Playing the sound and Entering Control Data
from a graphic display of the waveform or spectrum of the source.
Trevor Wishart (July 2007)
Introduction
In Sound Loom version 10 the 'Snack' extension to the TK/Tcl language has been used to allow you to
- View the Waveform and Spectrum of a sound on the workspace.
- Play the Sound from the graphic.
In addition, Sound Loom facilities have been added to the basic display options to allow you to
- Zoom, timewise, in or out of the display, down to the sample level.
- Select a portion to view by creating a viewing box over the graphic with the mouse, and
zoom in to the selected portion.
- Play a selected portion of the sound (indicated by drawing a box with the mouse).
- Zoom the spectrum, frequencywise to see more details in the lower portion of the spectrum.
- Enter control data by drawing it over the graphic display of the waveform or spectrum.
- Superimpose a value scale on the waveform, or spectrum, to assist in drawing an accurate breakpoint line over them.
- Superimpose a frequency scales on the spectrum, to assist in drawing an accurate frequency box over it.
If you currently use Graphic Entry for entering breakpoint data on your Sound Loom,
you should select, instead, Text Entry.
You can do this on the System State menu on the Workspace, from System Settings -->
Set Breakpoint Edit Style.
Graphic Data Entry
The latest version of the Sound Loom allows you to enter various types of control data by drawing them
with the mouse over a graphic display of the waveform or spectrum of the source sound.
You can also play the source, or any part of the source, from the same display, while you are creating the data.
Marks, boxes or breakpoints are created by clicking or dragging the mouse, sometimes with the Control, Shift or Alt Key depressed.
The particular mouse actions required are described on the graphic display page itself.
The graphics you draw on the display are scaled appropriately as you zoom in or out of the display.
This means that you can enter data at any level of detail, down to the sample level, simply by drawing on the display.
NB: To transfer the graphical data you have created or edited to a CDP control file
you must press the Output Data button on the bottom right of the Graphic display page.
What Types of Data Can I Enter ?
For data entry, there are several alternative possibilities. The Sound Loom knows which of these possibilities is appropriate to the particular situation, and
activates the particular style of graphic data entry appropriate to that situation.
The data entry possibilities are..
- Creating or editing breakpoint files for particular parameters (you can choose a value range, or select the default).
- by creating a breakpoint line over the waveform or spectral display.
- Creating pairs of time values (e.g. the start and end times of an edit).
- by drawing a time-box over the waveform or spectral display (you can also play what is inside the box).
- Creating a list of pairs of time values (e.g. start and end times of multiple edits, or cleaning areas in the Cleaning Kit).
- by drawing successive boxes over the waveform or spectral display (you can also play what is inside each box).
- Creating or editing lists of (increasing) times (e.g. edit times to cut syllables, switching times for Twixt process).
- by creating time marks on the waveform or spectral display.
- Creating lists of time markers (e.g. the time-reversal points in a Zig Zag control file)
- by creating time marks on the waveform or spectral display.
- Creating a single time-marker (e.g. Grab or Magnify a spectral window).
- by creating a time mark on the waveform or spectral display.
- Creating or editing time data for special kinds of control data (e.g. vowel or varibank filters).
- by creating time marks on the waveform or spectral display.
These are then transferred to the textfile listing where you can add the other data required.
e.g. if you have activated Midi Keyboard Entry the varibank filter frequencies can then be entered from a MIDI keyboard.
- Creating a pair of frequency values (e.g. various spectral processes with low and high frequency limits).
- by drawing a frequency box over the waveform or spectral display (this is independent of any time-box, from which you can play a portion of the sound).
- Creating a single frequency value (e.g. spectral fiter).
- by creating a frequency mark on the waveform or spectral display.
Where are the Graphic Data Entry Buttons ?
Graphic display and data entry buttons are labelled Sound View and are (currently) coloured green and will be found
- Among the buttons at the top left of some Parameter Pages
- In most cases these buttons will allow you merely to see and play the sounds, or graphically selected parts of the sound.
However, where appropriate the display can be used for entering
- pairs of parameters such as the start and end times of an edit, or the upper and lower frequency bounds for a spectral process.
- A single parameter (where there is only one parameter) such as the window-time to Grab or Magnify a spectral window.
- In the text window accessed from the Make File buttons in some parameter bars on the Parameters page
- These buttons call up a display of the source sound over which you can graphically create the appropriate data (see above) for the control file.
- In the text window accessed from the Get File buttons in some parameter bars on the Parameters page,
followed by selecting the Edit option, to edit an existing data file.
- These buttons call up a display of the source sound with the original data displayed graphically
on top of the waveform or spectral display.
The existing data can be graphically manipulated and then
saved to the textfile window as edited data for a new control file.
- On most of the individual Tool windows of the Cleaning Kit.
- Here they can be used to view the original or cleaned files, and select (further) areas for cleaning, gating etc.