Removing Labels - Examples

Labels can be removed by two main methods:

• Split (leaving the labels following to right in the same position, so still synchronized with their audio)
• Delete or cut (moving the following labels backwards). Delete or cut will desynchronize the following labels with their audio unless the corresponding region is also deleted in the audio track.

Similarly when deleting a region between labels or an unwanted part of a labeled audio track you will normally want to select the region to be removed in both audio and label track.

Incorrect edits to label tracks can always be undone by using Edit > Undo.

Contents

• Remove labels without moving any following labels
• Remove labels (or regions of label track), moving back any following labels
• Removing labels together with their associated audio
• Removing entire label tracks

Remove labels without moving any following labels (Split Delete or label text removal methods)

These methods let you remove labels without moving back any labels that follow to right of the removed label(s). The labels to right thus remain synchronized with their audio.

Split Delete method

Remove single or multiple labels by split deleting a region: Select any region in the label track that extends beyond the label(s) to be removed (without reaching other labels and without selecting in any audio tracks), then choose Edit > Remove Audio or Labels > Split Delete. You can also use the Split Delete shortcut CTRL + ALT + K instead of the menu.

Label text removal method

Remove a single label: Open the label, remove the text then press Backspace or Delete once to remove the empty label. This can be achieved in several ways, for example:

• Single-click before the first character in the label text (or click anywhere in the text then press Home), then press the Delete key until the text is removed, then press Delete once more.
• Single-click before the first character in the label text (or click anywhere in the text then press Home), then hold Shift and press End. Now press Delete twice.
• Single-click anywhere after the first character in the label text, then use first Backspace then Delete if needed until the text and label are removed.

Keyboard use: Use UP or DOWN to move the focus into the label track if needed, then Tab into the label to be removed. Now press Backspace until the label text and label are removed. You can also use Labels Editor to remove an individual label without affecting the following labels.

Example - using Split Delete

Suppose you have labeled different song tracks in the Audio track and you've also labeled some clicks after half-way through Track-2. You have removed the clicks so you need to delete their labels without moving any other labels.

Select in the label track around the two labels to be removed. Only drag horizontally, so as to avoid extending the selection up into the audio track.

Type the keyboard shortcut CTRL + ALT + K. The two labels are removed and the labels for Track-3 and Track-4 remain where they were previously. Note that the selection remains after performing this split delete in the label track.

It's like having stickers on a paper chain, and lifting some stickers off the chain.

Remove labels (or regions of label track), moving back any following labels (Delete method)

To remove labels or regions between labels (moving back any following labels), select over or between labels, then choose Edit > Remove Audio or Labels > Delete (or the Delete shortcut CTRL + K). If you remove part of an area inside a region label, this will reduce the length of the label. Labels following to right of the removed labels will always move backwards (earlier on the Timeline) according to the length of the removed selection.

Example

You have a podcast and have placed labels every two minutes where you will change to a different piece of accompanying music (not yet added). Then you decide not to use the second piece of music but to otherwise keep the same order for the following pieces of music. The easiest answer is to delete a region of label track corresponding to the "Vivaldi" piece, which allows the following labels to move back. We won't split delete because that would leave a section with no music label, and this method avoids having to rename any labels.

Select in the label track over the label to be removed. Only drag horizontally, so as to avoid extending the selection up into the audio track or the other label track. The labels following the removed label will move back by the length of region removed from the label track. It doesn't matter exactly where that region starts and ends, providing the selected length is correct and providing we select over the "Vivaldi" label point but don't let the selection touch the "Mozart" label.

Use the shortcut CTRL + K to delete the selected part of the label track, moving back the following labels accordingly.

This is like removing part of a paper chain, making the following parts move back.

Removing labels together with their associated audio

Including the audio track in the labeled region to be removed

In most cases when you remove parts of the label track, you will also want to remove the corresponding audio so that the remaining labels are still synchronized with their original audio. To remove the audio region as well as the label region, either drag the selection upwards to include the audio track or enable Tracks > Sync-Lock Tracks. This feature defines groups of Sync-Locked audio and/or label tracks, such that a length-changing action in one track of the group affects all the others in the group, even if they are not all selected.

Keyboard use: To include the audio track in the selection, press UP then ENTER. See Selecting using the keyboard.

A convenient way to select and delete the exact area of an individual region label together with its corresponding audio (moving the following audio backwards) is to click in the label, then press Enter followed by DELETE or BACKSPACE. If your Interface Preferences are set to "Retain labels if selection snaps to a label edge", this retains a point label at the former left-hand edge of the region.

Keyboard use: Use UP or DOWN then ENTER if needed to select the audio track, then repeat as needed to also select the label track. Then Tab into the label to be removed, press Enter then DELETE or BACKSPACE.

Including the label track when removing or inserting audio

When you select unlabeled audio that needs to removed you must include the label track in that selection if you want any labels following to right of the removed selection to remain synchronized with their audio. Similarly if you insert audio, the label track must be included to ensure label synchonization. To include the label track, drag the selection (or cursor) down into the label track or enable Sync-Lock Tracks as above.

Keyboard use: To include the label track, press DOWN then ENTER.

Example

You have identified a section of applause at the end of Track-3 that you want to remove and have labeled this section with a region label.

Select in the audio track from one edge of the label to the other then drag down into the label track, or simply click in the text of the "clap" label.

Then use the shortcut CTRL + K to make the deletion. As you can see, the label for Track-4 and its audio both move back (leftwards) on the Timeline thus keeping the label for Track-4 at the start of that track. If you already had the labeled audio selected on its own, you could equally have dragged either edge of that selection down into the label track.

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