The Time Line need audio with waveform
With the fusion of the Time Line in the Dope Sheet and to improvement the ui usability and workflow without need to create other window space, It would be nice to have audio with waveform in the time line like other software.
o minimum update the audio clip in NLA like it audio strip in video sequencer.
UPDATE
30 Comments
This is an essential feature that is present in every other animation application. There really is no excuse not to be able to see the audio waveform in the timeline.
Some kind soul has provided us with a free addon - please share some love if you are able to: pullusb.gumroad.com/l/sound_waveform_display
I am digging this up in hopes someone will keep upvoting this. I am shocked that 2 years later we STILL dont have this. Synchronizing audio is such a PAIN when you need to basically refer to another windows and keep resetting the frame. Inbetweens are a nightmare as is. Just finally fix this. You can see the waveform in other windows. I feel as though it is not this complicated, and as for which audio to show or play, seriously, just add an option in the right click menu in the navigation window so you right click the audio and say "make active waveform" and it appears in your timeline. Then if you need a differrent one, right click, repeat. Not saying there arent better ways but that should be simple enough for first implimentation. Blender is the only software I know that has managed to ignore this feature. And, for those saying they heard "not gonna happen" I have heard the same exact thing, which is a shame, because it is basically flagrantly ignoring an industry standard feature while simultaniously trying to be an animation software. Now I check back several years later, and what do you know, maybe they were right. Maybe it's just not gonna happen.
* @thorntonstrolia * It's worth knowing that Blender actually had this feature prior to version 2.5. It was removed at the time (I believe) to make the code more maintainable and because the base functionality is available in the VSE, which offers a more flexible interface.
That said, there are a few viable alternative solutions here. It just takes someone with the time and interest to do it.
Have the added this feature yet? man this is so necessary. Every other 3D software has this. Please give us the abillity to see waveform in TIMEline and DOPEsheet!
* @goldleafboy * not there yet :(
Yes it should be updated
This would be handy to have - for lipsyncing. I always have to open and line up the VSE to get audio files shown to get the lipsync working.
Any news on this?
Just looking at this again i am wondering if tagging the audio clips in the vse to show up here would be the way to go.
The audio shifted to a pre-comp that was referenced in
Maybe the best solution to multiple audio files is to keep ysing the video editor way to work but just simply add an option to "mark or select" the audio track to play and visualize in the timeline?
You have as many audio tracks you want but just the marked one is drawed and played in timeline.
It is a super usefull and needed feature to animate with audio.
Bump.. I still can't understand why this feature doesn't exist in blender when all 3d animation apps have it, it's a essential and it saves computing that goes onto the VSE window. you don't need to lock it as it should a background thing with options in the Sidebar.
this feature is for 3d animation not for video editing so having multiple audio tracks isn't an option.
* @rukkruko * This feature did exist in Blender, prior to 2.5. It was removed at the time (IIRC) because it was becoming difficult to maintain and a lot of users were using the Sequencer anyway because the UI was more flexible.
* @Jason van Gumster * that's unfortunate, anyway it should be put back, it's extremely needed for facial animation.
* @rukkruko * Why should it be put back? We already have the feature by using the Sequencer.
That's not to say I'm against it... I just think that there needs to be a compelling argument for adding what is essentially a duplicated feature.
hey guys i don’t really have the time to read everything here and i am sorry for that. Sooooo just in case this is more a comment on how are we going to deal with the ability to view audio in Blender.
Are people really happy with just the Sequencer being able to display this.
here is just a thought.
Loven everyone’s input
devtalk.blender.org/uploads/default/original/2X/b/b1ba75a786318886f75f2e2af434ab7f0d4578d4.png
@Adam Earle: here is another idea. Oh and the only reason why i mention this if its no obvious is because i believe that it will effect how work spaces are implemented greatly.
Perhaps we need to think about consolidating the timeline even more so to become more efficient?
devtalk.blender.org/uploads/default/original/2X/9/99d7ff884a613762048abcbe4c6ff22d791d177a.png
@Adam Earle:
What if the VSE merged with curved editor? I guess it would kinda be more like after effects then but way more powerful.
Perhaps the child windows might be the key to the VSE sequences being able to Twirl open with the VSE exposing a curve editor inside of it.
That’s a a tough one though something to think about though.
Or maybe the timelines just had quick Switches in the right and corner that relate to other time lines similar to the compositor.
sorry guys just think about work flow fluidity
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@Adam Earle: of course, the ideal is an unique time line global with the other options for VSE, Dope Sheet, NLA, and Graph Editor, similar to C4D NUKE, Natron, etc... an unique region per range frames and the menus to switch options for each (VSE, Dope Sheet, NLA, and Graph Editor). Maybe at the moment it would be difficult to unify them and maybe we would see something unified until blender 3, hopefully not ja
On the past, they have replied to me: It´s not gonna happen (wave sound on timeline, much less waveform). I´m pretty much surprised no one is defiling this thread. :) so, I´m glad community is pushing this in.
Wavolution !!!
I tend to use the VSE for this. How would you choose which audio file gets shown in the timeline? Where would you put the controls for changing where it starts?
Let's take the example of animation workflow, as it's what I'm most familiar with :
Animation often need to have several editors at the same time (3dv + timeline + dopesheet and/or graph + outliner + properties) (will change a little bit in 2.8, but it's still heavy)
Having to open another editor just for one feature isn't a nice thing for me.
In other programs, you can i.e. drag'n' drop your sound file directly in the timeline, move it around and see the waveform. Useful for any animation needing sound, like lipsync, music clips, rhythm syncs...
Blender can already display audio waveforms obviously, it already does have functions for start/end managing (like in VSE), directly on the strip. That could be simply copy-pasted into timeline/dopesheet editor and made it as simple as drag'n'dropping a sound file into it.
@loic.dautry: A drag-based interface would certainly be the most straight-forward... but since the Timeline (and now the Timeline/Dope Sheet) doesn't have quite the same behavior as the VSE, I'm not sure it's as simple as copying and pasting code... especially with the unification of the Timeline with the Dopesheet. I'd hate to try to adjust my audio file and end up accidentally moving a keyframe instead.
How do you think we could get around that?
There is the same risk of handling confusion with markers, which can be solved via the "lock markers" option.
Maybe take inspiration from that and make a "lock audio" ?
@loic.dautry: That sounds like a workable possibility. Now... how do we choose the audio file? Should it be from the View menu or should there be an audio datablock in the header?
I think it would be more interesting to have an audio menu in the header. There we could have the lock option, as well as a "load audio", and we could pickup the "audio scrubbing" and "mute audio" options from the playback menu too.
So that the timeline editor would have a very basic audio handling with a waveform display, and if someone needs a more complex control, like several audio files, he could use the VSE too.
Also, another idea :
If it's not possible to copy-paste the strip system from the VSE, let's just keep using the VSE as we do now, but still add a way to display the resulting audio waveform in the timeline/dopesheet :
That way, no need for an extra menu nor move options around.
Just to find a way to draw the resulting wavefrom from whatever's in the VSE (even multiple edited audio files, except the muted ones of course) and add a "display audio waveform" checkbox in the already existing "view" menu.
EDIT : i think I actually enjoy that one even more. And it looks like there are fewer things to do dev-wise, at least in my biased eyes.
in view menu or another special menu, an audios stack with checkbox for various strips read from the VSE, and when alternate across audios load your respectively waveform
@Salvador Garcia: This can get messy really fast.
Maybe a new object type "sound" with a tab in the properties including the checkbox "draw waveform". That way you could more than 1 sound without conflict...