Splitting media items creates new lanes?

[mister happy]

Hello,
I am trying to learn how to work with lanes effciently.

I have been trying to learn why splitting my media items creates new lanes.

I can't figure out what I am doing wrong and hope someone here can offer some instruction.

Thank you.

[nofish]

My guess is you have 'crossfade on split' enabled and 'show overlapping items in lanes'.

[mister happy]

Thank you for the suggestion.

This had occurred to me and I have tried turning those choices off and sometimes it works but more often the split clips keep opening up more lanes.

I am also finding that sometimes exploding takes to lanes helps and other times it seems as if imploding lanes to takes helps.

I can not figure out the correct combination of circumstances, and it is driving me a bit crazy.

I am so glad to be learning about Reaper, but this particular issue has become a stumbling block for me.

It seems like there must be some behind the scenes logic that I just have not recognized yet.

Thank you.

[mister happy]

Here's an example that confuses me:

In "Options > Preferences > Media Item Defaults" I have "Overlap and crossfade when splitting items" selected.

I set up a project.

I choose "Options > New recording that overlaps existing media items > Creates new media items in separate lanes (layers)"

"Options > Auto Cross fade media items when editing" is checked,

"Options > Show all takes in lanes (when room)" is checked

"Options > Show overlapping media items in lanes" is checked but grayed out

I recorded 5 passes in loop record mode.

Now, if I split a media item, a new 6th lane is created and part of the split media loads into it.

If I uncheck the "Options > Auto Cross fade media items when editing" setting the same thing still happens. When I split a media item, a new 6th lane is created and part of the split media loads into it.

The "Options > Show overlapping media items in lanes" is checked but grayed out so I can not un check it.

Even if I turn off the "Options > Preferences > Media Item Defaults" > "Overlap and crossfade when splitting items" choice the new lane appears. I can zoom in and confirm that the split did not overlap with a crossfade.


At this point I start experimenting;

I right click "Take > Implode items on same track into takes"

If I split and item now all the items split as a sort of group and I get 5 extra lanes.


So now I switch from "Options > New recording that overlaps existing media items > Creates new media items in separate lanes (layers)" to "Options > Splits existing items and creates new takes (default)"

If I split and item now all the items split as a sort of group but I do not get 5 extra lanes.

So I undo that and right click "Take > Explode all takes (in place)" and the lanes collapse to one "track"


At this point I am just sort of confused...

[mister happy]

I am stumped. I have tried every combination I can think of.

I have watched Kenny Goia's videos numerous times, and still can't figure this out.


What I want to do is shown in Kenny's video "Exploding and Imploding Takes" at 2:21

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWoi...960&height=540



I can't figure out how to do the same thing he is doing. I want to split one of the takes but not all the rest, and I would like the split items to stay in their lane instead f creating a new one. Just like it is shown in the video.

What am I missing?

Thank you.

[nofish]

Originally Posted by mister happy

I want to split one of the takes but not all the rest, and I would like the split items to stay in their lane instead f creating a new one. Just like it is shown in the video.

Kenny may chime in himself, but until then...
As I gather he doesn't split takes at ~2:21 but he first explodes an item containing several takes into individual items (~2:00) and then splits one of the items. Takes can't be split individually afaik, you first have to explode into items.

[mister happy]

Yes, I agree. I explode the the takes with a right click and choose "Take > Explode all takes (in place)".


The lanes collapse to one "track", and so I select "Options > Show overlapping media items in lanes" and I can see the separate items.

If I select one of the items and split it and new lane is created and half of the split item drops down into it.

This happens with or without the overlapping selected.

At 2:21 Kenny splits an item in a stack of items and everything stays in place.

I tried to solve the puzzle all day today. I ams ure it is just my lack of understanding, but I can not figure out what I do not understand. :-)


Thank you for the help.

[xpander]

Unless there really are some not too obvious options for this, I don't think it has worked like in that Kenny video since v5.50.

You can explode all takes in place and if you have "Show overlapping media items in lanes" checked, you'll see all the individual items stacked up in lanes. But the only way to NOT create new lanes for items when splitting seems to be starting from the bottom lane and working your way up. Also, all the new splits have to be in same timeline positions as the ones below already are.

So you'd have to use Reaper v5.40 or earlier, or perhaps use Free Item Positioning after exploding the takes, to get more freedom doing the splitting. Unless somebody can indeed give a tip about the magic option combination(s)?

[mister happy]

Thank you very much for the explanation and for alerting me to the possibility of enabling Track > "Free item positioning".

I was unaware of Free item positioning and now that I have tried it I am amazed at the potential for its use.

This feature allows me to work with a familiar workflow and offers opportunities I had not imagined previously.

Thank you!

[xpander]

You're welcome. Yep, depending on the workflow, FIP is a nice feature too. I don't know if the behavior change talked about here has been intentional, eg. unavoidable side effect from the introduction of the automation items (in v5.50). Or something lost in the midst of the longish cycle, almost half a year between two releases.

[laser558]

Originally Posted by xpander

You're welcome. Yep, depending on the workflow, FIP is a nice feature too. I don't know if the behavior change talked about here has been intentional, eg. unavoidable side effect from the introduction of the automation items (in v5.50). Or something lost in the midst of the longish cycle, almost half a year between two releases.

Xpander, I would be grateful if you check free item positioning in any version of Reaper after 5.76. It no longer behaves how it used to. Install 5.76, insert, say, a stereo music track, split it maybe twice, select free item positioning and the track splits. Would you agree. Now, do the same thing on any later version and the track no longer splits. Thank you so much.

[xpander]

If the "track splitting" means here that all the items get automatically their own lane within the same track when they have been split, true. Instead of using Free Item Positioning, just having the option Show overlapping media items in lanes checked will do it now. For the FIP, you'll have to either manually adjust the item heights first, or have only the above mentioned option ON first and then engage FIP.

[TheSixthVoice]

I managed to solve this issue by navigating to Options > Offset Overlapping Media Items Vertically and turning this OFF.

At last I can split in peace.