Folders inside Channel Strip Settings folder

[Danny Wyatt]

Inside the user's Channel Strip Settings folder I find these folders:
Bus (for all presets related to Auxs)
Instrument (for all presets related to Software Instruments)
Output (for all presets related to the Stereo Output)
Track (for all presets related to Audio strips)

But I also have one called Master and one called Input
Are these supposed to be there or did I just copy those from an older version of Logic (or maybe from GarageBand / Mainstage)?

Edited July 17, 2022 by Danny Wyatt

[des99]

Yes, they are supposed to be there, there are folders for all the main audio channel object types. If you save settings to, eg, the Input folder, they'll show up on eg Input objects etc.

Edited July 17, 2022 by des99

[Danny Wyatt]

8 minutes ago, des99 said:

Yes, they are supposed to be there, there are folders for all the main audio channel object types. If you save settings to, eg, the Input folder, they'll show up on eg Input objects etc.

So the Input folder is just when you are working with the Environment? Because I see that your image is taken from the Environment.
Also, what about the Master folder?

Edited July 17, 2022 by Danny Wyatt

[des99]

I just chose that as an easy way to show you a list of the audio object types in Logic.

If you're not familiar with them, there are other audio object types than instrument, audio/track objects, etc, including Input objects and so on. The master audio object is a master fader object type. All channel strips of any audio object type can have presets, which is what the folders are for, should you want/choose to use them. And any environment objects are assignable to track in Logic - that's how audio tracks, audio instruments etc work in Logic - a track always has an environment object assigned to it which tells Logic what to do with the content on that track.

Object types such as Input objects and old style Bus objects are less commonly used these days, partly because there are often newer, better tools to perform these functions.

Edited July 17, 2022 by des99

[Danny Wyatt]

5 hours ago, des99 said:

I just chose that as an easy way to show you a list of the audio object types in Logic.

If you're not familiar with them, there are other audio object types than instrument, audio/track objects, etc, including Input objects and so on. The master audio object is a master fader object type. All channel strips of any audio object type can have presets, which is what the folders are for, should you want/choose to use them. And any environment objects are assignable to track in Logic - that's how audio tracks, audio instruments etc work in Logic - a track always has an environment object assigned to it which tells Logic what to do with the content on that track.

Object types such as Input objects and old style Bus objects are less commonly used these days, partly because there are often newer, better tools to perform these functions.

But for the average user who doesn't mess with the environment, like myself, how would one be able to save a channel strip setting that ends up in the Input or Master folders? Maybe for the average user, that's not a relevant type of CSS preset?

 

[des99]

You use the channel strip preset button at the top of that input object channel strip, the same way as any channel strip presets are saved. If a user knows their stuff enough to being using input objects, they'll know how to add or reassign them or will have them added in their default templates.

Like any feature, it's there for those who want to use it, but if it's not relevant to your uses, it doesn't get in the way. If a user doesn't even know such a thing exists, the lack of channel strip presets, or the ability to save and recall them is irrelevant. No one is saying "how do I load a channel strip preset on my input object?" if they have no idea what an input object is, or how to use it.

Or are you asking something else?

[Danny Wyatt]

53 minutes ago, des99 said:

You use the channel strip preset button at the top of that input object channel strip, the same way as any channel strip presets are saved. If a user knows their stuff enough to being using input objects, they'll know how to add or reassign them or will have them added in their default templates.

Like any feature, it's there for those who want to use it, but if it's not relevant to your uses, it doesn't get in the way. If a user doesn't even know such a thing exists, the lack of channel strip presets, or the ability to save and recall them is irrelevant. No one is saying "how do I load a channel strip preset on my input object?" if they have no idea what an input object is, or how to use it.

Or are you asking something else?

Basically my question is: if I only navigate Logic using the Tracks window and the Mixer, I won't be able to save any Input or Master preset, right? By default when I save a channel strip associated with an Instrument, Audio track, Stereo Output, or Aux/Bus, by default they use the folders I mentioned:
Bus
Instrument
Output
Track

So for me to save an Input or Master preset I would have to go to the Environment window and I would have to have something very specific in mind. What is the scenarios where saving an Input or Master preset would be useful for the average user who just starts a project, makes some music and bounces the audio? It seems that those 2 folders are very specific to certain things that are more advanced. Hope it makes sense.

[des99]

12 hours ago, Danny Wyatt said:

Basically my question is: if I only navigate Logic using the Tracks window and the Mixer, I won't be able to save any Input or Master preset, right?

If you have a track with an input object assigned to it, then yes you can, exactly the same way as any other channel. It works no differently to saving channel strip presets for any other object type.

12 hours ago, Danny Wyatt said:

So for me to save an Input or Master preset I would have to go to the Environment window and I would have to have something very specific in mind

I'm confused why you would want to save an Input channel strip preset, but aren't currently using an input object? You need to be using one, in order to save a preset for it. Same way as for an instrument track - in order to save an instrument channel strip preset, you'd select the track with the instrument object you're already using, and save it from the channel strip menu.

Yes, you could go to the environment to do this too, same for the other audio object types too, but it's a lot easier to do it from the arrange page, once you assigned that object to a track, just the same as any track object in Logic.

12 hours ago, Danny Wyatt said:

What is the scenarios where saving an Input or Master preset would be useful for the average user who just starts a project, makes some music and bounces the audio? It seems that those 2 folders are very specific to certain things that are more advanced.

Input and Bus objects in particular, are older audio object types from the early days of Logic. As mentioned above, they are not really used anymore because there are newer tools to handle these things. One of which is the Aux audio object, which can actually do both the core functions of the Input and Bus objects, and was the preferred method once the Aux object types were introduced (Logic 5 iirc).

There are therefore few really good reasons these days to use Input or Bus objects, although they have some characteristics that let you achieve some things you can't otherwise do. They are still around because of those things, and for legacy reasons when people open older projects that use them.

If you're asking "what am I missing if I don't use those object types?", the answer is, not much. The only real unique function of Input objects that can't be achieved by other means is that they let you print plugins to audio while you are recording - ie, the input object, and it's plugins, is *pre-tape* when recording. Which is not something that people should generally do, as it's destructive and not undo-able.

As for Bus objects, they have a subtle difference in behaviour compared to Aux objects, but honestly it's nothing you would have ever given a thought to, and the preferred method is Aux objects, which clear up some confusion regarding the behaviour of bus objects (one of the reasons they added this new Aux object type in the first place.)

You don't need to worry how to save presets on audio object types you are not using. If you are using them, you can save and load presets in the same exact way to the other audio object types.

Edited July 18, 2022 by des99

[Dynamic_Notes]

On 7/18/2022 at 12:18 PM, des99 said:

The only real unique function of Input objects that can't be achieved by other means is that they let you print plugins to audio while you are recording - ie, the input object, and it's plugins, is *pre-tape* when recording.

Hi des99, thankyou for your explanation about these objects. Interesting. Ive been using input objects ever since I started in Logic years ago. I have channelstrip settings saved for the input object. I dont use inputs to print fx except maybe a tiny amount of compression on the insert, but to use a send to have a little verb whilst tracking vocals which doesn't get recorded. Ive just always done it this way. Is there another/better way Im missing?

Thanks.

[des99]

For comfort reverb? You can use sends on your destination audio track objects feeding to a reverb in the usual manner (and have the benefit of consistency between record and playback).

For monitoring, Aux objects can have audio inputs as their source so they replace the Input object functions for that (plus you can place regular audio tracks in input monitor mode too).

And for external instruments, another way of monitoring them back in Logic is using the External instrument object which handles MIDI output and the return audio on one track (whereas in the old days, we'd use a MIDI track to send MIDI to the instrument, and a separate audio/input track to handle the return audio).

There's no right or wrong of course - use the features in the way that makes most sense for your workflow (though it is good sometimes to re-evaluate long-help procedures, as sometimes there are new and better ways to achieve something that came along in the meantime!)

[Dynamic_Notes]

Thankyou des99 for your informative response!

@Danny Wyatt Hope I didn't veer too off topic on your thread!