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Logic Pro tracking with plugins

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Rodney D

Logician
Hi group,

I want to record some vocals with a little compression going in on the front end. I've read that I should set it up in Logics environment. I've also read that I should use aux busses to achieve this. Personally I don't want to do neither of these. Couldn't I just place the compressor on the channel insert then record the vocals and then bounce the track in place when I'm finished? Wouldn't the bounced track be printed with the compressed vocals or am I wrong about this?
 
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Thanks for your response. Well I already add a little compression on the way in using my hardware compressor. So I essentially commit to the sound once its recorded. But now I have some Uad plugins that are pretty heavy on resources. Just want free up some DSP and CPU. Especially the UAD satellite because it limits the plugin instances.
 
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Rodney D said:
Thanks for your response. Well I already add a little compression on the way in using my hardware compressor. So I essentially commit to the sound once its recorded. But now I have some Uad plugins that are pretty heavy on resources. Just want free up some DSP and CPU. Especially the UAD satellite because it limits the plugin instances.
Click to expand...
In that case I think freezing the tracks would realise your objective, without taking hardly any time and providing a non-destructive result.
 
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Hi Rodney,

A little more background for you:

In the mixer, you have access to channel strips that allow you to do everything you will need for mixing: audio, software instrument, and instrument channel strips for tracks, auxiliary, output, master, and VCA group channel strips for mixing.

In the Environment, you can access a couple additional channel strip types, that you may want to access as part of your project, but you won't need for mixing. One of those channel strips is called an "Input" channel strip. Like the "Output" channel strips that you can create in the mixer, an Input channel strip is a channel strip "hard coded" to a specific hardware jack on your interface. It is "pre-recording." So that means that while you can use it as any other channel strip—with volume, pan, effects slots, and so on—but any adjustments or processing you add on an Input channel strip is printed along with the audio.

So yes, this would do what you want as far as printing software compression directly into the audio file. BUT: Input channel strips are not latency compensated. That means that if you are using a plug-in that incurs any kind of delay, that delay is then printed. So lets say that you have a favorite compressor plug-in, and it needs to "hold onto the audio" for 2 milliseconds in order to do its processing. In playback, Logic has latency compensation to make up for that. But if you record through that compressor, it is going to print the audio 2ms later that every other track not recorded through that plug-in. Even if you record all your audio through that plug-in, it means that if you use a Drummer track, or software instruments, everything will be out of time.

My suggestions if you want to record through compression are:
1) Record with a hardware compressor (which it sounds like you do)
2) Buy an interface that has DSP built in, such as the Universal Audio Twin or Apollo or other such interfaces that are designed from the ground up for recording through plug-ins with no perceivable delay in recording.

Hope that helps!
Orren
 
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Orren Merton said:
Hi Rodney,

A little more background for you:

In the mixer, you have access to cha
Orren Merton said:
Hi Rodney,

A little more background for you:

In the mixer, you have access to channel strips that allow you to do everything you will need for mixing: audio, software instrument, and instrument channel strips for tracks, auxiliary, output, master, and VCA group channel strips for mixing.

In the Environment, you can access a couple additional channel strip types, that you may want to access as part of your project, but you won't need for mixing. One of those channel strips is called an "Input" channel strip. Like the "Output" channel strips that you can create in the mixer, an Input channel strip is a channel strip "hard coded" to a specific hardware jack on your interface. It is "pre-recording." So that means that while you can use it as any other channel strip—with volume, pan, effects slots, and so on—but any adjustments or processing you add on an Input channel strip is printed along with the audio.

So yes, this would do what you want as far as printing software compression directly into the audio file. BUT: Input channel strips are not latency compensated. That means that if you are using a plug-in that incurs any kind of delay, that delay is then printed. So lets say that you have a favorite compressor plug-in, and it needs to "hold onto the audio" for 2 milliseconds in order to do its processing. In playback, Logic has latency compensation to make up for that. But if you record through that compressor, it is going to print the audio 2ms later that every other track not recorded through that plug-in. Even if you record all your audio through that plug-in, it means that if you use a Drummer track, or software instruments, everything will be out of time.

My suggestions if you want to record through compression are:
1) Record with a hardware compressor (which it sounds like you do)
2) Buy an interface that has DSP built in, such as the Universal Audio Twin or Apollo or other such interfaces that are designed from the ground up for recording through plug-ins with no perceivable delay in recording.

Hope that helps!
Orren
Click to expand...

nnel strips that allow you to do everything you will need for mixing: audio, software instrument, and instrument channel strips for tracks, auxiliary, output, master, and VCA group channel strips for mixing.

In the Environment, you can access a couple additional channel strip types, that you may want to access as part of your project, but you won't need for mixing. One of those channel strips is called an "Input" channel strip. Like the "Output" channel strips that you can create in the mixer, an Input channel strip is a channel strip "hard coded" to a specific hardware jack on your interface. It is "pre-recording." So that means that while you can use it as any other channel strip—with volume, pan, effects slots, and so on—but any adjustments or processing you add on an Input channel strip is printed along with the audio.

So yes, this would do what you want as far as printing software compression directly into the audio file. BUT: Input channel strips are not latency compensated. That means that if you are using a plug-in that incurs any kind of delay, that delay is then printed. So lets say that you have a favorite compressor plug-in, and it needs to "hold onto the audio" for 2 milliseconds in order to do its processing. In playback, Logic has latency compensation to make up for that. But if you record through that compressor, it is going to print the audio 2ms later that every other track not recorded through that plug-in. Even if you record all your audio through that plug-in, it means that if you use a Drummer track, or software instruments, everything will be out of time.

My suggestions if you want to record through compression are:
1) Record with a hardware compressor (which it sounds like you do)
2) Buy an interface that has DSP built in, such as the Universal Audio Twin or Apollo or other such interfaces that are designed from the ground up for recording through plug-ins with no perceivable delay in recording.

Hope that helps!
Orren
Click to expand...
 
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Orren,

So what you're telling me is, I should use Logic environment to track through plugins vs placing the plugin on the insert channel in the mixer and bounce in place afterwards...is this correct?
 
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Rodney D said:
Would freezing tracks allow me to still monitor all plugins as if they were still active?
Click to expand...
Freezing means bouncing an audiofile of the whole track to disk (including effects) and locking the plugins. Such files are stored in a special folder. You hear the effect of the plugins, but unless you un-freeze the track you cannot change plugin-parameters or their automation. You can use channelstrip elements like Sends, Pan, Volume, Mute and Solo.
 
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