Using a single logic project to run dmx lights and backing track for a full set

I hope to be able to accomplish running my bands set using logic. I want to run backing tracks as well as synced up dmx lights using DMXIS. Currently, my project is set up with markers and tempo changes. It runs smoothly but I was hoping there would be a way to get the project to stop at the end of each song and jump to the marker beginning the next song. Any help would be appreciated.

I think you can do that with scripts or something. If not possible, you could just add a good amount of silence between each song (a minute or two) when song ends, the music will stop, and you will have a minute or two to hit the key command to go to next marker. You can use numerical keys to go to specific markers but in your situation, go to next/last marker is probably a better fit. If your front man likes to talk between songs for a longer duration, then add longer sections of silence between songs. And during break, simply pause playback sometime before the silent section ends and next song starts.

 

Not the most elegant solution although probably the easiest (unless there’s a simple playback command to ‘play until next marker’ or something like that.

You can do this with Meta events.

 

- Create an empty MIDI track (can be a software instument with no plugin loaded)

- Create a handful of Midi Regions on that track with the pencil tool. You need this because you can't write Meta events to an empty track.

 

- Locate to the start of Song 1 minus half a bar (or so) and put Marker#1 there. Do not place it right at the count-in. If you later need to fire it off spot on, you can press FF once, this will jump to the next bar line and stay there

- Place one of the empty Regions there

- Make sure the Playhead is at the start of that Region

 

- Open the Event List editor to the right

- Find the Plus button and change its popup menu from Notes to Meta Events

- Click the Plus button, then change the created Meta event to Meta Num 52 Stop Playback

- Name this Region "Stop"

- Alt-drag this Region to the head of every song, always leaving half a bar before count in, and put your Markers there

- Mute these Regions in spots where you want no pause between songs

 

- Locate to the end of song 1

- Place one of the empty Regions there and name it "GoTo Marker" plus the marker number you're about to jump to

- In the Event List, click the Plus button, then change the created Meta event to Meta Num 51 GoTo Marker# and its Value to 2 (assuming the first song is #1)

 

- Repeat the last three steps for each song

- Done

 

If you later want to rearrange the song order, don't change the Meta definitions, but rearrange the GoTo-Regions on the track. Placing them all on a track separate from the Stop-Regions is smart and helps greatly.

That’s it, meta events is what I meant (not scripts). And sounds much easier than I thought it would be.