After you've cleaned up your individual audio files in the Waveform Editor, you can bring them into the multitrack to begin assembling your audio piece.

To do this, select the tab for your project in the Project Window to the right. Then click on an audio file in the Browser Window, hold down your mouse button and drag the file to one of the tracks in the Timeline of the Project Window to the right.

Repeat the process to bring other audio files into the Timeline, either before or after an existing audio file on the same track, or onto a new track. You might want to put a music audio file on a separate track if the music is going to play in the background while another audio file, such as someone speaking, is playing.

Once an audio file is in the Timeline, to play the audio file move the playhead above the track to the beginning of the file and press the space bar on your computer to start playing it.

To pause play, press the spacebar again.

Understanding a Track in the Multitrack View

To the left of each track are some buttons and other controls for changing the settings for the audio on each track.

• Rename the track by clicking on it. This helps to identify each track.
• Bypass effects button will turn off any real-time effect that were added so you can hear the audio only.
• Arm this track for recording will set this track for recording, so that when you hit the record button this track will capture the audio.
• Mute button will mute the audio on a particular track in your project.
• Solo button will let you listen to only the audio on a particular track in your project. (shuts off other tracks)
• Volume Control slider lets you increase or decrease the volume of all the audio files on a particular track.
• The Pan Control slider lets you change how much of the sound will be sent to the right channel or the left channel (such as t right and left stereo speakers).

Adjusting the Pan and Volume controls will affect the audio on all the clips on a track.

(if you want to change the volume or the panning in select portions of a clip on a track, go to next section of this tutorial on Editing Sound Envelopes).

In an audio track you can trim the length of a clip. Or you can cut a clip in two, which then allows you to move or discard one of the new segments.

• Trim: To trim a clip, move your mouse cursor to the edge of an audio clip, and a bracket that looks like a staple with a left and right arrow will appear. Click and drag the edge of the clip to the point you want to trim the clip.
• Cut: To cut or razor a clip, first select the razor tool in the top left corner of the Project Window. Then move your mouse cursor over the audio clip and press the mouse button at the point where you want to separate the clip.

You then need to select the arrow tool at the top left of the Project Window and click on one of the segments of the audio clip, to move it or delete it (by pressing the delete key on your keyboard).

Note: the blade tool in Soundtrack Pro is similar to the one in Final Cut Pro. You can select the blade tool in both programs by pressing the letter B on your computer keyboard. To return to the normal arrow tool, press the letter A on your keyboard.

Marking Sequences in the Multitrack

In the multitrack view you can add markers at precise locations in your audio sequence.

You add a marker to the sequence by moving the playhead to the place where you want the marker to appear and pressing M on your keyboard.

A green marker that looks like a tiny upside-down house will appear exactly where the playhead is located.

You can move markers in the sequence, but clicking and holding on the green triangle and dragging the mouse back and forth.

You can also specify a specific time for a marker by clicking on the time code at the top, and typing in a time then setting the marker where the play head moves. 

To delete a marker, click once on the green triangle and click on the delete key on your keyboard.