osx and logic introduction

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MUSIC TECHNOLOGY

Introduction to OSX and Logic Pro 8

This document is intended to help you get started using the college equipment. Both the Mac Operating

System (OSX) and Logic are very powerful pieces of software, and this is by no means a complete guide to

either! There are many books and documents available which cover both programs in great depth; we will

also be looking in much closer detail at many techniques and aspects of the software that will support you

with your coursework.

When Logic is active, three very useful (and searchable) manuals are available to you at all times from the

Help menu. These are:

- Logic Pro 8 Getting Started: 100 pages covering the basics of all areas of production

- Logic Pro 8 User Manual: a much more detailed manual describing all of Logics functions

- Logic Studio Instruments & Effects: a complete guide to all of Logics plug-ins. Refer to this if

there are any instruments or effects on which you want detailed information! This manual also

includes a guide to the Basics of Synthesis, which is especially useful for the A2 course.

Additional information on all aspects of Macintosh systems and Logic can be found at:

www.apple.com/support

iMacs

Cosmetically, the iMacs are very different to Windows PCs; the computer processor and monitor are housed

in a single unit. There is a CD / DVD drive slot in the right-hand edge of the computer.

Its important to be aware of the Command Key on the keyboard, located to the left and right of the

spacebar. This is used as a shortcut to many everyday commands (in the same way as the CTRL key on a

PC):


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Open File: Command+O Quit Application: Command+Q

Save File: Command+S Print Page: Command+P

Close Window: Command+W Copy: Command+C

New File: Command+N Cut: Command+X

Undo: Command +Z Paste: Command+V

Mac OSX

You will find many similarities to Microsoft Windows when using OSX. Both operating systems are graphical

interfaces that use windows and folders to display and store information, and many working practices are

identical. However there are a few important differences to be aware of.

When you log in, the Finder application is launched. This is the front end of OSX and includes the Desktop,

from which you carry out procedures like:

- launching applications

- creating, opening, moving and closing folders

- moving, copying and trashing files

One of the major differences to Windows is that there is no My Computer folder. The Desktop effectively is

the My Computer folder; all connected drives are visible without having to open a new window. All the icons

for launching applications are contained in the Dock at the bottom of the screen.

The Apple Menu in the top left corner is always visible. From here, you can log out or restart the computer.

The menu bar of the active application runs along the top of the screen.

Drives

When you log in you will see some drive icons on the right hand side of the desktop. The System drive is

where the applications and system resources are stored, and you will not need to open this at any point. If

you plug in a USB flash drive, this will appear on the desktop below the other Drive icons. The important

drives to be aware of are Scratch and APL Students. Within Scratch there should be a folder with your

name, which is where you will save all your Sequencing, Recording and Arranging work.

There is also a folder with your name in the APL Students drive. You w ill use this folder to back up your

work, ideally after every session. You should drag this User folder into the Places tab on the left of the open

Finder window; it will then be listed in any Finder window.

Dont save anything to the Desktop as it will get trashedonlyever save to your Scratch folder, and back

up to your APLStudents folder.


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Logic Pro 8

Logics functionality and appearance is, for the most part, the same as any other DAW (Digital Audio

Workstation) such as Cubase, Digital Performer, Sonar, Pro-Tools etc.

One of the most powerful aspects of Logic is the variety and quality of its native plug-ins. You will be working

almost entirely in-the-box, meaning all your sound sources and effects processing will be handled by Logic

itself, without the need to use any external units or additional software. Any changes you make to sound or

effect settings will be automatically saved as part of your Song File. A project can be recorded, performed,

arranged and mixed entirely within Logic, even up to the point burning a final master CD.

New Projects; Adding Tracks

When you open Logic, the Project Templates window will appear. Select the BrockSequencing template.You will be prompted to save immediately.

You should alwayssave into your folder on the Scratch disk!

If you wish to start a new project at any other time, you can do so either from the File Menu or by pressing

Apple+N. You should choose Brock Sequencingfrom the Project Templates menu.

You can add further Audio or Instrument tracks at any point by clicking the + icon at the top of the Track

List.

The Arrange Page

Unlike many other DAWs, the program works around a single window: the Arrange Page. This can

incorporate all editors and working areas you will need to use, by clicking on various tabs around the screen.

You can also open pages separately from the Windows menu; in the studios, for example, you might want

the Arrange Page on one monitor and the Mixer Page on the other.

The Arrange Page is split into 5 areas - take time to familiarise yourself with them:

- The Inspector & Channel Strips

- The Track List

- The Arrange Area

- The Menu Bar

- The Transport Bar


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1. The Inspector & Channel Strip

This section, on the far left of the screen, displays information about the selected Track / Channel. It can be

shown or hidden by clicking on the blue Inspector button directly above it, or by pressing I.

The Region Info box at the top of the Inspector displays information about the

selected MIDI or Audio region(s), and allows various non-permanent editing

procedures to be used. We will be looking in more detail at the Region Info box in a

future lesson.

The Channel Info box (directly below Region Info) displays information about the

selected channel. You will not normally need to view or alter any settings in here,

and you should hide this box by clicking the small arrow at the top left of the section,

in order to display more of the Channel Strip (below).

The Channel Strip section shows the selected channels Mixer Strip. From top to

bottom, the Channel Strip displays:

- EQ settings

- Inserted plug-ins

- Bus / Aux sends

- I/O (In / Out, including:)

o The Input Device (ie ES M in the picture on the left)

o Output (this will always be Out 1-2)

-Automation mode

- Pan position (the circular dial)

- Volume level (Volume Meter when the selected channel is playing)

- Channel Mute and Solo buttons (plus Mono/Stereo and Rec Enable

buttons in the case of Audio channels)

Dont worry if none of the above means much to you at this stage: the only important things to understand

right now are that:

1. Software Instruments are connected at the Input Device (click and hold on the Input slot)

2. Volume and Pan can be adjusted using the Fader controls


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2. The Track List

The Track List is where you create, select, move and delete Tracks. It displays

all Tracks in your project. There are 3 possible types of Track:

Audio - Software Instrument - External MIDI

For your work on the course, you will be using only Audio and Software

Instrument tracks.

Tracks can be re-named by double-clicking on the track name (eg Inst 1).

Tracks can be reassigned by CTRL+clicking on the track. For example, your

Inst 1 track could be assigned to play back on Inst 2 by selecting:

Reassign Track Object> Mixer> Software Instrument> Inst 2

You can have as many tracks as you like assigned to a single channel: for example, you could have 6 tracks

of drums all assigned to Inst 1.

Every track has a Rec-Enable, Mute and Solo button. Mute and Solo are independentof the equivalent

Channel Strip buttons. (Dont worry if this doesnt make sense: it will!)

3. The Arrange Area

This is the arrangement workspace, which can contain an unlimited number of MIDI and Audio regions,

aligned on horizontal track lanes. Running along the top of the Arrange Area is the Bar Ruler, which displays

bar positions according to your level of Zoom.

The quickest way to set Locators and Cycle (Loop) is to drag from left to right along the top of the Bar Ruler.

The area between the locators will be highlighted green. In the picture below, bars 9-25 have been set to

cycle.


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Clicking once on the highlighted area will switch Cycle off; clicking again will switch it back on. The Start and

End Locators can be moved by dragging the triangular handles; or the whole Locator Range can be

dragged.

Clicking once in the bottom half of the Bar Ruler will cause the Playhead to jump to that position; the

Playhead can also be dragged.

You can zoom in and out of the Arrange Area by dragging the Zoom sliders at the bottom right corner, or by

using the Arrow keys while holding down the Apple key.

The Arrangement Area is also where your Mix Automation will be displayed (when you begin to use it).

4. The Menu Bar

The tabs in the Menu Bar provide access to window/object-specific functions. For now, the only important

items to be aware of are:

- The highlighted Running Man icon on the left. Activating this causes the display to jump to the

Playhead location (ie the current song position).

- The Tool Selection boxes at the far right of the Menu Bar. As well as selecting a Primary mouse

tool, you can select a Secondary tool, which is accessed by holding down the Apple key.

Be aware that you can have different Primary and Secondary mouse tools selected for the Arrange Page

and eachof the editor pages (Piano Roll, Score, List, Mixer, Sample Edit).

5. The Transport Bar

The Transport Bar runs along the bottom of the screen, and contains all the controls for playback, recording

and navigation within your project.

Time Signature/

Transport Controls Locators Beat Division Cycle Click On/Off

| | | | |

| | | |

Current Song Position Tempo / MIDI Activity Solo

(minutes / seconds and Project Length

bars / beats ) in bars

Short Cuts


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Almost all of Logics functions can be accessed via Key Commands (keyboard shortcuts). Here are a few of

the most important key commands to be aware of:

Play Enter (on keypad) Cycle On/Off /

Stop 0 (on keypad) Solo Selected S

Record * (on keypad) Click On/Off Shift+/

Play/Stop Spacebar Zoom G and H

A full list of Key Commands can be found in the Logic Preferences menu.

Toolbox

The Toolbox, if needed, can be accessed at any time by pressing the Esc key. The tools available are

dependent on which window area you are in (eg Arrange Area, Piano Roll Editor, Score Editor etc); eacharea has its own set of tools.

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