5 Common Vocal Mixing Issues Nectar 3 Solves:

While every performance has its own quirks, there are certain issues that almost always crop up in mixing sessions, like masking of the vocal with other instruments. For this reason we designed Nectar 3, the latest version of our vocal mixing suite, with assistive audio features to solve common problems by using your creative input. Let’s look at five scenarios:

Logic Pro X keyboard command of the day. #LogicProX @StudioIntern1

  Region Automation: Control Change 20

Select CC20 for Region Automation. There a *lots* of things that can be automated. When you “Display Automation” for a track (happens if you use this command) you can see the enormous set of parameters that can be manipulated. You can even automate a change of MIDI channel!

Automation is the “program” that is applied to the tracks in the project. The sounds that are made come from the MIDI instruments or audio files that “sound” at a point in time. What happens to the sound is modified by plugins. All of the things that can occur over time — changes to plugins, volume, pan, all of it — the automation — is the program that gets written to create the finished product.

It appears that almost every single bit of what Logic can do is available as an “automation” parameter. We program the environment through automation, and allow real-time control to be applied — and recorded!

From the past — “MIDI Draw” — need to check old manuals to learn more about this. This leads me back to the days of Opcode Vision and the entire MIDI orchestra world.

Use the Automation/MIDI area in the Piano Roll Editor — Logic Pro X:

When track-based automation is displayed in the Automation/MIDI area, the displayed automation curve is identical to the automation curve displayed in the automation lane in the Tracks area. Any adjustments to the automation curve made in either location is reflected immediately in the other. However, with region-based automation, you can choose to display either the automation curve associated with the region in the Tracks area automation lane or the MIDI data associated with individual notes. Therefore, with region-based automation it is possible to have the automation lane in the Tracks area showing the automation curve associated with the region and the Automation/MIDI area displaying MIDI data associated with each note (or vice versa).

⇧ SHIFT – ⌃ CONTROL – ⌥ OPTION – ⌘ COMMAND

- Views showing Time Ruler


Automation: Toggle Track/Region


Automation: Cycle Through Used Parameters ⌘Y


Automation: Display Off ⇧⌘Y


Region Automation: Volume


Region Automation: Panorama


Region Automation: Balance


Region Automation: Modulation


Region Automation: Breath


Region Automation: Foot Control


Region Automation: Portamento Time


Region Automation: Expression


Region Automation: Sustain Pedal


Region Automation: Control Change 20 ⌃⌥⇧⌘⌦


Region Automation: Control Change 21


Region Automation: Control Change 22


Region Automation: Control Change 23


Region Automation: Control Change 24


Region Automation: Control Change 25


Region Automation: Control Change 26


Region Automation: Control Change 27


Region Automation: Control Change 28


Region Automation: Control Change 29


Region Automation: Control Change 30


Region Automation: Control Change 31


Region Automation: Control Change 32


Region Automation: Surround Angle


Region Automation: Surround Diversity


Region Automation: Surround LFE


Region Automation: Channel Pressure


Region Automation: Pitch Bend


Region Automation: Program Change


Region Automation: Note Velocity

Nectar or Neutron? When to Use Which in a Mix:

What if we mixed a tune with only Neutron 2 and Nectar 3 for the job? Would we still use Nectar on vocals and Neutron on everything else? I say no—Neutron has great applications on vocals, and Nectar sounds awesome on many instruments.

Logic Pro X keyboard command of the day. #LogicProX @StudioIntern1

  Select Highest Notes    ⇧↑

As the command is named. Select the highest note in chords in the region. “Select Lowest Notes” is also available. Probably useful if you are trying to create separate tracks for “instruments” from a chord. I currently don’t see me using this command much.

You can watch the command in action in the Score Editor, or with the Event List open.

Split chords in the Piano Roll Editor — Logic Pro X:

These commands can be used with regions containing chords to separate the top note of each chord (often the melody), or to separate the bottom note of each chord for a bass line. Once selected, the notes can be cut or copied, and pasted into a region on a different track.

⇧ SHIFT – ⌃ CONTROL – ⌥ OPTION – ⌘ COMMAND

Logic Pro X keyboard command of the day. #LogicProX @StudioIntern1

  Sends on Faders - On/Off

New in Logic 10.4 — use the faders to adjust send amounts. This is how I learned to use my digital mixer — XR18 — and was very happy not to have to use the little knobs. Very hard to turn tiny knobs with a mouse.

It is helpful to be able to see the balance/level of the sends on all the tracks at once.

My current disappointment is that while switching to “Sends on Faders” causes my X-Touch faders to move accordingly I cannot actually use the physical faders to change the value. If I move the physical fader it will return to the original value. If I change the fader in the Mixer the physical fader does move and remains at the new position.

I need to do a bit of research about sends on faders and control surfaces.

Logic Remote on the iPad is not at all in good shape — sends don’t work properly at all. Logic Remote on iPhone shows sends, and reflects send level, but behaves like the X-Touch.

Adjust panning for sends independently from channel strips — Logic Pro X:

Sometimes you may want to adjust the stereo pan that a send is routing to an aux separately from the panning of the channel strip. For example, you may want a stereo channel strip to send to a surround aux, or you may be using sends to create a headphone mix and want separate pan positions for the headphone mix as for the main mix. By choosing Independent Pan for a send, you can adjust the pan type and position settings for the send independently from the pan type and position for the channel strip.

⇧ SHIFT – ⌃ CONTROL – ⌥ OPTION – ⌘ COMMAND