Some users have experienced Auto-Tune® Pro not showing up in their DAW after installing Auto-Tune Unlimited. Antares plug-in is not showing up in Logic Pro X.
If you like to play in Logic Pro X, one of the most important things you can do is know how to autotune!
Are your vocal performances coming out a little pitchy? Struggling to hit that high note? Maybe you captured the ultimate performance with loads of soul and feeling, but it’s not quite fitting in the mix due to some slight pitch issues.
Or, maybe you just want to be the next T-Pain, and apply some crazy pitch effects to your vocal recordings.
Whatever the case, learning how to auto-tune in Logic Pro X is not only easy, but will become an invaluable tool in perfecting your vocal recordings, and taking your production to the next level!
Let’s continue these logic pro tutorials with an expose on Auto-tune!
What Is Auto-tune?
Technically speaking, Auto-Tune is a piece of software created by Antares, but the effect has become so popularised in mainstream music that the name has kind of stuck. Typically, when producers, artists or listeners use the term auto tune, what they are talking about is pitch correction.
This step is best performed after you have added some plugins to your other tracks, and have started getting the song whipped into shape!
Pitch correction is a program or plugin used to correct off notes in vocals. Depending on the software, this can be done automatically or manually. You’ll learn about some different options for using in auto tune in Logic soon.
It can also be used as a creative effect, such is the case in a lot of modern hip-hop and RnB music, often dubbed the “T-Pain effect”.
After you get the auto-tune nailed, you will be ready to go on and mix your tracks in Logic Pro X!
Alright. Let’s get started…
When And Why To Use Auto-tune
This might seem obvious, but there are actually a few reasons you might want to use auto tune.
To Fix An Out Of Tune Vocal Recording
Probably the most common use for auto-tune is to correct any off notes in a vocal performance. It may seem like cheating to some, but actually this is an incredibly common technique.
Just about every singer you hear on record these days (especially in pop music) has some form of pitch correction applied, and we’ve become so adapted to hearing perfectly sung melodies that it can even sound strange hearing an unprocessed vocalist!
To Create A Specific Vocal Effect
Popular in modern hip-hop and RnB, heavily autotuned vocals have become a regular feature used by rappers and vocalists in these genres.
Popularised by T-Pain in the early 2000s, the sound is often referred to as the “T-Pain Effect”, so much so that iZotope has released a pitch correction tool that is literally called The T-Pain Effect.
The goal here is to apply auto tune to a vocal performance that is far out of pitch (or even monotonous), with the parameters at such extreme settings that the effects of the pitch correction plug-in are exceedingly obvious. You’ll learn just how to do this very soon as well.
To Create A Vocal Harmony
A little known use for pitch correction is to take the original vocal recording (which may already have had auto tune applied), and create a vocal harmony by changing the pitch of each note sung.
This achieves an effect that is not anywhere near as natural as a sung harmony, but natural isn’t always what we are going for!
Use Auto Tune To Level Up Your Music Production Skills
Given the wide variety of situations that pitch correction can be applied to, you can see why it’s an extremely vital skill to master.
Not only will you be able to fix bung notes (or seemingly unsalvageable performances) to deliver a higher quality end result, but you’ll also be able to apply the effect more creatively to diversify the sound of your audio productions, and bang out tunes that sound just like your favourite artists!
Does Logic Pro X Have Pitch Correction?
This is why we love Logic Pro X, and why you should too: the suite of audio processing tools that come with the program as standard cover all the bases, and they are extremely effective. (That means yes, yes it does).
There are actually a couple of different tools in Logic Pro that you can use for vocal pitch correction, depending on your desired outcome.
How Do You Autotune Vocals In Logic?
We’re going to focus on using the first two options in Logic Pro X, and how you can get using auto-tune to create pro level tracks.
Pitch Correction Plug-In
Step 1:
On the desired audio track, head over to the left hand side and click on a free Audio FX slot. You’ll find Logic’s Pitch Correction plug-in under ‘Pitch’ – funny that.
Step 2:
The plug-in GUI is admittedly a little dated, and kind of looks like something out of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it does the trick. Rather well in fact.
The first thing you’ll want to do is the key/scale by using the Root and Scale drop down menus.
Step 3:
You’ll then want to select Normal or Low depending on the range of the sources. As a general rule, select Normal for female vocals and Low for male vocals.
But have a play around with the two options and see what sounds best to you!
Step 4:
Now play the track back, and use the Response and Detune sliders to achieve the perfect auto tune effect.
Response is a time based control, the lower the time, the faster the plug-in will react to incorrect pitches, and therefore the more noticeable the effect will be. Too fast, and the effect will be a robotic vocal sound.
Too slow, and Logic may miss some fleeting out of tune notes. Season to taste.
Detune should be adjusted if the track is consistently below or above the the centre of the bottom display. Again, adjust til you find the sweet spot.
Flex Pitch
Flex Pitch is a tool in Logic Pro X that allows you to adjust the pitch of a vocal performance note by note. That means you can select individual off notes to correct, rather than applying an effect over an entire track. This is a great idea if you are trying to get a more natural tone overall.
Step 1:
You’ll want to start by hitting the flex button in the edit window (Command+F).
Step 2:
From the drop down menu, select Flex Pitch. It might take a couple of seconds to initialize.
Step 3:
Zoom in on the vocal track, and you’ll see that Logic Pro has added some little blue boxes to the audio recording. These denote the pitch of each note.
Step 4:
From here, you can literally drag each of the blue boxes in your audio region to the desired pitch!
How Do I Record Auto Tune In Logic Pro X?
The Pitch Correction plug-in in Logic Pro can be used in realtime, if you have a need to auto-tune vocals on the way in.
Unfortunately the Flex Pitch function is a more manual approach, so if you like using correction on the way in, and Logic’s in built tool isn’t doing the trick, try some of these third-party plugins and see if they get you where you want to be.
Conclusion
So, now you’ve learned how to use Logic’s Pitch Correction tool to automatically alter a vocal performance, and the Flex Pitch function for a more manual, fine-tuned approach.
Now it’s up to you, get experimenting and start auto-tuning some vocal tracks!
Do you use Logic Pro X? You need to know how to add plugins to logic pro x if you want to keep using it.
If you’ve spent any time producing music in Logic Pro X, you’ve no doubt come across instruments with plug-ins loaded into the Audio FX slots.
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And, if you’re new to Logic Pro X, and/or to making music in a DAW, you’ve probably wondered what the hell they are, what they do, and how to add plugins in Logic Pro X to create an extra layer of sophistication to your tracks.
You will generally start adding plugins after you’ve completed the sampling stage.
What Exactly Is A Plugin?
A plugin is a tool that you can apply to a track to manipulate the sound of the audio. You will generally start to apply plugins before you go on to the autotuning stage.
Prior to the age of digital audio and music production, they didn’t exist at all.
In order to manipulate the sound using compression, delay, EQ or any other effect, you’d need to fire up a separate physical unit. Luckily, things are a lot easier in the world of DAWS like Logic, and a simple click of the mouse gives you access to a folder full of effects.
Some common types of plug-ins include:
Logic Pro comes with a library of fantastic, professional quality and highly usable plug-ins, but you also have the option to purchase or download third party units that can be used within the DAW (more on that later).
Why You Should Be Using Plugins
It can be easy to forego the need to use plugins in Logic Pro, not least because the sounds generated by some of its stock instruments are amazing.
But, you run the risk your finished tracks sounding like everybody else’s. After all, they have access to the exact same instrument sets.
Autotune For Logic
By simply experimenting with Logic’s built in plugins (the stock ones are great), you greatly expand the diversity and quality of your tracks, differentiate yourself from the thousands of other producers out there, and have more control over the final sound.
Adding Plugins To Logic Pro X
Adding a plugin to a track in Logic is ridiculously easy. Gone are the days of complex patch bays and external processing units!
On the track’s channel strip (either to the left of the edit window, or inside the mixer window), click on a blank slot under Audio FX. Choose a plugin from the drop down list. You’ll notice Logic’s stock plugins are organised by type (a folder for Delay, a folder for Modulation etc).
Any third party plugins are located under Audio Units at the bottom of the list.
Audio Units are the file format Apple accepts for its third party plugins. Other DAWs use formats such as VST and AAX. You’ll learn how to import third party plugins further down in the article.
If you’re brand new to using plugins, a great place to start is Logic’s Channel EQ. It’s highly visual, intuitive, and is a perfect way to understand the way that plugins manipulate the sound of your tracks.
Frequently Asked QuestionsWhere are Logic Pro X Plugins?
Logic’s stock plugins are built into the code of the software itself, so you will not be able to locate them on your Mac, or use them with any other software.
Third party plug-ins (Audio Units) however are stored in a folder on the Macintosh HD, and you can find them here:
How Do I Get Logic Pro To Recognize New Plugins?
If you’ve installed new third party plugins, Logic should recognize these automatically when you fire the software up. If Logic Pro is not showing your Audio Units plugin, try quitting the software and opening again, or restarting your Mac.
Autotune Plugin Logic Pro X
Still not working? Head to Logic Pro X>Preferences (make sure you have Show Advanced Tools ticked), and select the Plug-In Manager.
Depending on your version of Logic, this may also be called the Audio Units Manager, or AU Manager. Hit ‘Reset and Rescan Selection’ and let Logic do its business and scan the Macintosh HD. Your Audio Units file should be installed and recognised by Logic’s Plug-In Manager in no time.
Can You Use VSTs In Logic Pro X?Logic Pro X Pitch Correction
The short answer is no. Apple uses the Audio Units (AU) file type for its third party plugins. There are, though, a few “VST wrappers”, which serve to turn VSTs into AUs for use in Logic.
Autotune On Logic Pro X
This is kind of like converting a WAV file to an MP3.
To list a few that could be installed on your Mac:
Conclusion
So, now that you know how to add a stock Apple or third party plugin to Logic Pro X, it’s time to start levelling up your music production!
Logic has a huge library of great plugins, and there are a number of free ones available too, just search “free AU plugin” and get creating!
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