Hey all..I've recently been corresponding with a lot of well known producers and customers regarding a product I developed called GridLok (
www.keyfax.com) to get rhythmic 'automation lfos' within Logic.
Well, they've all had various questions about GridLok and automation within Logic...so I figured I'd compile a cohesive list covering the various tricks/tips available within Logic as well as how to build GridLok seemlessly into your Autoload. Most of the tips/tricks are general and can be enjoyed by all Logic users (whether you own GridLok or not) so I figured it'd be useful to post.
Here goes...starts with an index too if you got a particular question and don't feel like reading the whole thing.
GridLok/Logic Quick Guide,Tips and Tricks:
INDEX OF TOPICS COVERED
1) The Real Benefit of Using GridLok (How to convert Object Control Data to Track Automation)
2) In order to take advantage of 'Sample Accuracy' (How to get your Automation sounding tight!)
3) To Copy/Paste and Move Data (How to get your Automation from one track to another)
4) To copy one parameter to another (How to change your volume data to cutoff for example)
5) The easiest ways to Trim Data (How can I bring the level of the whole Automation pattern down a notch, or change its 'width')
6) Building GridLok into your Autoload for seemless integration with Logic (How can I optimize GridLok to be a super easy, quick and creative tool)
1) The Real Benefit...
The real benefit to GridLok comes in V5 and up where you can convert object data (hyperdraw) to track based automation which is sample-accurate by using the OPTIONS-TRACK AUTOMATION-MOVE CURRENT OBJECT DATA TO TRACK AUTOMATION at which point what was Hyperdraw becomes Track Automation, free for you to copy/paste to any parameter automatable within Logic.
If nothings happening, make sure VIEW-TRACK AUTOMATION is enabled in the arrange and that the object and track you're trying to convert is highlighted.
But wait,
2) In order to take advantage...
In order to take advantage of the 'sample-accuracy' which becomes crucial with a lot of the GridLok patterns that have a lot of fast changes, you'll want to be sure that in your AUDIO preferences in Logic that Sample Accurate Automation is selected for VOLUME,PAN,SENDS and PLUG IN PARAMETERS so that things stay super tight!
Now that we're set up for everything to sound tight, lets look at all the various ways of copy/pasting one form of automation data to another.
3) To copy/paste and move data...
Now, to copy/paste and move data in between various tracks in your Logic song, you can go about it in a number of ways.
A) Create an empty Object (select the pencil tool and mouse click. then using finger tool drag) over the duration of the data you wish to copy and drag to your destination of choice in the arrange, at which point you should be prompted to copy/move the data. If you don't get this message its because under TRACK AUTOMATION SETTINGS you must select either ASK or ALWAYS: MOVE AUTOMATION WITH OBJECTS.
Open Automation Folder, only available as user-defined key command and copy/move automation data freely. This means you must go to PREFERENCES-KEY COMMANDS, search using the FIND box for AUTOMATION FOLDER and assign a key command of your choice.
C) Create an empty object, and MOVE CURRENT Track automation data to Object from OPTIONS-Track automation pulldown. Now, packed into an object you can just move that object where you like, or save it for later...copying it into your Autoload for use in other songs.
4) To copy one parameter to another...
If you'd like to copy one parameter to another (volume-cutoff, etc) there are a number of ways to do it. Here is the easiest two ways:
a) On your track, just below the track name, (if track automation view is enabled), you will see your current automation parameter...lets say VOLUME in yellow. While holding down the option key, select and hold VOLUME until the pop-up menu with alternate parameters shows up. Still, while holding option, select the parameter you'd like to convert to and you should be prompted to either 'convert or copy/convert' to your new parameter. Its really easy this way.
Automation Event List Editor: Available only as a user-defined Key Command. Open this window up, highlight the parameter you wish to change and hold down where the current parameter number is displayed (ie cutoff) to see the list of available parameters to change to. Then change.
5) The easiest ways to trim automation data are either in the arrange or event windows.
In the arrange, while inside the object's 'walls', holding the shift key and clicking with the pointer will allow you to select all the points you'd like to trim. Then simply pull up/down and it should work. The behavior is a bit funny though and takes a little experimenting to get used to. If you click from a low node and pull up, once you hit the ceiling you actually start to 'narrow the 'width' of your pattern, at which point you can pull back down from the highest node to get things back to where they were. Give it a try and it'll make sense.
Or, in the event window simply select the automation data and change the value accordingly. Here is where things get interesting if you open up the Transform pulldown and start messing about with the various transform maps (ie Crescendo, Rel. Crescendo, Double Speed, Half Speed). This is how all the 'grooves' created in GridLok were made. They sound great when used as sample-accurate automation, but a bit loose as MIDI data. If you're using hardware synths, you should mess about a bit sending a GridLok template to a synth that recieves CC data and just change NUM 7 Volume in the event list to your desired CC#. While you can use GridLok as a series of Volume Tremelo's/Gate's, things get really interesting when customizing patterns for automating specific parameters. This way, you can turn a simple synth into a dynamic synth with possibilities similar to that of Absynth, with its advanced envelope/lfo functions.
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