Procedure

Application Guide >  TouchMix > DAW Utility > Track Alignment

Generally when there is only one audio file per track, the alignment in the DAW is straightforward.  The user will need to manually drag the files to the start of the DAW Session.  Repeat this step for every track recorded.

However, it is possible to have more than one audio file per track.  This is especially true if the user has started and stopped and then restarted the recording on the same track multiple times in the same session.

Each time a recording is started and stopped in the same session, the TouchMix will create a new file and under the same track but increment the region.

Example:

Create a session on the TouchMix mixer with Input 1 armed for recording.  Start recording for a duration of 2 minutes then press stop.  Without moving the playback head backwards on the timeline, start recording again for the same duration of time.  Repeat this a third time.

When exporting that track, one would see the following:

Track 1 - Region 1

Track 1 - Region 2

Track 1 - Region 3.

When importing these files in to the DAW, one will need to create a single track in the DAW and place each file in order by region on the timeline within the DAW.

The files are not time stamped so they will have to be placed manually in the DAW timeline.  With that said, the alignment is straightforward.  The user will need to place the first region right at the start of the DAW session.  Each region thereafter will need to be butted up against the previous region until all regions for that track have been placed chronologically in the timeline.

Most DAWs have a way to select the space between regions and allow the files to shift on the timeline so that they are butted up against each other.  This will eliminate any gaps or possible overlap between regions and allowing proper alignment.

If the TouchMix session had 8 tracks recorded in the same manner as the example, the user would have 3 audio files per track with a total of 24 audio files (8 Tracks x 3 files per track = 24 files total).

The alignment process would be the same as the example.  The user will just repeat the steps for each track.  By removing the gaps between each region of each track, all audio files are aligned in the timeline perfectly.

There are some users that will attempt to do overdubs on the TouchMix mixer.  This can be done with some level of success but will make the file management a bit tricky. 

An overdub is described as recording over potions of the same track to achieve a better performance than the previous attempts.  This can be over the complete track or small sections of a track.

Each time an overdub is recorded, the TouchMix will create a new region for that track.

On the TouchMix, only the last take will be audible on the mixer.  However, all the takes are stored on the drive and can be reviewed in the DAW.

To properly align each overdub take, the user will need to create a new track in the DAW for each take and then manually place each region on its own track in the DAW.  The alignment will need to be placed manually since the files are not time stamped nor do they have a fixed starting point or end point that can be referenced in the DAW session.

Once aligned in the respective locations in the timeline, the user can proceed with auditioning and editing the different takes.