Songwriting workflow suggestions needed!

Hi,
I am a beginning/intermediate Logic user. Am writing songs/tunes... and am experimenting all over the place. This is leading to an Arrange page nightmare.
For instance, I usually sing a melody over chord changes... so there's my A section let's say. Then I reharmonize the chords a few times before I find just the right combination, then I sometimes fiddle with the melody, then I come up with a few possible B sections... then I have a few arrangement ideas - one bassline.. perhaps a different one... maybe I'll transpose a B section...
Anyway - you get the idea. My arrange page is a MESS. And I mute parts and then listen back - and really end up wanting a little from this take, and this one... and ...
I get confused.
Who has workflow suggestions?
Thanks in advance!

What you need to do is comp your takes to one master track, this applies to the bass, the guitar, the flute - whatever. Once you have taken all of the best bits and put them on to a master track, you can put all of the unused bits into a folder, label it "bass takes" for example. Then - very important - change the track from being a folder to being "no output". This way you are assured of not accidentally unmuting things you don't want to hear.
I find that color-coding various takes helps to keep them straight. I usually use red for my first take and move through the color chart for each later take.
So, read the manual about packing folders, coloring objects, changing the track type (from audio to audio instrument to midi to folder to no output).
Organization is crucial. While you are at it, read about saving as a project. You at least want all of the audio files relating to a song/project in one folder. Don't worry so much about having the samples in the project folder unless it is a project you will be moving to another studio.
It also helps to choose the option "name audio files after audio object" on the page that assigns the record path. You can then name the object according to the instrument you are recording. If the object is named "Bass", the takes will be named "Bass#01" and so on.
You have some reading to do!
HL

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Message was edited by: Nate Cannon

Try this - I do this as a matter of course:
-select all of the photos after importing them into a project
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-with all of the images still selected create new version from master JPEG. all of these should now be the album pick
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RB
More here: [Aperture RAW+JPG|http://photo.rwboyer.com/2009/01/14/aperture-2-quick-tip-shooting-rawjp g>

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http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/productivity_tools/abetterfinderrename.htm l

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OE = PEBKAC I guess.......
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rob

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Sailor,
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C

Workflow Validation - Need Help

I'm fairly new to video editing. Everything below I figured out through trial and error until I found a sequence that seems to work well. I just want to know if it's the best I can make it. Storage space is a non-issue. I have no intention of burning to DVD. I'm not interested in sound settings right now. All of the videos sound good enough. I'll mess with that once I've got this workflow tweaked.
I want the following three files at the end of my projects.
1) HD Quality MP4 files that I can play on a PC or PS3. I chose MP4 because that's the only format so far that I've found that the PS3 plays. I'm open for recommendations. These should always be deinterlaced.
2) Good Quality MP4 files that I can post on my webserver for relatives to download and watch.
3) The best master copy I can get from FCE for future edits. Is this a good idea?
My Hardware/Software:
Television - 1080p 65" JVC
Mac - Macbook Pro 17" C2D 2.5g / 4g Ram
FCE 4.0.1
Toast Titanium 9
Camcorder: HG10 1920x1440 60i (Most of my filming is of kids running around. Open for discussion on 24p?) I've been archiving M2TS files from this camcorder for a year. I do not have the original file structure for my archived footage, just the M2TS files. In the future I can import direct to FCE (Tested it and it works fine), but I like the idea of having my source M2TS files with 5.1 sound in-tact.
MediaInfo 0.7.7.58
Step 1: Use Toast 9 to convert M2TS to .MOV for import into FCE. MediaInfo on source M2TS Files:
General / Container Stream # 1
Total Video Streams for this File -> 1
Total Audio Streams for this File -> 1
Video Codecs Used -> AVC
Audio Codecs Used -> AC3
File Format -> BDAV
Play Time -> 19s 170ms
Total File Size -> 35.4 MiB
Total Stream BitRate -> 15.5 Mbps
Video Stream # 1
Codec (Human Name) -> AVC
Codec Profile -> [email protected]
Frame Width -> 1 440 pixels
Frame Height -> 1 080 pixels
Frame Rate -> 29.970 fps
Total Frames -> 575
Display Aspect Ratio -> 16/9
Scan Type -> Interlaced
Scan Order -> TFF
Colorimetry -> 4:2:0
Codec Settings (Summary) -> CABAC / 2 Ref Frames
Codec Settings (CABAC) -> Yes
Video Stream Length -> 19s 166ms
Video Stream BitRate -> 14.6 Mbps
Bit Depth -> 24 bits
Toast Conversion Settings:
Device QT Movie
Quality Custom
Compression AIC
Frame Rate 29.97
Key Frames All (I don't understand Key Frames)
Compressor HDV1080i
Interlaced is checked/greyed
Size HD1440x1080 16:9
Preserve = No
DeInterlace = No
MediaInfo on Toast AIC Export:
General / Container Stream # 1
Total Video Streams for this File -> 1
Total Audio Streams for this File -> 1
Video Codecs Used -> icod
Audio Codecs Used -> AAC LC
File Format -> QuickTime
Play Time -> 19s 63ms
Total File Size -> 240 MiB <------I guess I can delete these AIC files when my FCE project is done right?
Total Stream BitRate -> 105 Mbps
Title (Tag) -> 00071
Video Stream # 1
Codec (Human Name) -> icod
Codec (FourCC) -> icod
Frame Width -> 1 440 pixels
Frame Height -> 1 080 pixels
Frame Rate -> 29.970 fps
Total Frames -> 570
Display Aspect Ratio -> 4/3
QF (like Gordian Knot) -> 2.264
Video Stream Length -> 19s 19ms
Video Stream BitRate -> 106 Mbps
Video Stream BitRate Mode -> VBR
Video Stream Size -> 239 MiB (100%)
Date of Original Encoding -> UTC 2008-11-07 02:04:14
Step 2: Import to FCE
Select Sequence Preset - Apple Intermediate Codec 1920x1080i60
When I drop the clip on the timeline, I get:
"For best performance your sequence and External Video should be set to the format of the clips you are editing. Change sequence settings to match the clip settings?" - NO
edit FCE project and render
Step 3: Export to MP4 for PC and PS3 Playback
Export -> QT Conversion -> -Options
File Format - MP4
Video Format h.264
Data Rate 8000kb/s (Is this the best option?)
Image Size 1280x720HD (1920x1080 looks interlaced?)
Frame Rate 29.97 (Defaults to 30. Why?)
Key Frame Every 24 frames. (Why?)
Video Options
Restrict Profiles to Main (ipod?)
Encoding (Assume best quality is what I want? Why?)
Media Info on FCE MP4 Export:
General / Container Stream # 1
Total Video Streams for this File -> 1
Total Audio Streams for this File -> 1
Video Codecs Used -> AVC
Audio Codecs Used -> AAC LC
File Format -> MPEG-4
Play Time -> 19s 342ms
Total File Size -> 18.7 MiB
Total Stream BitRate -> 8 094 Kbps
Video Stream # 1
Codec (Human Name) -> AVC
Codec (FourCC) -> avc1
Codec Profile -> [email protected]
Frame Width -> 1 280 pixels
Frame Height -> 720 pixels
Frame Rate -> 29.970 fps
Total Frames -> 579
Display Aspect Ratio -> 16/9
Scan Type -> Progressive
Colorimetry -> 4:2:0
Codec Settings (Summary) -> 2 Ref Frames
QF (like Gordian Knot) -> 0.289
Codec Settings (CABAC) -> No
Video Stream Length -> 19s 319ms
Video Stream BitRate -> 7 973 Kbps
Video Stream BitRate Mode -> VBR
Bit Depth -> 24 bits
Video Stream Size -> 18.4 MiB (98%)
Video Stream Language -> English
Date of Original Encoding -> UTC 2008-11-07 02:18:44
Step 4: Export FCE to MP4 for Web Use:
Don't have this sorted out yet, but I reckon I'll use the QT Conversion with h.264, 640x480 or something slightly smaller with Preserve Aspect Ratio/Letterbox/Deinterlace
I know there are a ton of details here. If more is needed, please let me know.
Thanks for the help,
John

OK, I'll bite. I don't understand the point of Step 1 - Use Toast to convert from .M2TS to .MOV.
I could certainly be missing something, but M2TS and MOV are container formats. So you are really doing two things: converting the video/audio from AVC/AAC in an M2TS container to something FCE can edit, namely AIC in an MOV container. I don't understand this step. FCE's log and transfer does this exact same thing (convert AVCHD to AIC), except without the external software. So, why use Toast if FCE already does this? You can also add metadata to the clips as they are imported so you can make heads or tails of them later.
I'm still learning too. So I hope this reads as a question
-Nick
Message was edited by: Nick Pope

Songwriting workflow suggestions needed!

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