There are different types of fade-in and fade-out. The type I use most is cross-fade. To do that, move to the place where you want the sample to fade in. Press the letter f and that will get you into cross-fade. With cross-fade, the file you're fading into is on one side of the cursor, and the file you're fading out of is on the other side. For example, the sample file could be to the right, and the file you're already in is on the left. This varies, depending on where you inserted the sample file. You can choose to fade out as you fade in, or not to fade out, or not to fade in, or just abruptly come in without fading out. Also, there are different types of fade, from abrupt to gradually turning a radio up or down. I've found the default type works the best.
The cross-fade blends the file you're sampling with the file you're already in, so a tiny bit of one file blends with the other. It's a smoother blend, especially if you're fading in or out.
There is a plain fade-in, and a plain fade-out. These are not cross-fade. To do a plain fade-in, press i. To fade out, press o. If you forget how to fade in or out, press alt, press right-arrow till you get to process, then arrow down till you get to fade in, or down again one more time till you get to fade out, and press enter.
I probably forgot something; if I did, somebody else will chime in with more info.
Mary
