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Working with 3 quickly accessible tools


David Nahmani

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For the first issue of this new section, we will start with a very easy tip. Most powerusers know this, yet I am always surprised at how many people do not know that you can use a two button mouse to quickly access 3 different tools of your choice in Logic.

 

This will work with pretty much any two-button mouse. The trick is to NOT install the sofware that came with your mouse.

 

Then, in Logic, go to Logic Pro > Preferences > Global. Select the "Editing" pane. Set "Right Mouse Button" to "Is Assignable to a Tool".

 

To program any 3 tools in any screenset:

  • •Go to the desired Screenset
    •Show Tools (Esc)
    •Left Click on what will be your Main Tool
    •Show Tools again
    •Command-Left Click on what will be your Alternate Tool
    •Show Tools again
    •Right Click on what will be your "Right Button Tool"

That's it. Don't forget to lock your screenset, and you're done!

 

Now you have 3 tools available at all times:

Left Button = Main Tool

Command-Left Button = Option Tool

Right Button = Right Button Tool

 

Example:

For Audio Editing, I like to program the regular Arrow as my Main Tool (to quickly grab and manipulate audio regions), the Scissors as my Command-Tool (to perform the edits) and the Magnifier as my Right-Button Tool (to navigate the Arrange window).

 

Feel free to post your questions or comments.

 

Thank you all for reading, and see you next week!

Edited by David Nahmani
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For Audio Editing, I like to program the regular Arrow as my Main Tool (to quickly grab and manipulate audio regions), the Scissors as my Option-Tool (to perform the edits) and the Magnifier as my Right-Button Tool (to navigate the Arrange window).

 

You do realize that with a 3 button mouse this is pretty well standard, right?

 

Hit 'esc' and then right click on the sissors (this assigns any tool to the right button).

 

Now your left click is the selection tool, right button is the sissors, and hold the control key to use the magnification tool.

 

Isn't that a little easier?

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Now your left click is the selection tool, right button is the sissors, and hold the control key to use the magnification tool.

 

Isn't that a little easier?

 

I don't like that option: The control key+left click is a half-assed magnification tool. It doesn't work over regions. That's pretty much useless when editing audio.

 

Otherwise you could have 4 tools at a time: left click, control+left click, option+left click and right click.

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Cool Beans. Just wanted to say hello and thanks. My G5/Logic Pro arrives wednesday. Never used a Mac before. I will try to use my Razer Diamondback gaming mouse the way you described here.

It has 7 buttons. Any way to configure the rest?

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  • 5 months later...
Hey all,

I am using the new apple might mouse. I am unable to assign tools to the mouse, anyone else having this problem? When I go into prefernces and check right-click is assignable to toolbox, I can then open the toolbox... but the tools themselves.....

thanks,

LV

 

http://plentycom.jp/en/steermouse/index.html

 

3rd-party Mighty Mouse driver. Much more functionality than the Apple driver

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Now your left click is the selection tool, right button is the sissors, and hold the control key to use the magnification tool.

 

Isn't that a little easier?

 

I don't like that option: The control key+left click is a half-assed magnification tool. It doesn't work over regions. That's pretty much useless when editing audio.

 

 

fwiw: control+option gives you the full assed magnification tool that works over regions...

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Now your left click is the selection tool, right button is the sissors, and hold the control key to use the magnification tool.

 

Isn't that a little easier?

 

I don't like that option: The control key+left click is a half-assed magnification tool. It doesn't work over regions. That's pretty much useless when editing audio.

 

Control-option-click works as a regular magnification tool over regions. It's the same as the keycommand for adding curves in automation, except that you have to get right on the automation line for it to work that way.

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I can't let a mouse thread go without plugging "USB Overdrive," a twenty dollar program that lets you assign any button on a USB mouse to nearly any function (even modifiers). And the assignments can be made on a per program basis. I use it with an eight-button MX510 mouse. That plus Logic key commands means ergonomic hi-jinks for the whole family.

 

If I recall, USB Overdrive can be downloaded as a demo for a free trial.

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SubFunk wrote:

 

 

macally does a fantastic selection of mice for the mac i found them much superior to all other 3rd party supplier, because the driver that comes with the macallies makes the mouse behaviour much more precice 'n' nicer then the original OS driver...

 

http://www.macally.com

 

sorry to post this again, i just posted it in another topic, just thought it might be from interest here as well....

 

my experience is: mighty mouse or for less money the absolute fantastic range of macally mice, great build / feeling and by far superior drivers for the MAC OS...

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  • 1 month later...

Just starting parusing the tips section here at LPH.

 

David, your description of opt+left click... did you not mean CMD+left click? Opt+left click does nothing (never has on any of my Logic systems, OS9 or OSX).

 

Re cntrl+left click = zoom tool, for me it's an indispensible feature.

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A couple other features are available with these commands and the mouse, but I advise experimenting with these because their behavior can be somewhat flaky.

 

1. Panning a window around, like in Photoshop. Control/Shift Right click or Control/Shift/3rd mouse button (downclick the mouse scrollwheel), while clicking on the background of the arrange window for example. Click and move in any direction, up, down, left, right, diagonal, or move in circles and the arrange window will follow. The 2nd option there "inverts" the movement. In other words, when you go left, it goes right. In the Matrix Editor, the 2nd option is the only one that works. Also in the Mixer, but in the mixer, don't click on a mixer strip, you have to be clicking on a piece of background.

 

2. Zooming. You can use this key combination to zoom in any direction, or zoom X and Y at the same time. Option/3rd mouse button (downclick on the mouse scrollwheel), then make a very small move in any direction. This one tends to zoom 2 miles for every half inch you move. It will be zoomed to mars before you can take you finger off the thing. Also, it's good to have something selected when you zoom because it will zoom in on the selection and help you keep your place.

 

And thanks for the tip about the extra tools with the mouse. I didn't know about that. The software for my mouse is installed, but it still works. I just right clicked on a tool and that assigned the tool to the right mouse button. Command/clicked with the left mouse button and that worked too.

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L.A. stone, most of those shortcuts have already been described in previous articles, and they are definitely not flaky here, but really consistent. I use them as a part of my daily routine.

 

PS: zooming with a scrollwheel acts as expected here: one scrollwheel indentation corresponds to one zoom level (the same as pressing Control and one of the arrows once).

 

See:

Navigating with a Scroll-wheel mouse, Surfing without!

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