Transcript
installation To install Logic Magic Racks: Mix Essentials, copy the files to your Logic X user library. As a default install setting for Logic X the user library is contained in the following file path. Music/Audio Music Apps/Patches/ Audio or Instrument depending on the type of channel strip you would like to manipulate. Please place either the AUDIO or MIDI .patch files into audio for an audio channel strip manipulation and instrument for midi channel. Placing the patches in these folder will allow you to use the racks in an alternative Logic project. These patches can then be accessed by opening up the library tab and navigating to user patches within Logic X. Alternatively simply double click the .logicx file to load the racks in a new project.
from the creator... For these Smart Control racks, I wanted to condense common workflow techniques into finely tuned compound parameters designed for specific sound groups within a typical dance music groove: kick, snare, bass, percussion, and synths. In the case of the Kick Tweaker, Bass Toner and Snare Shaper, the racks are designed to be one-stop shops for adding weight, warmth, definition and tonality, bringing source material up to a modern level of punch and fatness. The range of parameters have been limited to focus on the areas which commonly need adjustment in these sounds. It’s easy to get lost in the myriad choices available to us. These racks focus instead on the essentials. For example the Bass Toner allows you to cut out frequencies below the fundamental while bringing up the first few harmonics above it, giving a cleaner and more weighty sound. You can take this further by adding parallel compression to the sub frequencies, and saturating the overall sound. There is also a control for adding width to
the high frequencies while preserving the centrality of the low-end and a presence control which brings quiet, even inaudible high frequencies, to the front of the mix using dynamic EQ. You will find similar attention to detail in the Kick and Snare devices. In the case of the Percussion and Synth racks, you will find a mix of tonal, dynamic and rhythmic controls suitable for sound shaping and automation. Don’t be afraid to use these racks on a range of other material as they are powerful effects in their own right. It’s my hope that these devices will help you take grooves to the next level quickly and easily, while offering useful production insight and inspiration for those looking to delve deeper. Sami Liuski Producer
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Kick Tweaker
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Tighten, deepen and fine-tune any kick drum. Low Cut The first step in the processing chain, start your kick tweaks by gently rolling away unnecessary – and often mix-bloating – low frequencies. Curve 1 Custom EQ curve that reduces mid-range boxiness while simultaneously enhancing the attack characteristic of a kick. Curve 3 Custom EQ curve that boosts the body of the kick drum, giving it additional punchiness and presence in the mix. High Comp Uses multiband compression to brings out the detail of the high end of kick and enhance the attack portion of the kick drum. Low Comp Adds parallel compression to low frequencies of the kick drum while adding slight low end bump (emulating tape lowend head bump). Use Cut off to adjust the frequency. Use alongside Cutoff.
Cutoff Controls the frequency of the low-end bump in Low Comp. Use alongside Low Comp. Tighten Custom EQ curve at the end of the processing chain to focus the lows, mids and highs in a way which simulates older, vintage pieces of gear. Squash The final step in the chain, Squash applies limiting to bring the attack and tail of the newly-tweaked kick to a consistent level. A powerful end-point in the chain, remember that too much squash can rob a kick drum of punch – so tread gently.
Snare Shaper
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Tonal and envelope controls for snares, claps, sticks and stacks Comp Freq Uses multiband compression with setting that is honed in on the ‘punch’ frequencies of the snare drum. Adds more body to the snare drum. Use alongside Comp Amt
Saturate Controls a complex array of waveshaping parameters in concert to produce a unique – sometimes devastating – saturation effect. Best used in moderation.
Comp Amp The amount of multiband compression applied to the peak frequency band. Use alongside Comp Freq
Mid Scoop Scoops out a portion of the mid-range. Use to create more space in the mix and for finetuning the tonality of the snare drum.
Bright Applies two carefully-honed EQ curves to add a smooth and subtle presence lift.
Tail Adds combination of short delay with feedback and reverb to create artificial tail for the snare drum. Nice to lengthen a short snare drum, also works well with the transient parameter. On subtle settings it can be an instant life-saver.
Filth Feeds parallel frequency-specfic harmonics into the mix for lo-fi flavours. Think girth, dirt, character. Transient Applies increasingly hard compression after the sound’s initial transient, helping to bring out the attack of the drum. At maximum values, the drum is reduced to a punchy click.
Percussion Processor
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Give life, movement and energy to percussion, hi-hats and tops Dodge Adds rhythmic effect and gate to add dynamics and feel to percussive loops. Vox EQ Adds a variable formant filter to the signal chain giving a vowel characteristic to the overall timbre. Rhythm Adds a subtle rhythmic delay to help the loop flow and sit better in the mix. Roll Uses Logics tape delay in freeze mode and synced at dotted notes to add a rolling groove effect to a percussive loop. Great for breaking the monotony of a loop and adding a human element. Shash Uses multiband compression to emphasise the mid-range roughness of a hi-hat for classic ‘vintage drummer’ flavours, or simply to add bulk and crack to lacklustre hats.
Presence Enhances quieter masked frequencies in the airy upper bands, bringing subtle detail to the fore. Gate Employs a noise gate to tighten the sound, removing unwanted reverb tails at lower levels. Pitch delay Adds a delay that models analogue Bucket Brigade delay where the pitch bends smoothly when changing the delay time. Great for automation for some pitchy effects.
Synth Modulator
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Creative tools to morph melodics with eight simple macros Diffuse Controls a filtered diffusion reverb wash. Can be used to create rhythmic shadows or to transform even the most benign loop into an ethereal soundscape.
Metalize Introduces resonant metallic harmonics across the stereo field. Tweak the Tuning knob after Metalize is enabled to adjust the harmonics to suit. Use alongside Tuning.
Pumper The classic mainroom pump sound: applies rhythmic gain pumping to simulate the effect of kick-drum side-chaining.
Tuning Adjusts the tuning of the Metalize effect. Use alongside Metalize.
Presence High band compression brings the smallest details up to the front of the mix. Band Limit Removes high and low frequencies using a steep filter cutoff, converging toward a narrow slice of the mid-range spectrum. A powerful parameter for automating and live performance. Wash Applies parallel ring modulation to achieve a lush, phasing effect.
Pan Mod Applies gradual pan modulation to add subtle width or, at higher levels, for extreme stereo excursions.
Bass Toner
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Add weight, warmth and width to weedy basslines or to sculpt overbearing subs Low-cut The first step in any bassline design, control the sub-sonics Stereo Spread Uses the Haas effect to offset left and right channels in the mids and highs to create stereo width without sacrificing low-end phase coherence. Band Freq Sets the mid frequency of a wide-band EQ curve specifically designed for adjusting the low-mid harmonics of the bass. Requires Band Gain to be non-zero to have an effect. Use alongside Band Gain. Band Gain Adjusts the gain of the wide-band EQ. Use alongside Band Freq. Hard Tight A filtering and saturation double-whammy that generates a powerful but controlled high-frequency boost to the sound. Tip: This is particularly useful (subtly) for radio and laptop-focused bass boosts, and can do great things (less subtly) for super-sizing stacked basslines in electro and EDM production.
Sub Comp Inspired by the complex behaviours of classic analogue kit, Sub Comp mixes in parallel compression on the sub-bass frequencies for increased bulk, weight and warmth. Presence Employes high-band compression and saturation to bring subtle dirt and noise to the forefront of a sound. If definition is lacking, start here. Space Adds a gentle halo of early reflection reverb, which can bring out the attack character of live or stabby bass, or add thickness to longer bass notes.
