Logic Pro #02 - Audio Interface Setup, I/O Buffer, Latency

[@jacolux]

This has to be the best Logic instruction series on KZbin. As a guy who recently went from GB to Logic this is perfect! Funny thing is I have already put a lot of music on Spotify only using GB but now I will learn the mixing and mastering better.

[@dgcmusi]

Same with me…

[@allahjoseph]

I've been using logic for over a decade and can still learn something from this guy. absolutely amazing

[@BackToBasics90s]

Looking forward to more from this series. Taught myself how to use Logic several years back, but the downside to that is that there are some very simple & helpful things i'm obviously unaware of. Thank you 👏🏼

[@RayBrookes1954]

After being a Cubase devotee for about 30 years then migrating to Logic Pro, your vids have been a God-send. Thanks so much for taking the time to post all these instructional videos.

[@dorzluf]

Have only seen 2 videos, but at this point it is by far the best tutorial I've seen for beginners for Logic Pro. He doesn't skip a thing.

[@douglasroyter1714]

Thank you for your expertise. You are precise, comprehensive, creative, extremely articulate and well spoken. Your tutorials are examples of thorough and well thought out instruction as to how to use and understand Logic Pro functionality

[@2bonk22]

Have you ever had teacher training? You explain things thoroughly and talk slowly enough to be very easy to follow. Excellent job (BTW I'm a master's degree teacher with decades of classroom experience so I know a bit about teaching.).

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

Yes, I have a master's degree in music and I taught college courses for 15 years. I also developed most of a Bachelor's degree in music production for a college.

[@KARENCHILDS-qt5ll]

Thank you! New Logic user here. Your directions are concise, your information gets right to the point, and the length of each lesson is perfect!

[@RuneHogstad]

You don`t know how you have helped me from the day I started with Logic x. THANKS ALOT 🙂

[@bassManDavis1953]

These tutorials are absolutely brilliant. I have been using Logic now for a couple of years and already I have picked up some brilliant tips, so looking forward to all of this series and a big thank you for revisiting your course.

[@silksbury]

It is nice to go through this in an organized way so I feel like I am actually improving with each tutorial, and can always go back to one. So glad I found you!

[@ronallen2458]

So glad you are doing this series. I have been using logic forever and i can always use a refresher.

[@luisfujimaki9275]

All Likes, Subscribed ... Im doing the ENTIRE COURSE!!!! Thank you so Much!!!

[@JeroMont]

¡Gracias! You helped me a lot, I have TDAH and this organized way of presenting things helps me to follow a understandable order without losing focus. Keep doing content!

[@allahjoseph]

quick and easy! i'lll just add that condenser tube mics like the mxl 9000 dont need phantom cause they run on their own power.

[@GolfTesla]

Excellent, Nicely explained, very good diction, and good speed of speech.

[@andreashelly3718]

I always learn something new from you that makes this easier. And you make it easy to understand. Thank you!

[@robkneebonemusicandmusings667]

Thank you so much for doing this series on Logic - I’m a singer-songwriter currently doing a Level 1 Music Technology course using Logic and this is an indispensable supplement to the my learning! Awesome 😎

[@InLightTone]

Top notch instruction Josh, and for free! You are one of the best instructors out there and pleasant to listen to. Thanks so much...

[@marcDEAL]

Totally agree, I couldn't of worded this better. Thanks so much!

[@viggolab]

So hyped to start using Logic. Will watch the entire series!!

[@timopeedu6077]

Million thanks for your most valuable tutorial videos. They've been most helpful.

[@margotduxler7897]

Ok, the t-shirt you're wearing in this video (Pluto 1930-2006) has me laughing so hard I had to stop the lesson so I could recover! Great teacher! Great T-shirt!

[@kleisstheiceman]

you had me at music tech help guy. bravo sir. subscribed

[@joebloggs1574]

Bought an interface a month ago, but couldn't get a signal from the Mic Input. Been thinking that either the Mic was incompatible with the interface, or the interface was faulty. Turns out all I had to do was select the correct input in Logic. Doh! - If you don't know, you don't know! - Thanks for the demonstration.

[@Adelasmart]

You are an amazing teacher. 👏🏽

[@philmastman2490]

Thanks for this series! I'm a longtime professional video editor, but just getting into using Logic. It's too bad that Logic Pro isn't more intelligent about setting its own buffer size. Seems to me that the app should know when we're recording and when we're mixing/editing, and should be able to set its buffer size automatically.

[@jessestuart5756]

It does. About 12 years ago Logic adopted a dual buffer scheme, where its default playback engine settings use a fixed 1024 io buffer for playback (non-live) tracks and the user-specified IO buffer for live tracks that Music Tech Help is describing here. Shortly after Protools vamped their playback engine to do the same thing. What you'll notice is that regardless of your IO buffer choice, your cpu usage when just playing back your session is identical. However when you record, your cpu usage goes up and down based on your io buffer. Logic, and Protools, are smart enough to line everything up so that the two buffers don't cause timing issues. Your performance timing is matched to how you heard it in the headphones. This means the record tracks aren't out of time with the playback. By default Logic hyper threads playback tracks (uses multiple CPU cores) for individual voices. You can set it to do this with live tracks. It amazes me how many otherwise really knowledgeable people with youtube channels don't really know how cpu is handled now. The test to do is to record let's say 32 audio tracks at 128 io buffer. Take a screenshot of Logic's CPU window. If you don't see this on the control panel at the top, right-click on the time or beats indicator at the top of the arrange window and select customize. Select Custom under LCD, and make sure "load meters (Cpu/HD)' is checked. Then click on the down arrow to the right of the CPU meter on the LCD (top session time indicator)t shows a vertical column for each CPU thread. This is what you take a screenshot of when recording. Record 32 tracks at an io buffer of 128, then 25, then at 512. You'll notice significant differences in CPU usage. Yet when you take the tracks out of record and just playback at the different IO buffers, you won't see a difference in CPU usage. This is impossible unless the playback buffer is fixed. This is one of the reasons why logic can be incredibly CPU efficient.

[@philmastman2490]

@@jessestuart5756 Thanks! This is great information.

[@mikemorrisonmusic]

These tutorials are so very much appreciated!!

[@normjones6916]

sounds good very informative , just add how hot should be the signal generally

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

-12 to -18 dBFS is pretty standard. I’ll mention that when we get to recording with a mic.

[@ShivangiSingh28]

Thank you for making this series

[@Tommy707]

Thank you so much. These are very helpful tutorials.

[@dawnbrys4422]

Thank you so much for these super easy and detailed videos! Question: When I installed Logic Pro, it recognized my iphone as the input mic. (I don't have an audio interface yet) I haphazardly deleted it as a mic and now cannot figure out how to connect the two again. Any idea?

[@RiniChandraOfficial]

Hello Why can’t I see the waves when recording vocals .. how to increase the gain

[@mark-ze4en]

can you do a video on using the CAT rack type ethernet connection with Logic pro??

[@nancybeckett890]

Do you have a video that explains how to compensate for latency when using the I/O plugin? I have no problems with latency when recording regular tracks, but I can't get around the latency when I use the I/O plugin.

[@oreocookie3379]

OMG, just clicked the video and realized that I'm wearing the same T-shirt, though my AC/DC letters are transparent (no fill inside, just outlined letters). Cool

[@oobesan]

Thanks so much! Not sure if it is in a future episode, but I have a question how to add an external MIDI instrument to this basic setup. For example, I have an Arturia Keylab Essential MK3 MIDI controller that I want to use to control all my Logic software instruments, and a Kurzweil K2700 external MIDI keyboard. My audio interface is a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6. For recording/playing in MIDI, I am confused whether I should plug both the Arturia and the Kurzweil directly into the computer with their independent USB-C cables, or if I should daisy chain everything through the audio interface with the 5-pin MIDI cables.

[@modernman8967]

Thanks this video was awesome ,thanks for sharing.

[@MailonOfficial]

Hi, I'm pretty new in Logic Pro. It looks like the logic is not receiving signal from my mic, have check input, out out and turned on 48v phantom power and don't get anything. What could possible be wrong? Microphone works and my interface also is working good. It has to be a miss configuration in logic..

[@tacoboutdrumming]

i always forget to adjust my latency before i record and mix. i need to remind myself to adjust those.

[@unbeater]

when I set the buffer size to 32 or 64 for recording (with autotune), there are cracks to hear and it's like impossible to get an good result. I checked all settings, cables etc. but I don't get it. Where could be the mistake?

[@iangonzalez5112]

Were u able to fix it, I have the same issue I got a new interface and I still hear the cracks

[@paulcurran4786]

Does this work the same when setting up a modular setup with Logic via a mod audio interface?

[@michellewetzel3744]

you're a hero!!!!!

[@CMarq2112]

When I started using Logic during the first months of Covid, I wanted an option to record my drum kit into my laptop. Most of the interfaces in my budget didn’t have enough inputs for my full kit, but I did end up getting a Mackie USB-enabled mixer that seemed to do the trick. The only drawback is that I couldn’t adjust individual parts (kick, snare, etc) in Logic, only on the mixer itself. Do you have any interface recommendations for someone looking to record 4-6 inputs from a drum kit without breaking the bank? I’m strictly a recreational home recorder with no actual studio - this is all for fun. Thanks, and I’m really looking forward to digging into this whole series.

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

Most interfaces with more than 8 channels will cost big bucks. However, there are several reasonable, affordable options with 8 channels. The Focusrite 18i20 is one example. New they go for around $500 USD. Funny you ask, because I'm actually selling a gently used one for $350 if you are interested, and live in the US?

[@CMarq2112]

Thanks for the input. I may consider that offer…

[@faresalnuaimi2120]

I’m using the latest update of Logic Pro I have a problem with output and mic The sound of mic interrupted and the output is not working What I can to do to fixing that a problem

[@conniepaula827]

Hey! Thank you so much for this series, it's super helpful! I have a question about latency. I can't figure out why but mine is huge - I thought it was normal until I came across this video and it turns out it's very much not. With the same settings as you (except rewire behaviour, which doesn't show up for me) and i/o buffer size 32, I am getting 188ms roundtrip. For reference, I have a MacBook Pro M1 Pro (16GB RAM, 10 cores, 1TB SSD), have about 500GB left in my SSD and am using a MiniFuse 2 to record and a Minilab 3 MIDI controller. Even if I switch to my MacBook's microphone, though, the latency remains in the 180ms range, so I don't think it's the interface. Is there anything I can do to see why that is? I don't understand how my laptop, which is quite a good and expensive one, could have such horrible latency when recording... Thanks in advance :)

[@paulthiebaut]

Hey MusicTechHelpGuy, what's the influence of "Process Buffer Range" ? I heard that it should always be set to large...

[@aryanking7798]

THANK YOU!

[@robkneebonemusicandmusings667]

P.S. do you increase the buffer size when adding plugins and effects or just when mixing?

[@paulstanton2124]

Great videos! thanks

[@diamondjune9602]

Hey, so I have a question. I am recording with an Apollo twin x and I was curious if I still need to use a low buffer size in my daw while recording even though I’m using my Apollo to listen to myself recording and not the daw. There is no latency in my headphones when I use my Apollo but I don’t know if and how the buffer size in my daw affects the recording. Appreciate any input on the matter

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

If you are using direct monitoring mode on the Apollo, you can pretty much just leave the DAW buffer size alone. Just set it to a higher setting and leave it there, and monitor your recordings through the Apollo. The buffer size has no effect on the recording itself, just how the signal is processed and the amount of time it takes loop back the signal to headphones. The only downside is any effects you want during recording, will not be audible. So if you're running reverb or compression on your track while recording, you won't hear these effects during the recording.

[@asaadadams8438]

hello musictech guy your videos are very helpful to me .but my Apollo twin interface is not working with the 10.7.5 I can hear the music but the microphone don't come though .can you please help me thanks

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

If you're getting output, the interface is definitely connecting with Logic. What kind of microphone is it? A couple things to check, and apologies if these seem obvious -- (1) If it's a condenser microphone, make sure that phantom power (48V) is turned on and the gain is pulled up a bit. (2) Make sure that the input you're plugged into is set to microphone input, and not line or instrument input. (3) Make sure that the channel input assignment matches the input on the interface. (4) Double check that the Apollo is being shown as both the input and output device in Logic's audio preferences/settings.

[@asaadadams8438]

@@MusicTechHelpGuy DO YOU HAVE A EMAIL ADDRESS I COULD SEND YOU PICTURES OF WHAT IM DOING IT STILL NOT COMING THROUGH I HEAR MYSELF IN THE HEADPHONES BUT NOT THROUTH LOGIC

[@alex_bux]

Thank you so much for these amazing tutorials! I have an issue with the input monitoring > the button won't show even when you ctrl clic on the track header component..any clue? thank you very much!

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

A few things to check: (1) Right-click or control-click on the track header, a menu will pop up. Go down to "track header components > input monitoring". I'm assuming that's what you were already talking about, but I figured I would mention it first. (2) Input monitoring only works for audio tracks, so if you have some other type of track pulled up like a software instrument track, or external MIDI track, the "record enable" function essentially does the same thing for MIDI. (3) Make sure your "advanced/complete features" are enabled. I cover this in part #01, the previous video.

[@alex_bux]

@@MusicTechHelpGuy I did all what you've mentioned, including the part #1 but it still won't show the button...reinstalling logic maybe?

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

@@alex_bux Yeah, sounds like a glitched install to me. You can re-install, or first try trashing your Logic preferences ("settings" in MacOS Ventura). The bottom 2 solutions will help you out with this. Reset Logic Pro Settings and Trash the PLIST file.

[@alex_bux]

@@MusicTechHelpGuy got it back by reseting Logic Pro settings..Thank you very much for your advices...;)

[@xerotivi]

are these external hardware necessary for new beginners? im not planning to record anything soon and i believe i should be sure that i want to invest in this hobby first by playing around and then buy some hardware. cant we use logic without that hardware?

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

Sure! Without an audio interface, you just won't be able to record with a microphone or use studio monitors. So if you're just working with MIDI and headphones, you'll be fine.

[@shalibhadrashah1873]

Great.. thnx for sharing.. Can you pls make a short On How to import .rex pr rx2 file in logic pro x 10.7.5 ?

[@luistirado88]

Shouldn't we also move ESX2 instrument samples, vst plugins, and other things to an external drive also?

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

If you relocate the sound library as I demonstrate in part #01, it moves all of the EXS instruments to the external sound library for you automatically. Logic doesn't support VSTs, it uses AU Components, but there's no reason for AU Component plugins to be moved to an external drive. The .component files are not large files, and that might make them not load up correctly.

[@phillipdumond600]

Thank you for the explanation. I do have a question however. When I have a completed project and decide to go back and re do a vocal, I get this huge latency problem on the vocal. I can't seem to stop it no matter what. Here is the set up: All my plug ins are on for the instrument tracks while recording I create a new audio track to record my new vocal ( no plug ins or effects are on. I would like to if I could however) The vocal ends up just behind everything and I cannot seem to get a good take.. Maybe you can direct me to a video you already have addressing how to record with "mixed tracks" playing and being able to turn on some effects on the vocal chain for inspiration. Sorry for the long explanation. Thank you in advance

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

Usually when I record into a larger project and I get latency, it's caused by one or more plugins causing the latency. What I typically do is bypass all effects on the stereo out, lower the buffer to like 128 or 256 (still enough power to run most of your plugins), and check the latency on the recording. If it's still laggy, try checking some for some other high CPU plugins in your mix, OR turn on Low-Latency Mode which will automatically bypass high CPU plugins causing latency. You can get to it by right-clicking or control-clicking on the control bar at the top (anywhere in the light-grey area), Customize the control bar, and show "Low Latency Monitoring Mode". Turn it on, and you'll see some plugins turn orange, showing they are temporarily bypassed.

[@phillipdumond600]

@@MusicTechHelpGuy Thank you very much.

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

In this video I demonstrate the following: 1. What is an audio interface? 2. Hardware options for audio interfaces 3. How to set up an audio interface in Logic Pro 4. What is I/O Buffer? 5. How to test the input and output of an audio interface in Logic Support the sponsor of this video, Boombox | bit.ly/boomboxsponsor For mixing/mastering work, contact me at my website | carneymediagroup.com Follow MusicTechHelpGuy on Instagram | instagram.com/musictechhelpguy Support the channel on Patreon | patreon.com/musictechhelpguy Timestamps 0:00 Introduction 1:08 Sponsor Segment 1:47 Hardware Options 3:05 Audio Device + I/O Buffer Size 5:44 Output Test with a Loop 6:42 Setting Up a Microphone 8:17 Input Monitoring + Record Enable 9:18 Test Recording

[@JULIOAIS]

For many years I use Logic with no interfaces, only the one Logic offers.

[@phwifty3197]

Hi Josh Quick tip My equipment is a bit dated and sometimes when I record with 32 samples sometimes I still get latency. If I change to 64 samples press apply and back to 32 samples ( press apply) it resets to no latency Also I find my Ernie Ball guitar leads have no hiss, crackle and seem to less latency. (The generic leads are rubbish)

[@robpearson9526]

Hi Josh. Im new to your channel and also new to LPX. I have an Arturia audiofuse 2 channel interface, (2x Mic/Instrument/Line (XLR / 1/4" TRS). I would be extremely grateful if you might be able to provide me with a solution to this ongoing problem Im having. I'm trying to record my vocals and acoustic guitar at the same time, using 2 mics. My RODE NT1 for my guitar (in channel 1) and my SM 57 for vocals (in channel 2), both are XLR connections. Problem is I'm not getting a signal in channel 2. Im not sure if the issue is with the I/O setup, when selecting an audio track, (when I first open LPX), or something in the settings of my interface. Maybe its neither, ugh! Im assuming the interface is compatible with connecting 2 mics at the same time, and not one mic and a guitar for example? Anyway, thanks for all the great content!

[@guzzoofoz]

Great series. 👍🇦🇺

[@tonyboyhume3878]

my version of logic does not give a choice of audio device. at 3.40 it doesnt do what the tech guy says it does.

[@ST-fl5fy]

Do I even need Auto input monitoring on? I feel I don't need it.

[@asaphmp371]

Does this apply to recording software instruments?

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

Yes, the latency will affect software instruments, particularly if you have some plugins loaded that use a lot of CPU power, or cause a lot of latency. I typically lower the buffer a bit and bypass any effects on my stereo out when recording with MIDI.

[@asaphmp371]

Thanks!

[@hangovergin]

Thanks

[@ritviikmuralidhar]

You are an angel )

[@darvish2776]

Hi, after downloading Ventura on Mac, my Audio interface (ensemble by apogee) stoped working. Do you know a fix for this? Thanks!

[@digital360]

Whenever a new apple os drops, it is highly recommended not to update to it until all the plug-in and hardware manufacturers have had to time to update their products to be compatible with it. You should refer to the audio interface manufacturers website to determine their specific recommendations and whether or not you should update to the latest apple os.

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

According to the Apogee website, you need to update the firmware to ver. 3.5.2 or higher to run on Ventura and Apple Silicon. Here's a link to their compatibility page: apogeedigital.com/home-feature-news/apogee-products-and-macos-ventura-compatibility

[@ricomarcelmusic]

PLEASE can you help me!!?!??!? I was able to set everything up, everything works perfect. ONLY PROBLEM IS when I record and playback I only hear audio out of one side. same with when i press the little "I".... i can hear myself while im recording but the audio is only coming out of one side of my head phones. i dont know what im doing wrong :-( Edit:ok i can hear out of the other ear but its so faint, almost like in the distance. when i switch to listen to anything else like youtube I hear the audio loud and clear in both sides of my earphones. only when im listening to playback in logic does it not sound right

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

You are probably recording into a stereo channel, which would require two microphones. So when you record you're actually only recording on the left channel. Make sure the track is MONO. At the top of the channel strip for the track, make sure you see 1 little circle (mono), not 2 interlocking circles (stereo). Click on it and it should go to mono.

[@ricomarcelmusic]

@MusicTechHelpGuy thank you for that!!!! 😊☺️☺️😌

[@quantum_ocean]

Installing 21GB of sound lib data took less than 10 minutes here in Japan

[@guzzoofoz]

Loving it. 👍🇦🇺

[@LA610]

Not related to this video....I have tried loading Garage band files into Logic. Never had any luck doing so. It was always clicky, with unwanted noises. Any thoughts?

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

It's been my understanding that you can simply open any GarageBand file directly in Logic. Just right-click on the GarageBand project, and select "open with" and then select Logic. Or just open Logic first, and open the GB project. It's been a few years since I've done this, but I don't see any reason why you would get clicks and pops. Sometimes these are just sync/jitter errors. A lot of the time, they can be corrected by changing the buffer size, hit apply, then change back to the buffer setting you prefer.

[@LA610]

@@MusicTechHelpGuy thank you soo much that makes perfect sense!!!!!!!

[@audioquest1]

Awesome

[@vegefranz]

vielen Dank🇩🇪👍

[@samwales5418]

Wow!!

[@GuitarBySamMartinez]

Cool

[@TheBawss90]

🤘🏼🔥

[@BVM7Official541]

Make screen large we can't see....❤

[@charlylopezmusic]

Boombox doesn't give 10GB free anymore, they only give 4GB free now.

[@MusicTechHelpGuy]

Yes. That was for their introductory period. The ads in future videos have been updated for this.