Solved Envelope tool, and config, in MS Platinum 13

Many apologies if this has been asked and answered many times, but search as I may I can't seem to find an answer to these two incredibly simple problems...!
They may be too simple to answer, as I am a raw beginner with Movie Studio Platinum 13... but I hope not.
1. Sometimes when i drag the video along the timeline the audio drags itself along with it automatically - which is good. But sometimes it doesn't - I don't know why - which is bad. How can I make them always stick together?
2. Derek, I have watched your beginners' tutorial many times - and I still can't grasp what the envelope tool is, and how to use it! What's it for? Nor can I understand 'Config'. Please, please could you direct me to somewhere that answers these problems?
Or if that place does not exist, please could you create a tutorial for it??
Please!
Thank you.

Hi MJC

Audio attached to Video files, is always grouped by default in Vegas. It cannot separate unless you have accidentally pressed the button or keyboard shortcut, that controls this.

Selecting a Video on the timeline and then pressing U, will un-group the video and audio files.
Selecting a Video and Audio track, then pressing G, will re-group the video and audio back together.
There is also a button that controls this in bottom toolbar.

I have an old tutorial about working with Audio Volume, which will show you how to create and edit Audio Volume Envelopes.
The same technique can be used for all different Envelope tools.
How to Edit Audio Volume & Pan Envelopes using Sony Vegas Movie Studio & Vegas Pro

Regards
Derek

Thank you Derek - that audio envelopes tutorial helps a huge amount. Do I infer that the envelope tool has no other use except for adjusting the audio track?

About video and audio getting detached from each other....
Actually it is when I am cutting redundant bits out of the video that the video and audio seem to get out of sync. Is there a foolproof way of making sure that I cut the audio at the same time as I cut the video?
Currently I select the video clip on the video track, use the split tool to split a section of it, highlight that section and press delete.
If I then select the audio track and try to do the same they never seem to match up again!!
Is this the point where I would press G?
Basically I suppose I don't know how to split the video and audio tracks together as one unit... can you tell me what I'm doing wrong? Perhaps, even more basically, I am not selecting both at the same time... is there some obvious way to do this?
Thanks...

If they are still grouped together they should both split together when you select either and cut. Check in Config that you don't have Ignore Event Grouping ticked.

MS13 is a pain that you cannot instantly tell if it's on or off and likewise with Rippling. Fortunately it has apparently been altered in MS14.

Audio and Video cannot go out of sync, just because you split the video into different pieces.

There are only two possibilities.
1. The original audio in your video was already out of sync, which has nothing to do with Movie Studio.
2. You have accidentally turned on/off the wrong default settings.

There are only 2 settings that may cause you problems. The default setting for both of these functions is OFF.
Make sure Ignore Event Grouping and Auto-Ripple are both turned OFF.


Please note that if you have an existing saved project you are trying to repair, it is too late to turn these settings off now.
Anything that is out of sync, needs to be removed from your timeline and re-imported.

That's crystal clear - Derek, thank you so much! I think that was my prob - not having a clue what config does I probably checked/unchecked things as an experiment and forgot to revert back, or just lost track of what I'd done. Now I have your instructions I will clear that up.

However, I still don't know what config can/can't do!
Is there a tutorial, or part of one, that goes into the meanings of the things in config? It's the little things that so often turn out to be the most important (like life!).

Many thanks again for answering my prob so lucidly and so FAST!

Merrily