If you’re a Logic Pro user, you probably rely on your favourite third-party plugins for saturation, reverb, tape wobble and all the usual Lo-Fi magic.
But what happens if you take them all away?
In this video, I challenged myself to create a full Lo-Fi Hip-Hop track and DAW template using nothing but Logic Pro’s stock plugins and built-in sounds.
No FabFilter, SoundToys, analogue-modelled tape plugins. Just Logic.
And as it turns out… Logic’s stock tools are far better than many producers realise.
Why I Created This Stock-Only Lo-Fi Template
I recently teamed up with Production Music Tools to design a Logic Pro Lo-Fi Hip-Hop DAW Template that would be:
- beginner-friendly
- affordable
- based entirely on Logic’s native tools
- easy to learn from and adapt
To make it fully accessible, I could only use Stock Logic plugins.
Therefore I was forced to approach sound-design, mixing and Lo-Fi character in a much more intentional way—and subsequently it produced some amazing results.
If you’d like to skip ahead and try the finished template for yourself, it’s available below (and currently 50% off during Black Friday):
👉 Download the Lo-Fi Logic Pro Template (50% Off)
🎹 Building the Lo-Fi Sound: Stock Logic Plugins Come Alive
Even without third-party plugins, Logic offers everything you need to get authentic Lo-Fi character:
1. Electric Piano Foundation
The track is built around Logic’s stock electric piano.
On its own it sounds clean—almost too clean— therefore I used:
- Fat FX (Lo-Fi Resonant preset)
- Vintage Opto Compressor
- Sidechain compression triggered by the kick
- Subtle EQ cuts to tame low end
This combination gives the keys that warm, wobbly, vintage texture we all associate with Lo-Fi.
2. Synth Stabs & Melodies with Alchemy
Alchemy is massively underrated.
For this track, I tweaked several stock patches—changing envelopes, oscillators, and filtering—to create:
- shimmering synth shots
- airy melodic bells
- gentle pad textures
Tape Delay + Space Designer (with long, lush IRs like Black Hole) helped push these sounds into dreamy Lo-Fi territory.
A hidden gem worth mentioning: Match EQ.
By sidechaining it to an earlier reference, I was able to automatically match a tonal curve from another synth—which finally got me closer to the exact vibe I wanted.
3. Strings, Pads & Textures
Logic’s Studio Strings can sound too clean for Lo-Fi, but with:
- Auto Filter LFO wobble
- Lo-Fi saturation via Fat FX
- Heavy high-cut EQ
…you can turn pristine strings into something closer to Mellotron tape strings.
4. Guitars from Tangerine Sounds
For extra atmosphere, I chopped a guitar loop from my own sample pack Vintage Vibe (available at TangerineSounds.com).
A simple slice, placed sparingly, went a long way.
5. Basslines Using Logic’s Session Bass Player
Logic’s Session Player generated a great starting bassline based on the chord track.
I converted it to MIDI and customised it for a smooth, rounded Lo-Fi vibe.
6. Drums: Stock Kits + Lo-Fi Layering
The core drums come from:
- Drum Machine Designer (Dark Arts patch)
- Layered with samples from Lo-Fi Tape Drums Vol.1
- Shaker, tambourine & percussion layers
- Drum bus: EQ → Compressor → Limiter → Auto Filter
I also used reverse kicks and snares to mimic a DJ scratch-style transition, plus a top loop from Cat Toy Drums.
7. Effects, Transitions & Atmosphere
To glue the whole mix together, I added:
- Reverse crashes (shaped with Match EQ)
- Bar chimes (panned manually)
- Noise sweeps
- Foley ambience (birds, garden atmos)
- Long evolving Space Designer reverbs
- Final vinyl crackle layer (because… Lo-Fi!)
8. Vocals & Ad-libs (All Stock Processing)
I even included some original vocal one-shots—EQ’d, compressed, pitched up and side-chained to the kick for rhythmic pumping.
ChromaVerb and AutoFilter added that dreamy Lo-Fi haze.
These vocal samples are partly from my Lo-Fi Essentials pack and partly made exclusively for this track.
🔥 What You’ll Learn Inside the DAW Template
The template shows exactly how to:
- create Lo-Fi keys using Fat FX, Tape Delay and sidechain
- make synths sound vintage using Space Designer warped IRs
- layer melodies for a lush Lo-Fi atmosphere
- program drums using Logic’s Drum Machine Designer
- treat vocals & ad-libs with stock plugins
- add wobble, pump and movement without third-party tools
- structure a complete Lo-Fi track ready for mixing
It’s ideal for:
- beginner producers
- Logic users who feel stuck using the same few plugins
- anyone wanting to understand Lo-Fi sound design
- YouTube beatmakers & lo-fi playlist creators
- producers who want a ready-made workflow they can customise
🎁 Download the Lo-Fi Logic Pro Template (50% Off for Black Friday)
If you want to dig inside the session, explore every plugin, and adapt the arrangement for your own music, grab the full template below:
👉 Get the Lo-Fi Logic Pro DAW Template (50% Off)
This includes:
- the full Logic Pro project
- stems and samples
- channel strips
- mixing tools
- arrangement structure
- vocal ad-lib samples
- everything you see in the video
Final Thoughts
Working with only stock Logic plugins was a refreshing challenge.
It forced me to think more creatively about sound design and reminded me that expensive plugins aren’t always necessary—especially for genres like Lo-Fi Hip-Hop. Ultimately I was able to achieve similar results to mixes that have used premium, third party plugins.
If you want to explore these techniques hands-on, definitely check out the template.
And if you have favourite Logic stock plugins of your own, I’d love to hear about them in the comments.
Happy producing — and enjoy the video!