'It's easy to get sidetracked with technology, and that is the danger, but ultimately you have to see what works with the music and what doesn't. In a lot of cases, less is more. In most cases, less is more.'
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Mastering in Logic Pro X is absolutely possible, even with just stock plugins! Many get lost though. Not because they don't know, but because they don't know what they are aiming for. Perhaps you can relate. This article should help you get going, so you can confidently make great sounding masters for your music. By simply experimenting with Logic's built in plugins (the stock ones are great), you greatly expand the diversity and quality of your tracks, differentiate yourself from the thousands of other producers out there, and have more control over the final sound. Adding Plugins To Logic Pro X. Adding a plugin to a track in Logic is ridiculously easy.
— Herbie Hancock
The stock synthesizers in Logic provide a unique suite of tools to create some high quality sounds. While often written off as inferior to third party plugins, let's explore exactly why that simply isn't true. In short, Logic synths can be very, very powerful.
1. ES1The ES1 consists of one main oscillator and one sub oscillator. Some of its best sounds are its basses, and even a few of the presets being nearly ready to drop into your tracks. Mod Envelope The Mod Envelope is a lesser known component of the ES1, and it allows you to assign an envelope to a selection of parameters in your synth.
By hitting one of the radio buttons in the right Router column and selecting a range with the vertical arrows, your Mod Envelope will control the selected parameter:
Download windows 78. This function is often used in designing basses. You can use the Mod Envelope to control the filter cutoff and give your basses an open, clean attack. Test this out on the 'Deep Bass' preset by reworking the Mod Envelope and Router controls, as laid out below:
Use EXT oscillator to process external audio
You can also use the ES1 to process an audio signal from another audio track or a bus in your project. By selecting EXT as your sub oscillator waveform and choosing the desired audio signal as your Side Chain, the ES1 will not produce its own sound, but rather take in the audio from whatever the side chain signal is:
Now that the audio coming from the ES1 is the external audio, you can use the ES1 LFO, Mod Envelope, ADSR, etc. to process this audio. Be sure to mute the external audio track, otherwise you will get the signal doubled up (once from the audio track, once from the ES1)
Finally, be sure to have midi information in your ES1 track whenever you want the audio to play through - you still need a midi note for the ES1 to produce a sound! If desired, you can also design your midi to play a rhythm in the external audio signal.
2. EFM1The EFM1 is Logic's FM synth - FM synthesis is usually quite complicated, but the EFM1 simplifies the process and reduces it down to just a few knobs.
While you might not have as much flexibility as other FM synths, you can get some quality FM sounds without the synthesis process being overly complicated. You can make some great sounds for deep house and future house style style tracks.
Having trouble getting started? Here is everything you need to know when you first open Logic X.
Here is a quick example:
One specific thing to note is the LFO at the bottom of the synth:
The LFO is automatically set to 'restart', so each note will start from the same LFO position. This means that if you use a slow rate, then you can get completely new timbres on your sound by moving the top Vib/FM knob. Test this out on the sounds you're making!
If you're having trouble creating the quality of the synths you hear in your favorite artists tracks, make sure to check out our intensive mixing and mastering course.
3. AlchemyLogic Sound Pack
Many producers fondly recall the good ole days of Camel Audio, maybe best well known for the Camel Crusher and their Alchemy Synth. Apple actually acquired Camel Audio in early 2015, and while many of the plugins we loved have gone away, Apple has since incorporated Alchemy into Logic Pro X! Among many other of its sounds, Alchemy's soundscapes and pads are fantastic.
Alchemy uses a robust tagging system that allows you to narrow the sounds you are looking for by category, subcategory, genre, and timbre. Once you've found a sound that you like, the Performer at the bottom and the categories the macros are sorted into are very useful for sound design:
One trick I like to use is flipping my Alchemy track to Write automation, playing my midi section, and manually dragging through the different macro categories. Logic will save your manual automations, and the result in an ever-changing, completely unique pad/soundscape that you can then use in your track:
After you play through your midi section, flip the automate back to Read, and look at the automation on the section. The automation on the X axis and Y axis of the categories box will be saved on your midi, so your pad/soundscape will always be moving:
4. Vintage Electric PianoLogic's electric piano is packed with high quality sounds that are on par with some of the best sample libraries. The Wurlitzer Classic is one of the best options you can use - here are a few things you can do to get what is, in my opinion, the best sound out of the instrument:
- Use lower velocities notes in combination with the OTT compressor
- Sync your tremolo rate to the track
- Add some extra decay and release time
Lower velocities and OTT 404bypass 1 0 4 – redirection made easy learning.
Velocities below 75 for the midi notes have very warm, smooth timbres. Once you start to get above this range, the piano has a substantially sharper attack sound. While this is certainly usable if this is your desired sound, the smoother tones of the lower-velocity notes can be quite useful. However, without the sharper attack, your piano can sometimes get lost in your mix. To make up for this, the Xfer Records OTT compressor can be used to add a bit of coloration to the sound:
Moderate depth is key here, as in the image above - this will add a nice attack to the sound without the overpowering sharpness of a higher velocity note.
Syncing the tremolo
The instrument has a built in tremolo function which will flutter the gain of the piano. By clicking the note button in this box, it will sync to the beat of the track. Play around with different rates, often times a simple 1/16th note or 1/8th note works best:
Extra Decay/Release Time
No secret here, but I love adding some drawn out electric pianos to our music. To make sure those longer notes don't fade away too quickly, be sure to boost the decay and release times in the Details section of the instrument:
Want to learn more about composition, music theory and songwriting? Look no further than The Songwriting Matrix.
5. BONUS - EXS24While technically not a synth, the EXS24 sampler is packed with a variety of great sounds and some easy-to-use processing. Some favorite sounds include:
- Vibraphone
- String Ensemble (mostly for high pitched, sustained strings)
- Persian Santoor
- Various Electric Toms
In terms of unique processing, one thing you can do when creating ambient sounds is putting an LFO on the pitch of some sustained piano notes or strings: How can i fix my external hard drive not recognized.
This creates a nice pitch vibrato for more ambient, background elements. In summary, Logic synths are full of high quality sounds. I encourage you to explore them for yourself - I'm sure you'll find some unique sounds to use across many of your tracks.
Do you use Logic Pro X? You need to know how to add plugins to logic pro x if you want to keep using it.
Server music download. If you've spent any time producing music in Logic Pro X, you've no doubt come across instruments with plug-ins loaded into the Audio FX slots.
And, if you're new to Logic Pro X, and/or to making music in a DAW, you've probably wondered what the hell they are, what they do, and how to add plugins in Logic Pro X to create an extra layer of sophistication to your tracks.
You will generally start adding plugins after you've completed the sampling stage.
What Exactly Is A Plugin?
A plugin is a tool that you can apply to a track to manipulate the sound of the audio. You will generally start to apply plugins before you go on to the autotuning stage.
Prior to the age of digital audio and music production, they didn't exist at all.
In order to manipulate the sound using compression, delay, EQ or any other effect, you'd need to fire up a separate physical unit. Luckily, things are a lot easier in the world of DAWS like Logic, and a simple click of the mouse gives you access to a folder full of effects.
Some common types of plug-ins include:
- Compression
- EQ (equalization)
- Reverb
- Delay
- Distortion
- Gates
- Modulation (Chorus, Flanger, Phaser etc)
Logic Pro comes with a library of fantastic, professional quality and highly usable plug-ins, but you also have the option to purchase or download third party units that can be used within the DAW (more on that later).
Why You Should Be Using Plugins
It can be easy to forego the need to use plugins in Logic Pro, not least because the sounds generated by some of its stock instruments are amazing.
But, you run the risk your finished tracks sounding like everybody else's. After all, they have access to the exact same instrument sets.
By simply experimenting with Logic's built in plugins (the stock ones are great), you greatly expand the diversity and quality of your tracks, differentiate yourself from the thousands of other producers out there, and have more control over the final sound.
Adding Plugins To Logic Pro X
Adding a plugin to a track in Logic is ridiculously easy. Gone are the days of complex patch bays and external processing units!
On the track's channel strip (either to the left of the edit window, or inside the mixer window), click on a blank slot under Audio FX. Choose a plugin from the drop down list. You'll notice Logic's stock plugins are organised by type (a folder for Delay, a folder for Modulation etc).
Any third party plugins are located under Audio Units at the bottom of the list.
Audio Units are the file format Apple accepts for its third party plugins. Other DAWs use formats such as VST and AAX. You'll learn how to import third party plugins further down in the article.
If you're brand new to using plugins, a great place to start is Logic's Channel EQ. It's highly visual, intuitive, and is a perfect way to understand the way that plugins manipulate the sound of your tracks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are Logic Pro X Plugins?
Logic's stock plugins are built into the code of the software itself, so you will not be able to locate them on your Mac, or use them with any other software.
Third party plug-ins (Audio Units) however are stored in a folder on the Macintosh HD, and you can find them here:
- Macintosh HD>Library>Audio>Plug-Ins>Components
How Do I Get Logic Pro To Recognize New Plugins?
If you've installed new third party plugins, Logic should recognize these automatically when you fire the software up. If Logic Pro is not showing your Audio Units plugin, try quitting the software and opening again, or restarting your Mac.
Still not working? Head to Logic Pro X>Preferences (make sure you have Show Advanced Tools ticked), and select the Plug-In Manager.
Depending on your version of Logic, this may also be called the Audio Units Manager, or AU Manager. Hit ‘Reset and Rescan Selection' and let Logic do its business and scan the Macintosh HD. Your Audio Units file should be installed and recognised by Logic's Plug-In Manager in no time.
Can You Use VSTs In Logic Pro X?
The short answer is no. Apple uses the Audio Units (AU) file type for its third party plugins. There are, though, a few 'VST wrappers', which serve to turn VSTs into AUs for use in Logic.
Logic Pro X Sound Effects
This is kind of like converting a WAV file to an MP3.
Best Stock Sounds In Logic Pro X 3
To list a few that could be installed on your Mac:
- JVSTwRapper
- FXpansion VST to AU Adapter
- VST Wrapper – KVR Audio Plugins
Conclusion
So, now that you know how to add a stock Apple or third party plugin to Logic Pro X, it's time to start levelling up your music production!
Logic has a huge library of great plugins, and there are a number of free ones available too, just search 'free AU plugin' and get creating!