MIDI in Logic Pro: Routing and Editing

Connecting and configuring your logic pro MIDI gear

Before you record a single note, it is worth pausing to confirm that Logic Pro MIDI sees your gear where it matters most. When you first hook up MIDI keyboard to logic pro x, Apple recommends connecting the keyboard's MIDI Out to an interface MIDI In using standard MIDI cables, then connecting that interface to your Mac. If your keyboard has its own tone generator, also run a cable from the interface MIDI Out back to the keyboard MIDI In so it can receive clock and data. Once the hardware is connected, open Audio MIDI Setup from Applications > Utilities and verify the device appears there, because Logic Pro recognizes only what macOS sees first. The next step is to properly set MIDI controller in logic by watching for the automatic assignment dialog that appears the first time a supported USB controller is plugged in and choosing Auto Assign to map its controls immediately. You can also open Logic Pro > Control Surfaces > Settings > MIDI Controllers later to enable the Auto checkbox for that device, a step separate from simply seeing incoming notes in the Physical Input object that can silently filter or reassign data if skipped. Users working with larger rigs sometimes notice Logic Pro X showing 7 MOTU MIDI ports instead of the full complement on a multi-port interface. General chaining rules let you expand connections by using a keyboard's MIDI Thru to reach a second tone generator, while any port-count behavior beyond that varies. As you build out your studio, Logic Pro X MIDI compatibility extends across a wide range of USB and MIDI keyboard controllers, sound modules, control surfaces, effects processors, mixers, lighting controllers, pedals, and switches, making the core task one of correctly registering each device in the Control Surface Setup before you move on to routing.

Recording and capturing MIDI

Once your controller is properly registered, the act of capturing a performance is straightforward but has a few behaviors worth knowing before you hit the first key. MIDI data always flows to the currently selected track in the main window. This is how you assign samples to MIDI keyboard in logic without a separate routing matrix. Simply highlight the track hosting your sampler or instrument and play. If you improvise something you like before pressing record, use the Capture Recording button in the control bar or its key command to retroactively save what you just played as a new MIDI region. When you want to start playback where cursor is in logic for a punch-in or to hear a specific bar, position the playhead at the desired point and begin playback. The behavior follows the playhead location by default. During cycling or layered takes, set Logic Pro Preferences > Recording > Overlapping Track Recordings > MIDI Cycle On to Create Take Folder, turn on Cycle mode, and capture your passes into a take folder for later comping. If a recorded phrase sits in the wrong range, you can change octave of MIDI recording in logic after the fact by opening the region in the Piano Roll and dragging selected notes up or down by twelve semitones. When the performance is finished and you need a portable version, select the regions and choose File > Export > Selection as MIDI File to make MIDI file in logic that saves as a Format 1 file by default. It will save as Format 0 if you have enabled that option for single regions in Logic Pro > Settings > General > Project Handling.

Editing and manipulating performances

Once a performance is captured, the real work often involves reshaping it without losing the musical feel. The most direct transformations sometimes start with the raw waveform itself. In Logic Pro for Mac, you can select any audio region and enable the Reverse checkbox in the Region inspector to flip the material backwards non-destructively. The option hides behind the More disclosure arrow if it is not immediately visible. On iPad, the same Reverse switch lives under the General disclosure arrow in the Inspector. On both platforms the control is unavailable when Flex Time or Flex & Follow is active on that track. When your project tempo needs to shift, you can change tempo but keep MIDI in logic pro x by relying on the way software instrument regions follow the global tempo by default. A recorded piano or synth line stays locked to the bar grid while the playback speed moves around it. For a completely different texture, you might reverse a MIDI track in logic by first bouncing the region to audio. The dedicated Reverse parameter applies exclusively to audio regions. The bounced file can then be flipped without altering the original MIDI data. Building a groove from scratch often starts with a low-end foundation. You can make MIDI bass line in logic pro x by loading a monophonic bass patch into a software instrument track. Draw or play notes that lock tightly to the kick pattern. Keep the rhythmic pocket intact while you edit note lengths and velocities in the Piano Roll.

Routing MIDI and building drum tracks

Before you route MIDI out from one instrument to another, in the Logic Pro Environment choose New > Mapped Instrument, then Control-click the track header in the Tracks area to access the Reassign Track shortcut menu and point it to that mapped object. Cable the mapped instrument to a software instrument channel strip so the incoming MIDI data passes from the selected track through the Environment to the destination plug-in.

When you program drums in logic pro x, you can add a Drummer track to get a human feel. Use the XY pad in the Drummer Editor to push the complexity and loudness while adjusting individual kit piece pattern variations and fill settings. For electronic or heavily customized kits, open Drum Kit Designer, swap the kick and snare, and tweak the pitch, sustain, and volume of each piece until the kit sits right in the mix.

If you need to find a surround sound track in logic x, first enable Complete Features in Logic Pro > Settings > Advanced, then configure the surround format in the Audio project settings. The project routes through surround channel strips, and you can monitor the spatial mix through a dedicated speaker array or standard headphones using Spatial Audio Monitoring.