# Clips

## Overview

<figure><img src="https://3596338706-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fsn71WYzecYYQw3KkF40b%2Fuploads%2FTfy7tXfB39Qkwswf8njF%2Fclips.png?alt=media&#x26;token=aa410fa0-563e-402d-938c-4fd206e76c14" alt="Clips in ACE Studio&#x27;s Canvas."><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Clips are the basic units on a track that carry audio or MIDI content. Each clip has a title bar with a name on it, and has its body that shows the thumbnail of main content.

## General Editing

In the Canvas, you can edit clips or part of clips within the range of a selection. Click on the title bar of a clip to create a selection that covers the whole range of this clip; Drag out a selection to cover a part of clips that you want to edit. Then you can perform various operations on the clip, such as copying, cloning, and deleting.

<details>

<summary>Editing content</summary>

Double click on the body of a clip to open the editor, where you can edit its content.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Moving clips</summary>

After creating the selection, drag on the title bar to move the clip. If the selection only covers a part of the clip, this part will be split out while being moved.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Deleting clips</summary>

After creating a selection, you can use <kbd>Delete</kbd> to remove the part covered by the selection. If the selection covers an entire clip, the clip will be completely deleted; if the selection only covers part of a clip, the portion of the clip covered by the selection will be trimmed.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Adjusting length</summary>

Clips can have their length adjusted by dragging the left/right edges. You can also create a selection to delete a part of a clip.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Fades &#x26; cross-fades</summary>

When hovering the cursor on a clip, there will be 2 little squares at the top left/right corner of the clip. Drag the square horizontally to create fade in/out for the clip. Drag on the handles on the fade curve to adjust the slope.

When 2 clips are connected, dragging the square across clips will create a cross-fade.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Splitting clips</summary>

There are 2 ways to split clips:

* Split a clip at a specific position: Place the marker-line at where you would like to split, and use the split function from right-click menu.
* Split out a piece from a clip: Create a selection to cover the piece you would like to split, and use the split function from right-click menu.

Shortcut key <kbd>Ctrl</kbd> / <kbd>⌘Command</kbd>  + <kbd>E</kbd> .

</details>

<details>

<summary>Deactivate clips</summary>

Deactivated clips are in dark color and will not be synthesized or heard.&#x20;

To deactivate a clip, you can:

* Click on the title bar of the clip, and deactivate it from right-click menu.
* Place the marker-line within a clip, and deactivate it from right-click menu.

To deactivate a piece of a clip, you can:

* Create a selection to cover the piece you would like to deactivate, and deactivate it from right-click menu.

Shortcut key <kbd>0</kbd>.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Changing Colors</summary>

The color of a clip follows the color of its current track. You can assign a color for the clip from the right-click menu.

</details>

## MIDI Clips

A MIDI clip can be created by double-clicking on a vocal/instrument track. You can also import MIDI, MusicXML, UFDATA files as clips.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Vocal Clips" %}
Vocal clips contain MIDI notes, lyrics, and Vocal Control parameters.

You can create new or import MIDI files on a Vocal Track to obtain Vocal clips.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Instrument Clips" %}
Instrument clips contain MIDI notes, articulations and Expression Controls parameters.

You can create new or import MIDI files on an Instrument Track to obtain Instrument clips.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="General MIDI Clips" %}
General MIDI clips contain MIDI notes.

You can create new or import MIDI files on an empty MIDI Track to obtain General MIDI clips.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

> Type conversion:
>
> Different types of MIDI clips carry some specific types of information, such as vocal clips containing lyrics and instrument clips containing articulations. When a MIDI clip of a certain type is moved to a track of another type, this specific information will be lost.

## Audio Clips

Audio Clips are imported or recorded audio files contained in an Audio Track.
