Apple Logic Express 7 - Manual (Page 149)

Chapter 4 Audio in the Arrange Window 149
Freeze was made for very CPU-intensive processes, which are generally (from higher to
lower demand) outlined as follows:
• Software synthesizers with a complex voice architecture
• Plug-ins with a complex structure (reverbs, filter banks or FFT-based effects)
• Software synthesizers with a simple voice architecture
• Software sampler with active filter
• Software sampler with deactivated filter
• Plug-ins with a simple structure
As long as your computer is able to calculate all active processes in real time, it’s
unnecessary to freeze tracks.
Freeze is recommended whenever your system’s power runs short and one, or multiple,
existing tracks with CPU-intensive instrument and/or effect plug-ins are in a finalized
state, or at least seem to require no further changes for the meantime—in other words,
a “close to final” mix.
As long as a track is frozen, its CPU usage is reduced to that of a high resolution audio
track, without any effect plug-ins inserted—regardless of the number, or processing
demands, of the plug-ins that were used originally.
How to Freeze a Track
It’s extremely easy to freeze a track: simply activate the Freeze button—the button
that features a small ice crystal icon (light gray when active). If the Freeze buttons are
not visible, activate the View > Track Freeze Buttons menu option in the Arrange
window.
If you hold Command while clicking on a Freeze button in the Track List, all tracks that
contain data in the currently-selected display level (or folder) will be frozen. If the
Freeze buttons were already enabled, they will be disabled.
You can also use track button slide activation to enable Freeze on multiple tracks.
Logic will create freeze files after receiving the next “Play” command. This allows you to
activate the Freeze buttons of multiple tracks, and render their freeze files in one go.
During the Freeze process, the SPL will follow the currently rendered position. A
floating progress bar window is also displayed.