Using Audio Objects

The channels listed in the Audio Configuration window are always available and ready for usebut first you have to assign them to Audio Objects. The Audio Object itself initializes the channel and then acts as a virtual channel strip that you can use to control the channel's sound. Audio Objects are the last link that connects Logic to your audio interface, and their primary function is to show Logic where and how to send audio signals.

Creating and Populating an Audio Layer

In Lesson 11 you created a couple of new Environment layers to hold MIDI Instrument Objects. Now, it's time to make a new Environment layer for Audio Objects and create your first one.

1.	Press Cmd-8 to open the Environment window. The Environment window opens and displays the layer that was onscreen the last time you used the Environment.
2.	From the Environment's Layer menu, choose Create! An unnamed layer is created.
3.	On the Layer menu, double-click the word (unnamed) to open a text box, then name the layer Audio.
4.	From the Environment's local menu bar, choose New > Audio Object. TIP You can (and should!) assign a key command to create new Audio Objects. Check out the Environment Window section of the Key Commands window. Cmd-Ctrl-A (A for "Audio Object") is a good choice. An unnamed Audio Object appears in the Environment's Audio layer. This Object looks like a little rectangular icon.
5.	Double-click the new Audio Object icon. The Object expands into a channel strip! This is called the channel view, and it looks just like a channel strip on a standard hardware mixing console. The channel view provides an interface to control and manipulate a channel's sound by boosting or attenuating (lowering) the volume, changing a sound's pan position, and inserting digital signal processing (DSP) effects. TIP Audio Objects can be reduced by double-clicking the top left corner of an Object that is in channel view.

Exploring Audio Object Parameters

Audio Objects are the chameleons of Logic. An Audio Object can assume the form of any audio channel available to your systema track channel, an Audio Instrument channel, a bus, or an output. It's up to you to determine what each Audio Object will be, and you do so by specifying which channel the Audio Object will play out of. This is the single most important concept about Audio Objects, so let's create an audio track, an Audio Instrument, a bus, and an Output Object to see how it works.

1.	In the Environment's Object Parameter box, click and hold the word Track1 (to the right of the Channel parameter). A hierarchical menu opens to display a list of available channels. NOTE Items in boldface indicate that the channel is assigned to an Audio Object in the Environment. In the example, only Track 1 is assigned to an Audio Object, so only Track 1 is bold.
2.	Leave the Channel parameter set to Track 1. The Audio Object has been named ( Audio Object ) . That doesn't tell you very much about its function, and in fact, it's best to give all Objects descriptive names that indicate the type of channel the Audio Object represents, such as electric guitar or lead vocal . TIP Names in parentheses are provided by Logic. If you see such a name , it's a good idea to change it to something more descriptive of the Object's purpose.
3.	At the top of the Object Parameter box, click the words ( Audio Object ), and name the Audio Object Track 1 .
4.	Create a new Audio Object and expand it to the channel view.
5.	This time, from the Object Parameter box's Channel menu, choose Instrument > Instrument 1. The Audio Object becomes an Audio Instrument channel.
6.	Name the Object Inst 1 .
7.	Click and hold the channel's Input slot, and assign an Audio Instrument. The Audio Instrument opens in a plug-in window.
8.	Close the Instrument plug-in window.
9.	Create a new Audio Object and expand it to the channel view.
10.	From the Object Parameter box's Channel menu, choose Bus > Bus 1.
11.	Name the Object Bus 1 .
12.	Create a new Audio Object and expand it to the channel view.
13.	From the Object Parameter box's Channel menu, choose OutputStereo > Output 1-2.
14.	Name the Object Output 1-2 . Voil! You now have four Audio Objects, and each is assigned to a different audio channel. As you can see, it's very easy to create exactly the type and number of Audio Objects you need for your unique way of making music.