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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.

• Native Instruments 210
• FM8: FM Synthesis and Sound Design
• Join Synth Expert David Earl (a.k.a. SFLogicNinja) and discover how incredibly powerful and rich FM synthesis can be when using the amazing FM8 synth from Native Instruments...

• 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…

• Reason 6 107
• Beat Design Basics
• Making solid beats is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration. In this 33-video collection you’ll work up a good sweat as you develop a strong foundation in the art and science of building beats in Reason 6...

• 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...

• 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...

• Reason 5 103
• Thor: Master Of All Synths
• Lightening strikes and thunder rolls as G.W. Childs explores the vast depths of Reason’s awesome Master of All Synths: Thor!

• 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!

• Web Design 205
• Designing CSS Floating Layouts
• Learn to build CSS floating layouts with macProVideo.com Star Trainer, Geoff Blake.

• Web Design 202
• Deeper Into WordPress
• If you enjoyed WordPress Basics, then strap yourself in for Deeper Into WordPress! Join award-winning trainer Geoff Blake as he takes you through the ins and outs of creating full-featured WordPress-driven blogs and websites!

• Web Design 201
• Deeper Into XHTML
• Now that you’ve got the Basics of XHTML down, it’s time to get way deeper. Web design guru Geoff Blake is back to take you Deeper Into XHTML!

• Web Design 102
• WordPress Basics
• Wordpress is “the” software for creating blog sites. Join expert trainer, Geoff Blake as he takes you through all the ins and outs of creating a "feature rich" Wordpress based website!

• Logic 402
• 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!”

• Web Design 101
• XHTML Basics
• Do you want your web creations to work in all platforms from desktop to handheld? Then take a step toward the future and learn to program in XHTML with web design guru, Geoff Blake!

Preview these Logic Pro Tutorial-Videos

Take a listen to On a Mission by Benga feat. Katy B. 

It has this simple catchy, buzzy lead that works its way all the way through the track. I’ll show you how you can create a similar sound with Logic’s ES2 and the Logic’s plugins. So lets get started!

Step 1 – Bring Up the ES2

I have loaded up an ES2 and dialed in the following settings.

Replicate these settings (click on the image to make it larger)

On the first oscillator I have used a reed waveform. The second oscillator I have used a Ring modulator, and on the 3rd oscillator I have used some noise. In the Triangle mixer windows I have dialed in a coordinate that I like the sound of.

I have pumped up the Analog dial to dial in some analog-ness to the sound.

The filter section is in series, I have cut the first Cutoff right back, then I have added some drive, and some FM. On the effects there is some slight Chorus, and Distortion.

Here is the pattern I have drawn in on the Piano Roll editor:

I have added a slight groove quantization to the MIDI to give the pattern a bit more feel, so that it doesn’t sound so static. Here is what it sounds like (it still sounds a bit rough, but stick around):

Step 2 – Glide The ES2

If you listen closely to Benga’s track you will hear a slight bend/glide between the note changes. To do this I will automate the glide parameter on the ES2. I have opened up the automation view, and before each not I have drawn in a quick increase in the glide, this gives that detune effect before each note comes in.

Step 3 – The Effects

I have added a Channel EQ, and cut out some of the lows up to 158Hz. There is also a small cut in the 355Hz region. I have added a boost in the 1420Hz region to really make this sound cut through when it is in the mix.

Next up, I have added a Tape Delay with the following settings.

This gives a slight echo to the sound and bounces it around more giving it a bit more groove. With the LFO Rate and Flutter it adds some inconsistencies to the delay that is similar to that of analog delay effects where it introduces some artifacts to the repeated sound.

Step 4 – Give It Some Bite!

Next up in the chain is an Overdrive. This is used to warm up the sound a bit more. I have added some Drive and then cut back on the tone to 4200Hz. You will hear that it has a slight warmer tone to it now.

Next is to add that buzziness you hear in the track. To get this I have added a Bitcrusher. I have dropped the resolution down to 12bit, given it a drive of 4.0dB, and then downsampled it by 3x. You will hear the buzz come out in the sound now.

It doesn’t sound like it quite sits in the mix yet, so let's add some Reverb. I've added a Space Designer to an Aux Channel. This Aux Channel’s input is Bus 1. I have then added Bus 1 to the send on the ES2 channel and increased the bus amount on the ES2 channel to add some space to the sound.

Step 5 – Get Those Lows

If you listen to Benga’s track you will also notice that a lower sounding synth kicks in a bit later in the intro.

I have created an ES2 instrument with a Mixed Sine oscillator, and a bit of Noise oscillation. I have also increased the Sine Level and Distortion on the ES2. Copy the MIDI region from the first ES2 instrument to this ES2 instrument. So this synth is playing the same pattern, but just sits under the previous ES2 to give it more bottom end.

Now let's hear this in the context of a track: I've programmed a typical dubstep beat and combined it with this synth. First our original synth comes in for 4 bars, then the lower synth comes in to complement it, and then the beat comes in. On the last 4 bars I have transposed the higher synth down an octave to give it an even lower feel to the track.

Conclusion

So there you go, your first Benga synth. Now go out there and create some other interesting Dubstep Lead sounds. You will notice that these synth sounds are often very simple. It’s the layering technique and the plugins that are applied that allow us to create these true-sounding Dubstep synths.

Preview these Logic Pro Tutorial-Videos

Gary Hiebner

Gary Hiebner is an enthusiastic South African Sound Designer and Apple Tech Head! Gary has been involved in the South African music industry for the last 10 years, and in this time has also been involved in the sound design and music production for many advertising agencies and media houses. Gary has been a devoted Logic and Ableton user for the last 7 years. He also dabbles in ProTools, and esoteric sound design tools, such as Max/MSP and CSound.

Es2, Learn ES2, Logic ES2 Tips, Logic ES2 Tutorial, Dubstep, Dubstep synth lines, Katy B, Benga, On a Mission

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