Audio Manipulation, Editing

How to Import Your Own Audio & Samples to Logic Pro [iPad]

Written By : Andrew Siemon

I got my hands on Logic for iPad on the 23rd of May – the day it came out, and as a GarageBand user, I’ve been super impressed so far. Apple even released a super 900-word guide on their website that appears to touch on most of its features. Despite their detailed manual, I found importing audio to be a bit tricky initially.

To import your audio into Logic Pro, temporarily close Logic and open the Files App. At the top center of the Files App, press on the 3 dots – also called the “More” button” – and then choose Slide Over. Open Logic again with an empty audio track region and drag the audio file to the workspace.

How To Add Your Own Audio & Samples to Logic Pro [iPad]

How to Loop in Logic Pro for iPad & Import Files

After learning how to do this in Logic Pro for iPad, I actually opened up GarageBand to see if the exact same thing would work. I’m using the iPad Pro 2021 1TB by the way (on my Product Page).

Turns out that the Files App and GarageBand will work in the same way, which is something I never put in my guide on how to import audio into GarageBand iOS. Moving on though, let me walk you through the steps.

1) Open An Empty Track for Your Audio Sample

1 - Import Audio Into Logic Pro for iPad
An empty workspace in Logic Pro for iPad

Your Logic Pro for iPad workspace doesn’t have to be like this entirely. You just need an empty region for you to put the audio file. I would recommend having the matching type. In other words, if you’re dragging in an audio file, use an audio track. If you’re dragging in MIDI, use MIDI.

2) Temporarily Close Logic – But Don’t Shut It Down

2 - Import Audio Into Logic Pro for iPad
Close down or collapse Logic for a second while you navigate to the Files App.

Once you’ve done that, just hold on to Logic in the background like what’s shown above. Additionally, I would recommend going into the settings to allow for Logic to run in the background while other programs are running. This isn’t 100% necessary but I think it’s the best way to run programs.

3) Open Your Files App [Or Download It If You Haven’t Already]

3 - Import Audio Into Logic Pro for iPad
Navigate to the Files App wherever you have it stored and then open it as you normally would.

Once you’ve opened the Files app, find wherever you’ve stored the audio samples that you’d like to use. Take note of the 3-dots at the top of the interface. This is the “More” button.

4) Click on the 3-Dots “More” Button At The Center Of Its Interface

4 - Import Audio Into Logic Pro for iPad
Click on the “More” button, or as I like to call it, the 3-dots.

This is the part that alluded me the most because I was looking for a button that literally said “More.” They should’ve just used an actual word as the symbol, in my opinion, but that’s a discussion for another day.

5) Choose “Slide Over”

5 - Import Audio Into Logic Pro for iPad
Click the Slide Over option like what’s shown here.

I didn’t even know the Files App was capable of doing this. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to learn about a feature in iPad that I previously didn’t know about.

6) Open Logic Pro for iPad Again and Keep The Files to The Right

6 - Import Audio Into Logic Pro for iPad
After you’ve slid over the Files Application to the right side of the screen, which, I believe is the default way that it moves, you can go back to opening Logic.

When you go to open Logic for iPad again, it’ll stay where it’s supposed to. You won’t have any issues.

7) Drag the Audio File Directly Into The Logic Workspace

7 - Import Audio Into Logic Pro for iPad
Simply drag the project or sample into the Logic Pro for iPad workspace to start working with it.

After you figure it out, getting audio into Logic Pro [iPad] is a simple process. But it can be tricky if you’ve never done it before from the beginning. You can check out the PDF guide here if you need more information, although, I’ve included more here.

2 Tips for Importing Audio Into Logic Pro for iPad

1) Stick to Using WAVE Files (.wav)

While Logic Pro for iPad and other DAWs like it (including GarageBand macOS/iOS, and Logic Pro X), are fully capable of importing different kinds of audio, I would stick to .wav files for a few reasons. One is that it appears to be the standard file format that a lot of people like to work with.

If you find yourself working with an FL Studio user, they’ll probably want to use WAVE files. This is what I’ve noticed from my experience anyway.

2) Make Sure You’ve Chosen The Proper Interface To Import Into

In case you didn’t know already, Logic Pro iPad has a number of ways to look at your tracks. One way is to use the regular old Tracks region and the other is the Live Loops Cells.

As far as I know, there are a few other ways a well, but we’ll just use those as an example. The Tracks view is what you can see in the image below:

Tracks View - How To Import Audio Into Logic Pro for iPad
This is the regular Tracks view. If you’ve ever used Logic Pro X or GarageBand, you’ve probably seen this before.

The Live Loop Cells is like what you can see down here. Initially, I was using the Live Loops Cells by accident and wondering why I couldn’t get my audio samples to play normally as they usually would.

Live Loops Cell View - How to Import Audio Into Logic Pro for iPad
This is what the Live Loop Cells look like. Notice how there are a bunch of little black squares.

The point of me pointing this out to you is that there are different ways of interacting with the interface depending on what view or setting you’re using. So ensure that you’re using the one you’re most familiar with.

Other Articles You May Be Interested In

Important Things to Note About Adding Media to Logic Pro iPad

1) There May Be Other Ways To Import Audio Yet

It hasn’t been out for a very long time, so – like you – I’m still figuring out the ins and outs of the software. Simply put, there are likely other ways to get 3rd party audio into Logic for iPad that I’m unaware of. Stay tuned for more as I get better and better at using this tool.

Andrew Siemon is the principal creator of ProducerSociety.com, a website dedicated to all things music, including music production, music theory, recording, and how to use the most popular DAWs. Starting out as a metal guitarist, Andrew has since moved into other areas of music production including hip-hop and fusion

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