Can't split region at playhead

[bernarada]

For some reason, I can't split the regions anymore at playhead in a new project . The only reason I can think of is that this project is made of audio files or regions that I copied from another project that has been "consolidated". So each region's name includes the word consolidated.

Can that be the reason? If so, what can I do about it? Can the regions be "deconsolidated"? And if that's not it, for what other reason splitting at the playhead would suddenly stop working?

[scg]

I wouldn't think anything about a particular audio file would prevent Logic from splitting an associated region, so I doubt it's the audio files themselves. Here are some possible troubleshooting steps though [Edit: You may have already done these, in which case perhaps you could share your results]:

- See if other splitting methods work, e.g. scissors tool, double-clicking with marquee tool, and split to locators or marquee selection (default control-command-T). If one or more of those work, then presumably it's not the splitting itself that's the problem, but the method of splitting.

- Try it with audio files from other sources: Apple Loops, something newly recorded, something from a sample library, etc. See if the behavior is the same across all audio files, or if it is indeed particular to those regions/files.

- Try other editing operations and see if any others are prevented. (I doubt you have the tracks protected, because that pops up a dialog if you try to perform an edit.)

Edited May 18, 2023 by scg

[bernarada]

scg.. None of the other methods to cut/split a region works. Interestingly, an Apple loop dragged on a track can be split at playhead. Also, if I bounce in place a region, with delete the original file selected, then I can split it.

So strange. There has to be some setting linked to all these regions that prevents them to be edited. As I wrote, the only thing that strikes me is that they are "consolidated".  

[scg]

I bet this is something someone else knows about and will have an answer for. Meanwhile, I'll be interested to find out if I'm wrong about this, but I doubt the 'consolidated' part is relevant. That seems to just be part of the name and to describe the purpose and origin of the audio files, but I can't imagine it having any significance beyond that.

In any case, two more troubleshooting ideas, just in case you haven't already tried them:

- Try the audio files in a new, otherwise empty project to see if it happens there, or whether the behavior is specific to one project.

- Place an audio file you know can be split (like on Apple loop) on the same track as one of the problem regions and see if you can split the newly added region (if you can't, then presumably it has something to do with the track and not the region).

Can you perform other editing operations on the regions? Is it only split that doesn't work?

[Dox]

Does the actual audio file in the Finder have under "sharing and permissions" allow you to "Read & Write"?

[David Nahmani]

8 hours ago, bernarada said:

None of the other methods to cut/split a region works.

Could you save a copy of your project with only one of those regions that doesn't split, and share it here (or using wetransfer if the file is still too big) so that one of us can experiment with it? 

11 hours ago, bernarada said:

Can that be the reason?

No: no matter what a region is named, it doesn't have any embedded history that makes it behave any differently whether or not it's the result of having consolidated other regions. 

[bernarada]

Scg, the files were put in an empty new project, and the Apple loop that I could cut was on a track with one that couln't be.

Dox, I do have the permissions.

David, I created an empty project with one of those problematic files. Here's a Wetransfer link.

https://we.tl/t-U5Y4iI4awC?utm_campaign=TRN_TDL_05&utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email&trk=TRN_TDL_05

After creating it, I noticed something. When I open the menu at the top on the far right to view the files in the project (I don't what it's called exactly), rather than display a single file, it displays 3 files. So does that mean that 3 audio files make up that single file?

I don't know how that can be—I would need to go back to the project I copied that file from to check what's happening there—but could that be the reason? If so, is there a solution from within my new project or the only way to correct this is to go back to the project I copied the files from and make sure that the files I want to use are single files.

Maybe the file is made of 3 files because it's actually 3 takes? Although there's no sign of the icon that indicates that there are more takes packed there (maybe there was, and since it was consolidated they're just embedded in the file now with no way to separate them?) I don't know.   

[David Nahmani]

3 minutes ago, bernarada said:

When I open the menu at the top on the far right to view the files in the project (I don't what it's called exactly), rather than display a single file, it displays 3 files. So does that mean that 3 audio files make up that single file?

No. You see one file with 3 regions, but 2 regions are unused. You can choose Edit > Select Unused to select the unused regions, and press delete on your keyboard to remove them from your project. 

In that project you sent me, there's only one audio file, one region on the track in the Tracks area, and 3 regions in the Project Audio browser. Nothing unusual. 

So I can split at playhead here, only the splits is actually a little after the playhead. Is that what you're experiencing? 

[bernarada]

So, I deleted the unused, now there's only one audio file linked to it. But that didn't change anything. I still can't "split at playhead".

I still don't understand why there was 3 files making what should be a single file. In that new project, there are 30 regions that I copied from the other project. But the file browser shows that there way more files. It shows 93 files.

I tried converting the file, bouncing it in place, etc, nothing works.

I also went back to the original project from where I copied the regions to the new project. I actually simply dragged the regions from the original project to the new one, rather than copy/paste them. Maybe that's where something goes amiss, in the process of dragging them? I'll try to copy/them and see if it changes anything.   

I also made a movie—link:

https://we.tl/t-2IcPGj8Pvs

[David Nahmani]

Just now, bernarada said:

I still don't understand why there was 3 files making what should be a single file.

There is only one file, but 3 regions: 

This happens when you start cutting a region. Try to open a Logic project, create one audio region, and start making some cuts while looking at the Project Audio browser, you'll notice Logic creates different regions for the cuts you're making. 

As for the cutting behavior, I'm afraid that this project file is somehow corrupted, not sure why exactly. If you reimport the audio region into a new project then you can split at playhead as expected. 

You can rebuild the entire project if necessary, using File > Import > Logic projects...

Or you can continue working in this project using a workaround, scissors tool, or double-click the Marquee tool. 

[scg]

Similar results here. If I add the audio to a new project, there are no issues. In the test project, it does split for me, but the first of the two regions has some extra length added to it, resulting in overlapping regions (I have 'snap to zero crossings' off, but I don't think it would account for this anyway). So, I'm not entirely sure what's going on in the test project.

[bernarada]

Well, I just discovered something.

I can split the file if I try to split it in the middle, say, but it won't allow me to split and delete the silence at the end of the file, which is what was the problem in the first place, as I wanted to delete the silence part at the end of the vocal. 

https://we.tl/t-ZXPXsOrehm

[bernarada]

"If you reimport the audio region into a new project then you can split at playhead as expected."

I'll try that again, David. I say again, because this is what I did. Well, actually not, since all I did was drag-and-drop them in the new project.

I'll try exporting them in a new one, and report back.

Thanks guys for the support.

[scg]

Based on your recent reply and new video, I can reproduce all the behavior you're describing, including the overlapping regions after cutting, and the inability to cut near the end of the region. Again, I don't get these behaviors in a new project, so it seems to be related to the project itself (and it's not obvious to me what's causing it).

[JakobP]

12 minutes ago, bernarada said:

I'll try that again, David. I say again, because this is what I did. Well, actually not, since all I did was drag-and-drop them in the new project.

It seems you didn't follow Davids advice exactly, having more than one project open at one time is known to cause issues and sometimes project corruption. That's why David suggested using the import project feature in Logic instead.

[bernarada]

I don't understand what's happening either. I'll scrap that new project, go back to the original, and try other ways of importing the regions I need in a brand new project. Maybe I'll find a way. Or I won't, because there's something happening with the regions in the original project that doesn't allow me to. To be continued.

[JakobP]

31 minutes ago, David Nahmani said:

You can rebuild the entire project if necessary, using File > Import > Logic projects...

 

[bernarada]

JacobP... Ah. Interesting the point about having more than one project open at once. I didn't know that.

I'm not sure how to use the import feature. I want to import in a brand new project audio files from an old project. So how do I go about it using that feature?

[scg]

1 minute ago, bernarada said:

I'm not sure how to use the import feature. I want to import in a brand new project audio files from an old project. So how do I go about it using that feature?

You can read about importing here, but keep in mind that if all you want is the audio files themselves, it might be just as easy to add them directly to a new project (without using importing).

[bernarada]

Well, scg, adding them directly is what I already tried, in different ways.

[David Nahmani]

12 minutes ago, bernarada said:

Well, scg, adding them directly is what I already tried, in different ways.

I tried it with the file you attached here and it worked. 

You could always use File > Import and rebuild the project by importing all the tracks into a new empty project, see if that works? 

[scg]

16 minutes ago, bernarada said:

Well, scg, adding them directly is what I already tried, in different ways.

Sorry, the thread is a bit long, so I may have missed something. Are you saying that if you create a new, empty project and add one of the audio files in question (without having more than one project open at once, as discussed previously), it exhibits the same incorrect behavior with respect to cutting that it exhibits elsewhere?

[bernarada]

I did have 2 projects opened at once, scg. I'll learn not to do that anymore.

I'll try that later, David, and let you know how that went. Thanks.