Logic Pro 9 Help With Ultrabeat

[larryphoto]

I just got L9 and I'm working my way through the a few tutorials, but I can't seem to figure out quite how to string patterns together in Ultrabeat.

Specifically, lets say I am programming a song using the sequencer. I put together a basic pattern (say in the #11) spot. Then I want to do a slight variation of that. Is there a way to copy it to #12, change up a snare or two and save it as #12- kind of like how I used to do with my old Roland drum machine?

Once I drag the basic pattern over to the Arranger, it won't let me change the name - so I lose track of which track is the basic, the fill, the chorus, etc. Can someone please explain how to organize these different patterns and string them together to create a full song?

Thanks in advance for any help!!

Larry

 

[SubBlack]

Hi Larry, I use Ultrabeat all the time and what you're asking can be done a coupla different ways. Here are a few questions first: When you say you're using the sequencer, are you talking about the sequencer at the bottom of Ultrabeat? If so see #1. Do you have a midi keyboard available? If so see #2.

1. Open Ultrabeat and look at the lower left hand corner of the window, where it says 'pattern.' Don't click anything, just roll your mouse over the button directly to the right of the word 'pattern' and the button should turn red. If your popup help is on (Logic Preferences/Display/General/Show Help Tags) then it will also say 'Drag to Arrange Window.' You can just drag this button to a midi track in logic, and there's your region!

2. When you make different patterns, you can trigger any of these patterns with a midi keyboard. Take a look at your patterns; you'll notice that each pattern has some funky numbers and letters in the name. My first pattern says '1 (C-1) sq.' This means I can trigger pattern #1 by pressing midi note 'C -1.' NOTE: 'C -1' is not 'C 1,' it is 5 octaves below middle C. I have a 5-octave keyboard that has up and down transpose buttons for octaves, so I go down 2 octaves and my lowest C is now 'C-1.' You must have the Sequencer power button turned on, and the 'pattern mode button' needs to be on (bottom middle of ultrabeat ui).

Hope this helps!

 

[larryphoto]

Clarification

Thanks for your reply. Let me see if I can clarify my question a little bit...

I am using the Ultrabeat sequencer. I will put together a basic beat, then save it to a Program... say #11. Then I will drag that program into the Arranger.

Next, I will return to Ultrabeat and slightly change up that pattern- maybe adding a fill or something. I will save this next pattern as Program #12. When I drag 12 into the Arranger - it just says Ultrabeat.... like #11. After I have brought a few different programs into the song arranger, I lose track of which is the basic pattern, which is the chorus, which are fills... etc.

I'm trying to figure out how bring them into ARranger with different names so I can tell them apart while putting the song together. Does that make sense?

 

[Eli]

Hi Larry,

You can easily rename any region, including regions that originated from Ultrabeat, directly in the Arrange Window.

Select the region, and look at the top most parameter in the region inspector box - which is the region's name. Click on it, and you can edit the name there.

Or, choose the text tool and click directly on the region in the Arrange Window for a text box to pop up where you can rename the region with whatever description you want.

Good luck and happy sequencing!