Logic Pro 8 Are these considered bugs or just clumsy design?

[mDay]

First off...congrats on the new forum! Here's my minor, yet bothersome issues:

1. Transform window - i frequently use it to "Fix" velocities within a drum pattern using the Velocity Limiter and the Fix function. if i close the transform window and then pull it up again, it doesn't pick up where i left off. in other words, i have to choose the Velocity Limter again and then the Fix setting, totally slowing down my work flow...very annoying. any way around this?

it behaved similar to this in L7...but it at least remained in the Velocity Limiter mode, it would just default to the "Max" setting instead of Fix.

2. Solo Safe - whenever I record a track while it's in "solo", that track automatically becomes Solo Safe...also very annoying. i could obviously not record in "solo" but i like to hear that the track gets recorded properly with no glitches. any thoughts?

thanks in advance!! 😀

 

[Eli]

Hi there,

First off - this may or may not be a suitable replacement for your Transform situation, but there is another way to fix velocities directly from within the Arrange Window. Basically, highlight the region you want, and then in the Region Parameter Box set the Dynamics filed to "fix". This will fix all the velocities at 64. Then use the Velocity field to offset either + or - from the value of 64.

This will in effect fix the velocities of the entire region. So this will work for you if that's what you need, but not if you use the Conditions section of the Transform Window to select a specific subset of the notes involved based on criteria other than region boundaries.

As far as the solo safe problem, I have to say that I've never recorded while in solo mode. Juts out of curiosity, why would you want/need to do that? If there are other tracks in the project, don't you need/want to hear them while you are recording? What exactly do you mean by "wanting to hear that the track gets recorded properly"?

 

[mDay]

Eli...thank you for your quick reply and thoughtful suggestion regarding velocities. I will look into that and see if it will be a good alternative for me. 😉

As far as why I record in "solo"...after laying down a performance within the context of the song and other instruments having kept it at the MIDI stage (keyboard part, programmed drums, etc.), once I am happy with it I will then proceed to lay it down "hard" to audio. There's been instances where a MIDI note "hangs up" and messes up the rest of the performance, or if my buffer settings are set too low a "pop or click" gets recorded into the track and I find out later, sometimes when it's too late to retrack it. So now I've developed the practice of listening to MIDI performances in "solo" while laying them down to audio.

I hope that makes sense. 🙂

 

[Eli]

Okay that makes sense. I didn't realize you were recording MIDI parts to audio. I'm assuming Software Instruments? Are you doing it via the bounce function? Or are you recording onto an audio track by means of a bus?

 

[mDay]

Neither actually...I use a lot of sounds from my Yamaha S90, so I just record audio through the corresponding Input on the track. When I do use Software Instruments, I only record those onto an audio track if I need to conserve CPU resources or if I'm outsourcing tracks to another studio, in which case I would use the bounce function...otherwise, SI's usually stay MIDI.

 

[Eli]

Okay, then I do have a suggestion as to how to potentially avoid your solo safe problem. Instead of soloing the audio track you are recording to, trying soloing - or better yet solo lock - the actual midi region that you are transferring to audio. This should do the trick. You will get to hear only the track in isolation as you want, but no track solo will be involved in anyway.

 

[mDay]

That's it...perfect! You know, I bought L8 when it first came out but I only just now am starting to make the transition from L7. The "solo safe" thing is just one example of something that's only recently changed in the program's behavior. I love many of the new features of L8, but I must be honest, I'm a long time Logic user since v4 and there's many minor things that I'm used to that have never changed until L8. I wish there was more control over making these new "behaviors" preference options rather than forced change. There could be a whole thread on what new default behaviors should be options. Oh well...i'm just ranting now. Sorry. 🙂 Thanks again for your help Eli!

 

[Eli]

You're very welcome. And yeah - I remember the transition to version 8 was a tough slog for me at first as well. I am a long time user and was entrenched in my old work flows and key commands. But I made the effort to adapt to the L8 workflow. And for the most part (not totally though) I found a way to make things work out okay.

 

[BuddyGuit]

Okay, then I do have a suggestion as to how to potentially avoid your solo safe problem. Instead of soloing the audio track you are recording to, trying soloing - or better yet solo lock - the actual midi region that you are transferring to audio. This should do the trick. You will get to hear only the track in isolation as you want, but no track solo will be involved in anyway.

I hope you don't mind if I butt in and ask a question. How do I get to "solo lock"?

 

[Eli]

Okay, then I do have a suggestion as to how to potentially avoid your solo safe problem. Instead of soloing the audio track you are recording to, trying soloing - or better yet solo lock - the actual midi region that you are transferring to audio. This should do the trick. You will get to hear only the track in isolation as you want, but no track solo will be involved in anyway.

I hope you don't mind if I butt in and ask a question. How do I get to "solo lock"?

Not at all - that's a great question. The default key command for regular solo mode is "S". Solo lock is option S. The difference is that the item will remain solo'd even if you click off of the region in the Arrange Window. It is very handy, not only for this bouncing/recording situation, but for other editing tasks as well.

Related to this is the key command for track solo, control S - this solos the whole track and is not region based. All three different solo modes have their uses.

 

[Orren Merton]

You know, I bought L8 when it first came out but I only just now am starting to make the transition from L7. The "solo safe" thing is just one example of something that's only recently changed in the program's behavior. I love many of the new features of L8, but I must be honest, I'm a long time Logic user since v4 and there's many minor things that I'm used to that have never changed until L8. I wish there was more control over making these new "behaviors" preference options rather than forced change

Hi mDay (another Orange Countian I see! Were you ever at any of JT's OCLPUG meetings?), I hear what you're saying about L8 changing some long-standing workflow methods. I jumped onto the Goode Shippe Logike at v4.6.3 and a lot of things I got used to over time.

The thing to remember is that with Logic 8, rather than lots of shiny new features or synthesizers, the new workflow is the new feature. I too resisted a lot of things at first, I thought double clicking new regions to open them in the editor pane, for example, cramped my style. But as I understood it more, I began to see the wisdom in it-by keeping me "in the window" so to speak, it made me more efficient once I got used to it. And now there's a lot of things I can't live without. "Signal Flow" view in the Mixer, for example. The dual channel strip. Absolute snap!

And considering that Logic 8 offered such a drastic interface/workflow refresh, I think it's pretty safe to assume that future versions will stick with this interface/workflow for some time to come, just as Logic 4 "look and feel" survived through Logic 7 (with some graphic enhancements in Logic 7, but nothing really "workflow altering" in a significant way). So I think another payoff of learning to get around in Logic 8 well is that it should last for some time. 🙂

Orren

 

[mDay]

hi Orren...haha yes indeed a product of the OC. never attended any of those meetings...frankly, i never knew about them. :/ at any rate, i completely agree with your assesment...and i must say, despite my minor groans, i'm here to stay in L8. the projects of mine that are a work in progress in L7 i will probably just finish on 7...but all new projects will definitely start and finish in 8. 🙂 thanks again!!

 

[BuddyGuit]

Thanks