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The Explorer Window

The Explorer window allows you to view and access your media files without leaving the Acid workspace. You may preview media files and place media files in your project from the Explorer window.

From the View menu, choose Explorer to toggle the display of the window.

NOTE You can also use the Get Media from the Web to find media to use in your project.

Learn more about the Explorer window

Item

Name

Description

Address Bar

Displays the current folder. You may also specify a file type to display. To specify a file type, make sure that All Files is not selected in the Views button menu and click in the combo box. Type the wildcard followed by the extension. For example, *.wav or ?intro?.avi

Tree View

Displays all of the available files and folders where you can find media files.

Contents Pane

Displays the folders and media files contained in the active folder.

Opens the folder one level above the active folder.

Refresh

Refreshes the contents of the active folder.

If you insert a new CD (or other removable media), click to refresh the Explorer.

Add to My Favorites

Adds the selected folder to the My Favorites folder for quick access.

Start Preview

Plays the selected media file.

Stop Preview

Stops the playback of the selected media file.

Auto Preview

Automatically preview media files when you click them in the Explorer window.

Views

Allows you to change the way the files are viewed in the list view.

Tree View	Displays all of the available drives and folders that you may choose from to find files.
Summary View	Displays a short description of the selected media file at the bottom of the Explorer window.
Details	Displays the file size, date and when the file was last created or last modified.
All Files	Displays all file types in the active folder.

Preview a file

Preview multiple selected files sequentially

Adjust preview volume

Add tracks to a project or add clips to a track

Adding tracks

Double-click a file in the Explorer or drag it to an area of the timeline that does not contain a track to add it to your Acid project and create a track.

Right-click and drag a file to the timeline or track list to specify the type of track that will be created. When you drop the file, a shortcut menu is displayed that allows you to choose whether the file will be treated as a loop, one-shot, Beatmapped track, or as an autodetected type.

NOTE Until you set a default track volume in the Set Default Track Properties dialog, the setting of the Preview fader will determine the volume of new tracks.

Adding clips

Drag a file from the Explorer to an existing track in the timeline to create a new clip and set the new media file as the active clip.

TIP Tips:

Before using long media (one-shots or Beatmapped tracks) from CDs or shared network folders, copy the media to your local drive for the best possible performance.
To add multiple files to the timeline, Ctrl+click (or Shift+click) to select the files and drag them to the timeline or track list.
To add a track from an audio CD, browse to your CD drive and double-click a .cda file (or drag it to the timeline). The track is extracted from the CD and added as a track in your Acid project.
When a media file is added to a project from a removable device, a copy of the media file is stored in a subfolder within a temporary files folder. This keeps the media file available for use even if the source of the media is no longer accessible.

Be aware that these subfolders are cleared when you close then application. However, they are not cleared if the application closes inappropriately.

Add multitrack/multichannel MIDI files

Adding MIDI files to your Acid project is just like adding audio: you can double-click a MIDI file to create new tracks and events, or you can drag a MIDI file to an existing track to add a new clip.

NOTE When you select a MIDI file in the Explorer window, its length, tempo, type, and number of tracks are displayed at the bottom of the window:

NOTE

When you right-click a MIDI file in the Explorer window, you can choose how you want to add it to your project:

Command	Description
Add to Project	Adds the file to the current Acid project and adds tracks to the track list. No events are created. For Type 0 MIDI files, a separate track is created for each channel in the MIDI file, and all tracks are organized within a folder track. For Type 1 MIDI files, a separate track is created for each track in the MIDI file, and all tracks are organized within a folder track. TIP When you draw events after adding a file to your Acid project, MIDI controller data is not added to the timeline. Right-click an event and choose Create Envelopes from Clip from the shortcut menu to represent MIDI controllers as envelopes on the timeline.
Add to Project with Events	Adds the file to the current Acid project at the cursor position, adds tracks to the track list, and creates events for the MIDI note data on each track. Envelopes are added to the tracks to represent MIDI controller data. For Type 0 MIDI files, a separate track is created for each channel in the MIDI file, and all tracks are organized within a folder track. For Type 1 MIDI files, a separate track is created for each track in the MIDI file, and all tracks are organized within a folder track.
Add to Project with Events Rippled	Adds the file to the current Acid project at the cursor position, adds tracks to the track list, and creates events. Existing events are shifted downstream to make room for your MIDI file. Envelopes are added to the tracks to represent MIDI controller data. For Type 0 MIDI files, a separate track is created for each channel in the MIDI file, and all tracks are organized within a folder track. For Type 1 MIDI files, a separate track is created for each track in the MIDI file, and all tracks are organized within a folder track.
Open as New Project	Starts a new project, adds tracks to the track list, and creates events for the MIDI note data on each track: For Type 0 MIDI files, a separate track is created for each channel in the MIDI file. For Type 1 MIDI files, a separate track is created for each track in the MIDI file. TIP When you draw events after opening a MIDI file as a new project, MIDI controller data is not added to the timeline. Right-click an event and choose Create Envelopes from Clip from the shortcut menu to represent MIDI controllers as envelopes on the timeline.

Use the My Favorites folder

Select the My Favorites folder or choose My Favorites from the Address Bar to view the contents of the My Favorites folder. This folder contains shortcuts to folders that you use often.

Adding a folder to the My Favorites folder

Browse to the folder you want to add.
Right-click the folder and choose Add Folder to My Favorites from the shortcut menu. A shortcut to the folder is created.

Removing a folder from the My Favorites folder

Select the My Favorites folder.
Right-click the folder you want to delete and choose Delete from the shortcut menu.

NOTE Deleting a folder from My Favorites deletes only the shortcut to the folder; the target folder is unaffected.

Last modified on July 09, 2026

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