Bug with Transform Crescendo -- workaround please?

Question

This is a clarification of a previous post.
I believe that the Crescendo preset in the Transform Window does not work. I found this in Logic 9.0.1, but I found the same in Logic 8, owned by a friend. Try this:
Create a MIDI region and plunk down a handful of notes in it. I entered 10 notes.
Select the notes.
Double-click any note to open the list window so you can see the velocities of the notes - they should all be = 80, or at least all the same value.
Perform "Functions>Set locators by events"
Perform "Functions>Transform>Crescendo"
Now look at the Transform window:
Notice: Selection Criteria start = 1.1.0, end = 5.1.0, unrelated to the selection.
Notice: Velocity operation = Cresc., start = 1 end =127
Notice above the 3 buttons at the bottom of the window: no message about number of events selected.
Now there are different things to try, and I don't know if there's an interaction depending on the order.
First, try "Select and operate"
In my Transform window the previously blank message just above the 3 buttons at the bottom now says "5 events in one MIDI region found"
BUT I entered and selected 10 events. Only the first five are now selected; the rest have been deselected.
In the events window the velocities of the first five notes have been set to 127, the remaining 5 notes are still at 80.
So I didn't get a crescendo, and not all the selected notes were even processed.
Try other combinations, such as:
manually adjusting the position start and end to match the locator limits for the events,
changing the Cresc. start and end values - try flipping for example
clicking "Select only", then "Operate only"
In none of these case could I get a crescendo. The outcome, always wrong, varies with different attempts.
What do you think? Is there a workaround? Is it a bug? How could it be a bug both in Logic 8 and 9?

Answer 1

ObserverLou wrote:
Hi, Eric,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful answer.
However, as I look at the images you posted, I think that the crescendo did NOT work as expected.
Yes it did.
I can't see the list window, where you would see the actual velocity values.
You'll get the list windows:
!http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2607/4005019134ebe95a8d9fo.png!
!http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2489/40042545671358203680o.png!
But I can see the colors of the notes. Since the velocity range in the Transform window is from 1 to 127, I would expect the velocities in the transformed notes to increase from 1 to 127. The colors of the notes should therefore go from blue to red. In your 2nd image, the rightmost color is yellow, and the a handful of the leftmost notes appear to be all the same color blue.
That is because the starting point of the last note is stil 1/16 before the end of the set Range.
You'ld have to set it like so:
!http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2467/40042544473080aaf46eo.png!
!http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2641/40050187326be5999a5ao.png!
Please check the numerical values in the List window and let me know what you see.
That it works exactly as expected.
I agree with your comment about the importance of the start and finish values of the INSIDE range. The manual is quite clear about this. And in one or two instances when I set these values manually I did get a real crescendo from 1 to 127.
The problem may be how to set those values. From the user guide I think they have to be relative to the start of the region, not the start of the project.
No, the values apply to the inside range, and are spread evenly over that range. The starting point of the region is irrelevant
Therefore, if the region happens to be at the start of the project, you can find these values (in the transport bar) and type or paste them into the Transform window.
The starting point of the region is irrelevant, only two things count: the Inside values and the note selection. +Unselected notes are not affected.+
Finally, I've posted an image of how things look after I click "Select and operate" If you can see a bad setting please let me know.
!http://www.jolc.net/lcpublic/appleforum/appleforum02.png!
Yes, your inside values are incorrect. Set them from 16.2.719 to 26.2.481 for a perfect 1-127 result.
regards, Erik.