You can print effects in Logic Pro by setting up a Bus track to write or print the plugins on your recorded tracks. Knowing how to do this can help you free up resources on your Mac or prepare your project for mixing and mastering.
My name is Donovan, and I’ve been making music for most of my life. I love to write, record and produce as often as possible, and I have years of experience working with Logic Pro. I know how to print effects through first-hand experience.
This post will show you how to print effects in Logic Pro. I’ll walk you through the steps to make this happen and provide you with some other related information. My goal is to help you learn how to use this technique to aid your recordings.
Let’s get rolling.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- Printing effects to an audio file is a permanent action that can free up your Mac’s resources to speed things up. Once you print effects, you can’t turn plugins off or bypass them.
- Knowing how to print effects can help you prepare your project for mixing and mastering while making the files easier to share.
- Printing effects in Logic Pro is a process similar to many other DAWs, and you should know and understand it’s a commonly used recording technique.
How to Print Effects in Logic Pro
Printing effects in Logic Pro is a good skill to learn as part of the mixing and mastering process. You can print effects to your project tracks to free up resources and make your project easier to share.
Printing effects to an audio file is a permanent action, so you can’t make any adjustments or bypass the plugins and effects once you have printed them. But this is the reason why it frees up resources because those effects aren’t being processed in real-time.
Follow these steps to print effects in Logic Pro.
1. Open the Logic Pro X project with the track or tracks you want to print effects on.
2. Select all the tracks you want to print effects to by clicking on them or using the cursor to select them.
3. Click the Output slot in the channel strip on one of the selected tracks.
4. Select Bus from the menu.
5. Choose a Bus output for the tracks.
Once you select this Bus output, Logic will automatically create a Bus track, which we are going to call the Print track for these purposes.
6. Create a new audio track by selecting the + button in the track header.
7. Click on the Input slot of the channel strip for the new track.
8. Select Bus.
9. Choose the same Bus you just created for the Print track.
10. Now record your original track onto the new track you created in the steps above. After you record the track, you can disable the plugins to save some resources and free up processing power.
How to Print Stems in Logic Pro X
Printing stems in Logic Pro X is typically called Exporting or Bouncing. When you print stems, you usually aren’t referring to the same process described above where you want to print the effects onto the track or tracks to free up resources.
Check out my post on how to bounce stems in Logic Pro X for complete instructions on making this happen. Essentially, all you need to do is select the track or regions of the tracks you want to export and then choose Bounce from the File menu.
Bouncing stems will turn the tracks of your project into a stereo track, making it easier to share with other people while allowing you to listen to them on other devices rather than just in Logic Pro. It’s another commonly used feature you should know and understand.
Exporting stems will keep all of the effects and plugins on the track, and you can choose what file format you want to export the stems and their location. You might want to do this if you are working on the project with other musicians or producers.
How to Add Effects in Logic Pro X
Adding effects is one of the most basic recording techniques in Logic Pro X, so you should know how to do this if you want to improve your skills as an audio engineer or producer. Logic comes packed with various plugins you can use to add different elements to your tracks.
You need to have at least one track set up in Logic to add effects to it, but most likely, you’ll have at least a few tracks in any given project. The process for adding effects to them is the same, regardless of what type of track you record.
Follow these steps to add effects to Logic Pro X.
1. Open the Logic Pro X project with the tracks to which you want to add effects.
2. Press X to show the mixer view. You can also click on the Mixer icon at the top of the screen.
3. Click on the Audio FX slot on the channel strip of the track you want to add effects to.
4. Choose whatever effects plugin you want to add to your track.
5. Repeat the steps to add more effects to the channel or different tracks. You can add as many effect plugins as you want to a track.
Quick Tip: There are a lot of adjustments and settings you can play around with in each plugin effect. Double-click on the plugin once you have it on the track to display that plugin window and make any adjustments you want or need.
FAQs
Here are a few quick answers to some of the most commonly asked questions relating to how to print effects in Logic Pro.
How do I print plugins from Logic?
Printing plugins from Logic is the same as printing effects. Many common plugins like reverb, delay, and EQ can be printed to a track by setting up a Bus and recording onto it. This will help you save resources and make sharing your files easier.
How do I export effects from Logic Pro?
You can export effects from Logic Pro by selecting the track or region you want to export, then going to the File menu and selecting Export. You can also use the shortcut and press Command E. Choose the Region as Audio File to export the effects on the track.
How do I print a mix in Logic?
You can print a mix in Logic by setting up a Print track and routing all your channel strips or tracks in your project to that output bus. You want to select the output for all your channels as the Print track and then record enable the print track.
Final Thoughts
Printing effects onto tracks in Logic Pro is a good skill to learn how to use when you want to send tracks to other people or free up resources on your Mac. Remember that a printed effects track is a permanent action, and you can’t adjust them on this track later.
Another reason to learn how to print effects in Logic Pro is that the process is similar to most other DAWs you might end up working with. Once you understand the process, it will apply to other apps and recording software.
Have you ever set up a Print track in Logic Pro X? Let me know in the comments below.
