Is it possible to define a macro to copy a specific length of roomtone? I want to set different macros for different roomtone durations to simplify adjusting pause lengths in narration. The roomtone would probably be stored in a separate track from the narration. Ideally, a macro could be created to first Copy X seconds of roomtone from the track where roomtone is recorded, then Paste it into the cursor location in another track.
There was a plugin for that: punch copy paste … Punch Copy/Paste
Trebor: Thanks, but while Punch Copy Paste is very useful it doesn’t quite do what I want. PCP can copy roomtone into whatever space I highlight but it can’t adjust the duration of that space to something other than what it already is. E.g., if the highlighted space is 1.0s I get 1.0s of roomtone, but if I want to shrink that space to 0.8s or extend it to 1.5s PCP won’t do that. I’d have to do something else to adjust the space duration.
It should do. To extend, loop mode should be enabled (it is enabled by default).
Steve: I don’t see how that works with Punch Copy/Paste. For instance, if I:
- select 0.8s of roomtone
- select Effect > Punch Copy/Paste,with Action = Copy (replace) and Loop mode = Enable, and click Apply;
- select a test section of a recorded track
- select Effect > Punch Paste and click Apply
The recorded track section selected in step 3 is overwritten by roomtone as it should be, but its length – regardless of whether shorter or longer than 0.8s – remains unchanged. The Loop mode selected in step 2 just lets PCP apply the roomtone to a longer track section than what was selected in step 1.
In contrast, if I use Edit>Copy then Edit>Paste to:
- select 0.8s of roomtone
- select Edit> Copy
- select a section of a recorded track to test
- select Edit>Paste
the recorded track section selected in step 3 is overwritten by roomtone and its length is adjusted to 0.8s, so lengthened if initially shorter than 0.8s and shortened if initially longer than 0.8s. This works for editing a bunch of pauses all to 0.8s, where I can select and choose Paste for each, until I need to do some other Copy and Paste action (e.g., of a pickup). In the latter case, the new copied section replaces the old 0.8s of roomtone in the clipboard, so if I want to resume editing pauses to 0.8s of roomtone I must again Copy 0.8s of roomtone into the clipboard, which takes time.
(It would be ideal to expand the clipboard capacity to hold multiple Copied items, letting the user then, when using Edit>Paste, choose which clipboard item to apply.)
Steve: Given how Effect>Punch Paste worked for me in step 4 of the PCP example above, how would you use Punch Copy/Paste to lengthen or shorten the recorded track section selected in step 3?