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.
- Step 1: Import the audio file to Logic Pro X You just need to open Logic Pro X's finder window and navigate to the folder containing the audio you want to reverse. You could also record sound directly on the software and reverse that too. So you either import.
- Mix after the recording is complete. It's easy to get sucked into getting the perfect sound every time.
- Not directly, but you could install Mac OSX on a virtual machine running in Windows, then install Logic Pro X in Windows after that. Not recommended at all, but it might give you an idea whether it's worth while buying a Mac in the first place. I don't have a Mac, but I want to use Logic Pro X.
This article should help you get going, so you can confidently make great sounding masters for your music.
What does Logic Pro X do? Logic Pro X is the most advanced version of Logic ever. Sophisticated tools for professional songwriting, editing, and mixing are built around a modern interface that's designed to get creative results quickly and also deliver more power whenever it's needed. Logic Pro X includes a massive collection of instruments.
I've broken it down into a series of actionable steps.
1. How To Prepares Your Mix(es)
There are many articles and cheat sheets out there that tell you things in absolutes like needing 6 dB of headroom and such.
In digital, that's not so important. All you need to do is make sure you have a great mix and that it's not clipping.
Now, knowing if your mix is great is a big challenge in itself. If you are confident, then just bounce it, and master it in a brand new session another day with fresh ears. Give your brain time to forget about it for a bit.
You might even to choose to take up to a week between mixing and mastering the same song, without once listening to the mix in between. Your call.
With regard to peak headroom, here is an article I wrote about it. The gist of it is that it doesn't matter, as you can adjust gain in the mastering session anyway. Just make sure there is a healthy amount of dynamics in the mix that is suitable for the music.
If you would like a general guideline, around 14 dB of difference between peak and RMS in the loudest moments in the mix is a good place to start. Peak headroom (space between peak value and 0 full scale) doesn't matter so much.
2. Calibrate Your Mastering Level
This bit is huge. Measuring EQ, dynamics, and loudness are not things you can rely solely on meters for. However, they can (and will) work as a supplement to your hearing, but nothing more than that.
This is why it's ever so important to calibrate your mastering level and stick to it. I wrote an easy-to-follow guide on how to do that using simply your ears, your amp/speakers, and Spotify.
3. Gain Stage Your Reference Track(s)
Waves complete v9 2017 11 23. Now that you have set up your monitoring level, you may also choose to use a reference track in the mastering session.
There is only one tip you need to know about using reference tracks…
Turn them down (or up) to your mastering level!
That way, there is no loudness bias between your master and the reference track.
The easiest way to do this is to use a gain utility on the reference track until it's playing back at your mastering level. Do this by ear and make adjustments along the way so that comparisons are always fair.
Remember, a slight difference in loudness also equates to a difference in how we perceive dynamics and frequency balance (EQ). It's just a psychoacoustic reality we have to deal with.
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4. Set The Ceiling
As you probably know, a limiter is very much a usual suspect in your mastering chain. Not because it makes things louder (because they don't) but because they allow you to adjust the gain of the track whilst retaining a peak ceiling. This means that if necessary, we can make it louder without clipping. https://glbbqf.over-blog.com/2021/01/maxon-cinema-4d-studio-r18057-for-mac.html. This is the true purpose of a peak limiter.
Now, what I am going to advise here is to use Logic Pro X's Adaptive Limiter. Load it as the final plugin in your chain and set the ceiling to -1.0 with True Peak Detection turned on.
Now it's set up, you don't have to look at it again. You probably want to make sure it's not applying any extra gain by default, so make sure the gain dial is at 0dB.
5. Find Loudness
This where we start to work backwards, at least as far as the order of plugins in your chain is concerned.
Before, I mentioned how playback volume has a huge bearing on how we perceive frequency balance and dynamics. This is where we work to minimise that variable.
Earlier, I shared this article on how to set up your monitoring level.
Now that's done, it's time to raise the mix to your playback level. You can do this by ear now, slowly turning up your mix via a gain stage before the limiter, until you start to feel it's loud enough for listening purposes.
6. Problem Solving
Now that you are close to the goal, any issues with regard to dynamics and EQ will start to make themselves apparent.
Now you can work your way back into the chain, tackling these specific issues. Such issues could be unbalanced frequencies, dynamics, or distortion at the limiter's ceiling.
Use the tools at your disposal to solve the problems. If there are no problems, have the courage to believe that and move onto the final step.
7. Bounce/Export
This is where you actually create the master files. Simply use the Bounce command in Logic Pro X and select the appropriate formats for where you want to submit your music.
Tip: If you are uploading your music to an online distributor or Soundcloud, definitely use WAVE (.wav) as your format. The platforms will encode it to their chosen lossy format (MP3, AAC, Ogg etc) on their end.
Tip: Dither your master. Don't worry so much about which dither. Any dither is better than truncation distortion!
Want to learn more? Check out our Mastering in Logic Pro X Course.
Happy mastering!
Ridiculously powerful. Seriously creative.
NewLive LoopsFor spontaneous composition.
Live Loops is a dynamic way to create and arrange music in real time. Kick off your composition by adding loops, samples or your recorded performances into a grid of cells. Trigger different cells to play with your ideas without worrying about a timeline or arrangement. Once you find combinations that work well together, you can create song sections, then move everything into the Tracks area to continue production and finish your song.
Remix FX
Bring DJ-style effects and transitions to an individual track or an entire mix with a collection of stutters, echoes, filters and gating effects.
Logic Remote
Control features like Live Loops, Remix FX and more from your iPad or iPhone using Multi-Touch gestures.
NewStep SequencerPure beat poetry.
Step Sequencer is inspired by classic drum machines and synthesizers. Using the Step Sequence editor, quickly build drum beats, bass lines and melodic parts — and even automate your favourite plug-ins. Add sophisticated variations to your pattern with a wide range of creative playback behaviours. Use Note Repeat to create rolling steps, Chance to randomise step playback, and Tie Steps Together to create longer notes.
Logic RemoteTouch and flow.
Logic Remote lets you use your iPhone or iPad to control Logic Pro X on your Mac. Use Multi-Touch gestures to play software instruments, mix tracks, and control features like Live Loops and Remix FX from anywhere in the room. Swipe and tap to trigger cells in Live Loops. And tilt your iPhone or iPad up and down and use its gyroscope to manipulate filters and repeaters in Remix FX.
Multi-Touch mixing
How to download pictures from internet. Control your mix from wherever you are in the room — whether that's next to your computer or on the sofa — with Multi-Touch faders.
Pair and play
Use a variety of onscreen instruments, such as keyboards, guitars and drum pads, to play any software instrument in Logic Pro X from your iPad or iPhone.
NewSampler
We redesigned and improved our most popular plug-in — the EXS24 Sampler — and renamed it Sampler. The new single-window design makes it easier to create and edit sampler instruments while remaining backwards compatible with all EXS24 files. An expanded synthesis section with sound-shaping controls brings more depth and dynamics to your instruments. The reimagined mapping editor adds powerful time-saving features that speed the creation of complex instruments. Use the zone waveform editor to make precise edits to sample start/end, loop ranges and crossfades. And save hours of tedious editing with new drag-and-drop hot zones.
NewQuick Sampler
Quick Sampler is a fast and easy way to work with a single sample. Drag and drop an audio file from the Finder, Voice Memos or anywhere within Logic Pro X. Or record audio directly into Quick Sampler using a turntable, microphone, musical instrument, or even channel strips playing in Logic Pro X. In a few steps, you can transform an individual sample into a fully playable instrument. And with Slice Mode, you can split a single sample into multiple slices — perfect for chopping up vocals or breaking up and resequencing drum loops.
NewDrum Synth
This powerful, easy-to-use plug-in creates synthesized drum sounds. Choose from a diverse collection of drum models and shape their sound with up to eight simple controls. Drum Synth is also directly integrated into the bottom of the Drum Machine Designer interface —giving you a focused set of sound-shaping controls.
NewDrum Machine Designer
Redesigned to be more intuitive and integrated, Drum Machine Designer lets you effortlessly build electronic drum kits. Apply individual effects and plug-ins on each discrete drum pad to experiment with sound design and beat-making in new ways. You can also create a unique layered sound by assigning the same trigger note to two different pads. To help you quickly edit sounds, Quick Sampler and Drum Synth are directly integrated into the Drum Machine Designer interface.
DrummerCompose to the beat of a different percussionist.
Using Drummer is like hiring a session drummer or collaborating with a highly skilled beat programmer. Create organic-sounding acoustic drum tracks or electronic beats with the intelligent technology of Drummer. Choose from dozens of drummers who each play in a different musical genre, and direct their performances using simple controls.
Compositions and PerformancesYour studio is always in session.
Logic Pro X turns your Mac into a professional recording studio able to handle even the most demanding projects. Capture your compositions and performances — from tracking a live band to a solo software-instrument session — and flow them into your songs.
The ultimate way to record.
Seamless punch recording. Automatic take management. Support for pristine 24-bit/192kHz audio. Logic Pro X makes it all easy to do — and undo. You can create projects with up to 1,000 stereo or surround audio tracks and up to 1,000 software instrument tracks, and run hundreds of plug-ins. It's all you need to complete any project.
Get the most out of MIDI.
Logic Pro X goes beyond the average sequencer with an advanced set of options that let you record, edit and manipulate MIDI performances. Transform a loose performance into one that locks tight into the groove using region-based parameters for note velocity, timing and dynamics. Or tighten up your MIDI performances while preserving musical details like flams or chord rolls with Smart Quantize.
Industry-leading tools
As your song develops, Logic Pro X helps organise all your ideas and select the best ones. Group related tracks, audition alternative versions and consolidate multiple tracks. Lightning-fast click-and-drag comping helps you build your best performance from multiple takes.
Smart Tempo
Go off-script and stay on-beat with Smart Tempo, a way to effortlessly mix and match music and beats without worrying about the original tempo. Record freely without a click track. And easily combine and edit MIDI and audio tracks — from vinyl samples to live instruments to multi-track audio stems — with constant or variable tempo.
Logic Pro X goes beyond the average sequencer with an advanced set of options that let you record, edit and manipulate MIDI performances. Transform a loose performance into one that locks tight into the groove using region-based parameters for note velocity, timing and dynamics. Or tighten up your MIDI performances while preserving musical details like flams or chord rolls with Smart Quantize.
Industry-leading tools
As your song develops, Logic Pro X helps organise all your ideas and select the best ones. Group related tracks, audition alternative versions and consolidate multiple tracks. Lightning-fast click-and-drag comping helps you build your best performance from multiple takes.
Smart Tempo
Go off-script and stay on-beat with Smart Tempo, a way to effortlessly mix and match music and beats without worrying about the original tempo. Record freely without a click track. And easily combine and edit MIDI and audio tracks — from vinyl samples to live instruments to multi-track audio stems — with constant or variable tempo.
Flex Time
Quickly manipulate the timing and tempo of your recording with Flex Time. Easily move the individual beats within a waveform to correct drum, vocal, guitar, or any other kind of track without slicing and moving regions. Best unlocked phones for tmobile 2015.
Flex Pitch
Edit the level and pitch of individual notes quickly and easily with Flex Pitch. Roll over any note and all parameters are available for tweaking.
Track Alternatives
How To Add Loops To Logic Pro X
Create alternative versions of a track or multiple grouped tracks, and switch between them at any time to audition different options. Create, store and select from different edits and arrangements of track regions to make it easier to experiment with various creative ideas.
Takes and Quick Swipe Comping
Click and drag to choose the best sections of each take to create a seamless comp, complete with transition-smoothing crossfades. Save multiple comps and switch between them to pick the one you like best.
Share How To Logic Pro X Files
Track Stacks
Consolidate multiple related tracks into a single track. Use a Summing Stack as a quick way to create submixes. Or create layered and split instruments.
Project Alternatives
Create as many different versions of a project as you like, each with its own name and settings but sharing the same assets — efficiently saving storage space. Load any version to make changes without compromising your original.
Track Groups and VCA Faders
Manage large mixes with Track Groups and VCA faders. Assign any selection of channels to a track group, then control the levels or other parameters of all tracks in the group from any single channel in the group.
Automation
Easily capture changes to any channel strip or plug-in parameter. Just enable automation, press Play and make your changes.
Even more pro features in the mix.
Logic Pro X is packed with incredible tools and resources to enhance your creativity and workflow as you sharpen your craft — even if you're a seasoned pro.
Graduate from GarageBand.
Logic Remote. Touch and flow.
MainStage 3
Sound as great onstage as you do in the studio.
Education Bundle