Logic FAQ
Many thanks to Hendrik Jan Veenstra and John Pitcairn for commenting.
Note:
The FAQ was written by a pc user. If you are using a Mac, please substitute:
- Ctrl: commmand-arrow
- Right-click: pencil tool / option-click
Track automation lets you record, edit and play back movement of various faders.
First, increase the height and width of the track so you can see and edit automation data.
This is done in the Arrange window by using the "finger" cursor to increase the height of the track and ctrl + right arrow to increase the width.
Then use View->Track Automation and select "Current track" in the pop-up question.
Now automation data for the Volume parameter should be visible on the track.
(You can also just use View->Track Automation without first adjusting the height and width of the track,
but then all tracks have their heights and widths adjusted.)
Try holding down the right mouse button and draw some random automation data, like this:
fig. 1.1: Randomly drawn automation data
(this automatically changes the status of the automation track from "Off" to "Read", which is necessary if you
want to hear the changes when playing back the track.)
Now the volume of the track should change according to the automation data when it is played back.
You can switch to another parameter by clicking on Volume, and picking a parameter from the menu that pops up.
Suppose you have some automation data for the Filter Cutoff parameter of an EXS24 audio instrument,
and that you want to copy this data to the Filter Resonance parameter of the same instrument.
Hold down ctrl while clicking on Filter Cutoff.
This opens a pop-up menu where you can select which parameter to copy the data to.
In this case, pick EXS24 and then select Filter Resonance.
Now a pop-up question asks you "Do you want to convert or copy the automation data?" - select Copy Convert.
The automation data is now copied from the Filter Cutoff to the Filter Resonance parameter.
1.4.1 Select all nodes:
Right-click in the lower part of the automation track information (left of the automation data area), for example just to the right of the "Read" parameter.
If you have clicked the right place then the sequence's automation data should be highlighted, but not the name of the sequence:
fig. 1.2: Selecting nodes
In track 1, all automation data is selected - this is what you wanted.
In track 2, the actual sequence is selected.
1.4.2 Select only some nodes:
Hold down shift, then click-drag a rectangle around the nodes you want to select.
Absolute change: Select all nodes, then click-hold on a node and move the mouse up or down.
Relative change: Instead of clicking directly on a node as with absolute changes, click somewhere else, away from the nodes, in the automation area, and, while keeping the mouse down, drag up or down.
Select the automation data you want to move, then click-hold on a node and move the mouse left or right.
We will look at two cases:
- Case 1: Turn reverb on a bus on/off
If you only use reverb in some parts of your song and you'd like to save CPU power, use automation to turn off the effect when it is not needed.
You have to do two things (this assumes you have your reverb on Bus 1):
1) On the instrument track, pick the automation parameter "Send 1" and set it to -infinite at the point where you want to turn off reverb.
(insert a node sligthly to the left of this point, otherwise the send level of the reverb effect will be dropping from the start node to the
bypass node, and this is not what we want - we want the send level to be constant until we "turn off" the effect.)
2) On the Bus 1 track, pick the automation parameter "Insert#1 Byp." and set this to "Bypassed" at the specified time:
fig. 1.3: Turning an effect on/off
- Case 2: Turn reverb on an insert effect on/off
(the following assumes you have your reverb in the first insertion slot.)
On the instrument track, pop open the "automation parameter" menu, and from the "Main" submenu, pick "Ins #1 bypass". Now automate as usual.
(Notice that the bypass parameter is not located in the effect's submenu, but in the main submenu, which may seem strange.)
Here is the basic example that came with the Logic 5.2 update notes:
Let's say we have an audio instrument track with an ESP synthesizer and want to control the Filter Cutoff parameter with an external modulation wheel.
(the following assumes you have an ESP synthesizer running as Audio Instrument 1.)
- Create a Transformer object
- Open the Environment window by pressing ctrl-8, use New->Transformer.
- The Transformer is selected default and its parameters are displayed. Make sure the Icon box is checked.
- Connect the Physical Input-object with the Transformer-object
- Switch to the "Click & Ports" layer.
- At the Physical Input-object, hold down ctrl and click-hold on the small triangle just below the SUM cable.
- In the menu that appears, select Midi Instr.->(Transformer)
(if (Transformer) doesn't appear on the list, you forgot to put a checkmark in the object's Icon parameter as mentioned above.)
- Connect the Transformer-object and the Audio Instrument with the ESP synthesizer
- In the Midi Instr. layer, hold down ctrl and click-hold on the small triangle leading out from the Transformer-object.
- In the menu that appears, select Audio->Audio Instrument->AudioInst1.
- Connect the Transformer-object to the "to Recording & Thru"-object
- Open a second Environment window by pressing ctrl-8, use Window->Tile Windows horizontally.
- In the top Environment window, select the Midi Instr. layer.
- In the bottom Environment window, select the "Click & Ports" layer.
- In the Midi Instr. layer, grab the small triangle leading out of the Transformer-object (below the one you just connected.)
- Drag the cable into the "to Recording & Throu"-object in the other Environment window.
- Close the Environment window with the "Click & Ports" layer and maximize the other.
- Set parameters in the Transformer-object
- Double-click on the Transformer-object.
- In the drop-down box, select "Track Automation Splitter (true->top cable)"
- Under Conditions: Status, click on "All" and set it to "=". In the small box that appears just below, click on "Note" and change it to "Control".
- Set the other parameters in a similar way until you end up with this:
fig. 1.4: Setting parameters in the Transformer-object
Now make a sequence with some notes on the ESP synth track and try moving the modulation wheel on your synth.
This should change the Cutoff parameter of the ESP.
(I would like to explain WHY you have to do each step above, but I have not had much time to look at Environments yet, it is complex IMO.)
More info on this topic can be found here:
*) Fadermapper demo at http://www.revolver.co.nz/fadermapper/
Please note that Fadermapper is not free, and not something for novices either.
*) Various environment examples on Hendrik Jan Veenstra's site at http://www.omega-art.com/logic/index.html#autodemo
In the menu, select Options->Track Automation->Move Current Track Automation Data to object.
Now when the sequence is looped, automation data is played back for the looped sequences too.
Press ctrl-alt-k to bring up the list of available keycommands.
In the "Find" text box, type "automation".