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FREE INSIDE
INCLUDING OVER 3 HOURS OF VIDEO TUITION
LOGIC PRO
X 2014
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OR
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LOGIC PRO X
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THE IN-DEPTH GUIDE FOR THE CREATIVE MUSICIAN
132
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11 detailed step-by-step workshops
3+ hours of tutorial videos, 1.4GB of samples
The best gear for your studio reviewed
Flex Time, Drummer & Retro Synth in-depth
Guides to making money and mobile music
Compiled by the Logic Pro Xperts from MusicTech
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Since its release last August, Apple’s Logic Pro X has already made a huge impact within the music-creating world. The software is attracting a lot more attention thanks to great new additional features like Drummer, Flex Pitch and the Retro Synth, and at just £140 still represents incredible value for money. We’ve decided, therefore, to produce this special MusicTech Focus just for Logic Pro X and have designed it to help you make the most of many of these additions plus some of its more general features. Our Logic experts Mark Cousins and Alex Holmes have both been busy producing tutorials and workshops so there’s everything from an introductory workshop to Pro X’s new
features on p16, to setting up the perfect project (p20), right through to producing dance effects in the software (p74). (I’ve even given many of them a go myself, so can confi rm that Drummer goes a lot deeper than you might realise but is still incredibly easy to use – see p32 for more!) Elsewhere we’ve got features on
getting the best setup to become a power user (p7), make mobile music (p90), and we even explore some of the next generation of third-party effects that you might want to try in Pro X (see p79).
We think Pro X is a great update to what was already a great DAW and hope that by following the tutorials in this issue you’ll explore some of the more hidden depths of the software and, ultimately, get to know how to use the software to make your music-making more enjoyable and fruitful. As always, let me know how you get on and enjoy the issue.
Andy Jones Senior Editor
Explore its
hidden depths to
ultimately make your
music
making more enjoyable
Issue 33
Logic Pro X 2014
MTF
Interview
Feature
Richard Devine
The sound design
guru with a Logic-based
mega studio
p66
40 pages of the best Logic Pro X tutorials that will help you get to know
all the exciting new features within Apple’s new version of Logic. We’ve
also got interviews, features on making money, mobile music and the
future of effects, plus the best gear reviewed.
BECOME A
LOGIC PRO X
POWER USER
Make money now!
p36
Feature
Future Effects
The next generation of plug-in
effects that could change the way
you make music…
p79
MTF
Issue 33
Full listings…
007 | Feature Become a DAW Power User
016 | Tutorial Logic Pro X: introduction to the new features 020 | Tutorial Become A Power
User – setting up projects 024 | Tutorial Making the most of
Comp Recording
028 | Tutorial Getting the best from your audio editing 032 | Tutorial Drummer in-depth 036 | Feature Make Money Now! 046 | Tutorial MIDI programming 050 | Tutorial Exploring the
benefi ts of Flex Time
054 | Tutorial Making the most of Retro Synth
058 | Tutorial Retro synth – advanced use
062 | Tutorial Perfecting vocals with Flex Pitch
066 | Interview Richard Devine 074 | Tutorial Producing dance
effects in Logic Pro X
079 | Feature Future effects – the next generation of plug-in effects 088 | Feature Mobile music – the
best apps for iPad production 098 | 10 Minute Master
Studio Connectivity
102 | Feature Best Soft Synths – the top 10 soft synths revealed
REVIEWS
106 | Review Logic Pro X – the original MusicTech review 110 | Review Heavyocity AEON 111 | Review Zynaptiq Unfi lter 112 | Review Spitfi re Audio BML
Horns Volume 1
113 | Review Audulus for iPad 114 | Review Vengeance Sound
Phalanx
116 | Review Universal Audio Ocean Way Studios
119 | Review Slate Digital VBC 120 | Review Modartt Pianoteq
piano emulator
122 | Review Project SAM Lumina 125 | Mini Reviews 129 | Next Issue 130 | What’s on your MTF DVD
MTF Tutorials
Feature
p50
Reviews
p46
Explore the latest version of Logic Pro with these workshops
p106
Create the ultimate Logic Pro X studio
p74
p54
p24
p58
Mobile music
making
p88
p16
Feature
p113
Explore the latest version of
p114
p119
p110
p28
Contents
MTF
For course enquiries call
+44(0)20 7729 4884
or email advice
@pointblanklondon.com
W W W . P O I N T B L A N K L O N D O N . C O M
THE HOME OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC
STUDY LOGIC X AT POINT BLANK,
FOCUS Logic Pro X 2014 | 7
Become a power user: studio set-up
Feature
MTF
T
he process of making music is a multi-layered one – and there is an awful lot to learn. Most people spend years getting to grips with the various different skills involved and, in truth, few (if any) ever stop learning – there’s always something to improve or a new trick to pick up. To the uninitiated it can seem daunting – a world full of jargon and technology that threatens to overwhelm newcomers. Even for people who are familiar with one aspect of music-making, a different area might seem baffling if they have not ventured there before.Getting your studio environment right can also be a continuous learning process. There is so much gear, so many options, and it’s tough to get the right guidance on what you should be buying. This is compounded by the fact that such advice depends
heavily on what kind of music you’re making. If you plan to record rock bands in a garage studio, for example, you’re going to need a fairly different setup from
someone looking to make dubstep on a laptop. Other aspects, however, are common to any producer or musician: you’re going to need a computer, some software, some hardware and, above all, the right approach to recording, mixing and monitoring. Even factors such as your physical surroundings make a difference in terms of how smoothly things tend to go.
What we’re going to do here is discuss every aspect of studio creation and upgrading – from first steps, through choosing kit to avoiding common mistakes, false economies and the many pitfalls we have overcome. This isn’t just for people starting out, because even if you have already built your studio there should be plenty to learn. After all, we all know that studios are never really complete – we can always upgrade! So you will be able to dip into the various sections to find out more about things such as the best way to spec-up your studio computer or how to improve the ergonomics of your working space. Read on and turn your studio into a power setup!
Even if you have a studio
set up there are always ways to
improve it and your workflow
MTF Masterclass
Studio Technique
BECOME A
P WER USER
If you feel your approach to music-making or the kit you use to do it needs reassessing, it’s
First things first:
space & kit issues
Kitting out a studio is a compromise between
your ambitions, budget and neighbour relations...
Y
our approach to setting up your studio will depend largely on how you are planning to work, your aims and the amount of space available to you. It’s impractical to try to cover every eventuality but, broadly speaking, most people will work in one of only a few kinds of spaces. Each one has its advantages and challenges, though when kitted out correctly they are all perfectly good environments in which to make music.
There’s a good chance you are going to be setting up a studio at home, either in a spare room or an outbuilding of some kind. This is great because it tends to be cheap – there’s no extra rent to pay – but such a setup can limit the
amount of noise you’re able to make. And don’t be tempted to try to turn the house PC into a music studio unless it happens to be of a decent spec – a dedicated machine will work much better.
A home studio, as we will see, can sound great even if it has only the bare minimum of
equipment (as long as it’s carefully chosen and properly used). So don’t imagine that you need to start buying racks of outboard, especially if you’re making electronic music. For many people, a decent computer, some select plug-ins and a suitable audio/MIDI interface plus good monitors and headphones will do the job perfectly adequately. There’s nothing to say you can’t get all the kit you want, of course – and in some cases it can be great to have more stuff – but it’s no
longer the case that more equipment necessarily equals a better studio. DAWs now usually come with a great set of instruments and effects and MIDI controllers are versatile and relatively inexpensive, so generating and processing sound can be done inside the computer. We’ll look at the merits of working ‘in-the-box’ a little later, as well as the advantages of using a more hardware-based system if you have that option.
A commercial space is perhaps more desirable than a spare room, even if it means paying for it. You’ll probably end up with more space and the psychological benefits of ‘going out’ to work can be significant. Separating yourself from the home environment lets you think of music more as work than entertainment, which can be useful for getting things done. You will also have more freedom to set up your space as you want it, though you will still
A home studio
can sound great
even if it has only the
bare
minimum of equipment
Having a dedicated recording and performing space means you can use more equipment, such as drum kits or amps.
Having a space dedicated to music making is a bonus, and having everything within reach is even better for your workfl ow…
MTF Pro Advice
Choosing & buying gear
Knowing where to start can seem daunting, and the people who sell you stuff aren’t always quite the impartial arbiters of opinion you might hope them to be. That’s not to say people will lie, just that there can be a commercial imperative to pushing one product over another, regardless of whether it’s right for you. So although it’s dull, doing your research is essential. Seek out as much opinion as you can and, where possible, get demo versions of software before you choose to buy. Many DAWs, for example, are quite evenly matched in terms of features but work in different ways, so you may fi nd you prefer one over the other simply because of its look or feel.
Hardware is tricker to demo, but a visit to your local music store is defi nitely recommended for any instruments, amps or other products that you’ll fi gure out only by getting hands-on. Buying online makes this diffi cult, of course, and wherever possible you should fi nd out if a retailer has a returns policy should you change your mind after buying. At the risk of self-promotion, an email to a expert Q&A panel like ours at MusicTech can
be a good way to cut straight to the best advice when it comes to choosing kit. Tech Terms ●STUDIO SPACE The space in which you make and record music. This could be a desk in the corner of a spare bedroom or a dedicated room in any building – anything in between.
●GEAR-LUST
The understandable desire to acquire lots of equipment. Perfectly fine, but not necessarily essential to making good music.
Q&A panel like ours at MusicTech can
Getting hands-on with gear can help so go and visit your local music store. (Thanks to Lisa at Absolute Music for the pic!)
need much of the same kit as you would in a home studio, such as isolation devices for recording, well-placed monitors and so on. It will probably be easier to introduce amps and perhaps even drum kits into a dedicated space, and if you’re really lucky you may even have the option to use part of the space as a live room and another as a separate control room.
Regardless of the space you’re
in, if you’re starting from scratch
your
budget is likely to be finite
A commercial space outside of the home for making music is ideal – but obviously the most costly option. But if you are in a band and practicing, it could be one of the best solutions…
Regardless of the space you’re in, if you’re starting from
scratch your budget is likely to be finite, and as such there are certain things that it’s better to spend money on and others you can hold back on. Your recording device is likely to be a computer, and as the brain of the system it’s important not to skimp on it. Similarly, your software should be decent, though here it’s possible to go for a ‘lite’ or more entry-level version of a popular DAW since they usually include the core features from the flagship versions. There’s usually always an upgrade path if you want to get the extra features later on. Your audio interface doesn’t need to be huge, but it does need sufficient I/O for your requirements and decent preamps and converters. MIDI controllers and keyboards are pretty hard to get wrong and there are many different types, all relatively inexpensive.
Monitors needn’t cost the earth but should suit your needs – auditioning some and picking the ones that work best for your kind of music and sound best to your ears is vital. Similarly with mics: you don’t need to spend a fortune but you do need to get a couple that work for what you are doing. We talk about this later, as well as vital studio components such as acoustic material, leads, DI boxes and more.
MTF Pro Advice
Working from home
MTF Pro Advice
Choose wisely
Working from home has lots of advantages, not least of which is that you can do half an hour here and there without trekking to another location, work late and it doesn’t cost anything. There are, however, some restrictions, specifi cally that of noise. If you do intend to work from home, make
sure you get some decent headphones as you may fi nd yourself monitoring through them much more frequently than if you worked in a dedicated studio space. Closed-back headphones leak much less sound than open-backed models.
The key point to take away from this feature is that while gear-lust is fi ne and perfectly acceptable if you have the money, it’s more important to choose your kit carefully and appropriately than it is to necessarily get the biggest or fl ashiest equipment. A surprising amount can be achieved with smaller setups, provided they are decked-out properly. Similarly, there’s no point in skimping on certain things – for example, spending loads on a computer but buying poor quality monitors. We’ll be looking at such issues throughout this guide.
intend to work from home, make headphones as you may fi nd yourself monitoring through them much more frequently intend to work from home, make headphones as you may fi nd
FOCUS Logic Pro X 2014 | 9
Become a power user: studio set-up
Feature
MTF
A home or project studio can produce results just as good as those achieved in a bigger studio.
A decent pair of studio headphones is invaluable when working at home.
Choosing a
computer
As the centrepiece of your studio,
your choice of computer is critical...
A
computer isn’t the only machine you can use to make music with but these days it is the default choice for the majority of people. Hardware recording systems are still available but are something of a separate phenomenon now, more attractive to those who prefer old-style audio tracking or people after a vintage sound. The rise of the computer from MIDI sequencer to do-everything audio-production tool has been driven by the exponential increase in computing power over the last couple of decades. In this time computers have also become far more stable, making having one at the heart of your studio much less of a lottery than it used to be.
As a Logic user, a Mac is the only choice you have for sequencing, but PCs are now so cheap you might consider one for other audio tasks. But, many off-the-shelf PCs really aren’t cut out for serious audio work. Audio processing and low-latency recording require significant RAM and CPU resources, and a PC that’s designed for a bit of office work and web surfing just isn’t going to make the grade. You can upgrade the bits, but consider getting a dedicated machine if you’re serious about music.
Macs fare better in this respect since the specs of even the entry-level models are pretty good. The trade-off is that you’ll not get much change out of £1,000 for even a basic new Mac.
For any computer, age is also an issue, and a machine that was cutting-edge five or six years ago might struggle to run the latest software. You may have the option to upgrade the components depending on your model (and this can be a new lease of life) but it very much depends on the
machine. Putting loads more RAM in a machine with a slow CPU, for example,
isn’t going to add much in terms of real-world performance. While software states a minimum system requirement, it’s the recommended system requirement that you should really look at when considering power needs. An app or instrument will run on the basic system, but not always very well. In the case of computers and software, more is almost always better. Modern operating systems and DAWs are adept at using multiple processing cores and larger amounts of RAM, though there are caveats, as we will see.
Platform wars
The Mac-versus-PC debate is as old as computers themselves. With Logic, you’ll obviously be using a Mac as your main computer, but if you want to run certain other musical applications you might consider a PC so let’s look at both platforms in a bit more detail…
Let’s start with PCs, which can be put together yourself if you so choose. Windows is better than it used to be in terms of stability and
user-friendliness, with the platform enjoying a generally
The
rise of the computer has
been driven by the exponential
increase in computing power
I/O is important, and you can add PCI cards to tower systems to accommodate protocols such as FireWire or Thunderbolt.
MTF Pro Advice
Mobile music
Mobile music-making used to mean using a laptop, but now it can just as easily mean using a hand-held device, typically an iPad or even an iPhone. And yes, there are other mobile devices available, but we’re dealing here with the ones for which there are lots of well-designed audio apps. Making music on iOS started off as a simple enough affair, with beatboxes and basic synths, but has now turned into something much more advanced. Apps like GarageBand, NanoStudio, FL Studio, Traktor and ReBirth all have iOS-native versions, and there are tools that are unique to the platform, such as Tabletop and AudioBus, that really enhance its utility. You can connect audio and MIDI devices using the Camera Connection Kit, and specialised interfaces like the Alesis IO Dock and IO Mix as well as various devices by IK Multimedia can turn an iPad into a viable, high-quality recording solution. We’re not at a point where an iPad is going to fully replace a desktop recording setup, but
for working on the move, sketching ideas and then transferring them back to the desktop to use the extra capacity it affords, mobile devices are excellent and will only keep improving.
Solid-state drives are becoming more affordable and offer significant speed advantages for resource-intensive applications.
computer
As the centrepiece of your studio,
your choice of computer is critical...
computer isn’t the only machine you can use to make music with but
attractive to those who prefer old-style audio tracking or people after a vintage sound. The rise of the computer from MIDI sequencer to do-everything audio-production tool has been driven by the exponential increase in computing
depending on your model (and this can be a new lease of life) but it very much depends on the
machine. Putting loads more RAM in a machine with a slow CPU, for example,
isn’t going to add much in terms of real-world performance. While software states a minimum system requirement, it’s the recommended system requirement that you should really look at when considering power needs. An app or instrument will run on the basic system, but not always very well. In the case of computers and software, more is almost always better. Modern operating systems and DAWs are adept at using multiple processing cores and larger amounts of RAM, though there are caveats, as we will see.
computer
As the centrepiece of your studio,
your choice of computer is critical...
computer isn’t the only machine you can use to make music with but
audio tracking or people after a vintage sound. The rise of the computer from MIDI sequencer to do-everything audio-production tool has been
depending on your model (and this can be a new lease of life) but it very much depends on the
machine. Putting loads more RAM in a
the recommended system requirement that you should really look at when considering power needs. An app or instrument will run on the basic system, but not always very well. In the case of computers and software, more is almost always better. Modern operating systems and DAWs are adept at using multiple processing cores and larger amounts of RAM, though there are caveats, as we will see.
iPads are becoming increasingly powerful music-making tools, though they haven’t displaced computers just yet.
MTF Pro Advice
Future-proof
64 bit technology is now commonplace, with Mac OSX and Windows having been fully 64-bit compatible for some time and the vast majority of leading music software having followed suit. This is important because 64-bit applications are able to access far more RAM than 32-bit ones, resulting in better performance. And now that you can fi t 32GB or more of RAM inside tower workstations, loading up huge projects, sample libraries and other projects is quicker than ever. 64-bit systems can address far more RAM than it’s currently possible to fi t into a computer so we’re not likely to exhaust this technology any time soon.
good reputation. We’d recommend buying from a specialist audio PC company which, as well as putting together a machine based exactly on your requirements, can also set up and test all the drivers and provide after-sales support. Desktop PCs are still highly configurable, so if you want to build a behemoth of a machine you can. Laptops are a bit more hit-and-miss and tend to be powered up for gaming rather than music, but a well-specified one will still serve you well.
Macs are less user-serviceable and tend to have to be configured at the time of purchase. They also cost more, although, in reality, if you spec-up Mac and PC systems of comparable power, the price difference isn’t that huge. Just because cheap PCs are available doesn’t mean they are good for music. More or less any new Mac (with the possible exception of the lower-end MacBook Air) is going to be great for music production. The fact that Apple designs the OS and the hardware means that driver conflicts are nonexistent and you get a system that’s smooth and extremely stable.
Obviously, bigger is better here, so a MacBook Pro or higher-end iMac is going to be more capable of running heavier projects.
Tech specs
When specifying a computer of whatever platform, think about the following factors. The processor is the system’s brain, so a faster CPU with more cores will be able to do things more quickly and in parallel. Intel’s i7 family is recommended for performance, or even the server-class Xeons if you
MTF Pro Advice
Number crunching
The gigahertz race is well and truly over since chip manufacturers found that speeds of 4GHz and above were achievable but generated too much heat and sucked too much power to be very useful in modern computers. The solution was to focus efforts on cramming more cores onto a die so that more tasks could be carried out in parallel. This has taken a while for software developers to fully embrace, since it requires much more complex coding than single-processor technology. But we’re now at a stage where even basic machines have two or four cores and double that number of threads, so today’s computers are amazing multi-taskers.
Tech Terms
●SYSTEM SPECS
The totality of the components of your computer’s hardware and software. Includes CPU speed, RAM fitted, hard drive size, port types and numbers, and operating system version.
●MULTI-TASKING Vitally important in modern computing is the ability of a machine to do more than one thing at once, to prioritise certain tasks and remain responsive while under load.
have a tower system. Laptop CPUs are excellent these days, and at the higher end are more than a match for desktop systems. Try to go for a quad-core processor, which with Hyperthreading will give you eight usable processing threads.
RAM is vital too. Running lots of soft-synths will need a lot of CPU muscle, but large sample-based instruments eat memory really quickly, so at least 4GB of RAM is essential (preferably 8 or even 16GB if possible). This will also benefit the system more generally and result in fewer slowdowns and better multi-tasking. Laptops have fewer RAM slots, so fill these with the biggest capacity sticks you can. Storage is important – go for fast solid-state (SSD) drives internally for running the system and apps, and large-capacity external or secondary internal drives for storage and backup. In terms of ports, many interfaces now run on USB 2.0 or USB 3.0, which all new computers should have. FireWire is still around but you may need to add a PCI card to a tower for it (or a Thunderbolt adaptor for new Macs).
The sensible advice is to get the fastest computer you can afford to, as this should provide good performance for as long as possible. Buying a cheap machine is a false economy, since the next OS update or the new version of your DAW could cause it to struggle, meaning you have to update anyway. Treat you computer purchase as a serious investment, because that’s what it is.
The Intel i7 and Xeon families of processors are hugely powerful and great at multi-tasking.
and PC systems of comparable power, the price difference isn’t that huge. Just because cheap PCs are available doesn’t mean they are good for music. More or less any new Mac (with the possible exception of the lower-end MacBook Air) is going to be great for music production. The fact that Apple designs the OS and the hardware means that driver conflicts are nonexistent and you get a system that’s
When specifying a computer of whatever platform,
have a tower system. Laptop CPUs are excellent these days, and at the higher end are more than a match for desktop systems. Try to go for a quad-core processor, which with Hyperthreading will give you eight usable processing threads.
RAM is vital too. Running lots of soft-synths will need a lot of CPU muscle, but large sample-based instruments eat memory really quickly, so at least 4GB of RAM is essential (preferably 8 or even 16GB if possible). This will also benefit the system
The Intel i7 and Xeon families of processors are hugely powerful and great at multi-tasking.
difference isn’t that huge. Just because cheap PCs are available doesn’t mean they are good for music. More or less any new Mac (with the possible exception of the lower-end MacBook Air) is going to be great for music production. The fact that Apple designs the OS and the hardware means that driver conflicts are nonexistent and you get a system that’s
end are more than a match for desktop systems. Try to go for a quad-core processor, which with Hyperthreading will give you eight usable processing threads.
RAM is vital too. Running lots of soft-synths will need a lot of CPU muscle, but large sample-based instruments eat memory really quickly, so at least 4GB of RAM is essential (preferably 8 or even 16GB if
The Intel i7 and Xeon families of processors are hugely
Apple’s laptops are less configurable but do offer a great deal of power and an almost uniquely stable and smooth user experience.
Apple’s laptops are less configurable but do offer a great deal of power and an almost uniquely stable and smooth user experience.
Buying from a specialist PC builder is a good idea, and you can specify every component at the time of building.
FOCUS Logic Pro X 2014 | 11
Your approach
to production
With everything in place, it’s time to concentrate
your efforts on the most important thing – music.
O
nce you have chosen all your equipment and made sure that everything is installed and running correctly, you’re ready to start actually making music. There are quite a few things that people get wrong when starting out, so we’re here to help you avoid these common pitfalls, some of which we’ve encountered ourselves. There will always be something you come up against of course, but hopefully we can help you to avoid the big ones. Let’s start with recording audio.
Splendid isolation
The first thing you should figure out is mic placement and isolation. Try to use a directional mic for sources like vocals and guitars, which reject sound from the rear and sides at least to an extent. An omnidirectional mic will pick up way too much ambient sound. Use a popshield for vocals and an isolation system for vocals and amp recording. Mics should be placed around six inches away from the sound source and many studio mics will need phantom power to make them work. Turn off all speakers and monitor on headphones to avoid feedback and close windows and turn off phones. This sounds obvious, but any unexpected noise can ruin an otherwise good take.
Setting recording levels is crucial. Your interface will have preamps, and if you’re recording guitars, the guitar and amp will have level controls too. A good rule of thumb is to play as loud as you’re planning to play and make sure there’s no peaking when you watch the input gain meters. Also, try not to drive the inputs so hard as to introduce hiss into the signal. Some interfaces have built-in DSP-powered effects like compression that can be used in small amounts during recording to help to eliminate the possibility of clipping. Remember that there are gain controls everywhere, from instruments through interfaces to the DAW mixer and your speakers and headphone outputs, so keep an eye on them to keep a check on your levels.
Mind the gap
Latency is another big issue. When you record, your computer has to take sound in, record and potentially process it and pass it back out to your headphones all at the same time as running the other audio tracks and plug-ins in your project. This is no mean feat, so it uses an audio buffer to cope with it. The heavier a project, the larger the
buffer needed to reduce overall processor load but also the higher the latency – the time between
playing a note and hearing it back through the monitors. This goes both for MIDI and audio input, and can make performing almost impossible. To get around it, some interfaces use Direct Monitoring, which feeds your signal back to you
before it has been passed to the computer, eliminating latency altogether. If this is not available you have to set your audio buffer as low as you can without creating pops and clicks in the recording. A setting of 256 samples can often be a good balance, and this can be switched back up to 1,000 samples or more when you finish recording. When you’re mixing you need processing power more than low latency, so this is OK.
Voc al p rod uct ion Feat ure MTF FOCU S Reco rdi ng 2 013 | 31 Producing a gr eat v ocal trac k involv es a lot mor e than simply appl ying the best E Qs and compressor s to y our recor ding. Liam O’ Mul lane guides y ou through the pr ocess.
F
or most f orms o f mus ic, v ocals are the f ocus o f a song’s str uctu re and mi x. The ir e xecution, cap ture an d subsequent pr ocessing ar e all up for scr utin y as it ’s the one i nstr ument th at we all ha ve a n atur al affin ity with – so that’ssc rut iny no t jus t fr om bat-eared pr o engineers, but liter ally an yone who tak es the t ime to lis ten t o them. A voca l coul d lack con viction in its de liv ery; a badl y compil ed vocal par t coul d sound t echnicall y OK but unna tural and lac king fluid ity . Going fur ther s till , the o ver all produc tion values of t he part migh t not be suitable f or the surrou nding instr umenta tion an d mix. How ever , this last issue is e xac tly wha t we’ re no t focusin g on in this f eatu re. Alt hough man y buddi ng engineer s and recor dists will fi nd it a str uggle t o get a voc al t o sound right in t he final mix anyw ay, this fea ture aims t o addr ess the kinds o f issues that can mak e tha t task all the more diff icult be for e you ev en get t o that s tage – all th e proce ssing in t he worl d won ’t disguise the fac t that the vocalis t let do wn the tr ack ( or was l et do wn) from t he outset. Here, then, we’ re g oing t o exa mine those el ements that ar e key t o get ting th e perfec t vocal ta ke – ma ny o f whic h tend t o be overl ooked. The aim is to r ais e your a war eness o f the perf orm ance s ide o f things, and e xplor e how you as a n engin eer o r producer can w ork with t he perfor mer t o achie ve the bes t pos sibl e resul ts. T o
VOC
AL
uct
prod
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Using a popshield when recording vocals is essential. They’re inexpensive and readily available.
MTF Pro Advice
Create the right environment
It’s a more intangible concept than choosing equipment, but creating the right physical environment can be incredibly important to having a good workfl ow and a positive mindset. For some people, this can mean having a tidy and uncluttered space to work in and focus on the task at hand. For others it can mean having all their equipment around them, with lots of knobs to twiddle. The main thing to fi gure out is what makes you inspired. If you are lucky enough to have lots of old hardware instruments, having them around and hooked up can be inspiring because you can just sit down and start playing. Alternatively, perhaps you like to have one area of a studio for writing and another for recording.
What you leave out of a space can be as important as what you put into it. Many people fi nd, for example, that leaving TVs and other distractions out is a good thing. The internet is a tricky one since most computers tend to be online anyway, so it can be up to your own willpower not to be on YouTube or Facebook all day. Having music around you is rarely a bad thing as it can both inspire you and be used as reference, so listen to other records and get ideas from either their melodies or style of production.
melodies or style of production.
Be inspired, not hindered, by your working environment.
making music. There are quite a few things that people get wrong when starting out, so we’re here to help you avoid these common pitfalls, some
guitars, which reject sound from the rear and sides at least to an extent. An omnidirectional
buffer needed to reduce overall processor load but also the higher the latency – the time between
input, and can make performing almost impossible. To get around it, some interfaces use Direct Monitoring, which feeds your signal back to you
before it has been passed to the computer,
low as you can without creating pops and clicks in the recording. A setting of 256 samples can often be a good balance, and this can be switched back up to 1,000 samples or more when you finish recording. making music. There are quite a few things that
people get wrong when starting out, so we’re here to help you avoid these common pitfalls, some
guitars, which reject sound from the rear and
buffer needed to reduce overall processor load but
input, and can make performing almost impossible. To get around it, some interfaces use Direct Monitoring, which feeds your signal back to you
low as you can without creating pops and clicks in the recording. A setting of 256 samples can often be a good balance, and this can be switched back up to
Tighten up the bass end of any system by placing speaker isolators underneath monitors.
Another trick for minimising CPU hit at low latency is to freeze tracks (where available). This feature, available in many DAWs, renders down tracks to simple audio so although temporarily not very editable, they also use virtually no power to play back. Freezing can also be your best friend when you are working in-the-box a lot. Software synths and sample-based instruments can use lots of resources, but once a part has been laid down and
you are happy with it you can freeze the track to free up RAM and CPU power. Using this trick will maximise the capabilities of your hardware.
Other tricks
Using templates can be an excellent way of getting up and running quickly in your studio. Your hardware setup will probably not change very often, so the same things are likely to be plugged in to the same inputs and the same monitors connected. Spend a little time setting up preset templates containing pre-routed audio tracks and
Don’t be tempted to keep
adding and adding until everything
becomes incomprehensible
maybe some virtual instruments or MIDI tracks firing out to your hardware and you can go from inspiration to recording in moments. Most DAWs now also support track presets, so you can dial up a specific vocal or guitar sound with just a couple of clicks.
Try to place your speakers at head height when sitting as you will probably be sitting a lot and this offers the most realistic sound. They should be placed a few feet apart if possible and angled slightly inwards towards you, converging towards the rear of the room. If possible, avoid placing them in the corners of rooms or too close to walls as this can result in boomy bass. If this is impossible to avoid, use isolation platforms and EQ switches (if available) to better tailor the speakers to the space they are in.
When you get up and running, your computer will allow you to tweak endlessly, and while experimentation is great, don’t be tempted to keep adding and adding until everything becomes incomprehensible. A Hollywood soundtrack might need 50 layers of percussion but a blues song probably doesn’t. Use your judgement as to what needs adding or removing. Many DAWs also now have ‘arranger’ modes that let you try different arrangements without physically copying and pasting stuff around, so these can be well worth trying out.
It might sound obvious, but take regular breaks while working as staring at a screen and listening to the same three minutes of music for hours can send you a bit mad. Seek the opinion of others if you feel your judgement is getting flawed through tiredness, and remember that a project will still be there in a couple of days for you to come back to. Follow these basic rules and you should find that your music-making is happy and fruitful. MTF
MTF Pro Advice
Stay cool
MTF Pro Advice
Mix as you go
This is an odd one, but really important in practice. When you’re in the studio, always stay hydrated by drinking water or other non-alcoholic drinks. Studios can be very dry environments and can get hot when all the electrical equipment is switched on, plus there’s rarely any fl ow of air due to the need for acoustic isolation. Staying hydrated makes you feel better and helps your judgement, especially during long studio days. Drinking beer is great, but after several hours you might start to feel pretty groggy. Use your judgement as to how you react to these kind of factors.
Experienced producers tend to do a lot of mixing and editing as they go. Production isn’t generally broken into steps that are taken one by one. You might edit
something just after recording something else, then add an effect to a few things, cut something into a loop, do a bit of arranging then record another track. So by the time a project is nearing completion you could well have done a lot of the work, and the mixing stage is actually less arduous than you might have imagined.
Tech Terms
●ISOLATION
Creating an environment that is as near to silent as possible with as few reflections from interior walls in order to capture clean recordings.
●ERGONOMICS Arranging your studio and its contents in a way that maximises the efficiency of the space and your workflow. This must be balanced with positioning equipment for optimum recording/playback.
containing pre-routed audio tracks and containing pre-routed audio tracks and
Understanding the way that buffer sizes affect the latency of your recording system is key to eliminating latency. Setting up project and track templates is a great way to save time when starting new projects.
FOCUS Logic Pro X 2014 | 13
T
he latest incarnation of Logic Pro is the product of one of the most comprehensive overhauls of any DAW in recent years. Alongside the completely refreshed interface, Logic Pro X users have a host of exciting new features to play with, covering everything from virtual bass guitar amplifi ers to a whole new form of pitch ‘elasticity’.With so many new elements and features to explore, though, it can take some time to fully understand what you can now achieve with Logic Pro X, so we’ve rounded up what we consider to be among the most exciting
additions – Drummer, Retro Synth, the Arpeggiator and Flex Pitch – to give you the all-important lowdown on how these elements work.
Although it would be easy to dismiss Drummer as a GarageBand-like loop engine, it’s actually a surprisingly powerful and complex addition to the Logic Pro universe. Initial encounters with Drummer give the impression of a tool that’s almost foolishly simple –
pick a genre, choose a drummer, then tweak a few controls on a X/Y pad to get an instant rhythm track! However, when you start swapping components of the kit and changing some of the fi ner points of the performance, you realise just how complex and interactive the Drummer engine really is.
Once you’ve assembled your basic rhythm track, it’s well worth swapping the default stereo kit for one of the Producer Kits. The Producer Kits are made from Track Stacks (another new feature), which enables you to expand the basic kit and gain access to each and every channel used to record and mix the real kit, even down to the room mics.
For producers of electronic music, the combination of Retro Synth and the new Arpeggiator is well worth closer exploration. In particular, the Arpeggiator is part of a suite of new MIDI plug-ins that can be instantiated directly into the signal path of your mixer. The plug-ins work as ‘live’ transformers of MIDI data, so that performances you play on a MIDI keyboard (or MIDI data recorded into a region) are transformed as it’s routed to your chosen virtual instrument. With its immediate control set, Retro Synth is an ideal pairing with the Arpeggiator – especially once you start to unlock the modulation routings and the Arpeggiator’s intriguing Grid mode.
Since its introduction in Logic Pro 9, Flex Time has proved to be a real life-saver in the studio. Flex Pitch is the logical extension of the Flex Time functionality; this time allowing you to adjust qualities of a performance in respect to pitch, intonation and formants. Once
analysed, an audio region can be seen with a unique Piano Roll Editor overlaid on the waveform. Using Flex Pitch, intonation can
be rectifi ed at the push of a button, or you can explore more creative applications, such as completely re-pitching a melody.
This article is only an introduction to the new features of Logic Pro, although there’s enough information to get you up and running. Be sure to check out all the other tutorials in this magazine, which explore other new elements in detail. MTF
These tutorials are endorsed by Point Blank Music School, which specialises in courses on production, sound engineering, the music business, singing, radio production, DJ skills and fi lm production, all run by top British music producers and media professionals, with regular visits from legends in music and media.
The combination of
Retro Synth
and the
new Arpeggiator is well
worth closer exploration
Logic Pro X:
the new features
On the disc
On the disc
Accompanying project file included
on the DVD
Logic Pro X’s extensive range of new features and tools expands yet further its creative
potential.
Mark Cousins
gets you up and running with some of the new tools.
FOCUS ON… RETRO SYNTH
One of Retro Synth’s most intriguing features is its ability to switch between four different modes of vintage synthesis: Analog, Sync, Table and FM. In truth, the fi rst two types are actually
variants of subtractive synthesis (the Sync mode adding a hard oscillator sync between the two
oscillators), but Table and FM are both unique, covering PPG-like wavetable synthesis and primitive re-creation of the FM synthesis used in the Yamaha DX7.
What’s interesting about the three modes is that the majority of the parameters – fi lter settings, envelope generators and so on – are carried across whenever you move from one mode to another. This approach can lead to some interesting moments of serendipity – a patch might start off in a subtractive mode, only to be moved into FM, thereby creating a completely different timbre. This is a great trick to try with the presets, often creating radically different sounds with just a push of a button. As you get more experienced, you’ll start to note the subtle sonic and technical differences between the modes, allowing you to exploit the unique sonic qualities the different models offer.
vintage synthesis: Analog, Sync, Table and FM. In truth, the fi rst two types are actually variants of subtractive synthesis (the Sync mode adding
Logic Pro X Become a Logic Power User
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Step-by-Step
Working with Drummer
01
Given its complex interactive control set, Drummer works outside the usual virtual instruments system, instead using its own formof track. To start working with Drummer, therefore, use the New Track command (Track>New Tracks) and click on the Drummer option. Logic will instantiate the Drum Kit Designer instrument and create some default regions for you to work with.
02
The key musical properties of your drum track are defined by your choice of Genre, and from within that, the particular drummeryou choose. Genre can be selected from the Genre popup menu, where you can choose between Rock, Alternative, Songwriter and R&B. The choice of Drummer then selects a kit and overarching style to the playing, which you can adapt as appropriate.
03
Using the Drummer Editor you can start to fine-tune the performance that the Drummer is delivering. The X/Y pad, forexample, lets you define the complexity and loudness of the pattern – in many cases, changing the actual sounds used as well as the respective velocity. Clicking on the kit elements brings them in and out of the performance.
05
Each region of Drummer offers you a blank set of variables to explore. So, for example, you could start with a soft and simplepattern for the first verse, then move to a loud and more complicated pattern featuring toms in the chorus. To structure the performance to your song, therefore, create new regions and adapt them using the Drummer Editor.
04
Once you start working with the Drummer Editor you really start to appreciate the interactive nature of Drummer and the vastamount of variation that can be created. Click on the details, for example, to go one step deeper, adjusting parameters such as the relative loudness of ghost notes, as well as forcing the hi-hat towards a more open or closed position.
06
Changing the current stereo kit for one of the Producer Kits will give you complete fader-by-fader access to the sound of yourdrums. You can change to a Producer Kit version (indicated with a + sign as a suffix) via the Library. Look for the Producer Kits folder and, once loaded, expand the Track Stack to see the full channel list.
Logic Pro X:
the new features
New features in Logic Pro X
Technique
MTF
MTF
Step-by-Step
Retro Synth and the Arpeggiator
01
The Arpeggiator and Retro Synth are a great combination of new features worth exploring together. The new channel strip makesthe signal path easy to understand. First, insert the Arpeggiator as a MIDI plug-in using the plug-in slot just below the EQ. Follow this with an instance of Retro Synth in the Instrument slot that follows on.
02
The Arpeggiator works as a live modifier, so whatever you play will be arpeggiated accordingly. Start by experimenting with the NoteOrder section to define the key properties of the arpeggiation effect. The graphical buttons define the movement of the notes (Up, Down, Up/Down, Random and so on), while the Oct Range control defines the span of the arpeggiation in octaves.
03
Try changing the Pattern mode from Live to Grid to appreciate the real power behind the Arpeggiator. In Grid mode you can specify aunique Velocity level for each step, remove steps altogether (this is useful to create rhythm), as well as change from single notes to chords. In Chord mode, the current held notes are played together rather than being stepped through.
05
To make the filter movement more dynamic, take a closer look at Filter Env. Create a more percussive sound by lowering theSustain level and increasing the Speed of the initial decay. The result is a spikier envelope, which sounds best when the Env (or Envelope Depth) parameter is backed-off in the Filter section.
04
Tweaking some key parameters on the Retro Synth can really help bring your Arpeggiator sequence to life. Start in the Filtersection, changing the Filter mode to LP 24dB Fat and adding a touch of resonance in the Filter display. The resonance gives the sound more nasal bite, as well as adding excitement when the filter starts to move.
06
The final piece of the puzzle is using Velocity to directly control Filter Cutoff rather than via the Envelope. Reduce the Vel slider inthe Filter Env, therefore, and open the Settings screen. In the Settings screen you can map Velocity to Filter Cutoff, raising the fader (assuming you’ve turned down the main filter cutoff) to make it more dramatic.
MTF
Step-by-Step
Editing with Flex Pitch
01
Flex Pitch is a Melodyne-like pitch-correction tool that works as an extension of the existing Flex Time system. First, enable theFlex View using the menu command Edit>Show Flex Pitch/Time. Assign the track a Flex mode, in this case selecting the Flex Pitch from the top of the dropdown list.
02
Open the Editor’s window and select one of the vocal regions to see the current Flex Pitch information. As well as the mainwaveform you’ll see a form of Piano Roll Editor to indicate the relative note pitches. Within each block is also a pitch-tracking display, indicating pitch drift at the end or the start of note, as well as vibrato.
03
One quick fix for vocal is a simple pitch quantize across the entire part. You can identify intonation issues from the misalignment ofthe notes. This can either be corrected manually or by [Ctrl]-clicking on the display. Pick Set all to Perfect Pitch from the two available options and the part should be corrected accordingly.
05
The small nodes at the borders of each note can be used to change a variety of note properties. The middle node on thebottom, for example, can be used to change the amount of vibrato applied – either exaggerating an existing vibrato pattern or smoothing out the pitch drift to make a more uniform sound.
04
Once you’ve corrected the general intonation issues you can also start to look at making a few creative tweaks to your originalvocal performance. An interesting option is to explore a completely re-pitched vocal part (by dragging each note to a new position), which can be useful for adapting a melody or creating backing vocals.
06
Other nodes in Flex Pitch cover formants and pitch drift at either end of the note. Another useful control for vocal parts is the Gainparameter, which enables you to modify the dynamic properties of the performance on a note-by-note basis. Rather than overly compressing a vocal to make all of the words audible, consider lifting their
amplitude using Flex Pitch.
New features in Logic Pro X
Technique
MTF
U
nless you decide to stay fi rmly rooted in the virtual universe, it’s highly likely that the majority of your Logic projects will begin with some form of recording, whether you’re laying down drums and bass, for example, some guide guitars or a string quartet. Most of us should be familiar with the basics of recording into Logic, but what happens if your plans are slightly more ambitious than recording just a single musician? Once you move beyond single-track recording, a new set of challenges presents themselves, whether you’re having to deal with multiple takes, for example, or complicated monitor mixes between you and your performers.In this tutorial we’re going to take a look at Logic Pro X’s application as a true ‘multitrack’ recording studio – laying down performances with multiple instruments, as well as creating a completely customisable monitoring
environment that ensures both you and the musicians are hearing the correct parts. As you’ll see, the skills explored here cover a wide range of features within Logic Pro X – aspects that you might not be so familiar with, but when combined in a dynamic way, enable you to create an effi cient and productive workfl ow.
Our initial exercise looks a typical production for which you need to record multiple paths at the same time – whether it’s a drum kit, for example, or a complete band line-up. The challenge here is in learning how to negotiate the best way of working with multiple tracks, takes and audio fi les. To achieve this, we’ll need to look at some new techniques in the Mixer area, Arrange area and Audio Bin.
As well as recording, we’ll also see how a more refi ned monitoring setup can be of benefi t to you and your musicians. All too often, musicians are simply fed a duplicate of the control room mix, which ultimately means a compromise both in what you can listen to and what your musicians use as a guide to construct their performance. By creating separate monitor and cue mixes, you can mirror the practices adopted in a professional studio – techniques that guarantee the optimal sound and performance, long before you go anywhere near your plug-ins folder. MTF
A
more refined monitoring
setup can be of benefit to
you and your musicians
Advanced recording
in Logic Pro X
On the disc
On the disc
Accompanying project file included
on the DVD
Establishing an effi cient recording workfl ow is vital to the success of your Logic projects.
Mark Cousins
puts the studio back into Logic.
FOCUS ON…
LATENCY
Latency is a key issue with any computer-based recording and needs to be taken into consideration when you’re working with musicians. One option is to use any DSP-assisted software that comes with your audio interface, but this two-layered approach can get confusing when you’re moving between Logic’s mixer and the control software supplied with your interface. Another option, therefore, is to reduce your latency setting (fi nd this by going to Logic Pro X>Preferences>Audio) when you’re recording, running your buffer size as small as it will go without noticeable clicks and pops in the output. When it comes to mixing – when you need to run lots of processor-hungry plug-ins – increase the latency to around 256–512 samples.
environment that ensures both you and the musicians are hearing the correct parts. As you’ll see, the skills explored here cover a wide range of features within Logic Pro
you and your musicians
Logic Pro X Become a Logic Power User
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Step-by-Step
Recording multiple sources
01
Create the required number of audio tracks using the Track>New Tracks menu option. Check that the Ascending option is enabledunder the Input dropdown menu so that you create an auto-incrementing input assignment. You can even highlight the Input Monitoring option if you want to immediately listen to the signals present at your interface’s inputs.
02
One problem with recording multiple inputs is the task of moving several tracks in and out of record-ready mode. An easy wayaround this is to use Logic’s Grouping functionality. Start by placing the faders into the same group, using the Group Assignment box just above the output assignment. Make sure that the Record option is ticked in the Group settings, as this isn’t applied by default.
03
Once we’ve completed the fi rst pass, we need to perform some organisational tasks to ensure that we can keep track of all thefi les. In the Project Audio Browser, for example, we can highlight the newly created audio fi les in the current pass, then select View>Create Group. You can name the group accordingly, permanently assigning the audio fi les to a given take.
05
Carry on with your recording, creating a folder for each new take and accompanying Groups in the Project Audio Browser. Usingthe mute on each folder track is a good way of switching between the different takes to audition them without having to run multiple track lanes in the tracks area. Also consider using colour assignments to differentiate between takes more clearly.
04
As well as tidying our Project Audio Browser, we also need to look at some techniques to prevent an overcrowded tracks area. Anexcellent option is to use the Folder functionality, selecting the last pass in the tracks area and then selecting Folder>Pack Folder from the contextual menu. The Folder can be named and muted from playback, and you’ll also clear the current tracks ready for the next pass.
06
You can view the contents of a folder at any point by double-clicking on it. Return back up a level by clicking on the smallarrow in the top left-hand corner of the tracks area. If you decide on a preferred take, you can also choose to unpack the folder using the contextual menu item Folder>Unpack Folder To Existing Tracks.
FOCUSLogic Pro X 2014 | 21
MTF
Step-by-Step
Monitoring and click
01
Create new buss sends for each of the channel strips you want present in the cue mix – this could include playback tracks andthe artists themselves. Change the assignment of the buss faders so that they’re all set to Pre Fader status – this will ensure that your fader levels won’t affect the monitoring level in the headphones.
02
The combination of the buss sends will now be sent to a newly created aux master fader. Change the name of this fader to CueMix and set its output assignment to the output on your interface that the headphones are connected to. This should be different from your main monitor outputs, which are usually set to outputs 1–2.
03
Thinking of your mix in two layers – your monitor mix and the cue mix fed to the headphones – will help to create a comfortableworking environment for everyone. One aspect that can help singers is the provision of a small amount of reverb in their headphones. Use a Pre Fader send for the reverb, sending the reverb output to the cue mix buss.
05
Create your metronome sequence with a G5 note on the fi rst beat and a C5 note on the second, third and fourth, all with a velocityof 127. The principal advantage of the click system is that you defi ne when and where the click appears, giving musicians a precise two-bar count-in, for example, as well as dropping the click out at the end of the track.
04
Another interesting option is a customisable click, independent of Logic’s internal metronome. To create your own click, create anew instrument track and instantiate Logic’s Klopfgeist instrument. The default setting is the same as Logic’s metronome, assuming you feed it the correct MIDI data, which we’ll explore in the next step.
06
As with the other elements of our cue mix, you’ll need to route the new click to the output that your headphones reside on. Forreference, it’s well worth having your own pair of cans in the control room so that you can monitor what the musicians are hearing, and set up the cue mix in a way that mirrors their listening experience.