Track Editing on the SP 808

Track editing could not be any easier on the SP-808. Crucial editing functions such as erase, cut, insert, and paste have dedicated buttons on the front panel for easy access. The SP-808 lets you select a range of material to be edited by simply pressing the REGION IN/OUT button at the appropriate locations. Then, just select the type of edit you wish to perform and your done. Use the following procedure to edit the track we recorded in the previous section.

Cut
Cutting a track will delete the portion of the track you’ve marked and move everything after the edit forward in time. This is ideal for removing entire sections of your song, such as a verse or chorus.

After recording, it is common to have some blank space before the start of your song. Use the following procedure to cut out any blank space at the beginning of track A:

1. Hold SHIFT and press STATUS B, C, and D so they are dark. This indicates that any editing will only be performed on track A.
2. Press METRONOME () to return to the top of the song.
3. Press REGION IN/OUT.
4. Press NEXT (MEAS) or use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the location right before you want your song to start and press REGION IN/OUT again.
5. Hold SHIFT and press the RIGHT CURSOR (CUT) button. The edit happens immediately.
6. Press METRONOME () to return to the top of the song and press PLAY () to hear the results.
7. If you do not like your edit, press UNDO/REDO once. Then repeat steps 2-6 until you are satisfied with the results.
Erase
Erase is different from Cut in that when you erase a portion of a track, the track does not shift in time. Blank space remains where the audio used to be. This is really cool for breaks or drop outs.

Use the following procedure to create a drop out on track A:

1. Hold SHIFT and press STATUS B, C, and D so they are dark. This indicates that any editing will only be performed on track A.
2. Use the PREV/NEXT (MEAS ) buttons or the VALUE/TIME dial to select the location where you want the drop out to start.
3. Press REGION IN/OUT once.
4. Press NEXT (MEAS) or use the VALUE/TIME dial to select the location where you want the drop out to end and press REGION IN/OUT again.
5. Hold SHIFT and press the LEFT CURSOR (ERASE) button. The edit happens immediately.
6. Press METRONOME () to return to the top of the song and press PLAY () to hear the results.
7. If you do not like your edit, press UNDO/REDO once. Then, repeat steps 2-6 until you are satisfied with the results.
Insert
Insert will copy the material selected by the REGION IN/OUT points to any point in your song. Any material after the destination point will be pushed back in time to the point after the copied material.

Use the following procedure to insert the first two measures of track A at measure three:

1. Hold SHIFT and press STATUS B, C, and D so they are dark. This indicates that any editing will only be performed on track A.
2. Press METRONOME () to return to the top of the song.
3. Press REGION IN/OUT once.
4. Press NEXT (MEAS) twice or rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select measure three and press REGION IN/OUT again.
5. Hold SHIFT and press the DOWN CURSOR (INSERT) button. The material in bars one and two is now repeated at bars three and four. The material that was in bar three will now start at bar five.
6. Press METRONOME () to return to the top of the song and press PLAY () to hear the results.
7. If you do not like your edit, press UNDO/REDO once. Then, repeat steps 2-6 until you are satisfied with the results.
Paste
The paste function is similar to the insert function in that it copies material selected by the REGION IN/OUT points to another point in your song. The difference is that paste does not shift audio after the destination point back in time. If there is audio at the destination point, it will be replaced by the copied material.

Use the following procedure to paste the first two measures of track A at measure three:

1. Hold SHIFT and press STATUS B, C, and D so they are dark. This indicates that any editing will only be performed on track A.
2. Press METRONOME () to return to the top of the song.
3. Press REGION IN/OUT once.
4. Press NEXT (MEAS) twice or rotate the VALUE/TIME dial to select measure three and press REGION IN/OUT again.
5. Hold SHIFT and press the UP CURSOR (PASTE) button. The edit happens immediately.
6. Press METRONOME () to return to the top of the song and press PLAY () to hear the results.
7. If you do not like your edit, press UNDO/REDO once. Then, repeat steps 2-6 until you are satisfied with the results.

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