How To Use Step Sequencer In Logic Pro | Creating Drum Patterns

The art of music production is continually evolving, with new technologies and tools empowering producers and musicians to create and manipulate sounds in innovative ways. Professionals and beginners alike have always praised Logic Pro for its versatile, powerful, and easy-to-use workspace, which is why it has remained a stalwart among the most popular Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) in the world.

Previously, beat-makers and DJs usually favored DAWs like Ableton Live for their sequencer tools. To go shoulder-to-shoulder with the competition, Apple armed Logic Pro with a built-in Step Sequencer feature that is as powerful as it is simple to use.

Regardless of the genre of music you want to create, understanding how to use Logic’s Step Sequencer can be a game-changer in your creative process. Although I personally use it to make beats in Logic, the Step Sequencer can help you generate complex melodies and experiment with unique rhythms.

In this post, I will go through everything you need to know to use Logic’s step sequencer like a pro.

Adding Step Sequencer To Your Project

The Step Sequencer is a tool for manipulating virtual instruments in Logic Pro. Let’s get started by adding an 808 Drum Machine Designer (DMD) track to our project:

•  Click “+” from the top-left corner of the track header area and create a new software instrument track.
•  Open the Inspector menu by pressing “I” on your keyboard.
•  Click the right side of the instrument slot to open the list of virtual instruments.
•  Scroll down and select “Drum Machine Designer.”

Now we have a drum machine designer track with empty sound slots. Let’s load Logic’s 808 Flex drum kit to our drum machine:

•  Click the button on the top-left corner of your workspace (or press “Y” on your keyboard) to open Logic’s Library.
•  Click “Electronic Drum Kit” and select “808 Flex.”

Note: if the 808 Flex kit doesn’t load when you click it, you probably have some missing kit pieces. Scroll down to find “Kit Pieces” and download all sounds.

Logic gives you two ways to add a step sequencer region for your track. You can control-click on the  primary workspace area and select “Create Pattern Region.” Another way is to open it from the Editor menu and change the view from “Piano Roll” to “Step Sequencer.”

Note: If the Step Sequencer view is locked, it is because you’ve recorded/created a MIDI segment, and Logic cannot turn it into a pattern region. Delete your MIDI region and Logic will allow you to choose the Step Sequencer tool.

As shown in the screenshot above, triggering different sounds is pretty straightforward; you have the name of each sample in a column to the left, with 16 cells in front of each that you can click to turn on/off to create patterns.

However, taking advantage of Logic’s Step Sequencer to its maximum capacity goes way beyond that. The first two things you’d want to adjust are Pattern Length and Pattern Step Rate.

You can locate the pattern length (marked as A in the screenshot) on the top-right side of the Step Sequencer window, which is set to 16 steps by default. This pop-up menu allows you to choose the number of steps for the overall pattern.

Pattern step rate (B) is on the top-left corner of the window and is set to /16 automatically. This indicates the duration of each cell as a note value.

So, if we have 16 cells and each of them is 1/16th of a bar, the length of the entire pattern is one bar. If we double the pattern length while keeping the pattern step rate at 16, we’ll have a two-bar pattern, allowing us to create more complex grooves for our project.

You can also change the time subdivision for each of the sounds individually, but I personally prefer to keep them all at the same value to keep the segment looking tidy and clean.

Moreover, if you click on the little arrow to the left of each sound row, a drop-down window will open that lets you adjust different parameters for each cell.

“Velocity” indicates how hard the note was played. It partly corresponds with the loudness of the sound, but it’s more than just volume. It changes the character of the sound as well. By adjusting the velocity, you can make your track sound more human.

“Repeat” allows you to create up to 16 subdivisions within a cell. Click and drag your pointer up/down to adjust the repeats. It can be particularly useful to break the pattern when you have 16th note hi-hats one after another.

Turning Step Sequencer Region Into MIDI Region

The Step Sequencer is a simple and powerful tool that allows you to quickly create patterns for virtual instruments. However, it can be limiting when you want to fine-tune specific details of each note.

Once you’re satisfied with the pattern you’ve created, you can turn it into MIDI to make further adjustments.

•  Control-click on your pattern region and hover your pointer on “Convert.”
•  Select “Convert to MIDI Region.”

Your Editor menu automatically switches to Piano Roll view, allowing you to adjust duration, time, and many other parameters for each note.

Your track may sound too monotonic and computerized when everything sits on the grid perfectly. Thankfully, Logic offers plenty of ways that you can make MIDI sound more natural, whether it’s a drum kit, a synth, or any other type of instrument.

One of the things you can do to create interesting dynamics in your MIDI track is to use Logic’s Humanizer Tool:

•  Click “Functions” from the top-left corner of the Editor window.
•  Hover your pointer on “MIDI Transform” and select “Humanize.”

Another pro tip, if you want to dig into designing your drum sounds, is to separate your MIDI region by note pitch. This allows you to target each piece of your drum kit differently by adjusting volume and pan and adding effects from the Inspector menu.

•  Control-click on your MIDI region and hover your pointer on “Convert.”
•  Select “Separate by Note Pitch.”

Tip: Logic offers a vast array of stock sounds and virtual instruments that you can utilize in your projects. The Alchemy is a powerful synthesizer that provides a virtually endless list of presets and sounds. In another post, I’ve extensively explained how to use the Alchemy synth in Logic Pro.

Final Thoughts On Using Logic Pro’s Step Sequencer

Learning how to use the Step Sequencer in Logic Pro can save you a lot of time and hassle when creating drum patterns. If you need more help using this tool, check out my YouTube video tutorial on using Logic Pro’s Step Sequencer.

Should you want a more linear approach to learning music production, mixing, mastering, and songwriting, I highly recommend downloading my Free 6 Pillars To Learn Logic Fast guidebook.