Logic 9 Review – Flex Time (Beats and Tempo)
By Paul Dakeyne
| Posted in Music Technology
“Show ‘em how you do it to the tempo of the drum” – a lyric from 80′s UK rapper, Derek B. Well, Logic 9 certainly has some massive improvements to help beat makers, DJ/Producers and everyone who has an interest in drum editing and tempo manipulation. Again, it’s our new friend Flex Time that is integral to the following update features.
Drum Note Timing: In its most simple form, and by first engaging ‘rhythmic mode’, Flex Tool allows a ‘click on transient’, drag/re-position of (eg) a snare or clap. To help accurate shifting, a vertical yellow guideline appears, backed up and confirmed in the transport section showing exact bar & beat position. Expanding on this most basic of editing tasks, the power of Logic’s already present Quantize feature can then come into play..
Quantize Audio: I programmed up a simple 8ths feel drum loop loaded with audio transients and tails, but purposefully made most of the notes appear off the quantize grid. This was then bounced into an audio file and imported back into the arrange window. By selecting the file and then ’1/8′ notes in the quantize menu, Logic pulled the transients onto the grid, so straightening out the initial ‘poor’ performance. I did notice a slight trace of digital artifacts but nothing to overly concern. This method of course would work extremely well with an audio track of single ‘hits’ as opposed to (and if not better than) a full loop.
Groove Templates from Audio File: Previously in Logic Studio 8, the method of making a midi groove template from an existing audio file was of course possible (if a little fiddly when setting up capture parameters). Here in Logic 9, the Flex Time capability has made this process a breeze, and a quite accurate breeze at that! By clicking on an audio track containing [say] a full live drum loop, select ‘Make Groove Template’ and.. well, that’s it really, job done. The newly created template appears in the quantize list and that can be applied to perhaps a bass part to unify with the ‘feel’ of the original source groove – easy.
Drum Fills: From hereon, some creative expression and fun can be had, especially when working on a loop. By selecting the Flex Tool, I was able to quickly and easily make a natural sounding drum fill in seconds.. Check out the following MP3 to hear just how ‘un-programmed’ this sounds..
Some crazy dub-style effects can be gleaned with the Flex Tool again by expanding the audio space (and by that I mean the sustained content) of a drum sound such as a clap/hat etc, and getting an almost metallic ‘suspend hold’ effect -cool.? Well yes, but the best is yet to come..
Speed-Fade: A new item appearing in the separate ‘fade in/out’ parameters of an audio file are ‘Speed Up’ and ‘Slow Down’. Applied to beats and/or transients within an audio loop file (whether drums or a complete musical phrase), that classic DJ ‘deck stop’, ‘deck start’ effect (previously achievable in Pro Tools as ‘Vari-Fi’) is now present and correct in Logic. To illustrate this (see image left too) and taking a tad of inspiration from the great ‘bullet editors‘ like Omar Santana and Sanny X, here’s an example of what’s possible.. First up is the normal audio file of a simple drum loop.. Normal Loop – PLAY .. and then the ‘Speed Fade’ version.. Speed Fade Loop – PLAY You can imagine the fun you’d have with this new feature, huh?
It couldn’t get better could it? Guess again. Rounding up this Flex Time analysis, we arrive at a DJ and Post Production dream – complete track Varispeed: Originally demo’d by Apple as a tool to help play those awkwardly difficult guitar/keyboard solos at a slower than ‘master tempo’ speed, this almost one click solution will change everything in your song instantly to a new tempo. Simply control-click the transport bar and select customize to make ‘VariSpeed ‘ appear. I took a complete Logic demo track from 104 to 120 bpm, and upon playback, this gave almost undetectable digital artifacts! Isolating the vocal and horn section, here’s the original 104 bpm version.. Track @ original tempo – PLAY and the 120 bpm take.. Track @ 120 bpm
The practical and creative connatations of this new feature are immense for all – and it works for both movements, ‘slow to fast’, and ‘fast to slow’. Tempo shift with or without musical pitch change is achievable with a third option altering any MIDI data if also required 
Tags: Drum Fill, Groove Template, Logic 9, pro tools, SpeedFade, Varispeed