Using markers

About markers

Markers are used to locate certain positions quickly. If you often find yourself jumping to a specific position within a project, you should insert a marker at this position. There are two types of markers:

•Cycle markers allow you to store the start and end positions of a range.

•Standard markers store a specific position.

Markers can be created and edited in several ways:

•By using the Marker window (see below).

•By using the Marker track (see “Using the Marker track” on page 111).

•By using key commands (see “Marker key commands” on page 113).

•By using the Project Browser (see “Editing markers in the Project Browser” on page 113).

Ö The left and right locators are handled separately – see “The left and right locators” on page 61.

The Marker window

In the Marker window, you can perform most editing operations concerning markers. The markers are listed in the Marker window in the order in which they occur in the project. Most functions in the Marker window are also available in the Inspector when the Marker track is selected.

To open the Marker window, you can:

•Select “Markers” from the Project menu

•Click the “Show” button in the Marker section on the Transport panel

•Use the key command (by default [Ctrl]/[Command]-[M]).

The Marker window columns

The Marker window is divided into six columns which are used for performing the following operations:

• The leftmost column is the Locate column.

Clicking in this column will move the project cursor to the corresponding marker position. A blue arrow indicates the marker at the project cursor position (or the closest marker before the project cursor).

•The ID column is used to edit marker ID numbers.

See “About marker ID numbers” on page 111.

•The Position column displays the markers’ time positions (or start positions for cycle markers).

The marker positions can be edited directly in this column.

•The End and Length columns display the end positions and length of cycle markers – see “About cycle markers” on page 111.

These values can also be edited directly in the respective column.

•The Description column lets you enter names or descriptions for markers.

Click on a column heading to sort the marker list by that column. The Marker columns can also be reordered by dragging and dropping the column headers.

Adding and removing markers in the Marker window

•You add position markers (in Stop mode, during playback or during recording) by clicking the Add button or by pressing [Insert] (Windows only) on the computer keyboard. Markers are always added at the current project cursor position.

•To add a cycle marker, select “Cycle Markers” from the Show pop-up menu and click the Add button.

This adds a cycle marker between the left and right locator. You can also draw cycle markers on the Marker track (see “Editing markers on the Marker track” on page 112).

•To remove a marker, select it and click the Remove button.

Ö Note that you can assign key commands to various marker commands in the Key Commands dialog (see “Marker key commands” on page 113).

Moving marker positions in the Marker window

The Move button in the Marker window can be used to “reprogram” marker positions. Proceed as follows:

1.Set the project cursor to the position to which you want to move (or re-program) a marker.

2.Select the marker that you want to change in the Marker window.

Do not select the marker by clicking in the leftmost column, as this will

2.Enter this ID number in the ID column of the marker you want to access with a key command and press [Enter].

The two marker ID numbers are switched, and the key command now locates to the marker selected in this step.

3.Repeat as necessary for other markers.

• You can also simply remove a marker with an ID number between 1 to 9 to free up a key – see “Adding and removing markers in the Marker window” on page 110.

move the project cursor to this marker.

• If a cycle marker is selected, the Move operation affects the cycle marker start position.

• For more about marker key commands, see “Marker key commands” on page 113.

The length of the range is not affected.

3. Click the Move button.

You can also move markers by editing their position numerically in the Position column.

About marker ID numbers

Each time you add a marker, it is automatically and sequentially assigned an ID number, starting from ID 1. ID numbers can be changed at any time – this allows you to assign specific markers to key commands (see below).

IDs for cycle markers are shown in brackets and start from [1]. These may also be changed.

Assigning markers to key commands

As explained above, marker ID numbers are assigned automatically and sequentially each time you add a marker. The nine first markers (1 to 9) can be recalled by using key commands – by default these are [Shift]-[1] to [9] on the typewriter part of the keyboard.

Ö If you have more than nine markers, you cannot use key commands to navigate to markers numbered 10 or higher.

If you want to keep all current markers, but want to specify which markers should be accessed via key commands, the solution is to reassign the marker ID numbers. Proceed as follows:

1. First decide which of the current markers with an ID between 1 and 9 you want to reassign to a new ID number, and thus remove its key command assignment.

Memorize the ID number.

Using the Marker track

The Marker track is used for viewing and editing markers. Markers shown on the Marker track are exactly the same as shown in the Marker window, and any changes made on the Marker track are reflected in the Marker window and vice versa. Standard position markers in the Marker track are shown as marker events: vertical lines with the marker name (if assigned) and number beside it. If you select the Marker track, all markers are shown in the Inspector, much like in the Marker window.

About cycle markers

Cycle markers are shown on the Marker track as two markers bridged by a horizontal line. Cycle markers are ideal for storing sections of a project. By setting cycle markers for sections of a song, for example “Intro”, “Verse”, “Chorus” etc., this enables you to quickly navigate to the song sections, and also to optionally repeat the section (by activating Cycle on the Transport panel).

In addition, Cycle markers appear on the horizontal Zoom pop-up menu in the Project window (see below).

Adding the Marker track

To add the Marker track to the Project, select “Marker” from the Add Track submenu of the Project menu (or right-click in the Track list and select “Add Marker Track”). You can only have one Marker track in a project.

Editing markers on the Marker track

The following editing functions can be performed directly on the Marker track:

• Adding position markers “on the fly”.

Use the [Insert] key (Win) or the “Add Marker” button in the Track list for the Marker track to add position markers at the current cursor position during playback.

Add Marker/Add Cycle Marker buttons

•Adding a cycle marker at the left and right locator positions.

Clicking the “Add Cycle Marker” button in the Track list for the Marker track adds a cycle marker spanning the area between the left and right locator.

•Selecting markers.

You can use standard selection techniques like dragging to make a selection rectangle, or use [Shift] to select separate markers.

• Drawing position markers.

By using the Pencil tool (or pressing [Alt]/[Option] and using the Arrow tool), you can create or “draw” position marker events at any position on the track. If snap is activated on the toolbar, this determines at which positions you can draw markers.

• Drawing cycle markers.

To draw a cycle marker range, press [Ctrl]/[Command] and use the Pencil tool or the Arrow tool. Snap settings are applied if activated.

Ö Cycle markers can freely overlap.

• Resizing a cycle marker.

Select a cycle marker by clicking on it. Two handles appear at the bottom of the start and end events. If you click and hold one of the handles you can drag the event left or right to resize the cycle marker. This can also be done numerically on the info line.

• Removing markers.

This is done exactly the same way as for other events, i.e. by selecting them and pressing [Delete], using the Erase tool etc.

• Naming markers.

A selected marker’s name can be edited on the info line.

Navigating using cycle markers

Cycle markers represent ranges rather than single positions. Therefore you don’t use them for moving the project cursor, but for moving the left and right locators:

•If you double-click on a cycle marker or select it from the Cycle pop-up menu in the Track list, the left and right locators are moved to encompass the cycle marker.

To move the project cursor position to the start or the end of the cycle marker, move it to the corresponding locator (e.g. by using the numeric pad keys [1] and [2]).

•You can also use key commands for this – see “Marker key commands” on page 113.

Zooming to cycle markers

• By selecting a cycle marker on the Zoom pop-up menu, the event display is zoomed in to encompass the selected range only (see the section “Zoom presets and Cycle markers” on page 36).

You can also do this by pressing [Alt]/[Option] and double-clicking on the cycle marker in the event display.

Editing cycle markers using tools

Cycle markers can be edited on the Marker track using the following tools (Snap applies as usual):