LPX

WORKFLOW
CHECKLIST

THE 10 LOGIC PRO WORKFLOW ENHANCEMENTS YOU NEED TO BE USING

RIGHT NOW

PROVIDED BY

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 WELCOME!

Thanks so much for downloading this checklist to supercharge your Logic

Pro workflow.

Logic Pro X has a HUGE array of tools to help you create and produce
amazing music. But it's not always obvious what those workflow
enhancements are, or where to even find them!

Often Logic users stick with the default settings. And they never really
know how awesome Logic can actually be...

So I decided to put together a checklist of my 10 favorite LPX workflow

enhancements to help Logic users such as yourself.

Trust me – implement these 10 tips and your Logic life will explode in
speed and efficiency. 

And then you can get down to making great music ;)

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CUSTOMIZE
PLAYHEAD POSITION

As much as I love Logic, the Playhead's default behavior is surprisingly unproductive.

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Hit spacebar to start playback, and then hit spacebar again to stop. When you hit play again,
what happens?

The playhead resumes playing from wherever it left off.

How helpful is that?

Too often we need to listen to the same part over and over again. So we need playback to occur
from the last selected starting position.

To correct this behavior, Control-click or right-click the Play Button in Logic's Control Bar.
From the drop-down menu, select Play From Last Locate Position:

Now when you stop and resume playback, Logic's playhead will begin from the last selected
starting position.

(P.S. You can also adjust Logic's playhead behavior when it comes to Marquee and Cycle
selections too.)

For more info on Playhead Position, check out this post:

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CLICK ZONES

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While Logic provides a handy array of tools that can be assigned to multiple mouse buttons, it's
not the most intuitive workflow. We most often need:

- the Arrow Tool for selecting

- the Marquee Tool for editing
- the Fade Tool for adding fades

Why not have instant access to these tools all the time?

To do this, go to Logic Pro X > Preferences > General... at the top in the Task Bar:

And then select the Editing tab within the General menu. In the section labeled Pointer Tool in
Tracks Provided, enable:

- Fade Tool Click Zones

- Marquee Tool Click Zones
- Quick Swipe and Take Editing Click Zones

For more info on Click Zones, check out this post:

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CLICK ZONES

Now, when you hover your mouse:

- In the top half of a region, you'll have your Arrow Tool

- In the bottom half of a region, you'll have your Marquee Tool
- In the top left or right corner of a region, you'll have your Fade Tool

And you'll also have an expanded toolset when working in Take Folders as well!

For more info on Click Zones, check out this post:

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 3
KEY COMMANDS

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Key Commands are critical to your Logic workflow. What's a Key Command? It's when you press
one (or several) keys on your Mac's keyboard to achieve a result in Logic.

While there are tons of handy menus and buttons, there's nothing faster than hitting R on your
Mac's keyboard to start recording.

For more awesome key commands, check out this post:

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KEY COMMANDS

Here's a punch-list of my favorite key commands I use the most:

1. Command-U to Set Locations by Region

Very often you'll need to loop a particular section to work on. Instead of constantly setting the
Cycle Range, use this key command. Click on the region you'd like to loop, and use Command-U
to set the Cycle Range.

2. Control-Option-Click and Drag to Zoom with the Magnifying Tool

I love Logic's Zoom tool so much. I've found it to be much more responsive and fluid than other
DAWs. You can enable the Zoom Tool any time by simply holding Control-Option, and then
clicking and dragging anywhere in the Arrange page.

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3. Control-S to Solo Region
Mixing is all about fine details. And when you're working on a huge mix, sometimes you need to
quickly solo a region for critical listening. Select your desired region, and use this key command
to hone right in.
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For more great key commands, check out this post:

For more awesome key commands, check out this post:

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CAPTURE RECORDING
& QUICK PUNCH
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How often are you playing along with your Logic Project, you rip the most perfect take, but you
weren't recording?

Frustrating, I know! Genius waits for no one to hit the record button. Thankfully, Logic has 2
amazing features to retroactively save those fragile moments.

Capture Recording for Instrument Tracks

Logic's safety net for MIDI is called "Capture Recording." It's pretty simple:

- You're playing along and realize you struck genius

- Hit the spacebar to stop playback
- Before you do anything else – hit key command Shift-R

And voila! Your MIDI performance will magically appear :)

Quick Punch-In for Audio Tracks

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For Audio Tracks the procedure is a little different, but still wonderful.
USERS First, go up to Record >
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Allow Quick Punch In up in the Task Bar.

Now, whenever you catch yourself performing and realize you hit genius, do the following:

- DON'T stop playback

- Hit key command R to start recording
- NOW hit spacebar to stop recording

Even though the new region looks empty, just drag the left edge of the region to the left. Your
audio will reveal itself :)

For more info on Capture Recording, check out this post:

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 5
TRACK STACKS

Track Stacks are quite possibly the best organizational and creative tool in Logic. I remember
life without Track Stacks, and believe me – it wasn't pretty!

Think of Track Stacks like folders. You're able to select multiple tracks and compile them into a
single folder.

That folder can be opened or closed to save space on the Arrange page. And all the tracks inside
the Track Stack will be routed to the same bus. This makes processing a group of tracks super
easy, such as a group of backing vocals or drums.

You can even use Track Stacks to group several Instrument Tracks together to create a single
super instrument! Want to play an electric piano, upright bass, and mono synth all at the same

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time? No prob!

Here's the procedure for creating Track Stacks:

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- Select each track you'd like to combine by holding Command and IN ASIA
clicking each individual
Track's Header
- Use key command Shift-Command-G to create a Summing Stack

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TRACK STACKS

And you're all set! Now you can open

and close your Track Stack using the
small triangle in the Track Header:

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Add plugins to the Track Stack to
process the whole group:

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Or play a Stack of Instrument Tracks

at the same time simply by selecting
the Track Stack:

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AUTOCOLORIZE
TRACKS

Every month I get a copy of Sound on Sound magazine delivered to my house. I love the
magazine especially for their great in-depth interviews with top mix engineers.
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In those interviews, the engineers dissect their mix workflows. And every one of those
engineers always starts by explaining how they organize their sessions.

Want to speed up your workflow? Develop an organizational strategy. No one likes looking
through a hundred files that are called "Audio 1, Audio 2, Audio 3..."

Logic goes the extra mile by allowing you to color-code your tracks. This makes navigating your
sessions a snap.

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But why spend 10 minutes color-coding when Logic can just do it for you?

Go to Logic Pro X > Preferences > Display... up in the Task Bar at the top of your Mac's screen:

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AUTOCOLORIZE
TRACKS
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Then select the Tracks tab in the window that pops up. Under Appearance is a drop-down
menu for Color. Of the 3 options, select Auto Progress 96:

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Now when you create new tracks or drag in new Audio Files, Logic will automatically assign
them a different color.

Bonus Tip: Go to File > Project Settings > Recording... Under General in the pop-up window,
enable Auto-Colorize Takes. Now every time you record a new take, Logic will give each new
take a different color.

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LOW LATENCY
MODE

Latency sounds super complicated but is actually quite easy to understand.

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Anytime you experience a delay between what you're playing and what you're hearing – that's
latency.

Thankfully Logic has a straightforward system for handling Latency in the Logic Preferences:

- Go to Logic Pro X > Preferences > Audio...

- Adjust the Buffer Size to the smallest number possible that doesn't produce pops and clicks

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Need more info on Latency? Check out this post:

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LOW LATENCY
MODE
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Oftentimes this works great. But if you're working on a big Project with lots of plugins and
busses, a small Buffer might not help fix the delay.

That's where Low Latency Mode comes in. It's like a panic button that shuts off anything
causing Latency in your Project. To find Low Latency Mode:

- Go up to the top of your Logic window (called the Control Bar)

- Right-click or Control-click, and select Customize Control Bar and Display in the pop-up
- Select Low Latency Mode in the Modes and Functions column all the way to the right

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A new icon that looks like a speedometer will appear in the Control Bar. Click on that button to
enable Low Latency Mode:

Now you can record comfortably without any delays!

Need more info on Latency? Check out this post:

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SENDS, BUSSES,
AUXES

Sends, Busses, Auxes... these words can strike fear into the hearts of Logic users!
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These concepts are actually quite straight-forward. I think it's just the weird sounding words
that trip most people up.

Imagine the sink in your kitchen or bathroom. When you turn on the faucet, the water doesn't
just magically appear, does it? It has to come from somewhere.

To get that water to your sink, you need pipes to transport the water. And you choose how
much water you want to use by turning the faucet handles.

What does this have to do with sends? Just about

everything!

- Sends are like the handles on your faucet. You decide how
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much sound you want to send by adjusting the Send level.

- Busses are like the piping in your house. They're the

pathway which sound travels from your Audio Track to an
Aux Channel.

- Auxes are like your kitchen sink. It's the intended

destination for your sound.

So when you think about it, the flow of sound looks like
this:

Audio Track > Send > Bus > Aux Channel

For the full breakdown on Bussing, check out this post:

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SENDS, BUSSES,
AUXES
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We most often use these 3 together to send several tracks to the same effect, such as a reverb
or delay. For more an in-depth look, check out this post:

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For the full breakdown on Bussing, check out this post:

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AUTOSELECT
AUTOMATION
PARAMETER 9
Automation is the key to bringing life and dynamics to your tracks. While you'll spend countless
hours perfecting your faders and plugin choices, sometimes it's just not enough.

With Automation, you can program faders, panning, and plugin parameters to evolve throughout
the mix. You can have your cake and eat it too!

To access Automation in Logic, use key command A on the Arrange Page. A new drop-down field
should appear in the Track Header of each track. By clicking the drop-down menu, you can see
all the available options you have for Automating:

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It's a lot to pick through, isn't it? Most of the time you'll know exactly what you want to
automate. Why waste time digging through menus?

Want to know more about Automation? Check out this post:

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AUTOSELECT
AUTOMATION
PARAMETER 9
To solve this problem you'll need to enable Autoselect Automation Parameter in Read Mode.

In the Task Bar at the top of your Mac's screen go to the Mix drop-down and select Autoselect
Automation Parameter in Read Mode:

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With Automation view enabled (key command A), open a plugin for any one of your tracks. Then
simply click one of the knobs of the plugins. Logic will automatically update the Automation
view specifically to that parameter.

This shortcut will save you from having to dig into the Automation drop-down menu everything
you want to write Automation.

Want to know more about Automation? Check out this post:

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LOGIC PRO RULES

Sorry, I just couldn't help myself ;)

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But it's so true – Why Logic Pro Rules is a website dedicated to helping
Logic users like you get the most you can out of Logic Pro X.

Every week I post new videos, emails, and content that dig into everything
related to Logic. From Flex Time to Mixing and Mastering – it's all there
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Join the thousands of readers and subscribers who agree that Logic Pro
rules.

Thanks!

Chris

P.S. Can't find a video or post on a particular challenge you have with Logic?
Send me an email! I rely on subscribers like you to help me create only the best
and most relevant material: [email protected]

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