(Unit 1) Logic Project Evaluation.

 17/11/23

Unit 1 - Logic Project Evaluation.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been using all I've learnt in Logic to ultimately create my own track. On this song I've tried to include everything the assignment asks for and make it sound as satisfactory as possible. 

Charlie Morgan · (Unit 1) Logic Project Evaluation.

Key Parts.

MIDI software instruments.

MIDI software instruments are tracks that give you the opportunity to customise what instruments you want to use and well as write and play their notes yourself. This was the first feature I used, creating my main guitar and piano tracks for my song in order to create the basic melody. Alongside this feature I've added virtual pedals to the acoustic guitar as there's a variety of pedals in each software instrument which helped me achieve the sound I desired.

Drummer.

Another impressive feature of Logic Pro is the virtual drummer. I personally always struggle with creating drum patterns. However, using this feature helped me greatly with bringing my sound all together. This virtual drummer essentially 'analyses' your current tracks and creates a beat it believes will fit. It's fully customisable from the volume and complexity to fills and genre. You also have the ability to choose a certain drummer should you already have a genre in mind. This is such an easy feature to use and I believe it improved the sound of my song by giving it rhythm. I really enjoyed that I could change parts of the kit also. 

Logic Loops.

Logic loops are pre-recorded sound samples that come with logic. There's a wide selection and I tested different loops for ages before finding my favourites. I used loops for my percussion mainly such as my tambourines and maracas. I liked that I could preview what tempo each loop was to ensure it fit with my tracks. Although I'm not too sure I'd use these tracks for any main parts such a guitar solo as the selection was a bit more limited.

Quick Sampler.

Quick sampler is quite similar to logic loops. Using logic loops, you can drag them to the quick sampler where you take out just parts of the loop that you like. This was really handy in creating my own clicking beat to use consistently throughout but I did find it difficult to get the correct length and timing sometimes. This is a feature I'd like more practice at and explore the details of it more.

Automation.

Automation is one of my favourite parts so far. Despite being so simple to control, you just add dots at different volumes, it makes such a difference. I left my automation until I had finished my basic structure and it completely changed the sound. It added so much more depth. It came in handy when I found the guitar solo to be too intense in certain parts for the genre on my creation.

Bussing (instruments or effects).

Bussing was perhaps the most confusing feature for me. At first I couldn't figure it out but once I did, I realised it's very convenient. I liked that I could change what 'room' I was using with it and add many different effects quickly by grouping my tracks. I created a bus between some of the percussion tracks and I enjoyed fiddling with the settings to create a nice blend.

Basic use of effects (reverb, delay, compression).

The latest feature I've learnt about in Logic is effects. They really upgraded my song sound wise and made it all blend nicer. I liked using compression and delay as you could truly hear the difference it made. I used delay on a tambourine track near to the ending of the song and after messing with the settings available, it made the sound much more unique and complex than before.

Evaluation.

I really enjoyed getting to create my song by using software instruments. I really like how it gives me the freedom to create whatever I want. Additionally, delay was a truly fun effect to use once I had it figured out and I was fond of the way it made my instrument tracks sound. Furthermore, my favourite part of creating this song was definitely the automation aspect. I was rather impressed by the impact a simple feature could have on my works. It completely changed my song for the better and allowed me to make different instruments fit together. 

However, I didn't really enjoy using the quick sampler. I occasionally found it hard to find a track I enjoyed or often when I did, it ended up being an alternate BPM to my own song and so that was slightly difficult to figure out. I also struggled to use the buses feature. While I understand that in tracks with a plethora of instruments it can be quick and helpful, I found  it more inconvenient to figure out how to use buses rather than it making the whole music process easier. Likewise, I struggled slightly with ensuring I had completed my whole song correctly as I'm new to Logic Pro and found it a bit difficult to navigate. However, with a bit of practice and trying out some new things, I think it will get a lot easier to understand soon.

For my own future reference, I would really like to work on my understanding of how buses work and implementing them into my creations to create more efficient, neat work. I would also like to learn about more of the effects as I loved using them to change the sound of my music drastically throughout. Also, next time I compose a song on Logic, I'd like to attempt adding instruments I wouldn't usually and perhaps instruments that wouldn't typically fit in with the genre I'm creating to discover what unusual sounds I can create.