Glossary
aftertouch MIDI data type generated by additional pressure on keys after they have been struck. Aftertouch is also known as pressure.
AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) A cross-platform file format supported by a large number of digital video and audio editing applications. AIFF audio can use a variety of bit depths, but the two most common are 16- and 24-bit.
alias A region in the workspace that mirrors a MIDI region somewhere else. You cannot edit an alias, only a real region, but any change to a region will be reflected in its aliases. To create an alias, Shift-Option-drag the original MIDI region to a new location.
anchor A temporal reference point, or the point that Logic Pro uses to snap a region to the workspace’s time grid. In the Project Audio Browser and Audio File Editor, the anchor is represented by a small triangle under the starting point of a region.
Apple Loops An audio file format containing recurring rhythmic musical elements or elements suitable for repetition. Apple Loops have embedded metadata that allow Logic to make them automatically match the project’s key and tempo. They also have tags that allow you to locate files in the Loop Browser by instrument, genre, or mood.
arming Enabling a track to be recorded
Arrangement track A global track in which arrangement markers can be used to move or copy sections of the region arrangement in the workspace
audio file Any digital audio recording stored on your hard disk. The default storage format for audio files in Logic Pro is AIFF, but you can also record audio files in the CAF and WAVE (BWF) formats.
Audio File Editor An editor in Logic Pro in which stereo or mono audio files are destructively cut, reversed, shortened, changed in gain, and processed in a number of other ways. The Audio File Editor allows sample-accurate editing of an audio file.
audio interface A device that provides audio inputs and outputs to your computer
audio region An area of an audio file registered in the Project Audio Browser for use in the project. It can be placed on audio tracks in the workspace, just as a MIDI region can be placed on software instrument or external MIDI tracks. Audio regions are pointers to portions of audio files.
audio track A track in the Tracks area used for the playback, recording, and editing of audio regions
automation The ability to record, edit, and replay the movements of knobs, sliders, and switches, including volume faders and pan, EQ, and aux send controls
Automation Quick Access A Logic Pro feature that assigns a slider or knob on your hardware MIDI controller keyboard to input track automation data
aux An auxiliary channel strip, either mono or stereo, in the Mixer
B
bar A measure of music, containing a specified number of beats, that establishes the rhythmic structure of the composition
bit depth The resolution (the number of 0s and 1s) of a digital audio sample that influences the dynamic range of a digital audio recording
bounce To combine several tracks of audio into one file
bus A virtual audio cable to route audio between channel strips, for processing or submixing tasks
bypass To temporarily turn off a plug-in
C
Catch A mode that continuously updates the contents of a window to show the position of the playhead. The Catch button shows a playhead.
CD Audio Abbreviation for Compact Disc–Audio; the standard for stereo music CDs uses a 44.1 kHz sampling rate and 16-bit resolution.
channel A discrete path used to transport a signal
channel strip A virtual representation of a channel strip on a mixing console. Each channel strip can contain a number of controls, such as Solo and Mute buttons, a Volume fader, a Pan/Balance knob, Input or Instrument slot, Output slot, Send slots, and MIDI FX and Audio FX slots.
channel strip setting A combination of the plug-ins inserted on a channel strip and their settings that define a sound
clip To feed too much signal through a channel, producing audible distortion. Channel strips have a clip detector.
continuous control number (cc#) The number assigned by the MIDI specification to the MIDI events that are used to control parameters such as volume or pan.
control bar An area at the top of the main window that includes buttons to control Logic playback and recording functions. Several buttons (Record, Pause, Play, Stop, Rewind, Forward) work much like the control buttons on a music player.
control point A position in MIDI Draw and automation tracks (identified by a dot) where data manipulation begins or ends
Core Audio The standardized audio driver for a computer running OS X 10.2 or higher. It allows the connection of all audio interfaces that are Core Audio compatible.
Core MIDI The standardized MIDI driver for a computer running OS X 10.2 or higher. It allows the connection of all MIDI devices that are Core MIDI compatible.
cross-fade To raise the volume of one audio file while simultaneously lowering the volume of another file in a smooth transition
Cycle mode A mode in which you can endlessly repeat a section of a project. To turn Cycle mode on and off, click the Cycle button in the control bar, or click the cycle area in the upper half of the ruler. The left and right locators define the beginning and end positions of the cycle area.
D
dB Abbreviation for decibels, a measurement that relates the relative change in the volume of an audio signal
dBFS Short for decibels Full Scale, a measurement that measures the volume of a digital audio signal
digital audio workstation (DAW) An electronic system that records, mixes, and produces audio files, such as a Mac running Logic Pro X
driver A software program that allows your computer to communicate with other hardware
E
editor A software interface that helps you manipulate the audio or MIDI data contained in regions on the workspace. The primary MIDI editors are the Piano Roll, the Step and Score Editors, and the Event List. You can edit audio regions in the workspace, Project Audio Browser, and Audio Track and Audio File Editors.
event A MIDI message. The main events are note, control-change, pitch bend, and aftertouch events. MIDI events can be edited in a number of ways.
Event List A list of events and regions that provide access to all recorded event data. Thus, you can directly manipulate events and regions and make precise alterations.
Fade tool One of the tools in the Tracks area Tool menu that creates a cross-fade when you drag across a section where two audio regions meet. You can also drag the tool over the beginning or end of a region to create a fade-in or fade-out, respectively.
Flex editing A Logic Pro X editing technique that allows you to automatically detect individual notes in an audio region, and precisely adjust each note’s pitch, position, and length
folder A container in the Logic Pro workspace for MIDI regions, audio regions, or other folders
G
General MIDI (GM) A specification designed to increase compatibility between MIDI devices. A musical sequence generated by a GM instrument should trigger similar sounds on any other GM synthesizer or sound module.
grid Vertical lines used to map the positions of bars, beats, and divisions (such as sixteenth notes) in various editors
groove track A chosen track in the Tracks area in which timing can be used to influence the timing of other tracks
H
Hand tool A tool that appears when you click and hold an event or region with the Pointer tool. It is used to move regions or events in the editors.
headroom The available dynamic range before clipping or distortion occurs
help tag A small text window that appears when you click-hold an element such as a region or MIDI note and displays that element’s position, length, or other information
Inspector The pane at the left edge of the Tracks area containing the Region and Track inspectors, the channel strip of the selected track, and one of the channel strips in its signal flow (usually the output or an aux channel strip)
I/O buffer size The amount of data that the computer buffers at one time when working with audio. Larger buffers ease the burden on your CPU, providing more processing power for plug-ins, but also increase latency when monitoring record-enabled tracks. The buffer size is set in the Devices tab of the Audio preferences.
K
key command An instruction to Logic Pro that triggers an action, communicated by pressing a key or a combination of keys. Most of the Logic Pro main functions can be activated by key commands.
L
latency The delay between, for example, playing your keyboard and hearing the sound. One factor contributing to latency is the I/O buffer size.
Library A pane of the main window that can be opened to the left of the Inspector in which you can open or save your own patches and settings
locators The two positions defining the edges of the cycle area. The locators are displayed in the control bar’s custom LCD display, directly to the right of the playhead position.
Logic Remote A free iPad app that functions as a control surface for Logic Pro
loop A region parameter allowing a region to repeat
M
main window The primary working area of Logic. It includes the Tracks area and can incorporate other panes.
marker Used for indicating sections of your project
Marquee tool A crosshair-shaped tool in the Tracks area with which you can select and edit regions or portions of regions
menu bar The bar extending along the top of the computer screen or the top of a window or pane that shows menus and mode buttons
metronome In Logic, a component that produces a sound concurrent with the beat. It can be set with a button in the control bar.
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) An industry-standard protocol that enables devices such as synthesizers and computers to communicate. It defines a musical note’s key number, and velocity, among other characteristics.
MIDI channel A discrete path for MIDI data. MIDI data flows through MIDI ports in channels, and up to 16 MIDI channels can pass through each port simultaneously.
MIDI Draw A function that lets you create and edit MIDI CC automation in a region by graphically inserting a set of control points, which are automatically connected
MIDI Plug-Ins Plug-ins that can manipulate MIDI data coming from MIDI regions or your MIDI keyboard before the MIDI events reach a software instrument plug-in
MIDI region Data container for MIDI events, shown in the workspace on software instrument or external MIDI tracks. MIDI regions do not contain sounds, but rather contain MIDI events that tell a synthesizer how to produce sounds.
Mixer A virtual mixing console used to display all channel strips used in a project that mirrors the number and order of tracks in the Tracks area. In the Mixer, you can also change a channel strip’s volume or panorama (pan) position, insert DSP effects, or mute and solo channel strips.
mixing The process of shaping the overall sound of a project by adjusting the volume levels and pan positions, adding EQ and other effects, and using automation to dynamically alter aspects of the project.
MP3 A digital coding standard used to compress audio files to reduce file size.
multi-timbral Describes an instrument that can use several MIDI channels simultaneously to trigger the timbres of multiple instruments/programs
Musical Typing An interface that allows you to use your computer keyboard as a MIDI controller keyboard
mute To silence a region or the output of a channel strip
Mute tool A tool that stops a region or event from playing when you click with it
N
nondestructive Said of an audio editor that does not change the source audio files in the course of editing
O
output channel strip Channel strip type in the Mixer that controls the output level and balance for the physical stereo output of your audio interface
PCM (Pulse-code modulated audio) Uncompressed digital audio data that may be included in AIFF, WAV, and CAF format files
Pencil tool A tool used to draw various types of information in an editor
Piano Roll Editor It displays note events as horizontal beams. Events can be cut, copied, moved, and resized in a similar fashion to regions in the workspace.
playhead A vertical line with a triangle at the top, located in the Tracks area and in other horizontal time-based editors, that indicates where you are in a project. In play mode, a project usually begins playback from the playhead position. You can position the playhead with the mouse by clicking the lower half of the ruler.
plug-in A small software application that adds functions to a main program. Logic Pro plug-ins include audio effects, MIDI effects, and software instruments.
Pointer tool The default selection tool, shaped like an arrow. It is in the toolbox of every pane and window.
preferences Parameters that affect the behavior of Logic and are applied independently of the currently open project
Project Audio Files Browser A tab in the browsers area, used to manage the audio files used in your project
punch in, punch out A technique that allows you to interrupt playback and record audio as the project is playing. It can be automated in Logic Pro.
R
region A rectangular beam that represents a container for audio or MIDI data and is found on tracks in the workspace. There are different types: audio regions, MIDI regions, folders, and take folders.
Region inspector A pane at the top of the Inspector, used to nondestructively set the individual regions’ playback parameters, including quantization, loop, and fades. These parameters do not alter the audio file. Rather, they affect how the audio regions referencing the audio file are played.
Replace mode An operating state that you can activate in the control bar. In Replace mode, newly recorded content takes the place of the previously recorded content.
ruler The timeline that runs the length of the project, organized into bars, beats, and even finer divisions. It contains the playhead, the cycle, and autopunch areas. It is also displayed at the top of the Tracks area, Piano Roll Editor, Step Editor, and Score Editor.
S
sample accurate Describes editors (such as the Audio File Editor or Tracks area) that display samples or allow you to edit individual samples in an audio region
sample rate The number of times per second an analog audio signal is sampled when converted to digital. When audio comes into an audio interface, analog-to-digital (A/D) converters sample the signal’s voltage level. Typical sample rates used in music production are 44.1 kHz (44,100 samples per second) and 48 kHz.
Score Editor A MIDI editor that displays notes in standard Western musical notation
screenset An onscreen layout of windows that you can save. Each screenset retains the position, size, and zoom settings of a layout.
scrubbing Moving the pointer back and forth (in a scrubbing motion) while playing an audio region to locate a specific section
send An output on an audio channel that sends a controlled amount of a channel’s sound through a bus to another audio channel strip
SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) Refers to both the professional organization, and the synchronization system it developed that divides time into hours, minutes, seconds, frames, and subframes
software instrument The software counterpart to a hardware sampler or synthesizer module, or an acoustic sound source such as a drum kit or guitar. The sounds generated by software instruments are calculated by the computer CPU and played via the audio interface outputs. Often called soft synths or soft samplers.
solo A way to temporarily allow you to play one or more tracks, events, or regions without playing others that aren’t soloed
Solo tool A tool that enables you to independently listen to selected regions (click and hold a region to do so)
standard MIDI file A common file type that almost any MIDI sequencer can read. In Logic Pro, you can export selected MIDI regions as standard MIDI files.
step-input To record notes one step at a time in a MIDI region
synthesizer A hardware or software device used to generate sounds
T
tempo The speed at which a piece of music is played, measured in beats per minute. You can create and edit tempo changes in the Tempo track.
Tempo track A track in which you can view and edit all the tempo changes of a project. The track displays tempo changes as tempo control points and allows you to create a tempo curve between two tempo control points.
Text tool A tool for naming regions in the workspace
time signature Two numerals separated by a slash that appear in the default LCD display in the control bar. The most common time signature is 4/4. The first number denotes the number of beats in a bar, or measure. The second number denotes a unit of time for each beat. For a 4/4 signature, each bar has four beats, and each beat is one quarter note long.
time stretch To change the length of an audio region (and the audio data inside the region) without changing its pitch. You can use Flex editing to time stretch audio regions.
toolbar The toolbar can be opened below the control bar. It contains a number of buttons for key functions. You may freely customize the toolbar to meet your needs.
Tool menus Available in the menu bar of a pane or window, the Tool menus contain tools for editing, zooming, cropping, and otherwise manipulating items in the window.
track A lane in the Tracks area that contains a collection of MIDI or audio regions that can be played. Each track specifies a destination to which the data will go.
Tracks area The main area of the main window; it is made of the Tracks area menu bar, the ruler, the track headers, and the workspace.
track automation Used for programming control changes that are not necessarily tied to a specific region, such as a volume fade or a filter cutoff sweep. The track automation system allows you to quickly find and automate plug-in parameters. It has its own recording modes, which function independently of the other recording features in Logic Pro.
track header In the Tracks area, the header located to the left of a track lane, which can display track name, track color bars, track number, and buttons such as Track Mute and Track Solo
Track inspector A pane located below the Region inspector in the Inspector, used to set track parameters, including Flex mode and Key Limit
Track Stack A collection of tracks that can be collapsed as a group. The main track of a folder stack can control basic volume, mute, and solo functions of the group of tracks, while a summing stack submixes its subtracks onto its main track, allowing you to use audio effect plug-ins to process the submix.
V
velocity The speed at which a MIDI note is struck. In most instruments, velocity information is used to determine the volume of an individual note.
virtual instrument see: software instrument
W
WAV, WAVE An audio file format primarily used by Windows-compatible computers. In Logic Pro, all recorded and bounced WAV files are in Broadcast Wave Format (BWF).
waveform A visual representation of a sound
workspace The primary working space of Logic, where audio and MIDI regions are edited and moved to create a project. The workspace is in the Tracks area, below the ruler, and to the right of the track headers.
Z
zoom An action that enlarges (zooms in on) or reduces (zooms out from) a viewing area in any window
Zoom tool A tool that enables you to zoom in on any part of the display. Pressing Option-Control while selecting a part of the window section enlarges the area.