Soloing and muting channels, Soloing channels – Apple Logic Express 8 User Manual
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Chapter 25
Mixing
Soloing and Muting Channels
Soloing or muting channels enables you to hear musical parts in isolation, or in
conjunction with other selected parts. This simplifies particular tasks, such as setting
precise equalization parameters.
Soloing Channels
All channel strips feature a Solo button (denoted by an S).
Click it to mute all other channel strips.
The solo button turns yellow, and the M on the Mute buttons of all muted (non-soloed)
channels will flash.
Note: MIDI channels are not muted.
You can solo several channels by clicking on their respective Solo buttons.
Option-clicking a previously unsoloed channel releases other active Solo buttons,
allowing the selected channel to be heard in isolation.
Option-clicking any activated Solo button disables the solo status of all channel strips.
Using Solo Safe
If you want to hear the signal of a soloed channel with any send effects, the effect
return channels (the auxiliary channels used for the sends) obviously can’t be muted, as
they constitute part of the signal path. The same applies when you solo an effect return
signal (an aux channel). All channels fed into the effect (aux channel) are muted, but
their effect sends remain open, ensuring that the effect continues to receive a signal.
Logic Express intelligently scans the entire signal path, and leaves the effect return
channels open.
This automatic mute-suppression only applies to the internal effect returns. If you are
using external effect units via aux channels, the scan will keep the effect master sends
open. Logic Express cannot, however, know which of the channels you are using as
effect returns for external effect units. You need to manually switch these channels to
solo safe—which prevents them from being muted when you solo another channel.
Better yet, make use of the I/O plug-in when you want to use external effects units. This
allows you to use external effects just as you would use internal ones. For more
information, see “