Logic Pro X tips 39 - Independent Monitor Level For Record Enabled Tracks

Independent Monitor Level For Record Enabled Tracks in Logic Pro X allows you to set a completely different record & playback monitoring level. This makes recording vocals and guitars etc a breeze as you can set exactly the monitor level you want to listen to while you record, and then after recording a new level is automatically set for playback & listening to the recording in context with the music.

[@sonicindustries227]

See now that's the kind of Logic power-user tip you won't find anywhere else. Excellent

[@TwoQs]

This video was really well done and easy to follow. Thank you! Blows my mind that independent tracking wouldn’t be selected by default. Also can’t believe I’ve been using logic for as long as I have without knowing this.

[@gepetto8899]

facts

[@tonyadams886]

Thanks mate! I've just subscribed. You are one of the only ones that does not assume that the learner already has navigational skills down.

[@SarihnD]

Yes, this is so important.

[@alexb119]

This is a great reminder! I was having trouble doing this with a Drum Group just now. I was trying to change the fader level of the Group volume and it wasn't working. I fixed it by, instead, selecting all the drum tracks and changing the level of the faders in unison.

[@marpymellow3805]

Excellent! I didn't know about the independent monitoring level preference, you are an absolute star!

[@danny1959]

Extremely useful! I've been messing about with the monitoring like you showed at the beginning of the tutorial for years.

[@michaeltrees6872]

God me too.....

[@michaeltrees6872]

When I finally figure this out, I will let everyone know. In total "I have never seen a computer in my entire life, cave man": terms.... there's a box that I need to check somewhere..... I will go through and try everything, but man. Days worth of time wasted at this point. I may just use garage band...I know that will work...

[@KontryBoy706]

OMG thank you so much for this. I have been having so many headaches for a while. This simply answered the question

[@stephencookehastings]

Thanks so much. Like 2QS below, been using Logic for ages without getting this.

[@patmcmahon6548]

Awesome tip.. saved me a ton of hassle and reduced the potential for singers to moan about not being able to hear themselves!!!

[@evanbost3888]

Yes, thank you. Exactly what I was looking for. Five stars, would recommend to a friend.

[@Hustlermetalftw]

Just what I needed, thank you good SIr!

[@chrismichener]

THANK YOU! It took me a while to find such a great video. Cheers!

[@emschoen]

Thanks for the great tip and explanation! Can you explain what the Dim Level is (just below the Independent Monitoring option in the Audio General Settings panel)? I’ve been searching and can’t find a decent explanation of what Dim Level even means.

[@epicwork5970]

omg thanks you so much i almost broke a blood vessel trying to find this

[@jonathanbeny]

brilliant, this tip really helps. thanks!

[@dubsbarry9963]

Wow! You just opened a wormhole in my brain. The "record", and "input monitoring" buttons make complete sense now - after years of confusion i might add. Now, I just need to evaluate the output levels my Apollo Twin is sending for input into Logic. Thanks a million!

[@dancetech]

👍

[@ElectricRay]

TLDR: Preferences/Audio/General check "independent monitoring level for record-enabled channel strips." You can set a different playback level when input monitoring is on. Helpful tip.

[@fabiostamato2199]

thanks mate ive lost this informations and youve help me a lot

[@Rialas]

Thanks. I new it existed but it recently hasn't been working. So don't forget to turn on the option in preferences :)

[@rayraysguitar]

Life saver, thank you!!

[@matthewtoledo3675]

How about a set up for a vocal booth... Independent headphone mix for producer and performer? I'd love to hear you tips on that...

[@dancetech]

that is very simple basic audio engineering stuff. You'd need an audio interface with at least 2 stereo outputs. create a submix using aux sends to a bus and send that bus to the extra outputs to the musician/s. Output 1/2 as usual feeds the engineers monitors

[@jas_bataille]

Excellent video, except for one thing : "capture level" is called gain, it measures signal-to-noise ratio electrically independent of the sound we hear, and beginners really really have to understand the difference between gain and level...!! By calling it yet another name that also has the word "level" in it, it's even more confusing for them. Also : the fader is *not* the monitor level. The monitor level is the volume of the computer, headphone amp, or the physical volume of your monitoring system. The fader level is the volume of the track in the mix, regardless of your monitoring level. Which is exactly why you want to set up and independent monitoring level in the first place...! Besides this, very nice :) Thanks!

[@dancetech]

Cheers yourself for the post, 👍 but... eh? no sorry, that is all mixed up. If you haven't used or worked in real studios with traditional recording systems or on live concert systems this is where the confusion might come from. 1. Gain, is the amount any signal is increased BY & it has nothing to do with signal to noise ratio. Signal to noise ratio is a character of any amplifier or record/playback system, but Gain isn't a measurement of S/N ratio... In any classic system the record or capture level is NEVER referred to as 'Gain'. Gain is generally used as a term when referring to an active amplifier increase in level, but throughout the system after that the used term is 'Level' because passive amplifiers such as faders and pots can turn levels up OR down relative to the original signal level entering the circuit. In the same way, on an equaliser band one tends to use the term "boost" or 'Cut', not "increase or decrease the gain" because while technically you might be 'decreasing' gain (or any increase in level) if you roll back an Eq cut/boost from a higher boost/gain to a bit less boost/gain, you are not decreasing 'gain' once you roll that pot past 12 noon counter-clockwise. From that point you are cutting or reducing/lowering 2. It IS the monitor level in this context. A 'fader' is simply a type of volume/level controller. Equally a monitor level can be set by adjusting a pot, depending on the design of the system. In a studio system when you listen as you record you are "monitoring", & any bus system employed for that purpose is referred to as a 'monitoring' bus... In this context of Logic's dual fader levels, the fader simply controls/adjusts the listening or MONITORING level of the individual track WHILE MONITORING (listening during recording). Therefore it's the MONITORING level of the track, which is entirely INDEPENDENT of how other items in the mix (including the entire mix itself) may be set both while monitoring and on mix/playback. In the case of modern DAW's they kind of behave as a classic in-line console (in as much as they don't have separate input and monitor channels); however in the case of how Logic can be set to behave (& some other DAWs), the same fader can be set to a different MONITORING & MIX level, rather than having them on separate buses. However, in terms of how DAW's behave, they mimic a classic system to some extent in that one is always 'monitoring' or listening off-tape so to speak, AFTER the record point, not before the record point. YOu always listen to the sound after it's passed the point of record/capture with any DAW (unless you opt for using 'direct monitoring' on the audio interface which is absolutely NOT recommended) The MONITOR level/Bus in a classical recording system is therefore NOT the final stereo monitoring/listening bus and it's level, that's a misnomer caused by manufacturers referring to studio speakers as 'monitors'.... the final audio system one monitors / listens on/ listens to / listens through (choose a term/phrase) that you refer to is simply the physical part of the system which enables listening (amp+speaker/s, active speaker/s or headphones). Monitoring in classic record or live systems refers to the listening BUS (or buses). Eg in a live system the stage MONITOR system/s, levels and busses are nothing to do with the FOH, and neither is the engineers monitor bus which is completely independent of the FOH main L/R mix bus that audience hears. In a classic record or live system the Monitor bus/buses is/are NEVER the same as the final or main mix bus. tbh I've even seen a Behringer mixer manual incorrectly advising the studio speaker system to be cabled to the main Mix L/R output which is completely wrong. We will be covering all these topics in my forthcoming sound recording/engineering course which will begin when i rebuild my work room with a full hardware setup in the new year. hope that helps.

[@jas_bataille]

@@dancetech Allow me to clarify what I mean, as it seems we're exactly on the same page but semantics (and English being my second langage) gets in the way. I'm a pro FOH and have a very clear understanding of those concepts. Basically, I'm talking literally in layman's terms and I don't think that's how you understood me. Allow me to explain myself : - By "signal to noise ratio", what I mean isn't that the gain itself is that. What I mean is that by setting your gain properly you will maximize the signal and minimize the noise. So I'm not talking about the signal-to-noise ratio of a system. I am talking about the signal-to-noise ratio of a *source*. So you can call it capture level.... but what else would you call gain on a board? - Volume and level IS the same, but gain is not. That is what I meant, because beginners get confused by the two. Monitoring level in that context, for me, meant the very last piece of your signal chain controlling your monitoring. You are right that the fader in Logic do control the monitoring, but what I'm tried to say was, independently of that, there is one more step of adjusting the volume on the interface (hence a knob and not a fader, again in a home studio context) to get your monitoring right. Again, keeping in mind this is designed for beginners. Overall, my question is : Why using such terminology if it doesn't apply to the context? We perfectly understand each other. This is just alas another case of semantic confusion. I can assure you my understanding of those concepts is full and complete. Also, I'm autistic, so running into communication mistakes like this for me is alas quite frequent. I appreciate the time you took to answer me. I think we are both correct in our own ways. Cheers!

[@jas_bataille]

I'll add that I never heard the term "capture level" in several years of pro audio experience... and my dad have built 5 studios and worked at Paisley Park... always heard gain... but you do you

[@dancetech]

no no the fader on the track is what i'm referring to and that IS the monitor level for the track NOT the record level. You can have the track fader completely down and the record capture will be unaffected. "but what else would you call gain on a board? " - i'd call it exact lt what i said before. it's the amount by which an amplifier is increased or decreased relative to unity gain - we would not have the term UNity Gain if it were not so... I can set a pre-amp to Unity gain and capture a recording on say a mic.... if the mic is close to a loud level sound like a loud snare the record level will be LOUD - if the sound the mic is recording is quiet - like someone whispering - the resulting recording will be NOT LOUD.... yet GAIN is set to UNITY in both cases. Gain is NOT about the s/n ratio but of course it CAN effect that obviously. "Monitoring level in that context, for me, meant the very last piece of your signal chain controlling your monitoring. You are right that the fader in Logic do control the monitoring, but what I'm tried to say was, independently of that, there is one more step of adjusting the volume on the interface (hence a knob and not a fader, again in a home studio context) to get your monitoring right." - well yes that I would call the MASTER monitor level i suppose at the end of the day this conversation results from your initial statement: "capture level" is called gain - it is NOT called gain, sorry cheers

[@gepetto8899]

3:07 turn on independent monitoring level by going to (top menu bar) logic pro x --> preferences --> audio preferences --> general tab

[@epade]

very useful! thanks

[@jamescalka1280]

Excellent ! thank you.

[@dkpianist]

Thanks for this great explanation. I take care of the monitoring inside the interface (Metric Halo which has an extensive DSP mixer), so I don't need software monitoring. BUT I have a related issue: The send levels when record enabling a track. It's as if there's 10 dB more reverb then. Why is that?

[@dancetech]

you mean the send within logic or does the metric halo have dsp fx you are using? (never used it). If you mean inside logic, and you are setting a HIGHER channel fader level on record than you have on playback then if the send is post fade what you are describing should not happen. Yes the reverb will get more signal Send on record with the higher fader level but it should balance equally with the increased dry channel level, so something else sounds like it is going on.

[@dkpianist]

@@dancetech I do mean the sends within Logic. They seem to send a couple dB more when record is enabled on the track so it's all awash in reverb.

[@dancetech]

@@dkpianist rigth. So assuming you have a HIGHER fader level for record than playback make the send pre-fade maybe & fix it's level, it wont be perfect cos on record you'll prolly hear less reverb.. another thing you could try is bus the vocal channel, put the send on the bus - that way whatever the bus gets the send will adjust to it post the actual record chanel.. might sound different to how it works on the actual channel

[@dkpianist]

@@dancetech Thanks für the speedy reply! Putting the vocal track on a bus is a workaround that will help with the issue though it means additionnal hassle. But then, putting everything on busses might also help with mix management anyway. I'm not doing it now but will likely try it on a few projects. Meanwhile I tried to reproduce the situation on the MacBook - fresher installation, different preference settings - and alas, it's not happening there! So it must be a setting buried somewhere. I'll probably delete the preferences and see what that does.

[@dancetech]

@@dkpianist yeah, buses are your friend. also remember Logic has VCA groups

[@robertmedina3982]

Thank you.

[@woweffectav3447]

Thanks for the tip! I am still having an issue, when I click input monitoring I’m hearing my vocals almost like phasing effect. Do you know why? It’s not like a direct sound of the mic?

[@sarahbenmusic]

do you have a separate mixer console for your audio interface opened at the same time?

[@PaulDoyle93]

Thank you for the video, but say you want to use vst/plug ins in the DAW to record with is there an input level on the plug in you choose to use? Because I’m soon getting all equipment to delve into mixing etc. And got garage band on phone and just been having a little play round with it creating tunes and mixing them etc. But after seeing this video I now realise the Reason why it’s quite quiet is cos I didn’t set a good input level since was using plug in/vst instruments but thanks for the vid

[@dancetech]

No there's no level particularly with plugins, all that matters is your dont overload the pre-amp where you plug in the mic... unless you want to overload it. Obviously some plugins will distort if driven too hard, but you can hear that & simply turn down the input on that plugin - the entire point of through monitoring is you HEAR what you record

[@PaulDoyle93]

dancetech yeah I understand thanks

[@777MusicLVR]

Thanks - GREAT tip!

[@Dtpjuuso]

Yaaas! Thank you! 🙌

[@TheOompahRoundabout]

Excellent

[@ShiningHourPop]

That’s great. Thanks 👍

[@alexcasanovamusic2112]

Does anybody have the same issue as me. that when I start recording the fader goes down to the REC level=?

Thanks for the video... Just a question, Do you know how to do it, but on a channel that is not recording? For example you put a drumless song in a channel and record a complete drumset in others channels, but you want that the song sounds louder when you record and less when you playback. Is it possible? Thanks.

[@dancetech]

just mix the drum-less tracks to a bus on the way to the final L/R out, raise it when recording, lower it when playing back 👍

@@dancetech Good idea! Thanks

[@stigbronstad]

Thanks, clear and precise instructions. like your way to teach!

[@ajadrew]

Very useful!

[@taliesinmusic]

How to enable from 3:10 onwards

[@JimmyParagalloGuitar]

Great tip! Thanks

[@SubiFoa]

Will it be also applicable for software monitorin

[@curly767]

So this is why the level of a track drops when I try to record something.

[@dancetech]

:) ;)

[@evanbell1791]

When I record it goes half as low - playback is regular volume? So I need to set the recording track higher or to the same level as the monitor?

[@rabinthapa8433]

Can you help me with one thing? I want to do recording with Logic Pro x. With one Roland electric drum (v-drums) and another electric guitar connecting boss gt 100 both connected to Mac USB B. Drum tracked as software instrument and guitar as Audio

[@Chasenwajaé]

Did you manage to figure it out?

[@victorlara99]

yea... nice tip

[@顺顺-h8u]

cool

[@abanglarrytanyi8698]

Hi

[@sunnibird]

Noice :D

[@robertoformia]

3:10