Create a fade-in or fade-out using the Region inspector. Select one or more regions. Set the value for the Fade In or Fade Out setting in the Region inspector by dragging the pointer vertically, or double-clicking and entering a value. Fades created using the Fade tool and the Region inspector are interactive. I'm trying to create a perfect loop of car engine in Logic Pro. I've got a region, merged in at the middle, then swapped the parts and crossfaded: But, when I try to join/merge these parts, Logic Pro adds tiny fade in at the beginning, which spoils the work done.
- To automate a fade out across a whole track, its easiest to automate the actual output, add a new track to the arrange page, then change it from audio whatever to the output that you are using. Then automate a volume fade out as if you were doing automation on anyother track. Hope part of this essay was of some use!
- How to fade out a song in Logic Pro X.
There are many tools in Logic Pro X, but few are as important as the Fade Tool.
Because whenever you have an audio region, 99.99% of the time you'll want to use fades.
Fades exist to save our music and projects from nasty surprises. Sometimes when you're working, you might notice a weird pop or click erupt in your song.
But what is that pop or click? Where did it come from? You sure don't remember playing any weird noises!
Popping and Twitching
Pops come from bad edits. A bad edit is when you trimmed just a little too much off of your audio region.
But it could also be something far sneakier. Like the initial breath before the singer started singing. Or fret noise from the bass player.
A noise that's so quiet it's hard to actually see visually.
What causes the pop is when your track goes from complete silence to abruptly playing audio, without any sort of gradual lead up.
Fades for Days
A fade introduces a gradual ramp from no audio to some audio.
Fades protect our audio with their natural glide. A fade at the beginning of an audio region is the Fade In.
But it's also important to include a fade at the end of the region as well. Pops and clicks are just as likely to occur as the audio is trailing off and the region abruptly stops.
The fade at the end of a region is our Fade Out. That's when we fade from some audio to no audio.
Easy, right?
But too often home engineers and producers fail to throw a fade on their audio regions. And nothing screams amateur more than missing fades!
Enter: The Logic Fade Tool
Thankfully, fading in Logic is almost too easy.
There are several ways to use the Logic Fade Tool. But like the Lord of the Rings, there's one way to rule them all.
Have you gotten started with Click Zones yet? Trust me when I say you'll love Logic Pro X about 100x more when you do start.
Here's what to do:
- Go to Logic Pro X > Preferences > Advanced Tools
- Click Show Advanced Tools
- Click Enable All
- Click on the General tab in the Preferences
- Click on Editing within the General tab
- And enable Fade Tool Click Zones in the Pointer Tool in Tracks Provides: section
- Click on Editing within the General tab
Bam – you're off to the races.
Now bust out an audio region. If you'd like, open the Apple Loops library by hitting key command O. And drag in the first blue Apple Loop you see.
At this point, all you need to do is hover your mouse over the top left or right corner of the region. Your mouse cursor will turn into a line with two arrows sticking out of it.
Click and drag like so:
And now you have your first Fade!
You can even select several regions and adding a fade to each at the same time!
Ain't it a beautiful thing?
Crossing the Gap
Expanding the Fading Horizons
Fades aren't just for protecting tracks though. They're also used for creative reasons as well.
Oftentimes producers use fades to gradually introduce a new instrument. And the shape of the fade can totally depend on how you want that instrument to come in.
Thanks to Click Zones, adjusting the length and curve of a Fade is no biggie.
You already know you can drag a fade out to a length that suits your style. But by hovering your mouse over the middle of the fade you created, you should see a new version of the Fade Tool.
This tool adjusts the curve of your fade. Just click and drag to the left or right to change the curve:
You could also choose the Fade Tool as one of your mouse tools. Simply go to the Mouse Tools in the Arrange window's menu bar:
Or by using key command T to open the Mouse Tools:
Click Zones are by far the best way to access the Fade Tool though. Personally, I almost never dig into these menus.
Speeding Up & Slowing Down
But wait! Not only can you adjust the length and curve of your fade, but you can also have your fades speed up or slow down your audio.
I love using fades for that special effect touch. Sometimes a speed effect can really make a song pop.
To access the fade effect, hold Control and click, or use the right mouse button to click on your Fade:
And then click Speed Up or Slow Down.
Your fade will change from white to pink, and the fade will now introduce the special effect.
'But What If I Need Finer Control Over My Fades?'
Sometimes we all want to have some detailed control over our fades. Oftentimes I like to set my fades to a specific value to keep things uniform.
The Region Inspector is home to all things specific. If you don't have it open, use key command I to find it:
And open the top bar that says 'Region' by clicking on the triangle next to it:
And in the More tab, you'll find your fade controls:
From here you can do everything we've done. You can adjust your fade lengths, curves, and even the speed effect or style.
I tend to set all my fades and cross-fades to '5,' unless I have a region that needs a more specific fade.
Conclusion
The Logic Fade Tool is a protector and innovator of audio. When you use the fade tool, you can prevent weird pops and clicks, or create special effects.
You can access the Fade Tool by either:
How To Fade In Logic Pro
- Enabling Fade Tool Click Zones
- Using the Mouse Tool Menu, or
- Using the Region Inspector
And that's another reason why Logic Pro X rules 😉
Got an opinion? A Logic question? Let us know in the comments below!
Related
Automation is the secret weapon to dynamic and emotional mixes.
It's like playing your mixes live. In a live show you might change vocal effects, or play harder, or hit the distortion pedal.
If all this movement occurs naturally, shouldn't it occur in your mixes as well?
And it absolutely can! Automation is your key to mixes that adapt dynamically over time.
All it takes is familiarizing yourself with Logic's intuitive and brilliant Automation system.
Automation – Where Mixes Come Alive
In a nutshell, Automation is your way of telling Logic you want things to change at certain moments. Those things could be:
- Volume
- Panning
- Plugin Controls
It all starts with the letter ‘A.' Open one of your Logic mixes, and hit Key Command A to view your mix's Automation:
Several new menus will appear in your Track Headers. By default Logic offers Volume as the first adjustable parameter:
Say you want the drums to get way louder at a certain spot. Simply use the Marquee Tool to select that spot on the Track Lane:
Click on the area you selected, and Logic will create 4 new Automation Points, or Nodes:
And drag the line between the Nodes up to add some volume to that spot:
But you can also adjust the nodes as well. You can adjust the level of a Node:
Or delete them altogether by double-clicking a Node:
Easy, right?
You're not only restricted to Volume either. If you click on the menu and travel down to Main, you've got several other options:
From there you can adjust:
- Panning your track
- Soloing your track
- Muting your track
Want a track to drop out for a moment? Set your Automation to Mute, select that part, and adjust it to Mute:
And beyond that, you can also Automate just about anything else as well! This includes Plugin and Instrument parameters. How do you save an imovie.
Try opening up a new Drummer track. And dig into the Automation menu:
Your EQ, Compressor, Sends and Drum Kit are all adjustable!
Can't you imagine the possibilities?
The 4 Modes of Writing Automation
Writing Automation can be incredibly fast using the Marquee Tool:
- Select a section with the Marquee Tool,
- Click within that selection,
- Drag the nodes or line around
And I've found this method works great for me 99.9% of the time.
But sometimes you need a more hands on way of adjusting Automation. The classic scenario are Vocal Rides.
Vocal Rides are when you literally ride the vocals with the fader.
By riding the fader, you can write detailed and careful automation. Your vocals will sound more even. And you can actually make the most out of compression by riding them before the Compressor.
Logic recognizes this need, and provides 3 ways to write Automation. And you can access them in the field below your Output and Groups:
1. Touch Mode
Each mode allows you to write Automation as you listen to your track. To do this:
- Hit Spacebar to start playback,
- Grab your fader, pan pot, or plugin knob, and
- Begin adjusting as the track plays
As you adjust a knob or fader, you'll see Automation being written onto your track.
What makes each mode unique is when and how it responds. Touch Mode begins writing Automation when you begin adjusting.
When you stop adjusting knobs, Touch Mode will return to wherever that knob first began.
So if you're Track's Fader was set to 0 dB before you touched it, once you let go of it, it will return to 0 dB.
This can be handy if you want Logic to revert back to the original setting afterwards.
2. Latch Mode
Latch Mode is like Touch Mode, except in one respect. And that's what happens once you stop writing Automation.
You know how Touch Mode returns your knob or fader to wherever it started when you stop writing Automation?
Latch Mode does the opposite. When you let go of that fader or knob, Latch Mode just leaves it there.
So if you slowly drag the fader down to -20 dB and let go, that fader stays at -20 dB.
This can be handy if you want to end your Automation at a specific level or setting.
3. Write Mode
Write Mode is the opposite of the last 2 modes. You see, Touch and Latch won't start writing until you begin adjusting parameters. But Write Mode starts writing Automation immediately.
Any time you start playback in Write Mode, Logic starts writing Automation. Whether you're doing anything or not!
It's not too often when you'll want to use Write Mode. 9 times out of 10 Touch and Latch are far more useful.
4. Read Mode
Read Mode is what you set your track to when you're done writing Automation. Instead of writing, Logic simply 'reads' or plays back the Automation you've set.
It's always best to change your Automation Mode to Read when you've nailed that perfect ride of a fader or knob.
Track-Based vs Region-Based Automation
Not only can you write automation for just about anything in Logic. But you can also decide what style of Automation works best for you!
If you're working with loops or samples, you may find you want your Automation to repeat.
For example, say you have a shaker loop. And you want that shaker to pan from left to right super fast:
And you want to loop that shaker throughout the song. Are you going to want to write that panning Automation for the whole song?
Heck no! That'll take waaaay too long.
But if you set your Automation to Region-based Automation, do it once and you're done.
The Automation you write is Region-specific. So when you loop that Region, the Automation repeats:
But in the case of vocals, your Automation may not be Region specific at all. Instead your Automation rides span the length of the Vocal Track.
In that case, you'll want Track-based Automation.
To select between the two modes, you can use the handy menu in the Track Header:
And what's best of all, you can Copy and Paste Regions in either mode, and all the Automation sticks along for the ride!
Adjusting Automation En Masse
After you've written Automation in painstaking detail, you may find you need to adjust all the nodes later.
Say you rode your vocals, and every whisper and shout is locked in.
But it turns out your vocals as a whole are too quiet in the mix. What the heck do you do?
You sure as heck don't want to go back and rewrite that Automation. I think we can agree that watching paint dry would be more enticing.
That's why Logic also provides a way to adjust all your Automation together:
With the Automation Trim, you can boost or reduce the level of your Automation across the whole track!
You don't have to select anything. You don't have to worry about missing nodes. Just click on the Trim, and drag away.
Conclusion
Automation is your secret weapon to dynamic mixes that move.
By telling Logic to adapt your plugins and faders, you increase the emotional impact and story your mixes tell.
So go ahead – give your mixes the secret of movement 🙂
Logic X Fade Tool
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