Band recordings

Splitting a set recording

Use the waveform editor to cut a set into songs.

Splitting turns one long recording of a gig or rehearsal into a take for each song. The takes then appear in the setlist player.

Who can split: by default the Principal and Core roles.

Storage: the takes count against the storage of whoever made the recording. If that person is out of space, Process Splits is turned off and the page says why. If they've left the band, adopt the recording from the band's Storage panel first.

Before you start

  • Uneven volume or hard-to-see gaps? Use Normalize Recording on the recording page first. It makes a new "(Normalized)" copy at an even volume. When it's done, open Split on that copy, not the original.
  • Use a computer. Marking segments needs the Shift key. On a phone or tablet you can run Auto-Detect and drag segment edges, but you can't draw new segments.
  • Finish in one go. Segments aren't saved until you process them; leaving or reloading the page starts you over.

Open the split editor

After uploading or recording, choose Full Set / Rehearsal → Split recording on the recording page. To add more splits later, use Add More Splits at the bottom of the recording page.

The first time, we draw the waveform. That takes about 1 minute per 3 hours of recording, and the page refreshes itself when it's ready.

The split page has its own Step-by-Step Guide:

  1. Click Auto-Detect Songs to find song segments automatically. New segments appear in muted cyan.
  2. Click in the waveform and press play. Use both waveforms to move the playhead.
  3. Click a segment to select it (it turns bright cyan), then pick a song from the right-hand column or Add new song. Assigned segments turn green. Adjust edges if needed.
  4. To undo a wrong assignment, delete that row in Segments assigned, then redraw the segment if needed.
  5. When every song is assigned, click Process Splits.

It's generally easiest to have the recording playing while you mark segments. If things get messed up, reload the page and start again.

Auto-Detect Songs

Auto-Detect Songs marks the quiet gaps between songs for you. Press Continue and wait for the spinner on the button to finish; it can take a few minutes.

If songs look merged or breaks seem wrong, open Advanced settings:

  • Sensitivity: Auto (recommended) measures the recording's background noise and picks a level for you. Otherwise choose from Less (−30 dB, quiet rooms) to Max (−10 dB, very noisy rooms). Higher catches quieter gaps as silence.
  • Minimum silence length: 2, 3 (default) or 5 seconds. How long a quiet gap must last to count as a break.

Auto-Detect adds to the segments already on the page. To start over, reload the page and run it again.

Mark songs by hand

The page has two waveforms: the overview on top shows the whole recording, and the main waveform below is where you mark segments. Click in the overview to jump around, especially after zooming.

  • Shift + click and drag on the main waveform to make a segment.
  • Drag a segment's edge to adjust its start or end. The cursor changes to arrows near an edge.
  • Cmd/Ctrl + drag to pan; click anywhere to move the playhead.
  • Zoom with the slider, the − and + buttons, or Reset.
  • Space plays and pauses.
  • Esc (or Undo Last Segment) removes the last segment you made, along with its song.
  • Delete or Backspace removes the selected segment.
  • Segments shorter than 10 seconds are ignored.

MP3 files: the waveform can be noticeably out of step with what you hear. Trust the waveform when marking. For the best results upload M4A or MP4 instead.

Assign a song to each segment

Select a segment, then pick a song from Available songs: the songs in this setlist, apart from the Maybe set. Once a song is assigned it drops off the list, and it comes back if you delete its segment.

Played something that isn't on the setlist, or played a song twice? Select the segment and use Add new song. You can pick a match from the library or create a new song. A song that isn't in the setlist yet is added to the end of the setlist's first set. Anyone who can split recordings can do this, even without permission to edit setlists. Creating a brand-new song also adds it to the band's songs, which needs permission to edit band songs.

Process the splits

Click Process Splits. The button turns on once at least one segment has a song. Only segments with a song are cut, so you can skip the chatter between songs by leaving it unassigned.

For video recordings, Also create audio versions is ticked by default, so each song also appears in the audio player.

The button shows its progress. When it's finished you're taken to the recording page, and the new takes are in the player. Each take is named after its song.

Fixing a take later

Each take's menu on the recording page has:

  • Trim or cut: Trim keeps the part you select; Cut removes it and joins the ends. This replaces the file. (On this page, pan with Option/Alt + drag.) See Trimming, cutting and splitting takes.
  • Split this take: cut a take into smaller pieces, such as a medley. The pieces replace the original in the player.
  • Skip / Un-skip: hide a take from the player without deleting it.
  • View: the take's own page, where Reassign song moves it to a different song and the rocket button adds it to the song's page.

Takes that never finished processing are listed under Splits Being Processed, each with a Remove button.

Re-splitting

  • Add More Splits opens the editor again. Segments that match a take you already have are skipped.
  • Delete All and Re-Split deletes the takes but keeps the full recording, so you can start splitting over.

Tips

  • Split while the gig is fresh; you'll remember where songs started and stopped.
  • After splitting, Delete Source frees up storage and keeps the takes. See Cleaning up.