# HELP!!! Logic Pro X creates ghost notes!



## newcreation08 (Sep 21, 2017)

Hi!
Over the past few weeks i receive notes in logic (orchestral mockups), which are loud and often from other patches. They are not to be found in the region (piano roll), nor in the event editor. I can't figure out, how they got in their or how to remove them :-(

I am using Logic 10.3.2, SkiSwitcher2 for articulation change on an iMac 4Ghz i7.
Would be very grateful, if someone could help me out!
Many thanks!!


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## stonzthro (Sep 21, 2017)

Do you get the same issues without SkiSwitcher? Possibly you have something going on there?


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## newcreation08 (Sep 21, 2017)

I don't think it is Skiswitcher, as i also had this problem once with a piano patch, where the switcher was not in use ...


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## babylonwaves (Sep 21, 2017)

probably something sends those notes into logic. try to record midi for a couple of hours (without playing anything). if you find notes in the recorded region you can be pretty sure that those were send into Logic by a MIDI device connected.


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## newcreation08 (Sep 21, 2017)

Hm ... i should give that a try maybe ...


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## newcreation08 (Sep 21, 2017)

babylonwaves said:


> probably something sends those notes into logic. try to record midi for a couple of hours (without playing anything). if you find notes in the recorded region you can be pretty sure that those were send into Logic by a MIDI device connected.


Actually ... as i mentioned, there are no notes to be found, neither in the region, nor in the event editor. Thats the problem. Otherwise i could just delete them and be fine. But they are not to be seen in those to possibilities ...


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## sazema (Sep 21, 2017)

What this mean? 

> which are loud and *often from other patches*

When you hit play, you receiving channel regular notes and some extra notes that does not exists in midi clip?
Which channel? Try to mute channels and see which channel causing this behavior.


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## newcreation08 (Sep 21, 2017)

For example i used a multi articulation patch, strings from Albion One. Using articulation nr.9 it suddenly hit other articulations as well. But once i had the problem also with a single piano patch, where it suddenly played to very loud, deep notes, which were not to be seen in the region, nor in the event editor.


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## garyhiebner (Sep 21, 2017)

Try use a MIDI monitor app and see if any of your controllers are sending ghost notes to Logic. Try this:

https://www.snoize.com/MIDIMonitor/


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## robh (Sep 21, 2017)

Try disconnecting your controller keyboard and play the project for a while to see if it still happens. It does sound like your keyboard is the culprit, I've had similar symptoms as you described and it was my keyboard acting up.

Rob


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## Peter Schwartz (Sep 21, 2017)

SkiSwitcher can't cause this kind of behavior.

But there is a Logic bug that might be at play. I'll post back later with some details.


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## Peter Schwartz (Sep 21, 2017)

I agree with robh that it may well be a problem with your controller, and I concur with his advice on troubleshooting the problem.

However, something else might be at play, a strange Logic bug that will produce a similar effect. If what I'm about to describe is indeed the culprit, you'll find evidence of it in the event list of the MIDI region that seems to be outputting ghost notes...

It's possible for Logic to get into a condition whereby MIDI recordings will end up in a "ghost region" -- a region inside a region that appears as a ghostly gray bar. Sometimes, the events contained in the ghost will play back. Other times they won't.






Evidence of one of these ghost regions can be plainly seen in the event list, having the name "Untitled".

Ghost regions can be caused when overdubbing on top of an existing MIDI region. I've had this happen on rare occasion when using Capture Recording. But there's another condition under which this can occur...

It's possible for Logic to get into a state where the normally red record button *(R)* turns gray (meaning the track is not record-enabled) yet the track still passes MIDI through to the plugin as though it _were_ record-enabled. When you record MIDI with the record button in this state, Logic will in fact record the events but they'll end up in a ghost region inside the main MIDI region as shown above. Upon playback, sometimes those events will play, sometimes they won't.

So as part of your troubleshooting scheme, rule out the presence of ghost regions by examining the event list carefully for the presence of an "Untitled" event. If you find one, delete it. Then see if playback improves.

If you don't find such a region, then it's most likely a problem with your controller.


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## newcreation08 (Sep 21, 2017)

@garyhiebner and @robh: i don't think it is the controllers, as it happens in the same way, when they are switched off or disconnected ...
@peter: i also don't think its SkiSwitcher, as i had the same thing in a piano patch, where no Switcher was involved. At that cue it actually happened in a view tracks at the same bar: some low notes, which in a keyswitch patch turned the articulations to switch although no commands very visibly there, + in the piano also some very loud, low notes banging.
Unfortunately i could not find any grey zones in the region or untitled events.

Here is a short video. Please watch the behaviour of the patches in KONTAKT at bar 18. It should remain on the 9th patch to the right but changes somehow ...



Many thanks, guys!!!


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## garyhiebner (Sep 22, 2017)

Wow, not sure. It is project specific? Try create a new project and see if it does the same thing. Or your LOgic project could be corrupt. Create a new project. And then use the Import feature to import your tracks, and regions and data back into the new project and see if this helps. I've had it before where a project does weird things and can't figure it out. And then just do this, create new project and import the assets back in and it seems to resolve it.


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## newcreation08 (Sep 22, 2017)

I just tried the Midi Monitor App ... it shows 2 Midi notes at that place coming from Vienna Instruments! How can that affect a track with Kontakt in it and how can i delete those??? Maybe i have to contact VSL about that ...


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## Peter Schwartz (Sep 22, 2017)

For sure it's not a SkiSwitcher issue. Seems like some kind of (strange) feedback loop. Hey, can you send me the project file? I'd like to have a look at a few things. If you want to do this, save the project under a _new name_ as a "folder" (not as a "project"). Then send me only the zipped .logic file to the email address for SkiSwitcher support:

support =at= skiswitcher =dot com=


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## newcreation08 (Sep 22, 2017)

@Peter Schwarz: ok Peter, i will send it to you! By the way ... i love your SkiSwitcher and your immediate support when needed! 
In the meantime, i went through all tracks with VSL VIPro inside and found the one, which sent those ghost notes (even in this track they were not to be found neither in the region, nor in the event list). Deleted it and the problem was gone. Very strange, that this affected another track with Kontakt inside.


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## jonnybutter (Sep 22, 2017)

Peter Schwartz said:


> It's possible for Logic to get into a state where the normally red record button *(R)* turns gray (meaning the track is not record-enabled) yet the track still passes MIDI through to the plugin as though it _were_ record-enabled.



I've had this happen. Next time I will know to look in the event editor. I also notice that sometimes Logic gets confused lately and records MIDI in an audio track. Don't know if this is related, but there does seem to be a general weirdness around which track's [R] is enabled or not. I'm using Logic 10.3.2 on a vader w/ Sierra.


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## Peter Schwartz (Sep 22, 2017)

Hi @newcreation08 , I got your file, thanks. Will look at it tomorrow.


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## Peter Schwartz (Sep 24, 2017)

So... I think we can say "mystery solved". 

I looked at @newcreation08 's file and didn't see anything unusual. No ghost regions as described above. That left only one possibility: a MIDI source outside of Logic was generating MIDI events that were making their way into Logic.

As it turns out, his Vienna Instruments app was outputting MIDI notes and even some program change messages which entered Logic by the usual route: the Physical Input in the Environment. For those who don't aren't familiar with it, the Physical Input (PI) accumulates MIDI from all hardware and virtual devices that the Mac is aware of (I believe CoreMIDI is responsible for detecting these sources and providing Logic with that information). Anyway, each of these devices ends up being listed on the PI itself. Here's a screenshot of my system's PI:






Listed on the PI are hardware MIDI sources such as my Unitor8 interface, as well as _virtual_ MIDI sources such as the MIDI output from an app called ControllerMate. The Vienna Instruments virtual MIDI output is listed there too.

MIDI from all of these devices is merged and outputs as a single MIDI stream that appears at the "SUM" output of the PI. Thus, MIDI from any and all sources makes its way to the Sequencer Input -- the actual MIDI input to Logic's MIDI recorder. And when a track is selected and record-enabled, MIDI is patched through from the Sequencer Input to that track's instrument channel.






For some reason, newcreation08's Vienna Instruments app was outputting notes and program change messages that would feed into whatever track he happened to have selected. This explains why the errant articulation-switching behavior appeared to be random: selecting any particular track is essentially a random act. So if it happened that the selected instrument was loaded with a patch that responded to MIDI note or program change messages, errant articulation switching might occur. Or, in the case of the piano patch that doesn't respond to articulation switching, when that track was selected, the low notes generated by the Vienna app would bang out low notes on the piano.

It's hard to say why the Vienna Instruments app is generating MIDI. But it's possible to usurp that MIDI stream from ever reaching the SUM output, which is what I suggested he do. This is easily done by creating a benign Environment object such as a MIDI Monitor, and running a cable to it from the Vienna Instruments MIDI port on the PI. Doing this diverts MIDI data from that source directly to the Monitor, effectively dead-ending those MIDI messages and preventing them from going anywhere else.


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## mc_deli (Sep 24, 2017)

Hell's teeth Sherlock, nice work!


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## newcreation08 (Sep 24, 2017)

@Peter Schwartz: you are a Genius!!! Many, many thanks for your help! Now its working fine!!


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## garyhiebner (Sep 24, 2017)

Wow! That is some crazy good problem-solving @Peter Schwartz!


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