Preparing tracks
Check timing, refine sections, and save a track you can trust on stage.
On this page
Open Edit beside a Library track, or choose Edit track from a loaded deck’s number menu. The editor combines the waveform, beatgrid, sections, and review status in one place.
Edits form an unsaved draft. Preview lets you hear that draft before committing it. Save or discard changes before opening another track, leaving the editor, enhancing, loading into a deck, or quitting.
Check the grid by listening#
- Select a section near the start of the song.
- Turn on Metronome in the grid controls.
- Press Space to loop the selected section on the preview output.
- Listen for the accented first beat of each bar. Check another section later in the track to make sure the timing still lines up.
Use the metronome’s − / + buttons to change click volume. It starts at 25% and is off when you open Grit. The click follows the preview route: headphones when configured, otherwise Master while all decks are stopped.
The editor previews at the track’s original tempo. Changing its BPM or first beat adjusts the preparation; it does not change the session tempo in Perform.
Correct BPM and the first beat#
If the click gradually drifts, check BPM. Use − / + for 0.1 BPM steps or hold Option for 0.01. ÷2 / ×2 correct a half- or double-tempo estimate.
If the tempo is right but the bar starts in the wrong place, shift the grid with , / .. These move the first beat one beat earlier or later; Option+, / Option+. makes a 5 ms adjustment. You can also drag the bar ruler above the waveform.
BPM and first-beat edits create a constant grid from your chosen values. Renaming a track or editing sections preserves the existing grid. Recheck later passages after timing changes, especially when the original performance changes tempo.
Shape the sections#
A section marks a useful musical starting point: an intro, vocal phrase, break, or drop. Section starts are what you will launch in Perform.
| Action | Control |
|---|---|
| Select a section | Click its waveform region, or use ↑ / ↓ |
| Add a section | Double-click the waveform at the intended bar, or press A |
| Move its start by a bar | ← / →, or drag the marker or section name |
| Move its start by a beat | Shift+← / →, or Shift-drag |
| Adjust freely | Option-drag; Option+← / → steps by 5 ms |
| Delete the selected section | Backspace |
| Rename a section | Click its name in the SECTION row |
While preview is playing, A adds at the playhead’s bar. While stopped, it adds within the selected section. Moving between sections with ↑ / ↓ also moves a running preview to the new selection.
Only the bar ruler shifts the grid. Dragging a section marker edits that section’s start. Press Escape during a drag to cancel it.
Save and review#
Click Save or press ⌘S to write the draft. Discard changes returns to the saved preparation, including its detected grid. ⌘Z and ⇧⌘Z undo and redo editor changes; Discard can be undone too. Holding a nudge key groups that repeated movement into one undo step.
When the timing and sections sound right, enable Ready for performance and save. In this editor, review status is part of the draft. The Library’s Mark as ready action saves immediately.
If saving fails, the draft stays open so you can retry. Do not treat an error as a successful save.
Load the result#
Choose the target deck with 1–4 or 1–8, then click Load → Deck or press Enter. Save your draft first. Loading leaves the deck stopped, and active decks refuse replacement.
Use ← Library or Escape to leave the editor after saving. When you opened it from Perform, the return control takes you back there.
The editor owns performance keys while it is open: Space previews this track, and letter keys edit the preparation. Return to Perform for deck shortcuts. Keep the keyboard reference nearby for your first few tracks.