Logic for Pro Tools users: Part 3 February 19, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Leopard, Logic Studio 8, Pro Tools , 2commentsOK, now for the fun stuff. Lets talk about making music with Logic. I’ve been composing and recording a lot of quick bits of music of different styles lately (a lot of them are actually for the upcoming Studio Files videos), and I decided to make them in Logic, rather than Pro Tools, which is still having problems with Leopard. It is literally amazing how fast you can get music together in Logic. The media browser in the side panel is a really fast way to grab loops or instrument sounds. If you want to get your ideas down fast, seriously look into Logic. Here I am going to talk about grabbing loops out of the media browser and how to setup great sounding instrument tracks with ease. (more…)
Build a Home Studio for Under $1500 February 17, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Logic Studio 8, Project Studio, Studio Setup , add a commentRound 2 of suggestions for equipping a home studio! This time, I am going to work with a little bigger budget. We will assume, as in the earlier post that you already have a computer (PC or Mac) to record with. But, if you are looking for a great computer for this type of studio, check out the Apple iMac . Whichever model you get, be sure to snag a RAM upgrade. I would also suggest an external firewire hard drive to use to record. While you can use the system drive, you will get much better performance by dedicating an external drive for audio. On to the studio! This setup, like the last one, will have everything you need to record music, create songs and beats with MIDI, and mix your projects.
Logic for Pro Tools Users: Part 2 February 15, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Leopard, Logic Studio 8, Pro Tools , 3commentsInstallment #2 for for all the Pro Tools users who are currently using Logic. If you are like me, then you made the jump because Digidesign still has not gotten Pro Tools compatible with Apple’s Leopard Operating System (although it does have some success working in 10.5.1, but less in 10.5.2) Plenty of Pro Tools users will tell you that they use Pro Tools because of its audio editing capabilities. Yes, I would agree that it is excellent for that, BUT, this new version of Logic has some great tricks up its sleeve. Although the editing is much different than that of Pro Tools, I have found it to be very quick and effective so far (once you get used to the new hotkeys). (more…)
Logic for Pro Tools Users: Part 1 February 13, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Leopard, Logic Studio 8, Pro Tools , 6commentsThe wait continues!
Yes, Pro Tools users are still waiting for Apple and Digidesign to get their ducks in a row. Supposedly Digidesign is going to update LE to be compatible with the 10.5.2 Leopard update soon. In the meantime, Pro Tools, although running on 10.5.1, is kind of buggy… NOTE: Do not upgrade to 10.5.2 if you are running Pro Tools in 10.5.1. I am definitely hearing that people are having problems.
So many Pro Tools LE users (including myself) went ahead and made the plunge into Logic Studio 8. Now, I love Pro Tools, and hope to always continue to use it, but Logic is an amazing deal. Tons of plug-ins and VIs, lots of extra applications (including WaveBurner, which is an absolutely excellent CD authoring program), and ready-to-go surround mixing and effects. However, some of the Pro Tools community is finding Logic very “illogical” in its user interface. Pro Tools is really known for its simplicity and intuitiveness, and when I switched over to Logic, I was initially disappointed to find that I felt lost.
But fear not! Logic is a great program; we Pro Tools users just need to NOT think of it from within the PT mindset. Its a whole ‘nother beast, with its own tricks and features…
Some Popular Mixing Techniques/Effects February 5, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Digital home recording studios, Logic Studio 8, Mixing , 2commentsEver wonder how to get that distorted “old record player sound” on your drum mix, or that “AM radio” effect on your voice? Although there are many different ways of achieving those sounds, here is a short guide on how to start exploring these sonic gems. These may be “cliche”… but they are cliche for one reason: they work!