Voice Tracking

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radio42
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Voice Tracking

Post by radio42 »

Playlist Voice-Tracking
Playlist Voice-Tracking allows you to insert a newly recorded track (the voice track) inbetween two existing audio tracks of a playlist, e.g. to insert a voice over segue.
To start the Playlist Voice-Tracking just select a playlist entry after which you want to insert a recording and press 'Ctrl+F11' or select 'Voice-Tracking...' from the playlist context menu.
This will open the Playlist Voice-Tracking dialog.
Image
The Playlist Voice-Tracking dialog hosts 3 main elements:
- 2 DJPlayers (one showing the current, select track and one showing the next track)
- the instant recorder (to record a new take inbetween the above)

Current Track
The current track of the playlist after which the recorded voice track will be inserted.
Place the position of this track to a location where you would like to start the voice track recording!

Next Track
The next track of the playlist.
This track will be the track which follows the recorded voice track.

Recording
The voice track recording will be placed as a new track inbetween the current and next track.
Typical Steps are:
1) Locate the position where you want to start recording in the current track (e.g. using the WaveForm).
2) Optional: Start playback of the current track (press play in the current track's player) and wait til the exact position is reached.
3) When the exact position is reached/set, press the 'START REC' button to start the recording.
4) Make your segue anouncement (voice over).
5) When it is time to start the next track press the recording button again ('NEXT TRACK') - which will start playback of the next track.
6) The recording still continues, as such continue your segue anouncement (voice over).
7) To finally stop your recording press the recording button a 3rd time ('STOP REC').
Now you might adjust any settings of your recording (e.g. set cue-points) or attenuate the tracks volume overlapping your recording ('ATT. VOLUME') or even 'PRE LISTEN' to your final mixdown.

The recording button is a 3 state recording button:
START REC: Starts the recording at the current track position (this position will become the 'Next' cue point of the current track).
NEXT TRACK: Marks the position where to start the next track (this position will become the 'Next' cue point of the recorded voice track).
STOP REC: Stops the recording and displays the recorded voice track.

In addition there is a Fade-Out/Stop button:
Defines the Fade-Out resp. Cue-Out cue-point of the current track.
This is either a 1 or 2 state button:
Fade Current: Starts fadeing out the current track (this position will become the 'Fade-Out' cue point of the current track).
Stop Current: Stops the current track (this position will become the 'Cue-Out' cue point of the current track).
Note: In case of 1 state, a single click will set the set the Fade and Stop automatically (using the defined Fade Out Time).
Right-Click: Opens the Fade/Stop settings.

PRE LISTEN: This button allows you to prelisten to the final mixdown of the recorded voice track and the surrounded current and next track (the prelisten starts 3 sec. before your cue-in recording and ends 3 sec. after the cue-out recording).
Once clicked the prelistening starts - click it again to stop it (else it stops once the whole section has been played out).

ATT. VOLUME: Allows you to attenuate the volume of the current and next track for the part the recorded voice track overlaps.
Note: This starts at the recording's CueIn position and ends at the recording's CueOut position (if not set at the very beginning resp. end).
So make sure, that you have set the recording's cue-points correctly before applying the volume attenuation.
By default ACPD is carried out on your recording (meaning the CueIn and CueOut positions are automatically detected), as such you can directly use the recording WaveForm to align the CueIn and CueOut positions (drag and move of the cue-point markers).
Changing the CueIn position in the recording will automatically align the defined 'Next' position of the current track - so your recording still starts at the point you previously have defined.

However, you might still manually align any cue-points in the current or next track as well as in the recording to adjust your final segue and voice over - just use 'PRE LISTEN' to monitor your changes. Once all this is done use 'ATT. VOLUME'.

RESET ALL: Any changes made will be reset to start a fresh and new recording.
Alternatively you might simply click on 'START REC' again to start a fresh recording but preserving any other current/next track changes.

Input Source: Defines the source for this recording, which is the mixer channel from where to pick up the audio signal.

Output Folder: The output folder where to save the recording.

Output Filename: Specifies the name of the file within the output folder.
The file extension will be adjusted to the selected encoding format.

Encoder: The type of encoder to use - which determines the output file format (e.g. WAV, MP3, OGG, WMA...).

Profile: Select the encoder profile to be used with this recording.
The profile determines the encoding format (ie. quality).

Next Playlist Track: Skips to the next playlist track allowing you to record a voice track for the next track segue.


Recording Options:

Normalize: If checked, the volume level will be normalized after recording. This will adjust the maximum peak level to be at 0 dB.

ACPD: Automatic Cue-Point Detection, if checked, the CueIn, FullLevel, FadeOut and CueOut cue points will be calculated after recording.

Playback while Recording: If checked, PFL playback will be started for the current resp. next track while recording.

Use 2 State Fade/Stop: Defines, if the Fade/Stop button should operate as a 2 state or 1 state button.
In 2 state mode the Fade and Stop current track commands require each an independent click.
In 1 state mode Fade and Stop are used together with a single click (using the given Fade Out Time).

Fade Out Time: Defines the automatic fade out time in milliseconds when using the Fade/Stop of current track button.

Auto Fade/Stop with Next: If checked, a Fade and Stop of the current track is automatically issued when the regular recording 'Next Track' button is clicked.
This works the same as if you would use the 'Fade/Stop' button in 1 state mode (using the given Fade Out Time).

Cardwall As Track-Insert: If checked, the local voice tracking cardwall acts as Track-Insert events - meaning when a card is played a respective Track-Insert event will be added to the recorded track! Else the local cardwall will be routed to the CW II output and played regulary - meaning you would have to make sure it's output is included into your recording accordingly.
The Track-Insert mode has the advantage, that it is non-destructive and allows you to later change the inserted track positions.
The disadvantage is, that the cardwall tracks are always inserted as a whole (so it is not possible to cut or fade out the cardwall tracks).


Local Cardwall:
The voice tracking dialog also hosts a local cardwall (which can be opened by clicking on the resp. 'Load Cardwall...' button).
You can define, if you want to use the cards as Track-Inserts or as regular playouts.
(Track-Inserts will actually logically inserts the jingles into the VT recording as Track-Insert-Events, which is non-destructive and can be later modified; regular playout is like using a regular cardwall, so you might 'record' the jingle playout directly with the VT track). To do so make sure to not record your VT from a mixer-input-channel, but a mixer-output-channel (i.e. route your cardwall output as well as your input-channel to that mixer, so that you record both: your MIC and your jingle playback).

You have 4 options to play a card (by holding a key while clicking on the card to start it):
None: the jingle is played/inserted as is without any further action
CTRL: Sets Fade/Stop (breaks)
ALT: Sets NEXT as well as Fade/Stop (breaks)
SHIFT: Sets NEXT only (no break)
Note: That you can predefine these actions for each card in the lower-right corner (--, F/S, N/F and N)!
Farbo
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Joined: 11 Apr 2012 15:04
Re: Voice Tracking

Post by Farbo »

Hm, so in order to achieve this "not to record your VT from a mixer-input-channel, but a mixer-output-channel (i.e. route your cardwall output as well as your input-channel to that mixer, so that you record both: your MIC and your jingle playback)." is it better to route mic.input channel and cardwalls channels to the same output channel which will be then routed to "broadcast channel" when talkover is turned on? What if I want to send cardwall channel also without talkover turned on directly into broadcast channel? So far I have these channels:

1. music (logically for music) no driver model outputted to broadcast channel and autosend to PFL when no PFL is active
2. cardwall non driver model outputted to PFL and sutosend to PFL when no PFL active (opossite as in point 1)
3. broadcast is a non driver model outputted to PFL channel and used just for sending everything mixed to streaming server
4. PFL is the only output channel which is using WASAPI model in order to hear everything being played in PF

5. MIC input channel using WASAPI driver model and outputted to broadcast channel

So shall I create one more output channel as NONE driver model which will be used for recording voiceovers? But where will it be routed? :-( I am a little bit confused now.
Peter
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radio42
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Re: Voice Tracking

Post by radio42 »

Note, that this is just an option not a must!
In addition you can still route your mixer-channel (which is used to play out your cardwall) to another mixer-output-channel (either via SND to or the direct CopyTo option in the mixer channel settings).
As such you can have a dedicated VT mixer-output-channel - which only contains the resp. (MIC)-Input plus the Cardwall-Outout.
Also note, that 'TalkOver' doesn't have anything to do with that.
If a mixer-channel should consider 'TalkOver' or not can be freely configured for each channel.

But... How are you doing VoiceTracking while at the same time broadcasting?
Typically you do VT upfront while not live OnAir - for pre-prepared playlist. I guess that doesn't make much sense?

However, if you have just limited soundcard capabilities (as far as I remember you have only one soundcard output and one Mic input -and not using any external mixer) then you are of course constrained to some extend.
Farbo
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Re: Voice Tracking

Post by Farbo »

Isn´t it so that I can prepare VT also during normal operation, i.e. when scheduler is running and playing? If I would create VT only when off Air, I would of course need another instance of PF. Yes, I only have, e.g. want to use 1 soundcard for innput and output. So far it is working fine also for VT until I did not start to think about cardwall libraries using in VT. No rpboelm, I am just thinking about the best solution for me.
Peter
Farbo
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Joined: 11 Apr 2012 15:04
Re: Voice Tracking

Post by Farbo »

Solved. :-) Combination of new VTREC channel, output to different channels and send button.
Peter
Farbo
Posts: 349
Joined: 11 Apr 2012 15:04
Re: Voice Tracking

Post by Farbo »

Bernd, you sure can advice. How can I achieve not to hear myself while recording voice track (because I am not using ASIO and thus I can hear myself with delay) but only after I record it and then prelisten to whole sequence of song+recorded voice track+next song? Shall I send you my configs of routing? Or is it possible to export the settings and send it to you?
Peter
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radio42
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Re: Voice Tracking

Post by radio42 »

Just don't route you input mixer channel to any output.
Farbo
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Joined: 11 Apr 2012 15:04
Re: Voice Tracking

Post by Farbo »

Hm, but I need to record ma input channel signal, i.e. voice. So far it is configured so that I have created VTREC output channel where routed following channels:

1. CARD output (as I would liketo record also sound from cards during vaoice tracking)
2. MIC input (explains itself)

The default routing and sending is set this way:

1. CARD output has default device this VTREC output for voice tracking and SEND is set to BROAD output channel (for broadcasting) when no PFL is ON
2. MIC input has completely the same setting, i.e. default device is set to VTREC output for voice tracking and SEND is set to BROAD output channel (for broadcasting) when no PFL is ON

Is it correctly done or am I missing there something in order to get setting which I need?

You said "Just don't route you input mixer channel to any output.". But input channel also has to be routed somewhere. So where shall I route it in order to be able to use it for broadcast and voice tracking without hearing myself when recording or broadcasting live? For broadcast it is already OK but I have to fine-tune the situation when tracks are played out and in parallel I need to record voicetrack but without hearing myself.

I think I figured it out. I just muted VTREC channel and there is no echo and I am able to record from it when making voicetrack. :-)
Peter
j0han
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Joined: 18 Jul 2012 16:03
Re: Voice Tracking

Post by j0han »

Just relaised...

When i was ONAIR, i VT'd 2 tracks during a song was played.

Microphone was 'Line 3 (-> MON)' and the stream catch the sound from MON.

So my VT records were playing over the main(MON)

So i have to point in VoiceTrack, a new mixer called Mic[VT] and select that is shall not copy the stream to ex. MON.

Right?

hmm, didt work to set a new mixerchannel called VT, and use the same Line as in MIC.

So you cannot Voicetrack when you're streaming/live?
j0han
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Joined: 18 Jul 2012 16:03
Re: Voice Tracking

Post by j0han »

Oh, how stupid of me.

Added 'Unmute on Talkover' now.

Thanks Bernd, again..

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