Region Automation: Portamento Time — Logic Pro X keyboard command of the day

  Region Automation: Portamento Time

One of the many MIDI messages that can be automated. Creating an automation point adds an event with the control change message. Portamento Time is a required feature of the General MIDI GM2 specification.

From the MIDI specification (1996)

Portamento Control (PTC) is a recent addition, and defines a continuous controller that communicates which note number the subsequent note is gliding from. It is intended for special effects in playing back pre-sequenced material, so that legato with portamento may be realized while in Poly mode.

General MIDI 2 (GM 2)

– Portamento Time (cc#5)

Control Change Messages (Data Bytes)

5 00000101 05 Portamento Time 0-127 MSB

Quick Sampler: Getting started with Logic Pro X’s new sampler — 9to5Mac

Quick Sampler: Getting started with Logic Pro X’s new sampler — 9to5Mac

Logic Pro X 10.5’s new Quick Sampler completely changes the way users interact with the audio and creative resources around them. It perfectly accommodates a popular instant sampling workflow where producers pull sounds from anywhere — recorded off a phone, stolen off the internet, clipped from an Apple’s library, etc — and then loop, chop, pitch, and program them into interesting musical ideas. Software sampling certainly isn’t new by any means, nor is it to Logic Pro X, but this technique of quick and immediate sound recycling has now been laced throughout the LPX 10.5 production environment and has a dedicated home with Quick Sampler. Apple’s new instant sampling plug-in reinvents the best of what’s already on offer in the marketplace, makes intelligent use of its world-class audio pitch/timing manipulation technology, and wraps it all up in an incredibly intuitive package.

Glue Tool G — Logic Pro X keyboard command of the day

  Glue Tool    G

Using the Glue Tool saves an extra step when joining regions. When you join regions you select them and issue a Join command (command-J). With the Glue Tool selecting the regions joins them as you select.

Counterpart to Scissors Tool which will split regions everywhere you click.

You can choose the Glue Tool by selecting it from the Tool Menu, or, press T (tools) then G (glue).

I like using the T command to bring up the Tool Menu right at the location of the pointer. Handy.

Common Logic Pro tools — Apple Support

Use the Glue tool to join selected regions or events into a single region or event

Export Alternative as Project… — Logic Pro X keyboard command of the day

  Export Alternative as Project…

This is a convenient way to preserve an alternative, possibly building extra work into the task of managing projects. It might be the right answer for step-by-step training, as long as the exported projects point to assets correctly.

Use Logic Pro project alternatives and backups — Apple Support

When Show Advanced Tools is selected in the Advanced preferences pane, you can create alternative versions of a project, each with a unique name and different settings. Project alternatives let you save “snapshots” of a project in different states, including different cuts or mixes. They’re saved as part of the project and share the same assets. Alternatives for the current project appear in the File > Project Alternatives submenu.

Apple doesn’t provide much in the way of understanding how to use Project Alternatives.

Eli Krantzberg provides a little more insight…

A is for Alternatives In The A To Z Of Logic Pro | Logic Pro

An obvious choice for the letter A might be automation. I did Alias in my original series. But I’d like to focus here on Alternatives. Specifically Project Alternatives. How many of us actually use project alternatives? Why do we like, or not like, them? I have to confess, like many old time Logic users, I have been slow to make the transition to project alternatives, versus the good old fashion “save as” routine we’ve used for years when needing to version a project in progress.

Show/Hide Track Icon — Logic Pro X keyboard command of the day

  Show/Hide Track Icon

Available in Mixer windows. Show or hide the track icons in the channel strips. I often keep them off since I color code tracks, regions, and channel strips. I will probably adjust this more when using a laptop. Something about screen real estate.

The state of display is “per window” so changes to a mixer window in screenset 1 does not effect mixer windows in screenset 2. This is handy. The mixer panel in the main window and a mixer window are two, independent displays. The command affects only the mixer window that currently has focus.

Channel strip controls in Logic Pro — Apple Support

Control-click a portion of a channel strip not containing a channel strip control and in the Channel Strip Components submenu of the pop-up menu choose a control to display, or deselect a control to remove it from channel strips.