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78 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
78 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
# 🆕 Using master effects & realtime effects
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## Adding effects to a track
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You can add realtime effects using the following steps:
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<div>
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<figure><img src="../.gitbook/assets/RT Effects button.png" alt="Click the Effects button or press the E key to activate the realtime effects panel"><figcaption><p>1 Click the <strong>Effects</strong> button or press the <strong>E</strong> key to activate the realtime effects panel</p></figcaption></figure>
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<figure><img src="../.gitbook/assets/Add effect button (1).png" alt="Clck Add effect to display the list of available effects"><figcaption><p>2 Click <strong>Add effect</strong> to display the list of available effects</p></figcaption></figure>
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</div>
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<div>
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<figure><img src="../.gitbook/assets/RT Effect selected.png" alt="Select the effect to add to your track"><figcaption><p>3 Select the effect to add to your track</p></figcaption></figure>
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<figure><img src="../.gitbook/assets/RT Effect Enabled (1).png" alt="Click the blue power button to toggle the state of the effect"><figcaption><p>4 You can toggle the state of the effect if necessary</p></figcaption></figure>
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</div>
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{% hint style="info" %}
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**Note:** Realtime effects always apply to an entire track. Since they're calculated realtime, they won't change the source waveform. 
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{% endhint %}
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## Adding effects to all tracks (Master effects)
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To add master effects, first **open the realtime effects panel** (Shortcut: `E`). At the bottom of the panel, you'll find a **Master Effects** section. 
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Master effects are effects which are applied to the master mix (that is, after all the individual tracks in the project are mixed together, with any per-track realtime effects as well as gain and pan faders applied). 
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{% hint style="success" %}
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Tips & Tricks:
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* For music, use a little reverb on the master to make the project sound a little less "dry". 
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* You can put a limiter on the master to prevent clipping. Limiters do distort the audio a little, but not as badly as clipping would. 
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* You can adjust the loudness of your entire mix in this stage and do other tweaks to make the audio sound better - this is called "mastering".
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{% endhint %}
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## Changing effect settings
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<figure><img src="../.gitbook/assets/effects panel effect focus.png" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
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You can change the effect settings by clicking on the effect's name. This will open a settings window, often with a graphical interface which looks nothing like Audacity itself. You still can interact with the main Audacity window while the effect settings are open.
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## Bypassing an effect
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<figure><img src="../.gitbook/assets/effects bypasses.png" alt="the stack bypass is the first thing in focus when opening the effects panel. pressing down nagivates to any present effects. Pressing then tab first selects the power button"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>
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You can press the blue power button next to an effect (or the entire effects stack) to bypass it, causing it to be not applied to your audio. 
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{% hint style="info" %}
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**Tip:** If you want to completely remove an effect from the stack, **press the triangle** next to the effect name and select "**No Effect**". 
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{% endhint %}
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## Applying an effect stack to the waveform
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It generally is not necessary to apply the effect stack. The stack is automatically applied when [**exporting the audio**](../basics/saving-and-exporting-projects.md#exporting-audio). 
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That said, you can apply the effect stack to the waveform by first selecting the track and then going to **Tracks > Mix > Mix and Render**. 
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{% hint style="warning" %}
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**Caution:** When selecting several tracks at once, the Mix and Render option will mix all tracks together. 
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Master effects are only rendered when exporting the file.
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{% endhint %}
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## Getting more effects
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While Audacity doesn't yet ship with many realtime effects, you can download plugins for it. Currently supported plugin formats are **Audio Units** (macOS only), **VST3**, **VST**, **LV2**, and **LADSPA**. You can get many of these effects via the Muse Hub, and we have collected some plugins at [plugins.audacityteam.org](https://app.gitbook.com/o/-MhmG2mhIIHTtQPuHV\_k/s/klCVENFte0GRy5IqVz0W/). Once you install the plugins, they should be detected by Audacity once you restart it, if not, see the [installation instructions](../basics/customizing-audacity/installing-plugins.md). 
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