Browser

The XT2 Browser is a virtual file directory where each entry is like an alias for one or more physical directories on the harddrive. When you start XT2 for the first time, there will be a list of default names as in the image below. This tutorial will demonstrate the browser functionality.

Displaying the Browser

There are three ways of toggling the display of the browser in XT2.

The command key sequence by default is F3. However, this can be configured by the user within the Actions setup option.

The second is to use the XT2 toolbar and click on the browser display button.

The third is to use the Window->Browser navigation via XT2's main menu.

You can resize the browser by click-dragging on its right-hand border. The cursor will change into a double-headed arrow when the right border of the browser window is in focus.

Navigating/Using the Browser

Navigation through the browser is relatively intuitive. It's a basic tree structure which expands and collapses via the small icon to the left of each entry or just by clicking on the title. The browser supports preview of .wav files simply by clicking on the file where auditioning is required.

When opening XT2 for the first time, only the Disks entry will be able to be expanded. This is because it is a view into current disk directory. However, the remaining folders are just top level entries which can be configured to point to different folders on the hard drive. This will be explained a bit further below.

One of the great things about the browser is that it supports full drag-n-drop from your hard drive into your projects. Just click-drag the relevant XT2-recognised file into your project in the appropriate place and it's done. The operation will obey the current snap settings and will use the mouse of the location to "drop" the item. The following is a list of valid drag-n-drop operations from the browser.

• Audio file into the sequencer to an existing audio track or into an unused area in the sequencer to create a new audio track containing the audio file.
• XT2 project file into the main comps window to load the project.
• VSTi/VSTfx plug-in into the main comps window to load the plug-in and automatically attach its audio output to the audio out module.
• VSTi/VSTfx plug-in into the sequencer to an existing midi track to attach that plug-in to the track. It will automatically be added to the main comps window as well where it's midi input will be connected to one of the sequencer's midi outputs and it's audio ouput will be connected to the audio out module.
• VSTi/VSTfx plug-in into the mixer into an available slot as a send or insert effect. Dropping in a send slot for a channel will propagate that plug-in to all send slots on the mixer as well as creating an additional channel in the mixer for the effect where you can add more inserts if desired.
• Midi file into the sequencer to an existing midi track or into an unused area in the sequencer to create a new midi track containing the midi file.
• Audio, Midi and Drum Track clips saved as .xtc files into the sequencer.
• XT2 Synth/Sampler programs saved as .xts files into the Comps window to add a new Synth/Sampler instance, into a Synth/Sampler instance on the Bank tab to add as a new program within that instance, or directly into a midi track within the sequencer to automatically create a Synth/Sampler instance with that program and attach it to the relevant track.
• Drum Kits saved in Drum Track format as .xts files into the sequencer to create a new Drum Track complete with the loaded drum kit.

The browser comes with searching capabilities throughout the folder tree. A text box and search icon at the top of the browser are used for this purpose. The functionality will attempt to find a match in your plug-in folders for the specific text you've entered and will find foobar.dll when searching for foo for example.

Configuring the Browser

The most obvious way to configure the browser is within the browser itself. When XT2 is started for the first time, the top-level folders will have no content other than the Disks folder which references all the drives on the computer. To start adding folder on the harddrive to various top-level folders, navigate to the appropriate folder in the Drives section and right-click on the desired folder. Options will be given to which of three "favourites" the target folder can be added.

Once a directory is saved as a "favourite", it is possible to rename the reference or to remove the reference entirely. These options are shown on a context sensitive menu for that item with a right-click. This option is not available for any child directories or files saved underneath the folder.

There is another way to configure the browser - via the Setup option in the File main menu. Select Folders in the setup panel and then selecting Add or Delete will allow the these "favourites" to be managed.