#47 Render feature

For the purposes of this description, when I refer to "exporting tracks", I mean exporting either the audio or the midi (as you can do with Track->Export Tracks), and when I refer to "rendering", I mean exporting something so that it's complete (e.g. when you click "play" on qtractor, it renders the project to whatever it's connected to).

The only way to render a track using Qtractor (AFAIK), is to use the guide mentioned here (link is shortened for the purposes of not making this post overly long): http://goo.gl/bTgtN.

This, for me, is a rather ugly way of doing it, as it requires a lot of hand-work (plus finding the correct moment to stop it). So my suggestion is: Why don't we make it automatic?

I realize that it is hard (if not impossible) to use the fast-forward (or whatever it's called) from JACK when rendering MIDI, so let's ignore fast-forwarding for now.

I also realize that qtractor may not be able to actually find where the end of the track is. Here is two ways I can think of for doing it (I think both should be included, and make them as options):

• Play only what's in the loop (i.e. selected range)
• Play until (whichever comes last):
  • The track finishes
  • No audio output (or very little, the user could select a maximum)

As it's rendering, the trackhead (or whatever the little red line that shows you your position in the track) could move, to show where the rendering is at, and the user can stop the rendering at any time using the stop button.

[Rui Nuno Capela]

it might be ugly but bouncing, as in recording its own audio output, it's the correct way to do this.

you must remember that qtractor was primarily focused on driving outboard midi equipment, way before the instrument plugin craze.

so that this rendering feature as you ask, sorry to tell, is a bit of nonsense: output from external (soft- or hard-)synths can only get "exported" as a bounce-recording. there's no other way.

you can choose to use qtractor or any other hard-disk audio recording software for just that. you don't have to be jailed in qtractor you know? being jack-transport enabled is handy here, check it out.

byee

[Anonymous]

Yes, I know that it's the correct/only way of doing it. So I'm just wondering... is there any reason why not to make a feature that makes this process automatic?

[Rui Nuno Capela]

all this is far from news. it's been discussed before the following of related tickets: [#27], [#22], [#15], [#8] and [#7].

byee

[Rui Nuno Capela]

Starting from v0.6.7, audio track export (Track/Export Tracks/Audio...) has been deeply refactored to finally include MIDI track/instrument plugins rendering (aka. freeze) on selected audio output buses on mix-down.