Filtering Incoming MIDI Events
Sometimes your MIDI controller keyboard sends MIDI events that you may not want to record in Logic. Maybe you are using an older MIDI keyboard that generates random pitch bend events, or your keyboard is sending aftertouch MIDI events when you apply pressure to the keys, but the instrument you are recording does not react to aftertouch.
Logic allows you to filter out undesired incoming MIDI events so they are not recorded. Since input filter settings are project settings, you can adjust them to filter various types of events in different projects.
- In the Toolbar, click the Settings button and choose MIDI from the pop-up menu.
- Click the Input Filter tab.
In this tab, you can select the MIDI events you want to filter.
- In the Arrange area, click the Suitcase V2 track header.
The track is selected and record-enabled.
- Play some notes on your MIDI controller keyboard and move the pitch bend wheel.
You can hear the note pitches change as you move the pitch bend wheel.
- In the MIDI Project Settings window’s Input Filter tab, select Pitch Bend.
- Play some notes on your MIDI controller keyboard and move the pitch bend wheel.
This time the pitch bend MIDI events are filtered at their input into Logic, and your pitch bend wheel movements have no effect on the pitch of the notes you play.
Separating the MIDI data from the audio signal produced by the instrument allows for very flexible recording. Throughout this lesson you quantized your notes to a grid and chose to merge new recordings into an existing MIDI region or to record separate takes in a MIDI take folder. You also used step input recording to enter notes one step at a time, without the pressure of recording a real-time performance.
After a MIDI performance is recorded, you can still change the sound of the instrument independently of the MIDI events, or edit the MIDI events independently of the instrument’s sound. Those vast sound- and performance-editing possibilities take you to a new realm of experimentation. Enjoy it!