How To Manual

Introduction

The Quantum Tracks Interactive Music Interface™ (IMI™) is a Mac and Windows audio application consisting of 380 custom tracks. Each track contains several Intros, Loops, and Ends (“Clips”) that allow you to easily create a customized clip sequence from any single track (“Clip Sequences”). These Clip Sequences can easily be saved to your local computer where you can manage and organize them at your convenience.

Features include:

• Organize Intro, Loop, and End clips into any combination you choose
• Operate clips visually, during playback and non-playback
• Time-Stretch/Squeeze your Clip Sequences into perfect time without pitch transposition
• Save your Clip Sequences
• Clips are compatible with ProTools, FinalCut, Avid, and other editing software
• Four different methods to search for the music you need

Windows Main Track The Track as it was originally composed. Clip Sequence Window (“CSW”) The area where you customize Clips to make your own song from the selected Track. Clip Sequence A series of Clips selected from the Clip Lists. Clip Lists Intros, Loops, and Ends which are your raw material used to create custom Clip Sequences. Common Operations Adding Clips to the CSW Explains the different methods of adding Clips to your Clip Sequence. Looping Clips Explains how to loop certain sections of your Clip Sequence. Search Functions The Search functions of the Quantum Tracks IMI™. Saving External Files You can save audio files of various types, and Clip Sequence information, outside the Quantum Tracks IMI™ environment. Time Stretching/Squeezing The Quantum Tracks IMI™ includes time stretching and squeezing facilities. Go-To Dialog The Go-To dialog provides a handy method to precisely point to a playback position in the Quantum Tracks IMI™.

Other Preferences Your user options. Tutorials Easy-to-follow examples for various Quantum Tracks IMI™ operations. Support FAQ Frequently asked questions. Contacting Technical Support Contact Technical Support with any questions you may have. Updating Quantum Tracks™ Quantum Tracks is updated when new features are implemented or bugs are fixed. Contact Us This is where you can ask questions, or make comments on the Quantum Tracks IMI™.

Basic Concepts

Within Quantum Tracks IMI™ you are always looking at one Track. A Track is a single composition; example names are "Chase", "Slap Happy", or other original names.

A Track is made up of a Main Track, which is the primary composition, plus Clips. Clips are related to or derived from the Main Track but are not necessarily lifted directly from the Main Track itself. They come in three varieties and can be arranged any way you desire: Intros, Loops, and Ends.

Intros are typically sections that come in the beginning of a composition, but can be used at any point in a Clip Sequence.

Loops are typically middle section snippets.

Ends are typically (might as well stay consistent) used to terminate a composition, since most of them fade off into silence.

Quantum Tracks IMI™ has four different panes within the application:

Master Menus
These are located on the left. Clicking on a header exposes the menu. There are 5 sections: CDs, Keywords, Styles, Search Results, and Clip Sequences.

Main Track
This is the main composition; it is green and appears at the very top.

Clip Sequence Window
This is where you compose your composition using the Clips in the Clip List.

Clip Lists
These are the three lists at the bottom; they contain the Intro, Loop, and End Clips.

Master Menus

The Quantum Tracks IMI™ Master Menus are on the left-hand side of the interface. There are 5 sections: CDs Keywords Styles Search Results Clip Sequences Clicking on one of the headers exposes the listing within that menu. CDs This lists all the Tracks organized by their CD of origin. Keywords This lists the Tracks under many Keyword categories. Please note that a Track may be listed under several different Keywords. Styles This lists the Tracks under many Style categories. Please note that a Track may be listed under several different Styles. Search Results This is where the results of your Searches (initiated by the Search Box above the Master Menus) appear. For more information on Searching, please go to the search section within this manual. These are consistent between sessions. Clip Sequences This menu stores Clip Sequences that you have ‘Saved As’. The ‘Save As’ function can be accessed either from Fileà Save As or using the ‘Function’ button in the CSW.

Working with Clip Sequences

This is where you create your own compositions. A Clip Sequence is a collection of Clips, positioned to play one after another.



Within the current Track, you have three Memory Banks to save your Clip Sequences. If you have composed more than three Clip Sequences, you can save them externally and give them your own names.

Adding to or Rearranging the Clip Sequence

There are several different methods of adding Clips to the Clip Sequence.

• Drag any Clip into the CSW and place it anywhere within the Clip Sequence. When a Clip is selected and dragged between two Clips already within the Clip Sequence, a yellow bar will indicate where the Clip you are inserting will be placed. If you wish to replace an existing Clip in your CSW, simply drag the new Clip over the Clip you want to replace (which will be highlighted by a red frame).
• SHIFT+Double-click on a Clip in the Clip List to append a Clip to the end of the Clip Sequence.
• Right-Click on a Clip in the Clip List to designate where you want to place the Clip.

Deleting Clips from the Clip Sequence

There are several different methods of deleting clips from the clip sequence.

• Drag any Clip out of the Clip Sequence Window. By default, Quantum Tracks will ask you if you want to delete it. (This can be turned off in Preferences.)
• Click the Clear button; this will delete all Clips in the CSW.
• Right-Click on a Clip, and choose the Delete menu option.

Auditioning Clips

You can play any clip by double clicking on it, or by hitting the space bar when the section is selected.

Playback in any one section will stop the audio that is playing in any other section.

Double-clicking on the Main Track or the Clip Sequence Window starts playback AT THAT POSITION, whereas by default in the Clip List the clip always starts at the beginning. This Clip List behavior can be changed in Preferences.

You can drag the position pointer on a Clip and place it wherever you would like - in Play mode or Non-Play mode. The Time Display dialog will appear to allow you to put it in a time-determined area.

Main Track Window

The Main Track is the full track of the selected composition, and is shown at the top of the application. You can view it in its entirety or in the same proportion as the Clip Sequence through Preferences.

A Rewind button is provided that will reset the Progress Bar to the beginning of the Main Track.

You can save the Main Track as an exported external audio file by clicking Save Main Track on the Bottom bar of Quantum Tracks.

Clip Sequence Window

This is the main area where you will create your Clip Sequence compositions. You can drag any Clip in and out of the CSW. You can add, delete, and rearrange the Clips in the CSW. You can stretch, squeeze or loop your Clips.

The Clip Sequence Window is limited to 6 minutes. Use the scroll bar to access any time that is beyond your window size.

You can play your Clip Sequence by double-clicking anywhere on it, or by clicking the Play button (the big triangle icon on the left). Rewind and Forward buttons are provided. Rewind either sets the Progress Pointer to the previous clip or the beginning of the Clip Sequence (selected in Preferences). Forward sets the Progress Pointer to the succeeding Clip. The Left-Arrow and Right-Arrow on your keyboard imitate the behavior of the Rewind and Forward buttons on the interface.

A more detailed set of functions are provided by Right-clicking on any Clip in the Clip Sequence.

Clip List Window

All of the Clips in the currently selected Track can be found in three lists underneath the Clip Sequence Window. They are sorted in three categories: Intros, Loops, and Ends.

You can drag and drop these Clips right into the CSW, or to export them to another area in your computer.

Again, a more detailed set of functions are provided by Right-clicking on any Clip in the Clip Sequence.

Adding Clips To Clip Sequences

There are several different ways to add Clips to the Clip Sequence Window.

Drag any Clip from one of the Clip Lists into the Clip Sequence Window. You can insert a Clip between two Clips (or place it at the start or at the end of the Clip Sequence), or replace a Clip by dragging the selected Clip over an existing Clip. When you hover over the CSW with a selected Clip, yellow markers will appear showing if you are inserting the Clip between two existing Clips or a black frame with appear around a Clip you wish to replace.

Shift+Double-Clicking on a Clip in one of the Clip Lists will automatically place that Clip at the end of the CSW.

Right-Click on a Clip in a Clip List. You have three options: Append (place Clip at the end of the CS), Prepend (place Clip at the beginning of the CS), or Insert. When you select Insert, you are given a dialog box that looks like this:



You can Append, Prepend, or Insert the Clip; and you can also repeat that Clip many times.

Looping Clip Sequences

You can define a certain area in the Clip Sequence Window to loop audio.



Clicking the Loop checkbox displays the yellow Region Bar underneath the Clip Sequence. Grab either end to expand the range, or drag the whole bar to move its location.

To match the Loop Region Bar with a Clip intersection, click the Snap checkbox.

Searching

Quantum Tracks has an extensive Search function. Typing in a simple Search query brings up the associated Tracks that correspond with those Search criteria. Search results are consistent between sessions so you can always refer to old searches.

Search text syntax is limited to the following:

• Single words
• A phrase which has spaces in it, they must be surrounded in quotes

Multiple words without quotes are treated by default with an implied "AND" Boolean operator. You can change this to an implied Boolean "OR" in Preferences-Search.

Searches are not case-sensitive. Whole words are necessary; for example, entering "beat" does not return the word "beating".

Clicking on the magnifying glass or triangle displays the areas where the Search will apply:

Search Criteria:

• Track Names: The names of the Tracks themselves.
• Descriptions: These are the preset Track descriptions that show in the Track Loaded box.
• CD Titles: These are the names of CD’s that contain the Tracks
• Keywords: Every Track has a preset amount of Keywords attached to it. These can't be altered.
• Styles: Every Track has a preset amount of Style attributes to it. These cannot be altered.
• User Notes: These are the notes that you can save on the user-level for each Track.
• Special Words: These are additional descriptive terms that describe each track. For maximum search results, this feature should always be selected when the Keywords option is selected.

Searches span across these areas; for example, if you input "big beats" (without the quotes, as two separate words), you will return a Track if the title has "big" and/or "beats" in the Description.

Your Search Results show up in the Search Results list on the left. Every Search is saved, and shows the date in which the Search was made.

Expanded below are the Tracks that qualified under your Search. The Track Name shows you the CD title as well. Selecting the Track loads it into the Quantum Tracks IMI™ for use.

Saving External Audio Files and Clip Sequences

You can save the following items:

• “Stitched” Clip Sequence Compositions
• Main Tracks
• Individual Clips
• All Individual Clips out of a Clip Sequence
• All Individual Clips from a Track
• User Clip Sequence Data

The bottom bar shows these options. This is not the only place to perform these operations, it can also be done from the Top Menus or by Right-clicking on the Clip Sequence Window.


Whenever you choose to save an audio object, this dialog box appears:
You can choose what type of file will be outputted (WAVE or AIFF), what bit rate or sample rate it will have, and if it is a Clip Sequence, how markers will be saved into the destination audio file. They can be regular Markers, which you see in an audio editor such as SoundForge, BIAS Peak, or DSP-Quattro. Or, you can save Markers in the form of an ACID file (WAVE) or AppleLoop (AIFF). This enables stretchable operation in tools such as ProTools or Garage Band.

"Stitched" Clip Sequence Compositions
Click on "Stitch N' Save" in the bottom bar, or select the "Stitch N' Save" menu option when right-clicking on the Clip Sequence.

Main Track
Click on "Save Main Track" in the bottom bar, or drag (with the ALT key pressed) the Main Track out of the Quantum Tracks IMI™ and drop it on any area as a "file".

Individual Clips
Drag (with the ALT key pressed) the selected Clips out of the Clip List (the ones with a blue frame around it, obtained by clicking on the clip in the Clip List) out of the Quantum Tracks IMI™ and drop it on any Finder (Mac)/Explorer (Windows) area as a "file". Please note that dragging any Clip out of the Clip Sequence Window means all the Clips in the CSW will be copied out.

All Individual Clips out of a Clip Sequence
Click on "Save Clip Sequence" in the bottom bar, or select the "Save Clip Sequence" menu option when right-clicking on the Clip Sequence, or drag (with the ALT key pressed) any Clip from the CSW out of the Quantum Tracks IMI™ and drop it on any Finder (Mac)/Explorer (Windows) area as a "file".

All Individual Clips from a Track
Click on "Save All Clips In Current Track" in the bottom bar, or select the "Save All Clips In Current Track" menu option when right-clicking on the Clip Sequence.

Time-Stretching/Squeezing

You can speed up or slow down a Clip Sequence to fit a specific time.

Altering the time of a Clip Sequence is easy - just click on the edge of the last Clip in a Clip Sequence and drag it back and forth. In Preferences you can choose to Snap to an exact second mark.

The total time and percentage of time is listed above the Clip Sequence Window [in the figure above, “Stretched to 49 secs (106%)”].

You can reset the Clip Sequence back to its original state by either double-clicking on the Time/Percent alteration text, or by right-clicking on the CSW Functions button and selecting the Reset Time Stretch menu option.

Please note you can do this in non-playing or playing modes.

Additionally, any Clip Sequence that you save (in data or audio form) will retain these stretched or squeezed characteristics.

Time Displays

The main Time Display in Quantum Tracks is something we call “the Refrigerator” (see display on the right).

This appears when you select View-Show Time Display in the top menu, or press CTRL (Windows) or Cmd-R (Mac), or when you click one of the red-dot "Time Display" buttons.

The top Time is for the Main Track. It displays the current time of the Main Track during play mode and the total Main Track time in non-playing mode.

The second time is Total Clip Sequence time. It shows you how long your current Clip Sequence is.

The third time is the Current Clip Time. This shows the current playback position of your current Clip Sequence in terms of the Clip that happens to be playing.

The fourth time is Current Clip Sequence Time. This shows the current playback position of your current Clip Sequence in terms of the total Clip Sequence.

There are three Time Displays on the main screen:


The top display on the Main Track area shows the Main Track Total Time. Since this is constant, it does not change as long as the current Track is selected.


The others are on the Clip Sequence Window. The first display shows the Total Current Time of the Clip Sequence. The second shows the current playback position of the Clip Sequence.

Go-To Dialog

The Go-To dialog enables you to start playing an audio object (Main Track or Clip Sequence) from a precise location.

Live Response: A playing object will respond immediately to changes made in this dialog.

Auto-Close: Dialog will close after clicking the “Go!” button.

View: Time/Samples: Times above will show in Time values or Sample values.

Top Menus

File

Save and Save As
'Save' allows you to save the current Clip Sequence you are working on into the Memory Bank you are working in. 'Save As.' allows you to save the current Clip Sequence you are working on and give it a specific name. This newly-named Clip Sequence will be stored in the Clip Sequences menu on the left side of the page. Both of these functions are identical to the options of the same name located within the 'Function' button in the CSW.

Open External Clip Sequence
You can open a Clip Sequence file (.csq) that you have saved anywhere on your computer. This automatically opens the Track referenced in the Clip Sequence and loads the Clip Sequence into Memory Bank 1.

Save to External Clip Sequence File
This saves your Clip Sequences (in a .csq file) to an external location of your choice, like your local computer. Please note that this function does not save the audio as part of the .csq file.

Save Main Track
This saves the Main Track to anywhere on your computer. A dialog box will appear, asking you what format and other properties you want on this new file.

Save Clip Sequence + Clips
This saves a Clip Sequence externally as a .csq, and also adds the Clips that are referenced in that Clip Sequence, so you can use them yourself.

Save All Clips
Takes all the Clips in the currently selected Track and saves them to an external location.

Stitch ‘N Save
This saves your Clip Sequence audio as one complete “stitched” audio file. Any time alteration is included as well.

Save Metadata
This saves the Metadata of the Clip Sequence as a TEXT file.

Tools

Start Search
This starts a Search, based on the search criteria listed in the Search Box on the interface.

Clear Search Results
This clears the Search Results from the Search Results list on the left-hand side of the Interface.

Reset Stretch
Resets a Clip Sequence that has been stretched or squeezed.

Show User Notes
This pulls down a User Notes listing for the Track. This is where you can put your own custom notes for a Track, to help you know where you’ve used it, or to place your personal comments.

Go-To...
Presents the Go-To dialog, which allows you to precisely place your playback locations.

Erase Notes Folder
Allows you to delete any files associated with User Notes.

Clip Sequence Menu

This is revealed by Right-clicking any Clip in the Clip Sequence.

Add To Batch
This adds the selected clip to a list of clips that can be saved as a group.

Copy To Beginning
This copies the selected Clip and adds it to the beginning of the Clip Sequence.

Copy To End
This copies the selected Clip and adds it to the end of the Clip Sequence.

Copy within Clip Sequence Window
This allows you to copy a Clip into any position of a Clip Sequence and gives you the option to select how much of the Clip is copied.

Delete
Deletes the clip out of the Clip Sequence.

Clear Clip Sequence
Deletes all Clips from the Clip Sequence.

Save Clip Sequence
Saves all the Clips in the Clip Sequence as separate audio files externally, along with a Clip Order file and metadata.

Save All Clips In Current Track
Saves all Clip Sequence Clips externally.

Stitch 'N Save
Saves all the Clips in the Clip Sequence as a single audio file, including any Stretch info.

Save Clip Sequence Metadata
Saves a .txt metadata file with information on the Track and the Clip Sequence.

Play/Stop Clip Sequence
Plays or stops the Clip Sequence.

Clip Sequence Functions Menu

This is revealed by clicking on the Functions button in the CSW.

Copy To Memory Bank 1,2,3
Takes the current Memory Bank (which is the displayed Clip Sequence) and copies it to a different Memory Bank.

Revert Selected
The Clip Sequence that you are working on is actually stored in a temporary buffer. This option allows you to revert back to the last stored Clip Sequence for a given Memory Bank.

Revert All Banks
Resets all the Memory Banks to their last saved state.

Reset Stretch
Resets a Clip Sequence that has been stretched or squeezed.

Save
This saves the current Clip Sequence.

Save As...
This allows you to save the Clip Sequence as a User Clip Sequence, stored with the Track.

Clip List Menus

This is revealed by Right-clicking on any Clip in the Clip Lists. Prepend To Clip Sequence Window
This adds the selected Clip to the beginning of the Clip Sequence.

Append To Clip Sequence Window
This adds the selected Clip to the end of the Clip Sequence.

Insert in Clip Sequence Window
This brings up a dialog box where you can prepend, append, or custom insert the Clip in any position. It also gives you the ability to insert the Clip a number of times automatically.

Play/Stop
Plays or stops playing the selected Clip.

The Preferences dialog box is viewed by clicking on (Windows) Tools-Preferences, or (Mac) App Menu-Preferences.

For each Preference, hovering the mouse over the title or checkbox/item displays a Tool Tip that describes the functionality of that particular Preference.

General Tab

Playing a Clip List Clip starts at the beginning of Clip
By default, the Quantum Tracks IMI™ plays each Clip from at the beginning. You can turn off this behavior and start the Clip at the location you double-click.

Rewind in Clip Sequence
Window goes to beginning of individual Clip
By default, clicking the Rewind button on the Clip Sequence Window takes you to the start of the Clip you are on. You can override this behavior and Rewind will take you to the beginning of the Clip Sequence in total.

Loop Clip List Clips
Checking this will continually loop Clips in the Clip List as you play them back.

Main Track Fast Forward Length
When you hit the Right Arrow button on your computer keyboard, this increments playback (or the position pointer) this amount of time.

Space Bar does NOT play Selected Object
By default, spacebar plays/stops a Clip.

Stretch function aligns to nearest second
When stretching or squeezing a Clip Sequence, it will align to the nearest second.

Confirm Clip Deletion from Clip Sequence Window
When you drag a Clip out of the Clip Sequence Window, checking this creates a warning dialog box where you can elect to delete or cancel.

Confirm quitting Quantum Tracks
You will be prompted to make sure you want to exit the program.

Show ToolTips in Clips
Tooltips tell you the basic information on a Clip.

Show Library-wide User Clip Sequences
Displays only the local Clip Sequences saved by the User.

Up-Down-Right-Left moves selected Clip
In the Clip List section, this function allows you to navigate Clips using the arrow keys on your keyboard.

Wav Display Tab

Main Track Display Quality
Lower numbers make the Main Track wav display look better. Clip Sequence Insertion Slice
When hovering over a Clip from the Clip List into the Clip Sequence Window, this parameter determines the area around the join point where you are allowed to insert a Clip or to replace the clip on the left or the right. Higher numbers make this bigger.

Dragged Clip Transparency
This determines the amount of transparency a Clip has when it’s being dragged.

Progress Bar Refresh Interval
This is the interval in which the Progress Bar of any Clip, Clip Sequence, or Main Track is refreshed. Lower numbers mean a faster refresh rate. Faster refresh rates are more taxing on the computer’s CPU.

Clip Sequence Region Bar Semi-Transparent
Usually the Region Bar is solid yellow. This allows it to be semi-transparent.

Force playing-back area to be visible
If the Main Track or Clip Sequence Window is scrollable, checking this forces the windows to scroll along with playback.

Show Main Track in same proportion as Clip Sequence
You can show the Main Track in two ways - either the whole thing, fitted into the Interface, or in the same proportion as any other Clip in the Interface.

Search Tab

Search Areas - Track Names
Checking this makes the Search parse the Track Names to achieve its results.

Search Areas - Descriptions
Checking this makes the Search parse the Descriptions of the Tracks to achieve its results.

Search Areas - CD Titles
Checking this makes the Search parse the CD Titles to achieve its results.

Search Areas - Keywords
Checking this makes the Search parse the Keywords of every Track to achieve its results. The Keywords are fixed and are listed in the internal Metadata of the Quantum Tracks IMI™ files.

Search Areas - Styles
Checking this makes the Search parse the Styles of every Track to achieve its results. The Styles are fixed and are listed in the internal Metadata of the Quantum Tracks IMI™ files.

Search Areas - User Notes
Checking this makes the Search parse the User Notes of each Track to achieve its results.

Use implicit "OR" in Searches (default is "AND")
A search query can be made up of several words or phrases. By default, the Quantum Tracks IMI™ connects these with a logical AND, meaning that all words and phrases must be matched for the query to be successful. Checking this eases the requirement where just one word or phrase has to match.

Output Tab

Force Custom Sample Rate
This is the playback rate of the Quantum Tracks IMI™. You can speed audio up or slow it down, and the pitch will be adjusted accordingly. (Note: This feature has been disabled for this version)

Write Log Files
Writes debugging Log Files to the AppData folder. For maximum performance, disable this feature.

Stretcher Time Localization
This is the Stretcher’s Time Localization parameter. A setting of medium produces the best results while maintaining acceptable processing speed.

Stretcher Quality Values
This is the Stretcher’s Quality parameter. A setting of medium produces the best results while maintaining acceptable processing speed.

Stretch Playback always uses Preview Settings
Plays back stretched audio in “Preview” mode, while retaining the upper parameters for file saving and other uses.

Buffer Fill Rate
This is the interval in which the Quantum Tracks IMI™ reads and sends information to the audio engine.

Maximum Stretched Data Cache
Since Time Stretching/Squeezing requires more data processing, Quantum Tracks IMI™ aggressively caches audio. This option is the maximum limit that Quantum Tracks IMI™ stores the data during a session. Data is FIFO (First In-First Out), so once you hit the limit, the first files cached will be eliminated.

FAQ

Question: The Volume Slider doesn’t seem to work.
Answer: The main slider only alters the System volume. You may have a soundcard or driver that conducts its own volume management and ignores the system master volume. In situations like this, the Volume Slider doesn’t affect your volume.

Question: The Clips don’t seem to be displaying correctly.
Answer: Some clip display management is done with files that have been provided to you in the Notes folder of that particular Track. To reset these files, click on Tools-Erase Notes folder option. Then select another Track and reselect the Track in question. This should clear up any display issues.

Question: The Progress Pointer in a Clip seems jumpy and inconsistent.
Answer: Try erasing the Notes folder and see if that helps.

Question: I start up Quantum Tracks but a Track doesn’t appear.
Answer: Your Library Path, which is the folder where all your Quantum Tracks IMI™ tracks are located is probably not correct. Go to Preferences, and select the correct Library Path.

Question: Some of the Tracks in the Master Menu don’t respond when I select them; additionally, the ones that don’t respond are in red.
Answer: This Track, for some reason, does not exist in your Library Path, which is the folder where all your Quantum Tracks IMI™ tracks are located. Your Library Path may not be correct. Go to Preferences, and select the correct Library Path if it is incorrect.

Contact Us

APM Music
6255 Sunset Blvd. Suite 820
Hollywood, CA 90028
Email: info@apmmusic.com
Telephone: 323-461-3211

Licensing: info@apmmusic.com
Account Services: accountservices@apmmusic.com
Support: support@apmmusic.com

APM Music (APM), is the largest provider of music for use in film, television, radio, video games and new media production.