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Plinken Help

Your first session

This walkthrough takes you from an empty project to a short bounced movie. Have headphones and a microphone ready.

1. Enter a Space

Section titled “1. Enter a Space”

Sign in, open Spaces, and join with the invite code you were given, or create a Space if your plan allows it. Click Enter Space. The Space comes with a project called Project.

2. Open the Grid

Section titled “2. Open the Grid”

Click Grid in the sidebar. You see the transport bar at the top, one audio track called Track 1, and the timeline. Press Space to play and stop; Enter returns to the start.

Set the tempo by clicking the BPM display in the transport bar. Turn the Metronome on if you want a click.

3. Record a take

Section titled “3. Record a take”
  1. Click the track’s record-arm button. If the app asks for microphone access, allow it.
  2. Pick the input in the track’s input source popup if more than one is listed.
  3. Put your headphones on and switch the header Headphones toggle on. If you record with playback on speakers you see Recording while playback is unmuted — use headphones to avoid feedback.
  4. Press R to toggle record, then Space to roll. Stop with Space.

The take appears as a region on the track. Peers in the Space see it too. Details are in Recording.

4. Shape the sound

Section titled “4. Shape the sound”

Drag the mixer handle at the bottom of the Grid upwards, or click Open mixer. Each track has a fader, pan, mute, solo, an EQ, a compressor and sends. Add an effect with Add FX on the track’s plugin chain; the in-browser WCLAP plugins need nothing installed. See Mixer.

5. Add a video

Section titled “5. Add a video”

Add a Video track with the + button in the track list. Drop an MP4 file onto it. Plinken imports it in the background, shows the progress in the header, and places a video region plus its linked audio region. Open the video monitor with Toggle video monitor in the transport bar to watch it play with your recording.

Video editing needs the Pro plan or higher. On lower plans you can still watch video and edit audio. Formats beyond MP4 import through Plinken Run. See Importing video.

6. Cut and arrange

Section titled “6. Cut and arrange”

Set the snap mode in the transport bar (Smart, Bar, Beat, Frames and more). Right-click a region for Cut at Playhead, Merge Selected, colours and more. Drag the end marker to set where the project ends. See Regions.

7. Bounce

Section titled “7. Bounce”

Click the Bounce button at the right end of the transport bar. Choose Audio only for a WAV, M4A or MP3, or Video + audio for an MP4. Pick a range in time or bars, a quality, and click bounce. The result lands in Assets. See Bounce & export and Rendering & export.

8. Bring people in

Section titled “8. Bring people in”

Open Team and click Join Call to talk while you work. Turn Sync on in the header so you all look at the same place. Ask Plinky in Chat when you are stuck — it knows this help site.

Where to go from here

Section titled “Where to go from here”