Logic - rows of notes

Author: admin
Date: 06-Jun-02

Copying or creating rows of notes in dance is a routine task, so you want to do it quickly and painlessly - here's how in Logic Audio...

First learn and START TO USE the command CTRL+K to open the copy dialog box, it floats and is easy to pop up....



that's the menu command, but it takes some getting used to to use keystrokes but it's so much faster - MAKE YOURSELF USE THE KEYSTOKE to open the dialog panel - it is SO worth getting into the habit in Logic to use key commands for certain common tasks.....

So... let's do a simple fast staccatto synth pulsing 16th row of notes - after the row is created you can drag the notes around verticaly to experiment with the pitch of the 16 'steps'...

For newbies: To get the most out of these sort of staccatto patterns, also set your synth amp emvelope sustain & release settings to very low/minimum and lower the decay to taste...



16th note rows - easy

Set the dialog box like the image below - We're copying from Left locator = 1 1 1 1 (the first beat/first bar) - to - Right locator = 1 1 2 1 (the second sub-beat start-point at the selected quantise/grid value) - In this first example we are set to 16th's... the [Q] quantise setting box shows /16th and with a TIME-SIGNATURE of 4/4 we see on the the grid, 4 beats as thin white vertical lines and each contains 4 sub-beats - 4 x 4 = 16



Number of copies - In this case to make a row of 16th's we need: 15 copies + the original one existing = 16 to make a fast row of 16th notes... The black vertical bar moves around to match the DESTINATION start-point.

It's easy to see how it works in collaboration with the little black & green quantise/grid setting box on the lower part of the left-hand parameters column.... Just switch Quantise/grid value a few times and reset the black vertical line to the new DESTINATION point.

32nd note rows - easy

IF you set the quantise/grid setting box to 32nd the grid changes to reflect this - Now we have 4 beats, each devided into 8 sub beats which = 32 - If you want fast staccatto notes such as snare drum or synth etc at ANY of the quantise possibilities, then draw in your single note first making sure it is shorter than a single Quantise division on the grid - To do that use the pencil tool and ALT key to drag the end of the note shorter... make it so it is a tad shorter than one division on the grid.



Now, for the Number of Copies... In the previous 16th's example the NUMBER OF COPIES setting if 15 we used would only copy 1/2 a bar of 32nd notes at this resolution of quantise/grid, so change the COPIES amount to 31 for creating a row of 32nd notes....

64th note rows - easy



Getting the hang of it?.... For 64th's put in a 64th quantise/grid length note and the same settings again for 'Left right locator', but with: COPIES = 63 giving you a perfect row of 64ths etc..



Use your eyes watching the black vertical column for your copy start point (DESTINATION) rather than the numbers in the dialog box rows and you wont go far wrong. - Wherever the black vertical line is, that's where the 'Number of Copies will start to be pasted in (mode = COPY MERGED)

The 'Left/Right Locator' settings: '1 1 1 1 - 1 1 2 1' always copies ONE note at the set quantise value on the quantise/grid settings box on the left-side column next to the work area.

Newbie extra tips

Well there ya go, it's another useful feature for makers of dance using Logic who ain't figured it out.... For newbies you can create these 'rows' and use them like a STEP SEQUENCER - Think of the notes as even steps like on a Rebirth sequencer grid, then use note Pitch & Velocity only to create new idea's.....

For example, use the Velocity HYPER-DRAW to view velocity of the notes - (View/Hyper Draw/Note Velocity) - and use the handy 'VELOCITY-TOOL' which is the little square toolbox icon with a little 'V' in the middle.....



See the Blue Hyper-Draw area with the last note of each group of 4 sub-beats is lowered in Velocity - Notice also how the actual notes on the grid change colour as you alter their velocity so the lower notes are Dark Blue and the louder ones are green/yellow (and loudest is Red).... Use that VELOCITY-tool and simply click on a note (or lasso a cluster of notes) and drag up/down and watch the Velocity level go up and down in the blue Hyperdraw area below.... What is nice with the VELOCITY-Tool is that if you 'Lasso' a cluster of notes with and drag up/down they ALL change velocity but keep their 'relative' values offset against each other! - very handy!!

Anyways for newbies this is a great way to learn about the value of velocity in creating grooves and it's easy to come up with cool idea's for anyone wirking in this 'STEP' style format of working with 16 or whatever equal steps in a pattern.... Also fo course it imitates the sequencer style of triggering for many older analog sequencer synths....

So, adjust the velocity of some of the notes in the row to create new pulsing patterns...drop notes out by lowering their velocity REAL low BUT not completely!... that 'Not completely' add's something to the pulse of a pattern... Try simply doing a bog-standard technique, like LOWERING the velocity of the LAST note in every cluster of 4 as in the image above...

Just lower the velocity of that note to about 20 or 10, really low and listen again... experiment with that to create new patterns and combine it of course with adjusting note pitch for the 'steps' by simply dragging them up or down verticaly on the piano-roll grid... simple... It's nice way to come up with new unexpected patterns....

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'Logic - rows of notes'


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