Level 2

370 points

How to Freeze an External Instrument?

According to the Logic manual, it should be possible.

But when I attemp to do it, the SPL starts "running", so it becomes impossible for a external track (i.e. a synth line played via midi by my Waldorf Q) to be recorded.

However, the freeze takes place, but playing back the song those frozen tracks are silent (actually, silence was recorded).

I've tried everything (same results with the "export track as audio function")

So, I have to bounce those tracks, and it's really annoying (I'd prfer 32bit float quality).

Any suggestions?

Powermac G5 dual 1.8, Mac OS X (10.4.2)

Posted on Apr 25, 2006 6:48 AM

42 replies

cerla Author

Level 2

370 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:18 AM in response to Michael Atwell

This one is a bit of a "no-brainer". Unless Apple
figures out how to rewrite the laws of physics (they
are working on that, right? LP9?) then there is no
way any DAW on the planet can offline freeze tracks
from an external MIDI device!

Please read my post: what I was asking was a way to do a REALTIME freeze!

cerla Author

Level 2

370 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:20 AM in response to xs4is

"No."

Yes.

NO

That part of the manual is confusing and unclear, I understand the concept but the words are wrong.

xs4is

Level 4

2,800 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:23 AM in response to jord

Hey Jord,

"From Plugin Reference Manual, page 575

Freezing an External Instrument track cannot happen faster than realtime, as per any Bounce operations where MIDI hardware is involved."

I might not be reading this right, but this sentence form the manual says to me that freezing an external instrument track IS a bounce (..."as per"...) and a bounce IS an audio file. Am I wrong in my deduction?

X

cerla Author

Level 2

370 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:26 AM in response to jord

Even though this puppy has been put down

Jord,

My english is less than perfect, could you explain what you mean with this sentence? Thanx, Gabriele

jord

Level 5

5,230 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:38 AM in response to xs4is

Okay, I get it... a bounce of some sort does seem to imply, as far as Logic goes, that an audio file is a resulting product.

jord

xs4is

Level 4

2,800 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:38 AM in response to cerla

"No."

Yes.

NO

YES. ;^)

But for what it's worth, I find the manual very confusing too. Cerla, Is your manual in english? I assume that you speak Italian primarily...if so, the feat of translation alone is amazing to me!!!

X

jord

Level 5

5,230 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:39 AM in response to cerla

YES!!!

Read the section in the Reference Manual on Freezing and this makes sense.

jord

jord

Level 5

5,230 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:40 AM in response to xs4is

It's only confusing because no one read the section on Freezing. That would be the first place to go on this.

jord

cerla Author

Level 2

370 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:41 AM in response to xs4is

YES!!!

Only English! That's how I've learnt your language, actually 😀

Jokes apart, I have many fellow musicians that can only use Logic at 50% because they can't understand the manual.

There are Spanish and French translations, but no Italian yet 😟

xs4is

Level 4

2,800 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:43 AM in response to jord

Ok, good. I was starting to worry about what I've learned to this point....

Thanx for the confirm Jord!

Good luck cerla!

X

cerla Author

Level 2

370 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:45 AM in response to jord

It's only confusing because no one read the section
on Freezing.

Jord,

this is untrue.
I've read carefully both sections, and I've found a contradiction.
That's why I've posted this topic.

You're not the only one who reads the manual.

jord

Level 5

5,230 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:48 AM in response to cerla

It's a metaphorical dysphemism meaning that this subject has run its course and you may as well mark it resolved (and if you feel like tossing out some starfish, then do so). Other "sayings" range from "done like dinner" & "dead and buried" to "stick a fork in it".

A euphemism for carrying this thread any further would be "beating a dead horse". 🙂

jord

xs4is

Level 4

2,800 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:49 AM in response to cerla

Since you've learned english from a technical manual, you automatically sound smarter than 95% of all Americans!!! Congratulations!

I'm completely amazed that you had to translate (in your head) the manual. I can barely get my head around it and I speak english pretty well...

X

jord

Level 5

5,230 points

Apr 25, 2006 11:51 AM in response to cerla

Not true... there's no contradiction on this. One corroborates the other.

(Enter the dead horse for the flogging. 🙂 )

jord

Apr 25, 2006 12:07 PM in response to jord

This one is a bit of a "no-brainer". Unless Apple
figures out how to rewrite the laws of physics

(they

are working on that, right? LP9?) then there is no
way any DAW on the planet can offline freeze

tracks

from an external MIDI device!

Please read my post: what I was asking was a way to
do a REALTIME freeze!

I'm sorry for the confusion. Yes, you were asking about real-time freezing.

It seems to me that the Reference Manual and the Plug-in Reference contradict each other here. I'm still new to Logic so please forgive my ignorance. Just trying to get-up-to-speed here.

From the "Logic Pro 7 PlugIn Reference" manual:
Chapter 31, page 575

"The External Instrument plug-in provides a simplified way
of handling an external MIDI sound source if you’re
feeding its audio output directly into your audio interface.
This facility allows you to use one Arrange track for both MIDI recording and audio mixing with effect plug-ins. The External Instrument plug-in can be inserted in Audio Instrument channels (Mono/Stereo > Logic > External) in place of a software instrument."

So, they are talking about a plug-in inserted onto an Instrument Track here, correct?

At the bottom of the page, they wrote:
"Freezing an External Instrument track cannot happen faster than realtime, as per any Bounce operations where MIDI hardware is involved."

Now, here's where they seem to contradict themselves.

From the "Logic Pro 7 Reference Manual":
Chapter 4, page 196

"Due to technical reasons, the Freeze function is not available for the tracks of DSP- based audio hardware systems (such as ProTools), tracks that use plug-ins calculated on DSP cards (Powercore, UAD-1, Pulsar, and so on) or tracks that use external signal processing devices via the I/O plug-in. You can, however, freeze tracks that use Sends to Busses—with DSP-based or I/O plug-ins used on the busses."

If Freezing an External Instrument isn't working for Cerla, then does that mean that the External Instrument plug-in shares the I/O plug-in's limitations for Freezing?

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How to Freeze an External Instrument?