| Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
David
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 Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2005 9:48 pm Post subject: Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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Meta Events are events in Logic that behave like MIDI events, and are used to control some advanced features in Logic. Only Logic can generate and interpret Meta Events, so their use is confined within the Logic universe.
So what can you do with Meta Events? A bunch of things. You can change songs, change tempo, stop playback, and even change the values of Conditions and Operations parameters in a Transformer Window! For a real world application of that latest feature, check out this thread on Controlling MIDI Velocity with the Mod Wheel. (scroll down the page about 8 posts)
How do you create a Meta Event? By recording a Meta Fader movement onto a MIDI Track. In the Environment, go to New > Fader > Auto.
In this fader's parameters, set "Output" to "Meta" and - 1 - to whichever Meta Event # you want to control. Here are the Meta Event numbers:
46 Assign Alias
49 Goto Screenset
50 Goto Song
51 Goto marker
52 Stop playback
96 Set fader range minimum
97 Set fader range maximum
98 Set the fader value without sending.
99 Bang! Causes the fader to re-send its current value. The bang data value can be used to make the fader to increment-without-rollover (127), decrement-without-rollover (125), increment-with-rollover (123) or decrement-with-rollover (121). Use values one less than those shown, to have the bang passed through to all connected faders.
100 Tempo Control
122 Set transformer map value for the currently selected map position.
123 Select transformer map position.
124 Set transformer condition maximum (bottom) parameter, if any. (This applies to all conditions not set to All).
125 Set transformer condition minimum (top) parameter, if any. (This applies to all conditions not set to All).
126 Set transformer operation maximum (bottom) parameter, if any. (This applies to all operations not set to Thru).
127 Set transformer operation minimum (top) parameter, if any. (This applies to all operations not set to Thru).
So let's say you want your Logic song to goto screenset 3 when the SPL reached say, position 10 1 1 85. How do you do this?
First move your fader to a value of 2 (that way you'll have only one Meta Event to create to change its value to 3). You set your fader to
Output: META
- 1 -: 49
Now you record arm a MIDI Track, hit pause and record on the transport window; double-click on the Beat/Bar position counter and enter 10 1 1 85. Move the fader to a value of 3. Woops. Logic took you to Screenset 3! That's normal, but the important part is that now you can hit stop and go back to your previous screenset, and you'll see that Logic has recorded the Meta Event "gotoscreenset" with a value=3. You can see the details by opening your newly created MIDI Region in an Event Editor.
Now if you start playback anytime before bar 10, when Logic reaches 10 1 1 85 it will read the META Event and go to screenset 3. Is that cool or is that cool?
Now you see how you can easily program Logic to jump from bar 5 to bar 15, back to bar 2... only using goto Marker and Stop Playback Meta Events: HAVE FUN!
Logic Pro 9.1 - Mac Pro 2x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon - OS 10.5.8- 6 GB RAM - Metric Halo ULN2 - Apogee Duet
Last edited by David on Sun Aug 06, 2006 12:25 am; edited 4 times in total |
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subframe
Joined: 26 Sep 2005
Posts: 19
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| Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2005 5:41 pm Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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Very cool. I never quite grasped Meta Faders until now. Clear as a whistle 
Thanks...
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David
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| Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2005 5:47 pm Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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Good to hear! Thanks.
Logic Pro 9.1 - Mac Pro 2x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon - OS 10.5.8- 6 GB RAM - Metric Halo ULN2 - Apogee Duet |
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timtrax
Joined: 19 Nov 2005
Posts: 8
Location: Ontario Canada
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| Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2005 11:59 pm Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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I have a question on the forum (which has been ignored) re: Using meta events for lyrics in a midi file.
When you import a midi-karaoke file (.kar) Logic interprets lyrics as meta events (#60) I want to find out if I could create a midi file with lyrics, and how. (Well, I know you can because I have some that came with a consumer model Suzuki piano. They scroll the lyrics in the window (as do Yamaha files created in XG Edit))
I've always imagined you could play a melody that the lyrics would associate with, and then turn the note events into meta events, and then type in lyrics. Tedious but do-able.
Am I on the right track? (no pun....)
I am asking all this because I cannot find a program on Mac that will create .kar files. Lots of players (including Quicktime) but no creators.
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Overdriver
Joined: 25 Apr 2005
Posts: 1
Location: Costa Mesa CA
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| Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 12:28 pm Post subject: Re: Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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| David wrote: | | Now you see how you can easily program Logic to jump from bar 5 to bar 15, back to bar 2, and stop on bar 50 only using goto Marker and Stop Playback Meta Events: HAVE FUN! |
There is a current topic on Apple's LUG about the now defunct Studio Vision Pro (and also Cubase SX3), and their easy function of being able to play a song's verses and choruses etc. in any order. It was suggested that marker meta events could get Logic to do the same thing. I've got that to kinda work, but how do you create the scenario you mention above? Surely if you jump from bar 5 to bar 15 and then back to bar 2, when the SPL gets to bar 5 again it will go to bar 15 and then bar 2 and round in circles without ever getting to bar 50? BTW. is there meta number for goto bar? I hope I've made my question clear.. ...... 
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lupin
Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 191
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| Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 3:59 pm Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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| This is something I would really, really like to see in Logic. Could be made into such an awesome feature with the Apple innovation!
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David
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Location: Valley Village, CA
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| Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 10:05 am Post subject: Re: Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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| Overdriver wrote: | | Surely if you jump from bar 5 to bar 15 and then back to bar 2, when the SPL gets to bar 5 again it will go to bar 15 and then bar 2 and round in circles without ever getting to bar 50? |
You're correct, and I corrected my original post.
There is no marker for 'go to bar' but you can use 'go to marker'.
Logic Pro 9.1 - Mac Pro 2x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon - OS 10.5.8- 6 GB RAM - Metric Halo ULN2 - Apogee Duet |
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skillet
Joined: 13 Jun 2007
Posts: 55
Location: Virginia
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| Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 12:01 pm Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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Is there a way to have Meta Event 100 (Tempo Change) happen in real time or while stopped? I would like to be able to play the Ultra beat sequencer during guitar lessons and just change the tempo with a CC knob. It would be also cool to do this in real time with touch tracks.
It seems the only way the tempo will change is after it is recorded and played back from a MIDI/Instrument track.
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posse
Joined: 29 Sep 2007
Posts: 1
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| Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 3:22 am Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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Dear all,
Thanks for the hints using faders and meta events in thet environment window.
Entering meta events works fine, but somehow I do not manage to send a Song Select event (meta 50) to my external MIDI device. The docs say, these are for internal use for Logic, but it is also said that one can control external sequencers with this.
The external device is an Emu Orbit V2, and the Song Select event chooses the current beat when it is in beat mode. I have tested this successfully with my own little test program using CoreMIDI.
The instrument used is correcetly configured, ie. midi port 2, channel 16. As you can see from the screenshot, a note-on is sent as well, and the Orbit receives it fine.
I created a slider in the environment window, using Meta event 50. Wanted to connect it to a direct midi output, but somehow the "New" menu does not provide for creating an output.
I have Logic Gold 6 on Mac OS X 10.4.10. OK, this forum is called "LogicPro Help Forum", but I still hope for some aid even though I have only the Gold version.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
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Sahkuhachi
Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Posts: 57
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| Posted: Sat May 31, 2008 6:38 am Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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| skillet wrote: | Is there a way to have Meta Event 100 (Tempo Change) happen in real time or while stopped? I would like to be able to play the Ultra beat sequencer during guitar lessons and just change the tempo with a CC knob. It would be also cool to do this in real time with touch tracks.
It seems the only way the tempo will change is after it is recorded and played back from a MIDI/Instrument track. |
you must create a new fader>special>tempo control and put it between physical input and Seq input.
cheers
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rjtemple
Joined: 26 Sep 2006
Posts: 100
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 3:53 pm Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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I'm trying to set controller #4 to change the decay time in Ultrabeat. Would I somehow use meta events for this? Unfortunately it appears UB only allows velocity to modify the envelopes. (unless I'm missing something)
I can use an automation assignment, but when I've done this in the past, my assignments get lost. I can't remember the file name, but one post suggested backing up a particular file so that when this happens I can re-introduce my automation assignments. I couldn't get this to work either (when I replace the file, the assignments are skewed.)
Basically, I was hoping to write some environment macros to do the same thing as automation/controller assignments.
Thanks,
Richard
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route-electrique
Joined: 01 Jul 2008
Posts: 803
Location: Bakery Street
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| Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 10:24 pm Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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This is damn interesting. I wish people would tell more what kind of things you've created with Meta Events.
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vanitypolice
Joined: 27 Oct 2008
Posts: 5
Location: New York, NY
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| Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 4:58 pm Post subject: Meta Event 51 |
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I have used Meta events but with very little success. Just yesterday, I was trying to do a single edit of a remix I had completed. At first, I tried snipping time to just delete the sections I didn't want. However, the automation of the vocals and the delays got completely screwed up.
Then I tried using Meta events to skip the sections I didn't want (as one would with the reverse-cycle, pulled from right to left). I would put the meta marker in a MIDI file on the output bus and then place the marker when i wanted it usually 16 or 32 bars later and when it did the transition, it was anything but seamless.
First off it did not play up till the meta event and then it did not come back in immediately after it jumped. There is no second comment. Isn't the whole point of jumping to a marker to have the audio keep going? It cut out before it even jumped and then after. Totally useless.
I then tried bouncing but apparently in offline mode, Meta Events are ignored.
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ski
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Joined: 15 Dec 2005
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Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 4:07 pm Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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Unfortunately you found out the hard way that Meta Events used to jump from marker to marker do not work in quite the way you might otherwise expect. They will indeed cause Logic to jump from one marker to another, but as you said, audio playback is far from seamless.
And yes, those events will be ignored during offline bounces...
I recently experimented with these same Meta Events and found lots of strange behavior, but the worst of which was that not even MIDI tracks would play back correctly when jumping to a new marker.
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vanitypolice
Joined: 27 Oct 2008
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Location: New York, NY
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| Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 4:36 pm Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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So the question becomes then, is there any usable use for the Marker Meta event. I mean, it should work if bouncing is online, correct?
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ski
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| Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 7:23 pm Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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| vanitypolice wrote: | | So the question becomes then, is there any usable use for the Marker Meta event. I mean, it should work if bouncing is online, correct? |
Hard to say whether it could be expected to work properly during an offline bounce if it barely works just on normal playback.
Still, there is some usefulness to be found in the Go To Marker meta event. I had a client who requested a custom environment in which he wanted 20 environment buttons, each one set to output a Go To Marker meta event (1 - 20). I created a separate layer for these, and then put them in a frameless floating window which lived at the top of the arrange window. This gave him one-click accessibility of these 20 different marker positions, and also freed up 20 key commands that would have been needed for that functionality.
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vacantsonar
Joined: 03 Nov 2006
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| Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:56 pm Post subject: subscribing |
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subscribing... i wish i could
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bojanson
Joined: 05 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 8:02 am Post subject: : Quick Guide to Logic's Meta Events |
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| thanks for the info admin, very helpful thats why I love this forum!
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