Creating cutups

Started by sadneck, December 20, 2019, 11:27:47 AM

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sadneck

Currently I'm using Reaper to chop and edit lots of audio for a cut up/sound collage type thing, but it's quite cumbersome, so I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on any plugins or other software that offers up quick, simple and efficient methods for cutting up and sequencing lots of audio? I'm sure I could manage with Reaper but it's a slow process. A quick Google took me to LiveSplice if anyone has any thoughts on that?

A-Z

NI Kontakt, Image Line Slisex

Pigswill

I'm curious what your biggest problems have been specifically. I've been using Reaper exclusively for the last several months. I do quite a bit of chopping and editing in whatever I work on, plus a decent amount of MIDI stuff. Previously, I would use either Sony Acid or ModPlug Tracker, but Reaper blows both of those away.

My biggest gripe by far is that handling edges of clips is a lot harder than it should be. When you have two adjacent clips, you might want to do something simple like crossfade them into one another, or change the fade. However, depending on your cursor position, it can be ready to edit in one of four modes, like adjusting the fade, resizing one media item, resizing both media items, etc. It depends on pixel-perfect precision to enter the right mode sometimes.

Volume control had the same issue for me. Luckily, I came across this tip that lets you adjust volume with the mouse wheel

I'm also not completely used to how the mouse wheel affects the interface. A lot of the time, I expect it to scroll, even if I'm not hovering the left track list, but it just zooms the tracks. I figure I'll get over this learning curve eventually.

I like the way Regions work. I tend to create a lot of loops mostly from working with ModPlug for so long where you work in patterns. Acid didn't have anything to easily copy a chunk of time across multiple tracks. Reaper does, though. Just highlight the section on the timeline and hit Shift+R, and boom, new region. You can then hold control and drag it to copy it somewhere else.

If grid locking is getting in the way, I hold shift and drag the clips around to get them in the exact right place. If there's a small spot that I can fill in, I can usually drag an item chopped down to that spot's size into it, then hold Alt and drag around to find a position within that recording that fits into it well.

Grouping tracks together has also been excellent. In Acid, you'd need to set up a bus for every group, then route your channels through that bus if you wanted to control them all. In Reaper, you can just drag tracks around and organize them within others, which acts the same as a bus, but you can operate on them as if they were a single track.

sadneck

Maybe it's just the way I'm working (plus I'm still fairly new to Reaper) but I'm just finding the zooming and cutting and arranging can be a slog at times.

Duncan

Hopefully not being captain obvious about it but are you learning and using shortcuts and key commands?  for example, 's' will put a cut in the track where your marker is.  Also, gluing your cuts together when you've got them arranged will help you move/cut again.

There are some plugins and apps that will just cut a track up for you but I can't remember the names. I'm sure some will be detailed on here if you have a search.

Pigswill

Quote from: sadneck on December 23, 2019, 03:45:03 PM
Maybe it's just the way I'm working (plus I'm still fairly new to Reaper) but I'm just finding the zooming and cutting and arranging can be a slog at times.

Give it time. Like Duncan said, see if you can figure out shortcuts. There is a lot of information out there about how to use Reaper in various capacities, from really basic things to advanced stuff. Most of the time when I'd search for "how do I do X in reaper" there would be at least a video and some forum posts on how to do it

WhiteWarlock

#6

Eye made multiple methods/Tools for doing random "cutups" of wav files... aka "Shortcuts"
"Kaos" method exploiting virtual random voltage cv manipulating file read positions...
(this was discovery whilst creating Nekrofile)
also recently have been obsessed with using this random method for sequential switching of 8 wav files...
with the Kaos random read position method triggering on each file with switching...
for using with my methdos of creating quasi randomized gates kompositions...
this saves me massive amounts of editing time anymore...
have habit of making long source with variance...
yet pretty much anything will function in my system for making Instant Concrete Musique...
this is an evolution of spending ages with razorblades, magnetic tape, scotch tape, & cutting block...
btw it's total nightmare doing elaborate cutups on cassette tapes... yet it can be done...
Is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?
FreakMaker
SynthWizards/N01ZE

sadneck

Thanks Duncan and Pigswill, looking up short cuts to use have been very helpful.

Pigswill

Quote from: sadneck on January 06, 2020, 10:34:41 AM
Thanks Duncan and Pigswill, looking up short cuts to use have been very helpful.

Find any interesting discoveries either in the shortcuts or in the sounds you've made lately?

sadneck

Quote from: Pigswill on January 07, 2020, 04:15:59 AM
Quote from: sadneck on January 06, 2020, 10:34:41 AM
Thanks Duncan and Pigswill, looking up short cuts to use have been very helpful.

Find any interesting discoveries either in the shortcuts or in the sounds you've made lately?
Just the basics really (create new track, split, glue etc) but it's made my process much quicker. All stuff I should have looked up when I began using Reaper probably. Glad to have had the obvious pointed out to me though.

Cementimental

8-track cartridge recorders are great for tape cutups :)

WhiteWarlock

#11
Quote from: Cementimental on January 07, 2020, 07:35:52 PM
8-track cartridge recorders are great for tape cutups :)
8 track cartridges can drive people insane trying to rewind that looping spool by hand for any real length...
if you fail it can always be rewound on 1/4" Reel to Reel spool
here are some guides by obviously super stoned humans that can do it:
https://sites.google.com/site/8trackrepair/tape-off-reel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnewY2xrcxg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUtilrU4k7g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aglz6vEPtqY
Gluck!
Is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?
FreakMaker
SynthWizards/N01ZE

Cementimental

#12
my technique is to just unspool and cut off most of the reel, leaving a perfect short-ish loop... couple of minutes or so is fun for throwing noise on there and having it come crawling back some time later as opposed to any short obviously repetitive loop, ,....tho can do that too of course. Might make a really really short one soon actually for a change. got given a few junk cartridges to mess with recently by someone who bought 100s of them

can be a bit fiddly but nowhere near as hard as making compact cassette loops :D

the foam pads usually need replacing, i've used adhesive door seal strips in the past or just any random bit of sponge cut to size. The higher quality cartridges sometimes have a metal pressure plate with felt on it, much better as they don't turn to goo and you can just bend back into shape if it's too loose

pentd

i dont know if 8track ever really made it round here.... i saw it only in 90's radio stations, if that even was the same, but there were these front-loading things for jingles.. but that would be cool for all kinds of tape abuse!

Quote from: Cementimental on January 07, 2020, 07:35:52 PM
obviously super stoned humans that can do it:


heheh

pentd

i'm still waiting for a magic device or procedure that will create instant brilliance... combining sounds, and therefore composing (like the term or not) is inherently time consuming, trial +error +more error