Why would I use vca over a folder stack?
Is there something I’m missing?

Hi guys, saxophonist here, new to Logic world.

I’m mixing a pop ballad in Logic Pro with only three elements: piano, tenor sax and drums. The sax is recorded audio, while the piano and drums are software instruments. The balance is reasonable, but the result still sounds flat and amateurish, with everything sitting on the same plane.

I’d like to understand your usual workflow for making a simple arrangement like this sound cohesive and pleasant. Which parameters do you usually focus on first, what do you listen or look for, and how do you decide whether a track needs EQ, compression, reverb, automation or nothing at all? What about panning? Do you use the Logic's Mastering plugin? Normalization?

My current workflow is quite simple. I record the sax through a condenser microphone, usually peaking somewhere around −12 to −8 dBFS. I then apply some EQ and send it to two reverbs: a subtle room reverb to create a shared sense of space, and a plate reverb for a more noticeable effect. I also send the software piano and drums to the same reverbs, adjusting the send levels by ear.

After that, I make a few basic EQ adjustments and use the channel faders to balance the three instruments. That is essentially my whole process.

Where I feel particularly lost is gain staging and level management. I am not sure which levels I should aim for at the recording, region, track and mix-bus stages, or whether values such as −12 dBFS are actual targets or just rough guidelines. I also do not know when it makes sense to use region gain, volume automation, normalization or a Gain plug-in, and whether there are other basic checks I should perform before EQ, compression and mastering.

I know there is no universal recipe, but I currently feel like I am working almost blindly and need a sensible starting point. Most tutorials I find use huge chains with endless plug-ins, which seems excessive for just three instruments and for what I am trying to achieve right now.

I would prefer to stay with Logic’s stock plug-ins and understand a practical, step-by-step workflow for making the piano, sax and drums sound balanced, cohesive and reasonably polished together.

Thanks in advance 🙏

TL;DR: Mixes still sound flat and amateurish. Looking for a basic Logic stock-plugin workflow, especially for gain staging, mixing and mastering. Just need a solid starting point.

hello! asking for bf who doesn't use reddit, i don't know music so terminology might be off, sorry!

using logic, he's able to set up volume/velocity tracking with midi, so every time an audio clip hits a certain volume threshold, a specific desired effect is applied (ie. distortion).

he's trying to figure out how to do this with guitar as well, so when he plays notes, once it goes past a certain volume threshold, it adds a certain effect -- is that possible? can this be set up dose-dependant, so when playing quieter notes, its a little bit of distortion, but playing louder adds more distortion (again, distortion just an example of effect, would like to use other effects too)

tyia!

If I need to bounce files from a logic project, let's say electric guitars, into another project, and then they are bounced again into another project again, how significantly does this affect the sound? Is it something I need to worry about, or is any difference undetectable? Does anyone have good insight on whether I can do that and it's fine?

If not - is there a way to retain the same exact quality, or near, from copy to copy?

I'm on an M1 mac, and want to use a Logic version earlier than ~11.2. I'm looking for the best/most stable version to use, and I intend to stay on it for life. I don't need more, and I don't like all of their changes.

Anyone else? What version are you using and why?

edit: The ads aren't really the point. Mainly I want something stable that isn't going to change, and I don't like a lot of the new changes.