. Misc. Tips & Tricks

  1. How do I import preferences from Logic-OS9 into Logic-OSX?
  2. How do I backup my keycommands?
  3. Logic 6 OSX: Where's the Setup Assistant?
  4. Logic 6: Help file doesn't work
  5. Mac OSX, Logic 5 and 6 installed: Help files get confused
  6. How do I include text-notes (about e.g. mixer setting, etc) in my song?
  7. What are EDL and OMF?
  8. I want a big SMPTE display, but also want the normal transport controls
  9. How do I put lyrics in Logic songs?
  10. Unitor 8 MkII - How to setup click input to toggle record/stop in Logic with internal sync?
  11. How do I calculate the number of samples per beat?
  12. What's the use of the 'pause' function, as opposed to start/stop?

.1 How do I import preferences from Logic-OS9 into Logic-OSX?

Simply move the file "/System Folder/Preferences/Logic 5 Preferences" to folder "/Users/YourUserName/Library/Preferences" and rename it to "info.emagic.logic".

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.2 How do I backup my keycommands?

Question: Is there a file that contains all userdefined keycommands, so I could simply make a backup and overwrite after a new install, instead of reconfiguring my keycommand-set?

Answer: Yes, there is. On PC's it's called Logicxx.prf and is located in C:\Windows. On Macs it's "System Folder : Preferences : Logic x Preferences". If you want to import key commands from a preferences file, open the Key Commands window and from the Options menu pick "Import Key Commands".

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.3 Logic 6 OSX: Where's the Setup Assistant?

There are two ways:

Remove Logics preferences (~/Library/Preferences/info.emagic.logic) and start Logic and the LSA will come up automatically. It's a good idea to save the preferences before you use LSA anyway.

Show the Logic package contents by Control-clicking the application icon and selecting "Show Package Contents". You'll find LSA in Contents/Resources - double-click it to run it.

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.4 Logic 6: Help file doesn't work

After installing LA6, an entire Help folder has been installed in the "Help" Folder in the System folder. It is accessed by choosing "Help Center" from Logic's Help Menu, NOT by choosing "Logic Platinum Help" as in v. 5.

The "lp6 help" file (in the Logic application folder) is corrupted. If you want it to work like it used to, you need to copy the old "lp5 help" file into the Logic 6 folder and get rid of the "lp6 help" file. You will get Logic 6 help since it has been updated in the system folder during installation.

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.5 Mac OSX, Logic 5 and 6 installed: Help files get confused

If you have both Logic 5.x and Logic 6 installed on OS X, there is a problem when using the on-line help with Logic 6: the system will always direct you to the Logic 5 help! And because the opening pages of the Logic 5 and Logic 6 online help files look the same, you probably won't notice it until you get deep into the content.

Another problem arises when you search for a topic (like "autodrop", for example) and you get two entries: one for Logic 5 and one for Logic 6. The problem is they are both identified as "Logic Platinum Help". You don't know which result is for what program.

Well, this was driving me nuts, so I decided to go and fix it. Here are the steps you have to follow:

DISCLAIMER: this involves modifying files in the Logic application bundle. This is pretty safe if you know what you are doing, but I imagine Emagic/Apple would STRONGLY urge you against doing this. You backup of your Logic files before doing this. But then, you should backup your Logic files anyway :)

  1. Go to your Logic 6 app in Finder. The easiest way to do this (if you have logic 6 on your dock) is to click-hold on its dock icon and select "show in finder" from the menu.
  2. Ctrl-click on the Logic 6 app icon (on my system it is called "Logic Platinum 6.0.0") and select "Show package contents" from the menu.
  3. Double-click on "Contents"
  4. Open Info.plist in your favorite text editor. You will have to drag-and-drop it on the editor as you cannot navigate to this file using the standard File->Open... dialog.
  5. Towards the bottom of the file, you'll see this block of text:
    |<key>CFBundleHelpBookFolder</key>
    <string>Logic Platinum Help</string>
    <key>CFBundleHelpBookName</key>
    <string>Logic Platinum Help</string>
     
    Change it to:
    <key>CFBundleHelpBookFolder</key>
    <string>Logic 6 Platinum Help</string>
    <key>CFBundleHelpBookName</key>
    <string>Logic 6 Platinum Help</string>
     
    and save.
     
  6. Back in the Finder, double-click Resources and then whatever language you view your help in. I opened "English.lproj".
  7. Rename the folder "Logic Platinum Help" to "Logic 6 Platinum Help", then double-click on it.
  8. Rename "Logic Platinum Help idx" to "Logic 6 Platinum Help idx". Rename "Logic Platinum Help.htm" to "Logic 6 Platinum Help.htm"
  9. Open "Logic 6 Platinum Help.htm" in your favorite text editor. Change the line <META NAME="AppleTitle" CONTENT="Logic Platinum Help">to <META NAME="AppleTitle" CONTENT="Logic 6 Platinum Help">
  10. Restart Logic (if it's running).

Now when you click on help, you'll always be directed to Logic 6's help page. In addition, if you open up the help library or search for a keyword, the files that belong to Logic 6's help will be clearly identified as "Logic 6 Platinum Help".

YMMV, but if this messes you up, it should be pretty easy to undo it all. It's also possible that you could do all of the above to your Logic 5 installation so that you don't have to worry about screwing 6 up, but I haven't tried it. It's just a theory.

Also, I'm not sure if all of the above is necessary, particularly the renaming the directory and changing CFBundleHelpBookFolder. This is just what worked for me.

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.6 How do I include text-notes (about e.g. mixer setting, etc) in my song?

Use Markers. Open the Marker List window (main menu, Options > Marker > Open List). Use the window's Options menu > Marker > Create to create as many Markers as you want. Click on the window's book-icon to flip to text-input mode, so you can type in any text you want. Use the same book-icon to flip back to the list again and pick the next Marker for text-editing. Make a Marker for lyrics, a Marker for mixer setup, one for special notes, etc... I just place them all in the first few measures of the song. The open Marker as Float function is very handy too.

Note that Markers with a length of 1 tick do get infinite length (well, until the end of song, that is). To have finite markers, give them any length > 1.

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.7 What are EDL and OMF?

EDL: Edit Decision List.

This is a text format list showing the timecode position of the clips that are used in a project. Therefore, all tapes need to have timecode and a unique name like "Atmos of the naked silver chick". The tapes are digitized and edited and the EDL is exported. Exporting the EDL allows any other system, which understands the EDL, to reconstruct the edits. There are some different formats, which covers also fades etc.

OMF: Open Media Framework.

Another format that allows you to export & import projects from / to other systems. You need to create an OMF Composition file, which is close to an EDL and the clips consolidated to a hard drive. There are some websites describing these procedures. Enter "OMF export" into your search engine.

These import export things are very usable but not easy to handle. 

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.8 I want a big SMPTE display, but also want the normal transport controls

You can open multiple Transport windows; One could have the SMPTE display only, the other could have Transport controls. Mix and match. You can also have a transport integrated into the Arrange window, in the upper left hand corner. Then you'd only need the floating transport window to display the big SMPTE time.

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.9 How do I put lyrics in Logic songs?

Key in or play in your melody. Open the Score window. Click the 'A' part-button from the buttons right below the toolbox. Right below that you'll now see a.o. a 'lyrics' partbox-object. Drag the 'lyrics' object to right below the note where you want your lyrics to start (the top of the window where normally the menubar is will turn blue-green and have the text "insert lyric"). Type in the lyrics: hit tab (and not return) to move from one note to the next

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.10 Unitor 8 MkII - How to setup click input to toggle record/stop in Logic with internal sync?

You should set up two otherwise unused controller messages for Phase 1 and Phase 3 and assign these to the key commands "Play" and "Stop".

Or you set up the same controller message for both Phase 1 and Phase 3 and assign it to key command "Play or Stop".

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.11 How do I calculate the number of samples per beat?

Say you have X beats (quarter notes) per minute (BPM) = 60 seconds. Then one beat takes up 60/X seconds.

If you record with a 44.1k sample rate, you have 44100 samples per second. And so one quarter = 60/X seconds = 60/X * 44100 samples. Divide by 2 for eighths, etc. Use 48000 instead of 44100 when recording at 48k of course.

Example: the song is at 90 bpm, and you want to know how many samples are in a 1/8 note. 60/90 * 44100 = 29400 samples for a 1/4, so a 1/8 is 29400/2 = 14700 samples.

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.12 What's the use of the 'pause' function, as opposed to start/stop?

Pressing play in cycle mode starts playback from the cycle start point, but pressing pause and then play is a very quick way of starting playback from the current cursor position.

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