Area on screen jumping when scrolling L/R in Piano Roll after zoom

Hi, second annoying issue in Logic.

 

I have set up a screenset with the shortcut p that allows me to view the pianoroll of a selected region or track as a full-screen window. I usually zoom out with alt-command-mouse, as I have the magic mouse I can then handily scroll with it left/right to the point that interests me, and zoom in again. Now the problem happens, once I zoomed in, when I again scroll left or right with the mouse, the MIDI-part on the screen jumps back some bars, mostly so that I can't even see MIDI-notes anymore. When I zoom out and try it again often the same thing happens until I either scroll to the right for ages until I reach the point that I want at high zoom level or I say screw it and edit the notes sloppily at a zoom level that allows me to see the whole section that I have to edit without having to scroll. But this often leads to notes overlapping or not starting exactly on beat and such stuff. Seems like this does not happen in the pianoroll that opens at the bottom of the screen when doubleclicking a region, tough there for some reason I can't set my default tools via screenset/template and I prefer working in the pianoroll in a separate, maximized window.

 

Btw. something similar is also happening in the audiofile editor. When for example I want to zoom in at a specific point of the waveform at a certain zoom level it jumps back to the start of the file. But I don't need it very often so I can live with it.

 

Again thanks for any help!

FYI, I've had this problem for three versions of Logic now. It's still here on 10.4 for me. I've come to expect it. If your playhead is near the midi you want to edit, then when the screen jumps you can get back to your midi by quickly turning on/off the blue follow-playhead button at the top of the screen.

Thanks for the info. Tried it out and in fact it works like you said. Not really solving the problem but at least the issue becomes a little bit less annoying. At this point I think this behaviour is a bug. I wonder why nobody seems to care about it except for us..?

Yeah, I'm assuming that not everyone has this? It started in 10.3 and so far I've only heard one person other than you complain.

 

Here's a post about it from last year.

 

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=130556&p=669208#p669208

This is weird.. leads me to think that us few people who have this problem have set up something wrong in Logic.

 

For that reason I have done a test:

I have opened a new project, not with my selfmade default-template but with Logic's standard configuration that opens when you click File > New. I have then created a MIDI-region somewhere in the middle of the track and input some notes. Afterwards I closed the Pianoroll-window, selected the region, reopened the pianoroll window, zoomed all the way out, placed the playhead and zoomed back in to where the MIDI-notes are, like I usually do. Funnily enough I was now also able to scroll left/right without problems!

 

So the problem seems to be somewhere in my template. Do you also use a custom template? Maybe the other guy who has the problem also uses one? Perhaps we all set up something the same way that triggers a bug in Logic. Could it have to do with the fact that I use a screenset that only has the pianoroll fullscreen without the main tracks window in the background? There are so many customized things in my template tough (even only in the pianoroll window) that I don't know where to start troubleshooting. Maybe you have done fewer configurations and have a suspicion?

I don't use a template. I build every project from scratch. I do, however, always use a full-screen piano roll in a second monitor. I can't recall if the horizontal jumping has ever happened on the rare occasions where I've only opened the small piano roll underneath the arrange window. But I do know for certain that it jumps in the small piano roll when the large one is opened also. (Sometimes I use both piano rolls to edit.)

 

And also, it jumps for me even without a zoom. I'm normally already zoomed in to bar that I'm recording.

I sometimes do some simple edits in the small piano roll under the arrange window and in my case I never noticed any jumps. Never used 2 piano rolls simultaneously but I guess it would be similar to your case. Probably this bug is triggered always when the big piano roll window is active, but for some reason it doesn't happen to others and doesn't happen to me when I don't start a project from my template. If you really have not changed anything inside the pianoroll in Logics default template (and also not created a screenset which brings you to the opened fullscreen pianoroll we can exclude that it has to do with a badly set template. My next thought would be a badly set preference. However we can exclude this too because that would also apply to a project where I don't use my template and as said there the bug does not occur.

 

At this point I really don't know where to search the issue anymore. I think the most intelligent thing to do in my case is starting all over from the default Logic setup where this doesn't happen and recreate my template hoping that this does not happen again. However I will test after each change and if i starts happening I at least know what triggers it and can do something against it.

I think I have found out what triggers this behaviour!

 

After setting up my template once again initially it all worked fine. Then I did some testing with automation and the moment I switched on the "Show Automation Button" in the piano roll it started jumping again. Mostly, when I disabled the button again it still kept jumping. However when I went out of the piano roll and reopened the window without showing the automations it worked fine until I re-engaged that button.

 

I think there is something messed up in Logic with MIDI Draw (or region based automation, however that is called). Because also, as I described in another topic, when doing pitchbend automation (which I usually do inside the pianoroll) and don't let the entire automated section play but go somewhere else, interrupting the glissando, it continues to play at the pitch where I interrupted the glissando. Had a try with automating the pitchbend on track automation and there I could jump around without problems. However regarding that second issue I also had the same problem with a plugin parameter that I automated from the tracks view so I am not sure if there is anyrelation to MIDI-Draw in that case but generally track-based automation seems a lot more stable inside Logic Pro X.

 

So if you also use region-based automation inside the pianoroll, that could be the cause for the jumping screen. Try to switch off the "Show Automation Button", exit and re-enter the fullscreen piano roll (with the switched off button) and probably/hopefully the problem will have disappeared. Or otherwise, if possible, avoid to do any automation inside the piano roll in the first place and do everything on the tracks and see if that helps.

I've a similar problem. For me it happens when I open the piano roll below the arrange (from a double click on a region, not as a separate window). I've had a dual and now triple monitor setup and the main (arrange+piano roll below) window has also stretched across two of them. Zoom (alt+drag) and the playhead will eventually centre in on the second monitor (right-most); on a subsequent, immediate drag, I will suddenly be looking at the end or close to the end position of the whole arrangement (in the piano roll). I do use the quick spacebar trick to get me back to where I was originally, but it's driving me up the wall.

 

But it doesn't happen when the arrange window is only in one monitor, and it doesn't happen to me when I open piano roll as a second separate window on the second monitor. It happens whether I use a custom template or start from scratch, whether automation/midi draw is open or closed. So I'm assuming now that whatever else is triggering it, it's also dual+ monitor bug . I'm on LPX 10.4.1

Wow, I can't believe I missed this post! I've been having this frustrating "jumping screen" behavior after zooming (using 2-finger gesture on trackpad) in the small piano roll (under main arrange window) for a long time... and today I found this thread and turned off automation in the piano roll, and boom, super smooth left/right scrolling after zooming in/out without any of those disorienting and crazy jumps! I didn't even have to close and re-open the small piano roll window for it to work! Great tip, thanks!

 

I think I have found out what triggers this behaviour!

So if you also use region-based automation inside the pianoroll, that could be the cause for the jumping screen. Try to switch off the "Show Automation Button", exit and re-enter the fullscreen piano roll (with the switched off button) and probably/hopefully the problem will have disappeared

Ok. after dealing with this issue for years and finally reading this post, I found the ultimate workaround. create a second piano roll, hide the automation lanes on it, then put it underneath another window. I put my piano roll #2 under my arrange window. It seems that if just one piano roll has the automation lanes hidden, then it overrides the scrolling bug on the piano roll that has the automation lanes open, leaving you free to keep your piano roll and automation lanes open on the same window.

 

hope this helps someone out there! it seems to work for me.

I am also experiencing this issue, not to mention several other new bugs including key commands/tool selections flat out not working after a few minutes in fairly fresh projects.

This update has made MIDI composition a complete PITA!!!

The regression rate in Logic X is extremely frustrating...one step forward, two steps back.

I'm also experiencing this, since several Logic versions.

 

I usually use the Piano roll window integrated into a single WIndow, below the Arrange.

The jumping around makes editing very frustrating.

 

Hiding the automation is not an option for me, as I am editing the automation along with editing the notes!

 

Any updates on fixes for this? Or should we just keep being the "squeaky wheel" and complaining to Apple's bug report line?

After upgrading to 10.4.5 I'm not experiencing this long-annoying behavior - Did they actually fix it!? can someone else try it out with latest LPX?