Mixing Linear and Non-Linear Workflows

It's possible to combine the linear workflow, i.e. working with regions on the timeline, and the non-linear workflow, i.e. launching clips from trigger slots.

The general steps to do so are:

  1. Setting up the trigger slots grid: loading clips into slots and grouping them into cues.
  2. Setting up follow actions to make transitions from one cue to another, although in some cases this would be fairly optional as it is possible to trigger specific cues from the timeline.
  3. Adding cue markers on the ruler where repeatable clips should start playing. This will launch an entire cue sans the isolated slots.
    Adding a cue marker
    Adding a cue marker
  4. Adding the "Stop all cues" marker where all cues should stop playing.

In the example below, cue A starts at bar 3, followed by cue B at bar 7, then all cues are stopped at bar 11. After that, cue C is triggered on bar 15, then cue D on bar 19, then all cues are stopped at bar 23.

Using Cue markers
Using Cue markers

Just like any other markers, cue markers can be repositioned. Moreover, right-clicking on an existing marker allows changing the cue that should be triggered.

Changing the triggered cue
Changing the triggered cue

The rest of the composition would be written the usual way, by adding consecutive audio and/or MIDI regions to the canvas.

A session that is set up in such a way can be exported just like any other, into a single audio file or through stem exporting.