Subject: Re: [linux-audio-dev] multitrack and editor separate?
From: Nelson Posse Lago (lago_AT_that.com.br)
Date: Sun Oct 28 2001 - 22:08:53 EET
On Sun, Oct 28 2001 at 12:44:15pm -0500, Paul Davis wrote:
> Frankly, no. Once again, there are two different levels of operation:
> working with specific samples, and working in an audio sequencer.
> [...]
> Compare these issues with the relatively simple task of taking the
> code to an existing waveform editor and using it within a system like
> Ardour as a dedicated "region editor".
We want to be able to do sample-editing directly inside ardour so that we
can hear the results of any edits within the context of the mix and so
that we don't have to "save/open/edit/save/open" everytime we need some
waveform editing, right?
Well, correct me if I am wrong, but I can only see two kinds of edits:
editing an EDL or editing directly a *wave file* that belongs to an EDL.
Paul has written before on this thread that "the audio data may not be on
a (single) file" or something to that effect; I believe this is not
correct. Sure, the actual data resulting from the combination of
files+EDL doesn't exist on disk, but I see no reasonable way of
sample-editing it. The only thing you can reasonably expect to be able to
sample-edit are the wave files that compose the diskstream, and that is a
much simpler thing to accomplish, since these are real files on disk
(unless they are generated in realtime some way, but in this case you
wouldn't be able to sample-edit the stream anyway).
Now, here's what would be nice: ardour calls the wave editor and asks it
to edit file X; from now on, this file is *removed* from ardour's EDL.
Now, when ardour wants to play the mix, ardour asks the editor "send me
the data corresponding to time XX:YY:ZZ thru AA:BB:CC" corresponding to
the original regions of the file (in other words: play the file starting
at XX:YY:ZZ and stop at AA:BB:CC). Now the "correct" diskstream is rebuilt
with this data and processing may continue. When editing is finished, the
editor saves the file, and ardour puts it back in the EDL.
If I understand things correctly, this should be easily done if the editor
works with JACK. The (hard to solve) problem is that a single file may appear
simultaneously on two different regions, which means the editor should
be able to "play" two (or more) parts of the soundfile simultaneously. In
fact, I believe this is what Josh Green was talking about in his message.
The only other solution I see (besides using a built-in editor for ardour)
is to create a temporary file, call the wave editor on that file and
temporarily substitute the original file for the temporary file on
ardour's EDL; when the editor is finished, substitute the original file
with the temp file. This is clearly an ugly hack, uses a lot of disk space
and only works if the audio editor acts directly on the original file it
is fed (and doesn't create a temp file on it's own - I believe may of them
allow that method of operation), but makes life much simpler for ardour
and the editor (meaning, I guess Paul can implement it in 1 hour of work
if he feels like it ;-).
See ya,
Nelson
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