Position items using the ruler

The ruler runs horizontally across the top of the Tracks area. For projects set to use the musical grid, the ruler shows the time format in bars and beats; for projects that don’t use the musical grid, the ruler shows the standard time format of minutes and seconds.

As the project plays, you can see the part currently playing by watching the playhead move across the Tracks area. When you move the playhead or move regions or other items in the Tracks area, you can use the ruler to place them at the correct point in time. Alignment guides appear when you move regions and other items to help you align them with other items in the Tracks area.

When Smart Snap is chosen from the Snap pop-up menu, the units shown in the ruler reflect the value set in the Tracks area grid. For details about snapping items to the grid, see Snap items to the grid.

To set a project to use the musical grid, go to Logic Pro > Project Settings > General. You can also show a secondary ruler that displays the alternative time format by choosing Secondary Ruler from the Tracks area View menu. For more details about setting the project to use the musical grid, see General settings.