First Song with Logic Pro X
Dance music master Timothy Allan shows you how to take your initial creative idea and turn it into a complete song, Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered in Logic Pro X!
Videos
• Introduction (02:39) - Introduction to the course and overview of two things to check off before we begin.
• Housekeeping (02:45) - Here we do a little housekeeping, tidying up of the user interface, addition of a limiter on the master, and creation of some audio tracks.
• Importing & Flex Time (05:35) - In this video we see how to use the basic transport controls, then continue on to the browser to import audio samples. You'll also see how to use the Flex Time functionality to get our audio to slot into our particular tempo.
• Folded Kick Drums (04:15) - Here we take a look at Folder Tracks in Logic and how to use and navigate with them. We use the Folder Track in more of a utility fashion, as a solution for laying down a 4 on the floor kick with a single sample, without manually repeating it hundreds of times.
• Audio Plug-Ins (05:12) - In this video, you'll get the low down on using Audio Effects and AU plugins in Logic. We take a quick look at the newly redesigned Logic Compressor, as well as the Channel EQ and its associated realtime thumbnail.
• Single Hit Sampler (04:11) - We crack open the EXS24 sampler in this video, using it to play some single samples back for our track. During the process you'll also see how MIDI recording and quantizing works, and get a look at a built in distortion plugin.
• Chord Trigger MIDI FX (07:41) - Non keyboard players rejoice! We take a look at the Chord Trigger MIDI FX which turns us into virtual virtuosos with a single keypress. You'll see how easy it is to record in a chord progression using the Retro Synth, as well as learn a trick for setting all your MIDI notes to the same velocity.
• Looping & Drawing (05:17) - You'll see how to use the region looping functionality to tweak up our existing guitar riff. You’ll also learn about looped regions vs normal regions, and how to convert between them as Tim creates a couple of variations to alleviate loop-a-titus. Finally, you'll get an overview on drawing notes in MIDI regions using the various primary and secondary tools.
• MIDI Sidechaining (07:26) - In this video, you'll learn how to use a MIDI track as a sidechain input on any plugin that supports it. We then use our newfound sidechain and MIDI note drawing powers to create a bass line that pumps nicely along with the kick drum.
• Track Stacks (08:20) - A very powerful feature! You'll learn how to use Track Stacks to create anything from a simple layered bass synth, to a giant wall of synth sound if that’s what your song needs. You'll also get a look at the Transposer MIDI FX plugin and how it can be incorporated into your Track Stack.
• Drummer Intro (09:19) - In this video, we see a few ways to use the Logic Drummer and how he can make our drum programming lives easier. We'll investigate using multiple drummers, as well as using acoustic drums vs the electronic based Drum Machine Designer. We also take a quick glimpse into Ultrabeat and how it powers a lot of Logics built in electronic drums.
• Automation Buildup (05:31) - This video covers automation in Logic, and we learn all about it by creating a rising noise effect using the ES P synthesizer to generate a bit of suspense in our track.
• Arranging (05:55) - In this video, you'll see Tim start the arrangement process of the song. You'll learn how easy it is to copy, paste, move and loop your regions all the way to a smash hit.
• More Automation (05:02) - As automation is such a huge part of making a song sound good, we dive into automation a bit deeper, this time with parameters on the Retro Synth.
• Bounce in Place (05:49) - In this video, you'll see how to easily convert your MIDI based tracks to Audio without going through complex export dialogs, importing, and other ugly things usually associated with bouncing audio. We also take a look at a function in the built in destructive audio editor build into Logic.
• Crash FX (03:07) - Using the trusty EXS24 sampler, we load up some crash cymbals and slot them into our track to accent our existing fills.
• Vocal Snippets (06:20) - In this video we explore a part of the giant loop library that ships with Logic and add in some vocal sounds. Hunting down some human voice sounds is made extremely painless via tags, and importing them into a track adds a whole new dimension to the mix. We also take a look at the Delay Designer behemoth and how it can be used to add much more than delay.
• Amps & Pedals (04:45) - Guitar players rejoice, the Amps and Pedal section in Logic can keep you busy for years. In this video, Tim gives a brief overview of the Amp Designer and Pedalboard in order to give our existing guitar loops a bit more bite.
• Sends & Aux Busses (04:40) - In this video, you'll see how Sends and Aux Busses work in Logic. You'll be routing and sending things all over the place after seeing how easy they can be to use.
• Limiting & Exporting (06:37) - This is it! It's time to get our track loud and export it for the world to hear. We'll see how to automatically convert to mp3, as well as some hints on how to use the Logic limiter to get things loud.