2/5/17 - Learning Logic (Software) (Part 15) (Sampled Instruments)

36% complete.  Alright!  Today I finally got to the chapter on sampled instruments, as in midi instruments that actually play real recordings from real-world instruments!  This is what I'm most familiar with working in GarageBand and all that.  And this is one of the main reasons I wanted to upgrade to Logic, for more powerful, more advanced sampled instruments.  Today I learned where exactly to find the different settings and features, most notably the keyboard mapping feature (which allows you to create your own instrument from your own set of recordings).  GarageBand may have had that, though I'm not sure.  Never actually tried that before, but it's definitely crossed my mind.  Anyway, for my reference, apparently every sampled instrument operates under an effect(?) called EXS24.  This is what you'll open to manipulate the instrument.

2/2/17 - Learning Logic (Software) (Part 14) (Emulator Instruments)

35% complete.  More on digital instruments.  This chapter called them "emulator" rather than synth, but it's all still digital instruments.  I think these are just ones that try to capture a sound that comes from more real-world instruments, without the use of actual sampled sounds, like a real single piano key or whatever.  If I'm getting that right?  All the settings are way complex though, all the different options and dials, way more complex than GarageBand, so it might take me a while to really wrap my head around it all.  And I still can't find the simple reverb setting!  Haha!  But I'm having fun exploring it all.

1/31/17 - Learning Logic (Software) (Part 13) (Synth Instruments)

34% complete.  Now we're finally getting to the good stuff!  Explored a bunch of synth instruments today.  And learned about the differences between the different… what-cha-ma-call-its… the little box, effect, I don't know what it's called… the thing… ESM, ESP, ESE, that, you know?  haha  Anyway, I learned that that's the thing you click (double-click) to really edit the sound of these instruments, and where to look for presets, how to change layouts, etc.  The instructor explained the difference between the acronyms, what they really mean and all, but it went a little over my head so for I think for now I'm just gonna pick the closest default sound to whatever I'm looking for and then just mess around and play it by ear as I get closer to something I like.  I'm usually not into the synth sounds for my music, but it was a cool introduction to instruments in Logic.  And after this short lesson I really feel A LOT more comfortable to explore on my own.  There's a lot of cool new instruments to explore now!  And I'm just talking about the ones that come pre-packaged with the software!  Can't wait to see what extra add-ons I can get!

1/30/17 - Learning Logic (Software) (Part 12) (Intro to MIDI)

32% complete.  Just a quick intro to MIDI today.  I'm already extremely familiar with working with midi (I've been composing film scores in GarageBand for many years now).  In fact, that's one of the main reasons I bought Logic in the first place.  A major upgrade and stepping stone for my audio editing (with Pro Tools being the final step if I ever have the money), and a major upgrade to my music composing.  I've heard so many great compositions that used Logic (it seems as though it's practically the final step before recording with a real orchestra!), so I'm really excited to finally get started with it.  Anyway, mostly all I learned today was really where to look for things when I need them, differences in the interface between it and GarageBand.  But this is really where the tutorial is gonna get super fun for me.  I'm very excited!  :)

1/28/17 - Learning Logic (Software) (Part 11) (Varispeed)

28% complete.  This was really cool to learn, all about adjusting a sound to a new speed or pitch with Varispeed.  I've been wanting a tool like this for a long time, something that can slow down (or speed up) audio without affecting the pitch.  However, this effect applies to the entire project (all tracks combined).  The instructor mentioned another tool called "Flex Time", which apparently allows you to do this same speed/pitch effect, but for each individual track.  He didn't go into Flex Time during this chapter (it's a later one up ahead), but that'll probably be the one I really use most often.  Looking forward to trying it out!

1/27/17 - Learning Logic (Software) (Part 10) (Punch Recording)

28% complete.  No, not recording punch sound effects…  :)  Rather, re-recording and replacing audio at a specific point of a new take.  I can see this being very helpful to know in the future (I've definitely wanted this before with Garageband and such), especially for midi recording (I assume it works with midi as well), though the actual buttons to hit and set up went a little over my head at the moment, so I'll probably have to revisit this chapter when I'm really ready to use it.

1/24/17 - Learning Logic (Software) (Part 9) (Comping Multiple Takes)

27% complete.  Another quick chapter.  Talked about using the Quick Swipe tool to combine (comp) multiple recorded takes into one track.  I could see it being very helpful, but up until this point I've just manually done that kind of work.  It might take a little while to really wrap my head around the new idea (and exactly how to perform it in Logic).  It's also seems more geared toward music I'd say (rather than sound effects editing) where fine-tuned timing is relatively the same across all takes, but at the moment my mind is mostly focused on audio editing, so I might not use this tool for a while.  Also, it used a live recording as an example, but I'm wondering if this works for midi instruments as well.

If I ever want to revisit the specifics of this process, here's some key things to search:

• Comping
• Quick Swipe
• Color-coding tracks

1/22/17 - Learning Logic (Software) (Part 8) (Guitar Pedal Board)

26% complete.  Man, I keep forgetting to post to this blog!  Regardless, I'm back again, with another 5 min. or so on that tutorial.  Today's lesson was another… what do you call it… "effect"?  I'm still unclear on the software's terminology.  Anyway, mostly geared for live recordings of guitars and such, it's the pedal board.  I'm not that familiar with all these real-world guitar analogies, but it seems to be basically just another way to create and adjust the general tone of the instrument.  Can't see too much use for it myself at the moment, but perhaps in the future if I ever do some guitar recordings (or can otherwise see a creative way to make use of it).

1/17/17 - Learning Logic (Software) (Part 7) (Amp Designer Plug-In)

24% done.  I keep forgetting to do this each day, but at least I'm back today.  Another 5 min. or so watching a lesson on Logic.  Today's chapter introduced plug-ins in depth for the first time, focused entirely around "Amp Designer".  It's pretty cool.  Compared to GarageBand, in which plug-ins are instead called filters, with mostly drop-down menus and such, Logic's plug-ins seem to be a lot more visual, simulating real life systems that would create such effects.  It might take me a little while to get used to the new layout and style of interaction, but in my opinion plug-ins are really where a lot of the fun of software like this comes from.  Gonna have to play around with things outside of the tutorial to really get a feel for things, but I'm excited to see how it feels compared to GarageBand or whatever else.  Then I gotta figure out the digital instruments!  Can't wait for that!  :)

1/9/17 - Learning Logic (Software) (Part 6) (Multi-Input Recording)

Another quick 5 min. or so today.  Today's chapter was about recording from multiple sources to separate tracks simultaneously.  This would be useful for recording a duet, a band, or even a full orchestra.  At the moment, I have no projects that can really take advantage of this, but now I know where to look whenever I eventually need it.  23% done with this tutorial series now.  And two back-to-back posts.  Yay!

1/8/17 - Learning Logic (Software) (Part 5) (Tempo)

First post of the year!  And first post in almost 2 months!  I recently did a major post on another blog I run (for a film I've been working on for years) that talks about my relative lack of staying active and finishing projects and whatnot.  I won't go into it in very much detail here, but long story short I'm feeling very inspired right now, with a fairly solid plan of action to stay that way.  I have a new way of approaching things now and I fully intend to be MUCH more active with this blog (if not indeed going back to my original goal of a post a day!).  We'll see how it turns out, but today marks the official start of my new plan to stay active.

Getting back into the game today with just a quick 5 min. tutorial on Logic, learning all about how to set, control, and most importantly (at least for me) KEYFRAME tempo.  Simple stuff, but very useful to know.  Currently at 21% completion of this tutorial series now.