Logic Pro/General Recording Question - "Blending Songs"

[Seannn]

I apologize for the terminology I'll use in this post, and I'm sure there's a simple answer to my question waiting to be found somewhere in the Logic manual.

 

Regardless, I'll ask it to you: How do I go about recording a song blending into another song? Would I create it all in the same audio file and bounce two tracks, or would I record two different files and copy automation data? Creating it all in one file sounds like it could turn into a disaster if something crashes - I'd be dealing with too many tracks.

 

I'm thinking of an example like how the applause in "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" go into "With A Little Help From My Friends".

 

Thanks guys.

[RedKey]

I'd do the individual songs in Logic and do the blending (cross-fading) in Waveburner. In Waveburner you can easily cross-fade tracks and still maintain track markers. You also have complete control on each track's fade duration and rate.

[888000000]

I would place the songs where I want them on two tracks and fade out one while fade in the other. Bounce the result to a new file.

I would do this with the bounced stereo-files, not with the full arrangements.

 

 

[Bobadohshe]

You just want to cross fade from one song into another? Put them overlapping on two tracks, fade one of them out, fade the other in, and bounce the whole thing.

[Seannn]

Perhaps. I want the string synth in my first song to lead into my second song. I believe there would be some cross-fading, so I'm thinking keeping it all on one file may make the most sense. I'll just bounce it twice.

[Seannn]

Another question for you guys.. the Logic manual is a bit hard to navigate, and isn't helping me right now.

 

Can I record without any tempo setting/bars? Just straight out recording? (I'm recording something based off of an organ drum machine, and tempo-matching that is pretty much impossible). Edit: I guess I can just go for it and ignore the metronome?

[Sven Golly]

I'm recording something based off of an organ drum machine, and tempo-matching that is pretty much impossible). Edit: I guess I can just go for it and ignore the metronome?

 

You can absolutely do beat-matching in Logic, it's dead easy. I'd suggest you invest in some time with either MacProVideo.com or AskVideo tutorials, it'll be well worth the effort. Then you should buy Kanker's Logic books and really learn how to get the most out of the program.

 

In the meantime, if you aren't willing to spend anything on it (it IS Christmas time after all, and money's tight all over), search for Logic beat matching.

 

In the end, you'll be able to have Logic map the tempo to the drum machine pattern. You'll be much happier if your tempo map matches the song(s) you're recording.

[Roger Hooper]

You could take the second song and create stems; mix down the high frequency stuff, the mids and the lows to 3 stereo audio files. Then place them in the arrange window of the first song; you can play the string synth over the stem tracks. Using stems you would get a little more control EQ'ing, routing through effects busses, etc., as opposed to laying the string synth over top a stereo mix of the second song. And stems would be easier to deal with than trying to put the 2 songs in the same arrange file (unless they shared the many of the same instruments).

 

You'll always have a tempo setting; like you said in the edit, just turn off the metronome. Although, if you can figure a tempo close to the organ's rhythm player, you could tempo map it later.

[allan_evett]

...... Then you should buy Kanker's Logic books and really learn how to get the most out of the program.....

 

Lots of good advice here, but this is invaluable - especially as you mentioned the manual being a challenge to navigate. I've completed projects in Logic - some for hire, but these have been relatively simple, mostly MIDI based pieces. I just started working through Kanker's first Logic Book (Logic Pro 9 Power, The Comprehensive Guide), and it's filling in a lot of gaps, knowledge-wise...

[Seannn]

You can absolutely do beat-matching in Logic, it's dead easy.

 

Great suggestions, and thank you Sven for the links! You're right, it is easy. But ultimately, it just wasn't cutting it for me. The tempo I was looking for was somewhere between 93.1 and 93.4 bpm, but every twenty to forty-something bars or so, either the click track or the Latin beat on my organ would be slightly off, and that was grinding my gears. (This was after trying several things with the BPM Counter plugin right after I posted.) I just recorded without a metronome, playing to my drum machine, and it was 9:20 of organ bliss. I didn't want to risk ending up seven minutes in a whole half-step behind or something. Of course, I'm just working on a demo. If I put more effort into it and adjusted the drum machine a bit, I'm sure I could have found a match.

 

By the time I do record the real thing, if that time ever comes, I'll have other musicians with me, and we'll use a click track, and a drummer, whose skills are much better than Kawai's. On the subject of books, I picked up a great book when I first started recording called Modern Recording Techniques, Seventh Edition - it's been very helpful.

 

Edit: I should add as well that the Logic manual isn't that bad. I was exaggerating a bit. You can pretty much find tutorials for everything in there, it just takes a bit of patience, as does the software. The resources that Sven mentioned along with general Googling can help you figure out just about everything else. But, by the sounds of it, Kanker's books sound like they would do me very well!

 

On another note, I had a bit of a scare when my computer didn't find my audio interface. Fortunately, it was just a driver issue - I needed to download the Lion driver for my PreSonus Firestudio 26/26. Phew!