Logic Pro 9 hide/show tracks question

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peterlemer

Logician
My Arrange window is quite crowded! 🙂
I have 7 drum tracks routed to one aux.
Is there any way to have one screenset that only use the drum aux for mixing the whole project, but another that shows just the individual drum tracks and the aux, for tuning the drum mix?

I could 'Hide' the drum tracks and toggle the 'Hide' button, but then lots of other hidden tracks appear, making the scene even more crowded.

Ideally, I'd have one mixer screenset with the least possible channel strips, and others for individual isntruments.

I have 3 bass strips, for example. mic, DI, and aux to combine them.
I'd love to hide the mic & DI while I mix just using the aux for automation.
 
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Folders are probably the way to go, as Forgetr mentioned. If you haven't already done so, you might want to add the aux channel strip to the arrange track list so you can do automation.

Your folder should show up in the mixer, double click to open, use the up-level button (upper left in mixer) to go back to the main mix view.
 
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thanks forgetr: yes, but I found that I could not 'solo' within the folder, which makes balancing a bit difficult.

thanks Doug: yes I have aux strip for the combi which , if I master folders will remain visible,
 
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I'd appreciate it if someone could point to a link that provides more detail on folders. I've looked in the manual, but I find the explanation a bit inadequate. (e.g., pack regions into a folder, double click it -- where did the rest of the arrangement go?, what are the intended uses?, how do you manage them, and so on) Also maybe a clarification: I see these referred to as Track Folders, but they don't look like folders of tracks, just folders of regions. Are they really just a graphic representation of grouped regions? Does Logic have a more recognizable track folder with expand and collapse buttons?

(Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread)
 
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You can read all about track folders here. To exit a track folder, click the little curved arrow button at the top left of the arrange area.

Basically, track folders are a way to clean up your arrange area. If you have hundreds of tracks, you may want to organize them into folders so you can see only the tracks you want to see at a certain time. For instance, if you're doing an orchestral composition, you may want to see only the string section or the brass section.

They're called track folders because... I don't really know. "Region folders" would make more sense, you're right. Or maybe "arrange folders."

Logic does have expandable/collapsible folders called take folders, but they don't serve the same purpose as track folders. Take folders are used to create comps from multiple takes (using quick swipe comping).

I don't personally use track folders, but I understand their purpose. If you don't have very large projects with, say, more than 30 tracks or so, you may not see a reason to use them. But that's the way it is with Logic, there are many different ways of doing things.
 
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Thanks forgetr, that clears up a couple of mysteries. Although these things are referred to here as track folders, I don't see the term in the manual, just Folder and Take Folder, so I thought maybe there was some hidden feature.

I think these would be more useful if it was possible to view one or more of them in the context of the main arrange page, the way you would view the contents of folders in the Finder, rather than having to unpack and repack.

Maybe a better way to go with a large number of track is to have multiple arrange windows, each with a different set of hidden tracks. Having multiple views of each window is a very useful feature.
 
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Another use of "track" folders is meta arranging. If you have a big arrangement, it is useful as a way of handling large potentially disparate groups of regions together.

Let's say for example you have some brass parts spread out over half a dozen tracks, doubled and tripled with some synths or hits on another few tracks (not an unusual situation in a big arrangement). You could group them all together in a folder so it can be handled as one object.

Let's say you want to copy or move those parts to another section of the song - it's just one object to deal with instead of the multiple enclosed "objects" - which is how regions were perceived when the folders were originally introduced in logic in version 1! Or let's say you want to momentarily mute or solo all of them - it's just one object to click on in the Arrange Window.

I think they are called Track folders because the idea is that, even though they are hosted on a special folder track, they play back the enclosed regions on the tracks they are hosted on inside the folder.

Another 'meta arranging' use for them is to use them to think vertically as opposed to horizontally. IOW, you could place let's say, all the regions of the verse in one folder, and all the regions of a chorus in another. Then you can rearrange sections of your song simply by just moving the folders around. Or you could copy them and make edits to create alternate versions of those sections.

Folders can also be copied as aliases. So, let's say you have all the regions in your chorus packed into a folder and placed a few times as aliases in your arrangement, you could make changes to the contents of the original folder and have the changes apply to all the aliases placed throughout your arrangement.

I sometimes use folders for another kind of meta arranging. Let's say you want to put multiple songs all stored within one Logic project. Or even multiple versions of a song. Pack each song into a folder, and then just mute/unmute them as needed.

Another real world simpler use for folders is packing backup vocals into them and copying them to be repeated at different sections in the arrangement. I sometimes do this.

And yes, it does help manage the visual complexity. Both in the arrange Window as well as in the Track Mixer.
 
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Thanks Eli. That really fills out my view of folders to include what you might otherwise do with object groups, or multiple sequences.
 
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further to my earlier post - am I correct in saying that the solo button will not work inside a track folder? If so, this seems a little odd. Is it a bug?
If not, then I'm doing something wrong and would like help in doing it right 🙂

pete
 
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I just opened up a new L9 project, created 8 tracks all with output to bus 1, put loops on them and packed them into a folder. Solo and mute work on the tracks inside the folder...

Just thought of something - I have my preferences set to slow CPU saving - maybe check that?
 
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