Hello everyone,
I have a question for those working in professional audio: is Logic Pro truly usable, in a professional setting, by a blind sound engineer? I mean in a real studio environment, working alongside sighted engineers, for full mixing or mastering work.
I know Logic Pro is less accessible than Reaper, but contrary to what some people claim, it’s still usable with VoiceOver. Reaper is indeed 100% accessible (I personally use it for podcast editing), but it requires regular maintenance and a lot of custom keyboard shortcut setup, especially with OSARA, whereas Logic Pro has a proper built-in interface.
I’m not talking here about solutions like Logic Magician or Fastboard, which can greatly improve accessibility but are not installed by default in a studio. On Mac, you simply have VoiceOver, which is already a solid starting point, whereas on Windows, you’d have to install NVDA (since Narrator is not really usable).
And for those saying Logic Pro involves “too many interactions,” in my opinion, that’s not a drawback on Mac — for me, it’s actually a strength.
So my question is: has any blind sound engineer ever mixed or mastered a professional project in Logic Pro, using only VoiceOver, in a real studio environment alongside sighted engineers?
Thanks for your insights.
Comments
Re: Accessibility.
I'm curious, how is Logic less accessible than Reaper? Assume for the sake of argument you're using whatever extras, e.g. Logic Magician, that you prefer, since Reaper needs OSARA. I've juststarted tackling all of this stuff, used to be on Windows, so I'm just curious about it.
The difference is that OSARA…
The difference is that OSARA in Reaper uses Reaper’s built-in API, while Logic Magician relies on the graphical interface.
Personally, I prefer to use Logic’s interface without Logic Magician. Also, as I’m in France, I can’t use it, and Reaper + OSARA are not 100% usable with a French keyboard on Mac. In France, there’s a team dedicated to Reaper and OSARA, but only on Windows.
That’s why I’m looking to use Logic only with VoiceOver, without any extra tools.
Reaper, for example, allows automation by placing points manually, which isn’t possible in the same way in Logic. In Logic, you can create automation without a control surface, but it’s difficult to modify afterwards.
Also, copying regions is simpler in Reaper because Ripple mode lets you know whether a region is moved or overlapped depending on whether you cut or not.
On the other hand, Logic has excellent effects, and its Smart Tempo is really great.
So I’m wondering if it’s possible to get good results with Logic, because I personally use Reaper (for audio editing, not music) only for its accessibility, not for its features.
Logic Pro for professional work
Although I haven't used Logic in a studio per se, I have released a few things on Apple Music and others. I used Logic Pro, with no Logic Majician, etc., to make the songs I produced. Although it's not in a studio with others, you can fully mix, master, and even mix in Dolby Atmos with Logic Pro and VoiceOver.
It's Apple, and everything is accessible.
Whether you use Logic Majician or not, I would highly recommend logic.band.
It's a great resource. I would also recommend taking a look at the Getting Started with Logic course, which unfortunately requires you to sign up to their mailing list.
You can always unsubscribe at any time.
So, yes, it is definitely possible to use Logic Pro to independently make music.
I find Logic Pro is better at this because of the over 94 GB of free sounds you get, which you can use as a starting point for creating your own sounds.
If there's enough interest, I could create guides for logic pro.
I've been using Logic since about 2021, so if anyone wants me to create guides like Dolby Atmos mixing, just let me know.
professionally, in a studio,…
professionally, in a studio, no. But that's just because I don't do music professionally or in a studio... Unless my room counts. But you can get extremely productive with it and about the only thing you can't do is use the sampler, not-something you do when mixing or mastering. And also flex editing, something you might want to do. You can always use something like autotune artest or waves tune realtime to edit the vocal with midi though.
I think sampler is now accessible
Levi, yes please. I'm just now upgrading my mixing to 7.1.4 surround with ATMOS, so I'd be interested in whatever you'd like to share. And yes to logic.band. That's where I'd go with any questions about Logic Pro or Garage Band.