Logic Pro/Express: How to send audio to Soundtrack Pro

Soundtrack Pro can be a very useful addition to your Logic Pro or Logic Express workflow. While Logic doesn't have a dedicated feature that sends audio directly to Soundtrack Pro, you can edit audio from Logic projects in Soundtrack Pro by way of a Logic key command that opens an external sample editor, which you can set to open Soundtrack Pro. Here's how to do this.

Assign the key command first

By default, Logic doesn't have a key assigned to this command, so the first step is to assign one:

1. From the Logic Pro or Logic Express menu, choose Preferences > Key Commands.
2. In the Key Commands window, type external in the search field. The search engine returns the "Start external Sample Editor" command in the window. Select this command.
3. Click the "Learn by Key Label" button on the right side of the window to enable key assignment.
4. Press a key or key combination that you want to use to invoke this command.
5. Click the "Learn by Key Label" button again to disable it.
6. Close the Key Commands window.

You're now ready to start editing audio from a Logic song in Soundtrack Pro. Keep in mind that any editing you do in Soundtrack Pro is applied destructively to the audio files. Because of this, it's a good idea to make a backup of anything you plan to edit in Soundtrack Pro first before sending it to Soundtrack.

Edit Logic files in Soundtrack Pro

To edit audio from Logic in Soundtrack Pro, follow these steps:

1. In Logic, highlight the region you wish to edit in the Arrange window, then select Arrange > Audio > Convert Regions to New Audio Files.
   
   
   
   
2. A save dialog appears; enter a name for your file and select a save location if you wish.
3. With your newly created region highlighted in the Arrange window, press the key (or key combination) that you assigned for the "Start external Sample Editor" command.
4. The first time you use the key command, you'll be asked to select an application to use as the external editor:
   
   
   
   Select Soundtrack Pro and click Open.
5. Soundtrack Pro opens and displays your selected Logic region in the Audio Wave Editor. As Soundtrack opens, Logic displays a dialog that says that the available number of MIDI ports has changed.
   
   
   
   This happens because Soundtrack provides an internal MIDI port. Click OK to dismiss the message.

You may now perform any edits you like within Soundtrack Pro. The best way to do this is using Soundtrack Pro's Process effects. These are available from the Process menu in Soundtrack Pro. It is also possible to use realtime effects in Soundtrack Pro, by inserting them from the Effects tab; but if you do this, you must use Process > Bounce Realtime to Action to write the effects to the file.

Keep in mind that this is not an Audio File Project (.stap) in Soundtrack Pro, but a direct edit of the source file (Logic does not support the Audio File Project format). It's a good idea to avoid any edits that affect the length of the file, or change the number of channels (stereo-to-mono or mono-to-stereo conversions). Once you have performed your edits, save the file in Soundtrack Pro, and the results will immediately be audible when you switch back to Logic.

As long as you keep the file open in Soundtrack Pro, you may use its undo functionality to revert back to any stage in the current session's edit process. If you perform an undo, you must save the file again in Soundtrack Pro for the change to take effect in Logic. Once you close the file in Soundtrack Pro, or quit Soundtrack Pro, the edits cannot be undone.