Logic Pro 9 User Manual - Help Library - Apple

Transcribing MIDI Recordings
Traditional music notation is only an approximate description of the musical content in
a piece. The actual performance depends heavily on the interpretation of notes by
musicians. Quarter notes, for example, are hardly ever held for exactly one beat.
The rhythmic interpretation of MIDI regions (recorded in real time, to a metronome click)
presents a similar problem, especially when you consider that Logic Pro records MIDI
events at a resolution of 960 ticks per quarter note. Nobody will play a downbeat at the
exact time of the metronome click.
The Score Editor’s display parameters allow you to adjust the appearance of notation,
without changing the playback (and feel) of the original MIDI region. You can use different
display settings for each region.
As such, it’s important that you have some idea of what your printed music should look
like. This will help to determine the display settings that will best fit your music.
If you can’t seem to find the appropriate display parameters for a particular MIDI region,
divide the region with the Scissors tool. This leaves MIDI playback unaltered, but allows
you to assign different display parameters (display quantization) for each of the shorter
regions that result from the Cut operation.
Even though these divided regions are separate, they adjoin each other, and are displayed
as a continuous staff in the score.
As a general working tip, you should merge MIDI regions (or insert blank regions) to fill
the gaps between MIDI regions before altering the display settings. The Score Editor
displays nothing if no region is present, resulting in blank spaces in your score.
Default Settings for New MIDI Regions
If a new MIDI region is created with the Pencil tool in the Arrange area, or through MIDI
recording, Logic Pro applies a set of default parameters to it. These defaults can be seen
and edited in the Display Parameter box, when no MIDI region (no staff) is selected. The
title line shows Insert Defaults to indicate this status. These settings remain as set until
you quit Logic Pro, but can be changed at any time.
Click any empty spot in the Score Editor background to display the Insert Defaults. Edit
any of the parameters as desired—set Quantize to the value that you use for most regions
in the project, for example. From this point on, all new regions automatically use these
settings when created. If Quantize is set to “default,” the display Quantize setting of newly
recorded or created regions matches the division value shown in the Transport bar.
Note: The default setting for staff styles (Style) is not defined here. This is separate for
each track, and is set in the bottom line of the Arrange area’s Track Parameter box.
Chapter 31 Working with Notation
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