FR - renaming clips also rename clips in tracks?

[Lunch Money]

OK,

This may or may not be considered a bug... so until someone thinks it's 'buggy', I'll just call it a feature request.

In T's settings page, you can choose the behaviour that renaming a source file also renames the clip. All well and good, and it's working as it should. When you rename a source file, the change is reflected in the 'source info' box, and in the Project item list. But I'd also like to see it rename the track clip "objects", too.

I CAN imagine rare times in which having the clp in the edit with a different name would be useful... like if you're using its name as a "note" to yourself or something. But I would think that more often than not, people would want the 'clip' item in the project list to match not only the source file, but also the 'clip' item in the edit.

While cleaning up a project recently, I decided to rename source files. I then wanted the clip objects to have the same name as the source files so that it'd be easy to track them down and identify them later. It took a LONG time, especially in edits with lots of slicing up and cross-fading. If it's a choice between two functions, I'd rather have the ability to auto re-name than to leave myself little jot-notes (a job for which Trackpad and Trackpad2X are far more capable anyhow).

sub-FR: ability to add wee little 'notes to self' that live right on the edit clips!

All of the above assumes that you HAVE selected the 'rename' option in the Settings.

Would anybody else prefer it this way? If not, what are your reasons?

Greg

[chimmy]

Lunch, I'm not sure if I'm understanding your point correctly, but what I do I think accomplishes what you want.

First, the option in the settings page is: "Renaming a clip in an edit also renames its source file".

From the edit page is where I rename my clips. Highlight the clip and type in the new name in the name box at the bottom of the screen. Now the source file and all instances of the clip in all edits that use that clip are renamed including pieces of the clip that have been sliced and moved around.

I've never renamed the clips from the projects page.

In addition to that, if the track is already named something such as "LeadGuit1a" before recording on that track, the clip will have the same name along with the edit number of the project and the date recorded.

This way works great for me, and it is very easy for me to find specific clips when browsing through directories and folders when I need to process a clip file offline in a different stand alone app for example.

chim

[Rock]

Is the thread title right?

[Lunch Money]

*grr*

Trust me, I know what I want when I ask for it. I guess I'll waste 20 minutes of my life and give screen shots.

Greg

[Lunch Money]

OK, second attempt:



How do I get ALL instances of "1", plus "2" and "3" to have the same name?

I understand that you can set it so that new clips are named for the track, and that's as it should be. But I would optionally like to be able to rename those clips later on. And I DON'T want to have to hunt for all occurrences throughout the entire edit, at times zooming or scrolling, so that I can highlight them all with "CTRL+click". I want to rename once, and have the audio file, the project clip name, and the edit clips' names changed. If it's already possible, then there's something I've overlooked and I'll gladly eat humble pie for the sake of being able to do this in the future.

Currently, when I rename #3 (which is what I'm doing, not from the Project list), I can optionally have it rename #2 as well, which also updates the name in the Project List view. But it does NOT update #1 because it is per-edit information. I'd like a way for it to auto rename globally or at LEAST "for current edit" since "global" might be tricky to rework without an overhaul.

Greg

[chimmy]

Well "grr", o.k. second attempt.

When "I" rename my clips from within the edit, all instances of "1", plus "2" and "3" do have the same name.

The name I give it is automatically given the prefix of "audio_new edit 1", (a midi clip would start with the word midi_then whatever the current name of the edit is gets automatically inserted next, then my clip name, then again automatically ends with the "date the clip was recorded". For example:
"audio_new edit 1_LGuit 2a_30Sep2005.wav" with "LGuit2a" being the name I designated. This works for me flawlessly and the automatic insersion of the clip type, edit name, and date provides a very easy method for me when idedntifying clips even if clips in different edits or projects have the same name due to the automatic edit name and date qualifiers.

The way I do it is I select any instance of the clip in an edit and rename the clip in the #2 box of yours. That does for me exactly what you are describing you are trying to do.

Try renaming from the #2 box instead of the #3 box and see what happens. On my machine it does exactly what you are describing.

[Lunch Money]

I think you're missing a part of the equation here.

When you record a new clip, it is being named "audio_editname_Trackname_date". As long as you never move your clip from the track it was created on, it will be fine. However, if you're like me and you rename and re-arrange things, this isn't going to happen.

Now, I'm not saying this is the BEST practice, but sometimes when I want a new audio part (to fix a bum note, for example), I will use an available empty track or create a new available empty track. I don't like overlaying audio onto existing clips because it can quickly become a mess. If I name the new track with the same thing for consistency, the newly recorded audio is going to become "audio_editname_trackname_date(2).wav" which isn't particularly descriptive or handy.

I'm not saying there aren't ways of organizing yourself better, but then I'd be adapting to the program, which is not something I'm in the mood to do for something like this. In fact, I wouldn't have the problem at all if Tracktion wasn't making duplicate Project List entries for imported edits (from collaborations, for example). I'd be fine with whatever filename it was given because it's fairly transparent.

But when it comes time to manually re-assign clips, Tracktion has dropped the ball and I don't like spending a half-hour of my time (luckily only a half hour because at the end of the day my edits are relatively simple) fixing its mistakes.

BUT, if I'm forced to fix its mistakes, it needs to give me the right tools to do it.

Renaming "#2" in fact is the WORST option because it will not rename #1 OR #3. Renaming #1 will at least update #2 but not #3.

There's no way of renaming all that I've found. I just tried what you suggested and it does NOT in fact work. Unless you update 1 or 2 of the fields to match an already existing field (which is what I suspect you're talking about)... but if you want to rename all 3 to something completely new, there's no way that I've seen yet.

Greg

[chimmy]

Well actually Lunch, I started my first post by stating "I'm not sure if I'm understanding your point correctly", and was just trying to help.

When I select a clip I rename it in the name box at the bottom of the screen. I do not click "view source info" then try to rename it. The way I do it does rename #1 but not #3, you are correct in that. However, I have made it a habit to take a few seconds to rename my track before recording, then all 3 have the desired name. This way I have none of the problems you are going through. We all work differently and what works for me won't necessarily work for you.

I apologise if I have wasted some of your life (referring to your 2nd post) and that you felt bothered that I tried to help.

[Lunch Money]

Now, chimmy, that's just twisting things around. I wasn't bothered by you, chimmy, as a person for trying to help.

I will give you some credit-- I can see why you might have taken it personally-- I wasn't particularly 'kind' with my tone of writing, so you're not a lunatic for getting angry at me for that tone. BUT, I assure you that nothing personal was meant by it.

I change edits and arrangements all the time, and bring clips from one track to another or one edit into another. Every time I make a major change to an edit, I save a 'copy' so that I have a timeline to look back on. Many times, it works out perfectly, but sometimes it doesn't fit together like a puzzle. A part that I thought was going to be a solo (and therefore is recorded as "Guitar Solo 1" actually ends up sounding more like a riff, so I want to change it to "Groovy Electric Riff" instead; or maybe (and this is certainly the case in at least a couple projects!) I have recorded a part in "Track 5" before realizing "Shhhhoooooot! I didn't rename that track first!"

Your way is certainly the best way to do it in order to hopefully avoid a mess, but that doesn't mean that it will always work out perfectly and smoothly. I also suspect that if you're organized enough to remember to name your track every single time, that you're also organized enough not to collect as many bits and pieces into a project as I do.

So, I'm not saying that your advice wasn't good advice in general. It's the same advice I'd give someone else. Heck, I've been using Tracktion since 1.4 and hadn't ever noticed it before, so it's not like track names are a daily problem for me or anything. But when I DID notice it, and foresaw future problems, I decided to put in an FR.

Greg

[Lunch Money]

Just discovered something that gets me partway there.

If you do a combination of renaming #3 and then do the following:

i) select one of the clips that needs renaming in the edit
2) use the "select->" button to select all clips with the same source file
3) use the "#1" box to rename them all at once.

The only stipulation is that in #3, it has to be a new name-- you can't just use the name that pops up in the box. (ie. I had already named one of my clips "Slippery Riff", while the rest were "Theme Riff". When I selected them all, the name "Slippery Riff" appeared in the box. I liked that name, but couldn't use it right away. I had to rename them all "Slip" (or whatever) and then back to "Slippery Riff".

Doing this also reminded me of a point I had missed-- a lot of parts can evolve from 'jamming' along to your track. Maybe I just called my track "Rhythmic jamming" to begin with, but then later decided that "Slippery Riff" was a more appropriate description of the riffage.

I can think of lots of different situations in which renaming 1,2, and 3 at once would be useful!

I still apologize, though. It's very grumpy-making to do any sort of housekeeping with the current state of things.

Greg

[Rock]

I thought the *grr* was for me for questioning the thread title which I didn't get...

[Lunch Money]

Maybe a little bit, Rock. But I love ya, you know that. I get short with my best mates sometimes, too, but that doesn't mean that at the end of the day I don't respect and care for them.

Greg

[Rock]

No problem Lunch!