How to Make Electric Guitars Sound Good in Logic Pro X (FREE PRESET)
- Marcus Wadell
- May 20, 2023
- 3 min read
Electric Guitars in Logic Pro X with Stock Plugins
Are you looking to make your electric guitar sound amazing in Logic Pro using only stock plugins? Look no further! In this tutorial, we'll walk through the process of creating great guitar tones using stock plugins (and even give you a free Logic Pro X preset for electric guitars here!). While there are tons of great 3rd party suites out there such as Native Instruments Guitar Rig, that may be too expensive for your budget or how often you would use it! Whether you're a beginner or an experienced musician, these tips will help you achieve the desired sound for your electric guitar. Here we'll walk through:
Recording DI Electrics, Doubling, and Voicing/Octaves
Applying Effects - Noise Gate and EQ
Pedalboard Effects and Amp Emulator
Compression and EQ for Mixing
Shimmery Electric Guitar Preset
In addition to this written summary, here's the video tutorial walking through it:
Step 1: Recording DI Electrics, Doubling, and Voicing/Octaves
To start off, it's important to note that I recorded all the guitar tracks directly into Logic Pro, using a direct input (DI) setup. This means that the guitar is connected directly to the audio interface, bypassing the need for micing an amp. If you're using an amp and trying to achieve a good sound, that's a whole different topic. For this tutorial, we'll focus on the direct input method.
To create a thicker guitar sound, I doubled the recorded guitar track by playing it twice and panning one track to the far left and the other to the far right. This creates a nice stereo effect. Additionally, I played different voicings on the guitar neck to further enhance the overall thickness of the chords.
Step 2: Applying Effects - Noise Gate and EQ
Before diving into the effects plugins, it's essential to clean up any unwanted noise or hum in the recorded tracks. I started with a Noise Gate plugin to remove any background noise that might interfere with the desired sound.
Next, I used an EQ plugin to cut out the low-end frequencies. This step was necessary for the particular song I was mixing to prevent the guitar's low-end from clashing with the synth bass in the mix. Depending on your song and mix, you may want to adjust this step accordingly.
Step 3: Pedalboard Effects and Amp Emulator
Logic Pro offers a wide range of built-in guitar effects, and in this tutorial, I utilized the Pedalboard plugin. The Pedalboard plugin simulates a rack or pedalboard setup, allowing you to add different effects to your guitar signal chain. I enabled several effects within the Pedalboard, including compression, chorus, grit, and delay. These effects help to shape the tone and add depth and character to the guitar sound.
After the Pedalboard, I applied an amp emulator plugin to further refine the tone. The amp emulator evens out the overall sound and adds a specific character that is desired for the song.
Step 4: Compression and EQ for Mixing
To ensure a balanced and polished sound, I added a compressor plugin after the amp emulator. The compressor helps even out the levels and dynamics of the guitar, making it sit better in the mix.
Lastly, I used another EQ plugin to shape the guitar's tone and make it blend seamlessly with the rest of the instruments. I cut out some of the low-end frequencies to avoid muddiness and adjusted the high-end frequencies to fit the overall sound of the song.
Step 5: Shimmery Electric Guitar Preset
In addition to the previous setup, I also created a shimmery electric guitar sound by using a pitch-shifting plugin before the Pedalboard. By pitching the guitar up an octave and blending it in, I achieved a high-end shimmer effect similar to some third-party effects pedals and analog shimmer pedals (such as Matthew's Effects "Astronomer", strymon "BigSky", or other shimmer reverb pedal brands) .
Conclusion
With Logic Pro's stock plugins and the right techniques, you can achieve incredible guitar tones for your recordings. Remember to experiment with different effects and adjust settings based on your desired sound. Don't limit yourself to just the Pedalboard and amp emulators; explore other sections in Logic Pro's plugins to find unique and interesting effects for your guitar.
By following these steps, you'll be able to make your electric guitar sound great in Logic Pro and enhance your overall music
Thanks for reading! I hope you found this article helpful. These techniques and settings are just a starting point, and you can experiment to refine your sound from there. For more content, please subscribe to my email list or follow me on YouTube or Instagram.
Comentários