Chapter 1: Beginning with Logic Pro 10.6

If you have purchased this book, then you probably already know that Logic Pro is Apple's flagship application for music creation. I like to say that if you can conceive it, you can create it with Logic Pro 10.6. It comes with everything you really need, and more, at a bargain price.

10.6 has added some very impressive features to what was already a full package of tools, loops, FX plug-ins, and software instruments. In addition to Logic Pro revolutionary Drummer, Drum Machine Designer has had a significant upgrade and works with Live Loops in an exciting way that Ableton Live and GarageBand iOS users will be familiar with. Quick Sampler, along with the new updated Sampler, is a game changer for me. Auto Sampler, previously only available in Main Stage, is now part of Logic Pro. Recording your vocals and guitars is now a snap.

Specifically, this chapter covers the following topics:

• Important information for beginning with...

Important information for beginning with Logic Pro

You know the old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"? In this chapter, you will learn all you need to begin your Logic Pro journey.

What are Audio and MIDI?

In this section, we will look at the differences between Audio and MIDI.

When you record yourself singing or playing a real instrument in Logic Pro, the truth is you are actually recording an audio waveform to a drive with Logic Pro as a conduit. If you delete Logic Pro from your computer, your recording will still be there, unless you delete it.

I like to compare it to a house: somebody drew up a blueprint, ordered the supplies, and built the house.

Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) is just a set of instructions that is interpreted by a software instrument, synthesizer, or other hardware keyboard that is capable of understanding it. For example, when you press a key on a keyboard controller, Logic sees "sound this note that we agree is middle C, play it this loud, hold it for this length of time."

If you load a flute sound in a software instrument, you hear what sounds like a flute. If you load a piano sound, it sounds like...

Selecting essential hardware for Logic Pro 10.6

As well as a Mac, you may need some additional hardware to effectively use Logic Pro. Let's explore what we can add to our setup.

An audio interface

While most Mac computers have a built-in microphone audio playback capability, and a speaker, they are not really adequate for creating good-sounding music, just for perhaps getting ideas down.

When you want to use a microphone to record your voice singing or speaking, your computer needs something to record it. Firstly, the microphone won't be loud enough, so you need a microphone pre-amp (mic pre). An audio interface will have one or more of these.

Also, microphones are analog devices and computers don't understand analog information unless it is translated to digital information. So, you need an analog-to-digital converter. Then, for the sound to go back out to speakers, which 99% of the time are analog, you need a digital-to-analog converter. An audio interface...

Preferences versus Project Settings

A Preference in Logic will affect every Logic project past, present, and future, starting from choices you make after you open it for the very first time.

Project Settings are specific to a given project and therefore do not necessarily affect past or future projects, unless they are saved in a template. There are ways, however, to create defaults that you can apply to past or present projects, as you will learn.

Over the following sections, we'll explore how to use preferences and project settings when you are opening Logic Pro for the first time.

Opening Logic Pro for the very first time!

If you have already opened Logic before, you have seen this in the past and may be getting different behavior. By default, Logic looks for your most recently opened project. If this truly is the first time you have opened it, you may see a description of What's New in the Logic version you are opening. Following that, this is what you will...

Summary

You have now been introduced to the concepts of audio and MIDI, and how they differ. You own a Mac and Logic Pro but there is additional hardware that you will want to have to use it effectively. The good news is that it doesn't have to be expensive. You now understand that Logic Pro has both Preferences, which affect all projects, and Project Settings, which are project specific, although some can be saved as defaults. You have learned your choices as to how Logic Pro behaves when opening it, and my personal preference.

In the next chapter, we will become familiar with all the areas in the Logic Pro interface, along with its menus and its terminology. You will learn about how to set Tools in each window, and all the vast content that comes as part of Logic Pro, including sounds and Apple Loops that you can load from the Library.