Take Folders vs Track Alternatives – What’s the Best Way For Managing Your Takes in Logic Pro? – 30 Days of Why Logic Pro Rules

 

Arriving at the best take of a performance can be a journey.

There are those who are “one-take wonders.” They have the idea already. They record the idea in one take. And then they sit back and marvel at their greatness while sipping from a golden chalice.

While we all strive to be as effortlessly amazing as the one-take wonder, the rest of us mere mortals may need more than one take ;P

And thankfully, Logic Pro X has possibly the best system ever for managing takes. Take Folders and Quick Swipe Comping have long been a part of Logic Pro. And I’m amazed no other DAW  has copied its beautiful workflow.

But not too long ago a 2nd system for managing takes was introduced. Track Alternatives is a Pro Tools playlist style of take management.

And to be honest, I was a little surprised that the team at Apple chose to implement Track Alternatives. Dare I say I was a bit offended even!

My first thought was, “Take Folders and Quick Swiping are vastly superior to playlists. So I have no interest in Track Alternatives.”

Obviously my narrow-mindedness towards other DAWs was a bit over the top!

But as time has gone by, I’ve found the Track Alternatives to be just as helpful as Take Folders. But for a different reason.

Instead of comping takes with Track Alternatives, I love Track Alternative for managing different ideas. Such as:

• Different versions of a guitar lead
• Different backing vocal ideas
• Different drum performances

And with Track Alternatives, you can easily flip through the different ideas as you listen. Track Alternatives are conveniently accessible in the Track Headers. And if you decide you like different sections of different Alternatives, you can comp together just like a Take Folder.

So today let’s examine why Take Folders and Track Alternatives are great for different reasons. And how Logic Pro gives you all the tools for take management 🙂