Add and delete audio files

When you add an audio file to your project, Logic Pro 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

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, browse to and 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 an audio file to the Project Audio Browser

Choose Audio File > Add Audio File from the Project Audio Browser menu bar.
Browse to and select the audio file that you want to add in the Open File dialog.
Click the Play button to play the selected audio file.
The Play button becomes the Stop button. Click to stop playback.
Click the Add button, followed by the Done button.
The audio file (and region) is added to the Project Audio Browser.
Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the audio file to show the region.
The region is shown in red until it’s added to the Tracks area.
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.
The region overview turns blue.

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

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

Select one or more regions, then press Delete.

Delete an audio file from the project or hard disk

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 file is deleted from the project, but not from the hard disk.
To delete an audio file from the hard disk: Select the audio file in the Project Audio Browser, then choose Audio File > Delete File(s).
The deleted file is moved to the Trash, where it remains until you empty the Trash.

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

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).

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