Logic Pro X For Dummies

Logic Pro X For Dummies

by Graham English
Released August 2014
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781118875049

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Book description

Crank your sound up to X with Apple's premier recording software and Logic Pro X For Dummies!

Apple's Logic Pro X levels the playing field, making high-quality studio recordings accessible for any musician. It's a professional-level tool with a user-friendly interface and loads of new features to keep you more organized so you can focus on creating rather than computing. Record live audio and MIDI tracks and edit faster with the new Mixer. Create your own drum kit, or work with the native virtual session drummer. Add flavor to your sound with new Pedalboard stompboxes, and fine-tune it all with Flex Pitch. You'll let loose with Logic Pro X and let your creativity flow with help from For Dummies.

Written by veteran music and audio professional Graham English, Logic Pro X For Dummies jumps right in to using Apple's high-end recording software so you can focus on doing what you do best—making music. From navigating the user interface to working with real and virtual instruments, recording tracks, editing audio, adding plug-ins, and everything in between, you'll learn how to turn your musical inspiration into a fully-engineered and mastered demo.

  • Shows you how to create a project, record live audio and MIDI tracks, import video, and mix songs like a pro

  • Covers editing audio and adding effects and plug-ins to achieve your ideal sound

  • Walks you through the entire audio engineering process from mix-down to mastering and exporting your final cut

  • Includes information on how to use iPad and its touch interface to create amazing sound

    • If you're serious about your sound, Logic Pro X For Dummies is your ultimate guide to achieving the quality you've been dreaming of and turning the volume up on all your musical endeavors.

    Table of contents

      1. Introduction
        1. About This Book
        2. Foolish Assumptions
        3. Icons Used in This Book
        4. Beyond the Book
        5. Where to Go from Here
      2. Part I: Leaping into Logic Pro X
        1. Chapter 1: Getting Logic Pro Up and Sprinting
          1. Embracing Logic Pro
          2. Transitioning from Other Software
          3. Creating with Logic Pro
            1. Thinking like a pro
            2. Planning your creative process
            3. Getting to the finish line
          4. Connecting Your Logic Pro Studio
            1. Setting up your computer
            2. Connecting your hardware
            3. Building common setups
        2. Chapter 2: Examining Logic Pro Projects
          1. Starting Your Project
            1. Opening a project
            2. Saving a project
            3. Closing a project
            4. Naming and renaming a project
          2. Augmenting Your Project
            1. Saving time with project templates
            2. Autosave your hard work
            3. Recover from problems with project backups
            4. Create options with project alternatives
          3. Customizing Your Project Settings
            1. Import settings and content from other projects
            2. Export your project for collaboration
          4. Tidying Up Your Project
        3. Chapter 3: Exploring the Main Window and Tracks Area
          1. Navigating Logic Pro
            1. Getting comfortable in the main window
            2. Working in the tracks area
            3. Controlling the control bar
            4. Polishing in the editors area
            5. Investigating the inspector
          2. Taking Inventory of Your Track List
            1. Make headway with track headers
            2. Make it pretty with track colors
          3. Zooming Tracks
          4. Your Logic Pro Toolbox
          5. Keeping It Simple with Smart Controls
            1. Opening smart controls
            2. Editing smart control layouts
            3. Manually mapping smart controls
            4. Editing smart control parameters
            5. Controlling the controls with your controller
          6. Navigating with Key Commands
          7. Saving Workspaces with Screensets
        4. Chapter 4: Embracing Tracks and Regions
          1. Knowing Your Track Types
            1. Audio track
            2. Software instrument track
            3. Drummer track
            4. External MIDI track
            5. Track stacks
            6. Folder track
          2. Around the Global Tracks
          3. Sorting and Hiding Tracks
          4. Knowing the Region Types
            1. Audio region
            2. MIDI region
            3. Drummer region
          5. Editing Regions
            1. Dragging, moving, and resizing regions
            2. Splitting, joining, and deleting regions
            3. Snapping regions to a grid
            4. Looping and copying regions
      3. Part II: Digital Recording and Using Prerecorded Media
        1. Chapter 5: Introduction to Digital Audio and MIDI
          1. Understanding Digital Audio
            1. Acoustics 101
            2. Set your sample rate
            3. Determine your bit depth
            4. Choosing audio file types
          2. Connecting Your Audio Devices
            1. Choosing your input and output device
            2. Setting your I/O buffer size and reducing latency
            3. Monitoring signals through your hardware or software
            4. Exploring audio preferences
          3. Understanding MIDI
            1. Sending MIDI messages
            2. Changing MIDI channels
          4. Connecting Your MIDI Devices
            1. Connecting MIDI controllers
            2. Connecting external instruments
            3. Exploring MIDI preferences
        2. Chapter 6: Recording Audio
          1. Preparing to Record Audio
            1. Test your recording levels
            2. Enable software and input monitoring
            3. Setting up the metronome
          2. Recording Your First Audio Take
          3. Recording Multiple Takes in Cycle Mode
          4. Recording Multiple Inputs
          5. Punching In and Punching Out
          6. Setting Up Multiple Monitor Mixes
            1. Giving your singer a separate vocal cue mix
        3. Chapter 7: Recording MIDI
          1. Preparing to Record MIDI
            1. Recording external MIDI instruments
            2. Recording software instruments
            3. Recording with musical typing
            4. Recording with the step input keyboard
          2. Recording Your First MIDI Take
          3. Recording Multiple MIDI Takes in Cycle Mode
          4. Creating Tracks in Cycle Mode
          5. Overdubbing MIDI
          6. Recording Multiple MIDI Inputs
        4. Chapter 8: Adding Media to Your Project
          1. Adding Apple Loops to Your Project
            1. Navigating the loop browser
            2. Adding audio loops
            3. Adding MIDI loops
          2. Adding Prerecorded Audio to Your Project
            1. Using the browsers to find audio files
            2. Adding audio to your project
            3. Adding audio from the media browser
            4. Adding audio from the all files browser
          3. Importing Video to Your Project
          4. Adding a movie to your project
          5. Exploring the movie track
          6. Creating movie scene markers
          7. Importing audio from your movie
      4. Part III: Making Music with Virtual Instruments
        1. Chapter 9: Making Beats with Drummer and Ultrabeat
          1. Playing with Your Virtual Drummer
            1. Creating a drummer track
            2. Creating drummer regions
            3. Choosing and directing your drummer in the editor
            4. Selecting producer kits
            5. Building custom kits with Drum Kit Designer
            6. Converting drummer regions to MIDI regions
          2. Creating Beats with Ultrabeat
            1. Exploring the Ultrabeat interface
            2. Choosing sounds in the assignment section
            3. Shaping sounds in the synthesizer section
            4. Sequencing patterns in the step sequencer
            5. Controlling patterns with MIDI
            6. Exporting patterns into the tracks area
        2. Chapter 10: Playing Virtual Vintage Instruments
          1. Taking Stock of Vintage Instruments
            1. Loading and playing vintage instruments
            2. Choosing vintage instrument presets
          2. Spinning Your Tonewheels with the Vintage B3
            1. Understanding drawbars
            2. Get the vintage vibe with vibrato/chorus and percussion
            3. Playing with presets
            4. Spinning the Leslie
            5. Going deep into expert options
            6. Controlling the manuals and foot pedals with MIDI controllers
          3. Funking Up the Vintage Clav
            1. Choosing your Clav type
            2. Picking your pickups
            3. Getting classic sounds with effects
            4. Extending your Clav
          4. Getting the Tone of Tines with the Vintage Electric Piano
            1. Exploring tines, reeds, and tone bars
            2. Producing great sounds with timeless effects
            3. Playing with additional parameters
          5. Fusing Four Synths with Retro Synth
            1. Choosing your flavor of synthesis: Analog, sync, wavetable, and FM
            2. Controlling your synth parameters
            3. Modifying synth effects
            4. Modulating the synth
        3. Chapter 11: Sound Design with Synths and Samplers
          1. Exploring the Logic Pro Synths
            1. The EFM1 FM synth
            2. The ES1 subtractive synth
            3. The ES2 hybrid synth
            4. The ES E ensemble synth
            5. The ES M mono synth
            6. The ES P poly synth
            7. The EVOC 20 poly synth vocoder
          2. Sampling with the EXS24 Sampler
            1. Importing sample libraries
            2. Converting regions to sampler instruments
            3. Controlling sample parameters
            4. Editing sampled instruments
          3. Modeling Sounds Using Sculpture
            1. Understanding sound modeling
            2. Exploring the Sculpture interface
        4. Chapter 12: Conducting a Virtual Orchestra
          1. Building an Orchestral Template
            1. Choosing your orchestral instruments
            2. Choosing appropriate staff styles
            3. Saving your orchestral template
          2. Performing Your Orchestra
          3. Traveling the World Instruments
      5. Part IV: Arranging and Editing Your Project
        1. Chapter 13: Arranging Your Music
          1. Working in the Tracks Area
            1. Using the ruler
            2. Scrubbing the arrangement
            3. Investigating the region inspector
            4. Investigating the track inspector
          2. Showing Your Global Tracks
            1. Creating and naming markers
            2. Creating key signature and time signature changes
            3. Creating tempo changes
            4. Creating arrangement markers
            5. Creating transposition points
          3. Beat Mapping Your Arrangement
            1. Beat mapping MIDI regions
            2. Beat mapping audio regions
            3. Automatically beat-mapping regions
          4. Arranging Regions in the Tracks Area
            1. Selecting regions
            2. Selecting parts of regions with the marquee tool
            3. Moving regions
            4. Soloing and muting regions
            5. Time-stretching regions
            6. Demixing MIDI regions
            7. Fading and crossfading audio regions
            8. Stripping silence from audio regions
          5. Creating Folder Tracks
            1. Packing and unpacking folders
            2. Adding and removing regions
            3. Creating alias folders and regions
          6. Using Groove Templates
            1. Creating a groove template
            2. Importing groove templates from other projects
            3. Importing third-party groove templates
        2. Chapter 14: Editing Audio Tracks
          1. Knowing Your Audio Editors
            1. The audio track editor
            2. The audio file editor
          2. Creating the Perfect Take with Quick Swipe Comping
            1. Comping takes
            2. Creating alternate comps
            3. Editing take regions
            4. Packing and unpacking take folders
          3. Time Traveling with Flex Time
            1. Choosing flex time algorithms
            2. Using flex markers
            3. Using the flex tool
          4. Tuning with Flex Pitch
            1. Editing pitch in the tracks area
            2. Editing pitch in the audio track editor
            3. Editing pitch event hot spots
            4. Quantizing the pitch and scale of a region
          5. Editing Audio in the Audio File Editor
            1. Navigating and playing audio
            2. Selecting audio
            3. Editing audio
        3. Chapter 15: Editing MIDI Tracks
          1. Knowing Your MIDI Editors
          2. Editing MIDI in the Piano Roll Editor
            1. Adding and editing notes
            2. Editing the velocity of notes
            3. Quantizing notes
            4. Muting notes
            5. Using MIDI draw
          3. Editing MIDI in the Step Editor
            1. Creating and editing steps
            2. Creating and editing lanes
            3. Creating and editing lane sets
          4. Editing MIDI in the Score Editor
            1. Creating and editing notes in the score
            2. Investigating the score region inspector
            3. Adding items from the part box
          5. Editing MIDI in the MIDI Transform Window
            1. Using transform presets
            2. Creating transform presets
          6. Editing MIDI in the Event List Editor
            1. Displaying events
            2. Creating and editing events
          7. Editing Your MIDI Environment
          8. Exploring object parameters
          9. Viewing environment layers
          10. Inserting objects in the environment
      6. Part V: Mixing, Mastering, and Sharing Your Music
        1. Chapter 16: Mixing Your Project
          1. Understanding Important Mixing Concepts
            1. Mindset
            2. Acoustics
            3. Balance
            4. Panning
            5. Frequency
            6. Depth
            7. Effects
            8. Dynamics
            9. Interest
          2. Knowing Your Channel Strip Types
            1. Audio channel strips
            2. Instrument channel strips
            3. MIDI channel strips
            4. Auxiliary channel strips
            5. Output channel strips
          3. Using Meters to Visualize Volume and Levels
            1. Understanding clipping
            2. Choosing pre-fader or post-fader metering
            3. Changing the level-meter scale
          4. Adjusting Channel Strip Controls
            1. Adjusting volume and toggling between levels
            2. Adjusting the pan balance
            3. Muting and soloing tracks
            4. Grouping tracks
            5. Choosing input and output settings
            6. Selecting channel strip settings
          5. Adding Effects to Tracks
            1. Adding audio and MIDI insert effects
            2. Adding send effects
          6. Controlling Signal Flow
            1. Understanding how insert and send effects work
            2. Using auxiliary channel strips
            3. Using multi-output instruments
            4. Using the output and master channel strips
          7. Adjusting the EQ of Your Tracks
            1. Adding Channel EQ
            2. Using match EQ
          8. Adding Depth with Reverb and Delay
            1. Using Space Designer
            2. Using Delay Designer
          9. Adding or Removing Dynamics with Compression
            1. Using Compressor
            2. Using Limiter
            3. Using other dynamics tools
          10. Taking Track Notes
        2. Chapter 17: Automating Your Mix
          1. Turning Your Mix Into a Performance with Automation
          2. Choosing Your Automation Mode
          3. Adding Automation to Your Tracks
            1. Adjusting automation points
            2. Moving regions with or without automation
            3. Editing automation with MIDI draw
          4. Recording Live Automation
        3. Chapter 18: Mastering Your Final Track
          1. Fine-Tuning EQ
            1. Using Linear Phase EQ
            2. Matching a reference mix with Match EQ
          2. Adding Multiband Compression
            1. Using Multipressor
            2. Avoiding a squashed mix
          3. Turn It Up
            1. Using Adaptive Limiter for maximum loudness
            2. Matching levels to other recorded material
        4. Chapter 19: Bouncing and Sharing Your Music
          1. Bouncing Your Project
            1. Recording external instruments before you bounce
            2. Bouncing to an audio file
          2. Creating Stems and Alternate Mixes
            1. Bouncing a stem mix
            2. Bouncing alternate mixes
          3. Sharing Your Music
            1. Sharing your project to iTunes
            2. Sharing your project to the media browser
            3. Sharing your project to SoundCloud
      7. Part VI: The Part of Tens
        1. Chapter 20: Ten Ways to Use an iPad with Logic Pro X
          1. Playing Keys
          2. Playing Guitar
          3. Playing Drums
          4. Editing Tracks and Your Arrangement
          5. Using Your iPad Mixing Console
          6. Recording Remotely
          7. Commanding Logic Pro
          8. Navigating Logic Pro
          9. Sketching Songs with GarageBand
          10. Importing iPad Audio
        2. Chapter 21: Ten Tips to Speed Your Workflow
          1. Keep Detailed Notes
          2. Use Key Commands
          3. Use Screensets
          4. Save Track Stack Patches and Channel Strip Settings
          5. Choose a Tool and Master It
          6. Choose a Tool and Ignore It
          7. Use the Fastest Way, Not the Right Way
          8. Establish a Troubleshooting Strategy
          9. Save and Back Up Frequently
          10. Don’t Lose Sight of the Music
      8. About the Author
      9. Cheat Sheet

    Product information

    • Title: Logic Pro X For Dummies
    • Author(s): Graham English
    • Release date: August 2014
    • Publisher(s): For Dummies
    • ISBN: 9781118875049