User Guide Index

Quick Start

 

This section outlines the basic sequence of operations to use Revoice Pro, but there are many other options and features offered. Detailed instructions are in sections following this Quick Start guide. In particular, users should always read the "What's New?" chapter to take advantage of new features added which are beyond the scope of this Quick Start guide.

The main Revoice Pro screen is shown below, loaded with a 3 track Session and with main items labelled. The user can refer to this diagram to help identify items described in this Guide. Click the image to expand it.

Labled Main Screen

1. Before Starting Revoice Pro

2. Start Revoice Pro

3. Load Audio

    1. Decide if you want to load and process short sections of audio or a whole audio track. If you load whole audio tracks, we recommend you initially create process blocks perhaps up to around 20 or 30 seconds long. You process each smaller section on its own and then send it back to your Audio Editor. That way, you can get used to the processing as you work your  way along the whole signal.
    2. There are two ways to get audio into Revoice Pro.
      1. Drag audio .wav or .aiff files into Revoice Pro tracks.
        There are two advantages to this method:
        a) The tracks will be given the name of the first audio file dragged in and
        b) The audio is NOT copied.
        OR
      2. Use DAW Plug-ins: If you use Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase or Nuendo, etc., then you can transfer audio into Revoice Pro using the Audio Suite, AAX, AU, or VST3 Revoice Pro Links, described here in more detail.
    3. The Doubler process requires loading one input signal.
    4. The APT (Audio Performance Transfer) process requires loading two input signals:
      1. A Guide signal (with the “good” desired characteristics) in one track and
      2. A roughly similar target or “Dub” audio file (that has characteristics that need to be modified) in another track.
    5. Quick Key controls for zooming in and out can be found here.
    6. Waveforms can be edited, if required, as described here.
    7. Decide which process is to be used: APT or Doubler.

4. APT Processing (Quick Guide)

A Quick Guide to the APT Process (with pictures) is available at the start of the APT Setup chapter here. The Guide below is similar but briefer and without pictures. The names of most items mentioned can be seen in the annotated screen at the top of this page.

Once the starts of the Guide and Dub audio signals are roughly lined up, you can create an Audio Performance Transfer or "APT" process. Once set up, the input ranges will be displayed as bars known as APT Control Blocks (labelled with "APT: [number or name]") in the input's Process Control Tracks (which are under the Guide and Dub waveforms). At the same time, the APT process will reserve space in the designated output track where, after the process is run, the Output signal will be sent.

(If there is more than one APT process using the same Track as an Input, that APT process can be selected by RIGHT CLICKing on the Process Control Track and selecting the relevant process from the contextual menu.)

There are several ways to specify the range of the audio being processed. We will describe one of these here.

  1. If you have just dragged in or used a Revoice Link plug-in to capture a Guide signal and a Dub signal, one of the waveforms should still be green indicating it is the selected signal.
  2. Otherwise, select a waveform that will be the Guide or Dub by LEFT CLICKing it. The selected item will turn green.
    NOTE: For efficient APT processing, it is better first to try processing sections of the Guide and Dub signals that are less than a half minute long.
  3. Press the B key on the keyboard to bring up the New Process control panel. Alternatively, RIGHT CLICK in a track's Process Control Track and select “New APT” process. Make sure the "Selected Process" is showing "APT".
  4. Normally, the New Process window will make intelligent selections for the processing range ("Initial Input Start and End") and the Input and Output tracks from the items you last selected.
  5. If the audio you have imported is not too long, then "Selected Audio" is a good choice for the "Initial Input Start and End". Or, you can insert a Playback Range by clicking and dragging in the Playback Range Track to create a (yellow) Playback Range. This will define the range of the processing if you choose "Selected Playback Range" in the drop down menu.
  6. Next, check that the Input (Guide and Dub) and Output tracks are the ones you want. If not, use the drop-down menu under "Inputs" and "Output" to change them.
  7. When all the settings are correct, simply press the N key (for "New") on your keyboard or click the "New Process" button.
  8. APT Guide and Dub Process Control Blocks will be created in the tracks selected as well as an initial estimated "reserved" process Output range.
  9. If required, adjust the ends or position of the APT Guide and Dub Process Control Block regions in one of three ways:
    1. Drag the ends individually or together by holding down the SHIFT key.
    2. LEFT CLICK an APT control bar any where away from the ends and drag (the hand icon) right or left (the length will stay the same). Holding SHIFT down will move both Guide and Dub bars together.
    3. If the Playhead is positioned at the desired start or end of a section to process, RIGHT CLICK the green APT Guide or Dub control bar and select “Set Selected Process Start (or End) to Playhead”. Holding down SHIFT will allow both Guide and Dub APT endpoints to be adjusted together.
  10. TIPS for best performance - adjust the APT Control Blocks so that:
    1. At the input start, they do not include long sections of digital silence.
    2. There is ideally around 0.25 seconds of signal "silence" (i.e. background noise) at the start of both the Guide and Dub input blocks. This helps the process estimate the noise floor.
  11. If an APT process is not wanted, it can be deleted by Right Clicking on the APT control bar and selecting "Delete Selected Process".
  12. If you know the APT Process settings are correct, to hear the audio, simply press the Space Bar on your keyboard and the processed output audio will be created in the designated Output track and then playback will start. You can use the process-dependent track solo keys as described in section 6 below to select the track(s) to hear.
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5. Adjust and Run the Process

  1. To check or adjust the settings of the selected process, press the P key (recommended) on your keyboard or click on the Open Process Control Panel button Process Control Open (in the APT control block). This will open the APT Process Control Panel. You can then select the desired settings as described briefly below or in more detail here.
  2. Use Preset settings as required.
  3. Turn Timing and Pitch ON or OFF as required.
  4. Optional: Save the settings as a User Default Preset if required for automatic repeated use of this setting.
  5. When finished adjusting the settings, you can close the APT control panel by (press P or click the orange box with black arrow pointing down). Or the window can be moved out of the way.
  6. To Run the process and audition the audio:
    1. Simply press the SPACE bar on your keyboard. The processed output audio will be created in the designated Output track and then playback will start.
    2. Or, only to "Render" the output audio without playing it, Press CMD R (Mac) / Alt R (Windows) on the keyboard or click the red Process Audio button (gear image).
  7. If there is more audio to process along the tracks, you can simply create a new Playback Range, then press N (to create the new process (with the Playback Range and Current Track choices). Then simply press the Space bar to render and play the output.
  8. Important: If you need to adjust the Process controls of an APT process, it is best to select either the Dub Process Control Block or the Process Output, to ensure the appropriate Process Control Block is selected and then press the P key to set the Control Panel to the selected process before making adjustments. For added assurance, check the name at the top of the Control Panel is the one you want to adjust.

 

6. Play selected audio

  1. To optionally set the start and end of a range to audition, create a Playback Range by LEFT CLICKing and drag in the Playback Range Control Track.
  2. If required, enable Rewind and Loop controls.
  3. Optionally enable audio hardware to hear Revoice Pro output - or enable the Monitor or Rewire switch.
  4. Double click in any audio track to position the Playhead at the cursor. If a Playback Range is NOT set, the keyboard Space Bar starts and stops playback from the Playhead, or the Rewind point if set. If a Playback range is set, playback starts from the Playhead and stops at the end of the range. If pressed again it restarts at the beginning of the range, or the rewind point if set.
  5. The keyboard Up and Down arrows will step the Playhead through audio event starts.
  6. Process-dependent monitoring is available by selecting one of the APT Control Tracks (the Process Control Track turns green) and use the process-dependent audition keys to enable or mute the various tracks (Click here for details).
  7. Optionally use the numeric keys 1, 2, 3 ... to 0 (corresponding to the numbers in the track control panels) to toggle solo on those tracks.
  8. The APT control panel can be opened, controls adjusted and audio re-rendered while signals are playing.

7. Add Protected Regions if Required

If differences between Guide and Dub are too great in a short region, Protected Regions can be inserted into the Dub track that prevent that Dub section from being processed.

  1. RIGHT CLICK inside the Dub Track (once the energy is displayed - shown in orange in the screen shot above) to show the menu with “Add Protected Area”. If that menu item is not shown, open the APT Control Panel for that APT process ensure "Energy" is enabled in the DISPLAY/EDIT section and then try adding the Protected Region again.
  2. Select whether to protect, Pitch, Timing, or both which, once selected, will insert a default-length Protected Region starting where the cursor was. Then the start, end and whole of the Protected Region can be dragged as required. The render and audition the output to check it is satisfactory.
  3. If necessary, re-adjust the Protected Region and audition again.

TIP: Using a Playback Region loop is useful for adjusting Protected Regions while listening.

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8. Export the processed audio

When satisfied with the processed audio, there are three ways to export it for use in your DAW.

  1. Drag and drop the region into your audio editor.
    Make sure the audio to transfer is selected (and green). If it isn't, RIGHT CLICK and select "Edit Audio" and if the waveform is not selected, click on it. Then press and hold the SHIFT and (on Mac) ALT (on Windows) Ctrl keys down and then hold down a LEFT-CLICK on the audio you wish to drag. When a document icon appears, release the SHIFT and other key and drag the audio to your Audio Editor.
  2. Export one or more tracks and regions to a file.
    Select the File menu and select the Export Audio option, or use (Mac) CMD E, (Windows) Ctrl E. You can:
    1. Modify the Prefix name of each exported file in the "Save As" window.
    2. Select the Destination folder in the "Where" menu
    3. If "Where" is not showing, click the arrow to the right of the "Save As" window. Click the same arrow to show more destination selection options.
    4. Select which tracks to Export from
    5. Choose whether to export all the audio in each selected track or just the area within a Playback Range if the option "Export Selected Playback Area" is ON.
      (NOTE: If no Playback Control range is available, all Track audio will be exported.)
  3. If Pro Tools is being used, the Revoice Pro Link Audio Suite Plug-in can SPOT (export) the selected audio in Revoice Pro to the correct time code position in Pro Tools.

9. The Doubler Process - Quick Guide

  1. Transfer a mono or Stereo signal into Revoice Pro for processing as described here. The waveform should still be green indicating it is the selected signal.
  2. Otherwise, select the waveform by LEFT CLICKing it. A selected item will turn green. Or create a Playback Range to mark out a section of the waveform for processing.
  3. Press the B key on the keyboard to bring up the New Process control panel. Under "Selected Process" chose Doubler. Alternatively, RIGHT CLICK in a track's Process Control Track and select “New Doubler”.
  4. Normally, the New Process window will make intelligent selections for the processing range ("Initial Input Start and End") and the Input and Output tracks from the items you last selected.
  5. If it isn't what you want, in the New Process panel, under Initial Input Start & End, LEFT CLICK the drop down and select either Selected Audio or Selected Playback Range as required.
  6. In the same control panel, under the Input label, check and/or select the track that contains the Input audio and under the Output label, select the track to receive the Output audio.
  7. Make sure that "Number of Processes" (under "Create Multiple Processes") is set to 1 for now.
  8. Press N on the keyboard (or Click New Process) when the selections described above are correct. An Output area will be reserved and one or two red bars will appear showing it is ready for processing.
  9. If the user knows the processing Settings are correct, press the Space Bar to render and play.
  10. To check or change the processing Settings, press the P key to open the Process Control Panel and either
    1. LEFT CLICK Preset and choose a Factory or User preset from the lists or
    2. Modify the Settings
  11. Audition the result by Soloing the desired tracks using the process dependant solo keys for Output (A key) only or Output with Input (E key), and pressing Space Bar to play.
  12. To use the same settings again, if they are not already a Preset, open the Process Control Panel, open the Preset menu, and select Save as Preset.
  13. To Export the processed audio, click here

10. Other Actions in Revoice Pro

  1. More Process Control Blocks can be inserted along the timeline.
  2. A quick way to reuse all of an APT or Doubler process settings is to copy the Process Control Blocks by holding down the ALT (Mac) / Ctrl (Windows) key, LEFT CLICK the Process Control Block and drag the new Control Block (with a + sign) it along the track or to another track.
  3. Tracks can be created by holding down the ALT (Mac) / Ctrl (Windows) key, clicking on the Track Control Panel and dragging up or down to a new location. This will increment the dragged Track name.
    Or use the Add Tracks command in the “Tracks" menu or CMD SHIFT N (Mac) / Ctrl SHIFT N (Windows).
  4. Tracks can be used as inputs to or outputs from more than one process.
  5. For the APT process, the Output waveform's pitch and timing can be displayed and edited in the Output Track as long as the "Time & Pitch" box at the bottom of the APT Control Panel's "DISPLAY & EDIT" section is enabled.
    1. If the display cannot be edited, then select the output waveform and RIGHT CLICK to bring up the context menu with APT process name – and select “Edit Time & Pitch”. Then Zoom in.
    2. Left Click on the Blue pitch trace block, which can be manipulated in different ways to adjust time or pitch depending on the cursor shape.
    3. To make manual adjustments easier, expand the Waveform full height adjust the Pitch trace display controls. For more detail, click here.

 

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© 2014 Synchro Arts Limited
User Guide Version 2.6
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