Getting drums to follow a bass or guitar track

Matt Fisher

Logician
I'm using Logic Pro X 10.5.1 on a new Mac Mini with the M1 chip. I'm a bassist/guitarist using the built-in drum loops. I have a bass line that, for example, has 1 part for the verse and another part for the chorus. I have 1 drum loop for the verse, and another one for the chorus. If I want to click "Follow" on the drum loop so that it matches the rhythm of my bass track, should I be creating 2 separate drum tracks (verse and chorus) and 2 separate bass tracks (verse and chorus) to allow the drums to follow? Or does the Follow option simply line up the drum rhythm with whatever is happening at the same time on the paired track? Also, by extension, if my timing is off a bit from one verse to another, does the 'Follow' feature compensate for the off-time performance and vary the timing of the drum track accordingly, or does it kind of average out for the whole track? Just wondering how "Follow" works. Thanks in advance.
 
Hello,
Were your bass lines recorded to Logic's metronome or free form (rubato) with no click?
Are the timing variations a concern or do they give your song some real-human character?
 
I don't know how to use Smart Tempo, so no, I'm not using that. I just record my bass while I listen to the drum tracks. No, the timing variations aren't a problem, I was just wondering how Follow works, and if I should create separate tracks when I have different sections. I've kept them on the same track (1 drum track, 1 bass track), and it sounds fine, so I guess that's all that matters! I just like to know how things work. Cheers.
 
If you like the groove of your bass lines and want to drums to follow them including the human feel of the bass track timing, then one option is to use the Groove Track.

Option-T will open the Configure Track Header window. Check on Groove Track. Hoover your mouse cursor over the left edge of the track list and click the star of the track that defines the desired groove. Then check the box of the other tracks to follow the groove track.

Or, if you have an Apple loop drum groove that you like, you can set it as the groove track and have your bass lines follow.

Essentially, the groove track is a way to quantize one track's timing to another.

There are other options but this works very well.

Side-stepping discussion of the Follow feature, keep in mind that each region can have different Region inspector settings for quantize, transpose, Follow, etc. Verse and chorus regions for each instrument are typically on the same track.
 

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If you like the groove of your bass lines and want to drums to follow them including the human feel of the bass track timing, then one option is to use the Groove Track.

Option-T will open the Configure Track Header window. Check on Groove Track. Hoover your mouse cursor over the left edge of the track list and click the star of the track that defines the desired groove. Then check the box of the other tracks to follow the groove track.

Or, if you have an Apple loop drum groove that you like, you can set it as the groove track and have your bass lines follow.

Essentially, the groove track is a way to quantize one track's timing to another.

There are other options but this works very well.

Side-stepping discussion of the Follow feature, keep in mind that each region can have different Region inspector settings for quantize, transpose, Follow, etc. Verse and chorus regions for each instrument are typically on the same track.
Excellent, thanks. I'll try using the Groove track.
 
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