Sam

Towner

Logic is a Digital Audio Workstation, which allows you to input MIDI data through a MIDI
keyboard or piano roll, import audio files, or make recordings of instruments or vocals. Once these
inputs have been done, there are arrays of different correctional and creational edits you can do to
the region of data, which will be explained in this guide. In short, Logic is a home studio on your
computer.

MIDI data is musical notes that you create through the use of a MIDI keyboard or drawing in
the piano roll. A MIDI keyboard is a normal keyboard (usually with a few knobs, drum pads, and
faders on), which links to your computer through a USB connection. Rather than getting sound
directly from the keyboard itself, the notes you play go into logic, and play through the instrument
you have set to that channel, and out of the speakers or your headphones. You can record or draw
MIDI in, and edit it in almost anyway thinkable. Each note can have a different velocity, lengths,
volumes, and with or without pitch bend, just to name a few of the possibilities. However, it is
sometimes hard to record in perfect timing, even with the metronome enabled, so if you dont want
to edit the notes manually, you can quantize any highlighted notes to snap to the grid and play in
better timing. You arent restricted to recording notes in, because Keyboard
not everyone likes that, has the
piano skills, or necessarily a MIDI keyboard. You can draw MIDI notes into the piano roll with the
pencil tool, which tends to be a quicker process, as it is more accurate. This is my preference,
however sometimes I will play the melody or drum on the MIDI keyboard for a blueprint, and then
do it again with the pencil tool.

Sam Towner

Above is a screenshot of the piano roll with the MIDI data of a drumbeat on it. As we can see, to the
far left of the piano roll, there is a keyboard, which indicates what note is being played. However, a
drum kit has a different part of kit on the piano roll, such as kick, toms, cymbals, or high hats on
different keys, as opposed to different notes. In a melody, chords tend to make a sound better,
hence the overlay of three to four notes to make the chord. This is the same for a drumbeat; I find
you get a better sound when you overlay different parts of the kit, as seen in the screenshot. The
4/4 bar layout is clear in the roll as well, so it is easy to organise the beat or melody. The different
shades on the grid simply correspond to the notes on the piano to the far left of the window. The
dark grey notes correspond to the sharp notes, and the lighter grey normal notes. In this specific
example, all of the MIDI notes are one square in length, but this is only because it is a drumbeat, if it
was a melody, the possible length of the notes are endless. The different colour notes indicate the
velocity of the note. The lighter blues and purples indicate a low velocity, and the yellow, a higher
velocity. It is also possible to have green notes for a middle velocity, and red for the highest
velocity. In the top right of the window, is your toolbox specific to the piano roll.
The pointer tool can move, highlight, shorten, or extend notes. The pencil tool is
selected when wanting to draw a note onto the piano roll grid. The eraser tool
deletes the note when it is clicked on. The finger tool isnt too dissimilar to the
pointer tool. If you wanted to cut a note, the scissor tool will allow you to do so.
Glue tool can glue notes together to make one note. Mute will silence selected
notes. Quantize will snap highlighted notes to the grid. Velocity will increase or
decrease the velocity of highlighted notes by clicking on them and moving the
mouse up or down. For increased accuracy, the zoom tool allows you to get a
closer look at the MIDI data. Automation select will allow you to select which
automation line you want to change, and the curve tool will allow you to bend
the line however you need too.

Sam Towner

Automation is a feature that looks more
complicated than it is. By doing the
keyboard shortcut a, you can open up
the automation feature. Automation is
simply changing the effect or volume of a
channel through the representation of a
line. In the screenshot to the left, the
dark green, first line of automation is
with regards to the EQ. When the player
marker goes over this automation, the
Low Cut Frequency will automatically
move from the beginning frequency
mark, and stop at the ending frequency. This will make a nice sweeping effect. The next yellow layer is
with regards to volume. We can see it starts at -15.9 dB, but then fades up slowly, and then peaks and
levels off and dips again. This helps get the levels right in the final mix. We dont want certain parts of
the mix over powering other parts. Panning is the side of the headphones or speakers that the sound
predominantly comes out of. And this can be changed with the lighter green automation on the third
layer. will be on the left side, and + is on the right side. This adds a nice effect and dynamics to the
mix. Lastly, the final orange layer changes the intensity of the channel. Additionally, the lines dont
always have to be straight. The automation curve tool allows you to bend the line to fade in how you
wish. Automation can do much more than shown here if you can think it, automation can do it, and
enhance your track greatly.

By clicking on the + in the red circle, the drop
down menu to the bottom left will appear.
This is the channel settings option. With the
software instrument option highlighted, the
library will open on the right side of your
project. Here you have numerous instrument
options and many sub-options. Once you
select an instrument, you an input MIDI with
MIDI keyboard or on the piano roll.

By clicking on the + in the red circle one again,

the same drop down menu will appear. This time,
you want to select the Audio option. If you are
using the channel to record, you want to use
input 1, or if you are using it to import and audio
file, you want to change the input to no input
and deselect the record enable option. Once the
channel is set up, click record to record the audio.
If you want to import and existing audio file, use
the keyboard shortcut Command Shift I, and
select the file to import.

Sam Towner

The Inspector is a core part of Logic. The shortcut for opening this is I. Here
you have access to synthesizers and third party plug-ins. Additionally, you
will find all corrective and correctional audio effects in the Inspector as well.
It is essential to have a clear mix. To help achieve that, you can use the
Equalizer. By double clicking on the EQ in the Inspector, the EQ will open.
Here, you will be able to
creatively or correctional edit
the channel strip through the
use of shelving or bell
equalisation.






When double clicking one of the grey bars
under inserts in the Inspector, the menu to
the right opens. Here, you have many
different audio effects that can be used to
edit and enhance your track. At the bottom
left of the Inspector, the volume of that
channel can be found. When the track is
playing, you will be able to see the volume
levels. Yellow is acceptable, but when there
is red, the track is clipping. By keeping the
same volume of the track but avoiding
clipping, you can go to the compressor. Here, you can set a threshold, but
then add a make up boost so you regain the volume. This one example
shows the many different benefits of using the Inspector in your project.

This is found at the bottom of your project. Working from the left of the bar, you have the arrow that
brings you back to the beginning of your project when clicked. The following buttons are rewind,
forward, stop, play, pause, and record. When record is clicked, the button on the far right is enabled
this is the metronome. To the left is the solo button, and loop. In the dark grey box, is the project
settings. You can change the BPM (Beats Per Minute), and change the bar layout. You can also see how
much CPU is being used while working. You can also see the amount of time your song is for with the
time function.

Sam Towner

I think we were told to make a radio advert because we had to incorporate most features in
logic. We had to use existing audio files and record our own, and use software instruments as well. We
had to think about how vocals could be cut and edited, and over lay them on top of music we made. We
also had to balance the mix so that certain parts of the mix werent cancelled out by other dominating
parts of the mix.

On the whole, I think our advert went well: our ideas flowed well, and we were able to execute
them to how we thought of them. Listening to them again after bouncing, I feel like we could have
included vocal effects to make them pop and be a bit more interesting, but other than that I feel that
we captured our product well, over an array of genres.

I think I can improve my Logic skills by adding more variation in my work rather than sticking
to a mental template and experiment a bit more rather than playing it safe. I also need to improve
keeping my projects in key with each other.