To pitch bend in Logic Pro X, you can use a pitch bend wheel on an external MIDI keyboard or the Piano Roll editor to draw in pitch bend automation on a software instrument or note in your projects.
I’m Donovan, and I’ve been making music for decades. I’m a writer, musician, and producer who works primarily with Logic Pro X, and I know all of the tools and features of this amazing app. I know how to pitch bend through first-hand experience.
This post will show you how to pitch bend in Logic Pro X. I’ll walk you through all the steps to doing this with a MIDI keyboard or using the app’s piano roll editor. You can get great-sounding pitch bends through both methods.
Let’s get after it.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- If you have a MIDI keyboard with a pitch bend wheel, you can add pitch bends to any software instrument you record as you lay down tracks.
- You can also use the piano roll editor window to draw in pitch bend automation, which lets you add this feature without needing a MIDI keyboard.
- Pitch bends are a great element to add ethereal or ambiance-like effects to your Logic projects, and it’s good to know how to create them.
How to Pitch Bend in Logic Pro X
There are two main ways to pitch bend in Logic Pro X, and both are pretty easy. You can either use the pitch bend wheel on a MIDI keyboard connected to Logic or bend the pitch within the Piano Roll editor window.
Method 1: Using a MIDI Keyboard
Follow these steps to pitch bend in Logic Pro X using a MIDI keyboard.
1. Connect your MIDI keyboard to your Mac either directly or using an audio interface.
2. Select the software instrument you want to use in your project and create a new track to record it.
3. Start recording the MIDI track and use the pitch wheel on your keyboard to create the pitch bend wherever you want.
This is a really simple and easy way to insert a pitch bend into a Logic Pro track, but if you don’t have a MIDI keyboard or don’t have one with a pitch bend wheel, you can also access this feature internally.
Method 2: Using the Piano Roll Editor
Follow these steps to pitch bend in Logic Pro X using the Piano Roll editor.
1. Open a new or existing Logic Pro X project.
2. Set up your project for whatever software instrument tracks and other elements that you want to use.
3. Record the software instrument track where you want to place a pitch bend. You can access the musical typing window by pressing Command K if you don’t have a MIDI keyboard.
4. After you are finished recording, double-click on the MIDI track you just recorded or select the Editor’s icon to open up the Piano Roll editor. The Editor’s icon looks like a pair of scissors.
5. Click on the Automation icon in the Editor’s window to display the automation line for the track.
6. Click on the drop-down menu under Automation/MIDI and select Pitch Bend from the options.
7. Now you can make automation curves to pitch bend any of the notes you want in the track. Click on a section of the green line where you want the pitch bend to start to add a marker.
8. Click on another section of the line in the middle of the note at the top or bottom of the pitch bend.
9. Add another marker to the very end of where you want the pitch bend to end.
10. Draw in the pitch bend automation accordingly to add it to the MIDI track. Your curve will look something like the image below.
11. Repeat the steps for as many pitch bends as you want in the track.
Quick Tip: You can add as many automation points as you want to round out the curve and shape the pitch bend to your liking.
How to Delete Pitch Bend in Logic Pro X
To delete a pitch bend in Logic Pro X, you can simply undo the actions of the automation you made by pressing Command Z. You might need to press this command a few times to get rid of every action you’ve made to the track.
You can also turn the automation off by clicking the on/off button in the Editor’s window. This is another quick and easy way to delete a pitch bend you’ve just made. You can turn the automation back on at any point without redoing the parameters.
You can delete the entire MIDI track you recorded by selecting the track and hitting Delete. This is permanent, so make sure it’s the action you want to take before doing so.
How to Use Pitch Bend in Logic Pro X
I sometimes like to use pitch bends to add texture and effect to my tracks. I often use it on synth pads to get an effect that sounds kind of spacey. I typically don’t feature pitch bends as the main element of my songs.
There is no exact way to use pitch in Logic Pro X. Like many of the app’s features, there is a lot of artistic room to explore. You should play around with the pitch blend feature to find the ways you like using it in your projects.
Logic Pro Pitch Bend Not Working
If you can’t get pitch bend to work in Logic Pro X either on your MIDI keyboard or in the app itself, the best thing to do is unplug your MIDI keyboard and close out of the app. Make sure to save your progress before doing this and then restart Logic.
A quick reset of the app will usually fix glitches and bugs, such as the pitch bend not working. You can also try restarting your computer, which can have the same effect of ironing out random glitches that don’t have an exact explanation.
Also, make sure you have the latest version of Logic Pro X installed to enable the best performance.
FAQs
Here are a few quick answers to some of the most commonly asked questions relating to how to pitch bend in Logic Pro X.
How do you change the pitch bend range in Logic Pro X?
You can change the range of pitch blend in Logic Pro X by simply adjusting where you are playing the notes on your MIDI keyboard or in the musical typing window. You can also use software instruments like the ES2, which gives you a wide pitch bend range.
How do I turn off pitch blend in Logic Pro X?
Pitch blend in Logic Pro X isn’t a feature that is really turned on and off, so you don’t need to do anything to specifically turn it off. You can remove any pitch blend automation you’ve made by deleting or undoing those actions in the editor’s window.
How do you change the pitch of MIDI in Logic?
You can change the pitch of MIDI in Logic by using the piano roll editor. This feature will allow you to adjust many things within a MIDI file, including changing the pitch. You can also bend the pitch or change the length of the MIDI notes here.
Final Thoughts
The pitch bend feature in Logic Pro X is easy to put on a track. You can use a MIDI keyboard with a pitch wheel or the automation feature in the Piano Roll editor to set up pitch bend curves. Either way works just fine.
I highly suggest getting a MIDI keyboard if you plan to use software instruments often in your Logic Pro X projects. They are much easier to play than the musical typing window and more effective.
Have you ever used pitch bend in your Logic Pro projects? Let me know in the comments below.
