Technology Institute for music educators ti: me course 2a Advanced Sequencing, Second Edition

2. 
   The Six Flex Modes (see Example at right)
   
   1. 
      Slicing
      
      1. 
         Best for cutting drum tracks into multiple regions for audio quantization. May leave silence gaps between regions.
         
      2. 
         Adjust Transients (see item C. below), then right-click region, and and choose Slice at Transient Markers.
         
   2. 
      Rhythmic
      
      1. 
         Best for quantizing drums and percussion without slicing.
         
   3. 
      Monophonic
      
      1. 
         Best for quantizing solo instruments, especially bass, vocals and single-line guitar parts
         
   4. 
      Polyphonic
      
      1. 
         Best for complex music tracks and chordal instruments including piano, rhythm guitar and instrumental sections.
         
   5. 
      Tempophone
      
      1. 
         Mimics an early device similar to a tape machine, with a cylinder upon which are mounted multiple playback heads. The cylinder turns as tape moves across it; allows independent pitch or tempo change, but with strong artifacts.
         
   6. 
      Speed
      
      1. 
         Allows the creation of “fades” that actually speed up or slow down playback. Good for “dying turntable” effects.
         
3. 
   Editing Transient Markers
   
   1. 
      Select the first region in the Flex-enabled track and open the Sample Editor. Enable the Transient Editor Mode button and check for false or missing transient markers.
      
      1. 
         Use the “+” or “-“ buttons to have Logic add or subtract transients.
         
      2. 
         Click and drag a transient to move it. Command-click to manually add a transient or double-click to remove one.
         
   2. 
      When only the essential transients remain and are correct, close the Sample Editor.
      

Example: Transient Editor Mode

Fewer Transients More Transients

4. 
   Conforming Regions to Tempo with Flex Markers
   
   1. 
      Using the Arrow Tool or Flex Tool, place a single Flex Marker at the beginning of the region to be conformed. This Marker will act as an anchor.
      
   2. 
      Click in the upper right corner of the region (the cursor will look like Trim with waveforms instead of arrows), and stretch or shrink the region to the desired new endpoint. Changes of less than 20% give the best results. Listen for artifacts indicating too much stretch or shrink.
      
   3. 
      Quantize the region as needed; Flex will quantize the Transients as if they were Flex Markers, stretching or shrinking the audio between markers as needed.
      

Example: Flex and Transient Markers

5. 
   Adjusting Notes Within a Region using Flex Markers
   

1. 
   Occasionally it is not possible to create accurate Transient Markers, especially with complex, sustaining instruments. In these cases, Flex Markers can be placed manually to allow accurate conforming and quantization. Using the Flex Tool in the Arrange window, place Flex Markers as needed.
   
   1. 
      Clicking on a Transient in the upper half of the waveform display will place a single Flex Marker on that Transient.
      
   2. 
      Clicking on a Transient in the lower half of the waveform display will place three Flex Markers: The center one will be on the targeted Transient, and the left and right ones will be on the nearest Transients on either side of the target. The outside Flex Markers will act as anchors as the center one is moved.
      
   3. 
      Clicking while not on a Transient will create either a single or triple Flex Marker, depending on whether the upper or lower area is clicked.
      
2. 
   To remove a Flex Marker, double-click it. To change the position of a Flex Marker without effecting the audio, Option-click and drag it.
   

6. 
   Quantizing Flexed Tracks and Regions
   
   1. 
      Select a track or region, and then select an appropriate quantization value from the Region Inspector. Groove Templates work well here.
      
   2. 
      To quantize a portion of a whole file, we recommend that you separate the portion into its own region and then quantize it.
      

7. 
   Making Conformed Audio Permanent
   
   1. 
      Audio that has been conformed using Flex Time will remain conformed only if Flex View and Flex Mode are left enabled. There are two ways to make Flex Time changes permanent:
      
      1. 
         Select the entire track. From the local Track menu, select Bounce in Place (right-clicking on the region(s) also reveals the Bounce in Place menu). In the dialog box, choose a Destination for the bounced audio, along with how effects and normalization should be handled, and then click Bounce. A new audio file will be created per the specifications selected in the dialog.
         
      2. 
         To avoid the above dialog altogether, select a region or regions and then use the local Region menu to access Merge > Regions. This will create a new audio file that will replace the previous one, with conforming intact. Note that the Merge function works only on multiple regions. If a conformed track consists of a single region, it must be sliced to allow access to the Merge function.