Logic -- How do you "Consolidate" audio (like Pro Tools)

[Gregg Sartiano]

In PT, you highlight the track from measure 1 to the end of the track, then Edit> Consolidate (option-shift-3).

What procedure would yield consolidated single audio files on each track from measure 1 in Logic?

Thanks.

[Mannie]

I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but if you're talking about making all audio regions on one track just one region, then you can use the glue tool. Click the track, and all the regions on it are selected, then click the selected regions with the glue tool. The regions will be combined into one whole region and will replace the other regions in the arrange page.

[Gregg Sartiano]

The end result I'm after is combining each track into a single sound file -- this way, if I import these sound files into Pro Tools and spot them to Bar 1, I'd have a mixable PT session.

[Mannie]

I thought that might be waht you were after.

File -> Export -> All Tracks As Audio Files

[Gregg Sartiano]

Tried that & got "no audio to bounce" or something.

[Lagerfeldt]

If the starting point is not important you can use the glue function to merge the audio files.

There's also the Convert Regions to Individual Audio Files, which won't glue them but make individual new copies.

When the starting point is important you have two choices:

A) Bounce the relevant track. Cmd+click any mute button and unmute the track before bouncing. You can use the locator bar to set the start/stop points, or you can type them in the bounce dialog window.

or

B) Use the File>Export function.

If you get that error message you should check your outputs or any other signs why no audio is available?

[Gregg Sartiano]

Trying to get starting point at Bar 1.

[illynoise]

It's in the export section, all tracks I think. Not bounce. It does the same thing, but it bounces all of the tracks at once.

You have to make sure that your end locator is at the end of the objects otherwise it will bounce to the end of 385 bars or something like that. NOT THE loop bar!

BaseJase
Illynoise

[bleen]

Gregg, put a little snippet of silence at the beginning of each bar, then use the text tool (the "I-beam" in the Toolbox) to click on each slice and name it appropriately for each track (or all your new regions will have the name of that first region). Now click on the track name in the track list (to the left of the main Arrange area) so that all the regions on a track are selected. Select the Glue tool and click on one of the regions of the track - Logic will throw up a dialog box informing you that you are about to create a new audio file. Do so.

Continue that routine for each track. When you're done, go to the Audio Files folder associated with the session, sort by Date Created, grab all the ones you just made and copy 'em to your PT session.

WAY more involved than PT's Consolidate, but it'll work fine. I do it all the time.

[sonnylarsen]

I do this pretty often as I like to compose in Logic (Express) and Mix in Pro Tools. All I do is Solo the track I want and then go to File ->Bounce and choose the appropriate options. This gives me a single track that starts at Bar 1 regardless of where the actual audio starts. I do this with each track individually and they line up perfectly in PT.

[Switchcraft]

push J.

[bleen]

The problem with the "Bounce" command is that it will bounce plug-ins on that track with the audio and bounce automation. If you don't want those on there because you're mixing wth PT and using PT plug-ins and auto, using the Glue tool is the way to go.

[quincyg]

i think he is trying to export splits/stems. i.e. one consolidated region for each track.
export all tracks should work for you. it only exports tracks that are not muted and i don't think it works for tdm tracks. it will automatically start each track from bar one and it does not export effects, volume or panning. i wish it gave you a choice for effects.

if you want to bounce with effects , panning and volume then solo one track at a time and do an offline bounce, which will be faster. if you have outboard efx then you gotta do it real time.

[bleen]

Originally Posted by quincyg

i think he is trying to export splits/stems. i.e. one consolidated region for each track.
export all tracks should work for you. it only exports tracks that are not muted and i don't think it works for tdm tracks. it will automatically start each track from bar one and it does not export effects, volume or panning. i wish it gave you a choice for effects.

From the Logic 7 Manual:

"The File > Export menu also features several Export functions for Regions and tracks. These allow you to render audio or Audio Instrument tracks with all active effects and automation into a single new audio file."

[Geert van den Berg]

Originally Posted by bleen

From the Logic 7 Manual:

"The File > Export menu also features several Export functions for Regions and tracks. These allow you to render audio or Audio Instrument tracks with all active effects and automation into a single new audio file."

Then zero all the faders, disable the track-automation, put the panning to centre and disable all FX...

Export seems the fastest way to deal with this I think...

[Lagerfeldt]

Originally Posted by Geert van den Berg

Then zero all the faders, disable the track-automation, put the panning to centre and disable all FX..

Would selecting a blank channel strip or stripping it be faster? Of course automation would still have to be disabled manually

[Geert van den Berg]

I have no idea Lagerfeldt, you tell me, I guess you could indeed make as many new tracks as you need and then just drag all the audio to those empty tracks, but then you'd still have to name them properely (or doesn't the exports get named after their tracks), so I think that the other suggestion (disabling everything) is faster, or did you mean something else...

After all I am not a Logic user, just thinking along here!

[boody]

Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

Would selecting a blank channel strip or stripping it be faster? Of course automation would still have to be disabled manually

...just delete all plugs in the audio configuration, delete all automation data in the trackautomation options, export tracks and _don't_ save...

cheers
budy

[quincyg]

Originally Posted by bleen

From the Logic 7 Manual:

"The File > Export menu also features several Export functions for Regions and tracks. These allow you to render audio or Audio Instrument tracks with all active effects and automation into a single new audio file."

my bad. i got it backwards. so i guess i wish export gave u the option to not render efx and panning.

[doubledecker]

Wow, this is tipically Logic.It's a very simple operation, but even longtime users don't know how to do it

[T_R_S]

I use Logic and the only way if could figure it out is use the export tracks as audio files command and bring them back (re-import) into Logic

[oscar_wonderboy]

Originally Posted by doubledecker

Wow, this is tipically Logic.It's a very simple operation, but even longtime users don't know how to do it

Back to the troll cave with you, damn it!!

Anyway;
I´ve transfered a lot of mixes to PT. I always do what bleen suggested. It works.
Print the effects you wanna keep, then, in short:

1. add sound snippet to bar 1 of each track
2. name snippets
3. glue
4. copy

Yeah, it is faster in PT, but let´s not start debating pros and cons of different daws.

[Gebo]

I was trying to glue stuff the other day and it was doing some wierd stuff. I had a bass track that had some wierd harmonic-type noise (from muting during a drum break). I went in and using the scizzors, cut out the noise. Than I wanted to consolidate the track to I could keep my files organized. When I selected all the sections and used the glue tool, it brought back the old parts I had deleted to fill in the gap, which doesnt really make sense... I was really annoying. I used some other thing and created a new file, but it took longer than I would like. Is there an easier way, or am I doing something wrong.

[Switchcraft]

Whats wrong with selecting a sound file at teh begining and at the end and pushing J? I dont think I ever made a shortcut for this, I think it is the default. It cant get much more easier than that. It renders a new file from the first to the last.

[Gebo]

I never tried that, Im new to logic, Ill check it out.

I had a crazy problem with Logic the other day, Ill just ask here (pardon the hijack). I opened a file that I had been working on and it said something about 6 invalid files or regions. In the session, there was 6 tracks in a song that were missin, and in there place was the tracks from another song (that was later in the session). I had backed up the file, so I opened the backup, and it did the same thing, but with only two tracks, but, different tracks. I had to go in a piece it back together - reimporting the files from the back up and the original. It was really ****ed, and there was a client there watching me freak out. Why would it do this?

[octatonic]

Originally Posted by doubledecker

Wow, this is tipically Logic.It's a very simple operation, but even longtime users don't know how to do it

But at least we can spell "typically".

I use the glue tool to join regions- you can then save selection as a new audio file (I do this from the sample edit window, but you can probably do it from the arrange also.

[octatonic]

Originally Posted by Gebo

I never tried that, Im new to logic, Ill check it out.

I had a crazy problem with Logic the other day, Ill just ask here (pardon the hijack). I opened a file that I had been working on and it said something about 6 invalid files or regions. In the session, there was 6 tracks in a song that were missin, and in there place was the tracks from another song (that was later in the session). I had backed up the file, so I opened the backup, and it did the same thing, but with only two tracks, but, different tracks. I had to go in a piece it back together - reimporting the files from the back up and the original. It was really ****ed, and there was a client there watching me freak out. Why would it do this?

Ah... this old one... this is due to a lack of organization on your behalf.

Make sure you name audio per song.
If you have thousands of "audio 01", "audio 02" then you are asking for trouble.
I am guessing you do.

Develop a naming convention for songs, use the project manager and/or use "Save a Project" faily often. Then stick to it.

Also save incrementally- ie "Song_1", "Song_2", "Song_3" and save them to the same folder.
Nest audio files below this in a folder called "Audio Files".
(Save as project does this for you.)

Hope this helps.

[Gebo]

I figured it was some sort of indexing issue. This is only my second actual session in logic, so I still have a lot to learn. Im doing things like I used to do in protools, have 10 songs in one session, how can I make it so each song saves to a different folder per song, within the session folder. If I use the little type tool thing, will that change the file name in the directory? I think that would help me a lot.

[octatonic]

Originally Posted by Gebo

I figured it was some sort of indexing issue. This is only my second actual session in logic, so I still have a lot to learn. Im doing things like I used to do in protools, have 10 songs in one session, how can I make it so each song saves to a different folder per song, within the session folder. If I use the little type tool thing, will that change the file name in the directory? I think that would help me a lot.

Yes this is definitely going to cause this problem... lucky you know now rather than 10 months down the track when everything is ****ed into a cocked hat, as they say.

Type tool is generally to name objects within Logic- it can change file names depending on other settings, but it will not allow you to change directories.

Ok- some hints... don't call them "Sessions" call them Projects- should not have two songs in one project- make them two separate projects.

You can do it- of course, but I do not recommend it.
Create a folder on your audio drive (in Finder) and call it the name of the album you are working on. (I will call it "Album X")

Then use the "Save as Project" for each song within this folder (lets call the first one "Big Rock Song"
This will create a folder called "Big Rock Song" with a bunch of folders under it, Audio Files, Sampler Instruments, etc etc.
Then you sound save progressively while you work-
ie "BigRockSong_01.lso"
"BigRockSong_02.lso"
"BigRockSong_03.lso"

This way you can always go back to an earlier version (and not have to rely on the trash file).

So your Finder hierarchy wil look like this:
(The stuff in brackets tells you if it is a filder or filename, this you wont see)

Audio Drive-
-- Album X (folder)-
-- Big Rock Song (folder)
-- BigRockSong_01.lso (filename)
BigRockSong_02.lso (filename)
BigRockSong_03.lso (filename)
Audio Files (folder)
Sampler Instruments (folder)

I've been doing this for years and never lost data, unless my Mac crashed mid recording and I didn't have time to save.

Get used to using "save as" (Command Shift S).

Does this makes sense?

James

[Gebo]

yes and no. It seems impracticle to have a different project for every song. Youll have to remix and reset up everything for each song, no?