Embarassingly simple question - saving a project

[droolmaster0]

I used Tracktion YEARS ago, and in the process of trying out Biotek (which I very much like thus far) I saw the offer for Waveform that includes Biotek.

I'm trying out Waveform, and remembering what I liked about Tracktion (and forgetting what I didn't), but I'm taking the longest time to figure out the most basic things, which seem to be hidden in the documentation, or possibly I'm just not getting yet how this differs from other DAWs, and programs.

I figured it out, but it took me ridiculously long just to figure out how to take incoming midi, send it out to a hardware synth and get audio.

but now I'm stuck on something even more basic, and I have not been able to find it in the manual - like how do I save a project? I have the automated saving running, and I know that I can quit and save if I've made any changes, but I"m just looking for the simple 'save my project' command. I'm sure I'll find it as soon as I send this, which is the way that it usually works....

[jabe]

There's a bunch of buttons in the lower left corner, as long as you haven't hidden them. If you have hidden them, there's a line with an up arrow in the lower left corner; if you click that, the buttons reappear. One of them says Save on it, then you can save your edit. It's Edits rather than projects that you save. A project might have several edits in it. Any that have changed would need saving.

[droolmaster0]

LOL. I had a post all written about how I didn't see any of this, and luckily I looked again, and Damn if the 'Save' option isn't right there, and I haven't looked at it 50x by now. I suppose I could insist that it magically just appeared, but that would be somewhat insane.

Thanks for your patience. Sometimes when you miss something, and you're just staring at the same stuff over and over, you just don't see.....at least that's the way this old mind works.

[jabe]

We've all been there!

There ===>

[Stuttaton]

I always use ctrl-S. It works in all programs that I use.

[Teksonik]

Normally I'm vehemently opposed to bumping ancient threads but in this case it fits since I too have the same embarrassingly simple question.

I seem to be having a hard time getting my head around the file structure of WF. The manual has helped to a degree but I've made a bit of a mess of things so far.

I've been creating edits which I thought were different projects (different notes, different plugins etc) which I am easily able to save but what if I want to save an edit as a project file? I don't see a way of loading an edit file and for some reason they've stopped showing up on the projects tab. I've done something wrong there obviously. I can access them through the Welcome tab in "recent edits".

I've created a folder in Documents called "Waveform Projects" where I will store all the Project folders but everything up to this point has been saved in Documents/Template 1 which I guess was my first project file and all edits even new "projects" or tracks if you will from different dates were being saved there. So I would load up Template 1 as a starting point, do some composing then save it with the date. So that placed it under the Template 1 folder and there are "edits" or actually different tracks for several dates in that folder.

I know now to create a new project which will then automatically create a new folder for that project which all edits will go into. But then what's the point of having a custom Template if you can't save what it thinks is an edit as it's own project file/folder? I'm obviously missing something.

So how would I convert an existing edit into a project file? I've only got a few of what I thought were separate projects done so far so I need to get my file organization set now before I go on any further and get deeper in WF.

So how do you guys organize your projects?

Thanks for any help and sorry for the overly verbose post and thread necro.....

[operandx]

AFAIK there is no direct way of saving a particular edit as a new project. The way I have done this is to create an archive of the edit (File-> Create an archive of this edit) and then unarchive to a new project.

[Watchful]

Operandx is right--the documentation around Edits and the workflow around templates was never completed.

Edits seem to have been designed for a totally different purpose: each part of your song is a different edit, and then you drag the edits into a project template. This was in the days before the Arranger track made this very easy. Most of us use edits to create alternate takes--which works--but isn't well documented and results, um, vary. Often a lot. The Tracktion team never really went back to finish documenting Edits, probably because Arranger made it so much easier.

I avoid edits like the plague. I organize my projects by album, and if I decide to take a project in a different direction, I simply mute the old tracks, pop 'em into a track folder, and move them out of the way in case I need to go back.

I'll use edits for major changes, like a tempo change or time signature change that would otherwise affect the whole project.

As for templates, that's something else that I gave up on because it's not properly documented. Instead, I use presets all over the place: entire tracks, whole submixes, master plugin chains, and more. I just use the Browser to drag what I need to where I need it.

So when starting a new project, I work out its time signature, key signature, and BPM up front and change those accordingly. Then I drag in the track presets I need for the various parts and pieces. Would a template be faster? Yes, provided Waveform allowed you to use "save as a new project" which I don't think it does.

Does it? I haven't checked in quite some time.

[Teksonik]

Ok thanks guys. I think I'm starting to get my senile old brain around the file handling system. Seems a bit more elaborate than I need. I'm not recording audio or using samples, just recording midi tracks from my controller keyboard triggering various instruments. An edit to me is just another version of the same song.

So I created a template which to me is just an empty project with the layout and track colors I want etc, a blank canvas if you will.

Then I can click on that template and create a new project based on it.

The thing is I don't know about you guys but sometimes I start a new project and just don't come up with anything worth saving. Some days creativity flows and other days I simply come up empty.

So in that case I'll have to keep up with my housekeeping and delete any project folders that don't go anywhere to keep the file system lean and clean.

As for edits made before today I'll try the archive suggestion. I can still load and work on them so that's good.

Thanks again.

[dysjoint]

I create a new project, name it as (x) template , set it up as I want as far as settings, routing etc and then save as a template in the files options. Close and then never touch this project again. Now I start a new project, click on the template options, choose the template I want and that works fine.
Edits are a subset of the project. I hardly ever use them unless I want to take an idea in a different direction, or render everything down in a second edit but keep the original version alive. But there is a feature called 'edit clips' which can also do this for you. I agree on needing a new manual BTW.

[pough]

The thing is I don't know about you guys but sometimes I start a new project and just don't come up with anything worth saving. Some days creativity flows and other days I simply come up empty.

Way back in the day I would use energyXT for messing around and Tracktion (now Waveform) for actual songs. But then energyXT foundered and I had to come up with a new sketchpad. What I do now is I have "test" Projects in Waveform with multiple Edits in them. If there is an Edit I want to pursue I can either archive it and load it into a new Project or I can create a new Project and do a cut-and-paste from one Edit to another.

I miss that old process. I hate having to start by naming and saving a nothing song. I either have to give it a nothing name like a number or a string of semi-random words.

[Teksonik]

In any DAW I use I always just date my projects until (if) they get to the point where they deserve to be named.

So today my projects were 09-26-23 and 09-26-23-2 etc. In any other DAW an edit would be 09-26-23-B and so on. I've got hundreds of such files for FL Studio since I've been using it for so long.

If there was just an easy way to turn an edit into a project (save edit as project) I think that would make things easier for me. Then as you say I could just have a folder full of edits of different tracks and then when one evolves to a certain point I could turn it into a project with its own folder and subfolders.

It's all a bit confusing to me at this point but that's mostly because I'm so new to WF.

I'll figure out a system that works for me eventually and my desire to upgrade to the Pro version has not diminished in the least bit because of the file system.

[Watchful]

Agreed, as well as a way to easily rename a project and all assorted project files in one shot.

[operandx]

I'll figure out a system that works for me eventually and my desire to upgrade to the Pro version has not diminished in the least bit because of the file system.

Pro version has so much more than free. Looking at the version comparison in the other thread, some of the features are not included in any add-ons. One of my most used features is the 'Arranger Track' which allows for quick changes (duplications, moves) for sections of an edit.

[pough]

If there was just an easy way to turn an edit into a project (save edit as project) I think that would make things easier for me. Then as you say I could just have a folder full of edits of different tracks and then when one evolves to a certain point I could turn it into a project with its own folder and subfolders.

It's two steps instead of just one.

1. In the Projects tab select the Edit and "Archive Edit...". Rename it to be what you want the resulting folder name to be.

2. Still in the Project tab, right click one of the active project folders and "Open a project or archive" and find the archive you just made. It will create a new Project with just that Edit in it.