Logic Pro 8 Track Names to Mixer and Score Pages

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sunhunter9

Logician
Typically, I start building a composition by creating a number of software instrument tracks, then instantiating instruments. I don't go through the library, because then the "patches" often have a bunch of plugs already hooked up. So, the names of the "patches" show up as tracks in the arrange page. Then, I assign these names to the regions on the track with a key command. But, I would like these same names to appear at the bottoms of the channel strips in the Mixer window, and also in the "all instruments" view of the Score editor in the appropriate spot on the score.

I know how to "rename" the channel strips" to anything I want, but how do I get the content of these boxes to automatically reflect the name of the arrange page track when the strip simply is representing that track? For me, having this as the default behavior would be best at the moment. The names in the mixer strips wants to be, like, "inst 6" instead of "koto 2." Whereas, "koto2" does show up on the Piano Roll info.

This seems like elementary stuff, but I can't figure it out or find it in the manual. Til now, I've just kept double-clicking the box at the bottom of the channel strips and typing in the name used on the track. Tedious waste of time perhaps?
 
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I think the track naming is confusing to most people, including those who wrote the manual.

I seem to remember the terms are not used consistently - what the manual might refer to as naming a track is in fact naming a channel strip (although I'm not looking at the manual right now to verify this).

I think your method of naming the channel strips is the only way to get the names to show up in the score editor, etc. I can offer a faster method than what you're doing, if you find yourself naming more than one at a time. Do your naming in the arrange area's track header, then hit tab. It will take you down to the next track with the text field open, ready to accept naming.
 
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Yeah - just to echo what Doug is saying: the track naming scheme is very confusing, and somewhat inconsistent. The mixer does not seem to display track names consistently when the track names are derived from software instruments settings or patch names. The only really reliable way to have consistency throughout the program is to re-name the actual channel strips. It is a bit tedious, but it's worth it in a big session.
 
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Thanks, fellas. At least I'm more clear about what can and can't be done. I realize that there are lots of situations where one-to-one corrrespondence between tracks and mixer strips would be confusing no matter how they were implemented. For example, when I use multiple instances of Ivory, say 6 tracks. There's still only going to be 1 mixer strip, because only 1 instrument is instantiated. Showing the same mixer strip over and over would be a waste of real estate. But the data I want to see does show up on the Piano Roll editor, that is, it tells me it's "Ivory." So, there is the kind of communication I'm looking for with that editor. So, maybe this becomes a "wish list" item. I didn't get into the "for-me-can-o-worms" involved in using certain library instruments that come with (often very cool) loads of plugs. Once I put one of those on a track, then decide I don't like it, I have to delete the whole track because instantiating a different instrument doesn't produce the results I expect. Anyhow, I guess there is room for improvement here somewhere. Thanks again for the help and tips.
 
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> For example, when I use multiple instances of Ivory, say 6 tracks. There's still only
> going to be 1 mixer strip, because only 1 instrument is instantiated.

how does multiple instances = 1 instantiation?

peter
 
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peterlemer said:
> For example, when I use multiple instances of Ivory, say 6 tracks. There's still only
> going to be 1 mixer strip, because only 1 instrument is instantiated.

how does multiple instances = 1 instantiation?

peter
Click to expand...

With muti timbral software instruments (no native plug ins in Logic fall into this category by the way) you can have several Arrange Window tracks - each assigned to different MIDI channels - all addressing the same single multi timbral instance of the software instrument.

So you get multiple tracks in the Arrange Window to work with. But you are really only addressing one software instrument. There is a view option in the Mixer Window, where you can view the multiple channel strips in these scenarios. Although in practice, it is of limited use, since regular track based volume/pan automation is useless because it applies to the whole software instrument. It makes the most sense to just view the single channel strip in the mixer.

You can of course also have multiple Arrange Window tracks all pointing to a regular single channel software instrument as well. Same deal, it's really no use viewing multiple instances of the channel strip in the Mixer Window.
 
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Thanks for explaining this, Eli. I'm pointing multiple tracks at one instance of Ivory, which is a deal-maker when wanting to have a bunch of takes of a piano piece using my rig with the type of track muting I like. I didn't know about the option to view more than one channel strip, but as you indicate, there doesn't seem to be any apparent value in doing so.
 
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Eli said:
With muti timbral software instruments (no native plug ins in Logic fall into this category by the way)
Click to expand...

To be technically correct, the EVB3 is 3 part multi-timbral, and the EXS24 can also be configured (manually in the Instrument Editor) to be multi-timbral.
;)


CCT
 
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oops - you're right of course about the EVB3. But the EXS 24??? In the Instrument Editor? How does that work?
 
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I'm using 8 tracks of Miroslav Phil in arrange (muti, midi ch. 1-8) but how do I display these in the mixer? I realized that there are instances when I would like this. In L7, I seem to recall having created these as aux channels. Now that I never do anything in the Environment, I am becoming even dumber than before!! "Midi track components" under the "view" menu has some interesting offerings, but not what I'm aiming for.
 
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I wouldn't necessarily want the tracks showing in the mixer - they're not independent of each other. You might be better served to create a multi-out instrument - sounds like you might have already done such. If that's the case, the channel strip will have a small plus sign on the bottom right. It will allow you to create new aux channel strips to handle outputs 3-8. Notice they stay right next to the instrument channel strip and are beamed together at the bottom. There is a minus sign that shows up on the channel strip after you've created extra auxes, allowing you to delete them.

You'll need to assign the outputs with the plug-in to route your audio to the newly created auxes.

Check out the arrange window tracks menu. You can create more tracks for plug-in (new with next MIDI channel) - up to the maximum of your plug-in setting. This is an easy way to manage - delete what you don't use, create as needed. you don't have to start out with 8.
 
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sunhunter: I do much the same as you, in that I create many tracks ( Arrange) of ivory while recording the same section. In fact this happens automatically when I 'cycle record' with any Audio Instrument.

Can you rephrase what it is you want to do that you can't do right now?

peter
 
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I would like the names that I have on my track headers in the arrange window (like Koto2, for example, which is an old Emu sample I have running in EXS 24) to automatically appear on the channel strips (instead of something like just "Instr6") in the mixer window. I do use color codes for regions/strips to help with i.d.

In experimenting with checking different items in the "midi track components" in the view menu I've gotten some results, and I notice that my Kirk Hunter Exs stuff >does< show up at the top of the strip, along with a little graphic of the eq setting. This is cool....but I haven't figured out the er...Logic to it. As Eli suggested, t's frankly a relatively minor task to double click on the bottom of a strip and type something. Less trouble than using tape and/or felt tipped pen as in my analogue phase. It's just something that would seem implementable. It does seem implemented, at times...but it is a bit confusing to me. I posted this as a "wish list" item.

The other thing is that there are times when I would like to see the individual strips corresponding to the midi channels of a "multi" like Miroslav Phil...even though in many case this would be a waste of space, since one doesn't gain any control beyond what the one strip offers, AFAIK. Very sorry for the verbosity, but this stuff is by no means simple to me.
 
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In experimenting with checking different items in the "midi track components" in the view menu I've gotten some results, and I notice that my Kirk Hunter Exs stuff >does< show up at the top of the strip, along with a little graphic of the eq setting.
Click to expand...

This is probably a channel strip name/setting.
 
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