How to Record Yourself Alone in Logic Pro with Logic Remote

Logic Remote is a free Apple app for iPad and iPhone that controls Logic Pro over Wi-Fi. Put it on a stand beside wherever you are playing, and you can arm the track, start recording, punch in, undo a bad take, and drop markers without walking to the computer. It is the single app that makes recording a whole record alone practical. I use it from the drum throne, the guitar chair, and the vocal closet.

Here is the setup and how I actually use it on a session.

Setup

1. Install Logic Remote from the App Store on an iPad or iPhone.
2. Make sure the Mac and the device are on the same Wi-Fi network.
3. Open Logic Pro, then open Logic Remote. Tap the Mac's name when it appears.
4. Back in Logic Pro, click Connect on the pairing prompt.

That is it. From now on it reconnects on its own when both are open.

The three screens I live on

• Control bar: play, stop, record, cycle, metronome, count-in. This is 90 percent of what I use.
• Mixer: arm tracks, set input monitoring, adjust the headphone level, mute the click for a take.
• Key Commands: a grid of buttons for things like "new track," "undo," "go to marker," and anything else you assign.

How I record a part alone

1. Set up the track at the Mac: input, plugin chain, cycle region around the section.
2. Walk to the instrument with the iPad.
3. Arm the track from the mixer screen, turn on cycle recording so every pass lands as a take.
4. Hit record. Play the section as many times as it needs.
5. Stop, pick the best take later at the Mac, or comp from the takes folder.

Cycle recording plus takes folders is the key. I don't judge takes at the instrument. I play, then edit at the desk.

Punching in

For a wrong note in an otherwise good take, set a cycle around the bar at the Mac, enable Autopunch or just use cycle recording, then re-play just that bar from the instrument with the iPad. Logic drops it in on the take lane.

Drums

From the drum throne the iPad is essential. Both hands and both feet are busy, and the control bar is a single tap. I keep it on a snare stand arm. Set a two-bar count-in so you have time to get both sticks up.

Vocals

In the closet I use the control bar and the mixer screen to nudge my headphone mix between takes. Lower the instruments, raise the vocal, no trip to the desk.

Two things that annoyed me

• If the Mac goes to sleep, you lose the connection. Set the display to sleep but not the Mac.
• Wi-Fi hiccups show up as a half-second delay on the transport buttons. If it gets bad, a USB cable from the iPad to the Mac works too.

FAQ

Is Logic Remote free?

Yes. It is a free Apple app for iPad and iPhone and only works with Logic Pro and GarageBand on a Mac.

Does Logic Remote work over USB or only Wi-Fi?

Both. Wi-Fi is the default, and a direct USB connection from the iPad to the Mac also works and is more reliable if your Wi-Fi is busy.

Can you arm tracks and punch in from Logic Remote?

Yes. The mixer screen arms tracks and sets monitoring, and the control bar handles record, cycle, and punch so you can re-record a section from the instrument.

Bottom line

Free app, same Wi-Fi, control bar plus mixer plus key commands. Set the track up at the desk, record from the instrument, judge takes at the desk. For everything the iPad is talking to, see the rig page.