l’accompagnement. Vous pouvez également regrouper les pistes après en avoir modifié une ou deux. Cela peut être utile lorsque quelques accompagnements du dossier de prises requièrent une attention particulière, mais toutes les modifications ultérieures sont appliquées à toutes les prises du groupe. Remarque : si vous tentez de modifier l’une des pistes éditées (avant le regroupement), Logic Express vous propose de la supprimer du groupe de modifications. Coloration des prises lors de l’enregistrement Les dossiers de prises sélectionnés (ou les régions de prises dans un dossier de prises ouvert) peuvent être colorés séparément, tout comme les régions et les dossiers standard, lorsque Logic Express n’est pas en cours d’enregistrement. Toutefois, si vous êtes en train d’effectuer un enregistrement, changer la couleur du dossier de prises modifie la couleur de la région de prises (en cours d’enregistrement), mais pas du dossier. Enregistrement Punch L’enregistrement Punch consiste à écraser une partie d’une passage précédemment enregistré tandis que Logic Express est en cours d’exécution, afin de corriger une erreur dans un enregistrement autrement correct. Vous effectuez un « punch in » juste avant l’erreur, puis un « punch out » de l’enregistrement, une fois l’erreur corrigée (écrasée par le nouvel enregistrement). Cela vous permet de lire un enregistrement jusqu’à un certain point, d’effectuer un nouvel enregistrement sur une rubrique de l’original, et de continuer la lecture en continu. La possibilité d’entendre la partie que vous souhaitez remplacer (dans le contexte musical précédent) vous permet de mieux maîtriser votre enregistrement Punch. Dans Logic Express, vous disposez de deux méthodes pour effectuer un enregistrement Punch :  Vous pouvez utiliser un raccourci clavier pour lancer l’enregistrement alors que vous êtes en mode lecture. Cette opération est généralement appelée « enregistrement à la volée ».  Vous pouvez utiliser la fonction Autopunch de Logic Express pour lancer et arrêter l’enregistrement à des points de punch-in et de punch-out prédéfinis. Remarque : l’enregistrement Punch s’applique seulement aux pistes activées pour l’enregistrement. 416 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Enregistrement à la volée La fonction « Enregistrement à la volée » vous permet de lancer l’enregistrement alors que vous êtes en mode lecture, soit en temps réel soit « à la volée ». Cette fonction est techniquement difficile à exécuter pour les enregistreurs sur disque dur, étant donné le délai inévitable généré lorsque vous passez du mode écriture au mode lecture et inversement (lors de la création de fichier, par exemple). Pour éviter ce délai, vous devez activer le mode « Enregistrement à la volée », afin que Logic Express soit prêt pour l’enregistrement à tout moment. En pratique, l’« enregistrement » se produit en arrière-plan à partir du moment où vous commencez la lecture (lorsque le mode « Enregistrement à la volée » est activé). Pour effectuer un « punch in » dans un passage enregistré à la volée : 1 Passez en mode « Enregistrement à la volée » en effectuant l’une des opérations suivantes :  Dans le menu Transport, cliquez sur le bouton Enregistrer tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, puis activez l’option « Enregistrement à la volée » dans le menu local.  Choisissez Options > Audio > Enregistrement à la volée dans la barre des menus principale (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier « Activer/Désactiver l’enregistrement à la volée »). 2 Commencez la lecture et utilisez le raccourci clavier Activer/désactiver l’enregistrement au niveau où vous souhaitez commencer l’enregistrement. L’enregistrement audio commence immédiatement. Il peut être suspendu à tout moment, en appuyant sur le bouton Arrêt ou en utilisant de nouveau le raccourci clavier Activer/désactiver l’enregistrement. Si vous utilisez cette dernière option, l’enregistrement s’arrête mais la lecture se poursuit. Remarque : vous pouvez également utiliser le raccourci clavier Activer/désactiver l’enregistrement lorsque Logic Express n’est pas en mode « Enregistrement à la volée ». Néanmoins, il existe alors un léger délai lorsque vous basculez entre les modes lecture et enregistrement. Enregistrement Punch pré-programmé Autopunch décrit l’activation et la désactivation automatiques de l’enregistrement à des points prédéfinis. L’avantage de la fonction Autopunch est que vous pouvez vous concentrer sur la lecture plutôt que sur le contrôle de Logic Express. Un autre avantage est que le lancement et l’arrêt de l’enregistrement peuvent être définis de façon beaucoup plus précise que si vous activez et désactivez le mode enregistrement manuellement. La fonction Autopunch peut être utilisée pour les pistes audio, instrumentales ou MIDI. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 417 Pour effectuer un enregistrement en mode Autopunch : 1 Activez le bouton Autopunch dans le menu Transport. Les locators droit et gauche d’Autopunch sont utilisés comme points de punch-in et de punch-out. La zone d’enregistrement Autopunch est indiquée par une bande rouge au milieu de la règle Mesure. Si les modes Cycle et Autopunch sont tous deux activés, une paire de locators s’affiche dans la zone Autopunch. Deux bandes s’affichent dans le trait de mesure ; la bande supérieure (verte) représente la zone Cycle et la bande inférieure (rouge) représente la zone Autopunch. Ces bandes peuvent être réglées séparément. 2 Réglez la zone Autopunch en effectuant l’une des opérations suivantes :  Utilisez les champs du locator Autopunch pour régler la zone Autopunch de façon numérique. Notez que le réglage Fréquence d’échantillonnage ou locators Punch de la zone de dialogue « Personnaliser la barre de transport » doit être activé pour que vous puissiez afficher et régler les locators Autopunch (à droite des locators standard).  Autopunch s’affiche graphiquement dans la règle Mesure, tout comme cela se produit pour les cycles. 3 Placez la tête de lecture à n’importe quelle position avant le point de punch-in. 4 Commencez l’enregistrement. 5 Arrêtez l’enregistrement. Une région correspondant exactement à la longueur de la bande Autopunch est créée. Toute entrée audio reçue avant le point de punch-in ou après le point de punch-out est diffusée dans Logic Express de manière habituelle, mais n’est pas enregistrée. Logic Express commence l’enregistrement environ une mesure avant le locator punch-in. Le point de départ de la région peut ainsi être ajusté ultérieurement, ce qui vous permet d’écouter la zone de départ, si vous le souhaitez. 418 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Vous pouvez également rétablir le début de l’enregistrement si l’interprète anticipe légèrement la zone d’Autopunch. De tels ajustements dans la zone de départ ne modifient pas la position de l’enregistrement par rapport à l’axe temporel du projet. L’enregistrement commence automatiquement au niveau du locator punch-in, après le décompte, même si la tête de lecture est placée après le locator droit lorsque l’enregistrement commence. Si Autopunch est activé pendant l’enregistrement, le bouton Enregistrer clignote lorsque la tête de lecture se trouve hors de la zone comprise entre les locators de punch in/out. Cela indique qu’aucun enregistrement n’est en cours. Combinaison des enregistrements Cycle et Autopunch Si vous souhaitez améliorer un morceau difficile d’un certain passage, vous pouvez utiliser une combinaison des fonctions Cycle et Autopunch. L’enregistrement en mode Cycle vous permet de vous entraîner autant que vous le souhaitez avant la prise finale. À chaque phase du cycle, seuls les événements ou les données audio compris dans la bande Autopunch sont enregistrés. Vous pouvez ainsi utiliser la rubrique précédente du morceau pour trouver votre rythme. Enregistrement en mode Cycle d’omission Si le mode Cycle d’omission est activé, la zone du cycle est ignorée lors de l’enregistrement. Enregistrement en mode Remplacement En mode Remplacement, les données qui viennent d’être enregistrées sont stockées dans une nouvelle région, comme pour un enregistrement standard. En outre, toute région existante sur la piste cible est coupée au niveau des points de punch-in et de punch-out de l’enregistrement, et les données comprises entre ces points sont supprimées. Pour activer le mode Remplacement : m Activez le bouton Remplacement dans le menu Transport. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 419 Combinaison des enregistrements Cycle et Remplacement Lorsque vous effectuez un enregistrement cyclique en mode Remplacement, les régions existantes (ou des parties de ces régions) sont supprimées uniquement lors de la première phase du cycle (du point de punch-in au point de punch-out ou à la fin du cycle). Au début de la deuxième phase du cycle, l’enregistrement se poursuit mais aucune région (ou partie de région) n’est supprimée. Si vous souhaitez remplacer la fin d’une région existante, vous n’avez pas besoin d’arrêter l’enregistrement avant le début de la deuxième phase du cycle : le début de la région existante reste intact. Gestion des enregistrements audio Après avoir effectué un ou plusieurs enregistrements, vous pouvez envisager d’en supprimer, d’en fusionner certains ou de créer un accompagnement à partir de plusieurs prises. Les opérations de ce type sont souvent effectuées immédiatement après l’enregistrement. La modification des régions et les tâches d’arrangement sont traitées dans le chapitre 13, « Création de votre arrangement ». Remarque sur les enregistrements tempo et audio Les enregistrements audio effectués dans un projet donné peuvent suivre le tempo du projet. Pour cela, activez la case Suivre le tempo dans la zone Paramètres de région (pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Utilisation de la fonction Suivre le tempo » à la page 598). Remarque : l’option Suivre le tempo n’est pas disponible pour les dossiers de prises. Si vous souhaitez qu’un enregistrement de dossier de prises suive le tempo du projet, vous devez le mettre au même niveau et le fusionner (voir « Mise sur un seul niveau et fusion » à la page 424). Il est impossible d’ajuster automatiquement au tempo du projet les régions audio créées au sein d’un autre projet ou les fichiers audio importés depuis une autre application (la case Suivre le tempo n’est pas affichée dans la zone Paramètres de région). 420 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Ces fichiers audio possèdent une fréquence de lecture fixe et peuvent uniquement être adaptés aux nouveaux tempos, via l’une des méthodes suivantes :  Étirement temporel ou compression des fichiers (ou des régions) : les algorithmes de compression/expansion du temps fournis dans Logic Express ne permettent de faire correspondre les données audio aux nouveaux tempos que si les différences de tempo sont relativement faibles. Lorsque vous souhaitez modifier de façon importante le tempo de vos enregistrements, la qualité audio risque d’en souffrir (reportez-vous à la rubrique « Étirement temporel de régions » à la page 598).  Conversion des fichiers audio en fichiers Apple Loop. Ce type de fichier rend plus faciles les tâches de transposition et d’étirement temporel (voir chapitre 28, « Création de boucles Apple Loops » à la page 687). Suppression d’enregistrements audio La suppression d’une région audio est traitée différemment pour les fichiers enregistrés dans la session en cours et pour ceux importés d’une session antérieure. Pour supprimer une région audio que vous avez enregistrée après l’ouverture du projet : m Sélectionnez la région audio, puis appuyez sur la touche Retour. Une zone de dialogue vous demande si vous souhaitez également effacer le fichier audio correspondant. Cela permet d’économiser l’espace sur le disque dur utilisé par les mauvaises prises et les enregistrements non souhaités. Pour supprimer un enregistrement audio effectué avant la session en cours : m Sélectionnez la région audio, puis appuyez sur la touche Retour. Seule la région audio est supprimée de l’arrangement, pas le fichier audio (du chutier audio). Aucune zone de dialogue n’apparaît. Cela vous permet d’éviter de supprimer accidentellement des enregistrements pouvant être utilisés dans d’autres projets. Si vous souhaitez effectivement supprimer le fichier audio correspondant du disque dur, choisissez Fichier audio > Supprimer fichier(s) dans le chutier Audio. Les fichiers audio supprimés restent dans la Corbeille jusqu’à ce que vous la vidiez. Création d’accompagnements L’action de compiler différentes rubriques de différentes prises est appelée « accompagnement » ou « comping ». Logic Express fournit des options spéciales qui simplifient considérablement la méthode d’édition standard, car elles permettent de créer des accompagnements sans avoir à couper ou à rendre silencieuses les pistes et les régions. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 421 Les différentes rubriques de prise d’un accompagnement font automatiquement l’objet d’un fondu, en fonction des réglages de fondu enchaîné par défaut. Ces réglages sont définis dans l’onglet des préférences audio générales. Vous pouvez rapidement ouvrir cet onglet à l’aide du raccourci clavier Fondus enchaînés pour la fusion et l’accompagnement de prises. En règle générale, vous devez double-cliquer sur un dossier de prises pour l’ouvrir et le modifier. Vous pouvez également effectuer plusieurs opérations de modification d’accompagnement lorsque le dossier de prises est fermé (voir ci-après). Pour compiler des rubriques de différentes prises, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Dans un dossier de prises ouvert, sélectionnez les rubriques de prises souhaitées en utilisant la fonction cliquer-déposer avec l’outil Pointeur. Avec la nouvelle fonction d’accompagnement par glissement rapide de Logic Express, le fait de sélectionner une rubrique d’une prise désélectionne automatiquement cette même rubrique dans toutes les autres prises. Une seule prise d’un dossier de prises peut être lue à n’importe quel point temporel. La piste supérieure du dossier de prises s’affiche dans la présentation de forme d’onde composée de toutes les rubriques de prises sélectionnées. Les lignes verticales de la présentation de forme d’onde indiquent les transitions entre les différentes prises. 422 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express m Dans un dossier de prises fermé, vous pouvez rapidement remplacer une rubrique de prise. Pour cela, cliquez sur la rubrique du dossier tout en maintenant la touche Contrôle enfoncée, puis choisissez une prise différente dans le menu local. Important : avant d’effectuer une modification dans un accompagnement, il est conseillé de l’enregistrer (voir ci-après). Toutes les modifications ultérieures créent automatiquement un nouvel accompagnement. Pour modifier un accompagnement : m Modifiez les bordures des rubriques de prises existantes en cliquant sur les points de début et de fin et en les faisant glisser (l’icône de changement de longueur s’affiche). Lorsque vous étendez une rubrique (en déplaçant le début vers la gauche ou la fin vers la droite), les sélections adjacentes des autres prises sont automatiquement raccourcies. Lorsque vous raccourcissez une rubrique (en déplaçant le début vers la droite ou la fin vers la gauche), les sélections adjacentes des autres prises sont automatiquement étendues. Cela permet de garantir que vous ne créez aucun silence entre les différentes rubriques. Si vous faites glisser une extrémité tout en appuyant sur la touche Maj, la rubrique est raccourcie mais les rubriques adjacentes des différentes prises ne sont pas étendues. Le curseur prend alors la forme de pointeur Redimensionner. Cela vous permet de créer des ruptures (silences entre les différentes rubriques). Π Conseil : vous pouvez écouter vos modifications d’accompagnement en temps réel, en créant un cycle qui s’étend sur la durée du dossier d’accompagnement et en lançant la lecture. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 423 Pour déplacer la zone d’accompagnement sélectionnée vers la gauche ou vers la droite : m Cliquez sur la compilation et faites-la glisser (une icône de flèche à double sens s’affiche). Pour déplacer une zone d’accompagnement sélectionnée vers une autre prise : m Cliquez sur la forme d’onde d’une zone non sélectionnée pour déplacer l’accompagnement existant d’une autre prise. Il s’agit d’un moyen rapide pour comparer une zone d’accompagnement sur une prise avec la même zone d’accompagnement sur une autre prise. Pour retirer une sélection d’accompagnement : m Cliquez sur l’accompagnement en appuyant sur la touche Maj. Pour retirer toutes les rubriques d’accompagnement d’une prise : m Cliquez sur l’en-tête de région d’une prise en appuyant sur la touche Maj. Si la prise ne contient aucune sélection d’accompagnement, toutes les zones non sélectionnées des autres prises sont sélectionnées dans la prise sur laquelle vous avez cliqué. Pour retirer une prise entière d’un dossier de prises, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Sélectionnez la prise en cliquant sur l’en-tête de piste correspondant, puis choisissez Supprimer la prise dans le menu du dossier des prises (ou appuyez sur la touche Retour). m Cliquez sur la prise avec l’outil Gomme. Pour stocker une accompagnement, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Fermez le dossier de prises en cliquant sur le triangle d’affichage correspondant dans l’angle supérieur gauche. m Choisissez Nouvel accompagnement dans le menu Dossier des prises. L’accompagnement est stocké dans le menu Prises et accompagnement (et reçoit par défaut le nom « Accompagnement nn »). Pour renommer un accompagnement ou une prise : m Choisissez Renommer l’accompagnement ou Renommer la prise (selon que vous sélectionnez un accompagnement ou une prise) dans le menu Prises et accompagnements. Tapez le nom souhaité dans la zone de dialogue qui s’affiche. 424 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Gestion des dossiers de prises La rubrique suivante présente un certain nombre de commandes pouvant être exécutées sur les dossiers de prises. Ces commandes n’ont aucun effet sur la lecture mais s’appliquent aux options d’édition. Mise sur un seul niveau et fusion Le menu Dossier des prises, accessible en cliquant sur la flèche dans l’angle supérieur droit du dossier des prises, vous permet de mettre sur un seul niveau et de fusionner les dossiers de prises.  Mettre sur un seul niveau : remplace le dossier des prises par les régions qui représentent les sélections d’accompagnement en cours. Cette option vous permet de déplacer des rubriques distinctes plus près ou plus loin dans le temps.  Mettre sur un seul niveau et fusionner : crée un fichier audio qui remplace le dossier des prises dans l’arrangement. Le nouveau fichier audio a exactement la même taille que le dossier des prises, quelle que soit la position de départ de la première région ou la position de fin de la dernière région). Remarque : il n’est pas possible de fusionner les dossiers de prises comme on fusionne des régions (avec l’outil Colle, par exemple). Si c’était le cas, le nombre de prises et d’accompagnements se multiplierait et les modifications seraient plus difficiles, voire inutilisables. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 425 Ouverture de dossiers de prise dans l’Éditeur des échantillons Il est possible d’ouvrir des régions de prise dans l’Éditeur des échantillons, mais elles sont verrouillées. Il est donc impossible de déplacer le point d’ancrage ou de redéfinir les points de début et de fin. De telles opérations rendront impossible le contrôle du temps si elles sont effectuées dans l’Éditeur des échantillons. En revanche, vous pouvez ajuster les modifications des points de début et de fin dans l’arrangement, lorsque vous effectuez un zoom avant. La synchronisation des différentes rubriques peut être ajustée une fois que le dossier des prises a été « mis sur un seul niveau ». Compactage d’un dossier des prises Dans le menu Arrangement, choisissez Région > Dossier > Compacter le dossier des prises afin de créer un dossier de prises pour plusieurs régions sélectionnées. Chaque région apparaît sous forme de prise individuelle dans le dossier de prises généré.  Si les régions sélectionnées se trouvent sur différentes pistes (qui utilisent différentes bandes de canaux), le résultat de lecture risque d’être différent (un dossier de prises utilise une seule bande de canaux). La bande de canal (et la piste) de la piste compactée la plus haute est utilisée pour la lecture du dossier des prises. Si le son est désactivé sur la piste la plus haute, la prochaine piste sur laquelle le son n’est pas désactivé sera utilisée pour la lecture.  Si les régions sélectionnées sont placées l’une après l’autre sur une même piste, le dossier des prises sera attribué par défaut à un accompagnement créé automatiquement. La lecture n’est pas modifiée. Si une seule région est « compactée », elle est sélectionnée en tant que prise et aucun accompagnement n’est créé. Dans les cas où le nouveau dossier de prises chevauche d’autres régions (initialement non sélectionnées, ce qui risque de modifier le résultat de la lecture de ces régions), Logic Express crée une nouvelle piste audio pour le dossier des prises. Décompactage des dossiers de prises Le menu Arrangement propose les deux commandes suivantes :  Région > Dossier > Décompacter le dossier des prises  Région > Dossier > Décompacter le dossier des prises en nouvelles pistes Ces commandes sont également disponibles dans le menu Dossier des prises. Elles n’affectent que ce dossier, pas tous les dossiers de prises sélectionnés. Ces deux commandes remplacent les dossiers de prises sélectionnés (ou tous les dossiers de prises) par de nouvelles pistes audio pour chaque prise et chaque accompagnement. L’ordre des prises et des accompagnements affiché dans le menu du dossier des prises est illustré par l’ordre des pistes. 426 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express La commande de décompactage utilise la même bande de canal (initiale) pour toutes les nouvelles pistes. Le son est désactivé sur toutes les régions de prises ou d’accompagnement (sauf celle initialement activée), afin de garantir que le résultat de la lecture n’est pas modifié. La commande Nouvelles pistes utilise des bandes de canaux différentes pour chaque nouvelle piste, mais leur attribue automatiquement le réglage de la bande de canaux initiale. Le son n’est désactivé sur aucune prise/aucun accompagnement : tous sont joués simultanément. Encore une fois, cela garantit que le résultat de la lecture n’est pas modifié. Enregistrement MIDI Les régions MIDI sont utilisées sur les instruments (logiciels) et les pistes MIDI externes. Les régions MIDI sont enregistrées en temps réel ou à l’aide de méthodes d’« entrée pas à pas ». Pour enregistrer des régions MIDI dans Logic Express, vous devez effectuer l’une des opérations suivantes :  Connecter un clavier MIDI à votre ordinateur. Pour plus d’informations, veuillez vous reporter à la rubrique « Connexion des modules et des claviers MIDI » à la page 99.  Activer le clavier avec verrouillage des majuscules en appuyant sur la touche Verrouillage majuscules. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Utilisation du clavier avec verrouillage majuscules » à la page 439.  Vous pouvez également utiliser l’entrée MIDI pas à pas pour « enregistrer » des notes dans Logic Express, une par une. Pour en savoir plus, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Enregistrement MIDI avec entrée pas-à-pas » à la page 433. L’enregistrement MIDI fonctionne de manière similaire à l’enregistrement audio. Quelques différences seulement sont à prendre en compte. Ces différences sont présentées dans les rubriques suivantes. Les informations d’ordre général sur l’enregistrement, telles que les commandes d’enregistrement, la configuration du bouton Enregistrer dans la barre de transport, le réglage des décomptes, etc., sont décrites dans la rubrique « Enregistrement audio », à la page 395. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 427 Enregistrement de régions MIDI en temps réel Vous pouvez enregistrer une seule région MIDI ou plusieurs régions de prises MIDI sur une piste. Si vous enregistrez plusieurs régions de prises MIDI, vous pouvez les vérifier après l’enregistrement et les utiliser lorsque cela est approprié. Vous pouvez également assembler une région MIDI composée en utilisant des segments de plusieurs régions MIDI. Vous pouvez aussi enregistrer simultanément plusieurs régions MIDI sur plusieurs pistes MIDI. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Enregistrement sur plusieurs pistes MIDI » à la page 431. Pour enregistrer une seule région MIDI : 1 Sélectionnez l’instrument ou la piste MIDI externe à utiliser pour l’enregistrement. Remarque : ces types de pistes sont automatiquement activés pour l’enregistrement lorsqu’ils sont sélectionnés. 2 Placez la tête de lecture sur le point où vous souhaitez commencer l’enregistrement. 3 Si vous souhaitez entendre le métronome lors de l’enregistrement, cliquez sur le bouton Métronome de la barre de transport tout en appuyant sur la touche Contrôle, puis activez le réglage Clic pendant l’enregistrement dans le menu. Pour plus d’informations sur l’utilisation du métronome, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Réglage du métronome » à la page 399. 4 Cliquez sur le bouton Enregistrer dans la barre de transport (ou appuyez sur la touche astérisque du pavé numérique, le raccourci clavier par défaut pour l’enregistrement) afin de lancer l’enregistrement. L’enregistrement commence au niveau de la position de la tête de lecture (suivant un décompte, si l’option est activée dans les réglages du projet d’enregistrement) et se termine lorsque vous cliquez sur le bouton d’arrêt ou sur le bouton de lecture. Une région MIDI est créée sur la piste sélectionnée. La région MIDI commence au début de la mesure dans laquelle le premier événement a été enregistré, et se termine à la fin de la mesure dans laquelle le dernier enregistrement a été enregistré. Vous pouvez modifier la piste de l’enregistrement, sans arrêter l’enregistrement : sélectionnez simplement une nouvelle piste avec la souris, ou utilisez le raccourci clavier « Sélectionner la piste précédente » ou « Sélectionner la piste suivante » (touches attribuées par défaut : flèche vers le haut et vers le bas). 428 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Pour enregistrer plusieurs prises MIDI en mode Cycle : 1 Ouvrez les réglages du projet Enregistrement en procédant de l’une des manières suivantes :  Choisissez Fichier > Réglages du projet > Enregistrement (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Ouvrir les réglages du projet Enregistrement, par défaut : Option + Astérisque)  Cliquez sur le bouton Réglages dans la barre d’outils Arrangement, puis choisissez Enregistrement dans le menu. 2 Choisissez « Créer des dossiers de prises » dans le menu Enregistrements superposés (voir « Fonctionnement de l’enregistrement de prises MIDI » à la page 429). 3 Définissez un cycle en le faisant glisser de la gauche vers la droite dans la règle de mesure de l’arrangement (ou utilisez les champs des locators dans le menu Transport). 4 Commencez l’enregistrement. 5 Laissez Logic Express fonctionner. Une fois que vous avez atteint la limite de cycle droite, la tête de lecture se repositionne à la limite de cycle gauche. Logic Express crée un nouveau dossier de prises MIDI. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 429 Une nouvelle piste de prise est automatiquement créée dans le dossier des prises pour chaque répétition du cycle. Lors de l’enregistrement, le son est automatiquement désactivé sur chaque piste de prise précédente. Lorsque vous arrêtez l’enregistrement, vous pouvez écouter chacune des prises, en les sélectionnant dans le dossier des prises. Fonctionnement de l’enregistrement de prises MIDI Le fait d’activer l’option « Créer des dossiers de prises » dans le menu Enregistrements superposés a les effets suivants :  L’enregistrement sur une région MIDI existante crée un dossier de prises MIDI.  L’enregistrement sur un dossier de prises MIDI existant ajoute une prise MIDI à ce dossier.  L’enregistrement sur plusieurs régions MIDI existantes fusionne ces régions (par piste) avant de créer le dossier des prises. Toutes les régions MIDI existantes s’affichent comme première prise, tandis que les nouveaux enregistrements s’affichent comme deuxième prise, troisième prise, etc.  L’enregistrement sur plusieurs dossiers de prises MIDI existants met chacun de ces dossiers sur un même niveau, les fusionne par piste, puis crée un nouveau dossier de prises (qui s’étend sur la durée cumulée de tous les dossiers de prises). Toutes les données existant avant l’enregistrement sont affichées comme étant la première prise, alors que les enregistrements suivants apparaissent comme la deuxième prise, la troisième prise, etc. Remarque : toutes les prises qui n’ont pas été lues dans les dossiers de prises (et qui existaient avant l’enregistrement) sont perdues, bien que l’annulation soit impossible. Seul l’enregistrement effectif d’événements MIDI permet de déterminer s’ils se chevauchent. Par exemple : vous effectuez un enregistrement sur les dossiers des prises 1, 2 et 3 existants. Vous ne lisez aucun événement MIDI avant le début, ni après la fin du dossier des prises 2. Votre nouvel enregistrement est donc ajouté au dossier des prises 2, comme étant la prise suivante. Logic Express tolère même des événements Note désactivée au cours de la première mesure du dossier des prises 3, sans fusionner les dossiers des prises (2 et 3). Important : les dossiers des prises MIDI ne disposent pas de la fonctionnalité d’accompagnement pour les dossiers des prises audio. Le menu Dossier des prises MIDI ne propose pas les commandes Nouvel accompagnement et « Mettre sur un seul niveau et fusionner ». Pour en savoir plus sur les autres commandes du menu Dossier des prises MIDI, reportez vous aux rubriques « Compactage d’un dossier des prises » à la page 425 et « Mise sur un seul niveau et fusion » à la page 424. 430 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Enregistrement dans une région MIDI ou remplacement d’une région MIDI sélectionnée Vous pouvez intégrer les données récemment enregistrées dans une région MIDI existante (et sélectionnée). Cette option fonctionne à la fois en mode d’enregistrement normal et en mode d’enregistrement cyclique. Pour combiner plusieurs prises d’enregistrement en une seule région MIDI : m Choisissez l’option « Enregistrements superposés : fusionner avec les régions sélectionnées » dans l’onglet Fichier > Réglages du projet > Enregistrement. Pour remplacer des événements dans l’enregistrement d’une région MIDI : m Choisissez l’option « Enregistrements superposés : fusionner avec les régions sélectionnées » dans l’onglet Fichier > Réglages du projet > Enregistrement, puis activez le bouton Remplacer du menu Transport. Cette opération remplace les événements des régions MIDI existantes (et sélectionnées) par les événements récemment enregistrés. Vous pouvez également utiliser la combinaison fusion/remplacement conjointement avec les fonctions Autopunch et Cycle. Pour limiter la fusion au mode Cycle : m Choisissez l’option « Enregistrements superposés : fusionner seulement dans l’enregistrement cyclique » dans l’onglet Fichier > Réglages du projet > Enregistrement. L’enregistrement de la région MIDI conserve son fonctionnement habituel et de nouvelles régions sont créées pour chaque enregistrement. Toutefois, lorsque le bouton Cycle est activé dans le menu Transport, tous les enregistrements de région MIDI a boutissent à une seule région fusionnée. Enregistrement rétrospectif de régions MIDI Si vous avez joué un solo satisfaisant au cours de la lecture mais que vous n’étiez pas en mode enregistrement, ne vous inquiétez pas. Utilisez simplement le raccourci clavier Capturer comme enregistrement. Tous les événements que vous avez joué (après le dernier changement de tête de lecture) sont ainsi ajoutés à la région MIDI enregistrée, comme si vous étiez en mode enregistrement. Remarque : si vous déplacez la tête de lecture avant d’exécuter cette commande, le prochain événement entrant supprimera tous les événements précédemment joués (et votre solo sera définitivement perdu). Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 431 Enregistrement sur plusieurs pistes MIDI Vous pouvez occasionnellement souhaiter enregistrer plusieurs pistes MIDI en même temps. Il s’agit souvent de données enregistrées depuis un séquenceur externe ou lues sur un clavier divisé entre plusieurs canaux MIDI. Vous pouvez également simplement lire les données d’un même canal MIDI à partir de votre clavier, mais les enregistrer sur plusieurs pistes. Vous pouvez par exemple être amené à utiliser ces fonctions pour créer des morceaux avec des instruments superposés. Pour enregistrer des régions sur plusieurs pistes MIDI : m Cliquez sur le bouton Activer l’enregistrement correspondant aux pistes sur lesquelles vous souhaitez effectuer l’enregistrement. Remarque : si vous sélectionnez une piste instrumentale ou MIDI externe qui n’est pas activée pour l’enregistrement, l’enregistrement est désactivé pour toutes les autres pistes instrumentales ou MIDI externes. En revanche, cela ne s’applique pas aux pistes audio activées pour l’enregistrement. Il existe deux modes de fonctionnement pour l’enregistrement simultané de plusieurs pistes MIDI : l’enregistrement de type Superposition ou Multi-lecteurs.  Au cours d’un enregistrement par superposition : les événements MIDI entrants sont transférés à toutes les pistes MIDI activées pour l’enregistrement. Vous pouvez écouter tous les instruments sélectionnés avant et pendant l’enregistrement.  Une région MIDI est créée sur la piste sélectionnée après l’enregistrement.  Les alias de la région MIDI sur la piste sélectionnée sont enregistrés sur les autres pistes. L’avantage de cette approche est que toutes les modifications ultérieures apportées à la région MIDI « parent » s’appliqueront à tous les alias ; cela garantit que toutes les pistes superposées resteront identiques.  Au cours d’un enregistrement multi-lecteurs : les événements MIDI entrants sont transférés aux différentes pistes activées pour l’enregistrement, en fonction des numéros des canaux MIDI transmis.  Le canal de l’événement entrant doit correspondre au canal d’une piste sur laquelle l’enregistrement est activé pour que cette fonctionnalité puisse être exécutée.  Si aucune piste avec le numéro de canal correspondant n’est détectée, l’événement est dirigé, puis enregistré sur la piste sélectionnée. Il est conseillé de vérifier que chacun de vos contrôleurs MIDI transmet les données sur les différents canaux. Si cela n’est pas possible, utilisez simplement différentes entrées sur votre interface MIDI et modifiez le canal MIDI pour chaque entrée, en utilisant un objet Transformateur entre l’entrée physique et l’entrée du séquenceur (reportez-vous à la rubrique « Objets Entrée Physique et Entrée Séquenceur » à la page 1002). 432 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Pour passer du mode d’enregistrement Superposition (par défaut) au mode Multi-lecteurs : m Accédez à l’option Fichier > Réglages du projet > Enregistrement > « Démixer automatiquement par canal si enregistrement multi-pistes ». Passage du mode Instrument au mode Live pour les instruments logiciels Lorsque vous sélectionnez une piste d’instrument (logiciel), celle-ci ne passe pas immédiatement en mode Live ou Performances. Vous devez envoyer un événement MIDI pour activer le mode Live ; il faut toutefois environ 100 millisecondes pour que l’opération prenne effet, ce qui suffit à anéantir la synchronisation de la note lue en premier. S’il est nécessaire que la première note lue soit parfaitement synchronisée, vous devez envoyer des événements MIDI silencieux à l’avance ; par exemple, appuyez sur la pédale Sustain ou faites bouger légèrement la roulette de modulation de hauteur. Cela vous permet de passer en mode Live. Pour plus d’informations, reportez-vous à la rubrique « Nécessité du mode Live » à la page 273. Filtrage de l’entrée MIDI Le protocole MIDI peut contenir une grande variété de messages MIDI, au-delà des messages de début de note et de fin de note. Ces messages comportent également des informations sur le contrôleur, telles que les commandes de modulation de tonalité, la modulation et la commande Aftertouch (pression). Dans certaines situations, il se peut que vous ne souhaitiez pas enregistrer toutes les informations envoyées par vos contrôleurs MIDI. Pour cela, vous pouvez utiliser plusieurs « filtres MIDI » qui vous permettront de définir quels types d’événements seront acceptés ou rejetés à l’entrée du séquenceur. Pour filtrer les événements MIDI entrants : 1 Choisissez Fichier > Réglages du projet > MIDI, puis cliquez sur l’onglet Filtre d’entrée. 2 Activez les cases à cocher correspondant aux types d’événements MIDI que vous souhaitez filtrer au niveau de l’entrée du séquenceur Logic Express. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 433 Désactivation de la fonction MIDI Thru Lorsqu’une piste d’instrument MIDI externe est sélectionnée dans la fenêtre Arrangement, son bouton Activer l’enregistrement est automatiquement activé et l’instrument transmet tous les événements à l’ordinateur (via la fonction MIDI Thru). Pour désactiver la fonction MIDI Thru, il vous suffit de désactiver le bouton Activer l’enregistrement. Dans certaines situations toutefois, vous souhaitez effectuer un enregistrement sur une piste qui n’est pas automatiquement acheminée vers un port MIDI. Par exemple, cela peut se produire lorsque vous effectuez un transfert système exclusif (SyEx) à l’aide d’un périphérique. Alors que de nombreux périphériques MIDI requièrent une connexion MIDI bidirectionnelle (en entrée et en sortie) pour ce type de communication, certains périphériques risquent de traiter les données entrantes (transférées par la fonction MIDI Thru de Logic Express) de manière étonnante. Vous risquez alors de perdre des données. Si vous souhaitez enregistrer une image mémoire à partir d’un périphérique qui réagit de façon inadéquate avec une connexion bidirectionnelle, désactivez la fonction MIDI Thru de l’instrument. Pour associer un instrument à une fonction MIDI Thru désactivée en permanence : 1 Ouvrez le menu Fichier > Réglages du projet > MIDI > Général. 2 Choisissez un instrument dans le menu Instrument sans fonction MIDI Thru. Enregistrement MIDI avec entrée pas-à-pas Les fonctions Entrée pas à pas vous permettent d’insérer des notes MIDI lorsque Logic Express n’est pas en mode d’enregistrement en temps réel. Cette fonction vous permet de créer des exécutions de notes qui peuvent être trop rapides pour êtres lues, ou pour répliquer des partitions, mais vous ne pouvez pas effectuer de lecture à vue. Vous pouvez utiliser une ou plusieurs des fonctions suivantes pour l’entrée pas-à-pas :  Clavier d’entrée pas à pas  Raccourcis clavier du clavier d’entrée  Clavier MIDI  Clavier de l’ordinateur (clavier avec verrouillage majuscules) Les notes sont insérées au niveau de la position actuelle de la tête de lecture, à l’aide de tous les modes d’entrée. Il est possible, et conseillé, de combiner ces méthodes pour tirer le meilleur parti des fonctions proposées par chaque option. Par exemple : vous pouvez définir la durée de la note dans la fenêtre « Clavier d’entrée pas à pas », insérer des notes via un clavier MIDI et définir la position de la tête de lecture à l’aide des raccourcis clavier. 434 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Utilisez la souris pour vous familiariser avec le clavier d’entrée pas à pas. Pour l’exploiter au mieux, vous devrez néanmoins apprendre à utiliser les raccourcis clavier d’entrée pas à pas. Ceux-ci fournissent de nombreuses options de navigation et de saisie de notes, comme l’insertion de pas avant/arrière et de silence, qui ne sont pas disponibles dans le clavier d’entrée pas à pas. Reportez-vous à la rubrique « Entrée pas à pas avec les raccourcis clavier » à la page 436. Activation du mode d’entrée MIDI pas à pas Le mode MIDI avec entrée pas à pas est disponible dans la liste des événements, le clavier du piano et les éditeurs de partitions. Pour activer le mode « Entrée pas à pas » : m Cliquez sur le bouton en regard de la barre de menu local de la liste des événements, du clavier du piano ou de l’éditeur de partition. Relâchez le bouton pour quitter le mode « Entrée pas à pas ». Utilisation du clavier d’entrée pas à pas Vous pouvez ouvrir la fenêtre « Clavier d’entrée pas à pas » à l’aide du menu Options > Clavier d’entrée pas à pas.  Touches : cliquez pour insérer une note de la tonalité souhaitée. La barre d’insertion située au-dessus du clavier est mise à jour pour afficher l’octave sélectionnée.  Boutons Durée de la note et Vélocité : déterminent la durée ou la vélocité de la note insérée. Il existe huit valeurs de vélocité, représentées par les indicateurs de volume traditionnels : ppp, pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff et fff. Ces indicateurs correspondent aux valeurs de vélocité MIDI 16, 32, 48, 64, 80, 96, 112, et 127 respectivement. Bouton Durée de la note Bouton Point Bouton Triolet Bouton Bouton Accord Vélocité Bouton Maintenir la note insérée Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 435  Bouton Triolet : cliquez sur ce bouton pour que les trois prochaines notes saisies forment un triolet. La valeur rythmique du triolet se base sur la valeur de la note actuellement sélectionnée.  Bouton Point : fonctionne comme le bouton Triolet. Une paire de notes complémentaires est insérée : une croche pointée et une double croche, par exemple.  Bouton « Maintenir la note insérée » : allonge la durée de la note sélectionnée (généralement la dernière note insérée) de la valeur de durée de note sélectionnée (bouton Durée de la note actif ).  Bouton Quantifier : quantifie le début de la prochaine note insérée par rapport à la mesure ou à la ligne de temps la plus proche. Lorsque vous utilisez cette option, le placement de la tête de lecture est essentiel.  Champ Canal : détermine le canal MIDI d’une note insérée. Les réglages de canal de notes isolées n’ont aucun effet sur le canal de lecture, et par conséquent sur le son de la région MIDI. Les réglages du canal des notes isolées sont principalement utilisés pour l’affichage des partitions polyphoniques.  Bouton Accord : lorsque ce bouton est activé, vous pouvez insérer des notes de différentes tonalités et de différentes durées. Elles seront « regroupées » sur la même position, et constitueront un accord. La tête de lecture n’avance pas tant que le bouton Accord reste désactivé. Pour insérer une note à l’aide du clavier d’entrée pas à pas : 1 Ouvrez la région MIDI dans l’éditeur dans lequel vous souhaitez travailler. 2 Placez la tête de lecture à l’emplacement d’insertion souhaité. 3 Réglez les boutons par rapport à la durée de la note, la vélocité et d’autres paramètres, selon vos besoins. 4 Cliquez sur la touche de votre choix dans le clavier d’entrée pas à pas pour insérer une note de la tonalité de la touche. Une note correspondant à la tonalité, la durée et la vélocité choisies est insérée. La tête de lecture se déplace alors automatiquement à la fin de la note choisie. La note suivante peut être insérée immédiatement, en suivant l’étape mentionnée ci-dessus. Le mode Accord empêche la tête de lecture de se déplacer après l’insertion d’une note, ce qui vous permet d’insérer autant de notes que vous le souhaitez sur la même position de mesure. 436 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Pour insérer plusieurs notes sur la même position de mesure : m Activez le mode Accord en cliquant sur le bouton Accord tout à gauche de la fenêtre (ou en utilisant le raccourci clavier Mode Accord), puis suivez la procédure mentionnée précédemment. Si vous cliquez une deuxième fois sur le bouton Accord (ou sur le raccourci clavier Mode Accord), le mode Accord est désactivé (il est conseillé d’effectuer cette opération avant d’insérer la dernière note de l’accord) et la tête de lecture se déplace normalement après l’insertion de la note. Entrée pas à pas avec les raccourcis clavier L’entrée de note avec les raccourcis clavier pas à pas répond aux mêmes principes que l’entrée à l’aide du clavier d’entrée pas à pas. La différence est que les raccourcis clavier sont utilisés pour toutes les fonctions et évitent d’utiliser la souris pour choisir la tonalité, la vélocité et la durée de la note. Tous les raccourcis clavier peuvent être définis par l’utilisateur. Ils sont accessibles via le dossier Entrée clavier de la fenêtre Raccourcis clavier. Remarque : il est également possible d’entrer les données de la note en temps réel à l’aide du clavier de l’ordinateur (voir « Utilisation du clavier avec verrouillage majuscules » à la page 439). Raccourcis clavier de tonalité Les douze raccourcis clavier des notes Do à Si permettent d’insérer une note de la tonalité sélectionnée, avec la durée et la vélocité définie, au niveau de la tête de lecture actuelle, dans la région MIDI sélectionnée. Pour insérer des accords, utilisez le raccourci clavier Mode Accord. Pour désactivez le mode Accord, appuyez de nouveau sur ce raccourci clavier. Plutôt que d’attribuer des raccourcis clavier aux douze tonalités de notes, vous avez également la possibilité de définir des raccourcis clavier pour les sept tonalités de la gamme de Do majeur. Ces raccourcis peuvent être utilisés en association avec les raccourcis Note suivante : Dièse et Note suivante : Bémol, afin d’insérer les autres tonalités. Lorsque vous créez un système pour l’attribution des raccourcis clavier, il existe deux méthodes simples :  Disposez ces raccourcis sur le clavier de sorte qu’ils ressemblent à un clavier de piano(Do, Ré, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si sur une ligne, l’un à côté de l’autre et Do#, Ré#, Fa#, Sol# et La# au-dessus de ces notes, respectivement).  Attribuez des touches alphabétiques aux tonalités de la gamme de Do majeur, conformément à leur nom de note, particulièrement si vous utilisez la deuxième méthode mentionnée précédemment. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 437 Raccourcis clavier des octaves L’octave d’une note insérée dépend de la position actuelle de la barre d’insertion. Une petite barre horizontale (de la longueur d’une octave) apparaît au dessus du clavier du piano dans le menu « Clavier d’entrée pas à pas ». La note choisie doit toujours être insérée dans la gamme indiquée par cette barre. Cette barre se déplace continuellement en fonction de la dernière note insérée : le centre de la barre d’insertion de gamme est toujours aligné avec la dernière note insérée. La note suivante est insérée dans cette octave, si la barre de la gamme n’est pas déplacée à l’aide d’un raccourci clavier ou de la souris. Exemple : si un Sol est inséré immédiatement après un Do, le Sol sera placé sous le Do. Le fait d’insérer un Do place la barre d’insertion de gamme entre le Sol (extrémité gauche) et le Fa# (extrémité droite), avec le Do au centre. Quelle que soit la prochaine note choisie, elle est insérée dans cette gamme. La barre de la gamme se déplacera toutefois à mesure que d’autres notes seront insérées, et le centre sera toujours aligné à la dernière note insérée. D’autres raccourcis clavier vous permettent de placer la barre de la gamme dans différentes octaves : Octave 0 à Octave 6, mais aussi Octave +1/–1/+2/–2, qui déplacent la barre de la gamme d’une ou deux octaves vers le haut ou vers le bas. La barre de la gamme peut également être déplacée avec la souris. Durée de la note et Vélocité La durée de la note et la vélocité sont déterminées avant l’insertion de la note à l’aide d’une commande de tonalité. Les valeurs sélectionnées peuvent être affichées dans la fenêtre « Clavier d’entrée pas à pas ». Silences, Correction, Pas avant et Pas arrière Le raccourci clavier Silence déplace la tête de lecture vers l’avant (en fonction de la valeur de note définie) sans insérer de note, et crée donc un silence. Les raccourcis clavier Pas arrière et Pas avant déplacent également la tête de lecture vers l’avant ou vers l’arrière, proportionnellement à la valeur de la note sélectionnée. Le raccourci clavier Supprimer supprime la dernière note insérée et déplace la tête de lecture vers la position à laquelle la note (précédente) commençait. Vous pouvez ainsi effectuer des corrections rapides (une autre note peut être insérée immédiatement en remplacement de la note effacée). 438 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express Triolets, Groupes de notes pointées Le nom du raccourci clavier « Les trois notes suivantes sont un triolet » est explicite. La valeur rythmique des triolets correspond à la valeur de note actuellement sélectionnée dans la fenêtre « Clavier d’entrée pas à pas ». Si une croche est sélectionnée, un triolet de croches sera créé. Une fois les trois notes insérées, les valeurs binaires seront insérées, à moins que le raccourci clavier ne soit de nouveau utilisé. Le raccourci clavier « Les deux notes suivantes sont pointées » fonctionne de la même façon. En revanche, avec ce raccourci clavier, les notes insérées seront un couple de notes complémentaires : une croche pointée et une double croche, par exemple. Interaction avec les autres raccourcis clavier Si le mode « Entrée pas à pas » (le bouton Entrée) est activé dans la partition, le clavier du piano ou les éditeurs de liste d’événement, ces raccourcis clavier sont prioritaires sur tous les autres. Cela signifie que vous pouvez attribuer des touches ou des combinaisons de touches à ces fonctions, même si elles sont déjà attribuées à d’autres fonctions. À partir du moment où le mode « Entrée pas à pas » est activé, ces attributions de touches seront appliquées. Si le mode « Entrée pas à pas » est désactivé, toutes les autres attributions (pour les mêmes touches) seront prioritaires. Remarque : étant donné que vous pouvez utiliser les attributions de touches déjà utilisées pour d’autres fonctions, il est conseillé d’éviter d’utiliser des touches attribuées à des fonctions que vous pouvez être amené à utiliser également lorsque vous êtes en mode « Entrée pas à pas ». Par exemple, la barre d’espace est utilisée pour la fonction Lecture/Arrêt/Reprendre. Il serait donc risqué d’attribuer cette touche à la commande de silence. Utilisation du clavier MIDI pour l’entrée pas à pas L’entrée de note via le protocole MIDI fonctionne comme l’entrée de note via le clavier d’entrée pas à pas (voir « Utilisation du clavier d’entrée pas à pas » à la page 434). En règle générale, vous appuyez sur les touches de votre clavier MIDI réel plutôt que de cliquer sur les notes du clavier qui s’affiche à l’écran. Les informations sur la vélocité de la note MIDI (la force avec laquelle vous tapez sur les touches du clavier MIDI) sont envoyées lorsque vous utilisez l’entrée MIDI pas à pas. Vous pouvez insérer un accord en le jouant simplement sur le clavier MIDI. Vous n’avez pas besoin de passer en mode Accord pour insérer un accord. Il est conseillé de laisser la fenêtre « Clavier d’entrée pas à pas » les premières fois que vous utilisez ces fonctions, afin de vous familiariser avec celles-ci. Lorsque vous maîtrisez bien ces fonctions, vous pouvez laisser la fenêtre « Clavier d’entrée pas à pas » fermée, car elle constitue une référence et non une condition obligatoire pour l’entrée MIDI pas à pas. Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express 439 Il est également recommandé d’utiliser les raccourcis clavier d’entrée (voir « Entrée pas à pas avec les raccourcis clavier » à la page 436) afin de passer rapidement d’une valeur à une autre (par exemple la durée de la note) ou pour déterminer la position d’insertion. Utilisation du clavier avec verrouillage majuscules Le clavier avec verrouillage majuscules vous permet d’utiliser le clavier de l’ordinateur en tant que clavier MIDI virtuel en temps réel. Il peut également être utilisé pour l’entrée MIDI pas à pas. Il constitue donc un élément idéal lorsque vous ne possédez aucun clavier MIDI ou USB, par exemple lorsque vous voyagez avec votre ordinateur Macintosh portable. Le clavier avec verrouillage majuscules s’étend sur plus de dix octaves et inclut également les données sur la vélocité et la pédale Sustain. Pour activer le clavier avec verrouillage majuscules : m Appuyez sur la touche Verrouillage majuscules de votre clavier d’ordinateur. Un indicateur lumineux Verrouillage majuscules montre que cette fonction est activée. Il va sans dire que dans ce mode, de nombreuses touches ont différentes fonctions qui remplacent leur attribution de raccourci clavier habituelle. La version illustrée ici est celle du clavier avec verrouillage majuscules en anglais. D’autres langues peuvent être affichées, en fonction du réglage de votre clavier Mac OS X. La touche Échap envoie une commande « Désactiver toutes les notes », au cas où vous rencontriez des notes en attente. Les touches numériques (au dessus du clavier QWERTY) sont utilisées pour définir l’octave sur le clavier MIDI. Les deux lignes situées sous les touches numériques sont utilisées comme équivalents des touches du clavier MIDI, en commençant par la note Do, attribuée à la lettre A (ou Q si vous utilisez un clavier français, par exemple). Pour plus de détails, reportez-vous aux touches noires et blanches illustrées dans les images ci-dessus. 440 Chapitre 14 Enregistrement dans Logic Express La ligne la plus basse des touches alphabétiques permet de régler la vélocité des notes MIDI. Certaines valeurs sont prédéfinies, et vont de pianissimo à forte fortissimo. Chaque valeur peut être ajustée à l’aide des deux touches situées à droite de cette ligne (elles sont attribuées aux touches de virgule et de point sur un clavier QWERTY anglais). Cette configuration de clavier vous permet d’envoyer une valeur de vélocité comprise entre 1 et 127. La barre d’espace fournit une fonction de pédale Sustain, jouée avec vos pouces plutôt qu’avec vos pieds. Vous pouvez librement déclencher de nouvelles notes ou passer d’une octave ou d’une valeur de vélocité à une autre tout en maintenant les notes jouées. Les valeurs d’octave et de vélocité actuelles des notes MIDI sont affichées dans la partie supérieure de la fenêtre du clavier avec verrouillage majuscules. Un équilibreur de transparence est également disponible dans cette fenêtre, afin de rendre la visualisation plus nette ou de placer la fenêtre en arrière-plan. Préférences du clavier avec verrouillage majuscules L’option « Valider la touche de verrouillage » vous permet d’activer ou de désactiver complètement la fonction de clavier avec verrouillage majuscules. Si vous souhaitez utiliser le raccourci clavier Barre d’espace pour commencer, arrêter ou reprendre la lecture dans Logic Express, plutôt que la fonction Pédale Sustain pour le Clavier avec verrouillage majuscules (lorsqu’il est activé), vous pouvez désactiver l’option « La barre d’espace sert de pédale Sustain ». Informations supplémentaires sur le clavier avec verrouillage majuscules Étant donné que les claviers d’ordinateur comportent des restrictions techniques, vous ne pouvez jouer que six notes simultanément. Il existe d’autres restrictions concernant la précision temporelle ou pouvant apparaître lorsque vous essayez de jouer des clusters de notes (inhabituels d’un point de vue musical). Souvenez-vous que le but initial de cette fonctionnalité est d’apporter une aide lorsque vous composez des morceaux au cours d’un voyage et non de remplacer complètement un vrai clavier MIDI. 15 441 15 Présentation de l’édition MIDI Ce chapitre présente les éditeurs qui conviennent le mieux pour modifier différents types d’événements MIDI dans Logic Express. Logic Express offre plusieurs éditeurs d’événements MIDI : les éditeurs de partition, Clavier et Hyper, Liste des événements et la fenêtre de transformation. Chaque éditeur fournit une vue différente d’événements MIDI et offre des fonctions d’édition uniques. Ces différences facilitent certaines tâches d’édition MIDI et vous serez certainement amené à utiliser plusieurs éditeurs en fonction du type de partie à réaliser. Les points forts de chaque éditeur sont listés ci-après :  Éditeur de partition : utilisé pour créer une notation imprimée. Idéal si vous aimez travailler avec des points, des tirets et des lignes.  Clavier : convient parfaitement pour modifier la hauteur tonale et la longueur des événements de notes MIDI. Les événements de notes sont représentés sous la forme de rectangles horizontaux sur une grille. La longueur du rectangle est directement proportionnelle à la longueur de la note. La hauteur tonale est indiquée par la position verticale du rectangle, les notes les plus élevées étant placées vers le haut de l’écran.  Hyper Editor : utile pour la création de parties de percussions MIDI et la modification de niveaux d’événements de notes individuels. Il peut également servir à créer et éditer des informations de contrôleur MIDI, permettant de dessiner des courbes résultant en une trajectoire de filtre dans un synthétiseur externe, par exemple.  Liste des événements : affiche tous les types d’événement MIDI sous forme de liste. Utilisez cet éditeur lorsque vous devez apporter des modifications précises à un aspect d’un événement MIDI.  Fenêtre de transformation : il ne s’agit pas tout à fait d’un éditeur, tout comme les autres fenêtres. La fenêtre de transformation est utilisée pour les tâches de traitement MIDI via des variables mathématiques. Outre ces opérations qui peuvent sembler complexes, vous pouvez utiliser la fenêtre de transformation pour créer un crescendo dans une région, doubler ou réduire de moitié la vitesse des notes dans une région, entre autres. De nombreux processus sont disponibles en tant que préréglages, mais vous pouvez aussi créer les vôtres. 442 Chapitre 15 Présentation de l’édition MIDI Important : vous ne pouvez pas effectuer d’opérations d’édition d’événements dans la zone Arrangement des éditeurs, sauf si les données MIDI résident dans une région MIDI qui existe dans la zone Arrangement. Ouverture des éditeurs Tous les éditeurs peuvent être ouverts de puis la menu Fenêtre. L’éditeur est alors lancé dans une fenêtre distincte. Pour ouvrir un éditeur depuis le menu Fenêtre : m Choisissez le nom de la fenêtre d’éditeur dans le menu Fenêtre (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). En général, vous accédez directement aux éditeurs dans la fenêtre Arrangement, mais il peut être utile de disposer de plusieurs copies du même éditeur ouvertes en même temps. Par exemple : deux listes d’événements, l’une pour définir l’affichage au niveau Arrangement (affichant les régions), l’autre faisant apparaître les événements au sein des régions. Lorsque vous cliquez sur les noms de régions dans la liste d’événements au niveau arrangement, le contenu de la région sélectionné est mis à jour et affiché dans l’autre fenêtre de liste des événements. Pour accéder à l’éditeur de partition, l’Éditeur Clavier ou Hyper Editor dans la fenêtre Arrangement, effectuez une des opérations suivantes : m Cliquez sur le bouton approprié au bas de la zone d’édition de la fenêtre Arrangement. Le contenu (les événements) de la région MIDI sélectionnée figure dans la fenêtre de l’éditeur sélectionné. Fenêtre d’éditeur Raccourci clavier par défaut Liste des événements Éditeur de partition Commande + 3 Transformation Commande + 4 Hyper Editor Commande + 5 Éditeur Clavier Commande + 6 Chapitre 15 Présentation de l’édition MIDI 443 m Double-cliquez sur une région MIDI (voir ci-dessous). Vous pouvez utiliser les raccourcis clavier Ouvrir/fermer l’éditeur de partition, Afficher/ Masquer le clavier du piano et Ouvrir/fermer l’Éditeur Hyper. L’utilisation répétée du raccourci clavier ouvre ou ferme l’éditeur choisi en bas de la fenêtre Arrangement. Π Conseil : maintenez la touche Option enfoncée tout en double-cliquant sur une région MIDI afin d’ouvrir l’éditeur souhaité dans une fenêtre séparée. Pour accéder à la Liste des événements dans la fenêtre Arrangement, procédez de l’une des manières suivantes : m Cliquez sur le bouton Listes à droite de la barre d’outils de la fenêtre Arrangement, puis cliquez sur l’onglet Liste des événements. m Utilisez le raccourci clavier Afficher/Masquer la liste des événements (affectation par défaut : E). m Double-cliquez sur une région MIDI (voir ci-dessous). Le contenu (les événements) de la région MIDI sélectionnée figure dans la liste des événements, à droite de la fenêtre Arrangement. Pour définir l’éditeur auquel on accède en double-cliquant sur une région MIDI : 1 Ouvrez les préférences globales en procédant de l’une des manières suivantes :  Choisissez Logic Express > Préférences > Global (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Ouvrir les Préférences Globales).  Cliquez sur le bouton Préférences dans la barre d’outils Arrangement et choisissez Global dans le menu. 2 Dans l’onglet Édition, choisissez l’éditeur souhaité dans le menu local « Double-cliquer sur une région MIDI ouvre ». Pour accéder à la fenêtre de transformation, effectuez l’une des opérations suivantes : m Choisissez Fenêtre > Transformation (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant, par défaut : Commande + 4). m Lorsqu’une fenêtre d’édition MIDI : Choisissez Fonctions > Transformation. 444 Chapitre 15 Présentation de l’édition MIDI Écoute des événements MIDI lors de l’édition Il va sans dire que l’édition MIDI est grandement facilitée si vous pouvez entendre chaque événement et édition que vous apportez, que vous parcouriez la liste des événements (sélection automatique) ou transposiez une note en la faisant glisser. Pour écouter les éditions d’événements MIDI en temps réel : m Cliquez sur le bouton MIDI Out en haut à gauche de chaque fenêtre d’édition. Il s’agit d’un réglage indépendant pour chaque éditeur, qui transmettra les événements MIDI à chaque fois qu’ils seront ajoutés, sélectionnés ou édités. Édition d’événements MIDI dans la zone Arrangement Vous ne pouvez pas effectuer d’opérations d’édition d’événements (dans la zone Arrangement ou dans les éditeurs), sauf si les données MIDI résident dans une région MIDI qui existe dans la zone Arrangement (bien que vous puissiez utiliser les fonctions Presse-papiers pour créer une région MIDI dans l’arrangement). Pour créer une région MIDI vide : m Cliquez à la position voulue dans la zone Arrangement avec l’outil Crayon. Une région MIDI vide est alors insérée, dans laquelle vous pouvez entrer manuellement des événements. En général, l’édition au niveau événement ne peut pas être effectuée sur des régions dans la zone Arrangement, mais il existe quelques exceptions. Dans certains cas, il peut même être plus efficace d’effectuer vos éditions (ou opérations) sur des régions MIDI dans la zone Arrangement, plutôt que dans un éditeur MIDI. Exemples :  Modification des longueurs de notes en redimensionnant la région (voir« Options d’utilisation des notes lors de la modification des longueurs des régions MIDI » à la page 354).  Suppression ou déplacement de parties de régions (et donc d’événements) avec l’outil Sélecteur.  Ajustement de la lecture de tous les événements d’une région en modifiant ses paramètres de lecture. Chapitre 15 Présentation de l’édition MIDI 445 Copie d’événements via le Presse-papiers dans la zone Arrangement Vous pouvez utiliser le Presse-papiers pour ajouter les événements MIDI directement à la piste sélectionnée dans la zone Arrangement, à la position de la tête de lecture en cours. Cela fonctionne aussi pour les événements d’un autre projet. Pour copier des événements MIDI dans la zone Arrangement : 1 Sélectionnez les événements à copier dans l’un des éditeurs d’événements. 2 Choisissez Édition > Copier (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Copier, par défaut : Commande + C). 3 Sélectionnez la piste (et la région MIDI, si applicable) dans laquelle vous voulez copier les événements. 4 Choisissez Édition > Coller (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Coller, par défaut : Commande + V). Logic Express ajoute le contenu du Presse-papiers (événements MIDI) à la région MIDI sélectionnée. Remarque : si aucune région MIDI n’est sélectionnée, Logic Express va créer une région MIDI sur la piste sélectionnée, à la position de la tête de lecture en cours. Contrôle et réinitialisation des événements MIDI La ligne supérieure de l’affichage Activité MIDI dans la barre de transport affiche le dernier message MIDI reçu. La ligne du bas montre le message MIDI le plus récemment reçu. Le moniteur est principalement utilisé pour vérifier les connexions MIDI. Lorsque Logic Express reçoit plus d’une note MIDI simultanément ; les intervalles tenus respectifs (entre des notes) sont interprétés et affichés en tant qu’accords. Pour désactiver les notes bloquées : m Cliquez sur la rubrique inférieure de l’écran des activités MIDI ou cliquez rapidement à deux reprises sur le bouton Arrêt. Dans les deux cas, des messages de réinitialisation sont envoyés, selon ce qui est défini dans Logic Express > Préférences > MIDI > Messages de réinitialisation. Dans certains cas, des modules internes MIDI continuent à émettre des sons, même quand aucune donnée de note ne leur est envoyée. Ceci indique que vos sources sonores n’ont pas répondu aux messages « Désactiver toutes les notes » envoyés par Logic Express. Affichage de l’activité MIDI 446 Chapitre 15 Présentation de l’édition MIDI Pour arrêter les notes suspendues : m Double-cliquez sur l’affichage Activité MIDI dans la barre de transport (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier Envoi de désactivation de notes discrètes). Des messages de désactivation de note distincts seront envoyés pour chaque note, sur tous les canaux de chaque port MIDI, ce qui devrait résoudre le problème. Pour arrêter une modulation indésirable : m Choisissez Options > Envoi vers MIDI > Contrôleurs de réinitialisation (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Ceci transmet le message de changement de contrôle n°121, avec la valeur 0 (réinitialise tous les contrôleurs), sur tous les canaux et sorties MIDI utilisés par des instruments définis. Tous les contrôleurs MIDI sont neutralisés, comme la modulation ou les modulations de hauteur. Pour régler tous les canaux MIDI sur leur volume maximal : m Choisissez Options > Envoi vers MIDI > Volume maximum (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Ceci transmet le message de changement de contrôle n°7, avec la valeur 127, sur tous les canaux et sorties MIDI utilisés par des instruments définis. Pour envoyer tous les réglages de programme, de volume et de balance depuis toutes les zones de paramètres d’instruments MIDI externes : m Choisissez Options > Envoi vers MIDI > Réglages des instruments MIDI utilisés (ou utilisez le raccourci clavier correspondant). Vos sources sonores sont réinitialisées, si des changements de programmes inattendus se produisent à mi-performance. Pour envoyer automatiquement des réglages d’instruments après le chargement d’un projet : m Activez l’option « Envoyer après avoir chargé le projet : réglages d’instruments MIDI utilisés » dans l’onglet Fichier > Réglages du projet > MIDI > Général. 16 447 16 Modification d’événements MIDI dans l’Éditeur Clavier L’Éditeur Clavier présente les événements de notes d’une région MIDI sous la forme de rectangles horizontaux. Ils ont le même aspect que les perforations des rouleaux de papier des pianos mécaniques. L’Éditeur Clavier peut afficher les événements de notes MIDI d’une région MIDI, ou de toutes les régions MIDI dans un dossier ou projet, le cas échéant (voir « Affichage et édition de plusieurs régions MIDI » à la page 449). Cependant, vous travaillerez généralement sur une région à la fois dans l’Éditeur Clavier. Découverte de l’interface de l’Éditeur Clavier Les événements de notes MIDI sont représentés par des rectangles horizontaux, alignés sur une grille de lignes horizontales et verticales.  La position horizontale des événements de notes indique leur positionnement temporel (mesure, battement et battement secondaire) au sein de la région et du projet. Événement de la note MIDI 448 Chapitre 16 Modification d’événements MIDI dans l’Éditeur Clavier  La position verticale des événements de notes indique leur hauteur tonale, ceux étant positionnés le plus en haut de la grille Clavier ayant la hauteur tonale la plus élevée. Les accords s’affichent sous la forme de piles verticales de rectangles de notes. L’alignement de notes dans des accords n’est pas toujours identique, car toutes les notes d’un accord peuvent ne pas être frappées ou finir en même temps.  La durée d’un événement de note MIDI est directement liée à la longueur du rectangle. Par conséquent, des notes telles que les croches, les noires, les blanches, etc., sont facilement reconnaissables. Utilisation de la grille La grille fournit une référence solide pour les durées de notes : vous pouvez voir les positions de début et de fin des événements de notes, alignés avec les valeurs temporelles figurant dans la règle Mesure. L’édition de la durée des notes en est simplifiée. Les traits affichés par défaut dans la grille sont :  Une ligne noire à chaque mesure et battement.  Une ligne gris clair à chaque valeur de division (vous pouvez modifier la valeur de division dans le transport). Vous pouvez modifier l’apparence de cette grille et d’autres aspects de l’Éditeur Clavier (voir « Personnalisation de l’Éditeur Clavier » à la page 468). Le clavier vertical sur la gauche de l’Éditeur Clavier indique des hauteurs tonales de notes. Les lignes noires horizontales s’étendent sur l’écran entre les notes Si et Do et les notes Mi et Fa. Ces lignes sont très utiles lors de la transposition de notes en les faisant glisser vers le haut ou le bas. Explication de la vélocité des notes Chaque événement de note comporte une ligne horizontale qui passe par le rectangle. La longueur de la ligne, relativement à la durée totale de la note, correspond à la valeur de vélocité de la note (jusqu’à la valeur maximale de 127). La vélocité montre la force avec laquelle le clavier MIDI a été frappé lorsque la note a été enregistrée. En règle générale, elle indique aussi le niveau sonore de la note dans une plage pouvant atteindre 127, cette dernière valeur correspondant au niveau le plus fort. L’Éditeur Clavier indique aussi les vélocités via différentes couleurs. Chapitre 16 Modification d’événements MIDI dans l’Éditeur Clavier 449 Ainsi, il est très aisé de visualiser l’intervalle global (et de chacune des notes) des vélocités dans une région MIDI. Lorsque la vélocité des notes MIDI est modifiée, la couleur des notes sélectionnées change en temps réel. Remarque : lorsque l’option Présentation > Couleur de région est activée, les notes s’affichent dans la couleur des régions MIDI qui les contiennent. Il est ainsi plus facile d’identifier les notes lors de la visualisation de notes de plusieurs régions. Affichage et édition de plusieurs régions MIDI L’Éditeur Clavier peut simultanément afficher le contenu de toutes les régions MIDI dans un dossier, de toutes les régions d’un projet ou de plusieurs régions MIDI sélectionnées. Vous pouvez sélectionner à votre gré des événements de notes appartenant à différentes régions MIDI, puis les traiter, les déplacer ou les redimensionner selon vos besoins. Une bulle d’aide indique le nombre d’événements sélectionnés et les régions MIDI parentes. Par exemple : 8/2 signifie que huit notes sont sélectionnées dans deux régions MIDI. Pour afficher les événements de notes de toutes les régions MIDI dans un projet : m Assurez-vous que, dans le menu Présentation, l’option « Afficher les régions sélectionnées uniquement » est décochée puis double-cliquer sur l’arrière-plan de l’Éditeur Clavier. Le point de départ de chaque région MIDI est indiqué par une ligne verticale de la même couleur que la région MIDI. Double-cliquez sur un événement de note pour revenir à l’affichage du contenu d’une région MIDI parente (la région qui contient la note). Pour limiter l’affichage des événements de note des régions MIDI sélectionnées : m Activez l’option Présentation > Afficher les régions sélectionnées uniquement. L’affichage Clavier est restreint aux événements de notes des régions MIDI sélectionnées dans la zone Arrangement. Logiquement, les événements des régions non sélectionnées ne sont pas affichés, ce qui simplifie l’édition de plusieurs régions. 450 Chapitre 16 Modification d’événements MIDI dans l’Éditeur Clavier Création et édition d’événements de notes La gestion d’événements de notes dans l’Éditeur Clavier est très similaire à la gestion de régions dans la zone Arrangement. Un grand nombre des techniques utilisées pour allonger, couper et déplacer des régions étant également applicables aux événements de notes, une majorité de cette rubrique devrait donc vous être familière. Alignement d’éditions sur des positions temporelles Vous déplacez et redimensionnez des événements dans l’Éditeur Clavier car vous voulez qu’ils commencent et finissent à un moment précis. Logic Express offre une fonction de positionnement qui aligne automatiquement les points de début et de fin d’un événement sur une valeur de grille spécifique, lorsque vous le déplacez ou le redimensionnez. Pour aligner des événements sur une grille : m Choisissez l’une des valeurs suivantes dans le menu Magnétisme en haut de la fenêtre Clavier :  Intelligent : les opérations vont s’aligner sur la mesure, le battement, le battement secondaire (etc.) le plus proche en fonction de la valeur de division et du niveau de zoom en cours de la Règle Mesure.  Mesure : les opérations d’édition alignent les éléments sur la mesure la plus proche.  Battement : les opérations d’édition s’alignent sur le battement le plus proche d’une mesure.  Division : les opérations d’édition s’alignent sur la division la plus proche (temps figurant dans la barre de transport et la règle Mesure).  Ticks : les opérations d’édition s’alignent sur le tick d’horloge le plus proche (1/3840e d’un battement).  Images : les opérations d’édition s’alignent sur l’image SMPTE la plus proche. Chapitre 16 Modification d’événements MIDI dans l’Éditeur Clavier 451 La fonctionnalité d’alignement est relative, ce qui signifie que l’opération d’édition s’aligne sur la mesure, le battement (etc.) le plus proche, en conservant la distance de l’événement par rapport à sa position d’origine. Par exemple, si un événement est placé à la position 1.2.1.16 et que vous le placez environ au niveau de la mesure 2 (le menu Aligner étant défini sur Mesure), il aligne automatiquement l’événement sur la position 2.2.1.16 et non 2.1.1.1 (le point de départ de la mesure 2). Vous pouvez remplacer les alignements relatifs avec l’option « Aligner sur la valeur absolue ». Pour aligner sur une position absolue (pas relative) : m Choisissez l’option « Aligner sur la valeur absolue » dans le menu Alignement. Un tick s’affiche à gauche lorsqu’elle est activée. Cette fonction est utilisée conjointement au format de grille d’alignement choisi. Pour clarifier, si vous avez choisi Mesure dans le menu Alignement alors que l’option « Aligner sur la valeur absolue » est activée, le déplacement d’un événement (de la position 1.2.1.16) à proximité de la mesure 2 provoque l’alignement de cet événement sur la position 2.1.1.1 (le point de départ de la mesure 2), plutôt que sur sa position relative (2.2.1.16). Le réglage du menu Magnétisme s’applique aux opérations d’édition suivantes :  Déplacement et copie d’événements  Redimensionnement d’événements  Découpage d’événements  Déplacement, ajout et redimensionnement de marqueurs  Définition de limites de cycle Vous pouvez remplacer temporairement la grille d’alignement, permettant des éditions et des ajustements plus fins. Pour ne pas tenir compte de la grille d’alignement : m Appuyez sur Contrôle tout en effectuant l’opération d’édition. La valeur de division choisie dans le transport (1/16, par exemple) détermine l’échelle de la grille d’édition. m Maintenez les touches Contrôle et Maj enfoncées lors de l’opération d’édition : La grille d’édition passe aux ticks. 452 Chapitre 16 Modification d’événements MIDI dans l’Éditeur Clavier Utilisation de l’écran d’informations L’écran d’informations de l’Éditeur Clavier indique la position et la hauteur tonale en cours du pointeur de la souris dans la région.