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Most people probably use the fades window in quick preset mode. But it is actually a very flexible tool that lets you shape fades in a multitude of ways.
One oft-overlooked aspect of crossfades is that they don't have to be symmetrical. Different fade-in and fade-out times can be set in the same window, adding that extra 10% to your mixes :cans:
I'll demonstrate with two basic tracks, very roughly beatmixed and centred on a drop-out in both tracks as the transition point. Track 1 has a sawtooth stab line and track 2 has a plinky arpeggio.
*NB the following can be done with separate tracks and basic fade-in/out on each but this is more fun
The first pic shows the tracks lined up and prepared for crossfading:
The two tunes not faded yet (bit messy ey?)
[mp3=200,20,0,center][/mp3]
The next pic shows a symmetrical crossfade with exponential fade out and fade in to create a soft transition in the middle. This can be done either with the Smart Tool or by highlighting the area and typing cmd-F. Note in the fades window the 'Link' button is set to None and black dots have appeared on the red and blue fade lines:
The symmetrical mid-point fade:
[mp3=200,20,0,center][/mp3]
An important thing to try and see (and hear) is that by highlighting 4 bars in front of region 2, the arpeggio in region 2 has started fading in from this point - i.e. 4 bars earlier. The idea is you fade into the region, not start fading at the region. This is why I trimmed off 4 bars to start with. The trimmed 4 bars were not deleted, just made temporarily invisible. I can now reveal as much as I want in the fade in half of my cross-fade.
Conversely, the fade out here ends 4 bars after the mid-point and the remaining drums have been rendered silent - in fact by replacing them with track 2!
Now for some changes - the main one I want to show here is those black dots - by dragging them back and forth you can change when each fade begins and ends, independently of each other.
This one has the fade-in half as long, so the arpeggio is full-level by half-way and the bass fades under it:
[img width=750 height=355]http://img118.images...arlyfadedv5.jpg[/img]
The early fade-in:
[mp3=200,20,0,center][/mp3]
This one has the fade-out starting half as late, so the synth is full level until the bass starts:
[img width=750 height=350]http://img136.images...latefadexa7.jpg[/img]
The late fade out:
[mp3=200,20,0,center][/mp3]
See the possibilities? There's dozens more shapes you can explore, and each will help you reveal different elements in very subtle ways.
ps - these fades are a secret weapon of speech editors fixing or making new words by replacing single syllables - with Pro Tools there is always a way to make an edit seamless
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