Where is the Arranger info in the manual?

[davidestevens]

(New user) I've had a look around in the (downloaded) manual, but have been unable to find anything that explains how to use the arranger track. Could someone point me to the right page? (it's the user guide v5)

Thanks

[operandx]

It's a new feature and not documented in the manual as far as I know. However, it is simple in principle. Make sure you have arranger track showing. Create arranger clip - ctrl click and drag it to length. Then click on body of arranger clip ( not it's top bar) and drag where you want the copy. Menu then opens allowing choice of move or copy. Right clicking on an arranger clip also opens a menu with further options such as deleting clips on tracks within the boinds of the arranger clip. And also if the arranger clip is dragged over another arranger clip there is an option to swap or replace.

[davidestevens]

Thanks! Am I correct in assuming that the arranger clip “contains” clips from the audio (& MIDI?) tracks (so it’s kind of like a folder track)? If so, how do you include audio clips into an arranger clip? Or am I misunderstanding what an arranger track is, and what the contents of an arranger clip are? (If I remember correctly, there’s an arranger track in Cubase, but I never ever used that functionality, so it’s something I’m pretty vague about!)

[Steve Bolivar]

Here's the promo/tutorial video for it.

[operandx]

Thanks! Am I correct in assuming that the arranger clip “contains” clips from the audio (& MIDI?) tracks (so it’s kind of like a folder track)? If so, how do you include audio clips into an arranger clip? Or am I misunderstanding what an arranger track is, and what the contents of an arranger clip are? (If I remember correctly, there’s an arranger track in Cubase, but I never ever used that functionality, so it’s something I’m pretty vague about!)

Yes you need to show the arranger track. Use the blue eye icon top right to show the arranger track. An arranger clip is not really like a folder it just delimits a region of the edit that you want to move, copy etc. The video above should help understand the function.

[davidestevens]

Thanks, that helps.It looks as though it's meant for groups of tracks of the same length lined up on the same barline, so it's actually not going to be particularly useful for the way I work. I think Folder tracks will be more useful for me as a way of keeping certain tracks grouped together whilst moving them around.

As a general thing, if I find info missing in the existing manual, are there generally videos for those newer features?

thanks again...

[operandx]

Videos can be found on Tracktions own YouTube channel:
and Bill Edstrom does some excellent vids:

[pough]

As a general thing, if I find info missing in the existing manual, are there generally videos for those newer features?

Not really. Over the years, TSC has mostly been resistant to ensuring features are documented. The included manual is definitely not updated to the current version and while Bill Edstrom is doing his usual excellent job making videos, he hasn't yet completed his tour of duty.

I recommend taking these steps:

1. Check the manual.
2. Look for a video.
3. Ask for help here or
4. On the Facebook Tracktion Waveform Users group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/Tracktion)

There is probably someone who has stumbled through a new feature before you and can help.

[davidestevens]

Thanks. I typed a whole long quick reply to your comments, but the site just dumped the lot and I’ve lost the flow now! So this is just to say thanks for the help, and there will almost certainly be more little queries as I get more into Waveform (it does things quite differently from the DAWs I’m used to).

[Steve Bolivar]

As a general thing, if I find info missing in the existing manual, are there generally videos for those newer features?

Not really. Over the years, TSC has mostly been resistant to ensuring features are documented. The included manual is definitely not updated to the current version and while Bill Edstrom is doing his usual excellent job making videos, he hasn't yet completed his tour of duty.

That's an interesting business strategy for TSC. lol. It's almost like the way Emagic seemed to intentionally make Logic hard to use so users could feel proud of figuring out how to use things like the Environment. Do Waveform users feel a sense of pride when they figure out how to use an undocumented feature? Is it like ordering an item off the secret menu at a restaurant?
I'm sure there's a lot behind the scenes that goes into why the PDF manual isn't current. Being a small company they are probably forced to choose where they spend their budget and a fully updated manual just didn't make the cut. I really wish it would though.

[pough]

That's an interesting business strategy for TSC. lol.

There has been some discussion of it over the years. IIRC they wanted to focus on adding features and documentation was a double-drag for a small company (as you guessed.) It's time better spent on new features and new features meant the documentation would be out of date.

Do Waveform users feel a sense of pride when they figure out how to use an undocumented feature?

A little, but it's more like relief. I initially found the Arranger baffling and was frustrated that I couldn't find any documentation. Then after a little bit of flailing around I realized it was actually much simpler than I had assumed. I assumed that moving/copying/replacing would require some kind of ctrl shift or alt but it didn't. You just click-drag the arrangement clip. Easy. Now my song that needed to have the chorus doubled has a doubled chorus. It's a good, useful feature.

I do have to admit that the wording on some menu options could be better. There is some ambiguity in drop-down menus. Too many things are called "clip".

I think I like no documentation better than bad documentation, and the latter is just as common as the former. I get the impression FL Studio's documentation has gotten better over the years but for a long time it was useless to me even though it was always complete. You had to already know how to do something to be able to find the documentation for it.

[Steve Bolivar]

It's not too different from Snapgene, DNA sequence software. For the first several years they didn't even have a PDF/print manual, only videos and concentrated on new features. Now that they're well established and have a full feature set they are developing a manual.

[UnionS8]

But unfortunately, copying an arranger region makes linked clips unlinked (although they're still marked as such).

[operandx]

But unfortunately, copying an arranger region makes linked clips unlinked (although they're still marked as such).

Arranger clips can cut across midi or audio clips so linking might be a problem. Even when a section of a linked clip is copied it shows as linked even though it is in effect a new clip. It shouldn't be marked as linked.