For many of us there often isn’t a clear distinction between mixing and arranging. If we are creatively involved in producing a track then it’s not at all unusual to be deciding not just how an element should fit into the track but whether it should be in the track at all. I need to say that I’m not suggesting that mixing isn’t creative, just that it isn’t the same as writing or producing - OK?

How Best To Mute A Part

It might sound like a silly question but there are a few options here and I’m of the opinion that in this case there definitely is a “best” option.

Are You Muting The Whole Track Or Just Part Of It?

If you are losing the whole track then a quick right-click Hide And Make Inactive is all that’s needed, don’t delete the track unless you are absolutely sure you’ll never need it though, especially as Delete Track is one of the few things which can’t be reversed using an undo command!

If you are muting a part of a track then there are more options. For example in the image above there is an edit selection across a line of a vocal I want to mute:

Option 1 - Delete

The obvious solution might be to hit backspace and delete the section I don’t want to use. This is fine but not what I’d usually choose to do because although it is a nondestructive edit and the gap created can be removed using the heal command (CMD+H, Ctrl+H on Windows) it isn’t immediately apparent that there is a contiguous audio file bridging that gap. If someone else were to work on the session I’d rather make it clear to them that there is audio available bridging that gap.

Option 2 - Mute Automation

Mute automation might seem like a good way to selectively exclude audio but I rarely use mute automation on anything other than a click track because it isn’t immediately apparent that the mute is there unless you are viewing the Mute Automation Playlist. On an audio track, I will by default be in Waveform View

If you want to quickly swap between waveform view and mute automation view just CMD+Ctrl+Click on the Mute button to view the Mute Automation. This keystroke works for any automation parameter, the Windows equivalent is Start+Ctrl+Click. To Go back to Waveform View CMD+Click+Click on the track name.

Option 3 - Mute Clip

My preferred option is to use the Mute Clip command. simply separate the clip using CMD+E (Ctrl+E on Windows) or B in command focus, select the clip and hit CMD+M (Ctrl+M on Windows). This mutes the clip but leaves it visible in Waveform view. This means that anyone working on the session will understand that audio (or MIDI, it also works for MIDI clips) is present but is muted. It’s a simple thing but worth considering, especially if you collaborate with others or regularly return to old projects a long time after completing them.