Vim Doozy

I'm mapping Env4 (Amp Env) in Ultrabeat to a smart control so that I can adjust the decay slope through its full range with one control, but Decay Y1 cannot be targeted for some reason. The parameter exists, and it can be targeted on all the other envelopes. What's the reason for that?

One other poor piece of user experience inside the DMD when exchanging kit pieces for audio files relates to smart controls. When I drag and drop a new audio file onto a cell - as advised by the Logic Pro X Help document - all the current smart controls are replaced with a different smart controls setup. I'm not sure how it decides what smart control setup to use. Sometimes I've seen a setup which doesn't contain a volume control. This results in an obscenely loud volume for the sound on that cell which has you reflexively reaching for the strip's volume fader. You may also want to maintain the previous smart control setup, since it's well-suited to drum sounds. You can circumvent this issue by opening Ultrabeat and dropping your audio sample onto the sample window of the voice related the DMD cell. Smart controls are preserved this way, and your ears aren't assaulted by loud volume. Evidently, this is not the sound replacement pathway Logic's creators intend us to take, but it's the most sensible way to replace a sound currently (to my knowledge).

I cannot work out how the coloured instrument icons on each pad of the Drum Machine Designer are assigned. These icons don't exist in the right-click icon menu. I thought perhaps at first they were being auto-assigned when a patch or kit piece was saved, based upon the filename or folder. Then I noticed that there's a mixture of icons per instrument type. For example, there's different icons within the percussion kit pieces. If I load an audio sample into a pad, a waveform icon is displayed. If I select No Icon and save the strip for this particular kit piece as a patch, when loaded it displays the green two eight note icon. I thought it may auto-assign a coloured icon if I followed the filenaming convention, but this only formatted the text within the pad correctly. Is the only way to access these coloured icons to replace the sample from an existing pad which has the desired icon via the underlying Ultrabeat instrument? It seems odd that there's these cool and convenient little icons, but I can't apply them manually to empty kits or pads with my own audio samples. I'm hoping that I've just failed to notice how it's done. My final thought was that the icons may exist somewhere on the computer and I might be able to navigate to them using the custom icons option, but I don't know where they are or if they can be selected. Finally, just a question about sample placement in pads. I understand that all the stock DMD patches are organised according to the GM Drums layout. When creating my own DMD kits which I intend on programming purely via piano roll/step editor/external MIDI drum pads, does the layout matter? I'm assuming it only matters if I intend on using Logic's Drummer. Thanks.

The step editor seems to have problems updating its display to reflect notes placed on the piano roll when you first navigate to the step editor. The interface must be "prompted" to update its display by clicking in certain areas of the step editor, or by zooming. Conversely, edits made in the step editor are immediately reflected in the piano roll when I navigate back to it. Watch this video to see these quirks The first quirk is having to select the left column of the step editor to prompt the note labels to appear. Then you'll see how the note deleted from the piano roll is not removed from the step editor until I click the background (and we see an unpleasant flash). Notice also the grid in the second lane disappears too, meaning I cannot draw steps within this lane, even though the lane has not been removed. Then you see that the second lane is completely removed when I vertical zoom. After a repeat of earlier quirks, you finally see that when I navigate back to the piano roll after removing a step, there is no issue: the note is no longer there. Right at the end I added a new track before the step editor had been prompted to update its display, but I didn't get the result I was aiming for. Previously, the lingering display in the step editor carried over into the step editor of a region on another track.

Ah, okay. Thanks for clearing that up!

Is there a MIDI Draw section though, as displayed on the Apple Support page? (Regardless of best way to achieve what I stated I was after)

I'm trying to automate my pitch bend and mod wheel, and I am to understand that one way to do this is within a MIDI Draw section of the Piano Roll or Score editors. Problem is, I do not have the related button for MIDI Draw, nor is there an option to display MIDI Draw in my Tracks > View menu. I have all advanced tools enabled in preferences. View screenshot on DropBox There is a Show Automation button, which allows me to automate MIDI controllers, but it doesn't resemble what I see on the previously linked Apple Support page. The Logic Pro X 10.4 Release Notes still make mention of there being a MIDI Draw section. Have I missed something?

This is a small bug, but I cannot drag an automation point to the maximum amount of 1000, but I am able to achieve maximum amount by setting Value to 127 in the Automation Event List. Once the point has been set to this maximum amount via the Automation Event List, if I move it from this amount, I am now able to drag it back up to the maximum amount. I have tested this at maximum vertical zoom. Watch video of the bug on YouTube Logic Pro X 10.4.0

I've read in these forums that you need to be zoomed in sufficiently before the "Show as Sample & Hold" option inside the Audio File Editor becomes available for use. I have tried a handful of audio files with maximum vertical and horizontal zoom using the sliders, but the option is always greyed out. What gives? Logic 10.4.0

I'm struggling to figure out how to use the Step Editor in an efficient manner. My intent is for the pen width (steps) to reflect the note length in the editor and as an actual note in the piano roll, and also to ensure that it is both quick and easy to change the note length and grid size per lane. For example, say I wanted to begin by programming a kick sequence of 1/4 Note every beat. I would do this in the following manner: Set Division Display to /4 (in Control Bar) Set Pen Width to Note Length (In Lane Locator) Set Length to 0 1 0 (In Lane Locator) Draw in the steps Now let's say I wanted to program a hi-hat sequence in a new lane comprising four 1/32 Notes each beat: Set Division Display to /32 Set Pen Width to Note Length Set Length to 0 0 1 0 Draw in the steps I adjust the grid value in Division Display to my desired note length, because then it's easy to set the right note length: I simply make the third number in the Length field a 1 (since it equates to Division). If I maintain the current grid value in the Division Display, then I find it hard to work out what number I need to input in the Length field to achieve the desired note length. For example, I want to draw a 1/64 note whilst my Divison Display grid value is /4. I don't want to be making calculations. Additionally, I have to reset the Length value every time I change the Division Display setting, because it changes the Length value - seemingly in keeping with the previous Division Display setting, so as to maintain the "desired" note length. Surely there's a better way to do this. Why can't I just have the pencil width and note length match the lane's grid size? Why can't I change the lane's grid size with a key command like I can with the Division Display grid size? (maybe I can, but I can't find the command). Is there a faster way to adjust lane grid size and a faster/more intuitive way to adjust note length? If not, I think there should be a way to prevent the Length value in the Lane Inspector from changing when you adjust the Division Display grid size, or a way to make the Length field (note length) inherit its value from the lane's grid size (and a key command to change the lane grid size, if there isn't one). Then again, perhaps I'm just not using this section in a proper manner. If my intent makes sense to you, I'm keen to learn better method. Thanks!