Logic Pro: Stock Plug-ins On Drums

Here's how to spice up your drums with Logic’s stock plug‑ins.

I tried something different this holiday season: rather than taking advantage of all the year‑end sales, I opted instead to explore some of Logic’s stock plug‑ins that, prior to now, I have been overlooking.

While some Logic plug‑ins like Compressor, Amp Modeler, ChromaVerb and Delay Designer have evocative interfaces, most of the others employ a sterile, one‑size‑fits‑all appearance. The uniform look of these interfaces undermines their power. Sure, they don’t jump off the screen and wow you with their bells and whistles, but rest assured, Logic’s stock effects punch well above their weight.

Shape Up

Transient shapers are a fantastic way to add attack to any sound. But before shelling out for a third‑party plug‑in, check out the stock Enveloper in the Dynamics menu. Its layout is simple — possibly too simple. If you have a bass that’s in need of more attack or a snare that could use more snap, reach for the Enveloper. And while we tend to think of transient shapers as tools to control the initial impact of a sound, Enveloper also allows us to harness the tail as well.

The Enveloper isn’t just for single sounds, either. Insert it on a full drum or percussion loop, and you’ll be surprised at the amount of variation this plug‑in can deliver.

’80s Excitement: Enverb

Before clicking ‘Add to Cart’ on a third‑party ’80s‑inspired reverb plug‑in, have a look at Enverb. Enverb is a simple yet potent reverb with built‑in envelope controls. This makes it perfect for humongous ’80s gated drum effects. Due to its lookahead feature, Enverb can also create some pretty dramatic reverse reverb effects.

Can these effects be achieved with any reverb plug‑in and a gate or envelope shaper? The answer is yes, of course. But having one plug‑in that specialises in this particular type of processing makes it more satisfying than digging around your hard drive for that boutique ’80s reverb plug‑in you bought four years ago.

There’s no dearth of saturation plug‑ins for you to blow your cash on, but before you’re persuaded by another, check out the Exciter plug‑in located in the Specialized menu. The Exciter adds two types of tasteful nonlinear harmonic distortion to high frequencies above a user‑defined frequency. Don’t be fooled by...