Section 2 - Editing Basics

keyboard shortcuts

Open Editor E Toggle Input Monitoring ⌃I

Open Notation N Solo Track S

Open Smart Controls B Mute Track M

Open Toolbar ⌃⌥⌘ T Solo Region ⌃S

Show / Hide Automation A Mute Region ⌃M

Show / Hide Flex ⌘F Deactivate Track ⌥M

Show / Hide Global G Hide Track H

Tracks
Import File ⌘I
Show / Hide Musical ⌘K
Typing Select All ⌘A

Show / Hide Step Input ⌥⌘ K Select All Following ⇧F

Keyboard
Invert Selection ⇧I
Global Tracks ⌥G
Con guration Select Muted ⇧M

Tool Menu T Move Selection To ⌘#

Playhead
Record R
Snap To Grid ⌘G
Capture As Recording ⇧R
Repeat Region ⌘R
Create New Track ⌥⌘ N
Duplicate Time ⌃⌘ R

Create Track Stack ⇧⌘ D Loop Region L

Set Cycle to Selection ⌘U

Duplicate Track ⌘D
Bounce in Place ⌃B

Double Drum Track ⌃D Split Region at Playhead ⌘T

Rename Track ⇧⏎ Split Region at Locators ⌃⌘ T

Track Header ⌥T Join Regions per Tracks J

Con guration
Join Regions ⌘J
Open Local Inspector ⌥⇧ I
Semitone Transposition ⌥ ↑/↓

Open Pattern Browser ⌥⇧ B Octave Transposition ⇧⌥ ↑/↓

Set Punch Locators ⌃⌥⌘ P

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 Tool Menu
Section 2

The Tool Menu can be found in the top center of the workspace.

By default you are able to select one tool as the left click tool and another as the ⌘ + left click tool

In the settings under General → Editing → Right Mouse Button you can set

Now you will see 3 Tool Menus in the top center of the workspace!

For each of these 2 or 3 Tool Menus in the workspace you have the same selection of tools.

This differs for different types of editor windows (Notation, Audio File, Piano Roll, Pattern…)

The left click tool setting can be accessed more quickly with “T”.

Here is an overview over what the tools in the Workspace to:

 Tool Bar
Section 2

The Tool Bar can be opened with the command ⌃⌥⌘ T and features a lot of functions as clickable
buttons that are usually used with keyboard shortcuts!

This is great for people who don’t like to remember the respective shortcuts!

Here is an overview of all the elements of the toolbar:

 Snap, Drag & Autozoom
Section 2

The snap pop-up menu can be found right next to the tool drop-down menu and lets you
define the nearest grid position regions will snap to when moving them.

Shortcut to activate or deactivate snap: ⌘ G

In this section of the pop-up menu you can

select the grid you want the regions to snap to

Ticks: 96th of a beat

Frames: according to the project frame rate
Quarter Frames: Frames / 4
Samples: according to the project frame rate

This section lets you set if you want to keep

deliberate offsets to the defined grid or not.

This section is for editing and moving audio

regions.

This section lets you set snap automation points

Alignment Guides help you align regions on different

tracks by showing the Alignment Guides Line

The drag pop-up menu can be found right next to the snap pop-up menu and lets you
define how regions behave when dragging them to overlapping positions.

Here is an overview over the 5 options offered in the drag pop-up menu:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Right next to the Drag pop-up menu you will find

the Zoom and Autozoom options!

1. Waveform zoom button (click and hold to resize audio waveforms)

2. Vertical Autozoom button: ⌃⌥⇧ Z
3. Horizontal Autozoom button: ⌃⌥ Z
4. Vertical Zoom slider: ⌥ mouse wheel
5. Horizontal Zoom sider: ⇧⌥ mouse wheel
Channel Strips and Track Types
Section 2

When adding a new track (⌥⌘ N) there are 4 track types you can add:

MIDI, Pattern and Drummer (Since

Version 11.1 Session Player) tracks all
allow you to place a MIDI, Pattern or
Drummer Region on any of them!

They offer 3 different workflows for

working on MIDI.

MIDI: Piano Roll Editor

Pattern: Step Sequencer workflow

Drummer: procedural MIDI data

creation for drums

The input for those 3 track types is

always a software instrument!

Audio tracks are totally different!

They work on the basis of analog input.

Any signal from any track type can be

processed with Audio FX

After the FX..

←it can be sent to Buses

←You can set it’s output
←You can assign it to a group
←Set it’s automation mode
←You can select an icon for the track

←You can pan it

←Change it’s volume

←Enable record or input monitoring

(only on audio tracks)
↖︎Mute or Solo the track (“M” or “S”)
 MIDI Regions and Tracks
Section 2

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) regions can be placed on MIDI tracks, pattern tracks and
drummer tracks!

To create a MIDI region, you can do one of 6 things:

1. Right-click into an empty Bar on a compatible track

2. Use the pencil to click into an empty Bar on a MIDI Track

3. Hit “R” to record MIDI Data live into a compatible track

4. Start the playback, play in MIDI data, stop the playback, then hit “⇧R” to capture as recording

5. Drag and drop a MIDI file into the workspace

6. Drag in a MIDI region from the Loop Library

To edit the content of a MIDI Region you will have to open up the Editor with “E”.

Here are the most relevant shortcuts for manual editing:

Selection in the Piano Roll Editing Note Pitch (transposition)

Select All Notes ⌘A Transpose By Semitones ⌥ ↑ or ↓

Select Following Notes ⇧F Transpose By Octaves ⇧⌥ ↑ or ↓

Select Following Notes ⌃⇧ F

Of Same Pitch Editing Note Start (position)

Invert Selection ⇧I Nudge ⌥ ← or →

Mute Notes ⌃M Move to Playhead ⌘#

Select Muted ⇧M
Editing Note End (length)
Select Highest Notes ⇧↑
Double Note Length ⌃⌥⌘ .
Select Lowest Notes ⇧↓
Halve Note Length ⌃⌥⌘ ,
Select All Notes Of A Left-click on
Speci c Pitch the Piano or Note Start To Playhead ⌘Ö
⇧E
Note End To Playhead ⌘Ä
Select All Notes Inside ⇧L
Locators Force Legato ⇧Ü
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 MIDI Regions and Tracks
Section 2

Now let’s get into the more advanced functions in the piano roll editor!

Quantization
moves every Note to the nearest position on a defined grid.

To define the grid, open top the local inspector (⌥⇧ I) and select a grid for either..

1. time quantization
(You can also apply swing here)

Or….

2. scale quantization

To apply the quantization, first select all notes you want to quantise and then simply click the Q button
or use the shortcut “Q”

Time Handles
allow you to freely create timing adjustments by stretching or compressing selected notes in the region.

1. Enable Time Handles (⌃ T)

2. Check if they are actually activated in the “Functions” drop down menu

3. Click and drag over the notes you want to edit

4. Use the handles to retime your selection freely

 Pattern Regions and Tracks
Section 2

Pattern regions can be added on MIDI tracks, Pattern tracks and Drummer tracks.

To create a Pattern region, you can do one of 3 things:

1. Right-click into an empty Bar on a compatible track

2. Use the pencil to click into an empty Bar on a Pattern Track

3. Drag in a Pattern region from the Loop Library

To edit the content of a Pattern Region you will have to open up the Editor (Step Sequencer).

In the Step Sequencer you have rows (spread vertically) and steps (spread horizontally).

The settings for each Step, Row or the whole Pattern can be found in the local inspector (⇧⌥ I)

Apart from turning a Step on or off there are also other parameters that you can specifically set
for each individual step.

The Step Sequencer workflow comes with some limitations!

Automation can only be edited step wise.

This can create clicks when plug-in parameters change too drastically from one step to the next!

Pattern regions have a maximum length of 64 steps (unlike MIDI Regions that are basically unlimited).
 Drummer Regions and Tracks
Section 2

Drummer regions can be added on MIDI tracks, Pattern tracks and Drummer tracks!

To create a Drummer region, you can do one of 3 things:

1. Right-click into an empty Bar on a compatible track

2. Use the pencil to click into an empty Bar on a Drummer Track

3. Drag in a Drummer region from the Loop Library

To edit the content of a Drummer Region you will have to open up the Editor (Drummer).

The Drummer editor offers you abstract controls for playful procedural MIDI data generation
specifically designed for drums!

Click on “Details” to access controls like:

- Complexity range sliders

- Humanization
- Phrase Variation
- Auto Half Time

Since Logic Version 11.1 the Drummer has become one of 3 “Session Player” Instruments!

More on that in the last section!

 Audio Regions and Tracks
Section 2

Audio regions can be added only to Audio tracks!

To create an Audio region, you can do one of 6 things:

1. Drag and drop a compatible audio file into the workspace

2. Use the pencil to click into an empty Bar on an Audio Track

3. Hit ⇧⌘ I (Add Audio File) when having an audio track selected

4. Drag in an Audio region from the Loop Library

5. Hit “R” when having an audio track selected to record an Audio File inside of Logic

6. Select any Region and hit “⌃ B” to Bounce it in place

Here is an overview over different audio file types sorted by compatibility with logic:

Compatible Audio Files Incompatible Audio FIles

Waveform Audio File Format (.wav) Free Lossless Audio Codec (. ac)

Audio Interchange File Format (.ai ) OGG Vorbis (.ogg)

MPEG Audio Layer 3 (.mp3) Windows Media Audio (.wma)

Advanced Audio Coding (.aac) Real Audio (.ra)

Apple Lossless (.alac) Sun/NeXT Audio (.au)

CD Digital Audio (.cdda) Musepack (.mpc)

Pulse Code Modulation (.pcm) Monkey’s Audio (.ape)

OPUS (.opus)

Adaptive Mult-Rate (.amr)

8-bit audio formats (.wav or .au)

Every audio region is based on an audio file.

When editing Audio regions with Flex (next page) we leave the original file untouched!

However, we can also edit the original audio file!

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 Audio Regions and Tracks
Section 2

To edit an Audio Region you will have to open up the Editor (Track).

In here you can edit your audio region with Flex (⌘ F to Show / Hide Flex).

Flex offers you 8 Modes:

Logic Pro’s adaptation of “Melodyne”

The autopicked algorithm when enabling Flex

for monophonic material (for example: solo vocals)

cuts audio at transients and works from transient to transient

for drums (noisy, non harmonic material)

for complex polyphonic material (for example: whole songs)

stretch your region to pitch it up or down (ca. 6 % / Semitone)

emulates a vintage stretching device (experimental sounds)

These Modes allow you to independently transpose and stretch audio files

⌥ ↑/↓ to Transpose an Audio region by Semitones

⇧⌥ ↑/↓ to Transpose an Audio region by Octaves

⌥ left click drag on the region start or end to stretch

In the Flex Pitch Editor we have 6 Parameters for each detected Note to edit separately:

1. Pitch Drift (in)

2. Fine Tune 1 2 3
3. Pitch Drift (out)
4. Gain
5. Vibrato
4 5 6
6. Formant Shift

The Flex pitch data can be converted into a MIDI File by clicking on the “Edit” drop-down menu
in the top left corner of the audio editor (Track) and then selecting:
 Audio Regions and Tracks
Section 2

To edit an Audio file you will have to open up the Editor (File).
This destructively edits the actual file on your computer!

Left click and drag over the Ruler to scrub through the Audio file like a DJ.
Left click and drag over the waveform to select a part of the audio file

⌘ A selects the whole audio file!

In the top left corner of the file Editor (File) you will find 4 drop down menus:

The Audio File drop-down menu gives you options for backups,
transient detection, file Info management and more.

The Edit drop-down menu offers basic editing functionality like

undo or redo, copy and paste and basic selection functionality like
selecting all samples (the whole audio file) or all previous / following.

Further down you get options for audio file navigation (Go to)
and automated selection options. (Set)

Snap Edits to zero crossing will move every start or end of a selection
to the nearest zero crossing in the audio file.
 Audio Regions and Tracks
Section 2

The Functions drop-down menu offers many well known audio file
editing functions like normalisation, gain change, reverse, invert…

Any function selected here will be applied to the selected part of the
audio file!

The Time and Pitch Machine is a window where you can precisely
set the desired Transposition and Tempo change.

It has 2 Modes (Free & Classic).

Only Free offers you the controls over the Destination!

When set to Free It also features 9 Algorithms to choose from:

For any sound

For any sound
Monophonic Material
Sustained, polyphonic audio sound
For rhythm content (rhythm guitars etc.)
For drum loops
For any sound
For highly complex audio (full songs etc.)
Like Beats Only but better at handling reverb

The View drop-down menu offers you options for what you see in the audio file editor:

You can set what you see on the Ruler

You can Enter Transient Editing Mode which you can also do
by hitting the button right next to the view drop-down menu.

With this mode you can fine tune the detected transients for
your audio file.
 Audio Regions and Tracks
Section 2

The available tools in the audio file editor are not the same as the tools in the workspace!
Even though some of the tools also exist in the workspace tool menu, they have different functions
in the audio file editor!

Make a selection of samples in your audio file (⇧ left-click to extend the selection)

Move the selection of samples in your audio file (quick access: ⌥ left-click)

Zoom in horizontally on the audio file (⇧⌥ mouse-wheel)

Listen to one specific part of your audio file

Draw in waves freely (you have to be zoomed in for it to work)

Replace a selection with silence (shortcut: ⌃⌦)

To play back and loop specific parts of your audio file in the file editor there are buttons right next
to the tool menu:

Preview volume slider

Preview (⌥ Spacebar)

Cycle Selection (⌃ C)
 Region Conversion
Section 2

Input/Output→ MIDI Pattern Drummer Audio

↓

MIDI right-click menu right-click menu Bounce in Place

→convert to -> convert to ⌃B

Pattern Region Drummer Region

only if:
- max. 4 Bars
- simple data

Pattern right-click menu right-click menu Bounce in Place

-> convert to -> convert to ⌃B

MIDI Region Drummer Region

⌃⌥⌘M

Drummer right-click menu right-click menu Bounce in Place

-> convert to →convert to ⌃B

Midi Region Pattern Region

⌃⌥⌘M only if:

- max. 4 Bars
- simple data

Audio ⌃E From MIDI: From MIDI:

Drag audio into right-click menu Right Click Menu

the empty track
header area →convert to -> convert to
Pattern Region Drummer Region

only if:
- max. 4 Bars
- simple data

In addition to that you can convert the Flex Pitch data from the analysis of dry monophonic
material to MIDI by selecting “Create MIDI Track from Flex Pitch Data” in the “Edit” drop-
down menu in the audio region region editor!
The 4 Methods of Tempo Analysis
Section 2

To analyse the tempo of a recording there are 4 methods you can choose from in Logic Pro!

Smart Tempo
The Smart Tempo editor is always the third Pane in the Audio or MIDI Region editor

Audio regions are automatically analysed, MIDI has to be analysed first to work with Smart Tempo

When MIDI has been analysed, Smart Tempo sets up an independent grid with
downbeats and divisions that you can tweak manually in 5 ways:

This way you can create tempo information manually which is directly associated with the region.

To show the tempo information select “Show Tempo Curve Overlay” from the
“View” drop-down menu.
The 4 Methods of Tempo Analysis
Section 2

The second option goes hand in hand with Smart Tempo, because it it using the same algorithm
and is called:

Free Tempo Recording

In the right-click menu of any MIDI or audio region under “Tempo” you will find many options
to automatically detect the tempo and use it as the project tempo.

With the Free Tempo Recording button you can record and immediately after stopping
the recording select one of the following options for what should happen to the automatically analysed
tempo information of the recording!

If you don’t see the button make sure to right click on the display at the top to
“Customize Control Bar and Display”
The 4 Methods of Tempo Analysis
Section 2

The third option can be accessed through the global tracks (G) and is called:

Beat Mapping
You can enable beat mapping by pressing ⌥ G to configure the global tracks and selecting it from
the menu there. The quick access command is: ⇧⌘ B

When having it enabled, select your Audio or MIDI Region to show up on

the Beat Mapping track!

After that, drag the subdivisions from the ruler of the beat mapping..

..onto the transients or MIDI events of the selected region

to create project tempo automation

This feature is especially

useful when working
with videos in Logic Pro!

Last but not least there is a function accessible with ⌥⌘ T called:

Detect Tempo of Audio Regions

With this function the Tempo of an audio region is

automatically detected and in addition to that you can also use
typically desired options like Half Time, Double Time, 2/3 or 3/2

You can choose to write the detected information into the

audio file, to use the average tempo (usually not desired) and
to apply the Region Tempo to the project!
 Track Stacks
Section 2

The shortcut to create a track stack when having the desired tracks selected is
⇧⌘ D

There are 2 types of track stacks

Folder Stacks offer Mute, Solo and Summing Stacks offer the same
Volume control over the Stack. channel strip options as a Bus
You can not process the sound in channel strip. In fact Logic
the track stack at all! automatically sets up a Bus input
assignment for the summing stack
This type of stack is only for track and respective output
visually tidying up the project! assignments for any tracks within
the summing stack.

You can use this stack type to

visually keep your project tidy and
to process the sounds together!
 Track Alternatives
Section 2

Hit ⌥ T to configure the Track Header components and tick

“Track Alternatives”

You will now see the track alternatives drop-down menu on

the track headers

Left click on it to view all the options you have to

work with track alternatives.

Every alternative is a set of regions!

Instead of creating new tracks with the same channel

strip settings in your mixer, you can create
alternatives if you aren’t sure which set of regions will
make it into the final version!
 Take Folders
Section 2

Take Folders are closely related to Track Alternatives! Even so much so that you can
convert one thing into the other.

Both are ways of managing sets of regions for a track!

To “Pack a Take Folder” select all regions you want to pack into it and hit “⌃⌥⌘ F”

Alternatively: select all your regions, right click and go to “Folder → “Pack Take Folder”

The Take Folder will look like this:

In the top left corner of the Take Folder there are two buttons

The one on the left opens up the take folder. You can now (by clicking on it) select which
take you want to use as the actual region on the track!

The one on the right opens the Take Folder pop-up menu which contains functions to
work further with the content of the take folder

Thats all functions you have for MIDI, but

there is more when it comes to audio!
 Take Folders
Section 2

The audio Take Folder pop-up menu

features more functions like:

Moving the active Take to a New Track

Unpacking the Takes to independent tracks

Quick swipe comping (⌥ Q)

You can also enable or disable Quick Swipe

Comping by clicking on the third button on
the audio Take Folder.

When disabled, you can move the

individual takes in time.

When enabled, you can create a

composition of the takes by clicking and
dragging.

Notice how the resulting audio region

already has fades to avoid clicks!
 Groove Track
Section 2

Right-click on a track header and

select Groove Track from the Track
Header Components Menu

1.

2. 3.

Now you should be able to see a

new quantisation setting in the
region inspector on the regions on
the tracks where you ticked (3.)
Match Groove Track

To make this feature work properly:

Bounce the groove track (if is isn’t audio) in place (⌃ B).
Setting a MIDI-track as the groove track sadly
doesn’t really work :/
 Varispeed
Section 2

Tick the box for “Varispeed” inside of the right click menu of the LCD

Varispeed lets you speed up or slow down your project by a defined percentage:

This is typically used to slow down the project while recording so that afterwards you
can speed the project playback back up. This makes it sound like you can play faster
than you actually can!

Varispeed offers 3 Modes for changing the project Tempo:

Changes playback speed and maintains the pitch

Changes the pitch according to the speed change

(1 Semitone roughly equals a change of 6 %)

Also effects external MIDI tracks, otherwise

similar to “Speed and Pitch”
 Track Groups
Section 2

Track groups allow you to treat multiple tracks like they are the same track.

To assign tracks to groups open the mixer (X) and left click on the Group Slot

The settings for the Groups can be found in the Inspector

(shortcut: I).

Here you can switch your assigned groups on or off, hide them or
rename them.

In the Settings drop-down menu you can determine in what ways

every individual group is supposed to be treated like the same
track.

On the standard setting the Automation Mode, Volume and Mute

is ticked.

Tweaking these parameters on one of the group members will

affect all members of the group similarly!

Even the Track Zoom and the Track Color can be choosen here!
 MIDI FX
Section 2

MIDI FX slots are only available in MIDI and Pattern tracks!

They convert a MIDI input into a MIDI output, just like an Audio FX plugin converts an
audio input into an audio output.

Here is an overview over all 9 stock MIDI FX:

 MIDI FX
Section 2

Now to explain what they do:

Lets you create an Lets you create a Lets you reassign MIDI
arpeggiated MIDI output polyphonic MIDI output events from one MIDI CC to
on the basis of a legato (Chords) an the basis of a a different MIDI CC. It also
MIDI input monophonic MIDI input lets you add to the input
(Notes) value and scale the input
value.

Lets you add an LFO or an Lets you create 0 - 99 Lets you map, offset, and
Envelope Modulator to a repeats of the input MIDI randomise a specific MIDI
specific MIDI Parameter. notes, offset by a defined Parameter input to a
time value, transposed mutilated output.
from the copy before by a
defined transposition value
and played at different
ascending or descending
velocity values.

Lets you write a custom Lets you transpose and Lets you work with velocity
Java script to create your scale quantise the notes on like a compressor works
own MIDI FX plug-in! the MIDI input. with audio.

If you want to code your own MIDI FX plug-in, but you don’t know how to code in
Java, thats no problem!

Many AI models (when using the right prompts) can do it in seconds!

So you don’t need to learn Java to work with the Scripter plug-in!

My go-to ai: perplexity.ai

 Automation
Section 2

With automation you can change any MIDI parameter over time.

The automation modes for each individual channel strip can be

set in the Mixer (X) or on the channel strips in the Inspector (I).

There are 4 different main Automation Modes, some of which can

be used in combination with “Trim” and “Relative”.

There are 9 possible combinations:

Read - (default) reads automation data that is already there

Touch - overwrite existing automation, let go to snap back to existing automation points

Latch - overwrite existing automation, parameter value replaces existing until playback stops

Write - overwrites all parameter values without touching them! (Warning message)

R-Touch - Touch mode for relative automation (only for Volume and Pan)

T-Touch - Touch mode for adding secondary motion data to a preexisting automation

R-Latch - Latch mode for relative automation (only for Volume and Pan)

T-Latch - Latch mode for adding secondary motion data to a preexisting automation

R-Write - Write mode for relative automation (only for Volume and Pan)

To Show / Hide automation use the

keyboard shortcut: A

alternatively: click this button

 Automation
Section 2

In Logic Pro there are 2 types of automation data that you can work with!

1. Region automation

2. Track automation

Region automation takes priority over track automation and will always be moved and stretched
together with the associated region!

Even though there is a feature in the Settings (⌘ ,)

under “Automation” to “Move Track Automation with
Regions” this rarely works properly in complex
situations!

→ If you want to move your track automation data

together with the region it makes more sense to move
the track automation data to the region!

For that, open the right-click menu on your region and

go to “Automation”.

Shortcuts for working with automation:

Automation Settings ⌥A

Select Connected ⇧ Leftclick

Automation Points

Automation Curve Tool ⇧⌃ Leftclick

Stepped Automation ⌥ Pencil

Drawing (Pencil Tool) Tool

Move Current Region ⌃⌘ ↑

Data to Track

Move Current Track Data ⌃⌘ ↓

to Region