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Logic Studio

Explore three hit recordings, track by track.

Learn all the production tricks the pros used to create these hit singles. You can see how every track was crafted, from the original instrument, sample, or loop right through effects, processing, and mixing. Then try out your own ideas and techniques.

The Killers “Spaceman”

The Killers

© 2008 Island Def Jam. Universal-PolyGram Int. Publ., Inc. (ASCAP)

Brandon Flowers, Dave Keunin, Mark Stoermer, and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. came together in 2002 to form the Killers, a platinum-selling alternative rock band that’s received seven Grammy nominations.

The band worked exclusively with Logic Studio to record, produce, and mix their third album, Day & Age. That made it easy for the Las Vegas group to exchange creative ideas and files with producer Stuart Price, based in London. The single, “Spaceman,” reached #1 on iTunes.

This is an elaborate, high-energy production. You'll find many layers of electric guitar, bass, and drum tracks to explore, along with extensive orchestration created with the ES2, EFM1, EXS24 Sampler, and Sculpture. Notice how the vocals were creatively mixed with everything from the Bitcrusher to Vocal Transformer. You might want to try out the new Drum Replacer by blending drum sounds from the EXS24 with the band’s live drums, or use Amp Designer and Pedalboard to take the guitar sounds in a totally different direction.

Learn more at Logic In Action

Lily Allen “The Fear”

Lily Allen is a Grammy-nominated English pop singer and songwriter. It’s Not Me, It’s You is her second studio album, and was produced by Greg Kurstin. Both the album and the first single from it, “The Fear,” were #1 hits on iTunes.

“The Fear” was recorded and mixed entirely in Logic by Kurstin, who was trained as a musician, not an engineer. He used a full range of Logic Studio effects and software instruments, from Tape Delay, Sample Delay, and Stereo Delay to Space Designer, Channel EQ, AutoFilter, Vocoders, and the world-class guitar distortion plug-ins.

In this project demo, you can see how all the processing was applied to the Logic EVP88 electric piano, EVD6 clavinet, Ultrabeat, the ES1 and ES2 synths, and the EXS24 sampler. To explore Kurstin’s creative production techniques, just solo the various instrument and audio tracks. Then bypass the plug-ins one by one to reveal how the song was brought to life. Track 15 is a great place to start. Notice how a simple 2-note electric piano riff expands into a complex rhythmic pattern, thanks to six Logic effects creatively chained together. It’s Kurstin’s careful sculpting of the Logic instruments that builds the rich, ingenious sound that carries the song.

Learn more at Logic In Action
Lily Allen

© 2009 EMI Records Ltd. Universal Music Publishing Ltd/Kurstin Music (ASCAP), EMI Music Inc.

Santigold “You’ll Find A Way”

Santigold

© 2008 Downtown Music LLC. DLJ Songs (ASCAP), Little Jerk (ASCAP), Downtown DMP Songs (BMI), EMI April Music (ASCAP) and Rodeoman Music (ASCAP)

Santigold is a Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter influenced by Punk, Dub, New Wave, and Electronic music. "You'll Find A Way" is from her debut album, Santigold. This remix, produced by Switch and Sinden, was included on the album, which Rolling Stone named number six in its Albums of the Year.

Driving bass, drums, and synth lines earned this remix heavy rotation on the radio and in clubs. Switch and Sinden achieved the innovative sound with surprisingly minimal production, using only Logic Studio instruments and effects.

You can use this project demo to explore the power of the Logic Studio plug-in collection, from the Bitcrusher used on the ES2 synthesizer to the Tape Delays and Compressor enhancing the vocals. Be sure to check out the clever audio slicing and editing of the drums, including the Apple Loops stacked up in tracks 22, 23, and 24. Santi's distinctive, contagious vocal tracks are the perfect starting point for experiments with the new Pedalboard plug-in and Flex Time editing.