How to bounce a song in Logic Pro

Platform and version

Bounce a project or a section, step by step

The steps below follow Apple's Logic Pro User Guide page on bouncing a project to an audio file. Menu and option names are given as they appear in Logic Pro 12.

1. Check the routing. In the Tracks area or Mixer, make sure every track you want in the file is routed to Output 1-2 and is not muted. If you use several output channel strips, the Bnce button on a strip bounces only what is routed to that strip.
2. Set the range. Logic takes the bounce range from one of three places, in this order: the cycle area when Cycle mode is on, the selected regions in the Tracks area, or the whole project when neither applies. To bounce a section, set the locators and turn Cycle on; to bounce the whole song, turn Cycle off and deselect regions. You can also type into the Start and End fields in the dialog itself.
3. Open the dialog. Choose File > Bounce > Project or Section. The default key command is Command-B.
4. Choose destinations. In the Destination area, tick one or more of PCM, MP3 and M4A: AAC. The options for each ticked format appear to its right. Ticking more than one writes several files with the same name and different extensions.
5. Set the PCM options. File Format: Wave, AIFF or CAF. Resolution: 24 Bit for anything you might process again, 16 Bit only when a service asks for it. Sample Rate: the project rate (44.1 kHz for music, 48 kHz for video). File Type: Interleaved, unless a Pro Tools session needs Split files. Dithering: pick a dither type only when going from 24-bit to 16-bit; otherwise None.
6. Choose Realtime or Offline. Offline is faster and is the normal choice. Use Realtime when the mix uses external hardware inserts or an instrument that must stream in real time.
7. Handle tails. Either drag End a bar past the last region, or select Include Audio Tail so Logic extends the file until effects and instrument releases have decayed. Apple warns against Include Audio Tail when a mastering plug-in or the Test Oscillator is on the output, because those never fall silent and the file can grow very long. For a looped section, Bounce 2nd Cycle Pass starts the file at the second repetition so the first pass's reverb is already ringing.
8. Set Normalize. Off leaves levels untouched (use this for masters and anything already mastered). Overload Protection Only turns the file down only if it would clip. On raises the whole file so its highest peak reaches full scale.
9. Optionally tick Add to Project to put the bounced file in the Project Audio Browser.
10. Click Bounce. Name the file in the Save As field (the default name is the output channel strip, Output 1-2), pick a folder, and click Bounce. Apple's guide gives ~/Music/Logic/Bounces as the default location, and Logic remembers a new folder for later bounces.

Bounce in Place: render one track or region inside the project

Bounce in Place turns a software instrument track, a region or every track into audio without leaving the project. Select the region and choose File > Bounce > Regions in Place (default key command Control-B), or use File > Bounce > Track in Place for a whole track. The File > Bounce > And Replace All Tracks command bounces every track and is useful before handing a project to someone without your plug-ins. Its dialog carries three options that Apple documents: Bypass Effect Plug-ins, Include Volume/Pan Automation, and the same three-state Normalize menu as the main Bounce dialog. Tick Bypass Effect Plug-ins when you want dry audio you can re-process later; leave it off when the plug-in chain is part of the sound.

Bounce only a cycle range

Set the left and right locators around the part you want, turn Cycle on (press C), and open the Bounce dialog. The Start and End fields pick up the locator positions. This is the quickest way to bounce a loop, a chorus for a client, or a sound-design hit. Remember to turn Cycle off again before the final full-song bounce; forgetting is the single most common reason a bounce comes out short.

Logic Pro for iPad: export via the project name menu

The iPad app has no File menu and no Bounce dialog. According to Apple Support, you tap the project name in the top-left corner, tap Export, then choose Uncompressed (AIFF or WAVE) or Compressed (M4A). Turn off Entire Project Length to set Start Position and End Position; with Cycle on, the cycle area sets those for you. Tap the information button next to the file type for format options, tap Processing Details for extra export options, then tap Export and Share to save the file to iCloud Drive or On My iPad. Apple recommends saving outside the Logic Pro for iPad and GarageBand folders.

Bounce settings by destination

Set the project's sample rate before you start recording if you can; converting at bounce time works but is a second-best option. The rows below assume a music project at 44.1 kHz unless the destination says otherwise.

What each PCM option actually does

Check the file before you send it

Open the bounced file in the Finder with Quick Look (select it and press the Space bar) and listen to the first and last five seconds. You are checking three things: the start is not clipped, the tail is not cut off, and the file is the length you expect. A file that is suspiciously short almost always means Cycle was on.

Then drag the file onto a new audio track in the project, solo it, and compare it with the mix at the same position. If the bounce sounds different from the mix, the usual causes are a plug-in that behaves differently offline (try Realtime), a track routed to a different output, or Normalize set to On. If Logic stops with an overload during a bounce, the fixes on Logic Pro system overload apply to bouncing too.

If the next step is delivering individual tracks, go to How to export stems from Logic Pro. If you are sending the file to a streaming distributor, run it through Mastering Assistant first, or at least check its loudness and true peak there.