Auto-assigning colors to current tracks?

[Jonathan Levine]

I know that there is a setting in Logic that allows you to automatically assign "descending" colors when every new track in a project is created, but is there a way to select all the current tracks in a project to assign those descending colors to them without having to go into the color picker to do it manually? 

[triplets]

Not that I know of.

[Jonathan Levine]

Well that’s unfortunate. Surprised it’s not there, seems like a pretty basic feature to have. I’ll submit a feature request for that one. 

[fisherking]

i don't get that; i don't want my logic window to look like a crayon box explosion, or a kindergarden drawing 🤣.  i like having some logic to my main window (ie green for midi, blue for audio; variations on those colors for various differences in regions & tracks). for example, if i use automation on a track stack (or the mix), i create orange regions; easy to identify, and easy to move around.

ok, that's just me. but what benefit is there to having a lot of random colors? (seriously, am asking...)

[triplets]

1 hour ago, JonathanLevine said:

seems like a pretty basic feature to have.

Not really. Having every track a different color is not for everybody.

[Jonathan Levine]

I know it’s not, but if they have automatic coloring for newly created tracks then they might as well let you do it yourself with existing tracks. 

[Jonathan Levine]

@fisherking, not everyone has the same preferences, you know that right? It’s just track color, it doesn’t have to be logical. Some people find it aesthetically pleasing to look at instead of the same two boring colors all throughout a project. If anything, it’s more logical to color your tracks by instrument category like drums and synths because then all you need to do is search for a certain color in a project with a lot of tracks and you can easily find what you’re looking for instead of sifting through track names.

[fisherking]

2 hours ago, JonathanLevine said:

@fisherking, not everyone has the same preferences, you know that right? It’s just track color, it doesn’t have to be logical. Some people find it aesthetically pleasing to look at instead of the same two boring colors all throughout a project. If anything, it’s more logical to color your tracks by instrument category like drums and synths because then all you need to do is search for a certain color in a project with a lot of tracks and you can easily find what you’re looking for instead of sifting through track names.

of course i know that; i was asking you what your goal was. and whatever works for you is... great; one of the great things about logic (and lots of other apps), is the ability to customize your own workflow, find what makes you happy, productive... etc. have fun!

[ozinga]

7 hours ago, triplets said:

Not really. Having every track a different color is not for everybody.

But apparently for somebody, since Logic has that feature for newly created tracks. So the same somebody also benefit from them same feature for already created tracks. To me it sounds like a legit request.

[wonshu]

Sometime I like to color tracks and regions by instrument groups (woodwinds, brass, strings etc...) - sometimes I like to color specific regions for musical content (my theme, or a specific ostinato that I copy accross harp / piano / pizz for example)

It is different on every project and it's really more of a quick association and orientation than anything else.

And yes, it's an annoying job to go through after having created 100 regions with the default coloured .

But I wouldn't let an algorithm automatically assign colours, that would confuse me even more.

Edited November 15, 2022 by wonshu

[triplets]

2 minutes ago, wonshu said:

But I wouldn't let an algorithm automatically assign colours, that would confuse me even more.

Exactly. If you don't like the colors the software chose, you gonna have to change it manually anyways, hence my thought on not a beneficial feature.

[David Nahmani]

Workflows are very personal, so everyone is entitled to their own preferences and thus their own feature suggestions. Some of us like color codes (drums are blue, vocals are yellow-kind of stuff) while others may be content with having different color shades for every track even if those color shades are automatically assigned by Logic. I fall in the former camp, but I understand how the auto assignment might be beneficial, especially when compared to having all your MIDI tracks green and all your audio tracks blue. 

I believe that @ozinga makes a strong point: if the color auto-assign feature was deemed useful enough to some users that it was added to Logic's preferences for new recordings, then it makes sense to me that it could also be added as an option for existing recordings. 

I'll share my own personal manual method for color coding existing tracks. Often I'll start being creative by recording or programming or importing without giving any thought to colors or names and then at some point I have enough tracks that I feel a need for an easier way to visually identify them, and I'll set aside a bit of time to color and name them: 

1. Press Option-T to configure track headers,
2. Select Color Bars so that I can see track colors,
3. Press Option-C to show the Color Palette,
4. Select a track or a group of tracks,
5. Click (for empty tracks) or Command-click (for tracks containing regions) a color in the palette,
6. After I've colored all my tracks, press Option-Shift-C to color all regions by track color. 

I generally name my tracks at the same time and then press Option-Shift-N to name all regions by track name. 

[Jonathan Levine]

@wonshu and @triplets I'm not talking about Logic applying colors based on an algorithm, maybe I explained this badly. All the auto-assign color feature does is something like what I've attached in this screenshot. The problem is I just had to do this manually by selecting the colors from the color palette, and I thought/wished there was a feature that let you do this with just a click of a button with existing tracks.

I just think this is pleasing to look at, I know it doesn't add any real functionality and may be confusing to some. I mean they already added 90% of what I'd like it to be, the last 10% would be a button or command that let you color existing tracks like this. If they let you to do automatically it with newly created tracks, they might as well let you do it manually with existing tracks.  

[Music Spirit]

I would like very much if the Marker  functionality option of colouring automatically subsequent Marker segments by advancing shades of colour  each time you add a new  one was also applied to to addding new  audio tracks - ie my preferred way to comp recordings is to  alternate recording between several tracks next to each other - ie record  a bit of audio on say  a master track - let's call it  track 5,  then create a new track below say track 6 , record on that one, then cut regions I like from  into that audio track 5 above  above, perhaps add another track  below  ( track 7) that then gradually compile all the takes into the first audio track.

I like to have different colours for those audio tracks so that the regions are automatically coloured - it would be great if Logic had the option to assign automatically a new colour to a newly created audio track.. instead of giving new audio tracks the same dull generic colour.

 * * *

That said this is a fairly minor thing - though I do like the rainbow effect of the OP's manual colouring .. and if you were attached to this schema ( or that of one colour of all drums, one for all vocals etc)  you could just do it once and save as template?

Edited December 9, 2022 by Music Spirit

[WhiteLanky]

Hello.

This IS a function in Logic. I find it useful for markers.

Logic Pro

  > Settings

    > View

     > Click on 'Tracks'

In the window, you can select Track Colour: Auto Assign 96 colours as well as 'Marker Colour'. Each time you create a new track, it will move through each colour grade.