The document provides instructions for selecting, trimming, and consolidating an individual piano note from a recorded sample of 10 notes played successively on an acoustic piano. The steps include selecting the best note, copying and pasting it into a new playlist, trimming the start and end to isolate just the note, adding short fade-ins and fade-outs, and finally consolidating the trimmed note into a single audio file.

1. Sample Editing Selecting, trimming and consolidating an audio sample.

2. Making the selection… The note of G has been played ten times in succession on an acoustic piano.

3. Making the selection cont… This has been recorded with the intention of selecting one of the notes played and converting the selection into a discrete piano note.

4. Making the selection cont… Sufficient time has elapsed before the next note on the sequence was played. This ensured the capture of each note’s natural decay to silence.

5. Audition Listen carefully to each note and select the most appropriate. Make your selection based on informed choice.

6. Edit stage 1 Activate the ‘Smart Tool’ and select ‘Slip’ mode. Click the audio region to select the entire recording, the background should turn black.

7. Edit stage 1 cont… Make a copy by pressing ‘Command + C’. Make a new ‘play list’ for the track. Paste the copied region into the new play list.

8. Edit stage 2 Make a selection by clicking in front of the note’s waveform and dragging to the right. Press the keys ‘Command + E’ to separate your selection.

9. Edit stage 2 cont… Notice how the original region divides into three regions that are given unique identifying names. Click on your edit selection and copy.

10. Edit stage 3 Create a new play list and paste the copied region into this new play list. Press the keys ‘Alt + F’ to expand the region to full screen width.

11. Edit stage 3 cont… Trim from the start of the region to the start of the waveform. You may wish to zoom in closer to get a better visual indication of the exact start point.

12. Edit stage 4 Use the ‘right arrow’ key, located on the numeric part of the keyboard, to jump to the end of the region. Trim the region to a point where the sound ends.

13. Edit stage 4 cont… Resize the trimmed region to fill the screen (Alt +F). Activates ‘Loop’ play back.

14. Edit stage 4 cont… Play back and listen carefully to the trimmed audio region. The note should sound complete.

15. Edit stage 5 Zoom into the leading edge of the region and position the cursor in the top left hand corner of the region.

16. Edit stage 5 cont… A small square symbol with a sloping line connecting two opposite corners should appear. This is the symbol for ‘Fade-ins’.

17. Edit stage 5 cont… Click and drag to create a short fade-in making sure that you do not fade any part of the waveform’s leading edge.

18. Edit stage 5 cont… Go to the opposite end of the region and repeat to create a short ‘fade out’. Audition the audio in loop play back mode listening for any pops or clicks!

19. Edit stage 6 Resize the region to fill the screen and make a copy. Create a new play list and paste the trimmed and faded region.

20. Edit stage 6 cont… The region must now be consolidated into a single audio file. To do this press ‘Shift + Alt + 3’, Pro Tools writes a new audio file to disk.