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which you have to resize to get any resolution at all

Why???  Just save multiple timeline views. One with audio tracks resized and sample plot turned on another with it turned off, yet another with the audio tracks really big for resolution.  You also have a default Audio Toolset that you could modify to how you like with a named timeline view attached to it that you can easily select

Also have you considered using the sample plot only between in and out. Not ideal in some circumstances but a great timesaver.

Those are IMO very useful workarounds and the goal should still be a leaf out of Protools waveform technology.

Just want to add my +1 to this request, for whatever that's worth. Repainting waveforms slows me way down, and it'd be nice if the waveform was cached after the first time you view it.

The best workaround I have at the moment is expanding on Andrews excellent suggestion of having multiple timeline views and mapping the display waveform command to a button for quick toggling. What I would love is a way to map timeline views to a button as well. Any ideas on how to do that?

Yeah, I have multiple timeline views defined with the sample plot on and off, but it doesn't make editing audio any quicker. The problem still exists that when the sample plot is on, it has to repaint most of the time when you zoom or move on the timeline, and that takes a lot of time when you have a lot of audio tracks. On top of that, once the repaint starts, 9 times out of 10 you can't switch views in the middle of the process, so if it's painting waveforms for an entire reel and you just want to get back to Normal view, you're locked out from doing that for 30 seconds because of the spinning beach ball of death.

 

I think an improvement on the display waveform between IO (which I do not use as I have not found a way to make it speed up my editing) would be to have it display waveform between closest locators on any audio track either side of the TPI.

Maybe even make one colour of locators audio only to make the programing of this easier.

Schiffty:

Yeah, I have multiple timeline views defined with the sample plot on and off, but it doesn't make editing audio any quicker. The problem still exists that when the sample plot is on, it has to repaint most of the time when you zoom or move on the timeline, and that takes a lot of time when you have a lot of audio tracks. On top of that, once the repaint starts, 9 times out of 10 you can't switch views in the middle of the process, so if it's painting waveforms for an entire reel and you just want to get back to Normal view, you're locked out from doing that for 30 seconds because of the spinning beach ball of death.

 

If you regret starting the loading of sample plot - hit CTRL + . to stop it. Then you can turn off sample plot, zoom in to an appropriate level on the timeline and turn it back on again :)

I have mapped audio sample plot to a key instead of entire timeline views. That might change quicker back and forth. Loading the sample plot is still slow though.

 

fred

Haha, regret is such a great word for how I feel when those waveforms start to draw unintentionally. Thanks for the ctrl-. recommendation, just tried it and am now very excited :)

thanks!

Another option to get faster waveform redraw is to use "show marked waveforms" in timeline settings.

It's faster but I haven't found it useful to me while I'm solely focused on editing audio. When I'm cutting sound I like to see the whole waveform so I can quickly find changes in a score or to align a sound effect to the proper frame. Setting an In/Out all the time I think could be useful when you already know where your beats/hits are, but would get cumbersome if you're moving things around the timeline a lot. IMO, at least :)

This feature has been available on DS for YEARS ... There is no reason why Avid can't add this to MC.

It is strange how much this is requested but never gets implemented. Macros or automation is another example of a continuous request. Maybe we could have a macro for requesting both!

The fastest the PC the fastest the redraw.

But I have seen this kind of behaviour in Liquid and Premiere before some versions.

And they have fixed it. SO it can be fixed in MC as well and is indeed very needed.

For me caching the waveforms would be just as much a timesaver as the new Transition Preservation in MC4.  

It would be one of those tipping points that would help me decide whether to pay for an upgrade or not.

Come on Avid!

Yikes, I thought this may be in 4 but not.  Please add my 2 cents.  And while you're at it fix the silly slow thumbnail drawing/re-drawing/re-re-drawing....