Getting Started With Logic

Installing Logic And it’s Add Ons

Installing Logic
How Do I Install a Key Command File?

Setting Up Logic

Installing And Configuring Audio
Configuring MIDI
Configuring Logic’s Preferences
Testing Audio
Testing MIDI
Using the Virtual Midi Keyboard
Changing Sounds Midi/Audio
What is/How to deal with Latency

Installing Logic

In the App Store, download Logic.
Afterward, find Logic in your Finder application folder. Launch Logic.

Installing The Key Command File

Use the Youtube tutorial or the written steps to install the 3rd party .logikcs Key Command file of your choice as, for example, [Logic Keyboard Ninja.

After downloading, you will have to unzip the LogicKN Key Commands File, if your security settings prevent automatic unzipping.

Next, launch Logic. Then, press Option+K to open the Key Commands list dialog.
In the Key Commands list dialog, activate the actions menu button to open a drop down menu. Navigate down the menu and select import to open the standard open file dialogue box.
In the standard open file dialogue box, press Option+Command+L to navigate to your download folder, select the LogicKN key command file, and press return to import it and close the dialog. You should be returned to the Key Commands list dialog with the key commands imported.

Installing And Configuring Audio

If using an external Midi or Audio Device, when initially setting them up, please consult their manuals or quick start guides to learn whether to first connect the device to the computer, or whether to first install their drivers.

If your midi or Audio Device has a USB (Firewire or Thunderbolt) cable, plug the cable into your computer.
- If you want to connect your MIDI keyboard or device using MIDI (not USB) cables, connect a MIDI cable from MIDI out on the keyboard/Device into MIDI in on your audio/midi interface, and, from MIDI out on your interface into MIDI in on your keyboard/MIDI Device.
If you have a Midi keyboard/device that can connect to the computer over USB, you can just connect it directly to the computer using the USB cable
Install all drivers that came with your audio interface and/or midi keyboard/device. It’s recommended to download them directly from the manufacturer’s website instead of using the ones if any are included in the box. They are usually found under the download or support section of their website.
By now you should have Installed Logic. If so, open Logic. The first time you open Logic, the program will prompt you to download essential content, (loops and samples etc.). Once completed, you will be prompted to download additional content. Choose to proceed with the download of the additional content and on the subsequent screen, if you navigate to the end of that window there should be a select all option so you can choose all the additional content at once.
Once all that is done and logic is loaded, you can press Command+comma to go to preferences, which is a dialog with a toolbar at the top where you select one of the different category of preferences for which you may want to adjust settings. Categories of preferences are further organized by tabs.
Follow these steps: Interact with the toolbar. Navigate to and select audio. Stop Interacting. Navigate to and select the devices tab.
In the devices tab, navigate through the audio device input and output pop up buttons and make your selection. )Audio device is also commonly called sound card or audio interface. They all mean the same thing.)

Enabling Your MIDI Device

You do not need to enable Class compliant MIDI devices. They are automatically recognized and ready for use when connected to your computer. However, if your device came with drivers, you may have to install them before Logic can recognize your device.

Note:: if you connected your Midi device directly to the computer via USB, It will probably be displayed in logic with the device name. If you used a Midi In/Out to USB cable or 2 Midi cables to connect the Midi in and out of your midi device to your sound card or audio interface, it may be displayed in Logic as something with the name of The sound card/audio interface device and midi.
Note:: VoiceOver users may have to use an actual mouse or trackpad as it’s hit or miss where the VO+Shift+Space keyboard shortcut for right click HotKey will work in Logic. If using a one button mouse or a track pad you can right click by holding the control key while clicking the mouse/trackpad or by doing a two finger press on the trackpad.

Configuring Logic Preferences

The following changes will make it easier for you to use everything that’s accessible in Logic using the keyboard. Follow the Youtube tutorial or the written guide below.

Enabling Advanced Preferences: Press command+comma to open Logic preferences. Interact with the toolbar, navigate to advanced, and select it. enable each advanced options by checking them. Alternatively, you can jump to the bottom of the window with VO+End (VO+FN+RightArrow on laptops) and select the “Enable All” button to save time over checking all the advanced options individually.
Display: If you have not already done so, press command+comma to open Logic preferences and interact with the tool bar. Then select “display”. Stop interacting with the toolbar, and navigate to and select the “Mixer” tab. Than navigate to and check the “*open in controls view*” checkbox.

Test Audio Recording

To see if your audio interface is set up properly, create a quick recording as follows:

Open Logic.
Press Command+N to create a new project.
Interact with collection, select empty project, and stop interacting.
Press VO + the end key to jump to the end of the window. (VO+FN+RightArrow if using a laptop)
Activate the choose button, and a new window will open.
The new window will prompt you for number of tracks, and type of tracks. Navigate towards the top of the window, and select audio track. Leave the number of tracks option on its default of one.
Navigate to the create button, activate it, and you will be placed in a new project in the tracks group.
Interact with the tracks group, and navigate to the track header. Interact with the track header, and you will be placed on the single audio track in the project.
Press “R” to start recording and speak or play your instrument to capture it. By default Logic is set to a 1 measure count in, so you will have to let it count in for one measure before recording will be captured.
Press the SpaceBar to end the Recording.
+Press Return to go back to the start of the project.
Press SpaceBar to toggle play/Stop of the recording.
Press Command+Option+A to add a new audio track to the project.
To record on a particular track, navigate to the desired track with Up or Down Arrows or VO+Up or Down Arrows. When on the desired audio track, press “Return” to move the playhead to the beginning. Press R” to start recording.

You can visit the KeyCommands List for more keyboard commands for using Logic.

Note:: By default Logic will let you record onto a selected track without arming it. The currently selected track is the track you navigate to using Up or Down Arrows or VO+ArrowKeys in the track header area. Arming a particular track will tell Logic that you want to specifically record to said particular track no matter which track in the project is selected.
To arm a track, press Control+R, or interact with the track header and check the record enable checkbox. You will also have to remember to unarm the track before recording to a new track. You can toggle arming of the track off by pressing Control+R again, or by unchecking the record enable checkbox. As VoiceOver can be unreliable when speaking the state of the record enable button, if you are not recording to more than one tracks at a time it may not be worth arming a track and just relying on logics ability to automatically record to the selected track.
By Default, input on each new track is set to input 1. If using an audio interface, you will need to have a microphone or instrument plugged into input 1 on the interface for it to be captured. If using Built in Audio Device/Sound Card, the default for each track will most likely be your built in microphone. If using an audio interface and you would like to record from inputs 2, 3 etc, stop interacting with the track group entirely, navigate to and interact with the inspector and navigate to and interact with the Mixer layout area then the channel strip which shares a name with the track you are attempting to adjust. In the channel strip navigate to the “Input 1” pop up button. Select it and then choose the input you would like to use from the input sub menu. If the Inspector is not on your screen, press the letter “I” to toggle the inspector back into view.

Test MIDI Recording

Test if your midi keyboard is working within Logic by loading a soft synth onto a track as follows:

Press Command+N to create a new project in Logic.
Interact where it says collection near the top of the window. Then select empty project.
Stop interacting with Collection, navigate to the choose button towards the bottom of the window, and activate it.
The new screen will prompt you for number of tracks, and type of tracks. Navigate towards the top of the window and select Software instrument. Leave the number of tracks option on its default of one and navigate to and activate the create button.(“
You will then be placed in a new project in the tracks group. Interact with it and navigate to the track header. Interact with that and you will be placed on the single software instrument track in the project, by default the classic electric piano.
Press “R” to start recording. Let it count in for one measure, then play your Midi keyboard to capture it. By default Logic is set to a 1 measure count in. before recording will be captured.
Press the SpaceBar to stop the Recording.
Press Return to move the playhead to the start of the track.
Press SpaceBar to toggle play/Stop of the recording to confirm your recording was made.
To record to a new track press Command+Option+S to add a new software instrument track to the project. When in track headers, you can navigate between tracks with Up or Down Arrows or with VO+Up or Down Arrows. Once you are on this new instrument track you can press “R” to start recording again.

You can visit the KeyCommands List for more keyboard commands for using Logic.

Using The Virtual Midi Keyboard

If you do not have access to a hardware Midi Keyboard, you can use the Virtual Keyboard, which uses the computers regular typing keyboard to emulate a midi keyboard. Logic refers to this as the musical typing keyboard and you can toggle it on or off with Command+K. When the musical typing keyboard is active, your home row on the keyboard (A, s, D, f, etc.) are the white keys starting with middle C. The row above it will be your sharps or flats or the black keys on the piano. This starts with C sharp/d flat on the “W” key. Because the letters “R” and “Q” are not used for sharp/flat, their normal function of starting recording or quantizing respectively can still be performed without toggling the musical typing keyboard off. You can shift the keyboard note range down or up an octave with “Z” or “X” respectively. you may sustain notes by pressing the “TAB” key and pitch bend down or up by using the number “1” and “2” keys respectively. You may also modulate the software instrument by pressing the numbers “4” through “8”, and turn modulation off with the number “3”. What parameter gets modulated depends on the software instrument currently in use.

Changing Sounds on either an Midi or Audio track

On a MIDI track, if you would like a different sound other than the classic electric piano. You will have to stop interacting with the track group entirely, navigate to and interact with the inspector and in there navigate to and interact with the Mixer layout area and then the channel strip which will share the name of the track. In the channel strip navigate to where it says”E-Piano group”. Interact with it and then navigate to and select the list pop up button. From this list you can now choose the instrument you would like to use. Third party instruments can be selected from the AU instruments sub menu.
Alternatively you can go interact with the library and choose one of Logic’s many patches sorted for you already by instruments. If the library isn’t visible you can toggle it into view with it’s HotKey “Y”.
If you are on an Audio track, you can add a chain of effects in a similar manner. The Library will be organized by instrument type and once you select an instrument type, like say “Vocals” or “Guitar” you will find patches appropriately named by the sound they attempt to approximate. This is a great starting point to get to a more polished sound quickly.
Once you interact with the library browser you can navigate the list of categories with VO+Up/Down Arrows. Once you decide on a category you can use VO+Right Arrow to get to the list of patches or sub-categories, and continue to navigate through them with VO+Up/Down Arrows. Once you navigate to any patch its automatically loaded and you can hear what it sounds like by pressing space to play already recorded tracks, or play your keyboard etc to hear it in real time. You can use VO+LeftArrow to return to the previous list of categories or sub-categories. For adding individual effects to an Audio or Midi track, see the FX section on the “Frequently Encountered Scenarios” page.

Latency

When recording, latency is the delay that occurs between pressing a key on your midi keyboard and hearing the sound from your speakers or headphones. Similarly, latency is the delay between speaking into the mic (or playing your instrument) and hearing the sound from your speakers or headphones. If desired, llower latency by lowering the I/O Buffer Size in the preference pane where you select your audio device as follows: press Command+Comma to open preferences; in the toolbar select audio, and select the Devices tab. Navigate to the pop up button next to i/o buffer size, and activate it and select a lower value.

Navigating Projects

Move the playhead through a project time line as follows:

Period or Comma moves one measure forward or backward.
Shift+Period or Shift+Comma Moves forward or backward by 8 measures. (Fast Forward or Fast Rewind)
+Control+Command+Period or Control+Command+Comma moves forward or backward by Division Value (Default is set to 1/16th note) (requires Logic Keyboard Ninja to be installed)
Shift+Command+Period or Shift+Command+Comma moves forward and backward in small increments. (Scrub Forward or Scrub Rewind)
Return moves to the start of the project (Go To Beginning)

Go To Position Dialog

/ brings up the “Go To Position” dialog box where you can type in an exact measure to move to in the project.
Examples
- Type / 36 Return to move playhead to bar 36.
- Type / 36 3 return to move playhead to bar 36, beat 3.
- Type / 36 4 3 return to move playhead to bar 36, beat 4, third sixteenth note division.

You can use a space (e..g. 36 3) or a period (e.g. 36.3) when typing in positions you want to go to.

Moving by markers

Option+Apostrophe creates a marker at the playhead position.
Option+Shift+Period or Option+Shift+Comma moves playhead to next or previous marker.
Numbers 1 through 0 on the numPad to move playhead To that numbered marker. For example , NumPad 2 moves the playhead to the second marker in the project time line.

Selecting All Or Portions Of Tracks Or Regions

First, use Up or Down Arrows or VO+Up or Down arrows to select the track you want to edit. If you want to select multiple tracks, use Shift+Up or Down arrows. Be aware that when selecting multiple tracks VoiceOver won’t speak. Next, move the playhead to where you want selection to begin. Then:

Set Left Locator with Option+Command+[
Use one of above navigational method to move to where you want the end of selection, and set Right Locator with Option+Command+]
Split Region between Locators or Marquee Selection with Control+Command+T

This will split what’s between the locators on the selected track into its own region and select it. Shift+Space will play from the selection start, and to hear the selected regions only press Control+S. Toggled Cycle on by pressing “C” to hear the selection continuously repeating.
Once verified that the right area is selected, you can copy (Command+C), Cut (Command+X) and move the playhead to wherever and paste it with Command+V. More details can be found on the Frequently Encountered Scenarios in Logic page. Note: most of the selection key commands above rely on the Logic Keyboard Ninja KeyCommands, which you will need to install before using.