The Notorious Transform Window vs Double Time

[inquiry]

I select some notes in the Piano Roll.

 

In the Piano Roll menus, I select Functions/Transform/Double Time.

 

For no good reason, I get a confusing panel to deal with (what part of "double" and "time" do you not understand?).

 

I click the Operate Only button and nothing happens.

 

I read the manual p. 468. It seems to want me to "experiment" in some unspecified way with barely described controls. I want to experiment with spending one second clicking a button and getting my notes doubled in time.

 

Any suggestions?

[stevenson]

well i wouldn't use transform for this at ALL. there is much simpler solution which is to use time-stretching. you can either drag the region to half the size using control+alt, or for much more accurate results, set the locators for the beginning fo the region and half way, and then use the KC for stretch (you might need to set it.)

 

there are problems with the transform window (stupid ones) but it shouldn't affect what you are trying to do here.

[inquiry]

Ooh thank you -- stretch is cool!

 

But in this case and often I'm in the Piano Roll dealing with just a short selection of notes and not a whole region.

 

Is Transform just not working? How complicated can it be to tell it to do double time -- when the Double Time preset is already selected(?!).

[Fred B]

Which version of Logic are you using?

 

In my version the preset is called "Double Speed" - and it works as expected.

[stevenson]

i still think it's easiest simply to divide the region and then stretch it, because the double or halve time function also works on the positions, so it will halve the position, meaning the notes will be in a different position relative to the region.

 

the best workflow IMHO is:

 

- select the notes you want to double/halve time

- use KC set locators by object(s) position

- go out of piano roll

- use KC split region by locators

- halve or double length of locators

- hit KC for stretch

- merge regions if you so wish.

[Fred B]

I agree that split and stretch is an easy and clean solution. However, if you have a region with multiple voices (eg. drums) the transformer method could be useful as it allows to affect specific voices (eg. changing only the snare hits). But usually the voices are on separate tracks/regions anyway.

[inquiry]

My error -- I should be saying Double Speed.

 

Can everyone else really get it to work in the Transform window??

 

I do want the positions of the notes to change -- relative to everything else if that's what you mean.

 

Chopping/gluing to do an operation seems *much* less convenient to me than selecting notes and choosing a menu command.

 

And I am working with multi-timbral parts -- so I'd have to go through a ridiculous amount of work duplicating the track and region, etc. to edit just the notes I want.

 

In any case, at this point, I want to find out why Transform is not working for me and how to do it in general -- other functions like crescendo, etc, as well.

[inquiry]

OK, the region must be selected in the Arrange pane -- in addition to the notes you want to affect being selected in the Piano Roll -- in order for the Transform window to work at all.

 

And for some of the presets (Crescendo), you also have to manually set the range of bars in the Transform panel to include where your notes are, or set that menu to All.