alternatives / workflow dilemma

[DanMartini]

hi everyone,

 

I've been using Logic Pro X for a few months now and I'm getting acquainted to the use of alternatives, which seem to me a big improvement.

The possibility to shift among different versions of the same project rather than individual ones seems a big time and hd space saver, still..

I'm encountering quite some issues on a project where I need to change stuff quite drastically in one song and then have to adapt the others, so I'm wandering if there's something in my workflow that I could improve or a fundamental tool that I'm not aware of..

 

My go-to approach for a session is to set all channels, buses, levels etc.. with as much as possible detail and then make an alternative for each song.

Ideally I'll then just do automations and some very small adaptations on other stuff..

the problem is when, as in the current session, I had done some routing mistakes and need to make bigger changes ...

 

Is there any shortcut to what I'm doing now, that is: note down all changes made in one version and adapt the other ones?

Is there something incredibly practical to do that I'm not considering?

 

With four songs on a project as my current one it's not too much of a big deal, but with more songs it could be a life saver..

 

thanks in advance,

 

D

[fuzzfilth]

Personally I'm not sure that Project Alternatives are such a big improvement over saving just the Project File with another name and all versions addressing the same Audio Files folder.

If you go this route (doesn't matter if it's Project Alternatives or separate Project Files) you need to be aware of the implications:

- Changing something in one Audio File will affect all versions (this might be a good or a bad thing)

- Changing something in one Project File (or -Alternative) will not affect the other versions (this might be a good or a bad thing)

 

If I'm recording kind of an EP with four songs, I'll record them all in one project (this to make sure no artist will ever have to wait for me to get ready) , then when mixing I create the absolute best mix possible without automation and special FX, then Save As.. into different Project Files and finalize the mixes with automation and special treatments in each.

 

You might be able to port plugin settings between versions with Channel Strip Settings, but this will be incredibly tedious. If you later decide the snare needs more high end throughout, then you just have to tweak it in all versions. No way around it.

[David Nahmani]

Personally I'm not sure that Project Alternatives are such a big improvement over saving just the Project File with another name and all versions addressing the same Audio Files folder.

I agree. I much prefer the flexibility of saving multiple projects inside the same project folder, sharing common asset folders. This makes it very easy to open a Finder window and see all available projects.