Logic’s MIDI plug‑ins are your key to instant inspiration!
When Logic Pro 11 was released back in May 2024, it introduced a wealth of new features, many of which have already been covered in these pages. However, some of the more subtle, but no less powerful additions may have flown under the radar. Among these are significant improvements to MIDI routing, which could open up creative possibilities for producers.
In this workshop, we’ll explore some examples of routing and how to extract editable MIDI data from plug‑ins like Arpeggiator. We’ll discuss why this is useful, and how these new tools can complement existing functionality to add depth and colour to your production palette.
MIDI En Place
Let’s start by creating a synth sound to be triggered by Arpeggiator. For a warm, analogue‑style pad, I chose Retro Synth in Analog mode and loaded the Dark Swell Pad preset. It’s rich and lush, but to make it more suitable for arpeggiation, I made a few tweaks. First, I switched the filter to a low‑pass 12dB/octave ‘Creamy’ style for added brightness without sacrificing low‑end warmth. Next, I increased the filter envelope attack speed whilst simultaneously emphasising it by raising the Env parameter in the filter section by a good notch.
After that, I shortened the attack in the amp envelope to allow 16th‑note arpeggiations to pop through more clearly. Then, whilst playing about, I started tweaking the Glide parameter, and as I did so, enjoyed the effect of the extra movement laced with a little unpredictability. This inspired me to automate this portamento‑style parameter using the Modulator plug‑in.
Routing For Change
Modulator is a gamechanger when it comes to expanding the functionality of any instrument and/or subsequent processor, as Paul White explained in his December 2019 workshop. In this case, I wanted to use it very simply to route a low‑frequency oscillator to subtly modulate the amount of glide in Retro Synth.
First, I inserted an instance of Modulator in the first MIDI Effect slot, just above the Retro Synth plug‑in on the Software Channel Strip in the Inspector. The left side of Modulator is dedicated to the LFO and, towards the bottom of the GUI, you can click‑hold on the ‘To’ pop‑up menu to patch the LFO towards its destination. I selected Learn Plug‑in Parameter, which allows you to simply click on any automatable parameter of any plug‑in inserted below on the same channel strip. With both Modulator and Retro Synth open, I clicked on the Glide parameter. They were now connected but, because the LFO was oscillating far too wildly, I had to dramatically tame it to ensure that the Glide parameter was modulating within the range and speed I had in mind. To do this I first changed the shape of the LFO to a sine wave, then slowed it right down to 0.18Hz. I had to click on the Sync button (the quaver) to unsync it from Logic’s tempo. Finally, I tamed the range by tweaking the Output Level and Offset to taste.
Get Your Steps In!
Next, I recorded the chords I wanted to arpeggiate. As much as I treasure a loose feel, this situation can benefit from quantising and making the note lengths uniform. Whilst Edit / Trim / Note End to Following Notes (previously Force Legato) works well on monophonic lines, in this case I found the Function / Convert Sustain Pedal to Note Length worked a treat to prepare my chords for arpeggiation.
I then turned to the Arpeggiator plug‑in. Again, this plug‑in has been covered in depth (read it here in SOS December 2013), but for this example I set up a 16th‑note arpeggiator with an ‘outside‑in’ note order, a slightly expanded octave range and, in the grid, altered the velocity and gate time of each semiquaver to create some interesting dynamic movement. I also enjoyed the sound of Arpeggiator periodically spelling out the entire chord, an effect achieved by clicking on some of the Chord on/off buttons in the pattern.
Re‑render Me Well
Just because Logic now gives us the ability to record all the MIDI data generated by MIDI plug‑ins, does it mean we should? I, for one, certainly think so, and will argue that there are multiple reasons to turn the otherwise ephemeral musical output of such MIDI Effects as Arpeggiator, Randomizer, Chord Memorizer and Note Repeater into concrete, tangible MIDI regions. Having the ability to process actual real MIDI data will open up options for arranging your productions in a much more sophisticated manner that can be achieved by just letting ideas loop ad infinitum. In fact, there’s almost infinite potential for tweaking, editing, rearranging and transforming. For example, just in the Piano Roll editor you can manually alter or randomise pitches and note lengths, humanise notes, subject the MIDI data to invert or retrograde using the MIDI Transform functions, or even use Scale Quantise to spice up your sequence with a different mode or scale. Sometimes though, it’s just the little things that matter, the attention to detail: try muting individual notes, or small groups of notes, to create pockets of space, dynamics and other changes of texture.
Here’s how to do it. First, click‑hold in a MIDI Effect slot and select Record MIDI to Track Here in the pop‑up menu. The two small yellow triangles that appear will indicate you can record all the MIDI generated by any plug‑ins that come before it. You simply press Record and watch as the MIDI plug‑in spits out incredible quasi‑fractal patterns directly onto your tracks. This all works very nicely when you’re playing a MIDI keyboard in real time, or using the Latch function in Arpeggiator. However, it won’t work when you already have MIDI regions on the track, as in my example, where I have already recorded simple block chords that I want to be arpeggiated. So, to avoid a MIDI feedback situation, you must first create a new, temporary MIDI or software instrument track, then activate the new ‘Internal MIDI in’ setting. You’ll find this in the Track Inspector. Use the pop‑up menu to select which Logic or third‑party software instrument (or external MIDI) track you’d like to record MIDI from. Then, simply record in real time. What you’ll end up with is the unmodified original track, plus a new one with the arpeggiated MIDI region. You can now replace the old region with the new one, and of course, you may now turn off the arpeggiator.
Top tip: rather than deleting the original region (after all, you may want to re‑tweak it at a later date), mute the original regions (select them, then Control+M) and create a New Track with the Same Instrument (Control+Shift+Return). This hugely useful function simply creates a new ‘lane’ for the same instrument track, rather than a whole new set of CPU‑draining, RAM‑eating but duplicate plug‑ins.
You can easily layer your arpeggiated sounds by having an exact copy of the MIDI data on separate tracks.
Layers
Layering sounds is a very common production technique. You can easily layer your arpeggiated sounds by having an exact copy of the MIDI data on separate tracks. I found that by copying the MIDI region onto a new software instrument track loaded with the Studio Piano, and sending that on a bus to a stereo delay, I was able to add a very effective percussive element to the mix, whilst also thickening the sound’s texture and dynamically filling the stereo spectrum.
Another tip: whilst Option+drag will copy the region, don’t forget that Option+Shift+Drag creates an ‘alias’, a virtual copy whose contents change whenever you edit the original region. Perfect for layering sounds before they’re fully edited!
Patterns In Repeat
Finally, a word about the Step Sequencer (née Hyper Editor) in Logic, which provides an alternative yet very intuitive method of entering and manipulating notes in a variety of creative ways. To move between the Piano Roll and the Step Sequencer, Control‑click on any MIDI region, choose Convert in the pop‑up menu, then Convert to Pattern Region. This could be especially useful in our example, because it makes it very easy to click on a grid to switch individual notes on and off. But it also allows a great deal more: clicking on Velocity/Value adds the ability to change the length (gate time) and velocity of notes, add ties or slurs between notes, subdivide notes to create triplets or tuplets (up to 16 per semiquaver if you dare), as well as introducing elements of chance. There’s much more besides, and again I refer you back to a previous Logic column, this time in SOS December 2020, for a more detailed look.