Why Logic won't show flats when the key is with flats?

Question

Hi!
Why is logic always show sharps and not flats in the matrix editor when we click on notes? If I input a Key with flats in the Global track signature, there is no change, I always see the name of notes with sharps instead of flats?
This is so simple to ask for a professional software! My 15 years old sequencer was doing that! Did I misunderstand something?
Thanks,
Daniel

Answer 1

It can see how it could be useful to have the option to display note names according to the key signature in the event and matrix editors. But I can imagine that this kind of thing could also lead to a fair amount of confusion in some cases.
Example:  to simulate harp glissandi, I'll use a mapped instrument as the front end for the instrument and remap the notes of the white keys so that by swiping a finger across only the white keys I get all the correct pitches. If the scale is C7 I'll map all of the B's to Bb's. Now of course, in the mapped instrument display, Bb is always shown as A# because here we're dealing with the remapping of notes in a MIDI context. But in harp writing, the B strings played with the pedal up are called Cb! If the piece I'm writing is in F# and the C7 gliss represents a brief enharmonic excursion, it starts to get a wee bit mind-bending as to how the notes should be named in the mapped instrument as well as matrix and event editor!
So in these cases, the idea of using the conventional MIDI names for the notes makes for the least common denominator. When it comes to MIDI (and not music), an A# is always an A#, etc. and you can count on this for consistency.
Of course, if this option to show note names as proper musical pitch was in place, there would have to be the option to turn the feature on and off depending on what aspect of Logic you're working in because there are lots of places where pitches are referenced! Theoretically, displaying notes as per the key changes could/would have an effect on:
• matrix editor
• event editor
• transform sets
• transformers, monitors, and virtually all Environment objects
• transport display of incoming and outgoing notes
...it's a pretty long list!
So perhaps it's not all that simple a situation. Still, if this feature was confined to the matrix and event editors, I think it would be a handy thing to have.