30 second edit question

[larryarmer]

Hello all,

I have a new deal and the library needs a "30 second edit". Could someone let me know how they go about this? I'm guessing to start from the ending of a section and go back 30 seconds and rewrite the beginning of the edit if necessary?

Larry

[Casey H]

Hi
See this thread. Telefunkin (quoted in another post) gave a great primer on how to do a cutdown such as 29 or 30 seconds.

post614933.html?hilit=cut%20down#p614933

HTH! And congrats on the deal!

Casey

[minoruchan]

Hi Larry,

Everyone has their own way of doing things, but I edit the master track.
In my case, I first find a point that looks like it could be the end point, then go back about 30 seconds from there to find a transient and use that as the edit point.
If I can't find one, I either create a new end point, or cut it in the middle and apply reverb to just that part, and use the point where it decays to zero as the end point.
In my case, it doesn't matter where I start.
The end result can sometimes be unnatural, but I've seen it used for placement anyway, so I don't think there's any problem with this method.

I don't create edit points from the beginning when making tracks. It depends on the tempo.

Of course, there is a way to compose a song while deciding the editing points in the DAW from the beginning,
but if I do that, I end up making songs with the same tempo, which makes the songs less interesting, so I rarely do that.
This is just the way I do things, but I've never received a complaint from a library using this method.

Maybe if I did it in a better way I could get more placements,

[larryarmer]

Thanks Casey for the link. I think it's going to Help!

[larryarmer]

Thanks Minoruchan for spending the time to tell me your method. I'm going to consider this also.

[cosmicdolphin]

I make mine from the Wav of the final mix, I rarely make them in the DAW.

This usually involves using the last section of the track and finding a good place to splice it and keeping the very beginning sound like a whoosh or reverse

[telefunkin]

There are several different ways to do it, as you can tell from all the replies. Also, some libraries will expect the audio to last EXACTLY 30s, whereas some will expect 1/4s of silence at each end. Its best to get the precise specification from the library.

Personally, I like to work from the DAW session rather than the mastered file as it offers more possibilities. I can do that because I have my mastering tools on the master bus of the session, and that makes life a lot easier too (as long as there's sufficient computer power). Here's my recipe (as linked to earlier, but edited slightly)....

- Add a ruler* in the DAW that's exactly 30s long (or whatever the max length needs to be), so you can clearly see the length you're aiming for.
- Slide that ruler until the right end is at the end point of your track (where the silence starts).
- Check where the left end lands. In an ideal world it would line up exactly with the start of of a bar and musical phrase, but that hardly ever happens.
- Find the nearest acceptable start point to the left end of the ruler.
- If its close to the left of the ruler check whether you could slide the ruler until its exactly at the start point, then adjust the length of the fade-out on the ring-out at the right end (or perhaps shorten the final phrase to get a better fit).
- If not, find the nearest start point inside left end, then find a way to fill the gap between that left end and the start point. That filling might be a drum fill, or part of one, or a few solo musical notes (that might be there anyway), or even a backward cymbal or snare hit. Again, you might still need to slide the ruler around a bit to get the best fit then adjust the right end accordingly.
- If things get really messy because the chord sequences and/or phrases don't work, try copying in a phrase (or part phrase) from an earlier section that might work better.
- If all else fails, there might be a 30s (or whatever) section earlier in the track that might work as a stand-alone cut-down (but its very rare I've had to resort to that).
- Having found the section you want to work with, lock the ruler position.
- Be sure to mute all notes to the left of the ruler so you've got nothing hanging over into the start (easy with midi but audio can demand a bit more care), and make sure the ring-out is tidy.
- Once you're happy with everything, render the whole thing to the length of the ruler only,
- Check the rendered file length to ensure its correct and also ensure there's no hang-over or chopped notes at the start and end
- DONE!

[ *Cubase has Ruler tracks so this is simple. If other DAWs don't have ruler tracks then you could draw a 30s part on a MIDI track instead and use that part as a moveable ruler. No need to have any sound assigned, and turn off 'snap to grid' when moving it. ]


It is entirely possible to work from the mastered audio file instead, even using some of the same ideas, and if that works better for you then fine. I just like to have the extra options afforded by working in the DAW session. Whatever your preferred method, you might have to get creative to make your cut-downs sound natural, and some will be easier than others, but there's always a way.

[Casey H]

I also, like others, found that the long ring out in the full-length version can be your friend, as shortening it a bit can really help fine tune the length. If the starting point sounds clicky or chopped, a VERY quick fade-in (not one that sounds like a fade in, just a smooth-er) can help. Probably obvious but when shortening the ring out, use a short fade-out so it ends smoothly.

While DAWs can time stretch/shrink a track length, you should avoid doing this as it can distort the sound.

And listen to telefunkin!

Casey

[larryarmer]

Thanks cosmicdolphin. I appreciate your response.

[larryarmer]

Good extra information Casey. Thanks.