Media and file formats in Logic Pro for Mac
Logic Pro for Mac allows you to access any digitally stored audio recordings (audio files) on your hard disk, in the most common Mac file formats, as well as several other formats.
Audio files imported into a Logic Pro project can be at any supported bit depth and sample rate. Logic Pro supports bit depths of 16, 20, 24, and 32 bits, and sample rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, and 192 kHz. Logic Pro can use the file’s sample rate, or can perform a real-time sample rate conversion.
In addition to audio files, Logic Pro can also import MIDI and project information.
The following list describes all file formats supported by Logic Pro:
WAVE and AIFF Files: Wave (WAVE) and Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) audio files are very similar. They can be stored at different bit depths (16, 24, and 32 bit are supported by Logic Pro); in mono, stereo, or surround; and at sample rates up to 192 kHz. Logic Pro also supports Broadcast Wave files, which can contain timestamp information. Files that provide timestamp information can be recognized by a clock symbol, shown alongside the audio region name in the Project Audio Browser. The file extension of Broadcast Wave files is .wav, allowing them to be read by any application that supports the standard WAVE file format. In such programs, the additional Broadcast Wave file information is ignored.
Core Audio Format Files: Core Audio Format (CAF) files are containers that support integer and float PCM formats, A-law, u-law, and a number of others including AAC and the Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC). Unrestricted file sizes are possible, at high sample rates and bit depths.
MP3 and AAC Files: MP3 and AAC files contain compressed audio information. They are usually far smaller than equivalent WAVE or AIFF files. This reduction in file size is due to different encoding techniques that discard some of the audio information. As a result, MP3 and AAC files may not sound as good as their WAVE or AIFF audio counterparts, depending on the source audio material. AAC is a more recent development than MP3, and the quality of AAC is better at a given data rate.
Apple Lossless: Apple Lossless files contain compressed audio information. However, as the name suggests, the compression used (ALAC) doesn’t discard audio information in the same way as MP3 files. The sound of the compressed audio file is identical to the original recording.
Apple Loops: Apple Loops are prerecorded musical phrases, beats, or riffs in the Loop Browser that you can add to your project. There are four types of Apple Loops: audio, MIDI, pattern, and Session Player. Apple loops can contain additional information, such as category, mood, key, tempo, and chords. This makes it easier to search for loops in the Loop Browser and allows a loop to automatically match the project key and tempo when you add it to your project. See Apple Loops in Logic Pro for Mac.
Standard MIDI Files: Standard MIDI files (SMF) are a standard file format used in MIDI sequencers. They can be read and saved in Logic Pro. SMFs may contain note, lyric, controller, and SysEx data. They are added to MIDI or software instrument tracks in Logic Pro.
ADM BWF: Audio Definition Model Broadcast Wave Format (ADM BWF) is the standard Dolby Atmos master file format and is the required format for submitting a Dolby Atmos mix to a mastering engineer or streaming service. ADM BWF files are also compatible with industry tools that are used to edit and master Dolby Atmos mixes. You can export your Dolby Atmos mix in Logic Pro for Mac to an ADM BWF file, and also import an ADM BWF file to your project. See Export ADM BWF files and Create a Dolby Atmos project from an ADM BWF file.