OP
OP
Vik
Vi-k
Here are a few ways to edit region automation in Logic.
When looking at a situation like the above, you can double click in the dark green backgt with the alt/option key in order to select all automation. If you only want to select some automation, you can use the mouse to rubberband-select a certain section only.
Selected automation changes color to white:
By grabbing one of the horizontal lines, you can move everything up or down without any scaling/without altering the distances between each of the automation nodes. The pic below shows that I have added 32 to all values by dragging upwards while grabbing a horizontal line. If there are no horizontal lines in your automation: create one (a click with the mouse creates a new node).
If you want to scale the automation instead of altering the automation values in a linear way, click in the green area behind the automation nodes/lines and drag upwards or downwards (while the automation is white/selected).
To achieve the result below, I first moved the righmost horizontal line downwards. Then I clicked on the green background and scaled everything upwards.
Remember that you need to press A to see the automation properly. If your automation exists as track automation and you want to convert it to region automation, alt-click on the word Track (it also works the other way round).
When looking at a situation like the above, you can double click in the dark green backgt with the alt/option key in order to select all automation. If you only want to select some automation, you can use the mouse to rubberband-select a certain section only.
Selected automation changes color to white:
By grabbing one of the horizontal lines, you can move everything up or down without any scaling/without altering the distances between each of the automation nodes. The pic below shows that I have added 32 to all values by dragging upwards while grabbing a horizontal line. If there are no horizontal lines in your automation: create one (a click with the mouse creates a new node).
If you want to scale the automation instead of altering the automation values in a linear way, click in the green area behind the automation nodes/lines and drag upwards or downwards (while the automation is white/selected).
To achieve the result below, I first moved the righmost horizontal line downwards. Then I clicked on the green background and scaled everything upwards.
Remember that you need to press A to see the automation properly. If your automation exists as track automation and you want to convert it to region automation, alt-click on the word Track (it also works the other way round).
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OP
OP
Vik
Vi-k
Here are five tips for optimizing Logic's performance, especially with Kontakt.
1) If you need better playback performance, make sure that none RAM or CPU hungry track os record enabled.
Consider making an empty dummy track which is disabled (Option-click on the tracks On/Off button), and select that of you need better performance.
2) In Kontakt, and if you have a relatively fast Mac, try setting the Preload Buffer in Kontaktas low as possible lower. If you also enable the Override setting (se image), this should apply to all tracks. You can disable Override and set the buffer back to 60k or something else later if needed.
3) Try setting the Process Buffer Range (in Settings>Audio) to Large instead of Medium.
4) Experiment with I/O Buffer settings, and remember that the setting you need when recording probably should be changed when mixing or performing other edits. Lower buffer settings give less latency, but low latency usually isn't required when not recording.
5) It can be very useful to play back the area you are going to work with once or twice before you start recording in that area, especially if you experiment with the settings discussed above.
When combining these settings, I get glitch free playback of 40 CSS V1 legato tracks on a 2020 i7 iMac, using the 64 buffer. Each track had two active mics, and there was CC1 automation (Dynamics) on all tracks, all the time.
1) If you need better playback performance, make sure that none RAM or CPU hungry track os record enabled.
Consider making an empty dummy track which is disabled (Option-click on the tracks On/Off button), and select that of you need better performance.
2) In Kontakt, and if you have a relatively fast Mac, try setting the Preload Buffer in Kontakt
3) Try setting the Process Buffer Range (in Settings>Audio) to Large instead of Medium.
4) Experiment with I/O Buffer settings, and remember that the setting you need when recording probably should be changed when mixing or performing other edits. Lower buffer settings give less latency, but low latency usually isn't required when not recording.
5) It can be very useful to play back the area you are going to work with once or twice before you start recording in that area, especially if you experiment with the settings discussed above.
When combining these settings, I get glitch free playback of 40 CSS V1 legato tracks on a 2020 i7 iMac, using the 64 buffer. Each track had two active mics, and there was CC1 automation (Dynamics) on all tracks, all the time.
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Hey @Vik, whilst you're on a roll, any tips for the simplest way to go from this;
to this;
To me, the line tool is a complete pain and pretty much useless. The scale and select (CMD click) is maybe the least helpful and least intuitive software element in existence. In cubase, you can just draw a line and the midi scales relative and perfectly. Am I the only logic user that HATES the way logic handles this?
to this;
To me, the line tool is a complete pain and pretty much useless. The scale and select (CMD click) is maybe the least helpful and least intuitive software element in existence. In cubase, you can just draw a line and the midi scales relative and perfectly. Am I the only logic user that HATES the way logic handles this?
OP
OP
Vik
Vi-k
One may draw a line in Logic with the velocity tool and Command, but you can't create a curved line*, so you may have to experiment doing it with several lines - and this is possibly what you think of as a useless solution.
Are you aware of the option to hold down Option and move the mouse up or down? This will expand or compress the velocity for the selected notes. When you have done that, you may grab one of the velocity beams and drag up/down to increase or decrease the velocity values collectively, without any compression or expansion. This is scaling + velocity offset. It requires two clicks (movements), but maybe that's a good idea actually.
* Edit: if you use the Velocity Tool without Command, it only creates a linear result.
Are you aware of the option to hold down Option and move the mouse up or down? This will expand or compress the velocity for the selected notes. When you have done that, you may grab one of the velocity beams and drag up/down to increase or decrease the velocity values collectively, without any compression or expansion. This is scaling + velocity offset. It requires two clicks (movements), but maybe that's a good idea actually.
* Edit: if you use the Velocity Tool without Command, it only creates a linear result.
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Yeah, that's the 'useless' solution I use haha. I know you can more or less get the desired result after a lot of trial and error drawing arbitrary lines, then shifting the velocity slider, then another line or 20, then more velocity slider shifting....it's just such a bad solution compared to pretty much every other DAW out there where you draw a single line where you'd like the velocity to start, and where you'd like it to end, and it scales the midi relative with a single action.
I guess I was just hoping someone found a better way around it using the automation panel and tools.
OP
OP
Vik
Vi-k
Logic does that already?
Really, I must be doing it wrong then? Do you mean CMD + velocity tool, because that just creates an arbitrary line for me where you have to guestimate where the velocity will end at its highest (or lowest if decreasing). Also, you can't (I can't) change the highest and the lowest point simultaneously - you have to choose whether it increases or decreases from the first note. If I'm wrong about that, I'll be happy!
stonzthro
Senior Member
There is a way, but it will take some setting up on your end.
1. Create a MIDI transform that adds +20 to Velocity, and then create a key command for that MIDI transform function.
2. Select all but the first 3, press your key command (or assign it to a button or Strream Deck), deselect the first 3 that are selected, press the key command again, deselect the next 3, press again and voilà!
Once set up this would take only a few quick steps to accomplish. I've created a bunch of very useful presets and assigned them in TOuchOSC on an iPad, but have the Velocity +5/10/20, 15/10/20 on my Stream Deck.
MIDI Transform is really your best friend that you may have forgotten about, but they are there, just waiting for you...
1. Create a MIDI transform that adds +20 to Velocity, and then create a key command for that MIDI transform function.
2. Select all but the first 3, press your key command (or assign it to a button or Strream Deck), deselect the first 3 that are selected, press the key command again, deselect the next 3, press again and voilà!
Once set up this would take only a few quick steps to accomplish. I've created a bunch of very useful presets and assigned them in TOuchOSC on an iPad, but have the Velocity +5/10/20, 15/10/20 on my Stream Deck.
MIDI Transform is really your best friend that you may have forgotten about, but they are there, just waiting for you...
OP
OP
Vik
Vi-k
IMO there's lots of room for improvement in this area, and it's easy to imagine better solutions than those Logic already have.
Let's move this to a new or other thread (since this thread is mainly for short tips and not discussion), but in short, here's what I do after having selected some note events:
1) I scale existing velocity by making a line that's much less 'dramatic' than the results I want. A line which points a little downwards results in a reduction/scaling that's more than just 'a little'.
2) If I want to change (not scale) the velocity of a group of notes, I do it in the piano roll, by holding down Control and Command ans dragging upwards or downwards.
3) A command click in the automation era (below the piano roll) seems to select the notes in the last bar. I can expand this selection by dragging the mouse left or right – but it's simpler to simply select the notes in the piano roll or score editor. When some notes are selected, I can click behind them in the automation area below the piano roll (no modifier needed) and scale the velocities up or down.
The closest you probably can get to what you want, Davidson, is to have a look at the Step Editor.
There you can draw in exactly the velocities you want. User friendly? Not so much, due to the non-obvious steps that are needed in order to get to that window/look in the image above. MIDI Transform serves as a workaround for those areas which don't have a user friendly solution. I have wasted many inspired moments in the early Logic days by trying to work our how I can do some simple changes this way. Btw, the Step Input window is also worth looking at: when open, one can usedthese dedicated key commands for various velocities.
But again: if we want to focus on music and not maths or the UI itself, simple, self-explanatory tools are always the best solution.
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whinecellar
Jim Daneker
I'm probably late to the party on this, but one of the best Logic productivity boosters I've seen in ages comes from Speakerfood.com - their PlugSearch utility is an absolute game changer. I've long wished that Apple would have incorporated this, but the idea is that this practically does away with constantly having to navigate the plugin menu system.
Instead, you simply invoke a key command that brings up a floating window where you can search for any plugin via text, and double click on it to call it up. Even better than that, you can organize everything into favorite categories to really streamline it. It's amazingly intelligent how it works.
But by far the icing on the cake is the ability to assign MIDI CCs to all your favorite plugins or instruments - well, up to 127 of each. Then if you integrate a custom TouchOSC layout like I've done here, you just hit what you want on the iPad, and boom - that plugin gets added to the current channel. Mind blowing advancement - can't believe I just found out about it!
Instead, you simply invoke a key command that brings up a floating window where you can search for any plugin via text, and double click on it to call it up. Even better than that, you can organize everything into favorite categories to really streamline it. It's amazingly intelligent how it works.
But by far the icing on the cake is the ability to assign MIDI CCs to all your favorite plugins or instruments - well, up to 127 of each. Then if you integrate a custom TouchOSC layout like I've done here, you just hit what you want on the iPad, and boom - that plugin gets added to the current channel. Mind blowing advancement - can't believe I just found out about it!
jbuhler
Senior Member
So it took some doing to figure out how to do this. The key is to uncheck the box next to pitch, which is turned on by default. That will then reveal all of the velocities rather than just the one for in this case C3. You can then use the mouse to redraw the velocities in whatever shape you want.The closest you probably can get to what you want, Davidson, is to have a look at the Step Editor.
OP
OP
Vik
Vi-k
No problem, Davidson. Here's an empty Logic Project with an active Step Editor showing only velocities.
Appreciate the help, Vik, but the step editor method doesn't offer a solution to the issue unless I go through and edit every single velocity event separately (which is fun if you have a busy 32 bar 16th note region
), which I can also do in the standard piano roll window. Oh well, maybe one day!
Bear Market
I am Legion
Maybe I'm completely misunderstanding, but it is not something like this you mean?
View attachment Screen-Recording.mp4
jbuhler
Senior Member
I think folks are looking for how to draw curves rather than a line.
You can draw whatever curve you want on the velocities in step editor. They all change to conform. But you have to show all the velocities to edited them as a group.Appreciate the help, Vik, but the step editor method doesn't offer a solution to the issue unless I go through and edit every single velocity event separately (which is fun if you have a busy 32 bar 16th note region
