Pattern creation examples

For drum and percussion (rhythm-based) patterns, edit modes such as Velocity and Note Repeat can be effective for creating interesting-sounding patterns. You can also create interesting variations by copying the pattern and changing the pattern length of the copy.

1. In Logic Pro, choose an Electronic Drum Kit patch that uses Drum Machine Designer from the Library.

2. Create an empty pattern region in the Tracks area, or an empty pattern cell in the Live Loops grid.

3. Turn on some steps in the pattern to create a basic beat. It’s often good to begin with a simple kick pattern to set the foundation, followed by a few snare hits and a hi-hat pattern.

4. Click the Preview button  in the Step Sequencer menu bar to hear the pattern as you work.

5. Choose Velocity / Value from the Edit Mode selector and adjust the velocity of steps.

6. Choose Note Repeat from the Edit Mode selector and add note repetition to some steps. This can work especially well with closed hi-hats or other sounds with a quick decay.

7. Click the Preview button again to stop the pattern playing.

8. Choose a different pattern length from the Pattern Length pop-up menu.

9. With either the Tracks area or the Live Loops grid in focus, press Command-R (or choose Edit > Repeat > Once) to create a copy of the region (or cell) to the right of the original one.

10. With the new region or cell selected, choose the /8 step rate from the Pattern Step Rate pop-up menu above the row headers, and listen to the difference in how the pattern sounds at the new step rate.

Edit modes such as Velocity, Note, Octave, and Tie can be useful for creating interesting instrument and melodic patterns.

1. In Logic Pro, choose a synthesizer patch featuring a relatively fast note attack from the Library (such as the Analog Poly Synth, Luminous Tines, or Short Pulse Waves patches in the Synthesizer > Classics subdirectory).

2. Create an empty pattern region in the Tracks area, or an empty pattern cell in the Live Loops grid.

3. Click the Preview button  in the Step Sequencer menu bar to hear the pattern as you work.

4. Turn on some steps in the pattern to create the basic feel.

5. Choose Velocity / Value from the Edit Mode selector and adjust the velocity of steps.

6. While still in Velocity / Value edit mode, press and hold the Command key while clicking steps to turn them on or off. You can use this key command while in any edit mode other than Step On/Off.

7. Choose Tie from the Edit Mode selector and tie some steps to lengthen some notes.

8. Click the disclosure arrow on the left edge of a row header to show subrows for that row.

9. In the Gate subrow, choose Note from the Edit Mode pop-up menu to change the edit mode for the subrow.

10. Drag vertically in some steps to change their pitch. The new pitch appears above the step as you edit it.

    Note: When you change the pitch of individual steps in a row, the row is labeled Melodic to indicate that the steps in that row no longer trigger the same pitch.

Using Learn mode to quickly add automation rows by manipulating Smart Controls and other parameters simplifies the process of adding automation to a pattern.

1. In Logic Pro, open the Loop Browser, choose Abstract Harps Pattern 01 (as an example), and drag it to a new software instrument track or Live Loops cell.

2. Click the Preview button in the Step Sequencer menu bar and listen to the pattern.

3. Choose Window > Open Smart Controls.

4. Click the Add Row pop-up menu  located above the row headers, and choose Learn to activate Learn mode.

5. Manipulate the Timbre screen controls in the Smart Controls window and look for a row created for that parameter in Step Sequencer.

6. Choose Velocity / Value in the Edit Mode selector.

7. Change the value for a few steps in the new row for the Timbre parameter in the pattern.

   Notice how the parameter moves abruptly from one value to the next.

   Note that changes to the Timbre value will be audible only on steps that are turned on.

8. Open the Step Sequencer inspector, click the Row button to show the Row inspector, then choose Slide from the Automation Mode pop-up menu.

   Notice that automation parameters now move smoothly between values.