Using Edits to Create Parts


Look at the length of the Rhythm Guitar 1 Region on Track 1. It ends about halfway through the Bass Solo Region. This is because the original recorded part from the tracking session did not contain any material for the Bass Solo or Coda sections, which were added later in production. Punching in or adding additional recorded material is not an option at this point because the tracking session has long since passed. Instead let's look at ways to extend the existing material using editing techniques.

1.

Choose File > Open.

2.

In the file selector, choose ~ > Music > Advanced Logic 7_Song Files > Lesson 07 Project Files > 07_Sintra_Start.lso.

This is the same song used in the last lesson, but at a different stage of production. You will be using this song file in the following exercises.

3.

Use the Goto Next/Previous key commands (the greater-than and less-than keys) to locate to the beginning of the Bass Solo section (as well as setting the locators).

4.

Use the "Zoom to fit Locators" key command (Ctrl-Shift-Z) to zoom in to the Bass Solo section.

The window adapts to encompass the Bass Solo section.

5.

In the Transport pane, click the Cycle button.

A cycle Region is created around the Bass Solo section.

6.

In Track 1, click the Track Solo button.

The Bar Ruler displays in yellow, indicating that Solo mode is turned on.

NOTE

The Region or Regions on a track with Track Solo enabled should be surrounded by a thin yellow line, which specifies the soloed material.

7.

Play the song, listening to the Rhythm Guitar track.

8.

Click the Stop button when you are familiar with the material.

In this exercise you will copy and paste the arpeggiated chords at the beginning of the Bass Solo to extend the track through the Coda section. The waveform is rather small in this quiet section, so to make an accurate edit, it is necessary to zoom in on the waveform.

9.

Use the "Waveform vertical zoom in" key command (CtrlShiftdown arrow) to magnify the waveform to its maximum resolution.

The waveform magnifies.

10.

Using the Scissors tool, click the Rhythm Guitar 1 Region at measure 69 (you can use the help tags to position accurately).

The Region divides at measure 69, creating a new Region with the label Rhythm Guitar 1.2.

NOTE

Logic automatically assigns sequential numbers to newly created Regions.

11.

Switch back to the Arrow tool.

12.

While holding down the Option key, drag the new Region (Rhythm Guitar 1.2) to the right, copying the Region to start at measure 72.

The Region is copied, creating a new Region, Rhythm Guitar 1.3, that overlaps the previous Region at measure 72.

13.

Option-drag the Rhythm Guitar 1.3 Region to the right, copying the Region to begin at measure 75.

The Region is copied, creating a new Region, Rhythm Guitar 1.4, at measure 75.

14.

Using the same technique, copy the Rhythm Guitar 1.4 Region to begin at measure 78.

The Region is copied, creating a new Region, Rhythm Guitar 1.5, at measure 78.

NOTE

You can use the Zoom Horizontal Out key command (Ctrlleft arrow) to see the entire area encompassing the extended part.

Take a moment to observe something important. Look closely at the Regions you just moved and copied. You'll notice dotted lines located close to measures 73, 76, and 79. These lines represent the ends of the previous Regions that are lying underneath each copied Region.

When two Regions overlap, the topmost Region takes precedence during playback.

15.

Using the Arrow tool, select the four copied regions (Rhythm Guitar 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5) by rubber-band selecting them.

You might have noticed that the Region lengths seem to visually shift before you release the mouse button. Although the song will play back appropriately, with each Region sounding at the right location, it can get visually confusing. You can easily fix this by using a function to eliminate the overlaps.

16.

From the Arrange window's local menu, choose Regions > Remove Overlaps.

Each underlying Region is trimmed at the point of overlap.

Using Fades to Smooth Out Transitions

When combining Regions, you often will hear a short click at the seam of each edit. This is not unusual, and it is created by an interruption in the audio waveform at a non-zero point (a point where signal is present). In effect, each Region's audio waveform is clipped just shy of the ending or beginning of a sound.

This can easily be fixed using cross fades, a technique that automatically performs a quick fade-out, fade-in at the edit point so that the clicks won't be heard. Let's take a look at some of the ways you can quickly employ fades to smooth out transitions.

1.

With the four Regions (Rhythm Guitar 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5) still selected, use the Set Locators by Objects key command ("|" key).

The cycle Region now adapts to the newly created passage.

2.

Click the Play button to hear the passage with the copied Regions.

Listen for the short clicks between the edited Regions. Now take a look at the Region Parameter box, located immediately to the left of Track 1. Note that the box displays 4 selected, indicating that any adjustments made to the parameters in the box will affect all four selected Regions. You will be working with one of these parametersthe Fade parameter.

3.

In the Region Parameter box, click-hold Out next to the Fade parameter, and choose X from the pop-up menu.

This enables a cross-fade option.

Nothing has changed within the Regions themselves yet. This is because you haven't determined a length for the fade.

4.

Double-click the number 0 to the right of the Fade parameter, and enter 10 in the input box.

The edit seams now display a cross fade (represented by a dotted green shape) at each edit point lasting exactly 10 milliseconds (ms).

5.

Play the song to listen to the passage with the cross fades.

The passage plays with smooth audio transitions between the Regions.

The last Region has a short fade-out drawn at its end from the previous procedure. When a selected Region with no neighbor is set for a cross fade, Logic will create a fade-out or fade-in by default, depending on where the adjoining material is located in relation to the Region.

However, the 10 ms setting you input, while perfect for quick cross fades between Regions, is far too short for the fade-out at the end. To correct this, you can draw a fade manually, with the help of the Fade tool.

6.

Select the Fade tool in the toolbox.

7.

Drag directly over the Rhythm Guitar 1.5 Region, starting at measure 81 and ending slightly after the Region end.

A fade-out is created from measure 81 to the end of the Region.

Play the song to hear the passage with the fade-out at the end.

Using Existing Material to Fix Problems

Often, a perfectly good take might contain a small problem with a performance, an instrument, an extraneous noise, or even with the recording process. By using carefully placed edits, you can substitute a passage of identical material for the problem segment.

1.

Using the Goto Next/Previous Marker commands, go to the Verse 1 section.

The cycle Region adapts to the Verse 1 section as well.

The waveform magnification isn't needed here because the amplitude is at a sufficient level to easily see the waveform.

Let's continue by returning the waveform to its normal display state.

2.

Repeatedly press CtrlShiftdown arrow ("Waveform vertical zoom out") to shrink the waveform down to its original size (until the waveform stops shrinking).

3.

Play the passage (Verse 1).

Verse 1 plays with an audible warble around the fourth beat of bar 7.

The perceived warble was caused by a glitch in the recording process, most likely from the audio interface. All is not lost, however, as the verse is repeated two other times with the same musical material.

By finding an identical passage, we can replace the bad section with a copy from a good take. A perfect choice is the equivalent point within Verse 2, starting around the fourth beat of measure 15.

Let's zoom in to this area to make a precise edit.

4.

Using the Magnifying Glass tool, rubber-band select measures 1517.

NOTE

Depending on the size of your display, you might need to scroll over to the right to perform this selection.

Now it is time to make the edit. You could do this by cutting and copying as you did on the tail end of the track, but this requires multiple steps, including cutting around the desired material, copying to the new location, and then eliminating the overlaps. Instead, try one of Logic's handiest editing tools: the Marquee tool.

The Marquee tool allows you to select material for editing within Regions without having to cut them up. It can work across multiple Regions at once or in a single Region, depending on the task required.

5.

Select the Marquee tool in the toolbox.

6.

Drag directly over the Rhythm Guitar 1.1 Region, starting at 15 4 3 1 and ending at 17 1 1 1.

Tip

Use the help tags to precisely position the edit points.

The selected passage is highlighted within the Region.

7.

Click the Play button, but stop the song before the Song Position Line (SPL) reaches the end of the screen. This will keep the display from scrolling when the SPL reaches the window border.

The song starts playing from the Marquee selection.

NOTE

The song will always play from the Marquee selection when the normal Play command is used, regardless of a set cycle Region or the current song position. This is handy for quickly locating and auditioning material within Regions.

8.

Using the Zoom tool, click the gray area of the Arrange window where there are no Regions.

The window zooms back to the previous zoom level, with the Marquee selection still highlighted.

Now that you have selected the material to copy, it's time to place it at the desired position. If you were to perform the copy as you did previously (with an Option-drag), the Regions would overlap. Instead, you can create a splice without an overlap by using an alternative drag mode. Drag modes are available only in the Arrange window, and they act as preferences for moving Regions.

9.

Click the Drag pop-up menu in the top right corner of the Arrange window, and choose No Overlap.

As the name suggests, No Overlap is used in situations where you don't want to create overlapped Regions. In this mode, placing a selected Region over another automatically trims the underlying Region and eliminates overlaps.

10.

Select the Arrow tool.

11.

Option-drag the Marquee selection to the left, placing it at 7 4 3 1.

The passage is copied to the new location, creating cuts in the original Region at the start and end points of the copied Region.

12.

Click the Play button to hear the edit.

The edit works well but has an audible click at the first edit point.

13.

Select the copied Region and the adjacent Region immediately to its left by Shift-selecting with the Arrow tool.

14.

In the Region Parameter box, choose a cross fade of 10 ms, as you did previously.

  • Cross fades of 10 ms are created at both edit points.

15.

Click the Play button to hear the material with the cross fades.

16.

Click the Track Solo button to turn solo off.



Apple Pro Training Series Advanced Logic Pro 7
Apple Pro Training Series: Advanced Logic Pro 7
ISBN: 0321256077
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 166
Authors: David Dvorin

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net