1. Create Drum Tracks from Anything
2. Turn Recording into Midi
3. 64-bit Processing
4. Buffer Size & Sampling Rate
5. Processing Threads and CPU
6. The Best Short Logic Pro X Shortcuts
7. Binaural Panning
8. Quick Midi Quantization
9. Logic Stock Plugins
When making music in Logic Pro X, one of my favorite things to do is convert an audio file into a drum track. All I need to do is select the track, push Control+D, and a drum trigger will convert the transients of the audio into midi data.
This makes producing much easier, especially if you don’t have a midi controller but you still want to create drum tracks. Instead, just tap on your desk or clap and record that in, then convert it.
Similar to our last tip, we can take any melodic instrument like piano or vocals, and turn the notes into midi data. To do this double click a track - enable Flex and change it to Flex Pitch, then click Edit and select ‘Create Midi Track from Flex Pitch Data.’
The tuned version of your vocal or instrument is now converted into Midi, which you can make any instrument you want.
One important thing to understand about Logic Pro X is that it works in 64-bits, meaning you have a much higher ceiling for your level than you might think. You may notice when you clip your individual tracks the indicated is Yellow, but it’s red on the master output.
The reason being, the stereo output is the only place you can create clipping distortion, especially if your plugins are also 64-bit. It’s best to avoid clipping, but know it’s not horrible if your tracks go over 0dB, so long as the master output doesn’t.
Under Preferences, and Audio, you can affect your buffer size, which is the amount of time in samples it takes the computer to process your audio. If we raise the sampling rate of our session, we increase the number of samples per second, reducing the time it takes per sample.
So if you’re finding you have too much latency, try lowering the buffer size and remember how the sampling rate affects it. Conversely, raise the buffer size if your computer is having trouble with processing.
If we listen to different settings, we’ll notice no difference in the audio, just in the time it takes to process the audio.
If you keep getting error messages regarding your CPU, go to Preferences and Audio, and increase the processing threads from Auto or its current setting to the maximum threads available. This allocates more processing power for Logic Pro X to use, which is helpful when mixing or mastering.
If you find that this doesn’t solve the problem, increase the buffer size.
Let’s listen to a session where the computer is struggling and notice clicks and pops that occur.
This is admittedly a really simple tip, but I use it on every session so hopefully, it saves you some time - by holding the Option button and clicking on a function, you set it to unity. So if my track’s volume has been changed, I’ll use Option+Click.
If I have a send I want to set to unity I can do that - or If I want my pan pot to go back to its first setting, it works there too.
It also works on a lot of plugins and all of Logic’s stock plugins so use it instead of wasting time with dials.
If you want to avoid stereo imaging plugins when mixing, but still want more of a spread than simple left/right panning, try Logic’s Binaural Pan - which can be accessed in a track’s output section. Notice how a typical pan pot is limited to a small range of the image.
However, the binaural pan lets position the signal in very specific ways.
When making a beat or maybe recording some instrumental with midi, being off time happens. The alternative, realigning every note, really makes creating music a tedious chore - instead, double click the Midi track, push command+A, and then select Q to quantize the midi data.
You can select the nearest whole note, to the nearest 64th note, and determine how strong the quantization is with the strength slider.
Although it’s natural to feel pressured to buy this-and-that plugin, consider trying out Logic Pro X’s stock plugins - which are some of the best stock plugins out there. The compressor and Chromaverb in particular are excellent choices that give you professional sounds and functionality.
You even get emulations of Pultec, Neve, and API equalizers, which sound great in my honest opinion.
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