Take Folders vs Track Alternatives - What's Best For Managing Takes?

[@lairdey]

I love to take the alternate takes from the track folder, and unpack to new tracks when I wanna get some quick doubled vocals. It’s fantastic for that!

[@deadislander]

Watching this on the daily and it's transforming how I use logic dude thank you

[@Snugglebeee]

I use track alts to store a copy of take folders when I’m done comping. I use melodyne a lot so it helps in case a client wants to change a comp. I can easily go back to the track folder and change it.

[@voodoochili12]

What do you do with the original tracks containing the take folders? Are those stored in the track alternative, or do you simply mute and ignore them?

[@dennisgunn468]

I used logic for about 100 years. I was there back when take folders were being developed. I had already developed my own work flow at that time based around the ancient version of Track Alternatives that Logic used before they came up with Take folders which was just to create a new track for the same channel with the continuing section of audio repeating as the recording cycles between the locators. I could chop up those regions and move the sections I liked to the top while I marked possible alternatives for each segment with a color or simply deleted the ones I did not want. It was also easy to simply chop them all up and that go section by section and muting and activating them. I could also go section by section and mess with the volumes of each region if I wanted. I could also easily chop bits out completely if a breath or a rest was what I was after. Now to do that I have to unpack the the take folder to new tracks and yada yada yada just to to get back to the place where I began in the old system. Take folders were never an improvement as far as I was concerned. I never liked track folders at all. When I saw this I thought at first that track alternatives were a throwback to my very much the preferred system. Alas as far as audio goes it does not seem to be the case.

[@HSet77]

Excellent video. I like to keep 'Auto- Colorize Takes' on (checked in the Logic recording menu) - so it's easier to different the individual takes.

[@louistotalcontrol]

As a session drummer, track alternatives is a HUGE part of my workflow. The original track alternative is for my various takes; I then create a comp track alternative; then I do an edit / time align track alternative with cross fades; finally, my last track alternative has all the regions merged to take the strain off of Logic / my hard drive. Hope this makes sense to everyone - it basically means you can return to any moment when editing, should a mistake occur or the client wants something changed quickly.

[@voodoochili12]

Here's where I get hung up - let's say you've tracked everything, comped, and then do a full edit. The drummer wants to see if there's a way to fix some things. So, what then? Do you go back to the comp? That won't have Flex Time edits, only the exported comp will. So then the whole performance is different. If you go back to the comp and move some things around, then export to a new track alternative, do you have re-do ALL your Flex Time edits? Or, would you create a new track and surgically copy and paste only the affected areas into a new track?

[@louistotalcontrol]

@@voodoochili12 definitely the latter, surgical approach - no one wants to flex / slip edit the same part twice!

[@almightytreegod]

What I tend to do is record takes in a take folder, make a comp, then a duplicate track alternative where I merge the comp. When I’m done editing I’ll save and make a project alternative for all the merged stuff. I think it’s a pretty good system

[@marcellob.8893]

Thanks for your "30 Days of Why Logic Pro Rules" videos Chris. It's quite an undertaking but it sure is appreciated by everyone. Awesome!

[@danvilledan9443]

Great content, thank you!

[@danielpicard3994]

Although I’ve been using folder takes for comping vocals extensively, I must admit that I didn’t know about track alternatives. I believe it appeared in version 10.3. Thanks for the info!

[@echosynthe5i5]

This es2 synth-bass preset is freaking amazing!! Sometimes i prefer this patch over other sampled based basses, even scarbee basses!

[@JamesLloydKeyboardist]

Thank you so much for your time and tips, we all really appreciate it. 🎶❤️

[@JayBeBerg]

Track alternatives are perfect for comping multi-mic drum takes. So easy!

[@ManCalledMif]

Thanks for explaining track alternatives. Looks useful. I use composite tracks for getting the perfect take of an established idea, so track alternatives really helps in the ideas stage of composition.

[@paul2open]

Thanks Chris I didn't know about track alternatives so that was very useful. It may be a slightly different topic but there are also Project Alternatives, which I find very useful too. In fact I use them more than all the other 'alternative' types.

[@ozanturkan]

Great video! I am actually a Pro Tools user but decided to use Logic completely from the begining to the end when creating my productions. I was looking for a similar Pro Tools feature, to record different takes and select regions part by part when editing. So this video opened my horizons, thanks for the effort! But i have a question: i couldn't manage Logic to carry the region i selected from alternatives and do the fades automatically. How did you arrange this function? Greetings from İstanbul :)

[@MikeLennartson]

Great explanation of the difference! Thanks

[@roxammon5858]

Another great video - many thanks

[@powellrandolph]

So what would be the best way to go if I have multiple grouped drum track comps and I want to flex edit but still have options fir other takes later? I’m pretty sure I’d have to flatten and merge before flex editing but would it be better to duplicate the whole project and do it in the duplicated project so the original remains un flattened? I’ve never flattened tracks to know how to handle that. I’m just looking to move a few drum hits, not quantize the whole performance.

[@copesetic02]

Hi Chris, can I ask you a question that doesn’t have to do with this video? First off, I love you channel very informative. Second, I used to be a pro tools user but recently switched to Logic Pro x. The question I have is, in pro tools there was an option to make a snap shot from all active automation channels on that track between the left and right locators. Is that possible in logic? In need this feature because I do post audio production for video, and sometimes have an actor on a track but but in different scenes. So I would like to change the eq and or compressor via automation. PS: I love your voice. A really “everyday man voice” it fits so well to your explanations! Top!

[@Dave24hrs]

Is there a possibility to not have these folders or alternatives? what if I just want the region? more of ten than not I don't need those features and I feel they get in the way of my process.

[@MusicianInterviews]

Excellent vid

[@DanielZeeglerMusic]

My take folder doesn’t add fades automatically. How do you do that? This series is really well done.

[@OneFingerSnap]

I think what you want is explained here: www.studio-interns.com/2019/04/03/apply-default-crossfade⌃⌥x-logic-pro-x-keyboard-command-of-the-day/ Check Audio Preferences -> Edit tab

[@scottsmithalive]

Nice! Appreciate it!

[@dafingaz]

Nice!