This guide assumes you are using the Logic Keyboard Ninja Key Commands. You can find instructions on how to install them on thekey commands installation page. Also, find a full list of the keyboard ninja commands in the Key Commands List.
Trimming Regions
When editing regions in Logic, there is a way to set where a region starts or ends, without having to first split them and delete the excess parts at the start or end. Once you have a track selected, you can first move the playhead to where you want the region to start, and press CMD Left Bracket ([). This will automatically trim off any part of the region that preceded the point where the playhead is currently. Likewise you can then move the playhead to where you would like things to end and press Command Right Bracket (]). This will get rid of anything past the playhead and end the region at the current position of the playhead.
Where Is this useful? Let’s say the first Verse of a song goes from bar 17 to bar 25. But you started recording at bar 16 to allow your self some time before the downbeat of bar 17. Coincidentally, by the time you stopped playing or singing the part, and press SpaceBar to stop the recording the playhead would be somewhere after bar 25. So now you have a little excess from bar 16 to bar 17 you may want to get rid of because there could be some distracting noises there as you are getting ready to start singing or playing the part. So using the example above you would move the playhead to bar 17 and press Command Left Bracket to get rid of anything prior to bar 17 and have the region start at bar 17. In much the same manner you may want to discard anything after bar 25 where there could be distracting sounds like putting down the instrument or the sound of the SpaceBar being pressed being picked up by the microphone. Again following the example outlined in the previous paragraph, you can navigate to bar 25 and press Command Right Bracket.
What about a scenario where you Recorded verse 1 and verse 2 on the same track? Verse 1 for example should go from bar 17 to bar 25 and verse 2 will go from bar 33 to bar 37. In this case you will want to select the regions first before you trim. When you select a track, all the regions on that track become selected, so in this case you’ll first want to select the region that goes from bar 16 and ends somewhere after bar 25. If there are multiple regions on a track you can navigate between them with the left or right arrow. Keep in mind the first time you press the arrow keys it will unselect all regions on the track. Therefore you will have to press the right arrow twice to select the first region, or the left arrow twice to select the last region on the track. Then with each press of the right arrow you will select the next region on the track. Likewise, you can press the left arrow to select the previous region. As VoiceOver doesn’t speak the region as you navigate to them you can use Control+Home or Control+End to move the playhead to the start or end of that region. VoiceOver will speak the start or end position respectively when it moves to it. Alternatively Shift+SpaceBar will play from the start of the selected region.
Once you have verified that you have the region selected that goes from bar 16 to just after bar 25, you can move the playhead to measure 17 and press Command Left Bracket to set the start, and to bar 25 and press Command Right Bracket to set where it ends. .
Once you have verse 1 trimmed up satisfactorily, you can press the right arrow for example to select the next region on the track. Staying with our example of verse 2 running from bar 33 to bar 37, it’s safe to assume this region will start around bar 32 and end somewhere after bar 37. Once again you can use Control Home, and Control End to verify this, or press Shift Space to play from the start of the selected region. Once again after verifying you are on the region, that requires trimming, you can now move the playhead to bar 33 and press Command Left Bracket and to bar 37 and press Command Right Bracket.
You can use Comma or Period to move through the project by measure/bar, Control Command Comma or Period to move by whatever you have the division value set to, and Control Option Command Comma or Period to move by sixteenth notes. See this blog post on navigating for more details on the different ways to move the playhead around a project.
Also, once you have a region selected, you can copy it with command C, Cut it with Command X and move to another point in the project and paste it with Command V.
Working From the Track Contents Area
By interacting with the track content area then interacting with the track background area for the track you want to edit, you can use VO+left and right arrows to navigate through all the regions on that track. Press VO+Shift+H to hear a regions start and end points and VO+Space to select a region. Once you have this region selected you can move the playhead to the bar you would like the region to start at and press Command Left Bracket, and move the playhead to where you would like it to end and press Command Right Bracket.
Wrapping it up, or the TLDR
1 Select the track or region you would like to trim
2 Move the playhead to where. You would like it to start and Press Command Left Bracket ([)
3 Move the playhead to where you would like it to end and press Command Right Bracket (])
Useful Key Commands
- Rewind (moves back by bar) Comma
- Forward (move Forward by bar) Period
- Rewind by Division Value * ⌃⌘Comma
- Forward by Division Value * ⌃⌘Period
- Rewind one 1/16 Note *⌃⌥⌘Comma
- Forward one 1/16 Note *⌃⌥⌘Period
- Select Previous Region ←
- Select Next Region →
- Set Region Start to Playhead Position ⌘LeftBracket ( [ )
- Set Region End to Playhead Position ⌘RightBracket ( ] )
- Go to Selection Start ⌃Home
- Go to Selection End ⌃End
- Play from Selection ⇧Space
