My NEW Logic Workflow
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- In the project management world, there's a saying known as The Iron Triangle: "Good, Fast or Cheap. Pick Two". In this video, I share my new workflow in Logic Pro X, designed to help save time and lead to achieving all three every time.
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I am a composer, producer and musician, based in London.
Email me at: dankeenmusic@mail.com
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Thanks for sharing! In my template, I use the “H” hide tool to remove visibility until I’m ready for it if need be. Still very good info here.
You're a genius. The iCloud preset/sound bank trick is godly.
I have saved presets for EVERYTHING. Saved Plug-In settings/Patches/Channel Strip settings/Sampler Instruments/etc. Saved presets is really the key to working fast especially when using the key commands to switch between the presets.
Hi Dan, keep up the great work. Exporting stems offline by command-clicking each track stack is a fantastic way to deliver stems. I used it for the first time on a drama series this year and it works brilliantly. It's so much quicker than having to export each stack separately. The one caveat is that if you use hardware synths you have to bus them to a separate audio track and disable the external instrument plug-in, or the stack in which you have external instruments may or may not export. It's a bug in Logic. The external instrument plug-in can't be active anywhere within a stack. The workaround is to store the settings for each hardware synth or instrument so that you can easily recall it if needs be. Other than that it's a great way to deliver stems.
Whoa. This is a MasterClass in orchestration workflow. This is great, thank you. I actually use Cubase on Windows but most of this will apply. 👍🏼
One weakness of exporting track stacks with reverb nested like that, is that whatever is being sent to reverb (not just the instruments within the stack) will sound in the reverb. If you send your whole orchestra to it, but export just the string stack with the reverb nested, you will have dry and wet strings, but also wet brass, woodwinds, perc and whatever
Really top drawer content Dan, thank you.
Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! This is why I love community sharing! Will definitely start populating this. (Even mid project, instead of adding new sound to every reel in my template) Thanks!
Thank You 🙏🙂
I‘ve never heard anything about such an approach to Logic. Very interesting! 👍🏻
Great info. I’ve been rebuilding and simplifying my main template and will certainly be adding these tips! (Hey Dan, please consider slowing your speech down a bit. I’m getting old!). Thanks for you consistently great information!
the cloud backup of preferences/shortcuts is great
Hi Dan, although I use Studio One as my main DAW now your suggestion about storing favourite sound set ups instead of having a huge template can also be achieved in Studio One.
The 'patch store' process is very similar to the one you've showcased here in Logic - a great tip that will now use seeing how it benefits overall workflow. Loved the Interstellar organ score video too. Never been drawn to organ sounds before but will now delve. Cheers Dave.
THANK YOU! Been a logic user for years but never thought of storing presets in iCloud. Which is a little stupid because I use that for other stuff like contacts and notes. You have just saved me A LOT of time. Great stuff! Feel free to invoice me. :)
You can always tip 😉 ko-fi.com/dankeen
OK, this is my weekend sorted - thanks for the info so many things in here that will save me hours
I used to do the big templates thing but I strayed away too, my template now a days just has labeled tracks, a few vsts that are disabled, and a nice aux/bus set up...
One limitation of channel strip settings vs patches is the channel strip settings don’t save the loaded articulation set if you’re using those. So I’m generally relying on patches, for both single tracks and summing stacks. But yes this is a great way of working! you can also drag patch files from the finder to the logic arrange page and it will create new tracks, rather than needing to have a newly created instrument track selected inside of logic when choosing the patch in Logic’s library (just an alternate way of loading). Good idea with the click! thx for the vid.
I'm having this issue with my patches, and it's driving me crazy. I'm trying to set up several patches and save the Kontakt articulations in each (pizzicato, staccato, spiccato, etc.) but some keep reverting to the first articulation regardless of how many times I save it. The real kicker is that sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
I'm wondering if this is a bug with Logic, Kontakt, or some user setting I need to toggle.
@@52Cues That's interesting... I guess I've never worried about having a "default" articulation. I use the Babylon Waves art sets mostly, and just select the art that I want by remote before I record. That would be a good feature request though, to be able to set a default within the map.
@@judsoncrane1496 I have the BW art sets as well, but haven't really pressed into them much. Maybe I should give them another look...
love this...and any additional "what happens next" as you use this template would be awesome! thanks DK.
Love your clean workflow. Looking forward to seeing more about this.
the paradox of templates and work flow rules: it takes time and a lot of failures to find what is yours. It cant be too complex (or too determined) and it cant be too simple and blank (otherwise is not a template). The first step by any means is to set shortcuts correctly, or buttons. And this as well ... it takes time to find the functions that we use most . Depends on gear, studio, musical style etc
Thanks Dan. Always fascinating to see how others use their templates. For me, the main problem with workflow in Logic used to be (1) no sub folders and (2) no track disable from RAM. Since both of these are now solved, I can have every single instrument/articulation in my very low RAM template, readily accessible within 3 clicks, using a folder structure of section/instrument/articulation. Using this, in combination with hide tracks is now the perfect workflow for me, but everyone is different, so whatever works best for you is likely different. No matter what template though, i still can’t compose like you, so I guess I need to focus my efforts on that a lot more!
This is likely the most educational video on the subject I have ever found. Thanks a ton! So so helpful for my new process and workflow.
Great pointers!! 🙂💛
Wow !
this is brilliant.
probably took you a while to set it up in the first place..
I also always didn't like the approach of opening an entire orchestra as a template, so I love your approach !
Brilliant setup, Dan Keen! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Dan. Necessary piece of information!
Thank you very much for sharing this. So so useful for my daily routines.
Really happy to see your new workflow. This is exactly what I started to do recently after seing Kygo saved each of his presets this way. It’s really handy and easy to use.
This also fix the issue to have multiple favorites everywhere: like Komplete Kontrol, Kontact, Other standards, etc.
Great workflow ideas, Dan! I'd love to see more on your processing choices for stacks and stereo out / mastering. Thanks!
This is absolute gold, thank you Dan! Also, if it hasn't been said already, you need to make merch with a quote from this video that I just love, at 7:14 - "95% of the time, I reach for the same tools every time". 😂 Anchorman fans gotta love that one. Keep doing what ya doing, love learning from your channel and all the other Spitfire folks.
outstanding...ty!
Great video Dan! Really helpful!
Nice video! This kind of workflow is why I like Studio One.
Nicely done Dan! Thank you!
Amazing work. What a great way to work. Thank you so much.
Beautiful mate - thank u
Very interesting stuff, with some great tips and work philosophy, thank you.The preset concept is intriguing. I'm so glad it works for you. In no way imaginable would it work for me right now, for too many reasons to go into. But, briefly, I need icons (poor eyesight) and I love icons, I need more reverbs, because I have so many reverbs ( Cinematic Rooms, Tai,Chi, Altiverb ( a must for me), Lexicons, Valhalla, etc,etc). And the list goes on, so...
My "giant" 1800+ track, 144 FX bus template is based on Paul Thomson's, which I have subsequently customised. I don't use FX inserts within the stacks, per stack. To me, that's wasteful of CPU: hence more FX buses.All my FX are on buses, to which I send stacks, or sections, or anything. This also includes some section submixes, eg: drums/percussion, bass guitar, bass synth, synths, etc. Obviously, I wouldn't discount using inserts, too.I also use Logic Colourizer, which has reinvented the whole look of Logic in ways that are indescribably work-flow liberating.
And now I have a Mac Studio M2 Ultra, with 192 GB RAM, to cope with this. No disrespect, but while you're still selecting your favourites etc, my fully fleshed-out (but unloaded) monster template has launched; in seven seconds, actually, if Logic is already opened.
In addition to track stacks I use the excellent Logic Pro implementation of not loading up software-instruments until they are selected. This means over 1800 carefully-chosen instruments, from orchestral/acoustic, through synths, guitars, the gamut of drums and percussion, choirs/vox, FX, etc.,etc., are there, ready to go at my command. If I select something that's not required later on, instead of having to reload the whole thing again, I simply purge all samples on that instance, recouping superfluous RAM. The whole empty template comes in at just under 1 GB. Not large, considering its complexity.
It took me several months to create this template, with many aborted attempts. Oh, the pain, the pain! It was originally started on a late 2012 iMac, 32GB RAM (bless it) and there's no way I'm going to ditch all this effort; at least for now! Started on the iMac, but I knew I'd be moving up and wanted to be prepared.It's now finished (never, ever say that word), and extremely stable.
You have a very, er ...keen sense of ergonomics and workflow, which I admire. Excellent presentation!
Thank you.Excellent video and great tips. Will be visiting this one a few times. Must have taken a long time to create this template, but so worth it!
Great stuff! Will try some of the tips with the new projects.
Great vid Dan, great way of thinking and working! I'll have to have a rethink...
Neat & Clean. Looking forward for the next video of how you create the presets and stems.
Absolutely superb tips, Dan!
Wow this is so true! I'm always cheap and good, that's why I'm slow AF! Lol
Keen, The Machine.
Thank you! That's very helpful.
Bravo! This advise is very good 😉
Thanks Dan - very useful!
Wow. Wow, wow, wow.
Awesome video! I have been trying to achieve efficiency while using vst drums such as Native instruments Abbey road drums, which are being sent from Kontakt to separate audio tracks in order to work with each drum part separately. It's a little different to what you were showing but I'd appreciate tips related to this too if possible. Thanks again
Thanks for the video! Some interesting ideas, but I do have one small niggle: you're switching away from Logic to face cam too fast really, and I understand you want to be in the frame (handsome fellow :)), but it would have been amazing to see Logic more. Cheers!
Really useful,Thank you!
Great info here! 💯
If I haven't missed it. Could you please come back and do a tutorial about creating Alias Folders and syncing with the cloud?
Wow Dan, a lot of great advice here! Unfortunately I'm not a mac user, but nevertheless quite a few things can be adapted in the DAW I use on Windows. All the content I've watched from you is so educational. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Great vid mate!
Presets are where it's at! I recently re arranged my sample library and drives, then realized it messed up some of my patches, I was 😔
awesome info I doubt ill ever figure anything out that you did but nice job.
I love this idea of the pre-made minimum template. Even if you create a hugh template with all your favs and track disconected for maximum performance at start, it often unease to navigate in it and find the right library or the right track there. Sometimes i ise big templates but all myfavorite libraries instruments ans patches are presaved i. Logic browser. Not to say that it takes a bit of time at start to organize it all but is very rewarding aftewatrds. There are a couple of things in Logic that i couñd be improved, like having a dedicated shortcut for “saving patches” like the one you can use for saving Channel strips. Also is a pitty that saving Channel Strips dont save the articulations settings of the Ch S. With it.
Fantastic, Dan! I will for sure watch this video a few more times and find the gems that work for me. I've always been hesitant to save Channel Strips and instruments within the Logic Library but I think you've inspired me to take the plunge and get away from the overflowing templates that clog the creative flow! Thanks again. :)
Great resource! One question: why not just create a track for the Click channel strip, instead of sending it to an aux track?
Please make a full review on the cinematic rooms reverb soon!!
Love the presets idea! Thanks so much for sharing your workflow man! Love to know your computer specs cause it seems to work really fast!
Hi Dan! Thanks for this great video. Do you also save the patches in iCloud? You talk about linking the Channel Strip Settings folder, but the patches are in the "Patches" folder. Do you have the same link there?
Informative and inspiring video. I love the simple template, I'm going to try this myself. P.s. thanks for not asking me to like and subscribe, it's irritating. Liked and subscribed as thanks :D
That’s an awesome video and approach Dan and I have been going down a similar route but then ended up going back to the whole template for mainly one reason: Track delays. Unfortunately for some strange reason logic doesn’t save them in use patches so that would have to be re-added every time and if you save one full section that could be dozens of track to change. I guess you are not using track delays? How do you adjust for sample latency while still having something decently quantized? Love you videos and your compositions. My favorite Spitfire contributor by far!💪
Does logic have visibility configurations like cubase?
Hi Dan,
Thankyou for your brilliant video on a modular way of working with instrument presets and track stacks within Logic, I've adopted this and it has completely changed the way I now work,
My question is when I save a Logic track stack preset along with its instruments it does not save the Logic routing and bus info is there a way to include this? as it would then work with my Logic autoload template which has no instrument tracks but is setup with my audio channels and instrument submiixer channels, if I can get the bus routing saved along with the Logic preset track stack then this would be the perfect work flow for me.
Dan…could you please just explain how you get that Click track on the tracks page please?
Sorted now!! 😉😜
@@paulmatthews2057 How did you figure it out?
I'm surprised so many people like Cinematic Rooms. Considering how much it costs, it lacks the fidelity of convolution reverbs, and I didn't see any CPU benefit compared with ACON's Verberate 2 (which is half the price).
Hello Dan, Thank you and Bravo for your videos which I watch with great interest and great pleasure.
Yesterday I bought "cinematic room" following your advice and I love this reverb indeed.
Could you tell me which presets you use depending on the style of your compositions please?
Maybe you have your own settings?
I also use "Fabfilter pro R" with the settings of Christian Henson visible on these educational videos ...
Thanks in advance.
Do you have a tutorial on how to export Logic stems for dub stage mix? Or even better, record from Logic into to Pro Tools to deliver a pro tools session to the dub?
I don’t but that’s a great video suggestion - thanks!
Logic templates are necessary!
Trying to make the metronome thing happen. What is "Klopfgeist" in your input?
Hey Dan, quick tip. You said @3:32 you don’t like to show the icons. But…did you know if you command + double click on the icon it will open up the instrument track without going to the inspector?
I did NOT know that! That's a great tip, thanks!
Very inspiring and informative - thank you so much! Whats your workflow regarding your samples (spitfire and more), are you using the same external HD when working on your laptop and at your studio - and then just carry this with you whereever you are working - or do you use other ways to do this?
i just wonder what did you do for templates in Logic before you save instruments, because for me it looks so evident that adding instruments to favorites is the first step for any template ? I never get that idea of composers using 10000 tracks with 100 orchestras etc in the template
How do you save the patches eg. Brass, Strings, WW etc.?
In the library view, at the bottom of the pane, there’s a “Save…” button. Happy birthday!
@@DanKeenMusic Got it! Thank you, thank you!! When it comes to sending stems, I also prefer printing in 'realtime'. So perhaps with this new preset method, print stacks can be saved as a preset and easily connected via bussing OR they can be set and ready to go hidden/and muted perhaps and engaged when needed. Based on the way you have set up your template, producing a stem in realtime with a sum would be as easy as saving a blank stack of audio tracks, loading them up and routing to those tracks. Just an idea. Thanks again for your marvelous ideas!
Any reason why you save track instruments att channel strip settings and not patches?
Good video! What does the plant in the background think about the work flow, you got everything in one palm and small and quick to deal with? :)
I looked at Adel's latest hit and it only had 4 tracks. Can you tell us how this is the No.1 hit with such brevity?
Where can i buy DK the grand piano library?
Hey Dan can you tell me how you save the settings like EQ and articulation of an instrument? so whenever you need it it will open up with the settings you saved them.
Thank you Dan for the very helpful video! I wonder how do you manage the workflow with external controller for the CC and automation. Logic doesn't recognize the external controller for the automation as soon as the tracks are in a Stack. Thank you!
Thanks so much Dan! Very informative and great video! - How would you approach a similar workflow but working with VEP7?
Great Tips Dan, I actually started this same/similar approach last month, First Patch Stack was Hammers as I was using it over several projects.It takes a while to get it all organised but well worth it. Look forward to your video on exports etc,stems. One question when you export the stacks as an audio file with the reverb bus within the stack do you have to create a blank midi track for Logic to realise to include the reverb? I'm on 10.5.1 so might be due to being on an older version.
But if you use the midi pack... Cheap, Fast and ... what was the other?
Hi, is it possible to use an upright piano in place of keyboard to do score programming?
How do you do the trick with the rear bus setup with mid side?
Love this method of template building Dan! I'm having a bit of an issue with Logic when I try to implement it that I'm not sure if you've encountered. Basically when I load folders of tracks from my saved presets it does not remember the track names and just names them 'Kontakt'. It also forgets what articulation I had CSS on for some reason... Has anyone else encountered this?
I encountered the same issue and stil I have not solved it
Thanks for this and love your work! Any chance we could get a Logic template for your new workflow?
Seems to me that workflow is in opposition to "fast". It took you time to develop your workflow.
From this, the "iron triangle" would apply more to something that's totally new.
Really interesting video Dan! It has definitely given me some food for thought in regards to doing something similar. I have a quick question for you - I am assisting another Composer currently doing midi editing for them where I take midi from previous episodes they've composed and conform that midi to new scenes in new episodes of the show they're working on. The only downside is that I can only get into their studio to use their rig once or twice a week as they need the studio the rest of the week. I've been trying to figure out a way to be able do this from home as I'd be able to get a lot more done more quickly but without us spending the money to buy all the same libraries he's using so I can set up an exact template, I don't think there's another way to do that. But then I noticed how you have that folder where you can use samples on your home set up and at your studio. Do you think I could use something similar where I'd have access to his samples that way? Thanks!
Hi Dan, thanks for the great video, very informative! May I ask what piano you are using? You pulled it up briefly, but I didn't recognize the library (Future Studios "The Grand"). This may be one of your own, just curious because I'm always on the lookout for my next best piano library. Thanks so much!
is his own made piano, freely available from the pianobook. Look at spitfire pianobook, and then dan keen.
Thanks Dan, this doesn´t work for me. On which Logic Version you are? I´m on 10.5.1 (Mojave OS). Everytime, I save a whole track stack in the library and load it back in, it´s lost all naming, Track Delays and Plug´In´s. Any help? Single Channels seems to work fine so far.
Make sure you save track stacks as Patches, not channel strips
@@DanKeenMusic Thanks Dan, tried this ( I remembered I did this before) and it now does have all the Plug-In´s, but still looses all Track naming and Track Settings like negative Track Delays. Would you mind, telling me, which Logic Version you are on. I heard something about Logic 10.6 did solve these issues?
@@MarsenK1 I'm using v10.6.1
Any updates on your workflow in 2024/2025?
Working on it!
@ looking forward to it:)
CLA 76 in midside?… how? 2:47
I need to do a whole vid on this - short answer is you need to open the plug-in as dual mono, not stereo. Then you can split between left-right and mid-side
I belong to the 5% club haha
still using this workflow?
Yes! Need to do an update for 2024
But if you are making presets, and only loading those presets every time. How is that any different or anymore "free" than if you had those same presets loaded already in a template? You said you only make presets of things you use 95% of the time, so why not make a template with only those instruments that you use 95% of the time?
Don't get me wrong, its a cool idea and I love the video, I am just having a hard time understanding the logic here.
Can you not do a similar thing by having all of the tracks hidden in a template and then when you need them just unhide them?
Basically creating a template to work around Logic's many user interface problems. Logic desperately needs a complete overhaul. I keep going back to Reaper which has a user interface which makes sense. 🤫
I'm no pro with REAPER and have no experience with Logic (besides watching all the Spitfire videos) but I don't think this is the main issue. I can't feel Logic issues, but when working with MIDI in REAPER and then watching Logic, some MIDI things in REAPER are extremely cumbersome. The customizability in REAPER is indeed incredible, but Dan's point is still valid. Even with REAPER there is a big difference when you make those Kaizen steps to be ready and avoid the boring work. I personally am not there yet, I don't make living with REAPER, but vanilla REAPER is hardly efficient tool for everyone either and attacking Logic on this basis seems pointless. You always have to put some work to make it ready for what you do most of the time.
@@virgo47 if you have no experience with Logic then obviously your opinion on the horrible state of Logic's user interface and handling is not exactly 'on point' .... 🤦♀️
@@superblondeDotOrg Yes, but my point was about being prepared - and that requires some up-front work in REAPER as well.
I was wondering what user interface issues you're talking about, regarding Logic.