This page last modified: 16 Apr 2009 02:14:45 PM.
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Fade Cue
A Fade Cue is used to adjust the volume levels of another cue. Fade Cues accept other cues as their target, which represent the cue that will be faded when the Fade Cue is fired during playback. Only cues that are "fadeable" can be set as a Fade Cue target. This currently includes Audio Cues, Video Cues, and Group Cues.
Set the length of a Fade Cue using the duration parameter.
This checkbox allows you to specify that the target cue will be stopped when the fade is complete.
A Fade Cue may make an absolute or relative adjustment to the volume of a sound. These types have the following characteristics:
An absolute fade adjusts the volume to a specific level. When an absolute fade begins, the current absolute volume of the sound is checked and the Fade Cue computes a fade adjustment from that initial volume to the specified final volume.
Only one absolute fade may be applied to a particular channel of a sound at any one time. For example, if one Fade Cue is performing an absolute fade on the second output channel of an Audio Cue and another Fade Cue begins another absolute fade on the same channel, the second Fade Cue takes over as owner of the channel. (i.e. Whichever started most recently is the one that has control.)
A relative fade adjusts the volume up or down relative to the current volume, whatever it may be. An unlimited number of relative fades may be applied to a sound channel at any one time. A relative fade may also be applied to Group Cues to adjust the volume of all sounds within the group.
The final volume of a channel is therefore determined by three things: the trim of the channel, the absolute fade level, and zero or more relative fade levels. Note that if any one of those levels is silent, the final volume will be silent. Thus, if a channel's initial level is set to negative infinite decibels, a relative fade would not be able to fade the volume up.
A note on using fades: Volume levels are reset on a cue after it has been stopped and reloaded. A rule of thumb to remember is: volumes are preserved the entire time there is a yellow dot or a green triangle next to the cue. As soon as either of those disappears, the next time the cue fires it will have reset its volumes.
The fade curve determines the manner in which the volume is adjusted over the course of the fade. You may specify one shape for values that will fade up, and a different shape for values that will fade down. (This can be necessary in some circumstances to achieve things like a "natural sounding" crossfade.)
You can add control points just by clicking on the fade curve GUI. Several key commands are also available when the fade curve GUI has focus:
Delete | Delete the selected control point. |
← | Select the previous control point. |
→ | Select the next control point. |
Shift-← | Nudge the selected control point to the left. |
Shift-→ | Nudge the selected control point to the right. |
↑ | Nudge the selected control point up. |
↓ | Nudge the selected control point down. |
The "Levels" tab allows you to specify which channels you want to fade, and what their final volume will be. You can specify a separate final volume for each channel.
Only "live" sliders and knobs will actually be applied to the target cue. This allows you to choose which channels of the sound you want to fade. You can make a slider or a knob live or dead by clicking on it. It will turn opaque and saturated when it is live, and gray and translucent when it is dead. Changing the volume of any slider or knob will automatically make it live.
The volume of a fade cue is specified in decibels. The range of the end volume for an absolute fade is +12 dB to -infinite dB (roughly 4x volume to silence). The range of the end volume for a relative fade is +120 dB to -infinite dB.
Click the "Gangs" button to assign gangs to the master channel and each output channel. Each channel in the same gang will be adjusted together when you change the volume of one member of the gang.
The levels tab will only display as many input channels as exist in the target cue.
The picture below shows a Fade Cue that will change only the master volume of its target (fading it to 0 dB—full volume).
Fade the master channel of an Audio Cue to 0 dB.
If you have a Pro Audio License you can copy and paste levels to and from other cues.
Use the key shortcut "Shift-Command-C" and "Shift-Command-V", found under the "Tools" menu.
If you have a Pro Audio License, you can set the levels of the Fade Cue to those used by the target of the cue.
This allows you to easily use the "starting position" of a target Audio Cue.
You can set levels from the target with the key shortcut "Shift-Command-T", found under the "Tools" menu.
If you have a license you can copy and paste the fade shape to and from other cues.
If you have a Pro Audio License you can activate live previews for Fade Cues. This will cause the volume of the target cue to change in real time as you adjust the levels for the cue. You can toggle live preview mode with the key shortcut "Shift-Command-L", found under the "Tools" menu.
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