Logic Pro X and accessibility

By Fausto Toffano, 9 September, 2017

Forum
macOS and Mac Apps

Hello, someone using logic pro x 10.3.2 know how acceding alkemy? Thank you nin advanced.

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By Igna Triay on Saturday, September 30, 2017 - 02:33

As far as I know, its vhry accessible

By dharmaputra on Saturday, September 30, 2017 - 02:33

I have heard that logic pro can be used by blind users. but, is that true ???

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 02:33

I posted in another aged thread, but I will post here too. I am wondering if Logic Pro X version 10.4+ is accessible and how much so. Do any tutorials or guides exist written with VoiceOver users in mind? I need to begin to embark on the long journey to master Logic Pro X as much as possible. I purchased the education bundle days back after I received my AKG K872 master reference closed-back headphones, Rupert Neve Designs RNHP 1-CH Precision Headphone Amplifier, and Mogami cable to connect the little beast of a box. All this is so I can begin to produce others' material, but before that I need to have an accessible digital audio workstation.

Check out Icandothisthing.com, blindlogic.com, and A Google group called logic Accessibility. Good luck.

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 02:33

Thanks. I will definitely learn what I can from those websites.

By Izzie G on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 02:33

Far as accessibility goes, its not 100% accessible, there's still things you can't do, but on the other hand, there's so much you can do. I'd say its worth the $200 you have to spend, and the devs are constantly adding new features and making things more accessible. Sometimes they break stuff, but they're pretty responsive if enough of us send e-mails and call the accessibility line. I used to use GarageBand, but once I bought logic, and enabled all of the advanced features, I deleted GarageBand straight away, and never looked back. You get quite the pandora's box of sounds, a good fifty gig plus, and you can always add your own in so many different ways. From searching presets for synths and audio plugins, or samples for the ESX24 sampler on the interwebs, to buying third party plugins, the possibilities are limitless. Well... As limitless as your pockets can handle, of course. For the most part, you are able to edit the parameters in the stock plugins, so you can tweak to your hearts content. Weather its changing the sound of a synth, to making a crazy reverb, to adding notes to an autotune scale that you perhaps have sung but aren't normally present in that scale, you can do with ease. There is a bit of a learning curve, but there are resources out there to help you with any questions you may have. Google groups, websites, a what's App group, even.

By TJT 2001 on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 02:33

Another accessible DAW for the Mac is <a href="http://www.reaper.fm">Reaper</a&gt;, which is made accessible through <a href="https://github.com/jcsteh/osara">the Osara extension</a>. If you want a course in learning to use it, the Cisco Academy for the Vision Impaired has made their audio courses freely available, but with the expectation that you will make a donation. In their courses, they use Reaper with NVDA, but the concepts should be quite similar. <a href="http://wiki.cucat.org/pmwiki.php/Main/AudioInsAndOuts">You can access the courses here.</a>

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 02:33

I did notice some unlabelled buttons in a certain place in the software. I hope those receive labels sooner than later. It is difficult not to be overwhelmed due to the complexity of the entire programme as a whole.

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 02:33

Thanks for that; I will read about Reaper. I never heard of Osara. Is it an extension for Reaper specifically, or does it assist with more than Reaper?

By Izzie G on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 02:33

In reply to by Unregistered User (not verified)

Oh yeah, like I said, you can't do everything yet, and some buttons, are indeed unlabeled. The AutoDrummer being glaringly obvious. :D. I do hope they add labels to them soon, perhaps I'll send them another video detailing a lot of this stuff.

By TJT 2001 on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 02:33

Osara stands for "Open-source accessibility for the Reaper application". Its purpose is to make Reaper more accessible and usable with VoiceOver.

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 02:33

Well damn, there is my answer. I hoped to hear from a fellow audio cat. Thanks for the in-depth explanation. Considering you had that personal level of training, it is not likely I will understand Logic equally well. I heard Pro Tools is accessible on Mac OS, but I also heard it is not. If it is more accessible with VoiceOver than Logic Pro, I will sho' nuff take the time to check out Pro Tools. I tend to stay away from low-end software, and I have a feeling Reaper is on the low end of the spectrum for Mac digital audio workstations. If Pro Tools is the end game for a veteran Mac OS and VoiceOver user, I will ring my consultant at Sweetwater and put that and an iLock on the card. Aside from the iLock [for simplicity of licensing akin to my JAWS For Windows dongle], is there anything I as a blind Mac OS user should purchase to make use of Pro Tools more easy, hassle-free, et cetera?

Perhaps it would be most helpful if you told us exactly what you want to use the software for? For all we know, reaper or garage band Might be exactly what you need.

By TJT 2001 on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 02:33

Reaper definitely isn't as "low-end" as you might believe. In fact, there really aren't many features unique to ProTools that would justify several hundred dollars more than Reaper. At least trial Reaper first so you can see if it meets your needs.

By TJT 2001 on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 02:33

No, Waxhawlover, my comment about Reaper being sufficient for certain tasks was aimed at comment 13, not at your comment. However, it was interesting to read your comment to see how you use both pieces of software in your life.

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 02:33

I am trying to find and become well-versed [of course in due time] an industry-grade accessible solution for mixing and mastering. I do not have the rig nor the room space to record anyone thus folks will send me their raw material so I can produce a final product. I know someone who uses Logic Pro, and he mentioned he would like to send me the stems so I can import and go from there. He uses Pro Tools also, but I think his band is recording in a studio of another. He lost almost his entire rig this past August due to a flood, but that is a whole 'nother story. This is why, in combination with the fact Logic Pro is an Apple developed product [though not originally], I thought it would be usable and pleasantly so. I can afford Pro Tools, and if in time that is the way to go, I will most certainly travel that road. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to use it when he had the studio.

I have concluded my interpretation of Reaper being low-end was incorrect. That has been adjusted.

By Remy on Sunday, December 30, 2018 - 02:33

As a happy user of Reaper on Windows, I am curious to know your thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of Reaper and Protools on the Mac. You say you use both for certain tasks. I am a musician making use of a vast array of virtual instruments, a sound designer, voice actor and audio theatre producer, to give you an idea of what I use it for. I understand audio editing is generally considered more suited to the Mac, though I haven't found too much trouble on PC. I do have a little usable vision, enough to navigate visually with Zoom, though I would primarily be a voiceover and keyboard user on the Mac.

By viphoana on Saturday, May 30, 2020 - 02:33

Having read all the messages and tried applying to accessible logic group. But, given it's working with moderator approval, I could never join. I requested to do so from 2 different addresses but never heard back. Contact moderator link also did not work. Anyone here can help me with this or point to other resources that are similar? Thanks! ?

By Luke on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 - 02:33

I'm a PC user and switched from Cakewalk Sonar to Reaper in 2017 once my vision finally declined such that even cranking the magnification on ZoomText wouldn't allow me to use the computer visually. I was looking for a DAW I could take full (or near-full) advantage of exclusively using a screen reader. After adjusting to a very different workflow with Reaper, I can safely say it's highly accessible provided you install the plugins mentioned earlier in this thread.
That said, there are some areas Reaper leaves me wanting for. It's biggest weakness when compared to other packages like Sonar, StudioOne and GarageBand is the lack of quality software instruments out of the box. You get a painfully rudimentary sampler and a frankly unusable drum machine and synthesizer, but that's about it. One thing I always loved about Sonar was the wealth of pro quality instruments, sounds and VST plugins that come with it, but that's also why you pay more for such packages than the modest $60 for Reaper. With all this in mind, I've been toying with the idea of buying a Mac laptop and installing Logic. There are no other accessible PC DAW options outside of Reaper, from what I can tell. Old versions of Cakewalk were apparently accessible to JAWS users with the help of a third-party script but that's irrelevent to me since I was using a recent version of Sonar and am an NVDA user.
Anyway, long winded post aside, I guess I'm just saying I'll be following this thread with interest as more folks chime in on their experiences with Logic.

Hi,
Based on my limited experience so far, I like logic very much. Using the resources mentioned here, I've been able to pick up and learn what I've learned so far with patience and persistance. I also got a Native Instruments keyboard, which runs in Logic as a plug-in, and I can go old school and turn nobs and press buttons to change to and manipulate sounds, or I can use the sounds in Logic and manipulate them with VoiceOver on Mac.

I chose Logic partly because my Windows computer does not have a solid state hard drive, whereas my Mac does, and people I trust told me it is now very accessible. WhatsApp and email groups exist for both Logic and the Native Instruments stuff. Those groups are very patient and supportive.