Making the Switch from GarageBand to Logic Pro: What You Need to Know

logic pro Jun 12, 2025

If you’ve recently upgraded from GarageBand to Logic Pro, welcome—this is a big step forward in your music production journey. Logic Pro offers much more depth and flexibility, but for many users—especially those who started in GarageBand—it can feel like a steep learning curve.

The good news? You probably already know more than you think.

In this guide (and the accompanying video), I’ll walk you through the similarities and differences between GarageBand and Logic Pro so you can make the transition confidently—and start recording and producing better music from your home studio.

Starting with What You Know

When you first open Logic Pro, the interface might look more complex—but many of the core building blocks are very similar to GarageBand.

Familiar Track Types

Software Instruments for playing with a MIDI keyboard
Drummer tracks for auto-generated rhythms
Audio tracks for recording vocals or instruments

Logic Pro expands on this by adding external MIDI, pattern tracks, and session musicians (more on that later). But if you’re used to creating music in GarageBand, you’ll find the learning curve manageable.

Familiar Features

The Library works the same way—just press Y to access it and browse instruments.
Many sounds and loops are identical between the two apps—Logic Pro includes everything GarageBand has, and then some.
Smart Controls (press B) offer simplified access to key plugin parameters—just like GarageBand.

What Logic Pro Adds (That GarageBand Doesn’t)

Once you're comfortable, you’ll start to notice why Logic Pro is considered a professional DAW.

A Full Mixer

Unlike GarageBand, Logic includes a full mixer window (X) that lets you:

Load and chain multiple effects
Adjust sends and buses
View all your levels and pans in one place

This gives you far more control over your mix, without needing to bounce between tracks individually.

Session Players Beyond Drums

Logic introduces bassist and keyboardist session players alongside Drummer, which makes it incredibly easy to build full rhythm sections even if you don’t play all those instruments.

These virtual players follow your chord structure and groove, and they’re a huge time-saver for solo musicians or songwriters.

Advanced Editing Tools

Logic provides a Tool Palette that includes:

Pencil tool for drawing MIDI
Scissors tool for splitting regions
Eraser, zoom, solo, mute, and fade tools
Automation curve tools
Flex Time and Flex Pitch for manipulating audio and pitch without third-party plugins

This is where Logic Pro really steps ahead—giving you professional-grade editing capabilities right out of the box.

Working with Instruments and Plugins

Logic gives you more flexibility when it comes to how you load and manage software instruments.

Two Ways to Load Instruments

Through the Library — just like in GarageBand
Via the Channel Strip — gives you more control and avoids loading unwanted effects

When you choose your own instrument through the channel strip, you’re loading only what you need. The Library method often includes presets with EQ, reverb, or delay already added. Depending on your workflow, this could be helpful or get in the way.

You also gain access to Logic’s full suite of software instruments, including:

Alchemy (powerful synth)
Studio horns and strings
Drum machines and samplers
Vintage keys (organ, clavinet, electric piano)
User-installed third-party plugins via the AU Instruments section

Session Organization and Track Stacks

One of Logic Pro’s best features is Track Stacks. These let you:

Group related tracks (e.g. drums, background vocals)
Collapse and expand them for cleaner sessions
Control volume, effects, and automation as a group

Choose Summing Stacks to route all grouped tracks through a shared fader and bus.

Setting Up Logic for Success

Here are some key settings to check when you’re just getting started:

Enable Complete Features

Go to Logic Pro > Settings > Advanced and make sure “Enable Complete Features” is turned on.
This unlocks the full DAW functionality that’s hidden in beginner mode.

Audio Settings

Output/Input Device: Set to your audio interface or USB mic
I/O Buffer Size: 128 is a good starting point for low latency while recording
Larger buffer sizes reduce CPU strain but introduce delay—adjust as needed

Working with Apple Loops and Smart Controls

Logic Pro includes the same Apple Loops library as GarageBand—plus more.

You can sort loops by:

Instrument
Genre
Mood
Descriptors like "groovy" or "bright"

Just drag them into your project like you would in GarageBand.

Smart Controls in Logic are familiar, but you can also dive deeper into plugin settings if you want to go beyond simplified knobs.

Open GarageBand Projects in Logic

You can open your old GarageBand projects directly in Logic:

Go to File > Open
Select your .band file

Logic will convert it and give you access to expanded features. It’s a great way to keep your past work relevant as your skills and tools grow.

Manage Sound Libraries

Logic allows you to:

Download additional content from Apple’s sound library
Relocate sound libraries to an external drive to free up internal storage

This is ideal if you’re working with a laptop that has limited space.

Next Up

In the next video in this series, we’ll explore all the built-in software instruments available in Logic Pro—so you can start crafting your sound with confidence.

TIMECODES:
00:00 Intro
01:05 GarageBand vs Logic: Track Types
02:55 Loading Instruments in GarageBand
03:42 Loading Instruments in Logic Pro
10:23 Using Apple Loops
11:38 Recommended Settings in Logic Pro
14:09 Opening GarageBand Projects in Logic
14:55 Logic Pro's Mixer Window
15:34 Editing Tools
20:09 Flex Time & Flex Pitch
21:05 Track Stacks
22:35 Downloading and Relocating Sounds
23:49 Smart Controls
24:33 Final Thoughts