Logic Audio General FAQs
Logic Audio General FAQs
- Q. How do
I select all following objects on the same track, ie all the objects after
bar 23? I don't want to drag select with the mouse!
-
- A. First use "select all following" which is in the Edit
Menu (Local Edit Menu on the Mac) or use the Key Command and then use "deselect
all objects except recording track" which can only be found in Key
Commands.
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- Q. What does Logic
mean? I get confused by some of the terms they use. What's the difference
between Loop and Cycle for example?
-
- A. Here's some Logic terms explained:
- Logic uses Cycle to describe the recording
or playback of sections of a song that are set in the Transport using the
Left and Right Locators.
- Loop refers to the playback of a Object
on the Arrange Window. Every Object can be independently Looped indefinitely
- Sequence refers to the data in the Object
which is controlled by the Sequence Parameter box.
- Objects are the "blocks" on
the Arrange Window that can be resized, moved, copied, etc. You can think
of Sequences and Objects as the same thing since they are so similar.
Gate TIme is the length of a MIDI note. Emagic
uses this because of those orginal analog synths didn't have keyboards
to play, you used a step sequencer to program a series of notes and controlled
the lengths of the notes with Gate Times. Logic is a sequencer!
- Tie Objects by Length Change will
change the length of the first object so it "butts up" to the
second object. BTW this doesn't work for audio though it will make the
region extend to it's full size if it has been changed by resizing with
the cusor.
- Tie Objects by Position Change will bring
the selected objects together; that is if there is a space between the
first and second object on the same track, selecting both of them then
using this menu will cause the second object to move to the end of the
first eliminating the space between them.
- Rounded as in Set Left Locator by rounded Song
Position means the Left Locator will be set to the nearest bar to
the left of the SongPosition when in the Arrange Window. Set Left Locator
by Song Position sets the Left Locator to the exact position of Song Position.
Rounded can mean to the closest format in the Editors (The format is the
number below the time signature on the Transport, the default is 16- or
16th note)BTW these commands are found in the Key Commands.
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- Q. So how do I make
loops loop correctly? Most audio cds aren't prelooped - the loops don't
stop accurately at the end of the phrase for instant repetition, but continue
on a bit with either the first hit of the phrase again, or with a reverb
trail. This makes them impossible to use.
-
- A. The first part is extracting the loops from the CD. If you're using
CD Ripper (a shareware extraction program), Import Movie on the Options
Menu (Mac) or similar program, extract just the track or part of the track
you want. Then load the tracks into Logic via the Audio Window using the
local menu functon called "Add Audio File". In 4..x you can directly
add the audio to the Arrange Window by using Import Audio in the Audio
Menu. (Be sure to select the correct track and place the Song Position
at the right place.) Once in the Audio Window double click on the file
to enter the Sample Editor. If your program required you to extract the
entire track then cut the track up into separate loops by selecting the
loop then use the local menu Edit command "Save Selection As"
to save the selection as it's own file (this makes it wasy to reuse the
loop). Next remove the silent digital space before and after each one in
the Sample Editor by dragging the start and end points of the loop. To
make sure the loop sounds right, enable the loop button in the Sample Editor
(it's on the left side of the window in the parameter section), Adjust
the start and end points as necessry so it sounds right as it loops. To
find out or adjust the tempo of the loop, use the "Adjust Tempo by
Selection and Locators" from the local function menu in the Sample
Editor. Make sure that the Locators are set to te right length (ie, 1 measure,
2 measures, etc) before you adjust the tempo. Your loops are now ready
to be dragged to Arrange Window. Assign them to a track then turn on the
loop in the Sequence paramters.
- An alternative to this is to line up all the tracks of the same tempo
in parallel on their own track in the Arrange Window. Remove the digital
excess from the start and ends from the loops. Then, adjust the tempo,
until the easiest to loop track is looping perfectly in the Arrange window
using the loops function on the transport (you may want to mute the other
tracks). Then select all the tracks and cut them off at the end of the
bar if necessary.
- If the loops still go out of time over a long period, then you'll need
to copy the loops so they retrigger on the downbeat for each downbeat.
The MIDIGuy uses copies instead of the loop in the Sequence parameters
to avoid this problem.
- Another way to loop is to copy the loop on the Arrnage Window and position
them so they sound right allowing them to overlap if necessary. This works
if you already know the tempo and don't want to edit the loop. This allows
you to use crossfades if you need or want to.
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- Q. I want to
do a Cycle Record Replace like Cubase does. You know, where I can setup
a 4 bar cycle and replace the new record track every time it loops.
-
- A. At the moment Logic doesn't support that. While the Transport has
a Replace buttom, it doesn't work after the first take of the Cycle. You
can set up an Auto Create tracks in Cycle Record mode and Auto Mute in
Cycle Record Mode by click on those selections in the Recording Options.
This will create a new track with every loop and mute the previous track.
Then you can go back and listen to each take and delete the ones you want.
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- Q. Can I open
several Editor Windows at once?
-
- A. Yes. Select the Object you want to edit then select the editor you
want to use (Either from the Window Menu or by a Key Command). Repeat as
much as you like. You can open different Editor Windows for the same Object
if you want or the same type of editor for several different Objects. If
you like a particular set of editors, make a Screenset for them.
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- Q. Is there any way
to put track notes inside of a song?
-
- A. There are several ways to add text info into Logic. The simplest
is to use a Marker. First make sure the Song Position is set to bar one.
Then go to Options, Marker, Create Marker. Next open the marker by selecting
Options, Marker, Open as Text. Now you can type as much as you like in
to the marker. If you want to be reminded about these notes, you can setup
the Marker to be a Text Window or Text Float by unlocking your Screenset
1, select Options, Marker, Open as Text or Text Float. Next position the
window where you want it, lock your Screenset and save. Now as long as
you save the song set to Screenset 1, you'll be reminded every time the
song opens.
- You can also input text in Tracknames by selecting Function,Track,
Create Trackname. While not much can be inputed, you can do some there.
You can also use empty Objects. Use the Pencil tool on an empty Track to
create the Object. Use the Arrow Cusor to make it about 4 bars long. Get
theText Tool (I bar), Click on the Object and type in 17 charactors of
text. You can make as many as you need. By the way, this is a way to type
chords or lyrics so they show on the Arrange Window!
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- Q. Do I need to buy
Recycle to slice and dice loops so I can change the tempo in realtime instead
of using the Time and Pitch Machine?
-
- A. No, the only reason to use Recycle is to transfer the sliced loop
to an external sampler and to use Recycle's MIDI file to play and control
the tempo of the loop. You can do what Recycle does within Logic by first
placing it in the Arrange Window. Then select the loop in the Audio Window.
Next select "Strip Silence" from the Options menu. You then will
see the loop in window where you can adjust the threshold that defines
how the region that will be made. The "Min. time to accept as Silence"
parameter defines how long a silence must be before it is a gap. The "Pre
Attack Time" allows you to avoid chopping off the beginning from a
slow attack region. The "Post Attack Time" allows you adjust
the end of the regions so you don't chop off the tail end of a region with
reverb, etc unless you want it to. Unless you have a reason not, you should
have "Search Zero Crossing" as this will insure the regions don't
click or pop when they start. Once it looks like what you want, click OK.
It will ask if you want to replacethe region in the Arrange Window, answer
Yes. Now as you play the loop, you can adjust the tempo and hear the change
immediately. If you want to reuse this sliced loop region or edit it, select
all the parts that make up the complete loop then put it in a folder by
selecting "Pack Folder" from the Function Menu. Now you can drag,
copy it anywhere you want including into other songs (do this by having
both songs open at the same time and drag it from one Arrange Window into
the other).
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- Q. I would like to
draw in controllers.
-
- A. While Logic doesn't currently support all the drawing features of
some programs, it is possible to use HyperEdit to free hand draw controllers,
velocity, pitch bend, etc. Once you open HyperEdit, choose the pencil tool
and start draawing. You can adjust the grid to dtaw as fine or coarse as
you want. You can use the crosshair tool to draw straight lines if you
need to. You can also customize the lay out of the window to display the
controllers, etc in the order you want to and store them as sets that you
can later recall via the popup menu on the left of the window
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- Q. How can I get
Logic to start playing from where I want it to?
-
- A. There are several ways to get Logic to start from where you want
it to.The one way is to set the Cycle Locators to the beginning and end
of the section you're working. This works well if you're not interested
in starting and stopping at different points in the song. If you are moving
around in Logic, then you should set a Key Command for Go to Marker Number
(it is available as a menu choice in Options, Marker, Go to Marker Numnber).
As you set Markers in the song, ie Verse, Chorus, etc, you can easily jump
around by using Go to Marker Number. Once at you're new Song Position you
can use Set Left Locator by Song Position (Key Command) and then use Play
from Left Locator (Key Command) to start playing from that location no
matter where you stopped. You can also set up your Cycle Locators and then
just use your normal play button.
- You can also locate to any point in your song by double clicking on
the Song Position in Transport, typing the new location ( if you don't
need to go to an exact bar, beat format, tick position, you can just type
the bar you want, Logic will assume the first beat, format and tick for
you).
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- Q: I can't
find what a EqP Crossfade means or how it is supposed to differ from the
"Out","X" or "Xs" settings
-
- A. Eqp stands for Equal Prower crossfade
which means it maintains a constant volume across the crossfade - use this
if you notice a dip in volume over a crossfade. Otherwise it works like
an X fade. Out is for fade outs when there's
no region following. The X is for linear fade
out and linear fade in, hence the X since that's the shape of the cross
fade. If you use the curve setting, you then can control the fade out/in
in a exponential fashion where the sound is maintain for a longer time
then quickly fades or quickly fades to a low level then slowly fades from
there. This depends on the number being positive or negative. Xs
is similar to X except that the shape of the fade is a S. This allows
for more complex fades for example where a mid level of the fade can be
maintain (use negative values). When to use any or which of the crossfades
is up to your ears.
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- Q.How Accurate is the
EXS24's Timing?
-
- A: The EXS24 is very accurate depending on your Audio card. The latency
is set using the buffers on the card. Using a Creamware Pulsar family card,
set to it's ULL to it's lowest 44.1 setting (3ms) it triggers within 3-4ms
when the playback of the MIDI data is recorded into Logic Audio as an external
audio source. This inffers a 3ms latency when played live as well. In playing
the EXS24 live with this setting I couldn't tell any difference between
the Pulsar STS300 sampler (running on it's DSP card) and EXS24 as far as
timing is concerned. The playback timing doesn't appear to change even
when more EXS24s are open. The MIDIGuy has used 8 EXS24s plus 4 MIDI tracks
to test this and found no change between 1 EXS24 playing and 9 EXS24s (plus
the 3 MIDI tracks). A well known Producer running a Large Pro Tools Mix
Plus system has found the EXS24 (using Emagics ESB/TDM) to trigger better
than that! In fact in his tests only the PCI SampleCell had tighter timing
(about 1ms) tho the sound of the EXS24 was much better.
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- Q. I want to paste
at the exact song pointer, but I can't find the button to deactive the
snap feature.
-
- A. You can use the Copy MIDI Events command located
in the Local Function menu of the Arrange window. Select the object, set
the Locators in the Copy MIDI Events Dialog (you can use the key/menu command-
(Function-Objects) Set Locators by Object), set the Destination, number
of copies, turn on Create New Sequence if you want them to seperate from
the the orginal, off merges the copies into the orginal object, extending
it to the new location. You can use either Copy Merge or Copy Insert. Remember
to have the Orginal Object highlighted or it won't work properly.
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- Q. For some reason,
recording a stereo file produce two files "left/right" in the
audio window instead of the interleaved I had before.
-
- A. In Audio Hardware and Drivers there is a check
box for Universal TrackMode, make sure that is clicked on. And in Audio
Peferrences make sure Force record & convert interleaved audio into
split stereo file(s) is off. If you have Digidesign hardware you're currently
force to use split stereo files.
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- Q. How
can Split Stereo files can be joined together?
-
- A. Split stereo files can be joined together by:
- 1. Merging them into a single file using the Merge/Gue tool on the
Arrange window.
- 2. Bouncing them to Disk and make them Interleave when you do bounce.
- 3. In the Audio window/Audio File there are commands Convert to SDII
Stereo (Mac Only) or AIFF Stereo (Mac Only or Wave Stereo. The files have
to be removed and then reloaded in to the list or it looks like nothing
happen.
- 4. Loading the files into a Sound Editor such as Sound Forge or Spark
and have them convert them.
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- Q. I want to remove
the notes whose velocity is less than 100. Are there any ways in Logic
to do that instead of opening the entire sequence and remove the notes
click by click?
-
- A. The way The MIDIGuy does this is by using the Transform Window:
- 1. Select the track or tracks in the Arrange window.
- 2. Open the Transform Window from the Windows meun.
- 3. Select "create user set" from the pop up menu in the top
left. (The default menu selection is Crescendo so click on hold the mouse
down to get it to pop up). Make sure the Hide unused parameters box isn't
checked.
- 4. In the Select by Condition section click on the All pop up under
Status and select =.
- 5. Below the = is a popup menu where you can select notes.
- 6. If you have different MIDI channels in the track you'll select the
correct one to change in the Cha parameter to the right using the same
technique in steps 4 and 5. Otherwise you can iqnore the Cha parameter.
- 7. In the Pitch parameter you select the range of pitches if you need
to do that using steps 4 and 5. Otherwise you can iqnore the Pitch parameter.
- 8. In the Vel (which I assume is what you meant when you said speed)
parameter select the <= parameter from the pop up. In the box below
the <= select the velocity you'll use as the cut off vaulue (ie 100)
- 9. If you want to use the Length select that as well using steps 4
and 5 otherwise you can ignore it.
- 10. If you want to use the Position and Subposition select those as
well using steps 4 and 5 otherwise you can ignore them.
- 11. In the Pop up menu below the Hide unused parameters, Select Delete
selected events. The default is to apply operation to selected events
- 12. In this case you don't have to use the bottom parameters in Operations
on selected events.
- 13. Click on Select and Operate
- 14. Name this Transform by double clicking on Transformer parameter
set so you can easily get to it again. Once made, it'll take 2 secs to
edit.
- BTW you should do this in your Autoload or template song so it will
be in every song from this point on. Otherwise you have to either remake
it every time or import it from another song which will overwrite all Transforms
in the song with the ones you're importing which could cause you to lose
some Transforms if they aren't in both songs already.
- Once made, Transforms can be used from within the Score, Matrix, Event
and HyperEdit Windows, they show up under the Functions Menu.
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- Q. How can
I see several Efxs at once?
-
- A. There is a purple chain icon on the top left corner of the opened
efx window, That is the link button. If that is enabled (purple) it will
open only one efx contol window at a time. Disable it and you can open
as many efx control windows as you want. Make sure that new opened control
window have the link button disabled or any new efxs you want to open will
be in the window that has the link button enabled. IE if you want 5 open
efxs control windows and a sixth one that you open different efxs into.
Make sure the 5 have the link button disabled and the sixth one has it
enabled (purple).
- BTW this a standard function in Logic. You can do the same thing with
Editor windows and the Arrange window. When you click on a track in the
Arrange window it will update the linked Editor window with that selected
track. With multiple monitors you can have several Editors opened that
update (link enabled) with the Arrange window and other Editors that don't,
(link disabled) showing only the Editor and zoom that you want .
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- Q: How do I save a
song so it can be opened in other systems, ie Pro Tools or Sonar or ?
-
- A: If you have Logic Platinium Version 5 or higher,
you can use OMF to export the Audio files, including placement, regions,
volume and pan. This is for programs like Pro Tools, Digital Performer,
Nuendo and Sonar that support importing OMF. To export using OMF,:
- 1.Select it from the File->Export -> Export
Song as OMF file. You can then follow the prompts to save the file.
- 2. Normally you'll use version 2. Older software
may need to use version 1.
- 3.To ensure that all audio files are included,
select include audio files (this can take a long time to export) otherwise
you have to copy all the audio files yourself to the export media (CD,
removable HD, external HD).
- 4.Convert Interleaved Stereo audio to Split Stereo
will need to check if the other program doesn't use Interleave Stereo files,
ie Pro Tools. BTW this is only available if you include audio in the OMF,
if you copy the files yourself, make sure they are in the proper format
for the other program.
- 5.Pan Tracks, If checked, the pan settings in
Logic will be added to the OMF file making Stereo Interleave files (in
the Universal Track Mode) into dual mono files with the proper pan settings,
ie the left mono track has a pan of hard left. However OMF Tool doesn't
support this feature so if you are using OMF Tools to import the OMF file,
don't check this as it is not support by OMF Tool
- 6. Convert 24 bit files into 16 bit. Use this
setting if you are taking the OMF file to an older program that supports
only 16 bits files, ie Pro Tools ver.3. Also this is only available if
you're including the audio files in the OMF file. IF you are copying the
files yourself, you have to be sure about the sample bit depth.
- 7. Dithering is recommanded when going from 24
bits to 16 bits.
-
- If you're exporting using OpenTL:
- 1.Select it from the File->Export -> Export
Song as OpenTL file. You can then follow the prompts to save the file.
- 2. If locking to SMPTE is important for the individual
regions in the new program select this option. If not then all positions
will be relative to bar one as 00:00:00.
- 3. You can then have Logic copy all the audio
files and place them in the recommended folders for you. IF you are exporting
to Tascam MX recorders then you should also select "Create a dedicated
folder for OpenTL export files". If you don't choose include all audio
files, then Logic will reference the orginal folder location of the audio
files in the OpenTL file.
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- If you the program you're exporting to doesn't
support OMF or Open TL (a similar export format used by Tascam/Nuendo and
others) then you have to bouce to disk each individual track starting at
bar one. You will lose your regions but you will be able to permantly add
your volume, pan and efxs if you want into the bounced files. Most of the
time you probably won't bounce with the mixer setting if you plan on finishing
the song in the other program. They should be saved in proper format for
the new program, ie 16 or 24 bit wave (Windows), aiff (Mac), or Sound Desinger
(Mac), Stereo Interleave or Split Stereo.
-
- The MIDI side of your song will have to be saved
and imported as a MIDI file regardless of what export format you use for
the Audio.
- Remeber that Standard MIDI Type 1 files don't
know about mulit port interfaces and maynot include patch names in exporting
or importing so make a note about these settings to be safe.
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- Q: How do i get logic
to receive midi info from my mod wheel on my sy55? and assign that to volume
on audio instrument 1.
-
- A. There
are two ways to do this. One is reassign inside the SY55 the mod wheel
to send controller number 7 not 1. I'm not sure if it is possible with
your keyboard.
- The other is reassign it inside Logic.
- 1. You go the enviroment window (you can do this by double clicking
on your SY55 object in the track list on the Arrange Window).
- 2. Under the local menu "New" select transformer. That will
add a Transformer object to this layer of your enviroment.
- 3. On the left side of the window make sure the check box is checked
in the Transformers parameters (Icon A=>B).
- 4. Double click on the name of the Transformer (default is Transformer)
and name it something useful like "Audio Instrument 1 Vol".
- 5. Double click on the icon of the Transformer in the main window.
It will bring up a dialog box.
- 6. Inside the dialog box inside the Conditions area there is a word
"Status". Below it is the word "All". Click and hold
on the word "All". It is a pop up menu. Select "="
and release the mouse.
- 7. You will now see the word "Note" in a box below the "=".
Click and hold on the word "Notes". It is a pop up menu, select
"Control" and release the mouse. Control is short for controller.
- 8. Under the word "1" is "All" Click and hold on
the word "All". It is a pop up menu. Select "=" and
release the mouse.
- 9. You will now see the word "0" in a box below the "=".
Click and hold on the word "0". It is a pop up menu, select "1"
and release the mouse. You have now told Logic that you want to select
controller 1 (mod wheel) MIDI messages. Next you need to tell Logic what
to do with it.
- 10.Inside the dialog box inside the Operations area there is a word
"Thru". Click and hold on the word "Thru". It is a
pop up menu. Select "FIx" and release the mouse.
- 11. You will now see the word "Note" in a box below the "Fix".
Click and hold on the word "Note". It is a pop up menu, select
"Control" and release the mouse.
- 12. Under the word "1" but in Operations area is "Thru"
Click and hold on the word "Thru". (It is the third Thru in the
Operations area from the left if that makes it clearer of which one it
is) It is a pop up menu. Select "Fix" and release the mouse.
- 13. You will now see the word "0" in a box below the "Fix".
Click and hold on the word "0". It is a pop up menu, select "7"
and release the mouse. You have now told Logic to change any controller
1 messages into controller 7 messages.
- 14. You can now close the dialog box. We next need to assign Transformer
to the Audio Instrument.
- 15. To the right of the B in the icon of the Transformer is a triangle
looking thing. Hold the Option key down then click and hold the mouse down.
You will get a pop up menu of the devices in your Enviroment. Select the
Audio Instrument you want this Transformer to control. Then release the
mouse.You can now close the Enviroment window.
- 16. On the Arrange Window select or create a track to put this Transformer
on. Make sure the track is record enabled or it won't work. You now can
control and record volumes into your Audio Instrument.
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- Q: The normalize
function doesn't give me any options though (PT gives me parameters such
as max level).
-
- A: In the Function Menu in Sample Edit Window is a choice called Settings.
In there is the max level for Normalize. Also there's the settings for
the Fade In and Fade Out curves.An alternative method would be to use the
Change Gain Function. First press the Search Maximuim button. Then use
the Change Relative parameters to the desired level. By first finding the
maximuim level, Logic will tell you in the Results in Absolute display
when you go over 100% and get clipping.
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- Q: How to set up the
MIDI metronome for recording. it shows a track for midi click but i'm not
hearing the sound
-
- A: The metronome is using MIDI notes, you need to have your synth set
to the MIDI channe that matches the metronome and a drum set sound you
want a side stick or cowbell sound for a metronome. When you click on the
MIDI click, the parameter box on the left shows the MIDI port, channel
and notes for the bar, beat and subbeat. Those are the settings you need
to adjust. Also you have to tell it in the recording options if you want
it beat in record and the count in, etc.
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