Logic Pro 9 New to Logic, many questions?

[jabo]

I'm new to Logic and have a few hopefully basic questions.
1. Why can't I see the waveform on the guitar tracks (which are all from the Logic amp plugin) in the Arrange area?

2. How do I get the Sample editor playhead to automatically match the playhead from the arrange area?

3. Can I highlight a waveform in the arrange area and then somehow pull down the volume while shrinking the waveform? I've done this in Cubase and ProTools very easily, but can't seem to figure it out in Logic.

Help!

Thanks.
Jabo

 

[Markdvc]

Hi there, and welcome to the LUG

1. Why can't I see the waveform on the guitar tracks (which are all from the Logic amp plugin) in the Arrange area?

Have you tried zooming in? You should see waveforms then.

2. How do I get the Sample editor playhead to automatically match the playhead from the arrange area?

Obviously have the sample editor open showing the audio region you are interested in. Now, make sure the blue running man in the top left had corner of the editor window is clicked on, then start play in the arrange - NOT in the sample editor.

3. Can I highlight a waveform in the arrange area and then somehow pull down the volume while shrinking the waveform? I've done this in Cubase and ProTools very easily, but can't seem to figure it out in Logic.

No, Logic doesn't offer this feature. Opinions are divided on this. Not having missed it my feeling is, having the waveform apparently change size indicates to me that some destructive edit has taken place, such as normalizing, or a bounce with compression/limiting. Adjusting a gain plugin, or channel fader, or even region gain does not have any such effect on the waveform, so changing it's appearance is really moving away from "WYHIWYS" (What you have is what you see).

If you are used to this from PT or Cubase, of course your opinion may be different 🙂

kind regards

Mark

 

[Pete Thomas]

3. Can I highlight a waveform in the arrange area and then somehow pull down the volume while shrinking the waveform? I've done this in Cubase and ProTools very easily, but can't seem to figure it out in Logic.

As mark said you can't do this, and I agree it's not something I would want.

However you can select the region in the arrange and lower or raise the gain (non-destructivley) in the Inspector.

I do think however it would be nice if there was some form of visual clue when a region has had the gain changed in this way.

 

[jabo]

Thanks guys

Thanks for the helpful feedback guys! I still can't see the waveforms in the arrange window for the guitar tracks. They appear as just a straight line, even when I zoom. Any ideas? That's a bit of a bummer on the waveform shrinkage thing. I agree non-destructive is better, but I think it's less convenient. Can this be done in the sample editor? Thanks again.
Jabo

 

[Pete Thomas]

Can this be done in the sample editor? Thanks again.
Jabo

Yes, but destructively.

Select the area ro reduce the gain, then go to the menu: Functions> Change gain

But these days, now we have it, I prefer the non destructive version in the arrange. (And I still wouldn't want the waveform display to shrink when i do it!)

 

[CSeye]

Look at the attachment.
2 out of 3 ain't bad.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Well, sometimes (and sadly enough...) Logic still has massive problems redrawing waveforms. Try to reload the song and see whether that changes something.
Alternatively: Did you record your guitar signal at a very low level? I often fool around with my guitar volume pot quite a bit (especially on overdriven sounds), which makes the recorded volume extremely low (at 24bit it doesn't matter much sonically), hence barely visible.

Regarding "region volume handles" (such as in Cubase): I wouldn't happen to know whether I'd like to actually see the width of the waveform change, but I can tell for sure that it's a f***ing tremendous thing to have. Most of the time I only need to level out very few passages in, say, a vocal take, and I really hate automation for such things (especially as it takes away overall volume control for the track, unless I fool around with completely useless workarounds such as "volume only EQs", gainers and what not).
I find this to be a serious lack.

- Sascha

 

[Ming]

2. How do I get the Sample editor playhead to automatically match the playhead from the arrange area?

I can't get the sample-editor from the drawer to follow the arrange either, (running-man or not). If I choose a sample editor from the windows menu as a free floating window, then it does follow the song. If such sample editor is open in the background I can also rip a free floating window from the tool-bar in the bottom but just opening one from the drawer it is always still and doesn't move.

 

[Markdvc]

Look at the attachment.
2 out of 3 ain't bad.

LOL - 2 out of 3 ain't bad indeed, however, the button to switch between two "strengths" of waveform images you helpfully referred to does not provide the function jabo is asking about. Adjusting any sort of volume control in Logic, be it channel strip fader, or automation, or the new region gain function, or using a gain or other plugin, does not change the appearance of the waveform as shown in the arrange region. This is the case in Cubase and some other DAWs.

Jabo, you can of course write to Apple asking them to implement this:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/logicpro.html

kind regards

Mark

 

[CSeye]

True, it doesn't change the volume. But it would allow him to visually increase the size of the waveform which is what I speculated he was concerned about with item #1 of his question.

Having Cubase 5, I understand the functionality of adjusting the regions volume coupled with a visual reference of the reduced waveform size. It's actually pretty cool.

However, Pete reminded me of the incredible simplicity of reducing region volume in the Inspector.

As crazy as I am about Logic, it has room for improvement.

Best regards,
Wally

 

[edurbrow]

Look at the attachment.
2 out of 3 ain't bad.

That was a useful PDF. I tried to duplicate the results of #3.

"Marquee selection. Hit "A" key. Use selection tool to drag up or down."

However hitting the "A" key does not bring up the yellow automation line. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Markdvc]

However hitting the "A" key does not bring up the yellow automation line. What am I doing wrong?

There needs to be some automation present. Click once anywhere in the body of the region to create a single automation node. You can then click on the node once more to remove it, leaving the line.

kind regards

Mark

 

[jabo]

Waveform bummer

Still can't see the waveform no matter what I try. However, I just recorded a new one and I can see it fine. My gain levels have remained consistent and plenty loud throughout. I guess I'll just hope for the best on this. It's just a test project anyway. Thanks again for the feedback everybody.
Jabo

 

[Markdvc]

I can't get the sample-editor from the drawer to follow the arrange either, (running-man or not). If I choose a sample editor from the windows menu as a free floating window, then it does follow the song. If such sample editor is open in the background I can also rip a free floating window from the tool-bar in the bottom but just opening one from the drawer it is always still and doesn't move.

That is very strange, it works fine here, both in the floating and drawer editors. Have you the blue runing man clicked in the drawer as opposed to arrange?

kind regards

Mark

 

[Ming]

That is very strange, it works fine here, both in the floating and drawer editors. Have you the blue running man clicked in the drawer as opposed to arrange?

kind regards

Mark

I had to check again but, yes it seems as if the drawer-editor starts from bar 1 while the free floating window from where the play-off is in the arrange-window. I have blue-man running on all windows, so I have 2 sample-editors open simultaneously, drawer and menu and they play differently. I start the arrange-window from bar 50 and the menu-editor will follow that but the drawer will start from bar 1. Which window is the active doesn't seem to matter. As long as one window follows, I'll use that. if only mine is doing this, it's not a huge bug.) But I can repeat it and it is concistently so.

 

[Ming]

That is very strange, it works fine here, both in the floating and drawer editors. Have you the blue running man clicked in the drawer as opposed to arrange?
kind regards
Mark

I have 2 sample-editors open simultaneously, drawer and menu and they play differently. I start the arrange-window from bar 50 and the menu-editor will follow that but the drawer will start from bar 1. I can repeat it and it is consistently so.

-No, I can't consistently repeat what I just did. After having opened and closed windows and such, I can't redo what I just did, getting 2 sample-editors running independently and asynchronous. Since I prefer to be wrong on this and the software right, I'm happy with that.