Maybe it’s a little of both… I am signing out for the evening but man o man I feel like I am being
Gaslit by Logic
All right here is the TLDR: Has anyone else run into Logic Pro randomly demoting surround buses to stereo after changing output devices? Is there a reliable way to force surround mode back on or expose the hidden “Format” field for a main/master aux track (which I’ve named MAIN 5.1)?
At this point, any insight or workflow tips from those experienced with Logic’s 5.1 routing would be a lifesaver.
Context / Setup
Building a film post-production template with five stems (aux tracks):
- DIA = Dialogue
- FX = Sound Effects
- FOL = Foley
- AMB = Ambience / BGs
- MX = Music
Routing target:
Each stem → Bus 8 → MAIN 5.1 (Aux) → Surround Output (5.1 ITU 775)
Monitoring via hybrid aggregate device (Focusrite Clarett+ 4Pre + MacBook Pro Speakers for now) to achieve six outputs. The Clarett+ Pre only has 4 outputs, so this dual output hybrid setting is required to enable Logic to legitimize my current setup as capable of running 6 outputs (L, R, Cen, LFE, Ls, Rs). This was the one workaround I found.
Problems Encountered
- Surround Panners Disappeared
After switching Logic’s output from the Aggregate device to the Clarett alone, all five stem tracks reverted to stereo or binaural mode. Re-enabling the Aggregate did not restore the surround panners. - MAIN 5.1 Lost its “Format” Selector
In the Environment, the MAIN 5.1 aux inspector no longer shows the Format dropdown (stuck in stereo). Only icon and visibility settings remain, with no way to reassign to 5.1. - Logic Auto-Enables Binaural Post-Processing
The “Binaural Post-Processing” plugin gets inserted automatically on MAIN 5.1, suggesting Logic believes the project is headphone-based rather than true surround. - Multiple Audio Paths During Test Tones
When both Clarett and MacBook speakers were active, test tones doubled up (two monitoring paths summing together), likely due to macOS output mismatch. - Advanced Settings Reduced to One Checkbox
Current Logic builds only have “Enable Complete Features.” There’s no separate “Surround” enable option, so hidden surround tools can’t be toggled manually. - Rebuilding MAIN 5.1 Did Not Restore Surround
Even recreating the aux and assigning it to Bus 8 → Surround failed to make Logic recognize the 5.1 routing again. No “Surround” option appears in Output or Format fields.
Likely Cause
Logic caches surround configuration per output device. Changing the Output Device (even once) appears to downgrade all surround-capable busses to stereo. Re-selecting the Aggregate device doesn’t fully reload surround mode unless the MAIN bus is manually re-flagged in the Environment — but in recent versions, the Format control is hidden or removed entirely.
Possible Workarounds Tried / Considered
- Rebuilding MAIN 5.1 from scratch (Bus 8 → Surround).
- Ensuring Aggregate device is selected for both input and output before project load.
- Deleting Logic preferences and relaunching.
- Verifying 5.1 ITU 775 is active in Project Settings.
- Considering a fresh template rebuild to isolate the bug.
Poorly formatted signal path chart (expand)
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AUDIO SOURCES │
│ (Imported OMFs, Dialogue, FX, Foley, etc.) │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ STEM BUS ROUTING │
│──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ Dialogue tracks ─────────► Bus 10 ─► DIA (Aux 5.1) │
│ FX / SFX tracks ─────────► Bus 11 ─► FX (Aux 5.1) │
│ Foley tracks ─────────► Bus 12 ─► FOL (Aux 5.1) │
│ Ambience tracks ─────────► Bus 13 ─► AMB (Aux 5.1) │
│ Music tracks ─────────► Bus 14 ─► MX (Aux 5.1) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SEND EFFECTS (STEREO AUXES) │
│──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ Verb Short (Bus 15 → Stereo Aux) ────────────────┐ │
│ Verb Long (Bus 16 → Stereo Aux) ────────────────┼──► All output to MAIN 5.1 │
│ Delay (Bus 17 → Stereo Aux) ────────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ MAIN 5.1 MASTER AUX (Bus 8) │
│──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ Input: Bus 8 (receives DIA, FX, FOL, AMB, MX, & FX returns) │
│ Output: Surround (5.1 ITU 775) │
│ Plugins: Mix Bus Processing / Metering / Binaural Post-Processing (optional) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SURROUND OUTPUT (to Aggregate) │
│──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ Aggregate Device = Clarett+ 4Pre + MacBook Pro Speakers │
│ Channel Mapping: │
│ Out 1 → Front Left (Clarett) │
│ Out 2 → Front Right (Clarett) │
│ Out 3 → Center (Clarett) │
│ Out 4 → LFE/Sub (Clarett) │
│ MBP Out 1 → Left Surround │
│ MBP Out 2 → Right Surround │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 5.1 MONITORING / RENDERING │
│──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────│
│ Option A: True 5.1 monitoring through Aggregate │
│ Option B: Binaural / Stereo fold-down (via plugin) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Thanks in advance if there’s anyone who has experience dealing with this kind of issue.
