The Time Ruler

From the View menu, choose Time Ruler, and choose Show Time Ruler from the submenu to toggle the display of the time ruler.

The time ruler is displayed along the bottom of the timeline. To change the format of the display, right-click on the timeline and choose an option from the shortcut menu. This timeline will change with tempo since the number of bars and beats per second of real time will change with tempo.

 Beat ruler
Time ruler

Change the format of the time ruler Closed

From the View menu, choose Time Ruler and choose a format from the submenu.

Format

Description

Samples

Displays the time ruler in samples.

Time

Displays the time ruler in hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds.

Seconds

Displays the time ruler in seconds.

Time & Frames

Displays the time ruler in hours:minutes:seconds.frames.

Absolute Frames

Displays the time ruler with all frames numbered sequentially from the beginning of your project.

Feet and Frames 16mm (40 fpf)

Displays the time ruler in feet+frames at a rate of 40 frames per foot.

Feet and Frames 35mm (16 fpf)

Displays the time ruler in feet+frames at a rate of 16 frames per foot.

SMPTE Film Sync (24 fps)

Displays the time ruler in hours:minutes:seconds:frames with a frame rate of 24 frames per second for synchronizing with film.

SMPTE EBU (25 fps, Video)

Displays the time ruler in hours:minutes:seconds:frames with a frame rate of 25 frames per second. This is known as SMPTE EBU (European Broadcasting Union) because European television systems run at 25 fps.

SMPTE Non-Drop (29.97 fps, Video)

Displays the time ruler in hours:minutes:seconds:frames with a frame rate of 29.97 frames per second.

In video, the frame rate of exactly 30 fps is never used. Instead, the timecode runs at a rate of 29.97 fps. This leads to a discrepancy between real time (as you would see on a clock) and the SMPTE time. SMPTE Drop was created to compensate for this discrepancy.

SMPTE Drop (29.97 fps, Video)

Displays the time ruler in hours:minutes:seconds;frames with a frame rate of 30 frames per second.

This format runs at 29.97 fps, just like SMPTE Non-Drop. However, to keep the SMPTE clock from drifting from real time, certain frame numbers have been removed from the counting system. The time is adjusted forward by two frames on every minute boundary except 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50. Thus, when SMPTE Drop time increments from 00:00:59.29, the next value will be 00:01:00.02. In SMPTE Non-Drop, the time would indicate 00:01:00.00, but it would be two frames behind real time.

SMPTE 30 (30 fps, Audio)

Displays the time ruler in hours:minutes:seconds:frames with a frame rate of 30 frames per second.

This rate is exactly 30 fps and is commonly used when synchronizing audio applications such as multitrack recorders or MIDI sequencers.

Audio CD Time

Displays the ruler in hours:minutes:seconds:frames with a frame rate of 75 frames per second for creating Red Book CDs.

Create a time ruler offsetClosed

A time ruler offset allows you to change the time ruler to start at a specific time. Typically, this feature is used in conjunction with SMPTE and MIDI projects when their timelines are the main reference.

A time ruler offset allows you to set the time ruler in an Acid project based on another project’s timeline for reference purposes.

  1. From the View menu, choose Time Ruler and choose a Set Time at Cursor from the submenu. An edit box is displayed in the time ruler.

    TIP To create a simple offset, click Go to Start to move the cursor to the beginning of your project.

  2. Type a time in the edit box and press Enter.

    The time ruler is shifted so the cursor position matches the time you specified. For example, if the cursor is positioned at the 2:00 minute mark and you enter 15:00 minutes, the start of the project will be set to 13:00 minutes.