Logic Express is being neither logical nor expressive.

[cmccarten]

I'm new to the Logic express interface (and hoping this is my final transition between programs - Adobe Audition, Acid, Sonar, Garageband - too much! The learning curve is getting to be impossible!).
The program recognizes my audio interface, and I have no problem recording or hearing playback of recorded tracks. The way that Logic deals with MIDI, on the other hand, is totally beyond me.
When I play my keyboard, Logic indicates that there is input, but I cannot hear the input. Similarly (and to some extent, I assume these two issues are probably be connected), I have no idea how to access the settings for software instruments. How can I choose a different instrument than the preloaded one of the track? How can I modify the instrument? How can I add effects?
On the normal audio tracks, the I/O box and effects boxes are all present on the strip on the left side: but on the MIDI tracks, all that it offers is (I assume, because I can't hear what changing these parameters does) three wheels of reverb, chorus, and some sort of modulation. I similarly have no control over the I/O stuff.

I know that is a lot of questions, but hopefully there is a simple answer to my question!

Thanks.

 

[scottlinux]

I'd suggest getting the Martin Sitter Logic book. Or read the intro pages of the manual (all in pdf form under the help menu in Logic). To show how to basically load a software instrument into a track.

Midi from your keyboard is just a triggering system that sends data to trigger events. So there is no audio being sent from your keyboard across the midi connection.

I'd suggest first to open Logic (default layout is okay for now) and click on a software instrument track (blue icon, says Inst 1).

Then on the left side on the channel strip where it says "Inserts" hold down the mouse, and pick an instrument. Now play on your midi keyboard and it should trigger that instrument. Now you can record onto that track, and Logic will record the midi commands.

Or another way to load an instrument is to hold down the mouse on the grey slot on the channel strip just underneath "I/O"

Hope this helps to gets you started.

 

[cmccarten]

Thank you very much for the help: I get it now!
(I think I can attribute this to new-app blindness; I just needed to take it more slowly)

 

[kanker]

Are you selecting, for example, a channel that says Grand Piano? If so, then you are clicking on a channel designed for sequencing an external MIDI instrument - that's the first channel of a General MIDI setup.

scottlinux has the prescription for fixing the issue.

 

[builder]

My favortie program is Digital Performer. Besides ProTools, it feels like a recorded should. I came from a Roland VS1880 and DP felt very much the same.

But what I wanted to say is to check out Tracktion. It was one the first I tried and I fell in love with it for its simplicity and power, but it ended up not having enough for me. Since then Tracktion 2 has come out and I hear is much better.

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