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This section covers the various ways of selecting source files, as well saving files and deleting sources.
CONTENTS
FILE SELECTOR
CDP File Types
RECENT FILES
DRAG + DROP
FILE LIST
SOUNDFILE TYPES
SOUNDFILE PLAYER
MARKERS
SPARE FILE
Report Window
Textfile types
SECONDARY INPUTS
SAVING FILES
DELETING FILES
Each row in Soundshaper's Patchgrid represents a chain of processes, each of which has an infile and an outfile.
In Soundshaper, a source file refers not to any infile, but to the file in the first cell of a row, in column 0.
This will typically have been selected from a folder and copied by Soundshaper to a temporary file in your TEMP OUTFILES folder.![]()
Other possible ways of populating a source cell include COPYING A CELL and generating a file by RECORDING or SYNTHESIS.
Selecting a source file:
- Select a row first, by clicking on it. You can click on its 0th column (A_0, B_0, etc.) though this is optional.
- Cell A_0 is pre-selected if the patchgrid is clear. It is normal practice to start a patch with cell A_0, but it is not essential.
- Click: FILE | OPEN FILE | Open Soundfile to open a file selector. Navigate to a suitable folder and select a soundfile (.wav or .aif).
This is the most basic procedure; alternative methods are described below.
- If the source cell is already occupied, your selection will replace it. However, if the next cell in the row is not empty, a warning will be given.
- You can replace a source at any time and re-run the row (or the whole patch) using the new source or sources.
- Auto-conversion: for most processes, you can start with a soundfile as your source (.wav), as Soundshaper will convert it automatically to the required file type for your chosen process.
FILE SELECTOR
You can select a source file using the File Selector (Menu: File | Open) or the Pop-up Menu (Right Mouse Click), or one of the File buttons at the left of the Toolbar:
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CDP FILE TYPES
The buttons are colour-coded for the different file types used by CDP. Soundshaper uses a standard colour coding for CDP files throughout the program:
SOUND (.wav/.aif) ANALYSIS (.ana) PITCH (.frq) TRANSPOSITION(.trn) FORMANT (.for) ENVELOPE (.evl) BREAKPOINT (.brk) TEXT (.txt) MIX (.mix)
Transposition files (.trn) are not included in the buttons, but they (and all file types) can be selected via the Open File dialog.
The sixth button from the left (yellow) is for envelope (.env), pitch (.pch) or transposition breakpoint files that can appear on the Patchgrid as part of a process chain (as opposed to breakpoint datafiles which normally do not). Being derived ultimately from soundfiles, these files should be kept alongside your sound and spectral (.ana) files.
The file-dialog box for each of the first 6 File Selectors opens initially in your current PROJECT FOLDER, if you have nominated one in Settings and Option 6 "Use Project Folder" is ticked. Failing that, it opens in the last-used folder, or as a last resort in the TEMP. OUTFILES folder. You can of course select a source from any folder.
TEXT DATAFILES
The rightmost file-selector button, with the textfile icon, is for data files in general, whether breakpoint (.brk), text (.txt) or mix (.mix or .mmx). Not being suitable for processing via the Patchgrid, these files are loaded into the SPARE FILE slot.
Like the other file selectors, the file-dialog opens initially in your current PROJECT FOLDER, if you have nominated one in Settings and Option 6 "Use Project Folder" is ticked. Otherwise, it opens your USER FOLDER. Whether you keep such files in either place or elsewhere is up to you.
SOUNDFILE SOURCES
- Source soundfiles may be .wav or .aif. Other formats such as mp3 and ogg are not supported. A wide variety of .wav types is supported: for details see Soundfile Types below.
- All sources are copied to a temporary file in the TEMP. OUTFILES folder. Soundfiles are copied using the CDP utility COPYSFX and are converted to .wav as necessary.
- Normally the selected type is retained (OUTFILE type = INFILE type). However, conversion from integer to floating-point, or vice-versa, may take place when a source soundfile is selected, depending on whether you have chosen floating point ('32') or integers ('16') for internal processing, in SETTINGS.
- It is possible to select a temporary file from the TEMP. OUTFILES folder as a source file.
RECENT FILES
A list of up to 10 of the most recently used source files is loaded when Soundshaper is launched and is updated during the current session. The list shares the same format as POOL FILES (see below).
- To select from the RECENTS list: select File | RECENT FILE... or right-click with the mouse over a neutral part of the Main page (not Patchgrid or File Viewer/Player area), revealing a context menu. Select a file to be the new Source.
- To load any text-list of (sound)files as a RECENTS list, select File | Load Recents List.
- To save the current RECENTS list to any textfile, select File | Save Recents List As.
- The recent-files list is automatically saved to the textfile [User-Folder]\RECENT\Recent.lst when you close Soundshaper.
DRAG & DROP
You can Drag and Drop most files onto Soundshaper pages from a folder that is open in Windows Explorer. This is particularly useful for loading sources and datafiles kept in a Project Folder.
Before dragging, click on a new row (as normal) to add a file to that row. The file is loaded onto the Patchgrid as if selected by the file selector.
The following CDP file types can be dropped onto the Main Page:
- Soundfiles: .wav, .aif (plus .aifc, .afc) , .amb (ambisonic);
- Spectral and derivatives: .ana (frequency analysis), .frq (pitch), .trn (transposition), .for (formant);
- Envelope: .evl;
- Breakpoint: .brk, .env (breakpoint envelope), .pch (breakpoint pitch).
- Textfiles open into the SPARE FILE slot.
These include: .txt, .col; .tun; .mix and .mmx (mixfiles). For a full list, see under SPARE FILE.Both Soundfile / CDP files and textfiles will load into the SPARE FILE slot if that panel is visible and the SPARE FILE checkbox is checked.
FILE LIST
The FILE LIST (also called the File Pool) is a drop-down list of source files, contained in the Files Panel. The files (typically, but not necessarily soundfiles), are loaded from a Pool File: a simple text list containing the full path and name.
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The default Pool File is pre-selected on the SETTINGS page (Settings tab) and is loaded on startup. Its default filename and location is: [User-Folder]\POOL\Pool.lst , but you can choose any suitable file. If you make any changes to the File List, you are prompted to save it when you quit Soundshaper.
The File List enables you to make and quickly access a collection of source files as you work on a project. There is no limit to the number of Pool Files you can have, though you can only load one at a time. There is also no limit to the number of files in a File list (except the maximum for a drop-down box). The files can come from any folder and be of any CDP type.
Click on the FILES button, as necessary, to reveal the Files panel. To select a file as a new source, first select the item in the drop-down box. Then double-click on it, or click the leftmost button File to Source, or hit F7. The file is loaded onto the Patchgrid as if selected by the file selector.
FILES PANEL: BUTTONS
There are 8 buttons in the Files Panel. From left to right these are:
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- File to Source (F7): select a file from the drop-down box, then click on this button or double-click the selection.
- Add File to List (Ctrl+F7): the current cell file is added to the File List, if it has previously been saved to a permanent file. Temporary files cannot be added to the list.
- Remove file from List (Shift+Ctrl+F7): select the item from the drop-down box and click on the Remove button.
- Folder to File List (no shortcut): all CDP files in a selected folder are copied to the Files List.
This is a quick way of loading project files: see below for details.- File List to Sources (no shortcut): copies a whole File list to the Patchgrid, for Bulk Processing.
The first Patchgrid row is bypasssed, if occupied normally by a process chain to be duplicated in other rows.- Load File List (Ctrl+Alt+F7): loads a pool file (list of files). See below for details
- Save File List (Shift+Alt+F7): the File list is saved to a text file (a Pool File).
The default folder for Pool Files is [User Folder]\POOL.- Clear File List: clears the drop-down list of files. It does not delete the Pool file from which the list was loaded.
All of the buttons have a corresponding menu item in File | FILES Panel.
FOLDER TO FILE LIST
This button creates and loads a Pool File from the soundfiles (and other CDP files e.g. .ana, .frq, etc.) in any folder. The default initial folder is the current Project Folder. Navigate from here to any other folder, as required. Click on any CDP file in the folder to activate the procedure.
Before loading the file to the File List, a text list of recognised CDP files is created in the selected folder. This is in effect a Pool File which can be edited manually using the SPARE FILE slot (see below). Or it can be loaded, e.g. by Drag+Drop. You could add such lists to an existing Pool and then save the enlarged list as an overall project Pool File.
FILE LIST TO SOURCES
The current File List is loaded onto an empty, or near-empty, Patchgrid for Bulk Processing. If the Pool list is longer than the number of available Patchgrid rows, the excess files are ignored.
If the first row (only) is already occupied, it is bypassed: the idea being that you might have a process chain in this row that you want to bulk process.
A typical procedure would be to clear the File List and quickly load a prepared Pool File, being a list of files you want to Bulk-Process. Of course, if you do not have such a list, you might be as quick to select the files individually straight to the Patchgrid. However, compiling a Pool File also allows you to apply different processes to the same list, by importing different single-row patches and then bulk-processing each one.
LOAD FILE LIST (from Pool File)
A Pool File is simply a textfile listing a number of soundfiles, or other CDP files (e.g. .ana), with full path. Soundshaper's convention is for these to have the "list" suffix .lst, but you can use .txt if you prefer. (See also Folder to File List below.)
The button and menu item lead to a File Selector, but you can also Drag + Drop a pool file from an open folder, provided the Pool Panel is visible and the file has the suffix .lst.The incoming list is "purged": files which no longer exist are not shown.
By default, the new list replaces the present File List. However, if the Add Files checkbox is checked, the new files are added to the File List, instead of replacing it. Duplicates are ignored.
SOUNDFILE TYPES
In Soundshaper, all source soundfiles are converted to .wav format before processing, using COPYSFX. CDP supports a wide variety of .wav formats, with special support for Microsoft's Wave-Format-Extensible (WAVE_EX) and B-Format Ambisonic encoding the .amb format. For full details, see the CDP documentation.
In general, in CDP, outfile=infile. For example, if the input is a 16-bit integer file, the output will be too.
In SETTINGS (Options | Settings), you can pre-select either integer (the option label is "16", but includes 24-bit) or floating-point (option label "32") as the sample type. This is really a switch to activate conversion to 32-bit floating-point, or not. "32" causes an integer source to be converted to floating-point, but with a setting of "16" (integers) a floating-point source remains floating-point, internally. "16" is just a label for "integer": a 24-bit integer source remains 24-bit, internally.
Supported formats include the following tested combinations:
Integer
16-bit
44.1 kHz
Mono / Stereo (i.e. CD standard)/ Quad WAVE_EX
Integer
16-bit
44.1 kHz
Quad Standard
Integer
24-bit
44.1 kHz
Stereo
Integer
24-bit
48 kHz
Stereo
Integer
24-bit
96 kHz
Stereo
Floating-Pt
32-bit
44.1 kHz
Mono / Stereo / Quad WAVE_EX
Floating-Pt
32-bit
44.1 kHz
Quad Standard
Floating-Pt
32-bit
48 kHz
Stereo
Floating-Pt
32-bit
96 kHz
Stereo
WAVE_EX CONVERSION
Before Version 5, some CDP processes producing "standard" m-c files, which could not be played in Soundshaper's then player, were auto-converted to WAVE_EX, which could be played. The BASS player/viewer, however, can play standard m-c files, so this conversion has been removed and replaced with the menu item Edit/Mix | SF Utils | Convert to WAVE_EX, for any multi-channel file that might need it. The WAVE_EX file replaces the previous version in the same cell. However, the conversion is not replicated if the patch is re-run (e.g. after being loaded).
SOUNDFILE PLAYER/VIEWER
Soundshaper has a streaming soundfile player, based on the 3rd-party BASS audio library. This is available on the Main and Parameter Pages. The supplied file bass.dll must be in your \Soundshaper folder, alongside Soundshaper.exe.
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As soon as a soundfile has been selected or created after processing, it is available for playing and viewing in the soundfile player.
Click the PLAY button (green triangle) in the transport or hit the spacebar to play and display the soundfile.Note: as this is a streaming player, the sound cannot be displayed until it is playing. This is not an error.
AUTO-PLAY SOUNDFILES
If Auto-Play is checked in the Options menu (Shift+F1), the sound is played and displayed immediately when selected as a source or created after processing. You can stop it by clicking the PAUSE button (or spacebar) or the STOP button (or ESC key). The Auto-Play option can be pre-set in SETTINGS and saved to the configuration file Soundshaper.cfg.
TIME POINTS
The display has three time points:
- Left Loop Point (blue vertical line): positioned by clicking or dragging with the left mouse button. (This can be done during playback.)
- Right Loop Point (yellow vertical line): positioned by clicking or dragging with the right mouse button. (This can be done during playback.)
- Play cursor (white vertical line): the current play position.
The slider below the display can be dragged to move the Play cursor, the position being a percentage of the file-length. (This can be done during playback.)By default, the Player loops between the two loop points. If Loop is unchecked, it plays between the loop points, stops and re-positions the play cursor to Loop-start.
(It is possible to drag the left point beyond the right one; in this case, play will loop back at the end of the file.)TRANSPORT CONTROLS
Below the soundfile display are the TRANSPORT CONTROLS for playing the sound:
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To the left of the transport, the display shows the filename, cell row/column, file-length, channel-count and the peak level for each channel (CDP: maxsamp).
The transport buttons are:
- PLAY (green triangle): play the file from the current starting point. The spacebar also operates PLAY, following PAUSE or STOP.
- PAUSE (black vertical lines): pause the sound. This button replaces the PLAY button when the sound is playing.
When clicked, the PLAY button re-appears and play resumes from the same point. The spacebar also operates PAUSE if the sound is playing.- STOP (black square): stop the sound. When clicked, a panel of starting options appears to the left of the display.
STOP is available while the sound is playing, but is disabled following PAUSE (i.e. PAUSE must be followed by resuming play from the pause point).
STOP is also operated by the ESC key.- REWIND/FAST-FORWARD (double green triangles): these both return the play position to Loop-start (Loop-end=Loop-start).
The default starting position is Loop-start, not the start of the file. The REWIND button therefore returns (or fast-forwards) the player to this point.- RESET LOOP-START/END (blue triangle with vertical line): these set Loop-start to the start of the soundfile and Loop-End to the end of the file, respectively. As the player always plays between the Loop points, these are, in effect, the same as the traditional To-start and To-end controls.
PLAY-FROM OPTIONS
Following STOP, a panel to the left of the display gives various options to PLAY FROM :
- Loop Start: the default play begins at the Left loop-point, initialised to the start of the file.
- Play Cursor: play from the current point. This is the norm following PAUSE, but would need to be selected following STOP, as the default is Loop-start.
- Start of File: play from the beginning. Only necessary if Loop-start is not at the beginning and you need to hear the start of the sound.
- Left Marker: play from the left (displayed) marker (see MARKERS below). Play continues up to the right Loop-point and loops back to the left Loop-point.
- Left to Right Marker: unchecks Loop-play; plays between the Left and Right markers and stops. (You may have to re-check Loop-play after use.)
OTHER ASPECTS
Other points about the Player:
- Loop points are stored with the cell data, so are re-instated when the cell is selected.
- Display disappears: clicking on a different non-empty cell initially kills the display (as BASS must be closed), but the transport PLAY button (or spacebar) re-activates it.
- Zoom: it is not yet possible to zoom in on the display.
Files less than 20 seconds are displayed across only a part of the display window.
- Stereo signals: are displayed with the left-channel signal above the central line and the right-channel below it. Left and right signals may sometimes have markedly different levels see screenshot above, for example. (In a future release, it should be possible to display channels as separate signals.
- Multi-channel soundfiles are supported. (They have not been tested in a multispeaker environment yet, however.)
- Auto-FFT: The player can play a frequency analysis file (.ana) that has been converted behind the scenes into a soundfile. If OPTIONS | Auto-FFT (Shift + F5) is checked (also set in SETTINGS), then an automatic conversion from .ana to .wav takes place and the soundfile is used for playing.
If Auto-FFT is not set, or the equivalent soundfile is not available, then CDP's PVPLAY program is used. This takes place in a pop-up console window.
- Pitch Files: extracting pitch from spectral files produces a second output (.ana), representing the perceived pitch. Pitch files are shown as playable and the spectral output is used for playing, with playback provided by PVPLAY in a console window.
CLOSING THE PLAYER
The Soundfile Player is closed automatically when you select a process or delete a cell. It can also be opened or closed manually, using the OPEN and CLOSE buttons in the Toolbar:
This can be important when interacting with an external program. Conflicts can occur with other file operations or external programs if the Player is left open and the file is regarded as being in use. For example, you will need to close the Player before renaming or deleting a file in a Windows folder.
After closing, the simplest way to re-open the player is to click on a cell you wish to play. If the current cell is not playable, the player will not open.
MARKERS
In addition to (and not to be confused with) Loop points, Soundshaper supports up to 100 markers (cue-points).
Markers are times (in seconds) in a soundfile which can be used for editing, processing or playing selected portions. The first marker is always set to zero. The markers are shown, a pair at a time, in the edit boxes to the right of the transport:![]()
The numbers (e.g. 2 & 3 in the screenshot) show which markers are displayed. Scroll through the list using the <> arrow buttons.
Markers are available on the Main and Parameter Pages. The option Loops/Markers to Parameters (Option 3 in the OPTIONS menu) should normally be set. This enables Markers set on the Main Page to be transferred to the Parameter Page, and returned from there. (There is a separate Option on the Parameter Page to control this transfer from that page.) Additional facilities for Markers on the Parameter Page are described in that section.
Markers may be entered in several ways:
- Manual edit: type them in useful if you want precise times like 1.0 to 2.0.
- Play Point to Marker (F3) : formerly a button, but now a Menu Item only, this adds the current play cursor position to the Markers list.
This operation can be done while the sound is playing, via the shortcut F3. Or, when the sound is stopped, drag the play-position slider (below the display) and then hit F3.- Loop Start to Marker (Ctrl+M): click the LoopPt button .
The current Loop Start position (blue line) is added to the Markers list.- Loop Start to Left Marker (Shift+Ctrl+M on Param. Page) Menu item only: the current Loop Start position is placed in an empty left Marker.
- End time to Marker (SHIFT+ALT+M): click the Endtime button. The file-length time is added to the Markers list. (If the right marker is empty, it is placed there.)
This operation should be done after collecting earlier Markers that might be required.- Loops to Markers (SHIFT+CTRL+F3): click the Get Loops button.
This places the Loop Start and End times in the Left and Right Markers boxes.
Take care that this doesn't upset the timepoint order of any subsequent Markers.- Markers to Loops (ALT+F3): click the Set Loops button.
This sets the Loop Points to the Left and Right Marker times (if appropriate).
A blank From value is interpreted as the start of the file, while a blank To as the end. Times beyond the end of file are curtailed.
Use Get Loops followed by Set Loops to transfer Loop Points from one cell's soundfile to another, especially if they are the same length.- Load from file (Ctrl+Alt+F3 on Main page): Import Markers previously saved to file.
Markers saved from Soundshaper, CDP's VIEWSF or Audacity can be loaded. The first two save markers as a single list of time-points, whereas Audacity saves as From-To pairs. Markers can be loaded from any other editor saving markers in these formats. (See also IMPORTING MARKERS.)- Save Markers As (Shift+Alt+F3 on Main page): the corresponding SAVE operation.
The default location is the folder[User-Folder]\MARKERS.
A Markers File is a simple text file consisting of a list of times (1 per line). This can also be created in a text editor, as required.Other Markers Menu items:
Please note that some of these shortcuts have changed in Soundshaper 6, for greater compatibility between the Main and Parameter Pages.
- Insert Marker: Makes a gap in the list before the Right Marker.
Later values are pushed down the list, subject to the overall limit of 100 markers.
Insert a value manually into the new slot.- Delete Marker (Shift+Ctrl+DEL): delete the Right Marker and close the gap. A warning dialog is given.
- Clear Markers: Clear all Markers and reset the first to 0.
- Save Markers to Times file (Ctrl+T on Main Page): Save markers to a Times file (Main page only). This saves Marker times as From-To pairs to [User Folder]\timesfile.txt, which is overwritten without prompting. (See also the Times File section.)
On the Main Page, Markers can be used to:
For all of these, see the section PROCESSING PART OF A SOUNDFILE.
- Process part of a file.
- Set start and end times as parameters in various editing tasks.
- Populate a TIMES FILE for certain processes.
SPARE FILE
In addition to the Patchgrid, Soundshaper has a special SPARE FILE slot for a single file. This is intended for loading text datafiles that are not infiles or outfiles and therefore cannot appear on the Patchgrid as part of a process chain. These may be displayed in the REPORT WINDOW (a notepad-like editor) or, if appropriate, sent to the GRAPH-EDIT page.
Click the SPARE FILE button to reveal the SPARE FILE Panel:
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To place a file in SPARE FILE, check the SPARE FILE checkbox and use the right-most file-selector icon (for text files), or use another selection method such as Drag and drop.
Text datafiles that cannot appear on the Patchgrid are automatically loaded into SPARE FILE and the checkbox is checked automatically. Some CDP processes, notably MIXFILE functions, use the SPARE FILE as the input slot. (CDP Mixfiles are text datafiles.) Similarly, the output of certain CDP functions is automatically directed to SPARE FILE, including some information functions that produce text reports.
Any breakpoint file of time value pairs can be imported into SPARE FILE, then sent to GRAPH-EDIT for visual editing. Select Graph | Breakpoint File (or F6).
SPARE FILE BUTTONS
The six buttons on the SPARE FILE Panel are, from left to right:
- Spare File to Source: a textfile, that can also exist on the Patchgrid, is exported to the source file cell of the current Patchgrid row.
This currently applies only to pitch (.pch and envelope (.env) breakpoint files (or their .txt equivalents).- Current File to Spare File: the file on the currently highlighted cell is imported to SPARE FILE, if it is a text file.
This currently applies only to pitch (.pch and envelope (.env) breakpoint files (or their .txt equivalents).- Display textfile: a textfile in SPARE FILE is displayed in the Report Window (see below).
Here it can be edited and re-saved: see FILE | REPORT FILE sub-menu.- Clear Spare File: the slot is cleared and the checkbox is unchecked, with control reverting to the Patchgrid.
REPORT WINDOW
The Report Window (see FILE | REPORT FILE sub-menu) is an edit memo in which you can view or edit any text file, such as a list of frequencies or a breakpoint file. This can be a quick way of editing a Pool File, especially the CDP list created by Folder To File List, to prune unwanted files from the list.
You can enlarge the window, as necessary, and save the edited file: see Menu FILE | REPORT WINDOW.
TEXTFILE TYPES
The following file-types are recognised as textfiles. Apart from breakpoint files (which could be breakpoint envelope, pitch or transposition files) and Patch files (.ssp), none of these can appear on the Patchgrid. All are opened automatically into the SPARE FILE slot when selected. However, for DRAG+DROP the Report Window, if open, takes precedence over SPARE FILE.
Breakpoint Files:
- .brk: any breakpoint file, including .env (envelope brk.) and .pch (pitch brk.).
These can also appear on the Patchgrid, as can transposition breakpoint files (no special suffix for these yet).
Drag+Drop places them there, unless the Report Window is open or the Spare File is checked.
Soundshaper Patch Files:- .ssp: Patch files dropped onto the Patchgrid are automatically run.
They can also be viewed as text if the Report Window is open.
They do not open into SPARE FILE.
Spare file or Report Window only:- .txt: any textfile.
- .col: single-column textfiles with this suffix.
- .bat: batch files.
- .tun: tuning files (MIDI or Freq)
- .mix: CDP standard mix files (mono/stereo)
- .mmx: CDP multichannel mixfiles
- .seq: Sequence files (for SEQUENCER processes)
- .ptr: pitch trace breakpoint files (for PSOW).
- .lst: list of (Sound)files, esp. Pool Files.
- .bnd / .spl: files used by the BAND process
SECONDARY INPUTS
Some CDP processes require a second input, or can have an optional second or multiple inputs. This is indicated in the Process Menus. For example in the Edit Menu, the icons for INSERT and
show two inputs and those for JOIN and SWITCH show multiple inputs: ![]()
When you select a process that requires or can have extra inputs, a red ADD INPUT Panel appears in the Panels area:
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The panel shows the required file-type (e.g. .wav).
To select a file, do one of the following:
- Single-click* on its cell on the Patchgrid. If the cell's file is not of the correct type, it is auto-converted, if possible. See AUTO-CONVERSION for details. If auto-conversion is not possible, you will have to add a process that does the conversion explicitly. (* A double-click is now tolerated, but is interpreted as selecting the cell's file twice.)
- Import the current item in the File List (F7), using the leftmost button (purple icon). Or open the Files Panel and double-click on an item.
If this is for Infile 2, it is copied to the source cell of the next available Patchgrid row and added to the secondary input list from there (e.g. as ~B_0.wav).- Select by Drag and Drop. (Applies to Infiles 3,4,... only.)
- Click on the colour-coded file-type (.wav here includes .aif) to open a File-Selector. (Applies to Infiles 3,4,... only.)
- Use the standard file-selector icons or menus. (Applies to Infiles 3,4,... only.)
The second input must be a cell on the Patchgrid. Any third or subsequent input can come from outside the Patchgrid, and is copied to the TEMP. OUTFILES folder as a temporary file of the same name. However, auto-conversion is not possible in this case and the input cannot be varied in a subsequent patch run. For these reasons, it is always better to select secondary files from the Patchgrid.
For most CDP processes, if there are two inputs, the second is mandatory; for multiple inputs, the second one might be necessary, but subsequent inputs are optional. If secondary inputs are optional, the panel's heading reads OPTIONAL INPUTS.
When you have chosen the necessary files, click OK to proceed.
Alternatively, click CANCEL to cancel the selection and the process.
If you choose too many Infiles, or not enough, Soundshaper gives a warning message.ADD INPUT BUTTONS
The ADD INPUT Panel's buttons support the choice of Infiles and are, from left to right:
- Import file from File List (F7): (purple icon) for Infile 2, the file is also added to the Patchgrid, as described above.
- Import the SPARE FILE: (green icon) Load a sound into SPARE FILE, audition / view /get Info about it and then import it into the Input 2,3,... list.
- Load a file list to Infile 2,3,... from a textfile. Any suitable list: e.g. a raw list made for a mixfile, or the Recent Files list, or a Pool file.
The list should not include Infile 1 (the current Patchgrid cell).- Remove item from list: select the unwanted item from the list and click the Remove button.
- Clear button: clear the whole list.
- CANCEL: cancel the selection and the process.
- OK: proceed to the Parameter Page or, if none, run the process.
SAVING FILES
All CDP processes are non-destructive: each transformation creates a new Outfile.
Soundshaper writes to temporary files in your TEMP. OUTFILES folder, but you can save the contents of the currently highlighted cell, or the SPARE FILE, to a permanent file.
After most processes, the SAVE PANEL opens and Soundshaper generates a default Savefile Name, based on the Source file name (e.g. marimba_1.wav for the first processing of marimba.wav). You can edit this name and, of course, you do not have to save the file unless you wish.
PROJECT FOLDER
Load and Save operations on the Main Page start in your Project Folder, if you have nominated one in Settings: PROJECT FOLDER, and the option "Use Project Folder" (Shift+F6) is checked in the Options menu. You can also select the current Project Folder under File | Select Project Folder (Shift+Ctrl+F5).
SAVE THE FILE
Either:
Alternatively:
- Click on the SAVE FILE button, as necessary, to reveal the SAVE PANEL:
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- Enter a base-name and/or edit the file extension.
- Click on the panel's SAVE button: this acts like a standard "SAVE" (as opposed to "SAVE AS"), if a name has been entered and folder selected; otherwise it behaves as a standard "SAVE AS".
After saving, the panel shows the path and name of the saved file; this is also shown on the patchgrid as the filename of the current cell.
- Click on the toolbar SAVE BUTTON
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or select File | SAVE (AS), or hit Ctrl+S (SAVE) or Ctrl+A (SAVE AS).- A standard "SAVE AS" dialog opens: select the destination folder, and file extension and type a name. The initial folder that opens is your current PROJECT FOLDER.
- As is conventional, "SAVE" is regarded as "SAVE AS", if there is as yet no filename to overwrite.
SAVE PANEL BUTTONS
Several buttons within the SAVE PANEL allow you to export the saved file to another location.
From left to right:
- Select Save Folder.
- Saved File to Source: ("new file" icon) the saved file is exported to the Patchgrid as a new source.
- Saved File to File List: (purple icon) the saved file is exported to the FILE LIST (Pool).
- Saved File to Spare File: (green icon) the saved file is exported to the SPARE FILE slot.
MULTI-CHANNEL SAVE
If you save a file that has a channel extension (e.g. ~A_1_c1.ana), a dialog box offers you the chance to save related channels (e.g. ~A_1_c2.ana, ~A_1_c3.ana, etc.). If you choose YES, enter the base-name only in the SAVE dialog (e.g. newfile) and Soundshaper will look for up to 8 related channels and save them with appropriate channel extensions (e.g. newfile_c1.ana, newfile_c2.ana, etc.).
FILE CONVERSION
If you save an internal temporary .wav file as an .aif file, it is converted "on the fly" using the CDP program COPYSFX and saved as an .aif.
NAMED OUTFILE
In some cases, Soundshaper asks for an Outfile name on the Parameter Page (e.g. for textfile reports from INFO functions.) Where naming is optional and you don't supply one, a default name is supplied.
If the name you give begins with a tilde (~) and output is to the TEMP. OUTFILES folder, it will be regarded as a temporary file and erased when you close Soundshaper.
DELETING FILES
DELETE TEMPORARY FILE
Deleting a temporary file on the Patchgrid is a matter of UNDOing the process.
- Clicking File | Undo | [Process-name] or Ctrl+Z undoes the last process in the currently highlighted row.
(Note that the Undo menu shows only the last completed process, not the last in the row.
The deleted cell is always the last in the current row.)- Alternatively, hit the DELETE key. This method will also clear a source cell.
DELETE PERMANENT FILE
You can delete any CDP file from within Soundshaper. Click on the DELETE FILE button in the Toolbar:
or select Menu: File: Delete File(s) or Ctrl+Del.
The dialog opens in your PROJECT FOLDER, or the last-used folder, and provisionally selects the last-chosen Source file, which may not be at all appropriate. You can of course ignore this and select any folder and any file in that folder, or hit CANCEL.
Note that, as a standard Windows procedure, a file may be deleted from any Open-File dialog by selecting the file and pressing the DELETE key on the QWERTY keyboard. This is a useful shortcut when you are selecting a source file to process and see another that you should have erased earlier.
The file to be erased must not currently be open in any application, including the built-in Player, or Windows will deny access.
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