Download Logic Pro X Template: https://www.wemakedancemusic.com/en/deep-downtempo-chill-out-logic-template-live-electronic-music-367
In this episode of your Live Electronic Music tutorials i am using a template from episode 355 https://youtu.be/k_gg4V2oBMY to get inspiration to create a brand new song in a completely different style. The idea is to delete all of the MIDI but to keep some of the sounds and setting as a new starting point.
Doing so we begin the work on the Deep Downtempo track inspired by Artist Like Autechre, FSOL, The Orb and more recently BICEP! So we are up cycling the ideas and rising the original violin track to add an acoustic layer to the work.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:26 Our Inspiration, Together Trance
2:39 Welcome to this tutorial (JOKE)
2:58 We delete all the percussion from the original Logic Pro X Project
3:54 Why use templates to create new tracks
5:00 We epicycle an arpagiator
6:41 Using the original chords from the pad
9:55 Reusing the bass but in a simpler form
12:26 Recording Ambient Piano keys
20:49 Addling a ambience layer
22:55 Reusing the Origin Violin layer
24:29 Recording some ethereal bells
27:00 Integrating the “Together” Vocals
27:20 Final Thoughts and announcement for the final template!
In this template i reuse a recording of mine to create a completely new track, the theme is downtempo, deep deep trippy IDM!
All elements are created from scratch including all percussive elements using Logic Pro X Drum Synthesiser!
Deep Downtempo IDM Logic pro X Template: https://www.wemakedancemusic.com/en/deep-downtempo-chill-out-logic-template-live-electronic-music-367
132 BPM 4:02 E
100% Customisable
1 Recorded Violin Channel
1 Vocals Channel (Together)
9 MIDI Synth Channels
8 MIDI Synth Drum Channels
Mastering Chain on Main Output
How to Use a Logic Pro Trance Template to Build a Deep Downtempo IDM Track
In this episode of Your Life Electronic Music tutorials, host Mikas takes one of his finished projects — a fast, busy 132 BPM trance track called “Together” — and up-cycles it into a brand new deep downtempo / IDM piece inspired by artists like Autechre, FSOL, The Orb and Bicep. Rather than remixing, the goal is to strip the project back to a handful of useful sounds and settings, then build a completely different song on top of that foundation in about 30 minutes. Everything stays inside Logic Pro X so it’s easy to follow along.
What you’ll learn
- How to repurpose an existing project as a creative starting point instead of remixing it
- Stripping out percussion and unwanted MIDI to expose the core musical ideas
- Reusing the original chord progression and bass in a simpler, chilled-out form
- Recording mellow, half-time ambient piano keys for a downtempo feel
- Layering evolving textures and soundscapes with Alchemy
- Folding the original recorded violin and vocal layers back into a new arrangement
1. Start from a finished project, not a blank page
Mikas opens “Together,” a 132 BPM track loaded with drums, MIDI, a recorded violin and even a vocal from his buddy Shiat. The plan isn’t to remix it — it’s to harvest ideas. As he puts it, when you download a template you can use the melodies, sounds and settings as raw material, but you shouldn’t just lift the whole arrangement. Starting with something already built makes generating new ideas far easier than facing an empty session.
2. Delete the percussion to smooth out the energy
The biggest obstacle to a chill vibe is the rhythm section. Mikas is “a bit drastic” and prefers deleting over muting, so he clears out the many layers of percussion. Even though the tempo stays at 132 BPM, removing the drums instantly makes the track feel smoother and slower — and he notes that if a beat ever returns, it could run at half time to keep the downtempo feel.
3. Keep the chords and arpeggio, clear the rest of the MIDI
Working channel by channel, he deletes most of the MIDI but holds on to the essentials: the pad’s chord progression and a simple harp/arpeggio part. He strips the automation off these channels (Control-Command-Shift to remove all automation on a channel) so he can rebuild from clean, unfiltered versions rather than the heavily processed originals.
4. Swap heavy synths for simpler Logic stock instruments
Some of the original sounds went “all in” with aggressive filtering — an Analog Lab patch and a sub bass routed through Alchemy. To keep things approachable, Mikas commits to Logic Pro stock plugins only. He pulls up a simple pad (dropping it an octave to sit lower), and for the low end he searches Alchemy’s library for a clean “bass pad,” nudging it up an octave and balancing its volume so it supports the track without dominating.
5. Reuse the bass and chords in a stripped-down form
The original chord progression is kept because it’s genuinely useful, but simplified — for one part he trims a phrase down to a basic two-note idea so it doesn’t feel too complex for the new style. The sub bass returns too, but dry and minimal rather than the big, filtered version from the trance track.
6. Record mellow, half-time ambient piano
Next he records simple piano keys, keeping them very low and very slow — effectively half the tempo of the project. He fixes a few quirks along the way (notes with missing velocity data, timing that’s slightly off the grid) and quantizes the part onto the beat where needed. The aim is maximum ambience and feel with minimum notes.
7. Build evolving textures and soundscapes with Alchemy
This is where the track changes character. Mikas duplicates the pad part, expands the key range, and dives into Alchemy’s cinematic soundscapes — browsing evolving, drone and aquatic-style presets. He layers two textures with different timing and octaves to create depth, immediately shifting the “nature” of the track toward something atmospheric and underwater-like sitting behind the music.
8. Bring back the violin, ethereal piano and vocals
Finally, the organic layers return. The recorded violin is added back dry, with its heavy reverb and compression removed since the new arrangement doesn’t need it to be huge — in places he cuts the piano to put full emphasis on the violin. He adds an affected, ethereal piano idea, quantizes three simple keys onto the beat, and drops in the “Together” vocal at a low level. With that, the foundation for a brand new downtempo track is in place.
Get the project file: The finished Deep Downtempo Chill Out Logic Pro X template is available on WeMakeDanceMusic. Download the template →
