Old 06-23-2018, 09:48 AM   #1
Tyrannocaster
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Default Slicing action?

I figure somebody has already done this so I thought I'd at least ask. One thing that I do from time to time is slice an audio file into pieces and then delete every other one to get a stutter effect. I know there are plugins that do this but the only one I tried was way too much work and it was a lot faster to just slice it manually. But if you had to do a lot of them, yeah, it would get old. So is there a script that could do this:

1. Slice a selected audio item into 32nds, then eliminate every other one.

I guess you'd have to set your grid to 32nds first before this could work, right? And sometimes you want 16ths or maybe even 64ths, depending on the tempo, so I suppose you'd need some different versions. But ever since I got my midi track setup automated, I'm really enjoying what these scripts can do. That one alone gets used every day over and over again.
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Old 06-23-2018, 10:39 AM   #2
kgarello
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1. Slice a selected audio item into 32nds, then eliminate every other one.
Hi Tyrannocaster - do you know about "split items at timeline grid"

set your grid and run the action - it will get you half way there, I think.

Ken
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Old 06-23-2018, 11:00 AM   #3
James HE
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you could run the slice at timeline action that kgarello mentioned, but instead of 32nd's do it at 16th's, then with the items selected, trim the ends all in one go by just adjusting them backwards.
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Old 06-23-2018, 03:15 PM   #4
Tyrannocaster
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Great ideas! Both of them. I knew I had seen something like that action but I couldn't remember where. And that way of removing half of each one is sweet. Thanks!

So I made a custom action of Set Grid to 1/16, then Split at Grid, then Set Grid to 1/32. Now all I do is select an item, run the action and then drag the split items back to half size.

Excellent!

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Old 06-23-2018, 03:28 PM   #5
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That allows for different duty cycles too. Like, you don't have to shorten them to exactly half. They could 1/16 apart but 3/64 long or 1/64 or whatever arbitrary length.

I'm not completely sure why you wouldn't stick a tremolo plugin on the track or like modulate one of the volume envelopes, though.
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Old 06-23-2018, 03:42 PM   #6
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all good but good to keep in mine that the resulting items will still have the extra info in them... until each one is glued to itself

which could also be done with a repeating custom action... like select next item and glue
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Old 06-24-2018, 07:03 AM   #7
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I'm not completely sure why you wouldn't stick a tremolo plugin on the track or like modulate one of the volume envelopes, though.
Several reasons. For one, none of my tremolo plugins will do a real square wave which blocks the sound 100%. (Or I have not figured out how to get them to do it, which is not quite the same thing, LOL. But I spent considerable time with my Melda MTrem without getting anything acceptable out of it.) Modulating a volume envelope has more promise, but it's still not as capable of custom effects as manual slicing. With that, you have much, much greater control over the finished project, with lots of adjustment possible. The plugin way would be good if you needed to do lots of stuff in a mechanical fashion, but slicing as an effect gets really old quick and I find that I use it sparingly. And when I do, I often use different arrangements of slices for rhythmic effect, something you can't really do with a plugin/modulator unless you get into the complicated midi-driven kind, which I don't like at all.
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Old 06-24-2018, 09:56 AM   #8
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That's cool. I didn't mean to make it out like you were doing something stupid. If it works for you, go with it.

I know that MTrem will do 100% hard cut tremolo, and with the step sequencer you can make all kinds of different patterns. I can see where it might get weird if you want it to come in and out AND be on the proper beat in some situations.

I'm not actually seeing how cutting is more powerful or flexible than volume automation. Especially with Automation Items (which btw have a built in LFO generator) I think it's a lot more flexible than splitting like you've been doing. Unless you're actually moving/rearranging the remaining items. Yours probably is the best/easiest way to do that kind of thing.

But yeah, I'm just throwing out ideas in case they help.
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Old 06-24-2018, 11:23 AM   #9
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That's cool. I didn't mean to make it out like you were doing something stupid. If it works for you, go with it.

I'm not actually seeing how cutting is more powerful or flexible than volume automation. Especially with Automation Items (which btw have a built in LFO generator) I think it's a lot more flexible than splitting like you've been doing. Unless you're actually moving/rearranging the remaining items. Yours probably is the best/easiest way to do that kind of thing.

But yeah, I'm just throwing out ideas in case they help.
Well, on the last project I just finished, I used slicing to go in and chop up a guitar part (I'm a guitar player) into 32nds and then use the first of them as on-offs, then put in some empty space, then use some more at a different size and spacing. So for what I'm wanting, this is really the only way to go - I'm using the slices as rhythmic elements, almost like horn parts or percussion; they aren't regular. The custom action I made is just the first step in the process, obviously.
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