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

  Export All MIDI Tracks as MIDI File…

Why do I care? I make it a habit to create a MIDI track with a single Meta event — Project Select — that can be exported as a MIDI file. If I want to share my project with someone who doesn’t have Logic Pro X all I need to do is export all of the audio files AND export the MIDI track as a MIDI file. The MIDI file contains handy information, e.g., key signature, time signature, tempo setting, and markers!

I can provide comments or instructions in the markers which can be imported into a different tool and be properly located on the timeline.

Only the current marker set is exported to the MIDI file. If there are multiple sets of markers (I do this to provide notes to myself while listening and working, first pass, second pass, etc.) If I want all of the markers I have to make multiple export passes. I should experiment with using separate marker sets per project alternative.

The documentation only says that in some cases you get a Format 1 MIDI file and in other cases you get a Format 0 MIDI file.

If you export a single MIDI region you get a Format 0 MIDI file.

If you export multiple MIDI regions you get a Format 1 MIDI file.

If you ‘Export All MIDI Tracks as MIDI File…’ you get a Format 1 MIDI file.

Format 0 — contains a single MTrk (track) chunk of data.

Format 1 — contains multiple MTrk chunks of data which are intended to be played simultaneously.

Format 2 — contains multiple MTrk chunks of data which are not expected to be played simultaneously. I have never seen a Format 2 file in the wild.

Export MIDI regions as standard MIDI files — Logic Pro X

You can export one or more MIDI regions as standard MIDI files, to play in another music app. If your project contains only MIDI regions, you can merge the regions and export the entire project as a MIDI file. Before exporting, you need to perform several steps to prepare the MIDI regions.

⇧ SHIFT – ⌃ CONTROL – ⌥ OPTION – ⌘ COMMAND

MFile 0 1 480


MTrk


0 Meta 0x20 00


0 Meta SeqName "PX330 1*created"


0 Meta InstrName "PX330 1"


0 TimeSig 4/4 24 8


0 KeySig 0 major


0 SMPTE 1 0 0 0 0


0 Tempo 500000


891203 Meta Marker "Peter warmup tune.1"


1016457 Meta Marker "Gary and Andy warmup"


1151607 Meta Marker "Pistol Packin' Mama"


1319239 Meta Marker "Sweet Sue"


1681977 Meta Marker "Don't Fall In Love With Me Darling"


1898240 Meta Marker "Handsome Molly.1"


2148737 Meta Marker "Adobe Hacienda.1"


2353800 Meta Marker "Long Journey Home.1"


2701220 Meta Marker "I Don't Believe I'll Fall In Love Today.1"


2993353 Meta Marker "Big Iron.1"


3247477 Meta Marker "Detour.1"


3497047 Meta Marker "I Think I'll Just Go Away.1"


3774735 Meta Marker "Ridin' My Thumb to Mexico.11"


4007203 Meta Marker "Redwood Hill.11"


4196110 Meta Marker "Hold Watcha Got.1"


4436954 Meta Marker "Ghost Riders in the Sky.1"


4436954 Meta TrkEnd


TrkEnd

Logic Pro | The Virtual Shoebox — Curating Your Ideas in Logic Pro X:

Creating music is not unlike the work researchers do. Carefully hunting for useful tidbits, storing them away as the broader topic develops, and then forming a system to catalogue them for later retrieval. At the top level of the creative process is the generation of fresh ideas. They will most likely begin conception as fragments of ideas based on some aspects of either harmony, melody, some new samples, virtual instruments, or loops. I consider this to be the macro level of ideation. The top level of the pyramid.

I have been using “packages” for my Logic Pro X projects since I started. I remembered too many horror stories of people losing the assets for a project when they move things around. Project alternatives have been my go to device.

I will now re-think using folder-based projects. Copies (versions) of a project can be saved without creating yet another copy of all of the audio files in the project. I still will consolidate audio and make sure all of the assets are stored in the folder.

I can document my project and versions with a simple “option drag” of the Logic project file into my Scrivener binder. There I have the index cards and all of the other reference material that I might want. I still treat it as a giant “ideas” folder, but all of the bits are well contained, and possibly well documented.