How to Learn Logic Pro

As one of the most powerful Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) applications on the planet, Logic Pro has gained widespread acceptance in the electronic music industry. Used in the creation of EDM, hip hop, live DJ’ing, and other forms of electronic music, Logic brings a world of sounds, loops, and beats to your fingertips.

Logic is much more than a bunch of pre-packaged sounds, however. Everything you need to start writing a song from scratch to advanced sampling, mixing and mastering can be accomplished with the software. With electronic music becoming more visible across the spectrum of genres, understanding how to use a DAW is a must for artists, audio engineers, and music producers.

However, the world is made up of two kinds of people: Mac and PC. So it’s important to note that at this time, Logic Pro is only available on Mac platforms. For you Windows users, Ableton Live and Pro Tools are outstanding alternatives to Logic. Both are used throughout the industry and are as versatile as the Mac software.

Getting Started

Something to keep in mind: At this point, Apple isn’t offering a free trial of Logic Pro, and the educational bundle will cost you around $200. So that is a consideration when deciding if you want to use this particular DAW. We’re not going to tell you how to spend your money, but Logic Pro is an industry standard application.

For the most part, Logic Pro is a plug and play application. But no matter how much you want to dive right in, you’ll need to understand what you’re looking at. Imagine trying to drive if you’ve never seen a car before. It’s nice to know how the air conditioner works, but not nearly as important as the brakes, gas, or even how to start the car.

Take the time to know where your tools are (and what they do). Where the loops are located, how to open the different instruments, and how to call up the midi keyboard. Logic Pro has a “quick help” button that will give you pointers wherever you point the cursor. In time you’ll know where everything is, but it can be invaluable at the start.

There are plenty of resources online. Chat rooms, message boards, tutorials, and more are all just a few clicks away. While you can get many of your questions answered this way, you’ll want to be selective of who you listen to. Of course, YouTube videos are a treasure trove of “how to” videos, too.

The only problem with this route is the give and take. It can be a pain taking and sharing screenshots to ask specific questions on a message board or chat (if they even have that capability) and videos won’t let you ask questions. But stick with it. If this is your dream, you’ll need to fight through.

A Final Step

There’s more to making music than just putting sounds together, obviously. You’ve mastered the drums, made killer beats, and your loops are proficient. But how do they sound together? Are you feeling the music and, just as important, will the audience feel it?

There’s only one way to find out: ask them. If you and friends are all jumping into the electronic music scene together, pass tracks around and get their feedback. If that isn’t the case, take to social media and see what it has to say. Not everyone will be kind of course, so try to take opinions with a grain of salt.

A little bit of networking doesn’t hurt, either. Is there a local artist that you admire? Ask if they could listen to a small sample of what you’ve been working on. They aren’t going to take time to listen to all 12 hours of your work, but give them a couple of minutes of your best stuff.

Finally, consider reaching out to studios for their advice, even paying for their time by booking space. They can give you an honest assessment of your work and offer pointers on how to improve. Now, you don’t want to spend a ton of money booking time in a studio just to get help with a single problem you’re having, so use this time constructively.

A Professional Education

After spending the time to learn everything that Logic Pro offers, including the additional plugins and updates, does it feel like you’re not quite where you need to be? That can be frustrating, especially how long it took to get to this point. It might be time to think about learning from professionals in something other than 30-minute chunks.

At Recording Connection, our Logic Pro Electronic Music Production Program is a fully immersive experience where you’ll be paired with an electronic music professional that has mastered Logic Pro. This isn’t a once-a-week class: our externs spend up to 40 hours a week in the studio learning about more than just the software.

From the physics of how sound moves, the differences between analog and digital, and advanced mixing and mastering, the program goes well beyond understanding how to layer tracks and edit drum beats.

What you already know about Logic won’t be wasted. Our mentors will build on that knowledge, concentrating on what you need to work on and expanding on what you already know. Don’t even own Logic Pro? That’s fine too – our programs are designed to work for the inexperienced as well.

All we ask is that you bring a willingness to work, learn, and be responsible. Our mentors will take the time to work around your schedule, so be ready to put in the effort when you’re in the studio. This isn’t playtime – you have a lot invested in yourself. Let’s see how far you can take it.