Logic Express 7.0 And Quantize And Automation. Options

[nigelgjones]

Hi, I was wondering if anybody could help me here.

I am a semi professional singer songwriter with a new album.

I recently purchased Logic Express 7.0 after cutting my teeth with Garageband, and think its great.

I am slowly working my way around the program and have already finished one song.

However my next project has a difficult syncopated rhythm guitar part throughout and after a dozen or so takes I manged to get a half decent cut.

I understand there is quantization in Logic and have used this with some success in garageband. However for the life of me I can't find it anywhere despite reading and re-reading the manual.

It says there is a Q button in the peripherals, but it's not there. On some midi and instrument tracks a Quantization menu appears at the top of the peripherals window but not in an audio region. As for the Q button I just can't find it.

Also, after successfully mixing a song in the mixer then adding some manual fades at the end makes it sems impossible to re-adjust the sound again, without it reverting to a fixed automated volume. I have to clear all automation info and start again.

Whew, it's a learning curve alright but it is brilliant.

Any experts out there I would love to hear from you.

Please out my website: www.nigelgjones.co.uk

Regards

Nigel

[Riverdog]

Are you saying that you recorded "AUDIO" the guitar part?
I think the only thing you can do is to "remap" the tempo in the audio section of the program...
- Double click on the audio file to bring up the audio itself...
- Select: Factory
- Then: Audio to MIDI Groove Template

This won't actually "quantize" the audio in the way you are thinking with the MIDI Files...
But I believe it can sync your sequence to the speed of the audio file...
Mess with it and see if that gives you a direction...

No you shouldn't have to delete all your automation to get rid of the fades at the end of a track..
- Again - from the main "Arrange View" Select the Audio file you want to work with...
- Then Select: View/Track Automation
- It will ask if you want to view automation for the current track or all tracks - (Just select current right now)...
- To the left of the arrange window you will see a "pallette" menu with a pencil and an eraser
- To add a change in volume - Select the pencil and click on the yellow line as to where you want to begin and end the volume change
- Select the Arrow from the pallette and select one of the points you just made
- To delete a point - Select the Eraser tool next to the pencil in the pallette and just "rub" across one of the points you want to delete...
- That way your entire automation is not scrubbed because you want one point removed...

Hope this clarifys a few things - Lastly, I'm using Logic PRO - Not sure if the same tools are available in LE...
Let's hope they are...

Good Luck...

Riverdog

[nigelgjones]

Thanks for those tips Riverdog, the difference between audio and midi is clearer to me now.

Bus tracks, read, write and latch etc are still puzzling me, but I guess I'll sort it out eventually.

I'm not sure the what the main differeces are between Pro and Express, I think it's pretty much all there as far as tools go. It would be interesting to find out actually.

Do you record your own music or produce other peoples?

Nigelgjones

[Adrian Delso]

Bus is a signal path - for example, you could put a reverb on a bus and route your audio tracks to it at differing levels of Wet/Dry, thereby only using one instance of your effect.

Read, Write, Latch, etc. are all about how you actually record the automation - clicking on nodes, with the track stopped, or moving sliders on the fly.

There used to be a features comparison of Pro and Express on ther Apple/Emagic website. I worked through the Apple Training guide (for Logic Pro) and tagged all the features which weren't present in Express. None of them (and there were quite a few) were dealbreakers - it's still a good and powerful piece of software. Make sure you unlock some of the demo instruments - the B3 sim is a killer!

This post has been edited by Adrian Delso: Mon 16 May 2005, 08:17

[nigelgjones]

Ahh thank-you thats very helpful. I'm used to adding points while the arrange window is static. Then reviewing it as it moves and adjusting the sliders. What I've found is that once the nodes have been added I can't readjust the sliders as they seem to be set in stone, even when the only added node is right at the end as a fade to the track.

Is it just a question of experiemeting or is there a definitive way ot use these things. I saw that book you mentioned the Apple training guide and I think I'll get it.

Thanks for you help.

Unfortunately being a guitar based musician, I'm starting to realise a midi keyboard is half of this home recording business.

THere is no way for instance that I can use my guitar to play the synths etc or software intstruments is there?

Also can I record a guitar part and then transform it into midi??

Thanks for the help it is much appreciated.

[Adrian Delso]

Keyboards are very useful! It may be possible to get your computer keyboard to act as an input device - faster than using a mouse.

The book is the "Apple Pro Training Series:Logic 6" and is by Martin Sitter and Robert Brock. I don't know if they have produced an update for Logic 7, yet, but you will certainly get all your basic questions answered. It takes the form of a series of lessons, walking you through MIDI and audio sequencing. I can also recommend a book by Andrea Pejrolo, called "Creative Sequencing Techniques for Audio Production" - very strong on making MIDI arrangements sound 'real'.

Finally, guitar MIDI: Roland make some good MIDI controllers, ranging from an actual MIDI guitar to a thing you fit to a normal guitar, so you have one lead to your amp or DI box and a MIDI lead to a synthesiser or a computer interface, which lets you 'play' a whole range of instruments - MIDI or sampled - from your guitar, by picking up where your finger is, how hard you hit the string, etc. The old ones had quite a few pitch detection problems - bent strings, in particular, but I believe they're very good now.

Endless creative possibilities, but care is needed if you want to play, say a sax sound, and make it sound like a real saxophonist - no pick scrapes and bends!

This post has been edited by Adrian Delso: Mon 16 May 2005, 10:32

[nigelgjones]

Great Thanks Adrian its a big help!

[Bloot]

Following your post, Adrian, I looked up "Creative Sequencing Techniques for Audio Production" by Andrea Pejrolo, and bought it!
I've only skimmed through it as yet but it's very easy to read, and covers a wide area of concerns to digital sequencing and recording. Thoughout the book it compares similar functions in the most common(?) four sequencer packages(a nice idea) and starts with the studio set-up - and ends with the final mix.
What a great little book!!
Bloot
PS Andrea, can I have a discount on your next release!!!!!

[johntennant]

BTW, Nigel.

If you still DO want to quantize your guitar part, it IS possible. Find someone with Pro Tools' Beat Detective. Just bring the audio over to them and they can get it sounding much tighter in MINUTES. It's very easy and powerful. And I only WISH that logic had it.

-J

[nigelgjones]

MMm thats interesting, I have two friends in the the mixing mastering business and they both use Pro Tools. I see there are a few debates as to whixh is better on these forums. I understand from people who use both that Logic is more of a musicians tool. (screams from Pro Tools users). However there is no way I could verify that as don't use Po Tools and am only recently into Logic.

Thanks for that tip. There is no similar tool for Logic then?