Bypass All Effect Plug-ins

Bypassing plug-ins is a tedious and difficult process. In earlier versions of Logic you would accomplish this by clicking and dragging in the mixer window. Very error prone, and you lose “state”.

The new way — using this command — turns off all of the plug-ins that are on, and remembers the state. The command is a toggle. First time it is issued plug-ins are turned off. Next time it is issued plug-ins are turned back on.

This only affects channels that are selected.

The next enhancement (please) would be to gain match the output of the channel. Level is the same with plug-ins engaged and when they are off. Fair comparison. This would preclude using a Gain plug-in to increase the levels.

Add, remove, move, and copy plug-ins in Logic Pro — Apple Support

If you want to deactivate a plug-in, but don’t want to remove it from the channel strip, you can bypass it. Bypassed plug-ins don’t drain system resources.

Are You Using Too Many Plugins? | Production Expert

In this article Julian asks whether the seemingly limitless options available to us in software encourages an over-use of processing and indeed whether that matters if the music still sounds good?

I don’t, typically, use too many plug-ins. I own too many plug-ins. I have started the weeding out process.

I own too many DAWs as well. I have made a decision about that as well. I will have two to work with — Logic and MixBus32c.

Tricky bit is finding un-installers…

  Remove Bypassed Plug-ins

Removes bypassed plug-ins from the insert slots on the selected channel(s). It’s good to clean up channel strips every once in a while.

Work with channel strip settings in Logic Pro — Apple Support

In Logic Pro, click the Setting button at the top of the channel strip, then choose Remove Bypassed Plug-ins from the pop-up menu.

  Open/Close Instrument Plug-in Window of focused Track

This command replaces the need to click on the Instrument slot of the channel strip to open the instrument. It also saves the need to click the close box to make the window vanish.

Assigning this command to a keypress is highly useful. I have combined it with corresponding ‘Open/Close Audio Insert n of focused track’ so I can quickly pop open the plug-ins.

Work in the plug-in window in Logic Pro — Apple Support

In Logic Pro, click the center area of the plug-in slot.

  Open/Close MIDI Insert 14 Plug-in Window of focused Track

Opens (closes) the 14th MIDI Insert plug-in. That’s an awful lot of MIDI inserts on a channel.

Use MIDI plug-ins in Logic Pro — Apple Support

MIDI plug-ins are inserted in software instrument channel strips and process or generate MIDI data—played from a MIDI region or a MIDI keyboard—in real time. Included are the Arpeggiator, Chord Trigger, and Modulator, along with plug-ins for transposition, randomization and other processing. Scripter enables you to create your own MIDI processing and generation scripts.

MIDI plug-ins are connected in series before the audio path of a software instrument channel strip.

MIDI plug-ins have a MIDI input, the MIDI processor, and a MIDI output. The output signals sent from MIDI plug-ins are standard MIDI events such as MIDI note or controller messages.