If you use Auto Gain - which automatically compensates the output level in respect to the gain reduction applied - use the dB choice rather than 0dB option, which could seriously compromise your headroom!
On the Compressor, for example, avoid overcooking the Make-Up control post-compression. You might even want to add-in the Loudness meter to see how dynamic or not your mix is. With the tracks correctly Gain Staged to dB, you can piece together a mix with plenty of headroom. Opinion varies on what the optimal levels are for good mixing, but most solutions fall between dBFS and dBFS, and you can also take different views of whether this is average or peak levels. The regions are then adjusted to dB on a per-track basis, rather than as individual regions. If you got a lot of tracks to correct, Logic includes a handy tool for setting region gain. Arguably the most elegant solution for Audio Tracks is the Region-based Gain control, which adjusts Gain on a region-by-region basis. Once instantiated, lowered the Gain control paying attention to the levels on the Pre-Fade channel meters. Adjust the threshold to your preferred working level, which is usually dB. Good metering is essential for effective Gain Staging, so try placing an instance of the Level Meter plug-in across the main bus. Of course, the inevitable question for those that enjoy their music sounding hyped or compressed, is that whether good Gain Staging results in productions that lack edge? In the long run, therefore, something as relatively innocuous as Gain Staging could be the workflow change that makes all the difference! The walkthrough illustrates a number of contrasting solutions you can take in Logic Pro X so as to actively Gain Stage your mix correctly. Put simply, Gain Staging is all about allowing Headroom in your mix, both on a track-by-track basis, but also in subsequent buses and, of course, the main stereo bus. Assemble a collection of these loops into a composition, therefore, and before you know it, the Master fader is clipping red.Ī simple sign of bad Gain Staging, therefore, is either a Master Fader, or individual channel faders, dramatically attenuated below their unity position. As a result, many engineers are returning to a mixing and production workflow that values dynamic range and headroom - the art of Gain Staging, in other words. Of course, this methodology is a guaranteed route to producing a loud mixbut even in the case of more compressed music styles like EDM, for example the lack of sonic headroom makes for a confined and restricted working environment. One of the big problems of the Loudness Wars was a tendency to work consistently up to 0dBFS - in other words, pushing everything in the mix, even the mix itself, as close to the top of the meter scale as possible. Put simply, choice is being put back in our hands - we can choose between our music is pushed to the limits or an alternative where we give the arrangement room to breathe without fear the listener hears a dramatically quieter mix.
It'll be your last audio channel strip, so it may also be named Audio 256.Streaming has actively changed the way we produce music, in this case, driven by the Loudness Correction used by the likes of Spotify and iTunes that actively turns down overcooked masters. You should see a new audio channel strip appear in view called Prelisten. Open Logic's Mixer and click on the " ALL" view in the top right of the window. Fortunately, we can access this channel strip without even entering the Environment window.
However, when you preview it in the Sample Editor you only hear the dry, untreated performance sans lovely reverb and EQ.Īny audio you wish to preview in the Sample Editor, Audio Bin or Loop Browser has it's very own exclusive channel strip in Logic. Let's say you need to reverse this region, or apply some destructive audio editing to it, which can be done in the Sample Editor. Or, B) You've got a recorded vocal performance on an audio track which has some signal sent to an Aux channel for some gentle EQ and reverb effects. But when previewing other loops in the Loop Browser you can only hear them dry and unprocessed. That drum loop channel strip has your chosen effects inserted which drastically alter it's sound. A) You're previewing loops in the Loop Browser in order to replace an existing drum loop in your project. Let's imagine two common scenarios often experienced by Logic users.
In this Quick Tip we're going to explore how to effectively use Logic's Prelisten channel to preview audio with and without effects.