The general knowledge of this concept varies in the world of independent music and filmmaking, but professional composers and filmmakers are incredibly aware of SMPTE and how the music should fit together in-sync. Since this is a complex topic, I won\u2019t go into too much detail here, but <\/span>check out this quick video on SMPTE time codes<\/span><\/a> that should help explain this concept more.<\/span><\/p>\n The first mistake many people make when making music in a DAW is to not utilize \u201cbuses and sends\u201d to route reverb and effects through. There are a few ways to do this, but the simplest is to create an \u201cAux channel\u201d within your Mixer window, then add a reverb to that channel (make sure the dry% is 0 and wet% is 100 in the reverb settings, and low-cut most all reverbs). Then you can create 100 tracks (more or less) and route every single one of those tracks to the same reverb bus. So rather than all 100 of your instrument tracks playing 100 reverbs (which is a nightmare for your CPU), you have 100 instrument tracks playing 1 reverb at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n Once you understand this concept, you can create multiple reverb Aux channels with different types of reverbs on each one, so if you want a reverb with a lot of distance and tail, you can put that on it\u2019s own Aux channel and just use that on instruments that need a big ambient reverb, for example. Once everything is set up, adjust the amount of reverb by tweaking the \u201cBus 1\u201d\u00a0 This is the most important tip in regards to CPU efficiency.<\/span><\/p>\n Now this is for those with a bit of OCD but also wants to make their projects look more fun. Adding color to each instrument or group of instruments makes things not only more fun to look at, but also helps your brain understand the structure of your project more and spend less time trying to find particular parts when there are a lot of tracks. To do this, right click on any single track or select multiple tracks and click \u201cAssign Track Color\u201d, and after you\u2019ve colored all your tracks to your liking, \u201cselect all\u201d and right click any MIDI or audio region and select \u201cColor Regions by Tracks\u201d to color everything to match your track bar colors.<\/span><\/p>\n You can alternatively color the regions different than the track bars. Grouping instrument sections helps to not only add processing to entire sections at once, but also allows you to get more micro-organized and collapse your project when needed. Always use \u201cSumming\u201d, as this gives you much more flexibility and capabilities. After you\u2019ve created your stack, customize it by renaming the track, then right clicking on the \u201cicon\u201d to change the picture (fun fact: you can upload your own PNG images so don\u2019t feel limited by Logic\u2019s picture library. My favorite part of working in Logic is honestly changing these little icons, so enjoy that!<\/span><\/p>\n Key commands are incredibly important and you can set them all up at once. I suggest watching a few tutorials on \u201c<\/span>key commands in Logic Pro X<\/span><\/a>\u201d and once you feel confident in your key commands you\u2019ve set, SAVE this. It\u2019s very helpful if you ever need to use Logic on someone else\u2019s computer and all of a sudden you\u2019re driving blind and need your key commands imported to their Logic (As long as their updated key commands are saved, you\u2019re safe to import yours without affecting their previous key commands). It\u2019s also useful if you have multiple computers using Logic in your studio. Despite the heavy initial time investment, key commands save LOADS of time in the long run, plus less frustration and stress. Go set your key commands!<\/span><\/p>\n Are you in the process of learning composition or never plan on learning it? \u201cChord Trigger\u201d is for you! Slap this awesome Logic plug-in to your MIDI-FX location and with each single note, you can trigger a plethora of chords & variations. As you can see in this example, selecting the \u201cMajor 7th\u201d and hitting a C note will give you a Cmaj7 chord. Have fun!<\/span><\/p>\n These three windows are the most commonly used areas for most projects. Piano Roll is where you\u2019ll edit all of your MIDI data, and there are many features just within this window to help your MIDI work for you, rather than the other way around. Automation isn\u2019t as much a window as it is an \u201cexpansion\u201d of each of your tracks to give more expression and improve your mix. Click on the automation button and make sure your track is \u201cread\u201d enabled. If \u201cread\u201d is disabled, you won\u2019t be able to adjust the automation. The mixer window can be incredibly helpful when you\u2019re in the process of mixing an entire song or section at once and need to see the mixing and monitoring tools all at once.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While there may be a lot of options within the preferences pane, it would be very helpful to make some customizable changes to some of these options from the get-go. If you know what your basic setup is and want to create a set of preferences based on that, I recommend checking out <\/span>this video<\/span><\/a> to understand which settings to adjust to increase the efficiency of your CPU\/HD within Logic. There are also other aesthetic changes you can make such as how the background looks, and much more! Also remember to check the \u201cProject Settings > General\u201d, as these are the settings that apply to a specific project, rather than changing general settings for Logic that will apply to every single project, which is \u201cPreferences > General\u201d. This may take some trial and error, but over time, you\u2019ll understand what should be enabled or disabled in your preferences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Right click in the gray area next to the Display on the top of the screen, then customize this area to focus only on the functions you actually use. A lot of times, seeing too much on the screen at once can lead to not only momentary confusion, but clutter on the screen. The goal is to customize your Logic Pro X to look and feel the way that leads to a focused writing session. Try to avoid being overwhelmed by the amount of buttons and displays are available by reducing these to only what you need. You can see which ones I\u2019ve selected and feel free to experiment with what works best for you!<\/span><\/p>\n Simply creating a couple of new folders will help keep all your Logic projects and audio\/video content organized, preventing that annoying prompt saying \u201caudio\/video content is missing\u201d. Essentially, the goal is to create a folder to store every single Logic project you create, plus a folder that stores any downloaded audio or video content such as audio that needs mixing or a video reference mp4\/mov. These files will automatically integrate itself into the Logic project package, however, having a consistent location for these files makes it load quicker & prevents any chance of lost content for your projects.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”3.19.6″ custom_margin=”||||true” custom_padding=”20px|350px|20px|350px|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ admin_label=”SECTION – Email Optin – eBook Signup – The Essential Guide to Film Music Collaboration” _builder_version=”4.14.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_module=”208326″ saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.14.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/ebook-thumbnail_2022.png” alt=”Compozly eBook” title_text=”Compozly eBook” admin_label=”eBook Thumbnail” _builder_version=”4.14.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.14.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_signup mailchimp_list=”Compozly MailChimp|e8500b7298″ use_custom_fields=”on” success_message=”Success! We just emailed you a copy of the eBook. You should see it in your inbox within a few minutes.” button_text=”Download” description=”<\/p>\n Get your FREE copy of %22The Essential Guide to Film Music Collaboration%22 <\/strong>to help create better music for your film and video projects.<\/p>\n ” admin_label=”Mailchimp Email Optin Form” _builder_version=”4.14.5″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”|600|||||||” header_text_color=”#333333″ header_font_size=”16px” header_line_height=”1.3em” body_text_color=”#333333″ use_background_color=”off” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#FFFFFF” button_bg_color=”#34D6B7″ button_font=”|700|||||||” button_icon=”||divi||400″ button_on_hover=”off” background_layout=”light” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_signup_custom_field field_id=”5″ field_title=”Job Title” field_type=”input” _builder_version=”4.14.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” predefined_field=”5″][\/et_pb_signup_custom_field][\/et_pb_signup][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.25″ global_module=”208453″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”About the Author – Header” _builder_version=”3.27.4″ text_font=”|700|||||||” ul_font=”||||||||” text_orientation=”center” custom_padding=”15px||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”3.19.6″ custom_margin=”||||true” custom_padding=”|350px||350px|true|true” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_team_member name=”Adam Robert Galloway” position=”Film Composer” image_url=”https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/adam-robert-galloway_200x200.jpg” admin_label=”About the Author – Adam Robert Galloway ” _builder_version=”4.14.5″ border_radii_image=”on|50px|50px|50px|50px” box_shadow_style_image=”preset1″ box_shadow_spread_image=”-17px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Adam is a content creator for Compozly and a fellow music composer. He has been scoring films since 2012 and releasing original & cover songs as Muzikm4n since 2017. Despite no formal training in composition, Adam has spent many years learning how to produce and compose music that provides filmmakers with effective and unique scores.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_team_member][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Global Footer” _builder_version=”4.14.5″ background_color=”#2c2c2c” min_height=”454px” custom_margin=”||1px||false|false” custom_padding=”40px||41px||false|false” global_module=”207564″ saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.5″ min_height=”385px” custom_margin=”|auto|-43px|auto||” custom_padding=”40px||40px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Compozly-Logo_FullColor-WhiteText_Transparent_175x45.png” alt=”Compozly Logo” title_text=”Compozly Logo” _builder_version=”4.14.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n CONNECT WITH US ><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a9 2021 Compozly, LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”About” _builder_version=”4.14.5″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font=”Poppins|700|||||||” header_font_size=”32px” global_colors_info=”{}” text_text_color__hover_enabled=”on” text_text_color__hover=”#ffffff”]<\/p>\n Support<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Contact<\/a><\/p>\n Privacy Policy<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Terms of Use<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”About” _builder_version=”4.14.5″ text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_font=”Poppins|700|||||||” header_font_size=”32px” global_colors_info=”{}” text_text_color__hover_enabled=”on” text_text_color__hover=”#ffffff”]<\/p>\n Login<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Sign up<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Composer Blog<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Start a Project<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Feedback<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 1.\u00a0Know frame rates & time codes\u00a0when importing movies The general knowledge of this concept varies in the world of independent music and filmmaking, but professional composers and filmmakers are incredibly aware of SMPTE and how the music should fit together in-sync. Since this is a complex topic, I won\u2019t go into too much detail here, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":207484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" Tip #1 - When importing a movie file, make sure to <\/b>understand frame rates & time codes<\/b><\/a><\/p> The general knowledge of this concept varies in the world of independent music and filmmaking, but professional composers and filmmakers are incredibly aware of SMPTE and how the music should fit together in-sync. Since this is a complex topic, I won\u2019t go into too much detail here, but <\/span>check out this quick video on SMPTE time codes<\/span><\/a> that should help explain this concept more.<\/span><\/p> Tip #2 - Use buses for reverb & effects to save CPU<\/b><\/p> The first mistake many people make when making music in a DAW is to not utilize \u201cbuses and sends\u201d to route reverb and effects through. There are a few ways to do this, but the simplest is to create an \u201cAux channel\u201d within your Mixer window, then add a reverb to that channel (make sure the dry% is 0 and wet% is 100 in the reverb settings, and low-cut most all reverbs). Then you can create 100 tracks (more or less) and route every single one of those tracks to the same reverb bus. So rather than all 100 of your instrument tracks playing 100 reverbs (which is a nightmare for your CPU), you have 100 instrument tracks playing 1 reverb at the same time. Once you understand this concept, you can create multiple reverb Aux channels with different types of reverbs on each one, so if you want a reverb with a lot of distance and tail, you can put that on it\u2019s own Aux channel and just use that on instruments that need a big ambient reverb, for example. Once everything is set up, adjust the amount of reverb by tweaking the \u201cBus 1\u201d\u00a0 This is the most important tip in regards to CPU efficiency.<\/span><\/p> Tip #3 - Customize your track colors, icons, and group sections of instruments<\/b><\/p> Now this is for those with a bit of OCD but also wants to make their projects look more fun. Adding color to each instrument or group of instruments makes things not only more fun to look at, but also helps your brain understand the structure of your project more and spend less time trying to find particular parts when there are a lot of tracks. To do this, right click on any single track or select multiple tracks and click \u201cAssign Track Color\u201d, and after you\u2019ve colored all your tracks to your liking, \u201cselect all\u201d and right click any MIDI or audio region and select \u201cColor Regions by Tracks\u201d to color everything to match your track bar colors. You can alternatively color the regions different than the track bars. Grouping instrument sections helps to not only add processing to entire sections at once, but also allows you to get more micro-organized and collapse your project when needed. Always use \u201cSumming\u201d, as this gives you much more flexibility and capabilities. After you\u2019ve created your stack, customize it by renaming the track, then right clicking on the \u201cicon\u201d to change the picture (fun fact: you can upload your own PNG images so don\u2019t feel limited by Logic\u2019s picture library. My favorite part of working in Logic is honestly changing these little icons, so enjoy that!<\/span><\/p> Tip #4 - Create & save key commands<\/b><\/p> Key commands are incredibly important and you can set them all up at once. I suggest watching a few tutorials on \u201c<\/span>key commands in Logic Pro X<\/span><\/a>\u201d and once you feel confident in your key commands you\u2019ve set, SAVE this. It\u2019s very helpful if you ever need to use Logic on someone else\u2019s computer and all of a sudden you\u2019re driving blind and need your key commands imported to their Logic (As long as their updated key commands are saved, you\u2019re safe to import yours without affecting their previous key commands). It\u2019s also useful if you have multiple computers using Logic in your studio. Despite the heavy initial time investment, key commands save LOADS of time in the long run, plus less frustration and stress. Go set your key commands!<\/span><\/p>![\"SMPTE](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-1-SMPTE-1024x519.png\")
<\/p>\n2. Use buses for reverb & effects to save CPU<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-2.1-543x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-2.2-1024x648.png\")
<\/p>\n3. Customize track colors, icons and instrument groups<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-3.1-1024x575.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-3.2-886x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-3.3-1024x472.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-3.4-1024x727.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-3.5.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-3.6-1024x563.png\")
<\/p>\n4. Create & save key commands<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-4.1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-4.2-1024x742.png\")
<\/p>\nTip #5 – Occasionally “Clean Up” your project to keep your project file size<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-5-1024x488.png\")
<\/p>\nTip #6 – Take advantage of \u201cChord Trigger\u201d to speed up composition<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-6.1-1024x629.png\")
<\/p>\nTip #7 – Familiarize yourself with the Piano Roll, Automation, and Mixer windows<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-7.1-Piano-Roll-1024x457.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-7.2-Automation-1024x377.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-7.3-Mixer-1024x581.png\")
<\/p>\nTip #8 – Make necessary changes in \u201cpreferences\u201d to increase CPU\/HD efficiency<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-8.1-1024x567.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-8.3-1024x838.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-8.2-1024x861.png\")
<\/p>\nTip #9 – Customize your Control Bar & Display to fit what you use most<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-9-1024x677.png\")
<\/p>\nTip #10 – Create a \u201cLogic Content\u201d folder on your computer to keep files organized<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/compozly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Tip-10-1024x349.png\")
<\/p>\nAbout the Author<\/h3>\n
About<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n
Resources<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n
<\/p>\u00a0<\/p><\/p><\/p><\/p> <\/p><\/p><\/p><\/p>