Playhead still snaps to grid even though snap is off...?

Hi all

 

 

Just wondering if there's a simple solution to this or if it's just another of Logic's idiosyncrasies - whenever I deactivate Snap, so that it's showing as 'off', and seek to manually place the playhead by clicking in the usual place just beneath the bar numbers in the arrange window, it still snaps to the grid. In fact it keeps snapping to the grid until you zoom in horizontally to about 3/4 of the maximum zoom depth, at which point it finally relents and decides that yes, you did want to turn snap off after all.

 

I've tried increasing the grid resolution, even though that affects the midi grid display and I want to keep that as is (at /32), but that has no effect either. It's rather frustrating. Any ideas anyone or is this a feature not a bug?!

 

Thanks

I never touch Snap. Always leave it on Smart. Never had the issues you're talking about.

Does it behave the same if you put Snap back to Smart?

Yep. Always snaps to the nearest bar subdivision, whether snap is set to off, smart or anything else. If I'm trying to align the playhead to a waveform in order to align midi notes to the same point, I only get coarse divisions unless I zoom right in. It's rather frustrating. (Talking only about the playhead btw, not moving regions and notes around - that behaves as expected.)

I would try Logic Pro ->Preferences->Reset all preferences except key commands.

 

If that doesn't work, trash the actual pref file.

I also see the behavior of the OP... even with snap off, slowly dragging or clicking the playhead will snap as if Smart snap is on, at a resolution that's zoom-level dependent. (For example at one highly zoomed level, it snaps to multiples of 40 ticks even if snap = off). It is indeed annoying. My workaround is to zoom in even further, or drag on the ticks value in the LCD. (LPX 10.5.1 on Catalina)

Thanks for confirming, Akitru, although sorry to hear you're also experiencing this annoyance!

Snap settings don't affect the playhead behavior (to verify this, set Snap to "Bar", and you can still position the playhead wherever you want). Snap affects only regions and events (such as MIDI notes) positions.

 

• If you drag the playhead, hold down Control-Shift to disable snapping.

 

• If you click the lower-half of the ruler to locate the playhead, you can do a long-click to position the playhead without snapping.

Thanks, that's a helpful reply, if supremely unhelpful behaviour from Logic! Ho hum..

Thanks, that's a helpful reply, if supremely unhelpful behaviour from Logic! Ho hum..

I'm wondering, though, in what kind of situation would you need the playhead to not snap to the grid? I can't recall this behavior ever bugging me.

• If you drag the playhead, hold down Control-Shift to disable snapping.

• If you click the lower-half of the ruler to locate the playhead, you can do a long-click to position the playhead without snapping.

Thanks David, I didn't know that; this will be useful.

 

I'm wondering, though, in what kind of situation would you need the playhead to not snap to the grid? I can't recall this behavior ever bugging me.

For me, desiring to do a trim to playhead (⌘T), not necessarily at a snap location.

For me, desiring to do a trim to playhead (⌘T), not necessarily at a snap location.

I see. I personally never work this way. I double-click the Marquee tool or click the Marquee tool then press Delete.

I double-click the Marquee tool or click the Marquee tool then press Delete.

That's a better way that I will incorporate... I suspect I don't use the Marquee effectively in many situations.

 

Usually when I'm using Trim like this, it's really to split one or more regions at a precise single point without yet knowing any other split points, so the Marqee double-click works nice for a single region and (as I now see), for multiple selected regions... nice!

All the time! When I posted this it was because I was manually lining up bass clarinet swells (which didn't respond to 'next transient' or any kind of zero crossing locate commands as they were swells recorded in a live room) to midi synth notes which doubled them. Without zooming all the way in and precisely clicking the start of the note, then highlighting the midi note on the track beneath and aligning to playhead, I was constantly a bit before or after the note.

 

But more broadly speaking it's the behaviour I'd expect from turning snap off - coming from cubase, and reaper, and other DAWs, where the playhead is part of the same snap function. I think it just speaks more broadly to a question of control and prescriptiveness in Logic and in Apple products in general. I want to feel in control of the program I'm using and that it is responding in a tactile and useful way to my way of working - too often Logic just doesn't do that across many areas, despite being exceptionally strong in others. I often find Logic tells you how to work rather than letting you work how you want to, and I find that rather maddening on the whole. See also (in particular) not letting you record custom macros / actions to define or help your workflow (I have to use a separate key command program for that).

 

Sorry, but you did ask!

PS I also didn't know about the double click of the marquee tool and that is very useful. Thanks for that

The Marquee tool is much more powerful than one would think. Here's an example:

 

Yes seems so - I already use it for incredibly useful (but otherwise hard to achieve) tasks like deleting audio in take folders when comping (if I have, say, 5 takes I just like to keep the good bits of all 5, delete the rest and then comp from there)

This thread inspired me to (re)learn useful Marquee functions and add summary reminder notes to my own LPX 'manual', reproduced here in case useful to others:

 

Make sure Automation is off for the edited track for most Marquee editing functions below, else it will instead affect automation data.

 

Split region(s) with Marquee: Double-click with Marquee. If multiple regions are selected, they will all be split.

 

Create a subregion with Marquee: Drag the Marquee over an area of a region, then single-click the region: this will turn it into a separate region.

 

Copy/paste a selection (without splitting the source region): Make a selection with Marquee, then Option-drag the selection.

 

Play a selection with Marquee: Make a selection with Marquee, then hit play. Use ⌘U to Cycle. (Play menu option Play From Marquee Selection must be checked.)

 

Recording Auto Punch: Make a selection with Marquee, then hit Record.

 

Create automation points with Marquee: With Automation enabled (A), make a selection with Marquee, then click it with the Pointer. This will add 2 data points at each end of the selection, so you can easily drag the line up/down, etc.

 

Add effects to a subset of audio (aka selection-based processing): Make a selection with Marquee, then select Function > Selection-Based Processing… This can be used to apply some effect to just a portion of audio (it will bounce in the effect to the selection).

 

⌃⇧ to temporarily suppress snap while selecting with Marquee.

⌃ to snap to Division if snap is Bar or Beat; otherwise snaps to multiple of tics

Trick: Start selection with snap on, then add ⌃⇧ to finish without snap.

This thread inspired me to (re)learn useful Marquee functions and add summary reminder notes to my own LPX 'manual', reproduced here in case useful to others:

 

Make sure Automation is off for the edited track for most Marquee editing functions below, else it will instead affect automation data.

 

Split region(s) with Marquee: Double-click with Marquee. If multiple regions are selected, they will all be split.

 

Create a subregion with Marquee: Drag the Marquee over an area of a region, then single-click the region: this will turn it into a separate region.

 

Copy/paste a selection (without splitting the source region): Make a selection with Marquee, then Option-drag the selection.

 

Play a selection with Marquee: Make a selection with Marquee, then hit play. Use ⌘U to Cycle. (Play menu option Play From Marquee Selection must be checked.)

 

Recording Auto Punch: Make a selection with Marquee, then hit Record.

 

Create automation points with Marquee: With Automation enabled (A), make a selection with Marquee, then click it with the Pointer. This will add 2 data points at each end of the selection, so you can easily drag the line up/down, etc.

 

Add effects to a subset of audio (aka selection-based processing): Make a selection with Marquee, then select Function > Selection-Based Processing… This can be used to apply some effect to just a portion of audio (it will bounce in the effect to the selection).

 

⌃⇧ to temporarily suppress snap while selecting with Marquee.

⌃ to snap to Division if snap is Bar or Beat; otherwise snaps to multiple of tics

Trick: Start selection with snap on, then add ⌃⇧ to finish without snap.

I recently learned that once you created a Marquee region on automation and holding shift+option, if you move up(or down) but also to the left when you move, this will create a ramp with the two inner automation points so it doesn't have to be right angles... nice tip...

 

Blink

Make sure Automation is off for the edited track for most Marquee editing functions below, else it will instead affect automation data.

You can continue using the Marquee editing functions in the region name area even in Automation or Flex view.

 

I should really write a whole article about the Marquee but off the top of my head:

 

• Click 1 pixel Marquee selection and Play starts playback from Marquee selection even if Cycle is on.

• Click 1 pixel Marquee selection and Record starts playback where the playhead is, punch in is set at Marquee selection (no punch out).

• Click 1 pixel Marquee selection + Arrows to move to previous/next transient or MIDI Note on/off.

• Marquee select + Arrows to extend selection by transient or MIDI Note on/off.

• Marquee select + Control-M to Mute.

• Marquee select + Delete to Delete.

• Marquee select + Command-\ to Crop.

• Marquee select + Arrows to move

 

• Automation view: Marquee select + drag vertically to adjust automation curve in the selected area.

• Flex view: Marquee select + drag horizontally to move selected waveform without stretching it.

 

etc...

... I should really write a whole article about the Marquee but off the top of my head: ...

Thanks David... Threads like this are why I visit this site daily to scan for new tips and workarounds to add to my notes. Thanks for maintaining such a great resource!

Thanks David... Threads like this are why I visit this site daily to scan for new tips and workarounds to add to my notes. Thanks for maintaining such a great resource!

You're welcome and thank you for the kind words, that is the type of comment that keeps me going!

Thanks, that's a helpful reply, if supremely unhelpful behaviour from Logic! Ho hum..

I'm wondering, though, in what kind of situation would you need the playhead to not snap to the grid? I can't recall this behavior ever bugging me.

Well, in the instance that you need to make an extremely precise edit. For instance, I need to separate two words at exactly a given point to insert other words and I cannot do this, even by trying the two options you presented (control-click and long-click).

Well, in the instance that you need to make an extremely precise edit. For instance, I need to separate two words at exactly a given point to insert other words and I cannot do this, even by trying the two options you presented (control-click and long-click).

I don't use the playhead for this. I either Command-double-click (double-click with the marquee) or command-click to position the marquee, if needed use the arrows to move the marquee by transient, then press Delete.

Yes move by transient is super accurate.