In AudioNodes, Clips on the Timeline are just a visual tool to set scheduling-related options for a Node. For example, when you are moving an Audio File Node Clip, in fact you are really just setting an internal “start time” and “end time” setting for the Node. To maintain a clean and less noisy user interface, the Timeline is only visible when there are Clips to work with.
In other words, you can use the Timeline to arrange audio, envelope, and melody Clips. Clips further to the left will start earlier (depending on what this means for a specific Node). Clips further to the right will start later.
Adding Clips
Most of the time, a node is automatically created with Clips that immediately appear on the Timeline; Piano Roll Node and Envelope Node are a good example. Other nodes are created without Clips initially. For example, you can check out the Envelope Pattern Node or the Sequencer Node to see how this works. For these nodes, placing them on the timeline is entirely optional and can be done by clicking the “Place on timeline” button on the context panel.
Note: that button also appears when you manage to delete all Clips from Timeline related to the Node, to re-add the initial Clip – which usually starts at time 0 and has a length similar to the project duration.
There are cases when a Clip is not created along with the node, but rather when it is deemed reasonable. For example, the Audio File Node initiates without a file reference stored, so only when you open the first file will the initial Clip be placed. Initial Clip for this particular node is spanning the audio file’s duration (and automatically extending the project duration if the audio file is longer).
Editing Clips
You can move every Clip on the Timeline (horizontally in time, and vertically between tracks), and resize, duplicate, or delete them (one at a time, or in batch):
- Simply drag a Clip around to move it
- Drag the left or right edge of a Clip to resize it
Ctrl-clicka Clip to add it to an existing selection (i.e. select multiple Clips)- On touch screens, tap the Clip, then tap the double checkmark button in the header to enter multi-select mode
- Right click the Clip to access more tools, such as cloning, deleting, viewing the associated Node, or accessing Node-specific features
- On touch screens, tap the Clip to reveal the Clip menu in the header instead
- On desktop, the right-click menu will also show hotkeys on the right
Muting Clips
Essentially, muted Clips behave like they do not exist: they do not trigger any playback on the node. For example, the Sequencer Node does not play any notes, and the Envelope Node simply emits a value of 0. Muting can be done in two ways: either by right-clicking the Clip and selecting “Mute Clip” from the menu (the same can be achieved with the Ctrl/Cmd + M hotkey), or by clicking the “…” button in the Track menu and selecting “Mute All Clips”. Muted clips have a more faded, washed-out color scheme.
Overlapping Clips
When Clips overlap each other, you are just telling the Node to schedule its playback multiple times, at the specified start times and end times (with or without overlap).
The behavior of having multiple Clips for a single Node depends on the Node, but it’s usually an analogy of adding the Clips together. With an Audio File Node for example, overlapping Clips will simultaneously play both Clips during the overlap. In case of the Envelope Node, the momentary output value is the sum of all Clips at any given time (or 0 when there are no Clips).
Deleting Clips
Because Clips are just a tool to adjust a Node’s scheduling, simply deleting Clips will not delete the Node immediately (even if all Clips are deleted for a Node). You can configure this behavior in settings; it can either be Ask to delete Node, Delete Node automatically or simply Don’ do anything.
Deleting all Clips for a Node just simply says: don’t schedule this Node on the Timeline at all. This, for most Nodes, means no output.
For every Node that can appear on the Timeline, if all Clips are deleted, the Node can be re-added to the Timeline from its settings panel. This will usually create a single Clip for the Node, so that it can be edited again.