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Top 5 Plugins for Logic Pro Users

Jan 14, 2021 | 81,916 Views

These 5 essential plugins will complement your Logic workflow and open up new production possibilities, giving you critical mixing tools not included in Logic’s stock plugin selection.

Want even more recommendations? Scroll below for 3 more plugins to add to your Logic Pro setup.

Logic Pro is a beast in terms of recording, music production and mixing. Its intuitive functionality and built-in library of stock plugins and effects are impressive.
But even with Logic’s stock tools at your disposal, some things can only be achieved using specialty plugins.
These tools will enhance your workflow and creativity, by giving you the pro-level mixing tools not included in Logic Pro’s stock selection:

1. Vitamin Sonic Enhancer

Does your mix need a little “pick-me-up”? Vitamin Sonic Enhancer can add the instant energy you’re looking for. This is a powerful parallel harmonic exciter plugin with intuitive multiband control. Using a combination of EQ, compression and saturation under the hood, Vitamin is a fast-acting, 100% adrenaline boost for any channel or mix bus.

Vitamin is perfect for adding clarity and a touch of brilliance to vocals, acoustic guitars, or synths. Try Vitamin on a kick, 808, or drum bus for some serious punch and impact. When mastering, it can be a powerful weapon for increased stereo width or for adding a burst of fullness to an entire mix.

2. Abbey Road Vinyl

Abbey Road Vinyl is a great way to get retro vinyl and turntable lo-fi effects intro your tracks. If you want to create your own samples or add a unique touch of ‘oldness’ and grittiness to any sound, Abbey Road Vinyl is the way to go.

This plugin comes with all the controls you need to add warm, vintage character to your mix: vinyl noise and crackle, mechanical wow & flutter, turntable Start/Stop/slow-down effects, different cartridge tones, and tone arm/needle placement.

3. F6 Floating-Band Dynamic EQ

Traditional EQs can sometimes compromise your overall sound, because they’re a ‘static’ solution to what is often a dynamic problem. The F6 Floating-Band Dynamic EQ allows you to tame trouble spots and harsh frequencies, only at the precise moments when they happen, without affecting the rest of your audio.

If you’re having trouble with clashing sounds such as kick and bass, or vocals and guitars, F6’s sidechain feature enables you to unmask competing frequencies and improve tonal balance in a more surgical way.

The plugin’s built-in real-time analyzer and mid-side processing options make it easy to sculpt out a space for different track elements – making this EQ the ultimate problem-solver in any situation.

4. Vocal Rider

A real time-saver, Vocal Rider achieves perfect vocal levels quickly and automatically. No longer do you have to draw in level changes or manually ride the fader – this plugin does that for you at a high level of accuracy and sensitivity. Just set the target range of your vocal level in relation to the rest of the mix, and you’re done.

Unlike leveling with compression, which can cause sibilance or unnatural ‘pumping’ effects, Vocal Rider can listen and intelligently raise and lower the volume of your vocals without coloring or unwanted artifacts.

Logic Pro doesn’t feature anything like this “Rider” effect in its suite of plugins and effects. Both Vocal Rider and Bass Rider (more on which below) are serious workflow enhancers and time-saving solutions.

5. Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain

Mastering in Logic Pro is possible using Logic’s own plugins. However, if you feel things are too clean or digital-sounding, the Waves Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain offers everything you need in one flexible plugin to give your mixes a vintage console character or modern-day analog warmth and loudness.

If you are unfamiliar or simply new to mastering, this plugin comes with a ton of factory presets from some of the music industry’s top mastering and mixing engineers to get you well on your way.

For further customization, The TG Mastering Chain’s five modules – Input, Tone, Compressor/Limiter, Filter, and V.A.L. (stereo spread) – can be used independently or together, in whichever chain order you decide, for greater control and a professional-sounding master.

More Great Plugins for Logic Pro Users

Here are 3 more plugins that will turbo-charge your abilities and complement Logic’s stock selection:

6. Abbey Road J37 Tape

If you want to give your tracks the warmth and great-sounding ‘imperfection’ of tape, Waves offers two different tape simulations:

One is the Waves/Abbey Road J37 Tape saturation plugin. Based on Abbey Road’s classic Studer model tape machine used on countless classic tracks throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s.

J37 offers several original Studer tape formula flavors, to add that magical sense of grit and character to an otherwise sterile-sounding mix. Try Its built-in delay mechanism for anything between adding chorus-like dimensions to all-out psychedelic feedback loops.

7. Kramer Master Tape

Another great tape simulation is the Kramer Master Tape plugin, based on legendary producer Eddie Kramer’s Ampex machine. Try the Kramer Tape if you want instant tape sound without the need for a lot of parameters. This plugin delivers its own unique sonic warmth and retro crunch to anything that sounds too digital.

Choosing between J37 and Kramer Tape is largely a question of taste: to get an idea, demo them both, or see this quick comparison of Kramer Tape vs. J37 Tape.

8. Bass Rider

Getting a great bass balance is crucial for any mix. If you’re dealing with inconsistent bass levels across a song, you can save yourself a lot of time: instead of writing-in the levels manually, use Bass Rider for level automation.

This plugin applies the same “auto-riding” concept as Vocal Rider, except it’s specifically designed and optimized to handle low-frequency bass levels note-by-note. If you have an unruly bass, set Bass Rider’s target area and range to automatically keep your bottom end smooth and even, so you can move onto other things in your mix.

Want to discover more essential plugins? Learn how to choose the best compressor for the job or which vintage EQ plugin to use.

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