Varispeed: relationship between speed and pitch change

Hi.

I'm using Logic Pro X (latest update) on an iMac.

I have to tune a drum whose "natural" pitch is A-flat.

I need to change that pitch to various other pitches throughout my song.

I read that I have to use the "Varispeed" function. I know how to find it on my transport bar.

Does anyone know of an online esource that spells out how much you need to change the speed (either faster or slower) to achieve a certain pitch?

For example, the first pitch I need is B-flat ...

Thank you in advance!

Could you just load it into exs24? Then you could change the pitch just by drawing MIDI notes. Varispeed will be much more confusing, and if you're not already familiar with using the exs to sample things its something that will be verryyy helpful in the future.

If you want to know the relationship between speed and pitch, its the same ratios as harmonics. Something played twice as fast is an octave up, three times as fast is an octave and a fifth, and so on. To transpose it up a major second to Bb you would have to look up the math, but I believe you would multiply the original speed by 8/9 if I remember correctly. I seriously suggest using the exs though, way easier and more intuitive, more like music than just moving stuff around in varispeed.

Hope this helps!

Wow, thank you SO much for that answer. I'm a composer who barely knows how to use Logic, so I learn more with every task I need to do. I will try as you suggest and I really appreciate your taking the time to answer.

One thing I tried last night which confused me ... When I experimented with Varispeed and sped up (changed the pitch) of the first bass note the whole track changed, even though every bass note was put in as separate events.

Maybe using exc24 will solve that issue.

Thanks again.

Hi

Varispeed affects the whole project.

Is the offending drum a real recording, or is it a sample from some software instrument?

CCT

Thats fine! We all start out learning anyways.

Thats the same problem I had last year. Don't worry, its not a glitch. It's supposed to work like that. Its because when you make copies of a region they're still treated like the same region. When you change the speed of any of the events, it changes the speed of the audio file internally, changing every region that has the same name (including all the copies). Select all the regions, and right click. Somewhere (at the top I believe) it should say "Convert To New Audio File(s)". Click that, and then go through a little pop up window thing. They should all be seperate audio files.

You don't even need those regions in the exs24, so you should be fine. I'm going to send another reply saying how to load things into exs just give me one moment.

You are amazing. Where have you been all my life?!

I know what exs24 is, but haven't the slightest idea how to use it, so anything you can tell me will help.

Open up exs24 in a software instrument track.

When the exs24 is open, you should see a little black bar that says "---". If it says "Steinway Piano", then I'm not really sure, but you can probably find "---" somewhere in the pop up menu from the black bar, or from the other pop up menu in the top lefthand corner.

When its on ---, click 'edit' in the top righthand corner. A large window with a big keyboard on the bottom should show up.

Drag your bass drum region onto this big window. A little bar should show up in the middle section of the "Zones".

From all the parameters on the bar, there should be one called "Key", that has the value C3. Change it to any Ab, preferably a lower one like Ab1.

Open up a MIDI region by right clicking the track on your arrange window (you can close up EXS) and clicking "Create Empty Region" or something similar.

Find where the sample sounds good on your keyboard.

Where have you been all my life?!

Saving Gotham from the forces of evil. Thats right, I AM THE BATMAN. 8)

Holy Batmobile! I didn't realize to whom I was writing. I'm honored!

And thankful.

Your instructions are very clear. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Just out of curiosity what type of music are you making? Also as a tip if you're new, don't disregard those level meters. When they say you're clipping, find the source and fix it there instead of just turning down the volume fader. Internal clipping is no fun to deal with during the mixing stage.

Good luck with your music!

I'm writing a musical and trying to do a very rough demo to play for the lyricist. These days no one wants to meet in person, everyone wants mp3s. In person, collaborators are much more forgiving if something isn't to their liking. If you play it live on the piano he can say -- why don't you try that measure slower and you'd try it slower and both agree it works better and it's over with. When you send an mp3 you can't make that instantaneous change and have the benefit of the spontaneous interaction. So I want to at least present my music where he can hear my intent.

This particular song is still a "show song" but it has to have a contemporary feel to it. And that is nowhere near where I live musically. But I'm a good mimic. There are 8 measures of "rap" and the rest needs to have a "beat." I like the song and it has a very funny lyric by a brilliant lyricist.

Would be good to know definitively (as CCTMusic already asked) if you are working with an audio file, or a MIDI one. Also, what kind of drum? Hand drum? Kick drum? Whole drum kit or just the kick?

If you're using one of Logic's kits in the EXS then you can transpose the entire kit via the Tune knob on the EXS front panel. And this you can automate too, if need be.

Or, if you're working with an audio file, you could create one separate region and load that into the EXS:

Trim sample so that you have one clean drum hit in it's own region

Right-click region to access menu

Choose Convert / Convert to new sampler track

The default is to load the single sample on your C1 key

Now you can tune the drum hit via the tune knob.

Since you're going to need it to be a different pitch at different parts of the song:

Turn on Track Automation

Put the channel strip that has the new EXS sampler instrument in touch mode (bottom slot in the strip)

Put the song in play

Wriggle the Tune knob on the EXS a bit to create a bit of automation

Stop the song

Now you have an automation lane where you can manually redraw the automation to the pitch that you need where ever you need it to change.

HTH!

I'm writing a musical and trying to do a very rough demo to play for the lyricist. These days no one wants to meet in person, everyone wants mp3s. In person, collaborators are much more forgiving if something isn't to their liking. If you play it live on the piano he can say -- why don't you try that measure slower and you'd try it slower and both agree it works better and it's over with. When you send an mp3 you can't make that instantaneous change and have the benefit of the spontaneous interaction. So I want to at least present my music where he can hear my intent.

 

This particular song is still a "show song" but it has to have a contemporary feel to it. And that is nowhere near where I live musically. But I'm a good mimic. There are 8 measures of "rap" and the rest needs to have a "beat." I like the song and it has a very funny lyric by a brilliant lyricist.

Sweet man! That's too bad about your lyricist not wanting to meet in person. I really hope everything goes well and that your lyricist likes what you make! Good luck I'm in the Galápagos Islands for the next few months, but usually I live in St. Paul way up in Minnesota. If your musical every gets around to MN send me a message or something.

OMG ... the Galapagos! One of the places on earth I most want to visit if I ever have money & time at the same time!

You're so lucky.

The most that *some* people will do these days is Skype conferences. It's better than e-mail, and can approach the dynamic of an in-person meeting, and it's absolutely more convenient.

I'm glad you've been away from the horrible winter. We had it bad in NY, but MN must have had it much, much worse.

Thanks again for all your help.

Yeah it's pretty amazing here i swam with penguins just a few weeks ago!

MN had it record breaking bad (-40! D: )

Anytime man, you'll get the hang of Logic in no time 8)

the samples are from a free TR-808 drum kit. Only the "longkick" needs to be transposed to double as a bass part.

You know, you could always just load up a single drum machine kick into an EXS - there's a whole bank of them in the Factory folder. Navigate to Drums and Percussion / Single Drums / Kicks / Electronic Kicks. I'll bet the same kick you're using might be in there, ready to go or another one just as useful. (Although they are not labeled as such, just "C1 1", "C1 2" etc.) Once you're in that folder, click to load and it's easy to audition them one after the other; they load pretty fast.

by the way, can u tell me where you're located?

Vancouver, like it says under my name.

That would be the Canadian Vancouver.

Vascillate: you wrote:

"Open up exs24 in a software instrument track.

When the exs24 is open, you should see a little black bar that says "---". If it says "Steinway Piano", then I'm not really sure, but you can probably find "---" somewhere in the pop up menu from the black bar, or from the other pop up menu in the top lefthand corner."

-----------------------------------

I'm already lost.

I opened EXS24 and a popup window appeared with lots of dials and levers. On the upper right corner is a blue on/off icon, and next it it is a pull-down menu saying:Factory Default. In the middle of the pop-up window on top in the middle it says "Classic Electric Piano" and on the bottom center "EXS24"

I don't see any black bar from which to select "---" I feel like such a dummy.

Finally figured out that things are slightly different between Logic 9 and Logic Pro X.

Just got to the EXS24 keyboard. Onward!

Sounds like you could use some of these links:

Logic Pro X Resources, Tips and Tricks

• http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/logic_pro_x_user_guide.pdf

• http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/logic_pro_x_instruments.pdf

The "black bar" is directly above the EXS's cutoff knob, where the title of the currently loaded instrument is displayed. If you click-hold on that black bar, you can access the menu for various EXS libraries.

You can also get to those same libraries via Logic's Browser. To get there, first click on the EXS in it's channel strip to give it focus and then open the library tab via what ever key command is being used for that purpose in LPX.