You may know or be interested to know that Logic Pro 8 has an Audio Track limit of 255 Audio Tracks. My current session has 278 Environment objects, 255 of which are Audio Tracks. Trying to add another one brings up a dialogue box “No tracks could be created!” So that’s it. I hope this at least doubles in future releases.

Project Info Screen Grab…

-MC-

When selecting Audio Regions in the Audio Window or Audio Bin, it would be very useful to display the start point of a selected region in Sample values in the context of the overall audio file.

Scenario

A typical example is rendering a multi-track mix to stereo or even editing a bounced file that may require further edit cuts.

Once you have cut an audio file or region a new region representing that cut is automatically created. Removing this cut from the Arrange area leaves a gap and you then fill this gap by shifting one of the regions to meet the other. 

Selecting any of the shifted regions in the Arrange area will display its Start Point relative to the Timeline and subsequent length in the Help Tag. There is no reference to the cut region’s start point (anchor point) in relation to the overall audio file that it originates from.

The only way to access this absolute time specific information is by selecting the region in the Audio Window (not the Audio Bin) and viewing the info display of the selected region in the Sample Editor. Selecting the same region in the Arrange Area will show a region start point and region length relative to the time-line and not the mother audio file.

Why is this important? Here’s why…

If parametric adjustments are required at the multi track stage prior to rendering (bouncing) and after having made cuts to the bounced file, it is inevitable that a fresh bounce of the multi track stage will require cuts at the exact same points as the previously edited bounce.

Having immediate visual access to sample accurate start points, relative to the overall audio file time, of a region that has been shifted left or right to bridge a cut, will enable quick application of the scissor tool or split by playhead function on the latest bounce to replicate exactly the cut points of the previously edited bounce and therefore quickly dispose of unwanted regions. 

This information would be a valuable inclusion as an optional display along side the Region Length field in the Audio Window and Audio Bin.

Only by selecting a region in the Audio Window can one access the true Region Start Point value relative to the mother audio file and even then, this information is only available via the Sample Editor info display.

To summarize, I have written to  Apple’s Logic Team to please offer a Region Start Field as well as a Region Length Field in the Audio Window.

For sample Accurate editing in the Arrange Area, set Snap: to Samples. In the Sample Editor set View to Samples to reference the correct Region Start value in the info display.

-MC-

From the Toolbar, select Settings > Audio and enable the Playback Pre-roll function.

Transients which fall exactly on the start position will play back correctly.

Pre-roll time is dependent on the current delay compensation value for plug-ins.

-MC-

Sometimes certain events are not activated or heard when starting playback after the start point in your project. This can be frustrating at the editing stage when you want to preview changes.

Logic has a function to analyze your project and locate events before the playback point so that they are active when you press play mid-way through a project.

From the Toolbar, choose: Settings > MIDI and click on the Chase Tab

In the list, check any event types that you want to hear when you press play. Most of them are self explanatory.

The most common ones that you may want to enable and maybe need a little more explanation are Notes and Chase on Cycle Jump.

Notes: Plays any notes due to start playing at the playback start point.

• Sustained: Will play any notes that are still playing at the playback start point, due to a sustained pedal event.
• In ‘No Transpose’ Instrument Channel Strips: Instrument Channel Strips such as those containing drums can be assigned a No Transpose status in the Inspector. This is a playback parameter which would be ignored if the region was started mid-way through.* You will want to turn this off if you are triggering drum loops from an external sampler mid-way through a region, otherwise the loop will be triggered at the wrong point and out of sync until the next trigger note.(The No Transpose parameter prevents transposition by the Region Playback Parameter which is usually not desirable for drums)

Chase on Cycle Jump: Scans for and sends all event types if the cycle start and end points fall across regions

• Notes: Limits jump scan to Note events only.
   
• Send full MIDI Reset before Chasing: All MIDI devices are reset to their defaults before chasing.

-MC-

Click on the Snap Drop-down Menu at the top right of the Arrange area..

Select the Grid value to snap to (e.g. Beat) and check the option to Snap Automation

Automation Edits always snap to Absolute Value regardless of the ‘Snap to Absolute Value’ status.

* This is especially useful when performing edits, if previously, you have written Automation Data via Touch or Latch modes on the fly and need events to trigger precisely on the beat. Bypass or Solo are good examples.

-MC-

1) With the Tempo Track visible, set locators to fit the Tempo Changes that you want to copy, beginning at the first tempo change and ending at the last tempo change… (in the example below there is a tempo change at every 1/16 note position from bar 129 to bar 161).

2) Click on the Tempo Track Header (Mouse Tool changes to Hand ‘Grabber’) to SELECT the Tempo Changes inside the the Locators.

 
3) The Tempo Changes within the Locators turn White to indicate that they are selected.

 
4) Edit > Copy (Command C) to copy the selection

5) Position the Playhead at the point that you want to paste the 1st Tempo Change 

( You don’t have to set locators  - I have only to give myself a visual reference regarding the length of the newly copied tempo passage. There is a good reason for doing this as mentioned in point 7). 

 
6) Press Command V or Edit > Paste. The copied passage is now pasted into the Tempo Track with the 1st tempo change at the Playhead position. (Once the Paste process is complete, the Playhead is repositioned at the Last Tempo Change of the pasted selection).

 
7) If you are not happy with the resulting positioning of the Paste Process you can still move all of the data to within a tick of the position currently occupied by the 1st Tempo Change in your newly pasted passage.If you have deselected the  newly pasted passage, simply set your locators to match the positions of the 1st and Last Tempo Changes and click on the Tempo Track Header to select the copied data again.

 
Open the Tempo List  to the right of the Arrange area and scroll down to the 1st selected tempo position.

 
Double Click the Position field of the 1st selected Tempo Change and dial in your preferred start point…

 
Hit Enter and you will see that all of your selected Tempo data has moved relative to the new start position…

 
In this example, the selected Tempo data in the Tempo Track has now moved left 1.5 bars to correspond with the updated Tempo List positions as shown below…

-MC-

1) Open the Tempo Operations Function via Options > Tempo > Tempo Operations

2) Select ‘Scaling Existing Tempo Changes’ from the Operation Menu and choose a range in position (bars, beats, divisions) or by time

(I have whacked in some tempo changes in the tempo track for demo purposes and selected bar 17 to 49)

3)  I have decided to scale the tempo changes above by decreasing them 25%.

The picture below shows a graphic of the result (white line is original tempi and red line corresponds to new scaling)

4) The next Screenshot displays the result of my chosen Tempo Change Scaling after I click on Apply…

Select the desired region and choose either of the following commands: 

 To create one node at each end of the selection area.  
Options > Track Automation > Create 2 nodes at region border.

To create two nodes at each end of the selection area. 
Options > Track Automation > Create 4 nodes at region border. 

I use these commands so frequently that I have set up Key Commands as follows…

-MC-

An invaluable feature is creating 4 nodes - 2 each side – while making a rubber-band selection to edit an area of automation data.

1) Hold Shift Control Option while dragging the pointer tool to make your selection.

2) You can now adjust the line between the newly created nodes up and down to create instant change at the nodes positions.

More often than not you will want to place these nodes either side of a region.

If so simply select the region and go to Options > Track Automation > Create 4 Nodes at Region Border.

Set up a Key Command like I have if you use this function often…

Holding down Option and Shift while rubber-banding a selection will create 2 nodes (one each side).

or… simply select a region and use the key command for 2 nodes at region border.

-MC-

For most editing jobs you only need to follow this one handed tip… 

1) Set up your right mouse to be your tool menu.

2) Right click and hit the 9 key (Arrange,) 3 key (Sample Editor), 0 zero Key (Piano Roll), 5 Key (Hyper Editor) to select the Zoom tool

3) Drag a frame around the section you want to zoom in on an repeat if you need to go in deeper.

4) Perform the edit…

5) With the zoom tool selected once more just click repeatedly anywhere with the left mouse button. Each click zooms you out one stage at a time, relative to how many stages you zoomed in previously.

6) Once back to the lowest level right click to revert to the Pointer tool or other tool of choice.

Other Zoom options…

1) I have a Key Command – F1 (Recall Zoom 1) for as near to a complete overview of all my regions as is visually comfortable.

2) I then select the region that I want to snip/edit so I can mute offending cuts.

3) I apply the Ctrl Alt (Option) Z Key Command to Zoom to Fit Horizontally inside the Arrange Area.

This gives me a greatly enlarged overview of my region in the Arrange area to perform most edits (Sometimes I’ll manually zoom in deeper to detect a zero crossing point on Audio Region if the waveform is busy or the region is very large or simply switch to the Sample Editor to apply an edit).

4) After the edit I zoom back to the arrangement overview by pressing F1.

5) The result is that we have a Key Command to zoom in enough to make critical edit decisions and another to zoom right out again.

-MC-

The anchor sets a temporal reference point for an Audio Region.

When you move a region in the Arrange area, Logic Pro displays the position of the anchor in the help tag, and snaps the region’s anchor to the selected Snap menu grid division. 

It is an Orange indicator in the Sample Editor and Black in the Audio Bin Window (Command 9).

A newly created Audio FILE always has the Anchor and Region Start points at the beginning of the file.

Positioning the Anchor to lock to an obvious amplitude peak of a swell sound or attack point (Kick Drum) in a drum loop will force the region to snap to the grid of the Arrangement (as defined in Transport Bar, below the Time Signature value), using the anchor as the pivot point. These are good examples of beat / grid time reference points. Therefore, when moving an Audio region with a well-positioned anchor point, you can be confident that the Audio Region will maintain its temporal relationship to your arrangement as you move it back and forth.

Positioning the Anchor at the highest (single bit) zoom resolution will ensure tight synchronization and quantization between the Audio file and  MIDI regions. * of course offset anchor placement could lead to interesting ’humanized’ synchronization or rather more desirable ‘idiosyncratic’ playback akin to early sample based recordings such as 1980’s Hip Hop which interestingly enough, was often down to ‘badly’ looped sample editing as much as the conflicting grooves of layered sample loops.

The Help Tag displays the Anchor point rather than the Region Start point when you move an Audio Region.

• Any changes to the Anchor point will change the relative position of the audio region in the Arrangement.

To maintain the Audio Region position in the Arrangement:

In the Sample Editor Choose Edit > Compensate Region Position Ctrl C.

• When active, moving the anchor won’t change what you hear in the Arrange area.
• When inactive, moving the anchor changes the position of audio regions in the Arrange area. The region shifts in relation to the Time Axis, while the Anchor remains tied to the same bar value and is marked by a dotted line.

Anchor points can not be positioned before a Region Start Point.

Hold down Option  while moving the End Marker of an Audio Region to prevent the Anchor from moving.

-MC-

External MIDI Instruments can be routed through Logic Pro’s Mixer and Effects by way of the External Instrument Plug-in.

The resulting track behaves just like an internal Software Instrument.

Notes:

• Realtime Bouncing to an audio file IS possible
• Offline Bouncing to an audio file is NOT possible
• Freeze Function is disabled

Set up Effects Processing for External MIDI Instruments.

1. Connect the Output (pair) of the MIDI Instrument to an Input (pair) on the Audio Interface.
2.  Create a Software Instrument Channel.
    
3. Click the Instrument slot and choose External Instrument.
    
    
4. Choose the MIDI destination and Audio Interface Input from the menus in the Plug-in window.
      
    
5. Insert the effects that you want to use in the Insert Slots on the Channel Strip.
    

-MC-

Enables you to add Program Change, Volume and Pan settings from the Track Parameter Box to selected regions on External MIDI Tracks in the Arrange area.

Only checked (ticked) parameters are added and they are placed one quarter note before the the beginning of the selected region.

The Track Parameter Box

The Insert Instrument MIDI settings as Events Command

The Event List

-MC-

1. Before you start recording Audio on a machine hosted on the network, make sure that the Audio Recording Path is correct. Either click and hold the Record Button in the Transport bar and Select Recording Settings (Option *) or choose File Project Settings Recording…  You can set the recording path by clicking on the Set…  Button.
      

    

    

    

2. Enable Cycle Mode and record multiple takes of your instrument to create a Take Folder.
3. Here is a Take folder based on an example with 4 Takes. A Take folder is a Region containing all the takes that you recorded indicated by the arrow in the top-right corner.
      

   (The vertical white lines indicate edit points that I already made. They line up with the edges of each blue comp area already created, as you will se in the next screenshot. Double Click the Take Folder to view all the Takes:
   

4. Each blue selection is created by placing the cursor on a comp and dragging left or right. You can see that the cursor changes to 2 arrows. You can reposition a blue area by click-holding and dragging it. Only these blue areas will be heard.
5. To adjust  / fine tune borders, place the cursor at the edge of a blue selection and the cursor will change to 2 black bar handles.Zoom right in to make accurate adjustments at zero crossing points using the zoom tool shortcut – holding down command and Option(Alt) and dragging a frame around the join. 
6. Quick Edits:  

To move a selected comp area to another take:
Click on the waveform of an unselected area to move the existing “comp” from another take.

To remove a comp selection:
Shift-Click the comp

To remove all comp selections from as Take:
Shift-Click in the Region Header of the Take.

If the Take does not contain any comp selections, all unselected areas in other takes are selected in the take you clicked.

To remove a complete take from a take folder, do one of the following:

Select it by clicking in its track header, then choose Delete Take from the Take Folder

menu (or press Backspace).

Click it with the Eraser.

To store a comp, do one of the following:

Close the take folder by clicking its disclosure triangle in the upper left corner.

Choose New Comp from the Take Folder menu.

The comp is stored in the Takes and Comps menu (and is given a default name “Comp nn”).

To rename a comp or take:

Choose Rename Comp or Rename Take (dependent on whether a comp or take is

selected) from the Takes and Comps menu.

Type the desired name in the dialog that opens

7. If you are unsure of the result, you can create more Comps by accessing the Comp Menu. Click on the Arrow in the top-right of the Take Folder to view menu options.

Choose New Comp from the menu and make alterations to your selections. 

8. The Menu is divided into 3 sections:

A list of Takes ( these can be renamed using the Text tool on each take in the Arrange Area)

A list of Comps ( You can make quick A/B comparisons by playing one Comp and then choosing another Comp from the Menu to compare it to)

A list of Editing Functions

i.    New Comp – Creates a NEW COMP

ii.   Rename Comp – To rename the Selected comp (viewable in the Arrange)

iii.  Delete Comp – Delete the selected comp.

iv.   Delete all other comps –  Keeps the selected Comp and deletes all ot

v.  Flatten  - Flattens the selected comp (deleting all comps) dividing the blue selections into separate regions with cross-fades applied.

 vi.     Flatten and Merge – Flattens the selected Comp and performs a digital mixdown, thus creating a new audio file that is added to the Audio BIN.

vii.     Export to New Track – Exports a ‘Flattened Cross Faded’ region set to a new track in the Arrange area.

viii.     Unpack – Unpacks all comps from all Takes onto separate Tracks. Each Track shares the SAME Channel Strip.

 ix.     Unpack to New Tracks – Unpacks all comps from all Takes onto separate Tracks. Each Track uses a SEPARATE Channel Strip.

I often make use of the Take Folder and associated Comping functions by selecting independently bounced audio files relative to the same channel strip and implementing the Region > Folder > Pack Take Folder Command (Ctrl Command F).

-MC-

The Pickup Clock function has been described here. 

Here’s a handy real-time arrange application of this function for dropping in regions or notes right on the Song Position the Line (SPL) while in cycle mode or normal play mode.

1) In the Arrange Area select a region and press the space bar to play.

2) A little further along the time line activate your Pickup Clock Key Command or click on the Pickup Clock Shortcut icon in the Toolbar. (Control Click the Toolbar area and click on Customize toolbar to add new icons). 

3) The selected region jumps to the point of the SPL.

4) You could get some really creative grooves happening by applying this function to individual notes in Cycle Mode while in the Piano Roll Editor. (You might want to slow the tempo to get more precise placement.)

5) It’s cool because the Pickup Clock overrides your current Quantization Grid Value.

-MC-

To edit  / view automation data for any function or process on an Aux or Stereo Bus Track, you need to make it visible in the Arrange Window.

1) Click on a track in the Arrange Area, below which you would like to place your Aux or Bus track.

2) open the Mixer pane and scroll to view the relevant Aux or Bus Channel Strip.

3) Hold down Ctrl and click on the target channel strip. You will see a menu.

4) Choose the 1st option ‘Create/Select Arrange Track’.

5) The channel strip is now visible as a track in the Arrange area. You can now apply and edit Channel Strip and Processing Plug-in automation just as you would with an Audio or Software Instrument track.

-MC-

wavezoomarrange

Here are some useful shortcuts for AUDIO REGION Zoom Levels in the Arrange Area.

1) Click the Waveform Zoom Button in order for the Waveform Vertical Zoom Key Commands to function.

Waveform Zoom Button.

Key Commands for Vertical Zoom…

As you can see I have assigned F5, F6, F7 & F8  as my Vertical Zoom Key Commands.

2) MANUAL VERTICAL ZOOM.

Select an Audio Region with its waveform displayed in the Arrange Area.

Click and hold the Vertical Zoom Button to reveal a Slider which you can adjust to your taste.

The vertical waveform displayed in the selected region will be resized via the dark semi-transparent fader.

3) USING THE MOUSE AND KEYBOARD

Ctrl Option Drag to Zoom in on a  selection. The mouse tool changes to a Magnifying Glass.

Ctrl Option Z to Zoom in on a selection. The selection will fit the Vertical and Horizontal boundaries of the Arrange Area.

Ctrl Z to STEP BACK to the Previous Zoom Level.

ZOOMING IN AND OUT

You will either have Ctrl or Command with the arrow keys to zoom in and out vertically and horizontally.

Mine was Command and I changed to Ctrl – it is more ergonomic with Ctrl.

MC.

You can save up to 3 Zoom settings and recall them via Key Commands.

Example settings in my Key Commands list are:

F1 for Low Zoom ( I can se a good overview of the Arrangement)

F2 for Mid Zoom ( I can get a good view of an Audio Region’s waveform or a Midi Region’s Notation)

F3 for just under Maximum Zoom (I can get right in on Zero Crossing points on Audio Regions in the Arrange Window)

Throughout the editing stage of a project, these settings are frequently adjusted and new the zoom levels are saved.

To save a zoom setting, simply apply a Key in the Key Command list.

Example settings in my Key Commands list are:

Shift F1 – Save Zoom 1

Shift F2 – Save Zoom 2

Shift F3 – Save Zoom 3

MC.

Moves a Region Selection to begin at the exact location of the Song Position Line in the Arrange Window.

1) In the Transport Window, enter the bar position where the selected regions will begin. The Song Position Line jumps to this location.

2) Activate the Pickup Clock (Move Event to Playhead) Key Command. Mine is set to  ; (semicolon).

3) All selected regions are moved with the first one located exactly on the Song Position Line. 

4) You can also customize the Toolbar  with a Pickup Clock icon. Right (control) click on the Toolbar and choose ‘Customize Toolbar’. You will see the Pickup Clock Icon, so just drag it on to the Toolbar and close the Customize window.

MC.

Scenario:

Working on a pattern based project where regions are in looped format (not real copies or aliases) and Track Automation Data creates the variation.

You want to delete several bars halfway through the Arrangement and you’ve tested the transition by jumping forward using skip cycle. ( To Make a Skip Cycle Selection:Drag a selection from the end point to the start point in the Bar Ruler).

As it stands you can’t delete the selected bar section because all these regions are ‘ghosted’ (activated from the Loop option in the Inspector’s Region Parameter box).
1) First you have to convert the loops over to copies (or aliases).

This is achieved by selecting the region that is currently looped and then: Region > Loops> Convert to Real Copies 

Key Command: Ctrl L

2) Select all Regions inside the skip selection: Edit > Select Inside Locators Shift + i

3) Delete the selected Regions.

4) Select the first region that is positioned after the deleted section

5) Edit > Select All Following  Shift + F

6) You can Drag all selected regions back to close the gap. However try this Power User Tip:

In the Transport Window, enter the bar position where the selected regions will begin. The Song Position Line jumps to this location. Activate the Pickup Clock (Move Event to Playhead) Key Command. Mine is set to  ; (semicolon).

All regions jump back with the first one located exactly on the Song Position Line. 

MC.

Very useful when recording or overdubbing a specific area.

It’s even better in Logic Pro 8.xx as a new Take Folder is created if you are recording over a previous take. This let’s you compare the new and previous recordings in a very simple way and build a composite file from the best parts of each take via a process called Comping.

1. Enable Punch on the Fly:

From the Options Menu choose Audio  and select Punch On the Fly  

- or - Click and hold the Record Button in the Transport Bar 

- or - Set up a Key Command to Toggle Punch On The Fly: I use Command Option P.

2. Click the lower half of the Bar Ruler to place the Song Position at a position before you want to record.

3. Commence Playback.

4. At the point you want to Punch In Recording Press Shift * (asterisk on the number pad)

5. Press Shift * again to Punch Out and stop recording. Playback continues after the Punch Out point.

By default:

a) Muting a Track in the Arrange Window is audibly slow to function. I always got frustrated with this latent response time.

b) Mute / Solo buttons in the Arrange and Mixer Windows are NOT linked. Can cause confusion if working in both panes on a busy session.

1)  Open the Audio Preferences Pane: Logic Pro > Preferences > Audio…

2) Click on the General Tab to reveal the Track  Mute/Solo drop-down menu option.

3) Click on’CPU-saving (Slow Response) to reveal and then choose the Fast (Remote Channel Strips) option.

Now, when you engage Solo or Mute in either the Arrange or Mixer Pane, the Track and Channel Strip respond together thus maintaining identical states.

The upside is that Track Mute in the Arrange window responds immediately.

MC.

When a region’s length and groove are determined via multiple tempo changes, all tempo changes must be accommodated for in every region repetition to playback properly.

For example, I mapped multiple tempo changes to create a MIDI region that has a funky humanized groove, but generates a 21-step cycle instead of 16 steps in a time signature of 4/4. (16 independent tempo changes ranging from 42 bpm to 146 bpm are required to create this unique rhythm)

If I repeat the region, the multiple tempo changes that determine the groove are not copied over, even if I choose: Select Inside Locators, which also selects the tempo data in the Global Component tempo track, as well as all regions within the locators.

So, to speed up the process of mapping multi-tempo changes per repeated region I recommend the following.

Preparation

1. Trim the region with the unusual ‘groove’ to be exactly the correct length (in this example 21 steps).

2. Repeat that region enough times to cover the desired length of your composition.

3. In the Arrange Window, Press G to display Global Tracks. (view > Global tracks).

4. With all repeated regions selected click on ‘From Regions’ in the Global Marker Track.

(Tip: Toggle-off cycle mode and select the track to select all regions on that track).

5. Make sure you have a key command for both Goto Next & Previous Region.

Copying

6. Select the original region and press Ctrl =  or from the menu choose Region > Select Locators by Region

7. Make sure Cycle mode is active and the green locator bar is displayed.

8. Open the Tempo List, Options > Tempo > Open Tempo List…

9. In the Tempo List… press Shift i or from the menu Edit > Select Inside Locators.

10. Copy the selection, Command C , then close the Tempo List.

11. Back in the Arrange Window… Goto Next Marker (Ctrl Command Right Arrow).

The SPL will move to the beginning of the next repeated region.

12. Paste (Command V) will paste in the multi-tempo change data into the TEMPO Track.

13. Repeat steps 11 and 12 as many times as is necessary.

- MC.

Zoom in or out at the Song Position Line by dragging the little green playhead triangle 
(the section in the Bar ruler) up or down and left to right.

- MC.