Mastering in Logic Pro X : The Basics

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

After Ableton Live, Logic Pro is the most popular digital audio workstation, and rightly so. Its intuitive interface, extensive sound library, and carefully-crafted automation make it a powerful tool in the hands of beginners and professional producers alike. Logic was created in the early 90s by German software company Emagic. Logic Pro can perfectly handle writing, recording, mixing, and mastering music; the immense sound library available to producers makes Logic Pro ideal for all music genres.

Emagic developed Logic Pro X with movie sound designers and filmmakers in mind. Personally, I think it requires a bit of a learning curve to learn how to master Logic Pro X. This digital audio workstation is used by audio professionals across all disciplines, from movie sound designers to podcasters to music producers.

You can move your first steps in the audio design industry using Logic Pro X and stick with it until you become a professional audio engineer. So, we explained what Logic Pro X is capable of. Essentially, a plugin is a software that works within another software. They require a DAW to function. There are hundreds if not thousands of different plugins that allow adding virtual instruments or digital effects to your sound library. You can find plugins dedicated to mixing and mastering music or ones that give you access to new musical instruments.

In addition, many AU plugins are developed directly by the manufacturer of the authentic musical instrument or device, so you can rest assured the quality of the virtual instrument will be excellent. AU and VTS plugins expand the sound library at your disposal when creating, mixing, or mastering new music.

Now that you know everything about AU plugins, all you have to do is go online and find the perfect AU plugins for you, right? The problem is that there are gazillions of plugins, with more coming out every day, so choosing one becomes problematic. So, how do you get the right one for your needs? When I want to record something, I want to make sure all the sounds I need are available at first glance. I tend to use a limited sonic palette, which helps me stay creative and develop solutions using the sounds I have at my disposal.

I also tend to rely on sounds developed by two or three software companies. I suggest you do the same. Try out a few free plugins from different brands, and select a few brands that create sounds that align with your style.

One last thing I want to suggest is to ask music producers you follow to share with you which plugins they use. Generally, artists are eager to talk about music gear and tips on improving your sound. Each of the six plugins included in the bundle can identify and remove specific noise types, thanks to the advanced AI that can target certain sound disturbances while leaving the main sound sources untouched.

Roland itself has faithfully recreated the iconic sound and versatility of this now extremely expensive synth, using their ground-breaking ACB Analog Circuit Behavior Modeling technology. Perhaps you can relate! Table of Contents 1. How To Prepare Your Mix es 2. Calibrate Your Mastering Level 3. Gain Stage Your Reference Track s 4. Set The Ceiling 5. Find Loudness 6. Problem Solving 7. How To Prepare 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.

If you are confident in the sound of the mix then just bounce it down to a 24 bit wav file. Then master the wav mix in a brand new session another day with fresh ears. Give your brain time to forget about it for a bit! Just make sure there is an appropriate amount of dynamics in the music. Calibrate Your Mastering Level This bit is huge. Gain Stage Your Reference Track s 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.

Set The Ceiling As you probably know, a limiter is very much a usual suspect in your mastering chain. Find Loudness This where we start to work backwards, at least as far as the order of plugins in your chain is concerned. Problem Solving Now that you are close to the goal, any issues with regard to dynamics and EQ will start to make themselves apparent.

This is the stage that comes after mixing and it is meant to enhance your song dynamically , make it brighter and set it up to the loudness standards of the industry. During the mastering process, the producer or engineer may use different plugins and effects such as EQ , compression, and limiter to achieve a loud and shiny final result.

If you want to learn how to master in Logic Pro X , keep reading, as we will break down every step needed for taking your music to the next level using only the Logic stock plugins ; But as well recommend you some free tools that you can download in to assist you even further in the process.

Here are a few ways by which you can master in Logic Pro X:. If you would like to learn more about Logic Pro X , please check out our Logic Pro X Review article, an up-to-date guide breaking down all the functionalities and aspects of the DAW that will help you decide if it is a good investment.

Mixing and mastering go hand in hand. There are tons of great videos and tutorials on the internet, as well as courses, but it may be difficult to know where to start. Here are a few important points to learn about to help you master the subject:.

We strongly recommend that you take a look at our Basic Mixing Techniques video as well. Tip: For tips on how to improve your workflow and get results faster, consider checking our Logic Pro X Shortcuts guide. There are a few things you should note when you bounce your mixdown for the mastering process. The first is the amount of headroom that is present in your mix, that is, at what level it is peaking.

You can easily notice this by looking at your master channel dB meter. We advise you to have your track peaking at about dB to -8dB. If your mix is too above or below that range, you can simply insert the gain plugin on your master channel and trim it. The next step is choosing the right audio format. Now that you have your file bounced and ready , take a minute to search for one or two reference songs. You should pick something in the same style and genre as your music and, above all, that you like the sound of.

This step is important and professional sound engineers do it all the time. You can also take a moment to compare your reference with your own track, using tools such as the Multimeter to see how it performs on the technical side and to analyze the frequencies of each of the files. Once you have your track loaded up in Logic Pro, it is time to think about using a compressor to further control your dynamics and glue everything together.

The Vintage VCA is an emulation of the famous Solid State Logic compressor present in the SSL Series channel strip, and it is famous for its ability to glue everything together and give your music extra analog mojo.

The standard Platinum Digital is an all-around workhorse, but if you feel like your track is sounding too digital or harsh , it may benefit from the subtle coloration of the Vintage VCA. The Threshold will define when your compressor will start working. For example: at dB, it will only be engaged when your audio is above that level.

Now it is time to set the Attack and the Release. For mastering purposes, try keeping the Attack anywhere from 30ms to ms depending on your song.

Shorter settings will smack the transients harder but longer ones may give your mix a little extra impact. The Release setting is gonna determine how early or late the compressor will stop working. Start with a setting of ms to ms and work your way up. A great tip is to pay attention to kick and the snare when setting the release since they are the instruments that will impact the transients the most.

It is worth noting that the most important thing when setting your master compressor is using your ears.

 
 

Basic mastering logic pro x free download

 

We are going to do some more comparison to our reference tracks here; load the MultiMeter onto the Stereo Output, and listen to the loudest section of your reference tracks one by one. Note down the value it will change over time so find an average value or note down a range e. Do this for all 3 reference tracks and compare the values, this will give you an indication as to how much squash or compression is acceptable for the genre you are working in, and what the loudness level of your master should look like.

For example, heavy rock tracks will typically feature a lot more compression and therefore be a lot louder , than say, a 20 minute free form jazz odyssey,. Phase shift is a natural by-product of EQ and is something you can get away with on individual tracks, but it can cause problems for the master. Not only does the Linear EQ look great in black, it has a higher resolution than the standard EQ, giving you the ability to make finer adjustments — important in mastering.

You should use the Linear EQ to make small adjustments based on your notes, but try not to boost or cut any more than 3dB. If you need to make more severe adjustments, you should consider going back to the mix. This is especially the case when the frequency you want to tame is quite dynamic.

For example, certain notes on a bass guitar might create unwanted boosts in the low end, but only when that note is played. If you are finding the mix has too much dynamic range, that is, certain sections are much louder or softer than others, you may wish to apply a little compression to the track. Of course, let your ears be the judge here, but these are some pretty universal guidelines for using compression in mastering. Applying compression to the mix can help tighten up the dynamics of your track, allowing you to employ more limiting to bring up the loudness in your mix.

Multi band compressors are exactly what they sound like, compressors that operate in several bands, split across the frequency spectrum. Whilst traditional compressors apply compressors across the entire frequency range, multi band compressors allow you to isolate particular areas of the range that are particularly dynamic. For example, you might have an overly dynamic mid-range, where guitars, vocals, and keys are all fighting for the same space, and as they come together, they make the mid-range honky, nasal, and fatiguing.

The Multipressor has 4 bands, which you can tweak as desired by dragging the lines that designate the band boundaries. This is because we have an overly dynamic low end, where certain bass notes, when combined with the kick drum, are pushing through louder than others. As with a regular compressor, you have access to controls such as ratio, threshold, attack and release, to fine-tune the compression to your needs.

You also have the ability to solo or bypass a band, so you can hear it in isolation and listen to the applied compression. At the top of the GUI, you will see a blue band moving as the compressor works. This demonstrates the gain reduction applied by the compressor.

The first thing we are going to do is set the Output Ceiling to This gives us a little bit of a safety net. When it comes to digital audio, overloads are something you want to avoid like the plague.

Whereas analog gear can overload and create a subtle distortion that is often desirable, digital distortion sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard. Your call. With regard to peak headroom, here is an article I wrote about it. 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.

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.

Now that you have set up your monitoring level , you may also choose to use a reference track in the mastering session. 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. This means that if necessary, we can make it louder without clipping. This is the true purpose of a peak limiter. Load it as the final plugin in your chain and set the ceiling to 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. Reprint the master if you decide to go for a greater amount of dynamic range. Re-import the bounced master into the project and place it on a spare track. Now set a precise start and end point for the audio file. Allow a frame or so of silence at the start. A fade out can be applied to the mastered audio file do not ever try to compress or limit a track with an existing fade out!

Adjust the curve to achieve the right movement. Rebounce the master, with the fade and top-and-tailing in place. Use the Set Locators feature on the Toolbar to precisely set the duration of the bounce to be equal to the size of the region.

For more Logic tutorials and workshops, check here. Napolian, electronic musician and prominent LA-based producer, dies at Data miners discover Spotify HiFi interface graphics and settings.

Hardware Instruments. Review: Line Audio CM4. Review: Eventide UltraTap. Apple Logic Pro. Steinberg Cubase. Ableton Live. Image-Line FL Studio. Buyer’s Guides Essential Guides.

 

[How to Master in Logic Pro X (Step by Step Guide)

 
Mastering is an essential step to make your music sound professional and ready to be shown to the world. This is the stage that comes after. Logic Pro can perfectly handle writing, recording, mixing, and mastering music; the immense sound library available to producers makes Logic Pro. Effective mastering in Logic Pro X isn’t just about picking a few you’ll need to download and install the free bx_solo plug-in from.