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• Recording MIDI in Logic Pro's Cycle Mode
• by Darren Burgos
• There's hope if your keyboard skills can't keep pace with your musical ideas! Darren Burgos explores how recording MIDI in Logic Pro's cycle mode can alleviate stress and make you more creative.

• Logic Pro's Balancing Act
• by Peter Schwartz
• Panpots in Logic don't behave the same for mono and stereo channel strips. Peter Schwartz gets to the heart of the mix in Logic Pro and demystifies pan and balance in this excellent article.

• Setting Up Logic for Scoring to Video
• by David Earl
• Never used Logic for scoring to video, or have found your projects grinding to halt? This article by experienced composer, David Earl, explains how to set up all the basics and optimize performance!

• Using Ringshifter For Pitch Effects in Logic Pro
• by Toby Pitman
• Check out this excellent tip on how to use Logic Pro's Ringshifter plug-in to create a variety of guitar effects like the Boss Octaver and the Octafuzz. Toby Pitman gets creative.

• Logic Pro: Get Creative with Region Parameters
• by Darren Burgos
• Once you've recorded MIDI notes into Logic Pro there's a host of ways to alter the performance. Darren Burgos examines how to make use of the Region parameters area. + download Logic Project.

• Logic 409
• Dubstep Essentials
• MPV trainer Nigel Broad is back with another great electronic dance music exploration, Dubstep Essentials . Join Nigel in this 25-video collection as he takes you under his wing and creates a full-blown Dubstep track from Drum and Bass to final mix…

• Logic 209
• EVD6 and EFM1: User Guide
• The EFM1 and the EVD6 are two of the coolest Software Instruments in the Logic collection. Get beyond the presets in this awesome 2-for-1 tutorial by Logic master and SFLogicNinja David Earl...

• Photoshop CS5 103
• Adding Text To Images
• One of the most common techniques as a Photoshop user is to add text to an image or graphic. In this tutorial Photoshop Pro Nathan Fullerton shows you all the different ways you can approach Adding Text to Images in Photoshop...

• Logic 210
• Vocoding With EVOC
• Logic’s EVOC 20 PolySynth is one of the coolest Software Instruments in Logic's EV series of vintage synths. Let David Earl (a.k.a. SFLogicNinja) show you how he uses it and why you need to master this awesome, sonically rich plugin...

• Logic 208
• Exploring the EVP88 and the EVB3
• In this exclusive, full length, “made-for-macProVideo” tutorial by sflogicninja David Earl, you’ll uncover the inner workings of Logic’s physically modeled soft synths: the EVP88 and EVB3. Learn how, with a little tweaking, these synths will rock your productions...

• Logic 407
• Producing With Folders
• Did you know that you can record into Logic’s folders, edit with folders, mix with folders and even rearrange your tune with folders? You can! ... and David Earl (a.k.a. sflogicninja) shows you all of this and more in his maiden tutorial for macProVideo.com!

• Logic 207
• Logic's Latency Toolbox
• Timing Is Everything! In this amazing tutorial Tom Rice shows you the secret to making your tracks “dead-on-the-beat” accurate with absolutely zero latency!

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• Logic's Guitar Recording Toolbox
• A message from Steve H: “This tutorial is one of our finest Logic tutorials ever! With the addition of the Pedalboard and Amp Designer plugins, Logic’s virtual guitar arsenal is capable of overheating transistors, blowing out tubes and stomping out the most awesomely realistic or warped 6 string soundscapes anywhere! I’ve already started using many of these awesome techniques in my tracks and now you can too!”

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Preview these Logic Pro Tutorial-Videos

There are no Tube Warmth titled effects in Logic Pro specifically. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any… the built in Clip Distortion plug-in and the Overdrive can be used in a subtle way to add warmth and depth to your tracks. In this lesson, I’ll be adding a “tube” warmth sound to a bass, but any instrument or vocal can benefit from this. Since there is technically no volume ceiling in the digital world, it’s safe to say that any distortion type effect is actually a model of something from the physical world. Distortion happens when tubes and transistors are driven to their capacity; needless to say, those don’t exist inside software!

Step 1

Start with the Clip Distortion (we’ll use its default preset). Go straight for the LP Filter and push it all the way up to 20,000Hz. The Low Pass Filter is a “blanket” Filter affecting the dry and effected signal. By pushing it all the way up, your original sound will stay intact.

Step 2

The Tone slider is actually a high pass filter (The Lows are cut off as you push the slider up). To add a subtle analog feel to bass, you’ll want to keep this slider mostly down. Higher values (although cool sounding, too) will focus the distortion on the highs.

Step 3

Now push the Mix setting all the up to 100%. This will allow you to hear purely what the Clip Distortion is doing to the sound. Bring the Mix slider WAY down to mix in the original sound. I have mine normally set very low. I’m just looking to add a slight fuzziness under the lows.

Step 4

Clip Distortion is considered a “Nonlinear Distortion” (as are actual Tubes). The Drive and the Symmetry settings are strictly to taste. The Drive setting allows you to raise the volume of the incoming signal to drive the virtual tube/circuitry. The Symmetry slider selects how “twisted” the sound becomes passing through the circuitry. (This is shown graphically in the Clip Circuit display).

Step 5

The Clip Filter is a low pass filter so you can strip off some of the Grunge that’s created. This is also “to taste”; I have mine set to 1600Hz.

Step 6

The “High Shelving” section has both Frequency and Gain knobs. It’s basically exactly like it sounds. Think of it as an EQ like Logic’s built in Channel EQ: you can create a flat surface that can be raised or lowered in both the lows and the highs. This is only the highs. The only reason I would use it—if adding tube warmth to a bass—would be if the bass needed a bit of shimmer. Even very deep sounds will have higher frequencies/harmonics in them that might need to be brought out some way.

Here’s a sample of my original bass without the Clip Distortion:

Here’s a sample of of my bass part running through the Clip Distortion:

Step 7

Next, let’s put on the Overdrive effect underneath the Clip Distortion. I bet you're thinking at this point, “OK, he’s gonna distort the heck out of this thing.” If it sounded like the name of the plug-in, you’d definitely expect just that. Choose “Creamy Tube” from the preset menu and adjust the Output.This is a great preset and really brings out the sound.

Here’s a sample of of my bass part running through the Clip Distortion and the Overdrive with the Creamy Tube preset: 

The Overdrive actually put some highs in there?! The bass sound went from hiding out in the background, to being much more confident and warmer. Enjoy!

Preview these Logic Pro Tutorial-Videos

Darren Burgos

Darren started making music on computers when he was a teenager in 1987. His first computer was an Amiga, and when he realized the power of computer-based production, his addiction for making electronic music began. Darren switched to Mac in 1994 and started using Logic Pro. He's been involved in many music projects over the years including Psychoid. For two years Darren travelled with Apple showing Logic Pro to visitors of Macworld, NAMM, Remix Hotel and NAB. Currently, he teaches a class in L.A. on electronic music production using Logic for Logic Pro Help. Darren also runs two small businesses on Mixing, Mastering and Logic Pro training and support.

Tube warmth, Clip Distortion, Overdrive, Distortion, Logic tutortials, Logic trick

Comments

Feb 08, 2012

Gary Hiebner

Great explanation on the Clip Distortion for Tube Warmth. I have rarely used this plugin. Now its time to use it for some warmth in my mixes. Thanks!

Reply  

Feb 08, 2012

DarrenB

Cool! Yeah, I love Clip Distortion when used sparingly :) ! Try it mixed down even lighter than in my example (9 or 10%). I set the mix a bit higher so it could be clearly heard in the examples.

Reply  

Mar 29, 2012

lostinthesound

Great article! Overdrive is an essential tool in my arsenal. Admittedly, I never though of combining both the overdrive and clip distortion...I really like the results in your audio example.

Time for some experimenting.

Cheers.

Reply