Export region as MIDI file - exports entire project length

[wilx]

Hi there,

 

I've encountered a frustrating issue with exporting regions as MIDI.

 

I've got a project which is around 40mins long with lots of 2 and 4 bar loops. I want to export these loops, individually, as MIDI files.

 

I select the region, set cycle length/locators and Export As Midi File.

 

This works, but only if I drag the resulting loops into an existing project.

 

If I drag and drop one of these MIDI loops into logic, the 2 bar loop imports, exactly as expected with no extra data.

 

If I open one of these loops from scratch in Logic, I end up with a 40minute project which is mostly empty apart from the midi loop at whatever position it was at in my original project.

 

So how can I make sure that the MIDI export only exports the region, or the locator range? I presumed exporting a region as MIDI would ignore the 34minutes of silence before the region and the 12 minutes after it, but I'm getting this annoying issue with all the exports so far.

 

The only hack I can think of is to open a new logic project, and import the MIDI files one by one, setting the project length (rather than the locator range) to be exactly the same length as the MIDIs - 2 bars for one, 4 bars for another etc. This will take a long time.

 

Is there a hidden checkbox somewhere which says "when exporting a region as a MIDI File, also include redundant information that isn't contained within that region"?

[Jordi Torres]

Hi.

 

A standard MIDI file isn't just a region and some notes. It includes other info too (tempo, time signature, key signature, markers, etc). If you open a MIDI file, it will bring all this info with it. To avoid this, you know the answer already: Import the MIDI files (using the command or via drag and drop).

 

I set cycle length/locators and Export As Midi File.

 

The exported MIDI file won't include anything pertaining to Logic's cycle range.

 

J.

[wilx]

Thanks Jordi. I'm sure when I did something similar with cubase it restricted the length of the resulting MIDI file to the length of the locator region.

 

Looks like I'll have to change the whole project length to 2 or 4 bars for each midi file and re-export one by one.

 

Sigh...

[Jordi Torres]

Looks like I'll have to change the whole project length to 2 or 4 bars for each midi file and re-export one by one.

 

You don't have to do that, unless you want/need to open the files instead importing them.

 

J.

[wilx]

Does anyone know how to get around this? I have to export 150 four and eight-bar loops from a logic project today, and if there's no way of exporting just the selected region with no redundant space before or after, then I have to drag each individual loop into the start of a a new logic project, adjust the new project's length to 4 or 8 bars, and export again.

 

This way lies madness. Someone must have a better idea!

[angelonyc]

In Logic X,,if you cut the the region to the loop you want you can export, I just did it, and dragged midi loop into project, works fine..

The two red/brown regions. First I cut the region to what I wanted, exported that, and then dragged back in on track below.. I colored them so to make the explanation better..

[wilx]

Thanks for that. Unfortunately, as I said earlier these files need to be the correct length with no dead space when opened from scratch, not just dragged in to an existing project.

 

I've just finished the tedious task of re-importing all my MIDI files to a fresh logic project which I adjust to be 4 or 8 bars long for each MIDI file and re-export (all 148 of them). I'm now going to switch my computer off and hope I never have to deal with MIDI like that again...!