Graham English

Article / Updated 08-03-2023

Logic Pro projects are similar to any computer file type, except they’re larger in scope than files such as text documents. You might be shocked to see an entire chapter about a file type, but there’s so much more you can do with Logic Pro projects than other file types. You’ll soon understand how important they are to the creative process. Projects are flexible. When disk space is a concern, for example, you can save only the assets you want to keep. You can create project templates to speed up your workflow and set up Logic Pro exactly how you want to work. Each project contains global settings of the entire project as well as different snapshots of the project, such as different arrangements, mixes, or treatments. For example, you can create an alternate version of your project if the producer calls for a version without a vocal (for when the performer needs to sing live on TV to a backing track). Starting your project A project is the file type that you work with in Logic Pro. The file extension of a Logic Pro project is .logicx. The project file contains MIDI events, parameter settings, and information about the audio and video in your project. To get the big picture of your project and how it relates to Logic Pro, the hierarchy goes like this: Project → Tracks → Regions → Events Your project contains tracks. Your tracks contain regions. Your regions contain events. The File menu is where you do most of your project-level work. To start an empty default Logic Pro project, choose File → New or press Shift+Command+N. A New Tracks dialog window opens, as shown in the figure below. At the top of the screen, choose the type of track you want to begin working with and click Create. A more advanced and customized way to start a new project is to choose File → New from Template (Command+N). The Project Chooser window opens, as shown in the figure below. You can select a premade project template, a recent project, or your own customized project template. Click the Details disclosure triangle (at the bottom left) to display even more options for your new project, such as the tempo, time and key signatures, and audio input and output. You can change any project option, but you should stick to a single sample rate. The default sample rate, 44.1 kHz, is the standard rate for an audio CD. If your goal is to use your audio in a video project, consider using a 48 kHz sample rate, which is the video standard. Using higher sample rates depends on your hardware capabilities and project needs. After you start your project, you’re ready to begin recording, arranging, editing, and mixing. It’s a dream come true. Choose a custom startup action to tell Logic Pro what to do when you launch it. If you’re the prolific type, you can create a new project every time you launch the app. If you, like me, are a mere mortal, you might want to open the most recent project on startup. Choose Logic Pro → Settings → General and select the Project Handling tab, as shown in the figure below. Then select your startup action. Opening a project You can open a project in several ways. You can double-click a project file in Finder, which will launch Logic Pro and open the project. If another project is open, Logic Pro will ask if you want to close the project. More than one project can be open simultaneously, so closing the current project is unnecessary. To switch between open projects, choose Window on the main menu and then select the project in the list at the bottom of the menu. You can open a project also from the File menu. Choose File → Open or press Command+O, and a dialog will open, allowing you to navigate to the location of your project in Finder. Choose File → Open Recent instead to see a list of your recent projects. Logic Pro can also open MIDI files, AAF files (Advanced Authoring Format files used by digital audio workstations such as Pro Tools), XML files (used by Final Cut Pro), and GarageBand projects. It can also open projects created with earlier versions of Logic Pro. If this is your first time launching Logic Pro, you might want to explore a demo project by a popular artist. Choose File → New from Template (Command+N) and select Demo Projects in the Project Chooser sidebar. Then select a demo project and press Choose. Saving a project When you create your project, it is autosaved in the Logic folder under the temporary name Untitled.logicx. (You can get to the Logic folder in Finder by navigating to Users → USERNAME → Music → Logic.) To save your project manually, choose File → Save. In the Save dialog that appears, name your project and choose a location or keep the default location, which is the Logic folder. You can choose to organize your project as a package or a folder. A package saves your project as a single file that includes all project assets. A folder saves the project file and saves its assets in subfolders. You can also choose to copy specific file types into your project. It’s a good idea to copy your audio files into the project, but you might not want to copy samples due to their potentially large file size. The benefit to saving a project without assets is that you conserve hard drive space. The downside is that it can be easy to mistakenly delete assets that the project depends on. Hard drive space is inexpensive, so it makes sense to include all assets in your project folder. By doing so, organizing, moving, and archiving projects will be easier. I find saving projects as packages is the simplest approach. You can view the contents of packages (all package file types, including Pages, Keynote, and Numbers files) by Ctrl-clicking the package in Finder and choosing Show Package Contents. All your audio files and assets will be in the Finder window that opens. If you want to save the project with a different name or in a different location, choose Save As on the File menu. If you want to create a copy of the project, choose Save a Copy As on the File menu. Closing a project When you’re ready to close your project, choose File → Close Project. If you’ve made any changes since you last saved your project, Logic Pro asks if you want to save the project. If you don’t want to keep those changes, select Don’t Save from the Save dialog. Don’t confuse the Close Project command with the Close command. Both are on the File menu. The Close command simply closes the currently focused window. However, if your project has only one window open, which is often the case, using the Close command will also close your current project. Naming and renaming a project It’s a good idea to have a naming convention and stick with it. When I’m saving a project that doesn’t yet have a title, my file-naming convention is to use the date, key signature, harmonic mode, and tempo, followed by any other useful descriptors such as the musical genre, song section, and version numbers. For example: 2022-06-03 Cmin Dorian 120bpm EDM verse 01 Naming your file this way enables you to match projects based on mode and tempo. If you eventually come up with a title for your project, use the Save As command (described earlier) or just rename the project file in Finder. Or you can use the Rename function by choosing File → Project Management → Rename. Augmenting your project Projects are so basic to your workflow that you may take them for granted after a while. But you can do several cool things at the project level that will make your time with Logic Pro more productive. Saving time with project templates When you create a project, you see Project Chooser, where you can begin a project from a premade template. These default templates are excellent starting places. You can also create your own project templates. How can you save time with templates? Suppose you’re recording several songs with a band and each song has a similar setup, or you’re a film composer and use identical orchestra setups for all your scores. In either case, you could create a project template once and use it over and over again. To save a template, set up your project how you want it and then choose File → Save as Template. Project templates are saved in a special folder located at Users → USERNAME → Music → Audio Music Apps → Project Templates. For more detail on working with projects and templates, not to mention everything you can do with Logic Pro, check out my book Logic Pro For Dummies. I love using templates, and I’ve saved dozens of them. I have genre-based templates, templates that include my favorite third-party software, and templates that I’ve created from analyzing popular hits (and not-so-popular guilty pleasures). Templates are excellent productivity tools. Autosaving your hard work In high school, I spent an entire evening sequencing a popular song in one of the first Apple MIDI sequencers. I spent hours hunched over a computer keyboard instead of doing my homework, completely focused, with no bathroom breaks, until the electricity went out. I hadn’t saved the project even once. Even though I was crushed, I jumped back in, and sequencing was much easier the second time. I also developed a habit of pressing Command+S, which I still have to this day. You might even find my left hand “air-saving” while I’m away from the computer. It’s a habit I’m happy to have. Fortunately for you, Logic Pro autosaves your work. If Logic Pro should crash, when you reopen the project, it will ask you to choose an autosaved version or the last manually saved version. However, even though the program autosaves, get in the habit of saving your work after every important change you make. Recovering from problems with project backups What would you do if your computer was stolen or ruined? Barring the financial considerations of buying a new computer, could you recover quickly? If I were to lend you my own computer, could you rebound and save the game? If you couldn’t, please pay attention, for the sake of your music. I’m a backup fanatic. I back up all my computers using Apple’s Time Machine software and a few rotating external drives. I also back up my entire computer offline using Apple iCloud and Amazon S3 cloud storage. But wait, there’s more. I sync my current projects using Dropbox so I can work on them on multiple computers. A smart best practice for backing up your data is to use the three-two-one rule. Back up at least three copies of your work, in two different formats, with one copy offsite. Back up your work often and make it part of your regular work routine. Logic Pro also creates project backups every time you save your project. As long as you have Show Advanced Tools selected in the Advanced Settings pane, you can revert to an earlier saved version of your project. Every time you save your project, a backup is made. You can revert to these backups by choosing File → Revert To. A list of your time-stamped project backups allows you to go back in time to a previously saved project. This feature saves you when you try things out that you don’t like or make mistakes while working.

Article / Updated 08-03-2023

Did your drummer get lost on the way to the studio? Don’t you just hate it when that happens? Oh, you have Logic Pro? Never mind. Listen, I love playing with a live drummer. Some of my best musical partnerships have been with amazing drummers. But I love how Logic Pro gives me a virtual live drummer to inspire me and help turn my rhythmic ideas into reality. Playing with your virtual drummer Drummer is your virtual session player. Drummer is a combination of track type and software instrument. The track type does the drumming, and the software instrument provides the drum sounds. A drummer track is a particular track type reserved for use with Drummer. The drummer track comes with its own drummer editor, which chooses the style of music and the player, and tells the drummer how to play the track. The editor is so simple that anyone can use it. The Drum Kit Designer or Drum Machine Designer software instrument is automatically added to a drummer track, depending on your drummer selection. (Note that you don't have to use the preloaded software instrument.) Drummer works the same for both software instruments, so I won’t describe them separately in this article. Creating a drummer track To create a drummer track, choose Track → New Drummer Track. A new drummer track is added to the track list, and a default eight-bar region is added to the tracks area, as shown in the figure below. Creating drummer regions Although Drummer automatically creates an eight-bar region, you don’t have to live with it. By using several regions to build your project rather than one big region, you can more easily change what your drummer plays during different song sections (as you’ll soon see). To create a drummer region, select the pencil tool in the tracks area and click where you would like the region to begin. By default, drummer regions are eight bars long. If you want to change the region's size, drag the region's lower-left or lower-right edge to resize it. You could also split a region (making two regions out of one) by using the scissors tool. If you want to force the drummer to hit the crash cymbal at the beginning of a song section, create a new region. You may need to adjust the Fills parameter, as you learn next, but getting Drummer to play a cymbal crash at the beginning of a region is a good reason why you want new regions to start at song sections or groove changes. Choosing and directing your drummer in the editor The real power of Drummer’s artificial intelligence-like personality is in the drummer editor. To open the editor, double-click a drummer region or select the region and choose View → Show Editor (E). The editor, shown in the figure below, opens at the bottom of the tracks area. The drummer editor is filled with personality. To get the most out of it, open the library (press Y or choose View → Show Library) so you can change settings for the entire drummer track. At the top of the area is a headshot and description of the currently selected drummer character, as shown in the figure below. Below the current drummer is the Drummer section, where you can choose the style and drummer character. Each style has several different drummers with names and headshots, and new drummers are occasionally added with software updates. Click the drummer you want for the entire track. The track regions and drummer editor are updated with the style of the selected drummer. Below the drummer character focus area is the Sounds section. Although each drummer character has an associated kit, you can choose different kits independently of the selected drummer character. Click the lock icon next to the Sounds heading to change drummers without changing drum kits. Since Logic Pro first came out, developers have added new drummers and kits, and more are bound to be on the way. The drummer editor is where you change settings for the selected drummer region. Here’s a description of each section: Ruler: At the top of the region settings are a ruler, a play icon, and an auto-select icon. You can play the region or move the playhead within the region in this ruler. When auto-select is engaged, the drummer editor displays settings for the region at the current playhead position. Beat Presets: Choosing a drummer character loads a set of beat presets you can click to update the editor controls. At the top of the Presets menu is a drop-down list where you can save, delete, and recall the default preset. You can also refresh the region to make subtle changes to the current region. Finally, you can choose to keep the settings while changing drummers. X/Y pad: The X/Y pad has a yellow puck that you can move between Loud/Soft and Complex/Simple. The position of the puck makes a big difference in the beat the drummer will play. Drum and percussion instruments: Click the instruments to select the drum and percussion sounds that will play in the region. Depending on the selected drummer character, this area will show different instruments that are available to play. The sliders to the right of the instruments allow you to choose between groove variations. If you select the Follow check box for the Kick & Snare slider, the slider changes to a drop-down menu, and you can select a track in the project that the kick and snare will follow. Fills: The Fills knob adjusts the number and length of fills. Click its lock icon to freeze the fills setting when changing presets. Swing: The Swing knob adjusts the amount of shuffle feel. Click the lock icon to freeze the swing setting when changing presets. You can also click the 8th or 16th buttons to decide whether the swing is based on eighth or sixteenth notes. Details: Click the Details button to open an additional editing panel, as shown in the figure below. Use this panel to change Feel, Ghost Notes, and Hi-Hat performance. The Feel knob adjusts how Drummer plays relative to the tempo. You can pull back the performance so that it plays behind the beat or push it forward to play in front of the beat. The Ghost Notes knob adjusts how loudly or quietly Drummer plays ghost notes (notes that are played at a low volume between the loud notes). The Hi-Hat knob adjusts the amount of closed or open hi-hat that Drummer plays. Selecting producer kits Each drummer has a default kit connected to the drummer. If the drummer character is an acoustic drummer (as opposed to an electronic drummer), the kit is automatically loaded into the stereo Drum Kit Designer software instrument. You can upgrade the kit to a special producer kit with more tracks and channel strips for ultimate control. To select a producer kit, do the following: Choose View → Show Library to open the library. The library opens on the left side of the tracks area. Choose Drum Kit → Producer Kits, then select a patch. The track is upgraded to a track stack containing several tracks of individual drums. Note that producer kit patches have a + sign in the name to help you tell them apart from non-producer kit patches. To have access to all producer kits, choose Logic Pro → Sound Library → Open Sound Library Manager. The Sound Library Manager window opens, as shown in the figure below. Select the Drum Kit check box and click Install. Be mindful of the size. The multi-output drum kits are over 10 gigabytes, but these kits were engineered by golden-eared professionals and are worth every gigabyte. Building custom kits with Drum Kit Designer The Drum Kit Designer software instrument is automatically added to drummer tracks that use acoustic drummer characters. To open Drum Kit Designer, follow these steps: Select a drummer track and display the inspector by choosing View → Show Inspector (I). The inspector opens to the left of the tracks area. Click the instrument slot in the channel strip. The Drum Kit Designer software instrument opens, as shown in the figure below. Click any drum to play it. As you click a drum, the left side displays the Exchange panel where you can choose different drums. The right side displays the Edit panel, where you can control the selected drum sound. Each type of drum or cymbal has different parameters. You can tune and dampen every sound and adjust the volume by using the Gain knob. If you've loaded a producer kit (refer to the preceding section, “Selecting producer kits”), you can select whether the sound should be included in the overheads and room microphones or should leak into other drum mics. You can select between two mic setups for the room mics by using the A/B slider. At the bottom of the software instrument screen is a disclosure triangle that opens the additional settings shown in the figure above. In this area, you can adjust the volume of the drummer's percussion instruments.

Article / Updated 08-03-2023

Audio recording was introduced to the original Notator Logic in 1994, about 20 years before the introduction of Logic Pro. “The Sign” by Ace of Base was the number-one song that year. While I can't confirm that the song was referring to the emergence of computer audio recording, I can confirm that it was a breakthrough year for Logic. Fast forward more than 20 years, and you have a powerful and affordable digital audio workstation that scores of major artists use to create chart-topping hits. Preparing to record After you connect your audio hardware, set the project sample rate, and select the recording file type, you should confirm that the incoming signal from your audio source (microphone or instrument) is being received by your audio interface by checking the levels of your hardware inputs. (Check your audio interface documentation for details.) Before you can begin recording, you must create an audio track by choosing Track → New Audio Track. The new audio track is added to the track list and selected automatically. For complete instructions on how to connect your audio hardware, set your project sample rate, and everything else you need to know about using Logic Pro, check out my book Logic Pro For Dummies. Name your new track something descriptive because the audio files generated from recording will use the track name in the file name. To name your track, double-click the track header or press Shift-Enter and type your track name. On your new track, select the correct input as follows: Select the track. Open the track inspector by pressing I or choosing View → Show Inspector. Click the input/instrument slot, as shown in Figure 1, and choose the correct input. Click the input format icon (labeled in Figure 1) to toggle between stereo and mono input. Testing your recording levels To test the volume level at which you’ll record, enable the track for recording by clicking the record enable icon on the track header (refer to Figure 1) or by pressing Control-R. The record enable icon will blink red to let you know that the track is enabled for recording. Play your instrument or speak into your microphone to test the recording level. If your signal is too high or low, adjust the instrument volume or the input level on your audio interface. Be care not to clip the audio signal! When a signal is too loud and exceeds the limit that digital audio can reproduce, the signal is said to be clipping. You can see when your signal is clipping by the peak level display at the top of your track’s level meter, as shown in Figure 2. When the number above the level meter is positive, the peak level display will become red, indicating that the track is clipping. During the recording phase, the best way to remedy signal clipping is to lower the volume on your instrument or audio interface. (Be sure to check for clipping on your audio interface as well.) Conversely, don’t record signals that are too quiet — when you raise their level, you can introduce noise into the mix. You must have Enable Complete Features selected in the Logic Pro Advanced Settings pane. Choose Logic Pro → Settings → Advanced and select Enable Complete Features. Pre-fader metering is used to test recording levels, which means the level meter shows you the signal level before the fader. You can turn on pre-fader metering by customizing your control bar and selecting Pre Fader Metering in the Modes and Functions column. An icon is added to your control bar, as shown in the figure below, to allow you to toggle pre-fader metering. You want your meters to show you the signal pre-fader so that you can be aware of what’s being recorded, even if you lower the fader to blend better with the other tracks. If you use post-fader metering, the meter will show you the level of the track after it has been raised or lowered, and you won’t know whether it’s clipping. Enabling software and input monitoring If you’re not going to monitor your signal through your hardware, you’ll need to turn on software monitoring. Follow these steps: Choose Logic Pro → Settings → Audio. The Audio Settings window opens. Click the General tab. Select the Software Monitoring check box. You can now use the Logic Pro software to monitor your audio. If you plan on monitoring the signal through your hardware, deselect Software Monitoring. When a track is record enabled, you'll be able to hear it. If a track isn’t record enabled, you won’t hear it unless you've turned on input monitoring. If you’re monitoring from hardware and not software, you should turn off input monitoring. Turn it off and on by clicking the input-monitoring icon on the track header (refer to Figure 2) or on the channel strip. Setting up the metronome By default, Logic Pro will play a metronome as you record. To turn off the metronome while recording, choose File → Project Settings → Metronome and select the Click While Recording check box, as shown in Figure 4. If you want to hear the metronome while you play the track, press K to toggle the metronome on and off. The audio click you hear in the metronome is generated by the Klopfgeist software instrument. You can play it as an instrument (though I don't know why you’d want to). You can also set up an external sound source as your metronome. In Figure 4, MIDI channel 10 is set to transmit a MIDI click. MIDI channel 10 is often reserved for drum sounds, so if you have a multi-timbral keyboard workstation, you can set a drum sound to MIDI channel 10 to receive the MIDI click. If you have a drumbeat that grooves a little differently than the metronome, you may want to hear the click only during the count-in and not while recording. To do so, select the Only During Count-In check box. Be careful of metronome blindness, a condition where you don’t even realize that the metronome is playing because your brain has tuned it out. It’s happened to me and others. The click can be heard over the entire mix, but you forget it’s on as you play the track. If you want to adjust the number of bars that the metronome counts in before recording, choose File → Project Settings → Recording and select the number of bars or beats you want on the drop-down menu, as shown in Figure 5. If you’re recording a slower song, select the Division check box to give yourself more clicks to reference the time. And if you’re recording a drummer, you’ll be a recording session hero. Recording your first audio take In the recording world, a single recording is called a take. Recording a good take is like capturing something special and elusive. Logic Pro helps you capture the moment quickly and easily. With your track selected and record enabled, you can begin recording as follows: Place the playhead where you want to begin recording. Press R or click the record icon in the control bar transport, as shown in Figure 6. Wait for the count-in and then start playing. When you’re finished, click the stop icon on the transport or press the spacebar. A new audio region will fill the area where you began and stopped recording, as shown in Figure 7. To play back what you just recorded, place the playhead at the beginning of your newly recorded region and then click the play icon on the transport or press the spacebar. When you’re finished listening to your new recording, press the spacebar again, and the project will stop playing. Recording multiple takes in cycle mode You can record additional recordings, or takes, on a track that already contains audio regions. A take folder is created to contain the original and new takes. In cycle mode, new lanes are created each time the cycle passes. When cycle mode is enabled, playback or recording begins at the left locator and repeats when it reaches the right locator. To set up cycle mode, set the left and right locators by dragging from left to right in the upper half of the ruler in the tracks area. The cycle area will be displayed as a yellow strip in the upper half of the ruler, as shown in Figure 8. You can turn cycle mode on and off by pressing C or clicking the cycle icon in the control bar (refer to Figure 6). To record in cycle mode, turn on cycle mode and begin recording as you did previously. After the second take is recorded, a take folder is created in the cycle area, as shown in Figure 9, and new lanes are added with each pass through the cycle. This is a great way to get several takes that you can edit into a perfect (or close to perfect) take. A key to using cycle mode is setting locators. You can set locators in many ways. Here are a few useful locator commands: Choose Navigate → Set Locators by Selection and Enable Cycle (Command  -U) to set the locators and enable cycle mode according to the selected regions. Choose Navigate → Auto Set Locators → Enable Auto Set Locators to follow your region or marquee tool selections automatically. Set the locators manually in the control bar LCD if you have Locators (Left/Right) selected in the Customize Control Bar and Display options. Open the Key Commands window (Option-K) and type locators in the search bar. You’ll find dozens of key commands. After you browse the available locator key commands, you’ll have an idea of what you can do and how important locators are to a speedy workflow. Recording multiple inputs You aren’t limited to recording one track at a time. You can record multiple tracks by record-enabling several tracks at once and following the same steps as recording a single take. You can also create multiple takes on multiple tracks at once. Say that three times fast. To record multiple tracks simultaneously, set each track to the correct input, as you did previously. When all track inputs are set correctly, you can begin recording. You can even record multiple takes on multiple inputs at the same time. The number of tracks you can record simultaneously depends on your hardware and computer power.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 06-02-2023

Logic Pro is software for music producers who compose, record, arrange, edit, and mix music. Logic Pro is fun and easy to use, and it gives you a powerful set of tools to edit and polish your music to near perfection. To efficiently capture and hone your ideas, here are some quick and easy tips for the various phases of a Logic Pro project.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-08-2022

Logic Pro X is software for music producers who compose, record, arrange, edit, and mix music. Logic Pro X is fun and easy to use, and it gives you a powerful set of tools to edit and polish your music to near perfection. To efficiently capture and hone your ideas, here are some quick and easy tips for the various phases of a Logic Pro project.

Article / Updated 12-31-2018

With Logic Pro X, you get a whole bunch of instruments that could easily replace every synth and keyboard you own. They’re powerful and flexible — and they sound amazing. Also, Logic Pro’s synths can seem daunting to program when you look at all the controls and parameters that you can adjust. Here, you get a tour of the instrument interfaces and parameters. Check out a more detailed video demonstration of what these Logic Pro synths can do, where you see how synthesizers work and how to use these Logic Pro synths in your music. To play the Logic Pro synths, you must create a software instrument track and select the instrument from the channel strip instrument slot as follows: Choose Track →   New Software Instrument Track (or press Option-⌘  -S). A new software instrument track is added to the track list. Choose View →   Show Inspector (or press I). The inspector opens to the left of the track list. Click the right side of the instrument slot and choose the instrument you want. The software instrument interface opens. Before you begin the tour of Logic Pro’s fabulous synth collection, it’s important to understand some basic synthesis terms: Oscillator: A synthesizer oscillator produces a continuous signal that forms the basis for your sound. Oscillators are capable of producing several different waveform shapes that have different tonal qualities. Oscillators are the most important part of the synthesizer because they create the sound that the other synth parameters will shape. Modulation: A static synth sound gains interest when it’s varied in some way. Modulation is the process of varying synthesizer parameters. Vibrato is a common example of modulation. Filter: Synth sounds are shaped through the use of filters. Filters remove parts of the frequency spectrum, allowing you to contour the sound. Envelope: A synth envelope shapes the beginning, middle, and end of your sound. The most common envelope adjusts the attack, decay, sustain, and release (ADSR). For example, a piano has a fast attack, fast decay, medium sustain, and fast release. LFO: A low frequency oscillator (LFO) is a signal, usually below the audible frequency spectrum, that modulates a signal. LFOs are used to alter the original signal in some way. A common use of an LFO is to create vibrato. Logic Pro X: The EFM1 FM synth The EFM1 FM synth gets sounds like the 80s classic Yamaha DX7, one of the most popular digital synthesizers of all time. The EFM1 uses FM (frequency modulation) synthesis to get digital sounds such as electric pianos, bells, organs, basses, and other cool and complex sounds. The EFM1 is capable of playing 16 simultaneous voices and, unlike the DX7, is easy to program. To design sounds with FM synthesis, you set the modulator and carrier parameters, and then alter the FM intensity. The tuning ratios between the modulator and carrier set the harmonic overtones. The FM intensity sets the level of the overtones. Here’s a description of the EFM1 parameters: Modulator parameters: The modulator parameters are on the left side of the EFM1 interface. Rotate the Harmonic knob to set the modulator signal’s tuning ratio. Rotate the Fine tune knob to adjust the harmonics. Turn the Wave knob all the way to the left to set the modulator waveform to the traditional FM sine wave or anywhere to the right for additional waveforms. Rotate the large center FM knob to adjust the FM intensity. Carrier parameters: The carrier parameters are on the right side of the EFM1 interface. Rotate the Harmonic knob to set the carrier signal’s tuning ratio. Rotate the Fine tune knob to adjust the harmonics. Click the Fixed Carrier button to avoid having the carrier modulated by the keyboard, pitch bend, or LFO. Global parameters: In the top section of the EFM1, you can set global parameters. Click the Transpose field and Tune field to change the pitch of the EFM1. Click the Voices field to choose how many notes can be played simultaneously. Click the Glide field to set the time it takes to slide from one pitch to another, also known as Click the Unison button to layer voices and make the sound richer, which also reduces by half the number of voices that can be played simultaneously. Modulation parameters: In the center of the EFM1 are Modulation Envelope sliders that set the attack, decay, sustain, and release (ADSR) of the sound. Rotate the Modulator Pitch knob to set how the modulation envelope affects the pitch. Rotate the FM Depth knob to set how the modulation envelope affects the FM intensity. Rotate the LFO knob to set how much the LFO modulates the FM intensity or the pitch. Rotate the Rate knob to set the speed of the LFO. Output parameters: The bottom half of the EFM1 is dedicated to output parameters. Rotate the Sub Osc Level knob to increase the bass response. Rotate the Stereo Detune knob to add a chorus effect to the sound. Rotate the Velocity knob to set the velocity sensitivity in response to your MIDI controller. Rotate the Main Level knob to adjust the overall volume. Adjust the Volume Envelope sliders to set the ADSR of the sound. Click the Randomize button at the bottom right of the EFM1 interface to create random sounds. Adjust the amount of randomization by clicking the Randomize field and setting the percent of randomization. If you like crazy digital sounds, 100 percent randomization is your best friend. You don’t have to be a programming genius to get great sounds from Logic Pro’s synthesizers. Every synth comes with a menu of presets at the top of the interface. Load a sound you like, twist some knobs, and have some fun. Below the preset menu are other useful buttons such as Copy, Paste, Undo, and Redo. The Compare button allows you to compare your edited settings with the saved settings so you can edit as much as you want but always get back to your starting point. Logic Pro X: The ES1 subtractive synth The ES1 synthesizer creates sounds by using subtractive synthesis, in which you start with an oscillator and a suboscillator and then subtract parts of the sound to shape it. The ES1 is modeled after classic analog synths and is great at creating basses, leads, pads, and even percussion sounds. A description of the ES1 parameters follows: Oscillator parameters: The left half of the ES1 interface gives you the oscillator parameters that define your basic sound. Click the buttons on the left to choose the octave. Rotate the Wave knob to set the oscillator waveform. Rotate the Sub knob to set the suboscillator waveform. Adjust the Mix slider to set the mix between the two oscillators. Filter parameters: The center section of the ES1 filters the two oscillator waveforms. Adjust the Cutoff slider to set the cutoff frequency of the low-pass filter. Adjust the Resonance slider to set the quality of the frequencies around the cutoff frequency. Click one of the four Slope buttons to choose how extreme the low-pass filter affects the signal. Adjust the Drive slider to affect the resonance setting and to overdrive the filter. Adjust the Key slider to set how the pitch adjusts the filter. Adjust the ADSR via Velocity slider to set how the filter is affected by note velocity. Amplifier parameters: The right sections of the ES1 adjust the volume level and performance. Adjust the Level via Velocity slider to set how the volume is affected by note velocity. Click the Amplifier Envelope buttons to set how the ADSR envelope affects the volume. Modulation parameters: The largest section of the dark-green area of the ES1 adjusts how the sound is modulated. The Glide parameter sets the speed of the portamento. Rotate the Wave and Rate knobs to set how the Low Frequency Oscillator (LFO) stimulates the sound over time. The Modulation Envelope sets how the modulation fades in or out. The Router parameters set the targets of the LFO and Modulation Envelope. Envelope parameters: The far right section of the dark-green area adjusts the ADSR envelope. Use the sliders to set the time of the attack, decay, sustain, and release (ADSR). Global parameters: The bottom row of parameters controls the ES1 global parameters. Click the Tune field to adjust the overall tuning. Click the Analog field to introduce random changes to the tuning and cutoff frequency, similar to an analog circuit that changes due to heat and age. Click the Bender Range to adjust the amount of pitch bend. Click the Out Level to adjust the overall volume. Click the Voices field to set the number of voices the ES1 can play simultaneously. Click the Chorus field to choose the type of built-in chorus effect that will thicken the sound. The ES1 is a great instrument to use for getting the feel of analog synthesis. Many of the synths that follow have similar parameters. Getting the hang of setting oscillator waveforms, filters, envelopes, and modulators will help you take command of the synths and design your own sounds. Some of these software instruments haven’t had their interfaces updated since Apple introduced hardware Retina displays, which are capable of extremely smooth and crisp graphics. The consequence is fuzzy graphics with controls and text that can be difficult to read. At the top right of the software instrument is a View pop-up menu that can change the size of the window. If you’re having trouble seeing something, make the window bigger. Logic Pro X: The ES2 hybrid synth The ES2 is like a combined EFM1 and ES1 synth plus another type of synthesis called wavetable synthesis. A wavetable is made up of many different waveforms that evolve from one to another or blend at once, creating complex digital sounds. Although the ES2 can produce sounds similar to the EFM1 and ES1, it shines at creating pads, sonic textures, and synthetic sounds that evolve over time. Check out the the unique features of the ES2: Oscillator parameters: The three numbered oscillators on the upper-left side of the ES2 interface choose the basic sound. The triangle-shaped area to the right of the three oscillators blends them together. Filter parameters: The round section in the center of the ES2 adjusts the filters that shape your synth sound. Amplifier parameters: The top-right section contains the ES2 volume level. You can add a sine wave to the output section using the Sine Level knob. Effects parameters: To the right of the ES2 parameters are several built-in effects, including distortion and chorus, as well as a flanger and a phaser. Planar pad: The X/Y pad to the right of the amplifier parameters can control two parameters simultaneously. The planar pad parameters are chosen in the modulation router or vector envelope. Modulation router and vector envelope parameters: The dark-blue strip of the ES2 controls the modulation sources and targets as well as the vector envelope generator. You can toggle between the modulation router and vector envelope using the Router and Vector buttons on the right. Modulation parameters: Below the modulation router and vector envelope parameters are the modulation parameters. Adjust the two LFOs and three envelopes to modulate the ES2 modulation targets. You set the modulation sources and targets in the modulation router. Macro controls and controller assignment parameters: The bottom strip of buttons and knobs are where you set the macro controls and MIDI controller assignments. Click the Macro or MIDI button to toggle between the two types of controls. Click the Macro Only button to hide all ES2 parameters except the preprogrammed macro controls, which are useful when you went to adjust the ES2 sounds globally. The MIDI controller assignments allow you to map controls on your MIDI controller to parameters of the ES2. Global parameters: Found above the filter parameters and to the left of the oscillator parameters are the ES2 global parameters. You can tune the instrument, set the number of voices, adjust the portamento speed, and more. The ES2 hybrid synth can be used in surround mode to pan your sound throughout the surround spectrum if you're monitoring your Logic Pro project in surround sound. Logic Pro designers have seemingly thought of everything. To get to the surround parameters, click the disclosure triangle at the bottom of the ES2 interface to display the advanced parameters. Logic Pro X: The ES E ensemble synth The ES E synth is a lightweight, eight-voice subtractive synth. The E in its name stands for ensemble, and the ES E is great for warm pads such as analog brass and strings. Best of all, it’s much easier to program than the ES1 or ES2. Here’s a description of the ES E parameters: Oscillator parameters: The left side of the ES E interface adjusts the oscillator parameters. Click the buttons on the far left to choose the octave of your sound. Rotate the Wave knob all the way to the left to generate a sawtooth wave, which is bright with strong odd and even harmonics and excels at generating rich pads. The rest of the wave range generates pulse waves, which are hollow sounding with strong odd harmonics and can create excellent reedy sounds such as woodwinds. LFO parameters: The knobs below the wave parameter adjust the LFO settings. The LFO modulates the oscillator waveform. Rotate the Vibrato/PWM (pulse wave modulation) knob to set the modulation intensity. Rotate the Speed knob to set the LFO speed. Filter parameters: To the right of the oscillator and LFO parameters are the low-pass filter parameters. A low-pass filter allows low frequencies to pass through while reducing the higher frequencies. Rotate the Cutoff knob to set the cutoff frequency, and rotate the Resonance knob to raise or lower the frequencies around the cutoff frequency. Rotate the Attack/Release Intensity knob to adjust how the envelope generator affects the filter. Rotate the Velocity Filter knob to adjust how velocity affects the filter. Envelope parameters: To the right of the filter parameters are the envelope parameters. Adjust the Attack and Release sliders to set the level of your sound over time. A low attack setting will result in a more immediate sound, and a higher setting will result in a slow fade up to the final volume. A high release setting will cause the sound to slowly fade when you release the key, and a lower setting will cause the sound to fade quickly. Output parameters: To the right of the envelope parameters are the output parameters. Rotate the Volume knob to adjust the overall ESE volume. Rotate the Velocity Volume knob to adjust the velocity sensitivity. Effects parameters: To the right of the envelope parameters, you can choose a built-in effect. Choose between Chorus I, Chorus II, and Ensemble to thicken your sound. Logic Pro X: The ES M mono synth The ES M is another lightweight subtractive synth. The M stands for mono, which means the ES M can play only one note at a time. Monophonic synths such as the ES M are perfect for bass and lead sounds. Like the ES E, the ES M is simple to program and features a stripped-down set of controls. Both the ES E and ES M are great instruments for learning the basics of synthesis. A description of the ES M parameters follows: Oscillator parameters: The left side of the ES M adjusts the oscillator parameters. Click the numbered buttons on the far left to choose the octave. Rotate the Mix knob all the way to the left to select a sawtooth wave and all the way to the right to select a rectangular wave. Rotate the Mix knob between the two positions to mix the sawtooth and rectangular waves. Rectangular waves, like pulse waves, are reedy and nasal and great for synth bass sounds. Rotate the Glide knob to adjust the speed of the portamento. Filter parameters: To the right of the oscillator parameters are the filter parameters. Rotate the Cutoff knob to adjust the cutoff frequency of the low-pass filter. Rotate the Resonance knob to boost or cut the frequencies around the cutoff frequency. Rotate the Filter Intensity knob to adjust how the envelope generator modulates the cutoff frequency. Rotate the Filter Decay knob to adjust the filter envelope decay time. Rotate the Filter Velocity knob to adjust how velocity affects the filter. Volume parameters: To the lower right of the filter parameters are the output parameters. Rotate the Volume knob to adjust the overall volume. Rotate the Volume Decay knob to adjust how the sound decays over time. Rotate the Volume Velocity knob to adjust how volume responds to velocity. Rotate the Overdrive knob to add distortion to your sound. Click the disclosure triangle at the bottom of the interface to view the extended parameters. You can adjust the pitch bend amount and fine-tuning in this area. Logic Pro X: The ES P poly synth The ES P is another lightweight subtractive synth. The P stands for polyphonic; you can play eight voices at once. The ES P is modeled after classic 80s synths and does a great job of creating analog pads, bass, and brass sounds. Here’s a description of the ES P parameters: Oscillator parameters: The left side of the ES P adjusts the oscillator parameters. Click the numbered buttons to choose the octave. The Oscillator sliders are used to mix the six oscillators. From left to right, you can set the level of a triangle wave, sawtooth wave, rectangle wave, suboscillator -1 (one octave below), suboscillator -2 (two octaves below), and noise generator. LFO parameters: To the right of the oscillator parameters are the LFO parameters. Rotate the Vibrato/Wah knob to adjust the amount of vibrato or wah-wah effect. Rotate the Speed knob to adjust the speed of the vibrato or wah. Filter parameters: To the right of the LFO parameters are the filter parameters. Rotate the Frequency knob to set the cutoff frequency of the low-pass filter. Rotate the Resonance knob to boost or cut the frequencies around the cutoff frequency. Click the 1/3, 2/3, or 3/3 buttons to adjust how the pitch affects the cutoff frequency modulation. Rotate the ADSR Intensity knob to adjust how the envelope generator affects the cutoff frequency modulation. Rotate the Velocity Filter knob to set how velocity affects the filter. Volume parameters: To the lower right of the filter parameters are the volume parameters. Rotate the Volume knob to adjust the overall volume. Rotate the Velocity Volume knob to adjust how the velocity affects the volume. Lower levels mimic classic synthesizers without velocity-sensitive keyboards; higher levels make notes louder if the key is struck harder. Envelope parameters: To the right of the volume parameters are the envelope parameters. Adjust the attack, decay, sustain, and release parameters (ADSR) to adjust the ES P envelope. Effects parameters: To the right of the envelope parameters are the effects parameters. Rotate the Chorus knob to the right to add chorus and thicken your sound. Rotate the Overdrive knob to the right to add distortion. Logic Pro X: The EVOC 20 poly synth vocoder The EVOC 20 poly synth is a vocoder and a 20-voice synthesizer. A vocoder (voice encoder) takes an incoming audio signal, typically a voice, and applies this signal to the synthesizer, creating a hybrid vocal synthesizer. However, a voice isn’t the only thing you can use as an input. You could input a drum loop or an instrument into the synthesizer or run the synth without any input as a stand-alone synthesizer. To use the EVOC 20 PS as a classic vocoder, do the following: On the Side Chain menu in the EVOC 20 PS plug-in header, choose the input source. The source can be a live input, an audio track, or a bus. The classic vocoder effect uses a live input or prerecorded vocal track. Mute the input source so you hear only the output from the EVOC 20 PS. Play your MIDI controller simultaneously with the input source. The EVOC 20 PS synthesizes your input source. Here’s a brief description of a couple important EVOC 20 PS parameters: Side-chain analysis parameters: The upper-left area of the EVOC 20 PS adjusts the side-chain parameters. Rotate the Attack knob to set how fast or slow the synth reacts to the beginning of the input signal. Rotate the Release knob to adjust how fast or slow the synth reacts to the end of the input signal. Click the Freeze button to hold the current input signal indefinitely. U/V detection parameters: The right side of the EVOC 20 PS adjusts the U/V (unvoiced/voiced) detection parameters. The human voice is made up of voiced sounds such as vowels and unvoiced sounds such as plosives, fricatives, and nasals. Rotate the Sensitivity knob to adjust how sensitive the EVOC 20 PS is to voiced and unvoiced input signals. Click the Mode field to choose how unvoiced sounds are synthesized. Rotate the Level knob to adjust the volume of the unvoiced content. You’ll get great results if your input source is a constant volume with lots of high-frequency content. Be sure that your input source’s volume doesn’t vary too much. You can also EQ the input source to boost the high-frequency content.

Article / Updated 12-31-2018

Every track, channel strip, and plug-in is capable of being automated in Logic Pro X. Automation is best to add after the mix is stable. If you’re still arranging or editing your project, having automation on a track can get in the way of your workflow because you have more things to focus on as you edit. And if your mix isn’t stable, the mixing you do affects the automation as well. For these reasons, it’s a good idea to use project and track notes to jot down any automation ideas you may want to try later. After your mix is stable, take a pass through the project, focusing on each of the core mixing concepts. Automate the levels, panning, EQ changes, effects, and dynamics. If you plan your automation this way, the final result will be an elevated and interesting mix. Choosing your Logic Pro automation mode To automate a track, you need to display the track’s automation in the tracks area. Choose Mix → Show Automation or press A. The track headers will display automation parameters. To enable automation for a Logic Pro track, click the left side of the automation button in the track header. Using the automation button, you can choose between two types of automation: Track: When track-based automation is enabled, you can view and edit automation on the entire track. Region: When region-based automation is enabled, you can view and edit automation on the track’s regions. After you’ve enabled automation on a track, you can choose between the following four automation modes on the menu: Read: Automation is played back but not recorded. Touch: Automation is recorded during playback while the parameter is being touched; when the parameter is released, it returns to the previous value. Touch mode is useful when you’re automating a temporary change in the parameter that you want to return to the previous value. Latch: Automation is recorded during playback while the parameter is being touched; after the parameter is released, automation stops at that last touched value. Latch mode is useful when you’re automating a parameter to a new value that you want to keep. Write: Automation is recorded during playback, and existing automation is erased as the playhead passes over it. Write mode is useful when you want to simultaneously record and erase automation. Trim: Automation values are offset by the amount you move the control. Relative: A secondary automation curve is added to offset the primary automation curve. You can also turn on automation and select the automation mode from the automation mode pop-up menu in the mixer. Adding automation to your Logic Pro tracks After you enable automation, adding it to your track is as simple as clicking a location on a Logic Pro region with the pointer tool. A control point is added with the current parameter’s value. The parameter you automate is chosen in the automation parameter drop-down menu on the track header. You can display multiple lanes of automation by clicking the disclosure triangle to the left of the automation parameters. You can quickly add an automation point at the playhead position for the volume, pan, and sends by choosing Mix → Create Automation → Create 1 Automation Point Each for Volume, Pan, and Sends. If you know that the parameter value you’re automating will return to its original value, you’ll save time by creating an automation point at the beginning and ending of regions. Choose Mix → Create Automation → Create 1 Automation Point at Region Borders. Adjusting Logic Pro automation points The fastest way to adjust automation points is to select them with the pointer tool and drag them up, down, left, or right. You can select multiple points by Shift-clicking them. You can delete selected points by pressing Delete. To create smooth curves between automation points, use the automation curve tool. Drag left, right, up, or down on the automation line with the automation curve tool to create automation curves. You can temporarily switch from the pointer tool to the automation curve tool by holding down Shift-Control while dragging the automation curve. Moving regions with or without automation in Logic Pro X You may end up needing to make an edit to a track or to your song arrangement after you’ve started automating your mix. Moving regions with automation can cause complications if you don’t do it right. That’s why Logic Pro’s default state is to ask you whether you really want to move regions that have automation. You can change this behavior in the automation system preferences. Choose Logic Pro X → Preferences → Automation to open the automation preferences, and then choose the default behavior from the Move Track Automation with Regions menu. You can choose the default behavior also on the Mix → Move Track Automation with Regions menu. Recording live automation in Logic Pro The most precise way to automate your mix is by inputting automation data in the tracks area. But when automation was created on hardware mixing consoles, the automation was performed in real time as the project was playing. Recording live automation is an enjoyable experience because you get to perform along with your track, and perhaps create some magic along the way. Here’s how to record live automation: Choose an automation mode on the tracks you want to automate. You can choose Touch, Latch, or Write. Play your project and adjust the parameters you want to automate. Automation data is added to the tracks. When you’ve finished automating, stop the project and set the track’s automation mode to Read. If you want to speed up the automation process, you can combine it with smart controls. You can use the smart controls to record live automation, and you can also automate the smart controls from the tracks area. Because smart controls can control more than one parameter at a time, you can build some dynamic mixes quickly. Automation is the tool you need to keep your mix dynamic. As song sections change and the intensity of the music changes, automation helps you adjust your mix to keep it balanced and interesting. When your mix automation is complete, you’re ready to master your track. It is sometimes hard to know exactly when your mix is complete, so keep this tip in mind: Think like a pro and set deadlines. There's no such thing as a perfect mix. Do your best, mix a lot, and you’ll continue to improve.

Article / Updated 12-31-2018

Using Logic Pro X to control the dynamics of your overall mix as well as individual instruments is a crucial fundamental of mixing. Logic Pro’s compressor is your main tool for controlling dynamics as well as for effect. Compressors work well on individual sounds, groups of instruments or sounds, and even the entire mix. There are many types of dynamic control, include limiting, multiband compression, de-essing, gating, envelope shaping, side chaining, and parallel compression. Here, you learn how to use the dynamics tools of Logic Pro to create powerful and interesting mixes. Using Logic Pro’s Compressor plug-in The Logic Pro Compressor plug-in can emulate a wide variety of hardware compressors. Many compressors have become classics in the recording and mixing world, and there’s a giant market for software emulations of these compressors. Logic Pro doesn’t advertise its own compressor emulations, but savvy users know what they are. Like Channel EQ, Compressor has its own meter in the channel strip, right below the EQ display. The meter shows you the amount of gain reduction. You can double-click the meter to open Compressor. If it’s not currently inserted on the channel strip, it’s added to an open slot. Here’s a description of Compressor parameters: Circuit Type: The Circuit Type menu is where you choose a compressor emulation: Platinum Digital: This compressor is Logic Pro’s original compressor. It’s a transparent compressor you can use on any audio source to control dynamics. Studio VCA: The studio VCA is similar to the Focusrite Red compressor. This compressor is colorful, with low distortion, and has a faster attack than FETs. Use it when you want to protect a track from clipping and on instruments with complex harmonics, such as pianos, harpsichords, or 12-string guitars. Studio FET: The studio FET is similar to the UREI 1176 Rev E “Blackface” compressor. FET-style compression is warm with a fast attack time. It’s often used on individual tracks and groups of tracks for both compression and color. Classic VCA: The classic VCA is similar to the dbx 160 compressor. It’s a clean compressor that’s used for low-distortion dynamic control and fast limiting. Vintage VCA: The vintage VCA is similar to the SSL compressor. This compressor has a fast response and a distinct sound, and is useful for protecting tracks from clipping. It’s often used on bass, kick, and snare. The vintage VCA is great for providing “glue” on groups of tracks or the entire mix. Vintage FET: The vintage FET is similar to the UREI 1176 Rev A “Bluestripe” compressor. This compressor can provide a lot of aggressive color to groups of instruments, such as drums, and individual instruments, such as bass and lead vocals. Vintage Opto: The vintage opto is similar to a Teletronix LA-2A. Electro-optical tube compression is smooth and rich, with a warm tone. It’s often used on piano, bass, and vocals as well on instrument groups and the entire mix. Threshold: Rotate the Threshold knob to adjust the level at which compression starts. Ratio: The Ratio knob sets the ratio of gain reduction when the threshold is reached. Make Up: Use the Make Up knob to raise or lower the gain after the signal has been compressed. You can choose to automatically raise the gain to –12 dB or 0 dB on the Auto Gain menu. Knee: The Knee knob adjusts how extreme the compression begins as the signal reaches the threshold. Low values compress harder, and higher values compress softer. Attack: The Attack time knob sets the reaction speed of the compressor. Release: The Release time knob sets the speed it takes for the compressor to release after the signal falls below the threshold. Click the Auto button to let the compressor choose the release time. Limiter Threshold and button: Click the Limiter button to turn on the limiter, which limits the signal from going beyond the level set by the limiter threshold. Limiter controls: You can choose the type of output distortion, which adds color to the compressor in varying degrees. You can adjust the output mix to blend the compressed signal with the original signal for parallel compression. Use the Output Gain knob to control the final signal level. You can also add a side-chain filter. You can set Compressor to react to the dynamics in another track in the project. Choose the Logic Pro track that will trigger Compressor on the Side Chain menu at the top of the plug-in interface. Now Compressor will compress the audio only when the track chosen on the Side Chain menu reaches the threshold. This feature is useful when you want to make room for a track in the mix by automatically lowering any track that’s competing with it. Using Logic Pro’s Limiter plug-in The Limiter plug-in is used when you need to restrict the level from going any higher. Limiters differ from compressors in that they have a strict threshold, whereas compressors only reduce the level above the threshold. You might put a limiter on a single track to guarantee that it doesn’t clip or on a group of tracks to raise the volume as high as possible before it distorts. Limiters can have a big effect on the sound, so a little goes a long way. Limiters are often added as the last insert effect in the chain. But sometimes you can add a limiter before a compressor that’s set to a slow attack time to catch any large peaks and avoid the pumping and breathing effect that can come from too much compression. A description of the Limiter parameters follows: Gain: Rotate the Gain knob to adjust the level of the input. Release: Rotate the Release knob to set the time it takes for the compressor to release after the signal falls below the threshold. Output Level: Rotate the Output Level knob to adjust the overall output level. Lookahead: Rotate the Lookahead knob to adjust how far in advance the limiter will analyze the signal. Higher levels cause latency, so it’s best not to use this setting on instrument or group tracks because it will change the timing. Higher lookahead times work better when Limiter is on the main output. Using other dynamics Logic Pro X tools Logic Pro comes with many dynamics tools that can make your time mixing easier. Dynamics tools can help you solve problems and be creative at the same time. As a beginner, it’s a good idea to use the presets that come with these plug-ins. The preset names are educational, and you’ll often find a preset that describes exactly what you want to do. Following are other dynamics tools you can use: De-esser: Remove hiss from vocal sibilance. This frequency-dependent compressor can lower specific frequency ranges, such as those that cluster around sibilant sounds. Expander: Expand the dynamic range. For example, you can use an expander to reduce the amount of hi-hat leakage in a snare track by expanding the distance between the main snare sound and the background hi-hat. Noise gate: Lower the level of sounds below the threshold. The noise gate enables you to remove unwanted room noise, such as amp hump. Enveloper: Adjust the attack and release of a sound’s transients. An enveloper is a tone-shaping tool that works well with instruments having sharp transients, such as drums, picked and plucked sounds, and pianos. Here, you saw most of the important Logic Pro plug-ins, but there are others you’ll want to explore, such as distortions, filters, multi-effects, and modulation plug-ins. Logic Pro users are encouraged to master the plug-ins you have before you spend money on third-party effects. Logic has everything you need to make a great mix. And as your mix nears completion, you’ll want to learn how to automate your mix so it’s dynamic and exciting.

Article / Updated 12-31-2018

The piano roll editor is the default Logic Pro MIDI editor. It has the most features and is designed for speed and complete control. Inspired by player pianos, which use grid-based punch cards to make music, this Logic Pro editor is user friendly and your go-to MIDI editor. To open Logic Pro’s piano roll editor, do one of the following: Double-click a MIDI region. Choose View →   Show Editor or press E with a MIDI region selected. Choose Window →   Open Piano Roll or press ⌘-4 to open the piano roll editor in a new window. The score editor is the choice for notation and traditional music representation. It is great for composition and scoring, and is a requirement for getting your music played by other professional musicians. If you enjoy reading music, you’ll appreciate the score editor. To open the score editor, you can do any of the following: Double-click a MIDI region to open the MIDI editors, and then click the Score tab. Choose View →   Show Editor with a MIDI region selected, and then click the Score tab or press N. Choose Window →   Open Score Editor or press ⌘ -5 to open the score editor in a new window. The step editor works well at building musical patterns, especially drum patterns. It mimics step sequencers, in which you build a sequence of notes by using a grid. Even though it’s grid-based like the piano roll editor, the step editor has a different layout that allows you to quickly edit MIDI event types other than notes, such as velocity or MIDI controller data. To open the step editor, do the following: Double-click a MIDI region to open the MIDI editors, and then click the Step Editor tab. Choose View →   Show Editor with a MIDI region selected, and then click the Step Editor tab. Choose Window →   Open Step Editor to open the step editor in a new window. The event list editor might not be the most attractive MIDI editor, but it’s probably the most complete editor, listing every MIDI event you record. To open the event list editor, you can do one of the following: Choose View →   Show List Editors with a MIDI region selected, and then click the Event tab or press D. Choose Window →   Open Event List to open the event list editor in a new window or press ⌘ -7. The MIDI environment used to be a more fundamental, and often intimidating, part of the Logic Pro workflow. With Logic Pro X, the environment has been pushed into the background, but you wouldn’t be able to sequence without it. The MIDI environment is integral to the input and output of your audio and MIDI. Do one of the following to open the MIDI environment: Choose Window →   Open MIDI Environment to open the MIDI environment in a new window. Press ⌘ -0 to open the MIDI environment window. The MIDI transform window alters your MIDI and can save you from time-consuming and repetitive editing tasks. Whenever you want to automate the transformation of large amounts of MIDI data, use the MIDI transform window. You can open the MIDI transform window in a couple of ways: Choose Window →   Open MIDI Transform to open the MIDI Transform window in a new window. Press ⌘ -9 to open the MIDI transform window. To enable the full MIDI editing features of Logic Pro X, you must have Show Advanced Tools selected in the Advanced Preferences pane. Choose Logic Pro X →   Preferences →   Advanced Tools, and then select Show Advanced Tools and the other additional options.

Article / Updated 12-31-2018

The Logic Pro EXS24 sampler plays audio files known as samples. Samplers are useful for re-creating acoustic instruments because you’re playing back recorded audio files. But you can also sample synthetic sounds or mangle acoustic samples until they’re no longer recognizable to create unique sounds with Logic Pro X. Here, you learn how to use the EXS24, import third-party sample libraries, and create your own sampler instruments. Logic Pro X: Importing sample libraries The EXS24 comes with an enormous library of sampler instruments, but you can also import third-party sample libraries. The EXS24 has a large user base, so finding sample providers online isn’t difficult. In addition to the native EXS24 sampler instrument format, you can import SoundFont2, DLS, and Gigasampler files. To import a third-party sample library, follow these steps: Copy the sample files to a subfolder of your choosing in any of the following locations: Macintosh HD/Users//Music/Audio Music Apps/Sampler Instruments/ Macintosh HD/Users//Library/Application Support/Logic/Sampler Instruments/ Macintosh HD/Library/Application Support/Logic/Sampler Instruments/ At the top of the EXS24 interface, click the Sampler Instruments menu and choose Refresh Menu. Your imported sampler instrument appears on the menu, so that you can select and open it. Converting Logic Pro regions to sampler instruments You can create your own sampler instrument from any audio region in your project. For example, you can take a drum loop or an instrument riff and slice it into several pieces that you can play with your MIDI controller. You can also trigger the entire region as a loop or a one-shot sample, which means the region plays just once instead of repeating. To convert audio regions to sampler instruments, do the following: Select an audio region in your project. Control-click the region and choose Convert →   Convert to New Sampler Track (or press Control-E). The Convert Regions to New Sampler Track dialog opens. Select Create Zones from Regions or Create Zones from Transient Markers. Select Regions to create a loop or one-shot sample. Select Transient Markers to slice the region into several different samples that you can trigger with your MIDI controller. Name the instrument and select the note trigger range. The note trigger range defines the MIDI notes that will trigger the samples. Click OK. A new software instrument track is added to the track list loaded with the EXS24. A MIDI region containing the trigger notes is also added to the tracks area. If you convert a drumbeat to a sampler instrument, you can play the beat chromatically with your MIDI controller. A cool trick is to rearrange parts of the beat to create new beats or drum fills. If you converted an instrument part to a sampler instrument, you can rearrange the part and come up with new instrument parts. You could also sample your boss saying, “No one leave until the work is done” and rearrange it to say, “The work is done. Leave.” Controlling sample parameters in Logic Pro X Just like the other Logic Pro synthesizers, EXS24 sounds can be shaped by filters and modulation. Here’s a brief description of some EXS24 parameters: Global parameters: The top-left green section and top row of parameters are where you set the EXS24 global parameters. Click the Legato, Mono, or Poly button to change the keyboard mode. Double-click the Voices field to set the maximum number of notes that the EXS24 can play at a time. Click the Unison button to play many slightly detuned voices at once to emulate a thick and classic synth sound. Double-click the Velocity Offset field to increase or decrease the incoming velocity signals from your MIDI controller. Click the Hold Via field to change the default MIDI controller used to trigger the sustain pedal. Pitch parameters: To the right of the global parameters are the EXS24 Pitch parameters. In this section, you can transpose and fine-tune the instrument. You can adjust the amount of pitch bend and introduce random pitch changes to emulate analog synthesizers or live string players. Adjust the Glide slider to set the speed of the portamento effect. Filter parameters: Below the sampler instrument menu are the EXS24 filter parameters. Click the buttons at the bottom of the filter section to choose the type of filter. Rotate the Cutoff and Resonance knobs to set the filter parameters. Output parameters: To the right of the filter parameters are the EXS24 output parameters. Rotate the Volume knob to set the overall volume. Adjust the Level Via Velocity slider to set how velocity affects the volume. Double-click the Key Scale field to set how volume is affected by pitch. Positive values increase the level of higher notes, emulating acoustic instruments. Modulation router: The center dark-blue strip of controls is where you set the EXS24 modulation sources and targets. LFO parameters: The bottom-left section of the EXS24 is where you set the parameters of the three LFOs. Envelope parameters: To the right of the LFO parameters are the envelope parameters. Envelope 1 controls the filter while Envelope 2 controls the volume level. EXS24 preferences: Click the Options button on the upper-right corner of the EXS24 to open the Options menu. Choose Preferences on the Options menu to open the Sampler Preferences window. In this window, you can choose to search samples on your local hard drive, external hard drives, or all hard drives connected to your computer. Editing sampled instruments in Logic Pro X There may come a time when you want to create your own sampler instruments or edit the current instrument. A sampler instrument is made up of zones and groups. A zone is the location of a single sample, whereas a group can contain many zones. You can edit all the zones in the group simultaneously. To visualize how zones and groups fit together, consider a piano sampler instrument. Each piano key is sampled at multiple velocity levels. These sampled notes (zones) are grouped according to their velocity level for organization and so the group can be edited as a whole. You can have a group that contains loud samples and a group that contains quiet samples, for example, and edit each group and all the zones in it. To open the instrument editor, click the Edit button at the top right of the EXS24 interface. The instrument editor has two views, zones and groups, which can be accessed by clicking the buttons at the top left of the Instrument Editor window. On the Instrument drop-down menu at the top of the interface, you can save, rename, and create new instruments. You can also create zones and groups, as well as show and hide parameters on the View menu. Double-clicking the audio file names will open the samples in the Logic Pro audio file editor.