Editor's notes and Preface

[eo 2004−09−10]
This documentation describes the components and essentials of the software. It's a work in
progress, and considering the development−speed of energyXT it will probably never be absolutely
up to date. It's not yet complete − the authors are working on it. But may be it's a help for you. And
may be you will be a help for us all − contribute to this manual writing parts of it − explanations,
tutorials, what ever might be useful for the energyXT−users!
What you see here is not my work − it consists mainly of the contributions of several authors; I
mentioned them in square brackets at the beginning of the sections. I (re−)arranged the material,
worked on the graphics, tried to give the whole thing a nice layout... Okay − come and see!
The manual isn't complete. I'm currently working on it, collaborating with the authors. My mother
tongue is German, so I leave the hard work of writing correct English to the native speakers.
To give you an impression of the latest development of energyXT, I've integrated the
update−section of www.xt-hq.com in the manual.
Most of the sections of this manual don't cover the latest version of energyXT. Those sections
without a date at the beginning are the oldest. The newer sections begin with a date to show which
version they cover.

[rd]
If you're new to XT and not aware that it is skinnable then some of the images may confuse you
since the screen shots show different skins throughout the manual. You shouldn't have any trouble
figuring out where you are if you're using the default skin though − the basic graphic elements are
the same, only the colors and sometimes images change. If you'd like to grab some skins from the
XT−HQ Resource page and just drag−n−drop the gui files onto your XT window for a fresh look, you
may find something more suitable to your tastes than the default baby blue.

The tutorials on these pages aren't a blueprint for the way you should use XT. They are merely a
means to walk you through the features. Due to its modular nature there are an infinite number of
ways to utilize all of XT's goodies. Hopefully if you're struggling to figuring out what you should do
with it, these pages will help you come to terms with the modular workflow. For the beginners out
there, please read the help section over at www.xt-hq.com/help. This will fill you in on the
basics so you know enough that you're aware inputs are at the top of the screen and icons and
outputs are at the bottom.

If you're just starting out then read the Setup section and get XT configured for your system. It's an
important step that commonly gets overlooked. Make sure if you set up Multi−Out versions of the
plugins that you also include a copy of your license key file in each folder that has a plugin. Also
take the time to find a skin that you're happy with. This may seem like a superficial thing, but certain
colors wear on my eyes which can make long red−eyed sessions miserable.

A good Tutorial for beginning is the Basic Standalone Sequencer Tutorial. The Chord component
tutorial and CC Automation tutorial also fall into the basic to intermediate category. The Audio−Part
component tutorial is a little confusing for some, so I'm gonna have to say intermediate.

[eo]
A tip before you start: Maybe you will suffer from the lack of documentation, but there's one
possibility to compensate that − make extensive use of the context−menu. Where ever you are in
EnergyXT − the context−menu will help you.