Apple Logic Express 7 - Manual (Page 119)

Chapter 3 Arrange Window 119
Delay
Value range:
−
999 to 9999 ticks. Normal value: 0
This parameter alters the time position of selected Regions. Positive values correspond
to a delay (laid-back playing style or dragging), negative values cause a pre-delay
(driving or rushing).
The units are ticks. A tick is the smallest time resolution in a sequencer, which is 1/
3840th note in Logic. On the right side of the delay value field you can use the mouse
as slider to input the value.
If you on the arrows to the right of the Delay value, the pop-up menu allows you to set
the delay in note values (1/16, 1/8 and so on).
Select View > Delay in ms to switch the display to milliseconds.
This can also be used to calculate delay times for different note values at
various tempos:
1 Set the desired note value by clicking on the Delay value.
2 Go to the View menu and switch on Delay in ms.
3 Set the desired tempo in the Transport panel.
4 The delay parameter will now show the delay time.
The delay parameter is mainly used for musical purposes. It is also a way of fixing
timing problems that may occur for a variety of reasons. Some examples of these are:
• The attack phase of the sound is too slow. A good musician will automatically
compensate for this by playing the notes slightly early. With very slow sounds, you
may need a pre-delay of over 100 ms to even them out.
• The sound generator is reacting too slowly to the incoming note-on messages. Older
multitimbral sound generators often take tens of milliseconds before outputting a
voice. This effect may be better compensated for with the Instrument’s Parameter
box Delay parameter, as this will affect all Regions on all tracks that are transmitted to
the slow-reacting device.