Update: Logic Pro version 12.0.1 and onwards now features an AI-based Chord ID system which will automatically analyse any MIDI or audio track and create a basic set of chords.
The techniques below may still be useful if you can’t or don’t want to use the latest version of Logic, or are using a pre-Silicon processor which doesn’t have the AI features built in.
Users of Logic Pro have probably come across the Chord Track. It’s one of the global tracks and is useful for defining chord changes in a project, both for human use and to help drive the AI session musicians.
Many people were quite excited by the Chord Track, and while it has improved a little in version 11.1 of Logic, it is still a little bit clunky.
MIDI to Chord Track
One of the features most desired is the ability to drag existing MIDI regions onto the Chord Track and have it automatically populate with detected chords.
Logic does have the ability to name chords played — with varying degrees of success depending on how complicated the source MIDI is — because the chord names are visible in the control bar whenever a chord is played. Chords are also shown in the piano roll and score editors when notes are selected.
Alas, dragging a naked MIDI file to the Chord Track usually results in a little padlock appearing. You can drag a populated Chord Track to a MIDI track and have the chords replicated. This time, however, the chord names are displayed on the created MIDI region. These can be dragged back — and this appears to be the issue. There is currently no standards-compliant way of adding chords to MIDI data. This is something which is happening in Logic.
The Solution: Preamble
So to the problem at hand — how to get chords from an existing MIDI file into the Chord Track.
The solution presented here is a bit of a fudge. Here are things to bear in mind:
- It works in real time (that is, you have to play the MIDI track through live in order for it to work)
- It works best on MIDI with clearly defined chords and minimal embellishments. It has diminishing success when chords are arpeggiated.
- It works best when chord changes change regularly, or in multiples of regularity. For example, every bar or a combination of bars and half bars.
- Some tidying up of chord positioning and additional chord information may be necessary depending on how chords have been captured.
The Solution: Steps
1. Setting Up
1.1 Prepare MIDI track
Record a software instrument track or import the MIDI track you wish to extract chords from.
Quantise the track so chords are on beats.
Note: Keep recordings or imported files as simple as possible for best results. Avoid arpeggiated chords and many embellishments or melody notes.
1.2 Set Internal MIDI
In left-hand information panel, click disclosure triangle to open the Track settings (if not already open).
Locate the “Internal MIDI In” setting. It is most likely set to “Off”. Click and select “Instrument Input > name of the current track“
1.3 Set Automatic Snapping Value
In the topmost menu (below the control window) click on the Snap menu.
Ensure “Snap to Grid” is checked.
Set a value for the snapping — most likely “Bar”.
The value you set here determines how far the playhead moves forward each time you have entered a chord and move to the next one. If your chords are spaced closer than a bar, you may need to set this to ‘beat’.
Ensure the Snap feature is on (power symbol is lit blue)
1.4 Get Chord Track ready
Click on the Global Tracks button to display the global tracks, if not already shown.
Right click on the Global Tracks area and ensure “Chord” is checked.
Click on any chords already in the Chord Track and then press the delete key to remove them.
Set the playhead to the beginning position of the first MIDI region you are extracting chords from. If you are starting at the very beginning of the project timeline, just press Return to go to bar one.
2. Adding the Chords
2.1 Open Chord Input box
On the Chord Track, click the + sign. A default chord is created at the playhead position.
On the chord input box which appears, ensure the “MIDI Input” button is on (turns blue).
2.2 Begin playing track
In the transport controls, click the Play button.
Note that keyboard shortcuts will not work while the chord input box is open.
2.3 Add Chords
After each chord in the MIDI track plays, press the TAB key on your keyboard to move to the next timeline snap position.
When each chord plays, Logic detects the chord and places it on the Chord Track.
If you miss a chord or it is entered in the wrong position, you can either ignore it and continue adding chords as the playhead passes them, or stop and begin the process again.
You may find it easier to reduce the tempo of the entire project while performing this task on faster pieces of music and/or with many chord changes.
2.4 Stop
In the transport controls, click the Stop button.
3. Tidying Up
3.1 Edit/Move Chords as Required
You may find that some chords are in the wrong position, or are either too simple or too complex.
You can drag chords around, extend or reduce their length by dragging the left or right positions, or delete them.
You can double click a chord to edit it.
Conclusions
As is the way with many homegrown solutions, this isn’t the most elegant workaround. However, in many cases it may speed up the initial entry of chords from an existing well-defined MIDI track.
If you have music theory knowledge and/or the ability to play chords, it may be quicker to enter the chords manually onto the Chord Track using a MIDI keyboard.
Naturally, we’re hoping the Chord Track sees improvements — including the ability to automatically create chords from existing tracks — in future updates.
We hope you found this tutorial useful.
