Blend modes
Tracks are layers. Each track has a blend mode that says how its light combines with the tracks below it, the same idea as blend modes in a photo editor.
How layers combine
Intensity and color are blended as emitted light: a layer's color is multiplied by its intensity first. So an amber wave added onto a blue wash only adds amber where the wave is bright.
A layer that sets only intensity keeps the color from below, and a layer that sets only color keeps the intensity from below. The exception is Multiply, where a missing value counts as full, so the layer acts as a mask or a color filter.
The track's fader is the layer's opacity: how far the result moves from what is below towards the full blend.
The modes
| Mode | Result | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | The layer replaces what is below. | A base look; a clip that takes over. |
| Add | Light adds up: below + layer. | Accents on a wash; chases over a base color. |
| Subtract | Takes the layer's light away from below. | Cutting holes or dark sweeps out of a look. |
| Multiply | Below × layer. Black wins; full leaves it unchanged. | Masks and color filters; dimming one look with another. |
| Screen | The opposite of multiply: brightens without going past full. | Adding glow without clipping to white. |
| Lighten | The brighter of the two. | Letting the brightest layer win. |
| Darken | The darker of the two. | Letting the darkest layer win. |
All results are limited to 0–1.
Position
Pan and tilt blend separately. Add and Subtract treat the layer as an offset around the center, so a gentle sway can ride on top of a fixed aim. Every other mode just replaces the position below.
Choosing
Put the base look at the bottom as Normal. Put accents above as Add or Screen, a mask as Multiply, and use the faders to balance them. The demo show uses every mode: open it in Perform and solo tracks to hear (see) what each one does.