Backing vocals vs audio file sizes

[0B02]

I'm about to record a lot of backing vocals for several songs, which are mainly harmony vocals on choruses.

 

Rather than keep starting / stopping Logic and moving the punch in/punch out points for each BV, creatively it will be a lot letter for me to set a punch in point before the first chorus, a punch out point after the last chorus, leave Logic recording in between each BV and then cut out the areas of silence/rustling/burps/farts afterwards. However, of course this results in a large audio file for each BV - much of which I don't need - taking up HD space.

 

To save HD space, if I cut out the bits of each audio region that I don't want, is there a way to (destructively) remove the audio files of those bits, just leaving multiple (smaller) audio files with the actual BVs on that I do want?

 

I am aware of using the project audio window, but I am never sure if it actually deletes the audio files of bits you edit out of audio regions, or if it just deletes (i.e. effectively mutes) the bits of the audio region in the main window, but actually leaves the full audio file intact on the HD?

 

If what I want to do is possible, how can I also make sure that I delete the audio files of the unwanted bits in the project audio window, but not the wanted segments of BVs too?  Will renaming the bits that I want to keep in the main window be enough?

 

Hope this all makes sense! All advice gratefully received

[Atlas007]

AFAIK, to edit destructively (the way you describe), you have to use the audio file editor. 

[0B02]

Is it really not possible to cut audio regions to the lengths (i.e parts) you want to keep in the Main window, then use the Project Audio window to delete all the bits of audio you have cut from the Main window, saving HD space?

[Eric Cardenas]

This is how I would do it:

 

1. Select all your BV regions.
   
2. Control - click one of them and choose Convert > Convert to new audio files.
   
3. Open the Project Audio Browser and in the local menu choose Edit > Select Unused. This will select the now unused long-take file.
   
4. Choose Audio File > Delete File(s).

[0B02]

Many thanks. Eric - I had hoped that something like this was possible.

 

Just to confirm... once I have gone through the audio regions in the Main window and trimmed each one to what I want to keep, can I do a marquee selection of all of them and control-click once to effectively do a 'batch convert' to make each piece of each region that I am keeping into a new audio file?

 

Or do I need to do this per track? (I have BVs on four separate tracks in each project).

[fusbur]

Can you no longer do a 'select unused' after cutting the unwanted parts and then Project Clean Up like in LP9?

[Eric Cardenas]

Many thanks. Eric - I had hoped that something like this was possible.

 

Just to confirm... once I have gone through the audio regions in the Main window and trimmed each one to what I want to keep, can I do a marquee selection of all of them and control-click once to effectively do a 'batch convert' to make each piece of each region that I am keeping into a new audio file?

 

Or do I need to do this per track? (I have BVs on four separate tracks in each project).

 

You're welcome.

You don't have use a marquee selection. Plain lasso select (click - hold - drag with Pointer tool) will do.

You don't have to do it on a per track basis either. Select everything you want to convert and Control - click and choose the appropriate option or simply use the key command Command - Option - F.

[Eric Cardenas]

Can you no longer do a 'select unused' after cutting the unwanted parts and then Project Clean Up like in LP9?

 

This will only delete unused audio files.

[fusbur]

I thought that was what the OP was wanting to do? Delete the unused cuts and retain the remaining audio regions?

[Eric Cardenas]

My understanding is that he is creating long takes with a lot of "dead" space where the backing vocals are not being used.

Cutting the regions will not alter the audio file itself hence the conversion.

[Arnaud]

PS : to add on the above, you don't even have to manually split the original, long recorded region into smaller ones (corrsponding to sections where audio is actually present, i.e. chorusses in the OP), You can have Logic do this with "Strip Silence :

https://support.apple.com/kb/PH13055?locale=en_US

 

Then use what Eric describes to convert them into new, shorter audio files and delete the former, longer (and now unused) file.