FASoft
n-Track
Digital Audio Multitrack Recorder for Windows
USER GUIDE
REVISION 2.0
© 2008 Flavio Antonioli
Credits
n-Track Studio ©2008 Flavio Antonioli
Portions of this manual by Alessandro De Murtas.
Multiband Compressor, Graphic EQ and Tempo Delay plug-ins by Y. Oonisi.
n-Track Drums based on DK+ by Luigi Felici
Version 6.0 graphic design by Luca Panzarella
Grammar revision by John Drummond.
This manual, as well the software described in it, is furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license. The content of this manual is furnished for informational use only, and is subject to change without notice.
We assume no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this book. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or otherwise transmitted or recorded, for any purpose, without prior written permission by Flavio Antonioli.
ALL PRODUCT AND COMPANY NAMES ARE TM OR ® TRADEMARKS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. WINDOWS 95, 98, ME, 2000 XP, Vista and NT ARE TRADEMARKS OF MICROSOFT CORPORATION.
VST PLUGIN INTERFACE TECHNOLOGY BY STEINBERG SOFT- UND HARDWARE GMBH. ASIO ITERFACE TECHNOLOGY BY STEINBERG SOFT- UND HARDWARE GMBH.
Among the many people that have contributed in making the program always better with countless suggestions, comments, and bug reports, I.d like to thank in particular: Alessandro De Murtas, Sean Ercanbrack, J. David Lee, Jeff Keister, Richard Fairthorne, Lennard G. Cairns, Richard A. Smith, Michael Olsen, John Drummond, Bryan Bassett, Don Gaynor, David James, Kelly Craven, Tom Willis, Bax Taylor. Thanks to Ross Howard for the splash screen graphic.
Table of Contents
1.1. Introduction to n-Track Studio
1.2. Installing n-Track Studio
1.2.2. Minimum system requirements
1.4.3. Re-recording portions of a track
1.4.4. Adding Effects and “Tweaking a Track”
1.4.5. Appling an Effect to Specific Parts of a Recording
1.4.6. Recording using Markers
1.4.7. Final Mix-down, Compression, EQ and Reverb
1.4.8. Programming volume evolutions
1.4.10. Mixing down to a single wave file
1.4.11. Editing the mixdown file
1.5. Setting the recording levels
1.8. Audio devices selection dialog box
1.9. Recording more than one track at a time
2.1. Types of files used by n-Track Studio
2.2. Volumes and effects parameters automation 
2.3. Automating effect parameters
2.4. Varying effects on a track using aux send/return automation
2.5. Audio effects and Signal processing
2.5.5. DirectX and VST effects that work with n-Track Studio
2.5.6. Hosting ReWire slave programs
2.5.7. Aux channels routing and settings 
2.5.14. Dither & Noise shaping
2.6.2. Creating a surround DVD
2.7. Controlling n-Track with MIDI faders
2.8.1. Destructive wave editing functions 
2.8.2. Non-destructive wave editing 
2.8.3. Editing individual samples
2.8.4. Destructive wave file processing 
2.8.6. Snap selection edges to 0
2.8.8. Punch in/Multiple takes recording 
2.10. Recording more than one track at a time
2.11. Mixing down the final song 
2.12. Tracks formats, mono & stereo playback
2.14.1. The n-Track mixing algorithm
2.14.2. 32 bit and 64 bit versions
2.15. Fine tuning the program to your system
2.17. Synching a video clip to the playback 
2.20. Save project as a Packed Song File (.sgw)
3.3. Creating a MIDI Drums track
3.4. Notes/drums names display
3.5. VSTi/DXi instruments plug-ins
3.5.1. Playing live through an instrument plug-in
3.6. MIDI Instruments Assignment
3.7. MIDI Instruments Definition
3.8. Programs (instruments) names 
3.9. MIDI System Exclusive messages
3.12.1. About SMPTE/MIDI Time Code
3.12.4. Configuring the program to act as master
3.12.5. Configuring the slave to an incoming time code signal
3.12.6. MTC/MIDI Clock dialog box 
3.12.7. Virtual MIDI Patch Cables (loopback devices)
4.2. Toolbar buttons reference
4.5.2. Preferences/MIDI settings
4.5.3. Preferences/Options settings
4.5.4. 
Preferences/Appearance settings
4.5.6. Fade properties dialog box 
4.7.2. Wav to Wma (Windows Media Audio) conversion
4.7.3. Ogg Vorbis files (.ogg)
4.7.4. Sampling frequency conversion
4.8. Recover a wav file from raw audio data
4.14. MIDI Track Properties dialog box
4.16. MIDI Events editing window
5.1. n-Track Studio on the Web
5.2. n-Track Studio version history
5.5. Creative Labs Soundcards issues
6.1. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. Getting Started
1.1. Introduction to n-Track Studio
For a long time music recording has been difficult for those who could not get access to professional recording studios. The inability to afford expensive equipment has often confined many musicians to the world of second rate equipment, discouraging their ambitions to realize their true musical potential. Once this was typical but today things are changing! Forget private recording studios, expensive equipment and high invoices: with n-Track Studio, having a professional music home recording studio and a comprehensive audio environment has never been easier and more affordable than today!
n-Track Studio has been designed to bring you a powerful Digital Audio Multitrack Recorder. All you need is a full duplex soundcard, Windows 98, ME, 2000, NT or XP, a microphone, some free space on your hard drive, and a bit of imagination: there are no limitations on what you can realize with this program!
Let’s have a look at some of n-Track Studio’s special features:
Working with n-Track Studio is easy: to start a new song, just record the first track (usually the rhythm base). After having selected either MIDI or WAVE recording (by switching between the microphone and keyboard icons on the toolbar), click on the record button on the toolbar. Once you have finished, click on the stop button. Can it be any simpler?
Do all by yourself! Record a track and then add as many as you wish. Forget the track limitations of your old tape multitrack recorder: n-Track Studio has been proven to be able to manage from as many as thirty tracks on an high-end machine to six tracks on a 486 processor.
Tracks (WAVE FILES) aren’t mixed together in a single wave file and then played. The mixing process is done "on-the-fly": this way you can alter the volume and pan settings while listening to your song or even while recording.
Add effects to tracks non-destructively. Again the result of the effect processing isn’t written on a file but is calculated .on-the-fly. during playback. Change parameters and listen to the results in real-time. The program comes with 5 native effects (EQ, Compression, Chorus, Echo, Reverb, Pitch shift, Auto-volume), and can also use third party DirectX audio plug-ins
Live Input Processing to use the program as a multi-effect device for your instruments.
Punch-In Recording: It’s also possible to start playback by pressing the play button and then start recording at a specified point by clicking the record button during playback.
Tracks can contain more than one single
wave file: you can drag and drop wave files
(represented by rectangles in the timeline window) from one track to another.
Also, you can adjust the file offset inside a track moving the small crosshair
icon 
in the lower left corner of the waveform rectangle.
Looping of wave files can be easily accomplished concatenating several instances of the same wave file.
The program can sync to other programs or external devices using SMPTE/MTC or MIDI Clock sync, acting either as master or slave. Videos (AVI, MPEG, Quicktime) can be played in sync with the song in a dedicated video playback window.
It’s possible to automate the evolution of the volume, pan, send and return settings: you can "program" fade-in/outs, cross fades, boost the volume of a track when there is a solo etc..
Multiple input and output soundcards or more than one soundcard are supported so it’s possible to record more than one track at a time and to output to more than one stereo output. Each output channels has its own master effects section and master volume control.
Use your favourite external Wave editor. Due to the fact that audio tracks are stored as normal wave files, you’ll be able to process the tracks with the help of an external wave editor using the button on the toolbar.
Remix or burn to CD. Once finished recording the whole song, you can mixdown all the tracks into a single wav file and then use it to burn to CD or to distribute the song via the internet using the built-in mp3 encoder.
1.2. Installing n-Track Studio
1.2.1. Installation
· Double click on the setup file, usually named ntrck_sw (you can download if from www.ntrack.com)
· If you’re running Windows Vista you may have to accept the user account control prompt that asks you if you want to authorize the installation of the program
· Choose the destination folder where to install the program. The installation suggests a default destination folder “C:\Program Files\FASoft\n-Track Studio”. If you want to install the program into a different folder click on the Browse button
· Follow the Setup instructions to install n-Track Studio software into your computer
· Launch the program by selecting the n-Track Studio icon in the Start Menu
· Enjoy
To uninstall n-Track Studio
· Open Start Menu/Control Panel
· Select ‘Add or remove programs’
· Select n-Track Studio from the list of installed programs
· Click on Add/Remove
1.2.2. Minimum system requirements
CPU: Pentium III 700
MEMORY: 512 MB RAM
SOUNDCARD: A full duplex (i.e. capable of simultaneous playback and recording) soundcard
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows XP x64, Windows Vista, Windows Vista x64
Make sure you’ve got the latest version of the drivers of all your hardware devices, especially the soundcard. Updating drivers is often the solution to many different problems.
&nbs