Add and delete audio files in Logic Pro for Mac

When you add an audio file to your project, Logic Pro for Mac automatically creates a region that encompasses the entire file length. You can create as many regions as you like from the same audio file. There are no length limitations to regions, as long as they don’t exceed the length of the source audio file. Creating multiple regions from the same audio file is beneficial for many tasks—using different portions of a vocal take that spans the length of the project, for example.

You can delete audio regions and audio files in the Project Audio Browser. In addition to deleting unused audio files, you can also delete unused portions of audio files. This usually frees up a lot of space on the hard disk.

Import an audio file into your project

In Logic Pro, select an audio track in the Tracks area.
Do one of the following:
- Choose File > Import > Audio File.
- Click the Import Audio button in the toolbar.
In the Open File dialog, select the audio file that you want to add.
Click the Play button to play the selected audio file.
The Play button becomes the Stop button. Click to stop playback.
Click the Open button to add the file to the selected track, at the playhead position, in the Tracks area.
The audio file (and region) is automatically added to the Project Audio Browser.

Add audio files to the Project Audio Browser

In the Logic Pro Project Audio Browser, choose Audio File > Add Audio File from the menu bar.
In the Add Audio File dialog, browse to the folder containing the files you want to add, then do any of the following:
- Preview an audio file: Select the file, then click the Play button.
  The Play button becomes the Stop button. Click to stop the preview.
- Add a single file:
  - Double-click the file you want to add.
  - Select the file, then click the Add button.
- Add multiple files: Press Command while clicking additional files, then click the Add button.
- Add all files in the current folder: Click the Add All button.
Added files are shown in the list below.
To remove audio files from the lower list, do one of the following:
- Remove one or more audio files: Select the files, then click Remove.
- Remove all audio files from the list of files to be added: Click the Remove All button.
When you have selected all of the files you want to add to the Project Audio Browser, click Done.
The audio files (and regions) are added to the Project Audio Browser.
Click the disclosure arrow to the left of the audio file to show the region.
Do one of the following to add the region to the Tracks area:
- Drag the file onto an existing audio track.
- Drag the file into the empty workspace in the Tracks area.

Create a region from an audio file in the Project Audio Browser

In Logic Pro, do one of the following:

Select an audio file in the Project Audio Browser, then choose Audio File > Add Region.
Select an audio file in the Project Audio Browser, choose Edit > Copy (or press Command-C) in the main menu bar, then choose Edit > Paste (or press Command-V).

The new region appears below the existing regions in the list. Each region is assigned a unique numerical appendix. For example, organ.pngf is the parent audio file. The automatically created region is simply called organ, and newly created regions are called organ.1, organ.2, and so on.

Delete a region from the Project Audio Browser

In Logic Pro, select one or more regions, then press Delete.

Delete an audio file from the Project Audio Browser

In Logic Pro, do one of the following:

To delete an audio file from the project: Select the audio file in the Project Audio Browser, then press Delete.
The audio file is deleted from the project, but it remains in the project’s Audio Files folder. Use this option if you want to use the file in other projects.
To move an audio file to the Trash: Select the audio file in the Project Audio Browser, then choose Audio File > Delete File(s).
Important: When the project is closed, any deleted audio files are moved to the System Trash, where they remain until you empty the Trash. Be aware that other projects using the file may be affected.

Delete sections of audio files that are no longer used in the project

WARNING: The Optimize File command performs a destructive edit that alters the source audio file, which can’t be undone. Be careful if you are using audio files in your project that are located outside of your project folder that might be used by other applications. To copy those files into your project first, see Consolidate project assets.

In Logic Pro, do one of the following:
- Select the audio files that you want to optimize in the Project Audio Browser.
- Choose Edit > Select Used.
Choose Audio File > Optimize File(s) (or press Control-O).
In the dialog, use the Additional Preservation slider to determine how many milliseconds of the audio you want to keep before and after the optimized audio section, then click Remove.
The name of an optimized source audio file remains the same, only its file size is reduced.

Logic Pro determines which (file) segments are not contained in any of the regions used in the project. These segments are deleted, the remaining portions of the audio file are retained and aligned side-by-side in the file, and then the regions in the Project Audio Browser are redefined.

Download the guides:

Logic Pro User Guide: PDF

Logic Pro Instruments: PDF

Logic Pro Effects: PDF

Control Surfaces Support Guide: PDF

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Logic Pro User Guide for Mac