Editing drums in logic 9 with flex time

[morpheusmultimedia]

I am using flex time for a couple of months now and in my case it really improved my workflow. How I proceed with the editing depends on the quality of the recorder tracks. If the drummer is OK and on time there is generally no problem and sice the hits aren't that much off grid there close to zero artifacts. I am keeping my edited drums in a separate session, when I am done with the edits I export all tracks to a new session and we proceed with the recordings.

When the drummer is bad I simply try to edit that the hands are in time, nearly completely discarding the kick track. when I have finished with the editing I redo the kick track and simply high pass the overheads and rooms.

 

[gabriel g.]

yes it will be easier to detect transients, but you have to watch that moving the trigger tracks doesn't fuck with the mic tracks as the trigger tracks are theoretically going to be SLIGHTLY in front of the mic tracks. should be fine though....

When you group triggers and drums together and mark Kick-Trigger and Snare-Trigger as Q you wont have problems with phase.


Do no-one use the auto-function?
With a good drummer its so easy. Just use 8th or 16th and you are fine to go.

Only problem I had with the auto mode were a 6/4 beat the drummer couldnt play more awfull

 

[Machinated]

i sometimes use autofunction, if i know the drummer is tight enough and there aren't any triplet fills or anything....

even still, i like sitting the drums just behind the grid rather than a % around it, so i do it by hand anyway. also means i can make sure there are no cymbal artefacts or anything else....

 

[Machinated]

and i have them grouped in, its not a problem with phase, just that using the trigger tracks and mic tracks, logic may detect it as 2 seperate hits rather than putting the triggers with the mics...

 

[pifos_2]

Adam have you found a good way to deal with snare/kick simulatenous hits that are not perfectly aligned? I've tried doing a different group for the kicks and lining them up. It seems to work decently but not always. The snare track will sometimes get weird artifacts. I'm thinking perhaps just pasting in a clean snare hit might fix this. Any suggestions?

i usually always start with automatic quantize on a part of the song. as a basis.
In that case, if kick and snare are played together but are not thight enough, there are 2 options :

- either the snare is put on the beat and the kick is slightly off. I then ungrouped the drums apple+G and unselect the drum group tracks. then select only the kick track and move the kick transient back on the beat, well aligned with the snare.

- or the kick is put on the beat and the snare is than off. then i move the all group and put the snare back on the beat. then ungroup and move the kick like above.

always works great for me. I use only one group really.

i checked out beat detective and honestly I think it can be much faster.
I am sure I will always come back to Logic for drum editing, whatever the DAW i will use later.

even still, i like sitting the drums just behind the grid rather than a % around it, so i do it by hand anyway. also means i can make sure there are no cymbal artefacts or anything else....

you could just start on the basis of the automatic fonction, then listen and make the corrections. then you could move every regions slightly behind. I always listen every cymbals tracks seperatly to make sure there are no weird stuff going on.
I think you would save so much time. Of course often it fucks up and you have to adjust but for easy grooves the auto fonction is so fast.

 

[Elf7]

Hi guys!

First of all, i read all the post in topic, and find them helpful! Thanx for that!

I have just one small problem...i did auto quantize with flex on my recorded drums, and it works perfectly, but as soon as i change global tempo for some breakdown, everything messes up in that part... Can you please help me with this, i'm so confused...

Thanx in advance, and cheers!

 

[pifos_2]

Hi guys!

First of all, i read all the post in topic, and find them helpful! Thanx for that!

I have just one small problem...i did auto quantize with flex on my recorded drums, and it works perfectly, but as soon as i change global tempo for some breakdown, everything messes up in that part... Can you please help me with this, i'm so confused...

Thanx in advance, and cheers!

if i remember correctly, you have to print the tempo and tempo changes in the audio files for the flex editing to work correctly accros tempo changes. since logic 9 is tempo is stored in the audio files.

so first write your tempos changes, then export the tempo track to the audio files and THEN start editing.

i havent use logic for a while, check the manual for the option to export the tempo to the files, it's somewhere in the a menu.

you might have to start the editing from scartch.

 

[Elf7]

Hey man! Thanx for quick reply!

Do you mean adjusting the tempo in global tempo track by saying - write the tempo?

Thanx for help again, any info is more then welcome!

 

[pifos_2]

first just write your tempo track, write your tempo changes.
then you have to export the tempos to the audio files.

option -> audio -> export tempo information to audio file

 

[Elf7]

Ok,i'm doing that right now, will write results as soon as i check is it working! ;-)

 

[Elf7]

pifos_2, maaan,you are the BEST! Solved me a problem that i couldn't solve anywhere else on the net...two simple steps no one knew! BIG THANKS!
Thank you a million times!