Freezing Tracks

The option to Freeze a track, for both audio and MIDI tracks, can be found in their respective Track Options (Audio Track Options, MIDI Instrument Track Options, Drum Pattern Track Options). These can be accessed via the Clip Options (select a clip by tapping on it and press the three dot button to open the Clip Options, then select Track Options at the bottom of the list) or by long pressing in any empty area of the track (i.e. any area not containing a clip) on the timeline.

Freezing tracks temporarily renders the track, including all processing and effects applied, to a single audio clip without any effects added on the timeline. Frozen tracks will include any long effect tails or instrument releases at then end of the track, up to a maximum of ten seconds, so that the full impact of the track is retained perfectly. The difference between manually rendering the track to audio, and then importing that rendered track back into the project, to freezing tracks is that freezing allows the whole process to happen in one action and, more importantly, the freezing process is reversible. The state of the track at the point at which it is frozen is saved, allowing the track to be unfrozen, giving you back the ability to edit and change any of the effects or processing, and/or edit the MIDI of MIDI tracks. To reverse the process, select Unfreeze which will, again, be found in the track options of all frozen tracks.

So, why would you want to freeze your track? Well, the answer is simple: it is to lower the CPU load for your device and maintain performance levels. Real-time effects processing, real-time use of virtual instruments and real-time automation can all be very CPU hungry and cause your device to struggle. An audio file, by comparison, is very easy for your device to handle. Freezing tracks can, therefore, be extremely useful if you are using multiple instances of virtual instruments in your project or are using lots of effects. If your playback starts to stutter or glitch, freezing tracks can really help and is, therefore, an option which should always be remembered.

NOTE. There is one very important thing to remember when working with frozen tracks: any changes you make to the track while it is frozen, any adjustments or any effects you add to the frozen track's FX Grid, WILL BE LOST if you then unfreeze the track. This is because, as stated above, the freezing process stores a copy of the track at the point at which it is frozen. Unfreezing, therefore, reverts it back to that point in time, meaning any changes made to the track while it is frozen will be lost. Please be aware of this and get used to unfreezing before making any changes and then freezing again afterwards. Alternatively, you could Duplicate the frozen track (via the Track Options) to which you've made changes, allowing you to then unfreeze one of the, now two copies of that track and still keep the version you've added to or changed.

A frozen track can be identified by the presence of a snowflake symbol at the bottom left of its audio clip, as well as in the clip name, as seen here.

The track's frozen status is also indicated by the snowflake symbol next to its name on its channel strip as seen here.

NOTE. The audio files created by freezing tracks are retained in the project Samples folder, even after those track have been unfrozen.