Logic Pro X

How to resequence audio

Quickly transform loops and expand your EXS sampler library
Difficulty Logic’s EXS24 sampler has been a part of the app since long
before Apple purchased Emagic in 2002, which you could
Time needed argue makes it a bit long in the tooth. It’s still incredibly useful,
however, especially when you consider one particular talent

20 it has which you may not be aware of – the ability to import

any audio region, slice it up and instantly arrange the chunks
as samples over the length of your MIDI keyboard. It’s a great
Download available way to resequence drum loops to create new variations and
fills, excellent for arranging vocal ad-libs as a performance, and
just a brilliant one-click way to expand your library with custom
sampler instruments. Follow the tutorial to see how it works…

Step-by-step Create new sampler instrument tracks

1 Import audio 2 Select & convert 3 Zone in

First off you’ll need to import the audio file Highlight the selection, then right-click and In the dialogue box that appears, you can
LPX EXS Loop.wav from the Tutorial Files folder choose Convert>Convert to New Sampler select either regions or transient markers from
onto an audio track in an empty Logic project Track. Alternatively, you can use the Ctrl+E which to create sample zones. As we’re slicing
at 128bpm. keyboard shortcut. up a drum loop, we’ll pick transient markers.

4 Name your patch 5 Set trigger notes 6 Okey dokey

In the Name box, enter the name for your The trigger note range specifies the area of the Click ‘OK’. A MIDI region will appear in the
newly-created EXS Instrument. This is how it keyboard that the audio samples will occupy. Tracks area. This will play back the sampled
will appear in your preset list after saving. We’ll The number of slices that will be created is chunks in order and in time to replicate the
go for ‘EXS Drum Loop’. shown in the lower box. original file exactly.

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 To save the samples you’ve created into a project, enable ‘File>Project
Settings>Assets>Copy EXS Instruments and Samples into Project’.

Instant replay
Add extra variety to a simple drum loop with this quick feature Regional variations
Alternatively, you can use the scissors
and fade tools to create a number of
audio regions by hand, which takes a
On track bit more time and effort, but can yield
As well as the methods already a more accurate result.
shown, The ‘Convert Regions to
New Sampler Track’ command
can also be found in Logic’s main
Track menu.

Knowledge base
Tempo change
Time-stretching rhythmic audio
over large jumps in bpm can One shot
sometimes have a detrimental
With this option ticked,
effect on both the sound and
each sampled chunk of
the timing. With this technique,
audio will play through
as the audio is split into chunks
to the end of the slice
that are then triggered by notes
regardless of the length of
in a MIDI file, you can change
the trigger note. Useful for
the tempo with the timing of
loops and drum sounds.
the slices intact, without time-
stretching. This preserves the
original audio quality.

Marker respect
Logic uses Flex Time to analyse
the audio file and place transient
markers accordingly. The
‘Convert to New Sampler Track’
feature bases the position of its
slices on these markers.

7 MIDI playback 8 Speed it up 9 Change pattern

The original audio track will be muted, with the If we now change the project tempo to We’re now free to go ahead and resequence
new MIDI track now active. Double-click the 170bpm, the MIDI trigger region will speed up the notes at will. Here we’ve added some
MIDI region to view the slices and play your to match, whereas the muted original audio extra hi-hat, snare and kick notes to form a
MIDI keyboard to hear them. region doesn’t change. Drum ’n’ Bass-style pattern.

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