Ebook Introduction to Logic Pro

Contents

1. What is Logic? ( How to use logic on a Mac ) 2. Getting Started/How to make a re work ( Basic Introduction & The creation of a track ) 3. Sound Waves/Acoustics ( Knowledge Section ) 4. What is MIDI? 5.Evaluation

What is Logic Pro When first encountering logic it can be daunting as there is so much to learn and trial. With the step by step guide I have created below I will show carefully step by step how to open and begin producing with logic. To make it easier I will be talking you through the steps to create tracks and explore in depths how to use features such as automation, panning, EQ'ing and much more. The first section will be on opening logic itself and getting to know the basics. This features the walk through of software instruments, audio and how to record simple melodies. The middle section will be the core of the E book itself. This will feature using effects such as automation, panning and EQ'ing rearranging the effects to create individual sounds. The last section will include the mixing of the track. This is where the levels are adjusted to make the track sound clean and make sure there are no imperfections of timing issues. Logic Pro allows you to record and edit both audio and MIDI, add high-quality effects, and mix your music in stereo or Surround. The final mix can be exported to one or more standard audio files, or burned to an audio CD or DVD that can be played on any computer, home stereo, or imported into other applications and devices. Some of the things you can do with Logic Pro include: Record MIDI information via connected MIDI input devices, such as keyboards, and play back this information via any connected MIDI device (such as a synthesizer keyboard or module) or through the Logic Pro software instruments. Create, arrange, and edit MIDI projects, make use of the powerful Score Editor, then print musical notation via a printer connected to your computer. Edit the timing of audio filesFlex time editingby shortening or expanding the distance between transients in the audio. Digitally record acoustic and electric instruments or vocal performances into your projects, and process these audio recordings with a huge array of built-in real-time effects. Make use of the integrated software instruments, including Sculpture, Ultrabeat, ES1, ES2, EVP88, EVB3, EVD6, EXS24 mkII, over a dozen high-quality GarageBand instruments, or third-party Audio Units instruments. Load projects or channel strips from GarageBand, and enhance them with the additional processing and editing possibilities afforded by Logic Pro. Mix your MIDI and audio tracks, including effects and software instrument settings, via a sophisticated total recall mix automation system. Logic Pro includes high-quality effects that you can use in your projects. You can also install and use third-party Audio Units effects and instruments. Bounce (mix down) all audio data, including instruments, effects and mix automation settings, to stereo or multiple Surround format files for mastering or further processing. Work in real time: You can work on Logic Pro projects in real time, adding to, and editing audio and MIDI parts while the project is playing, and hearing the results of your changes immediately. Use existing loop libraries: Logic Pro directly supports Apple Loops files, and is compatible with a wide variety of existing audio file types.

Getting started/ How to use logic

You first begin by clicking on the logic icon.

Once opened you will be shown a menu where you have to select a project type. Select 'empty project'.

Once you have done this you will be presented with another menu which asks you to choose which kind of track you would like to create. There are several options but the main 3 are Audio, Software instrument or External MIDI. Audio is if you are recording an instrument such as a guitar, drums or vocals. Software instrument is used for recording through a MIDI Instrument. For example, a keyboard. Finally, an external instrument is self-explanatory its for drum machines and external software for the DAW.

When you have selected either the software instrument or the audio you will be presented with a screen that looks like this.. Once you have got this screen you can then proceed to choose which instrument you would like to choose form the menu on the left hand side.

screenclip 1 introduction.mov

The next step will be to record in. You can either use step input or just simply record. Both are demonstrated in the clip below.. To use the pencil tool hold down cmd To record press the red button or simply press R

step input.mov

Once you have recorded in you can then begin to quantise and use a variation of other tools. For example; Velocity- volume for each individual note Automation Adjusts the volume and can be used as a fader tool Panning pan the sound left or right, effective through speakers or headphones. Soloing hear one individual track at a time Muting mute individual notes or tracks Quantising making everything in time to the metronome (1/12,1/16) The videos below will show you how to use these tools.

Automation

Solo and Muting

Panning, Quantising, velocity

screen grab 2 automation.mov

solo, muting and bouncing.mov

panning, quantise and velocity.mov

Sound Waves/Acoustics
Define Sound: Sound is the vibrations transmitted through a elastic solid, liquid or gas with frequencies in the approximate range or 20 to 20,000 hertz. Capable of being detected by the human ear. A good example of how sound waves work is like when water is disturbed and ripples are created, similarly, when a sound is made vibrations are created. Sound energy travels omnidirectional which means the sound moves away from its original source with equal energy in every direction. Sound waves travel through the air which is a mixture of the gases: Oxygen and Nitrogen. These consist of atoms and carbon dioxide which are made up of molecules. When these particles are disturbed from a sound source a chain reaction is caused. This means that the atoms and molecules both collide together through vibrations and oscillations. Oscillation is the movement back and forth in a regular rhythm. When pitching forks vibrate they create regular periods of high and low pressure. These are known as the compressions and rarefactions or the air molecules and will produce a frequency. Frequency: One compression with one rarefaction is called a cycle. The number of these cycles (completed compressions and rarefactions ) that occur within one second is called frequency. Frequencies are measured in Hertz. Our frequency spectrum for perfect hearing from lowest to highest pitch is 20Hertz to 20,000 Hertz. This will diminish over time. Musical notes are set to specific frequencies. Concert pitch A being 440 Hz. An A note played an octave higher is 880 Hz. Timbre is the effected frequencies produced due to the shape and material of an instrument. Using the 'envelope' effect helps us to differentiate one instrument from another. An envelope is a vital part of a waveform - ADSR (attack, decay, sustain, release). They are many types of waveforms depending on the instrument used their appearance will vary.

Acoustics
Psychoacoustics The brain can perform auditory illusions such as the 'glissando illusion'. This is where a sequence of notes are played up and down but they will play together at a certain time and it will sound to the brain like the same note is being played over and over. Our brain is very sensitive to sound, so slight differences in intensity and timing will allow us to recognise the direction where the sound is coming from. We are a lot better at locating sounds from a horizontal scale due to the positioning of our ears. The brain has the ability of cancelling out a sound when a louder sound dominates it. For example, when having a conversation, say at a bus stop. If a large vehicle drives past generating a loud noise you sop hearing the conversation. Equally, the brain also has the ability to perform the 'cocktail party effect'. This is where the brain can tune in to a certain conversation and block out everything else. For example, using the scenario of at a party your brain can overhear conversations and tune into just one. Another effect the brain can perform is the 'doppler effect'. This is where the sound will pan from left to right or vice versa. For example, if a police car was to have its sirens on the sound will travel according to when the car approaches, passes and recedes from the observer. All it simply means is there is a change in the frequency or wave moving from its source to the observer.

What is MIDI?

A MIDI keyboard is a Musical Instrument Digital Interface. This means that it a typical piano-style interface device used to send MIDI signals, or commands, over a USB or a MIDI cable to other connected devices operating on the same MIDI interface. For example, a basic MIDI keyboard does not produce any sound, therefore it sends information in the form of waves to any electronic module cape of producing of reproducing digital sounds or samples that resemble traditional analog instruments. There is also another type of MIDI, a DAW (digital audio workstation). This listens and sends MIDI information to other MIDI devices connected by a cable or running internal to the personal computer system. However, not all MIDI keyboards are based upon a piano style interface, many MIDI keyboards come with pads and buttons that also send MIDI signals.The majority of these pads work by having a velocity sensing capability that vary with volumes of the sounds being played. The 'Continuum Fingerboard' is a fretless based keyboard keyboard interface which enables note changes during play. Another example of a MIDI keyboard is the 'Tonal Plexus' keyboard that provides for up to 1266 different tonal pitches in the TPX6 1266 keys. This is a more advanced type of MIDI as it has broader application because of advanced computer technology. The roland TR-909 is a form of a MIDI drum machine which is partially analog introduced in 1983. It features a 16-step step sequencer and can store entire songs with multiple sections as apposed to simply storing patterns. It was the first MIDI equipped drum machine. In comparison The AKAI MPK61 combines piano-style keybed with professional AKAI MPC pads, assignable Q-link controllers and key technology from music production workstations. They are frequently used by producers, performers and DJ's. They include 16 MPC pads with velocity, pressure sensitivity and MPC swing and arpeggiator. The MP6KI empowers you to create and manipulate melodic, harmonic and rhythmic content and inspires creative production with its arpeggiator and note repeat technologies. MIDI works by having an 'encoding' scheme which works by mapping a MIDI value to a specific instrument. Other controls of MIDI include pitch bend, modulation, velocity and aftertouch. The keyboard just acts as the MIDI controller activating other sounds with MIDI control within a DAW software, for example, logic. MIDI keyboards are a very common feature of a recording studio and can be found in any DAW setup. Most MIDI keyboards come with a transpose function which has the ability to set different octaves. Other functions include having a pitch bend, modulation wheels, and other buttons custom to synthesisers, samplers or DAW software.

Evaluation

For my remake i choose the song 'don't go - Yazoo'. I found it particularly hard as the different sounds proved difficult to re-create. I also found it hard playing the notes in, as not all of them were the same so I couldn't just use 'alt' and drag. I tried my best to get the BPM correct although as it was an 80's electronic track i doubt they used quantize and mapped the track to an actual metronome therefore i placed the BPM at a figure that was roughly in between the lowest and highest of what it displayed. The part of re-creating this track that took up the most time was trying to find the sounds and even having spent loads of time exploring logic to do so i found that using several different synthesizers on each individual track i still could only find close sounds never the same. Some of the sounds don't really sound the same but as the levels of the original track weren't mixed properly it was hard for me to distinguish certain instruments from each other therefore i had to guess some and just lower the volume of them into the track so that it would blend in. All together though i thought i did well and my track sounded very similar to the original. I also had time to do a rework - which was basically the same as a remix. For this song i chose 'Kraftwerk - the model'. I changed the drum beat and the bass synth to modernise it and added a few arpeggiators to change the song and give it more of a relaxed vibe. With remixing this track it allowed me to mess around in logic and explore it in depth. I found this very interesting and it has broadened my knowledge of logic overall.