Recording is one of the most fundamental skills when using Logic Pro X. The basics of doing this involve setting up a track and pressing the record button, but there is an endless amount of tweaks and adjustments you can make as well.
I’m Donovan, a lifelong musician who lives for everything related to making music. I’ve been writing, recording, and producing for years and have a lot of experience using Logic Pro X. I know the ins and outs of the app very well.
This post will show you how to record in Logic Pro X. I’ll touch on some basic steps to set up projects to record and provide you with some tips and tricks. My goal is to help you record well in Logic whenever inspiration strikes.
Let’s get after it.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- Setting up a project to record is easy, and you can use the project templates or main window to speed things up and get a blueprint for your work.
- You can also add new tracks to empty or existing projects to give you more options for recording various instruments or elements.
- Remember that a lot of skill and technique goes into recording outside of Logic Pro X, like microphone choice and placement alongside possible external equipment use.
- The recording possibilities within Logic Pro X are expansive, so it’s impossible to cover everything in a single post.
How to Record on Logic Pro X
One of the best features of Logic Pro X is that it makes the recording process very easy. The app has a user-friendly interface that is simple to pick up whether you have experience with DAWs or are brand new to recording.
That said, Logic Pro is also a complex piece of audio recording software with seemingly endless possibilities. There are many different ways to go about recording, and things can get complicated in a hurry.
But this post will focus on the basic steps and skills you need to know about to get started with recording on Logic Pro X.
Follow these steps to set up a basic recording in Logic Pro X.
1. Open the Logic Pro X app on your Mac.
When the app opens, you’ll see a window like in the image below, which lets you choose what type of project you want to open. You can either choose an empty project or use a project template.
To keep things simple here, I will walk you through how to record using one of Logic’s project templates.
2. Select Project Template from the left side of the window.
3. Select Songwriter and then select Choose. The songwriter project template window will now appear. It’s a basic recording setup with several tracks using various software instruments, and there is a drum track at the top.
4. Let’s start the recording process by recording the guitar track, which is marked as Natural Strum, under the drum track. To get a track ready to record, you need to arm the track, which is done by hitting the Record Enable button.
So click the Record Enable button in the track window that looks like the circle record icon. The icon will begin to flash red when it’s armed.
5. Now you are ready to record. This track is set up to record an acoustic guitar. You can record with that if you have one. But we are just walking through the steps here, so you know exactly what to do.
Position the playhead at the beginning of the track and make sure you have the count-in icon turned on to give you a few beats before the recording starts.
6. Press the record icon at the top of the screen or use the keyboard shortcut and just press R. You’ll hear the metronome count in, and then you’ll be ready to record.
7. Record your track with a guitar or whatever instrument or vocal you are using.
8. Press Stop on the main control track bar or hit the Space Bar to stop the recording.
9. Repeat the steps for any additional recordings you want to do.
How to Record with a Mic in Logic Pro
You need to connect the mic to your computer if you want to record with a mic in Logic Pro X. You’ll either need to use a USB mic that connects directly to your computer or have an audio interface that you plug the mic into and then plug the interface into the computer.
Once you have that gear, follow these steps to record with a mic in Logic Pro.
1. Connect your mic to an audio interface and then connect the audio interface to your Mac. Or just connect a USB mic to your Mac if that’s the type of mic you have.
2. Open Logic Pro X.
3. Select New Project.
4. Select Empty Project.
5. Select the Microphone icon from the Track Type window. You can also choose your audio input here, so select the interface you are using or the USB mic as the input source.
6. Select Create.
7. A new project will now appear with the mic as the track. Arm that track by hitting the Record Enable button in the track window.
8. Hit record and record your track.
9. Press Stop or hit the Space Bar to stop the recording.
How to Record Vocals on Logic Pro X
You can record vocals in Logic Pro X using an external microphone connected to your Mac or the microphone built into your Mac. If you’re wondering how to record vocals without a mic in Logic Pro X, the built-in mic lets you accomplish this easily.
Follow the steps in the section above for how to record with a microphone if you want to record vocals with an attached Mic. If you want to record vocals without a microphone, simply select the built-in microphone as the input source when you get to the track type window.
The built-in mic on your Mac will not give as good of quality as a real microphone. But you can still record vocals with it, and this is a great way to start using Logic Pro X while getting familiar with everything the app can do.
How to Record Guitar on Logic Pro X
Recording a guitar in Logic Pro X is also pretty easy. If you want to record an acoustic guitar using a microphone, follow the steps above about how to record using a microphone.
To record a guitar with a pickup, you’ll need a way to connect the guitar to your Mac. This is done by getting an audio interface, which connects to your guitar and then to the interface.
Follow these steps to record guitar in Logic Pro X by plugging it directly into your Mac or interface.
1. Connect your guitar to your Mac using an audio interface and the necessary cables.
2. Open Logic Pro X.
3. Select New Project.
4. Select the Guitar icon from the Track Type menu.
5. Assign the input source to the audio interface you are using.
6. Select Choose. A new project will open with a track to record guitar through the input source you have selected.
7. Arm the guitar track by clicking the Record Enable button.
8. Press Record or hit the R button on your keyboard. Then record the guitar track after the metronome counts in.
9. Press Stop or hit the Space Bar to stop the recording.
FAQs
Here are a few quick answers to some of the most commonly asked questions relating to how to record on Logic Pro X.
How do I record from a Logic Pro X mixer?
You need to arm the channel or channels you want to record in the mixer view in Logic Pro X to record. Click the button with an R on it to do this. The icon should start to blink red, and then you can hit record like you would when recording from the track window.
What equipment do you need to record on Logic Pro?
Technically, you don’t need any equipment to start recording on Logic Pro. You can use the built-in microphone on your Mac to make basic recordings. But getting a microphone and audio interface will give you better-quality recordings.
Final Thoughts
Recording in Logic Pro X is easy, and once you learn the basics, you’ll be able to start making recordings in a matter of minutes. Follow all of the steps here to get set up with recording vocals, guitars, or any other instruments.
Do you remember your first recording project in Logic Pro X? What was it, and how did it turn out? Let me know in the comments below.
