Understanding Relationships Between Windows

Working in Catch Mode

When you work in Catch mode, the visible section of a window follows the playhead during playback or recording. Simply click the Catch button.

If the button is disabled, the display does not update, even when the playhead moves past the right edge of the visible portion of the window.

In the Logic Pro > Preferences > General > Catch pane, you can set the following options:

• Catch when Logic starts: Activates Catch mode whenever you click Play or Pause.
• Catch when moving playhead: Activates Catch mode whenever you move the playhead.

You also have the option of using Catch mode together with the Scroll in Play setting. The View menus of all windows that display time horizontally (Arrange area, Score Editor, Piano Roll Editor, and Hyper Editor) offer the View > Scroll in Play setting. If the Catch function of the window is also activated, the playhead remains in the middle of the window, while the background scrolls smoothly from right to left.

Working in Link Mode

The Link mode options—No Link, Same Level Link, and Content Link—allow you to define how information is displayed when working with related editor windows.

To set any of these modes

• Control-click (or right-click) the Link button, then choose the mode you want from the shortcut menu.

  • No Link: Unlinks the window from other windows.
  • Same Level Link: When activated in a given window, this window always displays the same contents as the key focus window. The display updates whenever the selection (of data) in the key focus window changes. For example, imagine the key focus window is a Piano Roll Editor. In Same Level Link mode, the Score Editor and Event List will display the same data in another form.
  • Content Link: This mode results in the window always showing the contents of the region selected in the key focus window. The display is therefore always one level below that of the top window. For example, if the Arrange area is the active window, any opened MIDI editor window will show the events of the selected MIDI region. Selecting a different MIDI region in the Arrange area will update the display of the linked editor to show the contents of the newly selected region. You can also use Content Link mode in one Arrange area, to display the folder contents of another Arrange area.

Tip: You can quickly switch between these modes by clicking the Link button. Clicking it once switches between No Link and Same Level Link mode. Double-clicking the Link button switches to Content Link mode.

The symbol on the Link button reflects the chosen display mode:

Working in Content Catch Mode

Content Catch mode is commonly used in the Arrange area, with linked MIDI editor windows updating to show the events within the MIDI region that is currently being played (on the selected arrange track).

The Logic Pro > Preferences > Global > Catch > “Catch content by position if Catch and Link are enabled” preference must be selected for this to work. It is off by default.

• When the preference is turned on, Content Catch mode follows the playhead position within the displayed region, and updates to show the contents of subsequent regions as the playhead passes over them.

• When the preference is turned off, Content Catch mode follows the playhead position within the displayed region, but does not update to show the contents of subsequent regions as the playhead passes over them.