Logic Pro Smart Tempo overview

Smart Tempo brings powerful new tempo analysis and editing capabilities to Logic Pro. With Smart Tempo you can record a performance without the metronome and have Logic Proadapt the project tempo to match the tempo of the recording, or keep the project tempo and flex the recording to match it. Smart Tempo also makes it easy to create remixes using audio files and MIDI regions with different tempos that all conform to the project tempo, or adapt the project tempo to the tempo of an imported audio file or MIDI region.

Figure. Project showing recording, Adapt mode chosen, tempo changes in the Tempo track, and the Smart Tempo Editor open.

To use Smart Tempo, you choose the Project Tempo mode to set the overall tempo behavior for the project, and use the Flex & Follow setting for individual audio regions to set how they interact with the chosen Project Tempo mode.

Unlike audio quantization, which identifies transient peaks in an audio file, Smart Tempo analysis places beat markers based on the musical tempo detection of an audio file. When used with complex musical material, Smart Tempo analysis can deliver better results (particularly when Flex & Follow is set to Bars or Beats) than using audio quantization. Though transients can be edited destructively in the Audio File Editor, you edit Smart Tempo beat markers and other tempo information in the Smart Tempo Editor.

You can also use Smart Tempo with MIDI regions in a project. MIDI regions always follow the project tempo, and so behave similarly to flexed audio files with the Flex & Follow region setting set to On. Because MIDI regions have no source audio file, the Smart Tempo analysis and any edits you make in the Smart Tempo Editor are saved directly to the MIDI regions and stored with the project.

The Project Tempo mode

The Project Tempo mode determines whether the project tempo is maintained, or adapts to the tempo of audio recordings, imported audio files, and MIDI regions. You choose the Project Tempo mode in the LCD Tempo display.

The Project Tempo modes are:

Keep Project Tempo: Maintains the project tempo when you record audio or MIDI, or when you import audio files. Audio regions for which the Flex & Follow parameter is not set to Off conform to the project tempo. Choose this mode to work as in previous versions of Logic Pro.
Adapt Project Tempo: Alters the project tempo to match the tempo of recorded or imported regions. When you move or copy regions, the tempo information of the regions moves with them. Choose this mode for free recording without the metronome or other tempo reference, or when you want the project tempo to follow region edits.
Automatic: Logic Pro chooses the appropriate behavior (Keep or Adapt) based on whether or not a musical tempo reference (such as the metronome or another region) is present. When a musical tempo reference is present, the project tempo is maintained. When no musical tempo reference is present, the project tempo adapts to match the tempo of recorded or added material.

In the Tempo track, the Tempo curve changes color depending on the Project Tempo mode and tempo analysis:

Blue: The project tempo is unchanged.
Orange: The project tempo will be defined by the tempo of a new recording.
Red: The existing project tempo will be replaced, affecting existing regions.

Each Project Tempo mode is useful for different workflows. For detailed information about Project Tempo modes, see Choose the Project Tempo mode in Logic Pro. You can also set the Project Tempo mode in the Smart Tempo project settings.

The Flex & Follow audio region parameter

When Flex is enabled for a track, the Flex & Follow pop-up menu is available in the Region inspector for audio regions, replacing the Flex checkbox in earlier versions of Logic Pro. You use the Flex & Follow setting to enable Flex for a region, to control whether it follows the project tempo, and to set whether it additionally uses Smart Tempo beat markers at the bar or beat level.

The choices for the Flex & Follow parameter are:

Off: The region is not Flex enabled, and does not follow changes to the project tempo.
On: The region is Flex enabled, and so follows any manual Flex edits. It also follows changes to the project tempo.
Bars (On + Align Bars): The region is Flex enabled, and follows project tempo changes. Additionally, Smart Tempo beat markers are used to conform the region to the project tempo at every downbeat (bar).
Beats (On + Align Bars and Beats): The region is Flex enabled, and follows project tempo changes. Additionally, Smart Tempo beat markers are used to conform the region to the project tempo at every beat.

There is no Flex & Follow setting for MIDI regions. MIDI regions always follow the project tempo, similarly to flexed audio regions with Flex & Follow set to on.

For information about choosing Flex & Follow settings, see Choose the Flex & Follow setting in Logic Pro. You can change the default settings for the Flex & Follow region parameter for new recordings and imported audio files in the Smart Tempo project settings, and set whether they are trimmed to the downbeat.

Musical tempo reference

When using Smart Tempo in Adapt mode (or when Auto uses Adapt behavior), the results depend on whether a musical tempo reference is present in the part of the project to which you are recording or adding a file. A musical tempo reference exists when the metronome is active, when audio, MIDI, or Drummer regions are present in the part of the project where you are working, or when Cycle mode is turned on.

In most cases, when you hear any musical material while recording, a musical tempo reference is present. If you do not hear any material, no musical tempo reference is present.

Tip: To avoid having a musical tempo reference while recording, solo the track you are recording to before recording.

Use Smart Tempo for free recording

When you make a recording in an empty project with the metronome off, and with the Project Tempo mode set to Adapt (or Auto), the project tempo adapts to the tempo of the new recording. The Tempo track shows the detected tempo, including any tempo variations, which appear as red lines in the new region during recording. After recording, you can turn on the metronome and hear how closely it follows the tempo of the recording.

When the Flex & Follow parameter for a new audio recording is set to On, the recorded audio region follows tempo changes but individual beats are not flexed. If individual beats do not match the tempo closely enough, you can set the Flex & Follow setting to Bars (On + Align Bars) or Beats (On + Align Bars and Beats) so the audio region conforms at either the bar or beat level.

When you make additional audio recordings, they conform to the project tempo, as long as their Flex & Follow parameter is not set to Off. You can set the Flex & Follow setting to Bars or Bars and Beats to conform them at the bar or beat level, or simply delete them and make a new recording. When you add audio files to the project, they also conform to the project tempo, as long as their Flex & Follow parameter is not set to Off. You can change the Flex & Follow setting to Bars or Bars and Beats to conform them at the bar or beat level, so they are in sync with the first recording and with each other. Additional MIDI recordings always follow the project tempo.

Use Smart Tempo with remixes

When creating a remix, you often work by combining files recorded at different tempos, and that may contain tempo changes. With the Project Tempo mode set to Keep, imported files do not affect the project tempo.

Imported audio files conform to the project tempo, as long as their Flex & Follow parameter is not set to Off. By setting the Flex & Follow parameter for the audio regions to Bars or Bars and Beats, beat markers are additionally used to conform them at the bar or beat level. The audio regions from the files can be transposed as needed so they play back in the same key. Any audio regions with their Flex & Follow parameter set to Off keep their original tempo, and do not conform to the project tempo. MIDI regions always follow the project tempo.

Use Smart Tempo with existing projects

You can use Smart Tempo with existing projects, including projects created in an earlier version of Logic Pro. For most projects, the workflow described in Use Smart Tempo with mulitrack audio files in Logic Pro is recommended, because it allows you to define which audio files contribute to the Smart Tempo analysis, and allows the analysis results to be shared between all audio files. In cases where you do not want the Smart Tempo analysis results to be shared across audio files, and in which the project contains a single region having a clearly audible and consistent rhythmic pattern throughout (for example, a stereo recording of the overhead mics of a drum kit), you can use the following workflow:

After opening the project, make sure the Project Tempo mode is set to Keep, and open the audio file corresponding to the rhythmic region in the Smart Tempo Editor. Turn on the Smart Tempo Editor metronome and audition the file to verify that the Smart Tempo analysis is correct, making any needed edits. After verifying and correcting the region, choose Apply Region Tempo to Project Tempo from the Edit pop-up menu (or Control-click the region in the Tracks area and choose the corresponding command from the shortcut menu). In the dialog, make sure both the “Align downbeat to nearest project downbeat” and “Maintain relative position of all other regions” checkboxes are selected, then click Apply. This writes the analyzed tempo from the selected region to the Tempo track, aligns the selected region to the downbeat, and maintains the relative positions of the other regions (as well as other data such as automation curves) to the analyzed region. Using this workflow, tempo-synced regions (such as Apple Loops or Drummer regions) and effects added to the project also conform to the project tempo.

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