If you saw the other sampler tutorial, and have been curious about how to play a sample pitched up and down across your MIDI Keyboard, then this screen reader friendly tutorial is for you. It covers how to use Apple’s Logic Pro Quick Sampler as a blind or visually impaired user of VoiceOver.
We’ll be covering two different ways to get your sample into Quick Sampler, one requires using VoiceOver’s drag and drop, the other requires a Keyboard Maestro macro created by Liam Hacket. Please note, Liam updated these macros since I recorded this tutorial, so do check the read me.
If you plan on using the first method, which relies on VoiceOver’s Drag and Drop (much like working with the Sampler), to use the Quick Sampler, requires you to first import the file you want to trigger in the sampler into Logic if it’s not already in Logic. Once you have the file imported into Logic, then you’ll need to go into the track contents area to find the region that you will then drag and drop onto the track headers. The VoiceOver Drag and drop command is VO Shift Command Space, which is technically the command to mouse down/up. However in this context we’ll be mousing down on the region and then dragging it over towards the Track Headers with VoiceOver as shown in the tutorial.
The Other option is to grab a copy of Liam’s Quick Sampler Macros. These are handy as they avoid the drag and drop aspect of things, but also allow for some more functionality having to do with the settings in Quick Sampler and what you can do with the Samples once Loaded. Once you download the macros, you can install them by just running them. Also don’t forget to look at the read me to see what the different commands are. Once again these have been updated since this tutorial was recorded so do check the read me. In addition check out Liam’s tutorial on How to quickly audition samples.
the advantage of using the Keyboard Maestro macros, is now you can simply add a software instrument track to the project, and load the Quick Sampler to that track and use the macros to import your sample into Quick Sampler. I’d also suggest resetting the track first before Loading the Quick Sampler to it, as otherwise any effects like the reverbs routed to the Classic Electric Piano track will now be on anything the Quick Sampler plays. You can reset a track with the Key command Command Option Return if using the LogicKeyboardNinja key commands found by visiting https://logickeyboard.ninja.
Hopefully this tutorial enlightened you on how creative using the Quick Sampler can be in your own projects. If you use it in any of your own songs or productions, tag LogicBand on Twitter or Facebook and show off what you’ve been working on.
Also if you’d like to go deep on this or anything else having to do with Logic, GarageBand, VoiceOver or MacOS, then visit the training page and book a one on one session.
