Disable MIDI track record enable default

Ok, I know this may be a small issue, but it bugs the crap out of me that any Software Instrument / MIDI track is always record enabled when selected, especially during playback.

Never in the history of my 10 years of composing & tracking w Logic have I ever needed this default function.

 

Please tell me there's a way to disable this. 

I've searched Preferences and the web to no avail.

 

What tends to happen is during playback if a MIDI track is selected, the record enable will effect the sound of that track,

therefore giving me inaccurate levels to the mix. So, I have to always make sure to select an audio track when listening back.

 

Peeve, indeed.

There are probably four separate topics in this thread which would make for a great discussion...

 

The fundamental question you are asking - if I understand it... is.... if you have someone playing say rhodes piano - you want to be able to select various other tracks without having his midi input be directed to the selected track (other tracks you are selecting) while he plays live,  thus resulting in a unwanted change of his live mode sound.... is that correct ? 

 

Does this accomplish that...?

 

 

Do you accomplish this by using a key-modifier while clicking/selecting the other tracks?

No - I am only clicking with the mouse on each track - no modifier is being used.

enable multiplayer recording mode

make all tracks record ready ( they don't even have to be record enabled)

Track midi channel must match midi input device

Thanx for sharing!

I guess that by "multiplayer recording mode", you mean enabling “Auto demix by channel if multitrack recording”  in the project's Recording setting...

It's kind of awkwardly implemented, I find...

Mind defining what you mean by awkwardly implemented ?

• The fact that it requires from the user to go through many of not so obvious features and settings:
  
  1. Auto demix inside the projects settings
     
  2. The MIDI channel setting in each track inspector
     
  3. The MIDI channel of each instantiated plugin (if applicable)
     
  4. Set all the tracks/channelstrip in Record-ready mode.

   

  [*]The fact that once the above is set properly, that feature will behave differently depending of the selected track/channelstrip and VI type instantiated; which is easily confusing and definitely not user-friendly. It works, but it requires from the common user, a deep understanding of what is happenig in the background, to figure out what is going on when it does not behave as first intended/expected.

   

  [*]The fact that the documentation is not explaining all of the above.

 

Thanx for your interest!

Thanks for your explanation.... I am sure you have seen this... but in case it helps someone else...

 

IMO the following four sentences are the "Most" important concepts to know and understand using Midi with Logic, especially the first one. Yet I think it is most overlooked and misunderstood especially by new users and those migrating from other systems. 

 

As I was learning Logic, once I understood the following....it was a game changer.

 

• All MIDI enters logic's sequencer on the selected track,  All MIDI enters logic's sequencer on the selected track, All MIDI enters logic's sequencer on the selected track,
  
• When multiplayer recording (autodemix enabled): Incoming MIDI events are distributed to the various record-enabled tracks, in accordance with transmitted MIDI channel numbers.
  
• The channel of the incoming event must correspond to the channel of a record-enabled track for this functionality to work. 
  
• If no track with a corresponding channel number is found, the event will be routed, and recorded, onto the selected track.

You should ensure that each of your MIDI controllers transmit on different channels. If this is not possible, simply use different inputs on your MIDI interface and change the MIDI channel of each input, using a transformer object between the Physical Input and Sequencer Input 

Hi guys, 

Pardon the late reply here. And thank you for responding!

From what I see, you're on about something else.

 

I just don't want my midi tracks to be record enabled when selected.

Logic does this by default and I can't find anywhere to turn it off.

Seems super simple, yet not, somehow.

 

I'm currently in a session now with multiple MIDI instrument tracks

and if I don't make sure I've selected an audio track, or muted midi track, upon playback,

then the selected MIDI track is automatically record enabled and therefore changes the sound of that track

(no automation, no plugin effect, etc.).

 

Any ideas?

Hi all! This is my first post here and I have the same question. I still didn't find a solution for this annoying BUG (don't call it "feature" eh!)

...

I just don't want my midi tracks to be record enabled when selected.

Logic does this by default and I can't find anywhere to turn it off.

Seems super simple, yet not, somehow.

AFAIK, it's not possible at the moment. As soon as a MIDI track is selected, it turns on record-ready mode.

Since there were implemented features related to track vs region selections, perhaps you could post a feature request in that regard on Logic Pro Feedback website...

 

I'm currently in a session now with multiple MIDI instrument tracks

and if I don't make sure I've selected an audio track, or muted midi track, upon playback,

then the selected MIDI track is automatically record enabled and therefore changes the sound of that track

(no automation, no plugin effect, etc.).

Could you be more specific when you say "changes the sound of that track"?

If there is something recorded on that selected MIDI track, what could be altering the sound on playback of that very track, unless something comes to interfere with it, such as some kind of MIDI loop or MIDI controller mishap, or accidental keyboard playing...?

What other software are you running simultaneously? What MIDI device is connected?

"AFAIK, it's not possible at the moment. As soon as a MIDI track is selected, it turns on record-ready mode."

 

That's a shame. This "record-ready mode" is one of the most presumptuously annoying and useless things in all my 20 years composing.

 

"Could you be more specific when you say "changes the sound of the track..."

 

As far as I can tell, the record-enable seems to bypass any plugins, volume and/or other automation.

Therefore the track can either sound louder or softer in the mix than it actually is, or just not what I set it at.

For instance: I put an automated AUPitch plugin on and it turns it orange, which I would normally select 'low latency safe', but it didn't have that option. Still, the track level gets altered and the plugin & automation is bypassed.

 

I'm very surprised this is not a common grievance.

 

I'm hoping someone has a solution out there.

Some upcoming sessions will be all MIDI, forcing me, then, to always include a blank audio track in 

just to select for mix playback.

I suppose you could freeze the MIDI tracks, and that would stop them from record enabling when you select them.  Since you're mixing, not recording, that may help.  If you need to edit the MIDI, you just unfreeze to make your changes.  Seems like this is an issue of the plugs and automation not working when you are record enabled.

 

Just a thought...

 

Steve

Thanks, Steve! At the moment, I think that did the trick.

I just came here to say that not only is this incredibly annoying, counter-productive, and presumptuous behavior of the application, it is the primary reason, along with the rest of the ridiculous MIDI and track management, that I do not use Logic. This 'feature' alone makes me want to flip the desk any time I have to use Logic for anything. Every other DAW on the market handles MIDI I/O routing more and predictively and intuitively than Logic, and yet somehow they are all also easier and take fewer steps to set up and manage. I'm under the impression the only people advocating for keeping this behavior or claiming it's not a problem are (1) not using several multi-channel MIDI hardware devices, (2) only work in a 'classic' record-one-track-at-a-time linear fashion, or (3) have spent years working with Logic and aren't familiar with anything but this behavior.

 

This is a fundamental design flaw. It is absurd that think that you would ever want all of your incoming MIDI to automatically play on the selected track. This completely disregards the entire channel-based design principle of MIDI itself.

I've just wasted a couple hours (again) trying to figure this out. But there clearly is no satisfactory answer. Anthroid is 100% right.

 

To summarize why I'm looking this up: I have 2 Moogs and 2 Dave Smith synths that have the same Control Change #'s for most parameters. For example...

-- CC102 controls the filter cutoff for the Prophet-6 as well as the OB-6

-- CC27 controls the filter cutoff for the Moog Voyager as well as the Sub-37

 

They are each plugged into different ports on my MIDI interface (an iConnectivity MioXL). They are each transmitting on different and distinct MIDI channels, but because of the way Logic handles MIDI none of this matters.

 

By the way, I use "External Instrument" for all of my external gear...

So for example, let's say I select the Sub37 track -- even if I'm not recording anything on it -- because I want to add a plug-in to it to change the sound. Let's say after adding that plug-in I decide to adjust the filter (or any other control) on the Voyager. The Sub37 track is still selected, and yet because it's record-enabled (even though I didn't want to record anything at that moment) and because it's selected -- just because it's selected! -- all of my MIDI routing is effectively overridden. And by making an adjustment to my sound on the Voyager, I've screwed up my sound on the Sub37 I had carefully dialed in.

 

Thanks Logic!! This has happened way too many times. This is really dumb!

 

I have seen posts say the solution is to cable instruments from the Environment window -- this removes the MIDI Echo (another problem with Logic, don't get me started on that but it isn't the most important issue for me at least). Don't waste your time. Once you do this, you can no longer record CC automation. And what's the point of having MIDI out on a synthesizer if you can't record automation on it? And what's the point of a sequencer or a DAW if it can't handle all of that?

 

And really, what is the point of setting the MIDI channel in Inspector? I honestly don't understand. As soon as a track is selected, it is automatically record-enabled, and any knobs you touch on another synth will affect the sound of the one that is enabled. So why bother selecting a port when it's automatically over-ridden and there's no way to change this behavior?

 

I've been using Logic for 10 years despite all of the headaches, but if I can't get a simple workaround on this I think I'm done.

 

Ableton makes it much easier to record Control Change automation, in case anyone is wondering!

Bump

 

"Track midi channel must match midi input device" -- This is not true. I wish this were the case. It would make things much easier.

 

Maybe this is too niche for the moderators to worry about, or maybe the moderators don't have multiple hardware keyboards or MIDI gear to test it themselves?

 

I would love to be proven wrong but there seems to be a blind spot on recording CC automation from hardware synthesizers in Logic.

 

Keep in mind, this isn't *easy* to do in Ableton but at least it is possible and relatively practical.

 

If someone could point me in the right direction here it would help me a lot and I have to think it would help others too.

 

I will start a new thread if this doesn't get a response.

On 9/3/2019 at 4:26 PM, anthroid said:

I just came here to say that not only is this incredibly annoying, counter-productive, and presumptuous behavior of the application, it is the primary reason, along with the rest of the ridiculous MIDI and track management, that I do not use Logic. This 'feature' alone makes me want to flip the desk any time I have to use Logic for anything. Every other DAW on the market handles MIDI I/O routing more and predictively and intuitively than Logic, and yet somehow they are all also easier and take fewer steps to set up and manage. I'm under the impression the only people advocating for keeping this behavior or claiming it's not a problem are (1) not using several multi-channel MIDI hardware devices, (2) only work in a 'classic' record-one-track-at-a-time linear fashion, or (3) have spent years working with Logic and aren't familiar with anything but this behavior.

This is a fundamental design flaw. It is absurd that think that you would ever want all of your incoming MIDI to automatically play on the selected track. This completely disregards the entire channel-based design principle of MIDI itself.

I’ve recently started integrating additional MIDI hardware and agree %100. Plus I have some sequencer AUs which are sensitive to MIDI feedback and must not be used with the track record enabled. Yet every time I click on the track it record enables. 🫤

Logic MIDI  handling have changed since v.10.7…

12 hours ago, roverlogic said:

Yet every time I click on the track it record enables. 🫤

Set MIDI In port to off and the track will not pass any MIDI through

On 9/3/2019 at 2:26 PM, anthroid said:

I just came here to say that not only is this incredibly annoying, counter-productive, and presumptuous behavior of the application, it is the primary reason, along with the rest of the ridiculous MIDI and track management, that I do not use Logic. This 'feature' alone makes me want to flip the desk any time I have to use Logic for anything. Every other DAW on the market handles MIDI I/O routing more and predictively and intuitively than Logic, and yet somehow they are all also easier and take fewer steps to set up and manage. I'm under the impression the only people advocating for keeping this behavior or claiming it's not a problem are (1) not using several multi-channel MIDI hardware devices, (2) only work in a 'classic' record-one-track-at-a-time linear fashion, or (3) have spent years working with Logic and aren't familiar with anything but this behavior.

This is a fundamental design flaw. It is absurd that think that you would ever want all of your incoming MIDI to automatically play on the selected track. This completely disregards the entire channel-based design principle of MIDI itself.

I can't believe this is still a thing in 2023. The second I added a Midi Breath Controller to my workflow I was shocked at how inconvenient this becomes. I click a track in arrange to see the midi and mix it and now the breath controller I'm still wearing is firing off data onto the currently selected track and I can't tell what I'm hearing.

I feel like if a convenient workflow for a basic utility requires multiple Bome Midi Translator patches to manage what data I want routed where... then something wasn't designed well.