How To Mute and Unmute Tracks In Logic Pro

In this post, I will talk about how to mute and unmute tracks in Logic Pro. I'll also teach you how to mute regions and why you might want to do this in your productions. At the end, I'll show you all the fancy shortcuts to muting and unmuting too.

Muting tracks or regions in a project can be a helpful production tactic. While it's a simple process, there are multiple ways to go about it. Let's break down this post into these four sections:

• How To Use The Mute Button
• How To Use The Mute Tool
• How To Mute and Unmute Specific Regions
• Why Mute Something At All?
• Muting Shortcuts

How To Use The Mute Button

You can mute a track in Logic by using the mute button which is the M located on the channel strip. If you cannot see the M, click on the Track heading and go down to the very bottom of the dropdown menu to configure track header. Once you do so, you'll see a variety of checkboxes. Make sure to click the M box.

Now the M will appear in the channel strip for all of your tracks. When the mute button is activated, it will appear blue. Also, when a track is muted, the regions will appear gray. I love this feature in Logic Pro because you immediately know what is muted and what is not muted. To unmute, simply click the M box again on the channel strip.

How To Use The Mute Tool

Another method to mute and unmute tracks in Logic is by using the Mute tool. You can find the Mute tool in the tool dropdown options. This is located right above your project in the Logic Pro toolbar. You can also get to this tools menu by pressing "T" on your computer keyboard.

Below is what the toolbar menu looks like. You'll see that I have the "mute tool" added as a third click tool in this instance. That's not necessary as you can add the mute tool as any toolbar option. To get more familiar with tools, feel free to watch this tip on the Logic Pro toolbar. 

Choose the mute tool option, as seen below.

Once you've arrived at the toolbar menu, choose the mute tool option. I have a great video on using the mute tool option in Logic Pro if would prefer to learn in video format.

Tip: If you would like to add a third tool to your toolbar options then you can do so by going to: Logic Pro  > Settings > General > Editing. Here, you'll noticed a box that says: Right Mouse Button. You'll have different options as to what you would like your right click to be. I personally assign it as a third click tool.

Once you have the mute tool selected, this essentially will mute anything that you click on. This can be severely frustrating but also wildly helpful. It really depends on what process you are currently in with regards to your production. For example, I might use the mute tool when I would like to audition certain regions or sections of a chorus. I want to hear what the chorus sounds like without the harmonies, or without the guitars, I can do this quickly by using the mute tool.

To unmute the region with the mute tool, simply click it again and it will unmute.

Muting is a great tool to know how to use and can help you make the best sounds you

can by being able to audition only the sounds or tracks that you want.

How To Mute and Unmute Specific Regions

Whenever I'm producing a song in Logic, I'm always muting and unmuting regions to test out different placements or dynamics within my song. Regions are the specific elements within your track. You might only have 1 region on your track but you also might 10, 20, or even 100 regions on your track. Each region can be edited separately. They are all mutually exclusive from one another. For example, if you've recorded a guitar part in the verse of your song but you would like to hear what it sounds like without it. Instead of deleting the guitar part, mute the region. This will help you remember if you want to unmute the region at a later time. Who knows, maybe you'll want to revert back on your decision with keeping the guitar part in the verse.

To mute a region in Logic, select the region that would like to mute. Next, press control + M. Now, only the region you've selected will be muted. You'll noticed that it's turned gray to help you visualize that it's been muted. Besides there, there is also a dot in the upper left corner of the region. In order to unmute the region, click control + M again.

Why Mute Something In Logic Pro?

There are a few different reasons why I personally would mute something in Logic Pro. Of course, there will be a bit of subjectivity involved here, so take everything with a grain of salt. However, if you like my songs on Spotify, then you might just agree with me.

Reason 1 - Isolating Specific Tracks

When you're working on a project with hundreds of different tracks, it can be challenging to focus on a particular sound. Muting specific tracks, allows you to clear space in your speakers so you can focus on other aspects while you're mixing your song in Logic.

Reason 2 - Sampling Different Elements

When you're composing or arranging a song, you might want to try out different sounds and elements. For example, you might be making a beat in Logic Pro and you're wondering what kick or snare samples to use. Let's say you chopped up a few different samples and have them each on different tracks. You can mute all tracks, expect the one you're interested in, and see how it sounds within your mix.  

Reason 3 - Reducing Clutter

It's very possible that you might have hundreds of different tracks when you're producing a song in Logic. However, you're not suing all of these tracks. Maybe some of them were from past sessions, or instruments that don't even need anymore. What I like to do is a trick I like to call mute and hide. Simply put, I mute the track and then I hide the track. This helps reduce clutter and clears my head space. You can also go a step further and freeze the track too. This will help improve the speed of Logic Pro by bypassing all the heavy plugin processing that you're computer is doing.

Reason 4 - Putting Together A Comp (Composite)

If you're recording vocals in Logic Pro and wanting to do a vocal comp, then muting is a great tool to help you pick and choose different vocal lines between each take. This does consider you are using multiple tracks to execute your vocal comp. I personally prefer to use the vocal comping feature in Logic Pro. This feature helps you with muting so you don't even have to do it.

Muting and Unmuting Shortcuts

Option 1 - M

The easiest shortcut to mute and unmute regions is by simply pressing M on your keyboard. To do this, choose the track you would like to mute by clicking on it. Once you have the track selected, press M on your computer keyboard. This will mute the entire track. Pretty fast, right? Get comfortable with using the shortcut M. It's going to save you lots of time down the road when you start mixing your song in Logic. To unmute the track, press M again.

Option 2 - Control M

This is the shortcut that we reviewed to mute and unmute specific regions. Get comfortable with knowing where the control button is on your computer keyboard because it's a gateway to learning hundreds of other shortcuts in Logic Pro.

Option 3 - Mute Tool

We discuss this method as a main way to mute and unmute tracks and regions in Logic Pro. I'm also adding it here as well since it's a very fast method to mute and unmute. Each producer will have their own workflow. If I'm completely honest, I do not use the mute tool very much but instead I rely on M and control + M. It's a subjective thing that I've built into my own workflow. That doesn't mean it's rigth.

Final Thoughts On Muting and Unmuting In Logic Pro

You will have to mute and unmute tracks in Logic as you produce and mix your music. However, one thing I will mention is, when you get closer to the end of your mix, it's a good idea to stop muting and stop solo'ing tracks. Instead, listen to the song as a complete unit. Of course, during the early production and mixing stage, you'll have to mute and solo specific tracks and regions to understand what is happening and to dissect specific things. But, when you are getting closer to the end stage of your mix, stop muting and solo'ing. Listen to everything as a one comprehensive unit. By the way, this is not my advice but instead comes from one of the best mixing engineers in the world, Andrew Scheps.

I would love to help you on your music journey within Logic Pro or building a song production that you're super proud of. I suggest getting my 6 free pillars on learning Logic Pro faster.