Open Logic Pro 8, which should appear in your “Applications” folder. Click “Macintosh HD” on the desktop, select “Applications” and then “Logic Pro.” At this point your recordings should appear on your main “Arrange” window, with each instrument and vocal section recorded on a separate track (your tracks are the long horizontal bars on the “Arrange” window). You should have completely finished recording before the mixing stage, as each adjustment will affect the overall sound of the mix.
Add appropriate effects to each track. Some instruments, like electric guitars, may require a “Distortion” or “Amp Modeling” effect to achieve a more realistic sound, while synthesizer leads may require “Reverb” or “Echo” to achieve a more spacey, electronic sound. For vocals, you can use Logic’s “Pitch” effect to improve the pitch of a singing voice, or even to apply an electronic singing quality similar to the Auto-Tune. To assess your effects, click “Window” on the menu bar and select “Mixer” to access your Logic mixer. On this window, your tracks will appear in a horizontal list, rather than a vertical column, and on each track is a series of boxes called “Inserts.” Click any “Insert” box to access the list of available effects for that track and apply any necessary effects to enhance your sound.
Alter your track automation. Each instrument and vocal sound is affected by specific parameters, like “Volume,” “Pan” (whether appearing in the left, right or center of the mix), “Cutoff,” “Resonance,” “Attack” and other features, depending on the type of track and the effects you have applied. To access these parameters, return to the “Arrange” window, which should now appear behind your mixer, click the “Track” tab at the top and select “View Track Automation.” Beneath each track, you will see a box containing all your available effects and features, followed by a grid that runs along the time line. Choose an effect or feature from the list that you would like to edit and move the horizontal line up or down on the time line to either increase the presence of this feature (up), or decrease the presence (down). For example, if you click “Volume” on the list and move the line upward, volume will increase for that particular track. Adjust each setting until it sounds just right.
Equalize your mix. Equalizing (or simply “EQ,” in industry terminology) refers to adjusting the high, middle and low frequencies to perfect the sound of each recording. For example, a bass sound requires a much greater presence of low frequencies, while a rhythm guitar requires more high frequency presence (or treble). To adjust the frequencies of a track, return to your mixer and click the corresponding “Channel EQ” grid. This grid appears at the top of each track. When you click it, your “EQ” window appears, with an image of a line graph containing low frequencies to the left and high frequencies to the right. To increase the presence of low frequencies, click the left side of the line on the center of the graph and drag it upward. To increase middle frequencies (mid-tones), click the line in the center and move it upward. For treble frequencies, click the right side of the line and drag it upward. Drag the line downward to reduce the presence of specific frequencies. EQ each track to your liking. For greater accuracy, EQ your tracks in pairs, isolating tracks that use similar frequencies (such as kick drum and bass). Click the “S” (Solo) button on each track to isolate it, and listen to your pair together. If your tracks blend into one another, adjust the frequencies until each track sits in the mix smoothly.