Logic23 Masterclass: Behind the Scenes of “Lost”

In this exclusive Insight Music Masterclass, Rome-based producer Logic23 invites us into the making of his track “Lost”, a piece born from pure emotion and spontaneity.

What began as a quiet piano session evolved into one of his most natural and heartfelt creations. Through this session, Logic23 shares his personal approach to music-making, offering both technical insight and a deeper reflection on the creative process.

This Masterclass takes you beyond the technicalities of production and into the emotional core of creating music. Logic23 reveals how “Lost” came together in a matter of days, exploring the balance between instinct and structure, and the importance of trusting the natural flow of creativity. Along the way, he discusses arrangement choices, automation techniques, and the value of simplicity in mixing and mastering. The session closes with an inspiring message to aspiring artists, one that reminds us that authenticity and self-expression matter far more than comparison.

In the early stages of Alessandro’s musical journey, collaboration has always been at the heart of his creativity. Under the name Logic23, he has become a visionary artist who not only honours the past but also shapes the future of atmospheric future garage. Based in the vibrant city of Rome, the 23-year-old producer has crafted a sound that weaves together the nostalgia of childhood memories, the unpredictable turns of life, and the hypnotic pull of atmospheric electronic music.

Through this evolving path, Logic23 has found solace and self-expression in the textures of these expressive underground genres, creating landscapes that feel both personal and universal. His continued work with Insight reflects his collaborative spirit and dedication, with numerous releases alongside fellow label artists including Tremolo, Etsu, longfade, ènouement, and choosing sleep. Earlier this year, Alessandro released his debut album Retrospect on limited edition CD through Insight, a project that further showcased his depth as a producer.

Beyond music, Alessandro is also an accomplished photographer and videographer, often working with images he has captured himself and presenting them as his artwork. Yet it is his ability to translate emotion into sound that truly defines him. Simply listen to the way he weaves vocal samples with piano melodies and lush atmospheres, creating music that is both captivating and thought-provoking.

This masterclass session is written exclusively by Alessandro himself. I’m incredibly grateful and honoured that he has taken the time to explore his single and share with our listeners a truly unique insight into his music production. I hope you enjoy.

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Hi, today I would like to take you behind the scenes of my track “Lost”, one of the most spontaneous pieces I have ever written. I chose this track for this masterclass not because it is the most technically complex, but because it represents one of those rare moments when a composition seems to write itself. I created “Lost” during a quiet and grounded period of my life. I was doing well, feeling peaceful, and in a way, I was ‘lost’ in many different thoughts and emotions. It always begins with emotions.

The track came together very naturally in just three or four days, whereas most of my projects take weeks or even months of constant refining, repeated listening, and endless decisions. This one simply flowed.

The Initial Spark

The creation of this track was, from the beginning, a smooth process. There was no pressure, no deadlines, no intention to make anything specific. Just a flow of little ideas and emotions. And that flow is exactly what made the whole process so fluid.

It all began with a piano session: I was casually playing around on the keyboard, not aiming to write a song at all. At some point, I landed on a chord progression that felt very personal. The progression was soft, melancholic, and intimate. However, it was also hopeful at the same time. That was the first seed…

Starting a project this way is quite uncommon for me. Most of the time I just feel that ‘I need to create something from scratch’. Other times, ideas appear in random moments. This is often through a chord progression or a melody. When that happens, I try to get to my computer as soon as possible and start building around that initial spark. If I am away from my studio, I generally record a voice note or write down a few ideas to make sure I do not forget the original input. This is a good way to collate ideas and keep your music creation in constant flow.

There is not a standard way to translate emotions into music. What really helps is to focus on a feeling and let it guide you. Don’t overthink your process, just play around until you find something that suits what you feel at that moment.

Back to ‘Lost’

From that piano session, everything happened very quickly. I built the first sketch of the track in just a few hours. It was one of those rare moments when all of my ideas immediately made sense and fell into place. The whole vibe was very clear from the start!

Technical Details

The track was made entirely in Logic Pro X, which is my main DAW. I will, however, use FL Studio for specific tasks. I tend to use very few plugins and VSTs in my work, especially when I am working on something directly. I believe too many options can kill spontaneity and lead to second-guessing. In my opinion, it is much better to work with a small set of plugins and VSTs that you truly know, rather than having hundreds of tools that you are not truly familiar with.

Of course, exploring new software and plugins is always a good thing. However, when you are in a session and you have a specific idea that you want to achieve, this isn’t the time to start finding new toys to play with. That is why it is important to be familiar with your tools: the last thing you want is to get distracted or stuck because you are unsure what plugin to use to get a specific result.

Here are some plugins I use often in my own work:

● FabFilter – Pro-Q 4
● FabFilter – Pro-C 2
● FabFilter – Pro-L 2
● FabFilter – Saturn 2
● Waves – R Vox
● Waves – SSL Channel
● Waves – Waves Tune Real Time
● Waves – Vitamin
● Soundtoys – EchoBoy
● Soundtoys – Crystallizer
● Soundtoys – Little Alterboy
● ValhallaDSP – Valhalla Shimmer
● IK Multimedia – Classic Clipper
● Kiriki Liszt – JS-inflator
● Several Logic Pro X stock plugins

Arrangement

The arrangement of the track is pretty simple:
– Intro
– Pre-Chorus
– Chorus
– Bridge
– Second Pre-Chorus
– Second Chorus
– Outro

In every section, I always try my best to make sure there is enough space for each layer and to avoid adding too many elements at the same time. There are some subtle twists in the chord progression during the bridge and the second chorus, just to introduce some variation, along with small changes scattered across all the instruments. I really enjoy making these kinds of twists.

To me, they add personality to the production. Just like in life, the unexpected is meaningful, it captures attention.
Automation is another powerful tool to keep attention captured. It plays a vital role in bringing a track to life. It helps build emotion, create dynamic transitions, introduce instruments in a more engaging way, and ultimately make the track feel more alive. I like to use automation throughout the entire track to keep things evolving and interesting. Most of the time, I focus on simple but effective parameters:

– Low-Pass filters

A great way to introduce drums and instruments, especially in a future garage track. They help create a sense of depth and anticipation as elements slowly emerge in the mix. It’s definitely worth experimenting with parameters like the resonance (Q) and the dB-per-octave slope, as they can dramatically shape the sound as the filter moves, adding character to the transition.

– High-Pass filters

As for low-pass filters, they’re a great tool! They are best used when focusing on low-end content. They work especially well on bass, gradually removing the sub frequencies right before a chorus can create a subtle moment of tension, making the drop hit with much more impact when the full low end comes back in.

– Reverb

An essential tool to shape and blur sounds… By automating the reverb’s wet/dry mix to gradually introduce or remove it during section changes, you can create seamless fades that help the arrangement ‘breathe’. When doing this, it’s crucial to dial in the right reverb settings to ensure the transition sounds smooth. It takes time and careful listening to find the perfect balance that works for the track.

– Gain

One of the simplest parameters to automate, but also one of the most effective. Automating volume allows you to create smooth fade-ins and fade-outs, whether on individual instruments or entire sections of the track. I often combine this with reverb automation to make transitions feel more expressive. It almost always sounds great.
Bonus tip: the “1dB trick.”

To give the chorus more impact, try subtly lowering the master volume during the pre-chorus (about -1 dB) and then snapping it back to 0 dB right as the chorus hits. It’s a small change, but our ears perceive it as a noticeable lift in energy, making the drop hit harder without actually increasing the loudness!

I’m not saying you should do this every time, but in the right context, it can be a very helpful technique to enhance the dynamics of your arrangement.

Mixing and Mastering

Unexpectedly, the mixing and mastering processes were very quick on “Lost”. These stages often take days, or sometimes weeks, to complete. For me, mixing is a dynamic process. During production, I generally handle most of the basic mixing. I do this by ear, in a fast and practical way, to have a clear idea of the track. I focus a lot on instrument level balance, as good balance is the foundation of any great-sounding mix. Once I have a draft ready, I export it. Over the following days, I listen to the mix on every type of playback system I can: my car, a hi-fi stereo, phone speaker, bluetooth speaker, and so on…
During these listening sessions, I usually take notes:

– Production Notes
Things to change or add in the production (for example: adjust a melody, add a layer to the snare, make a variation, tweak automation curve on a sound, etc…).

– Mixing and Mastering Notes
Things to fix in the mixing/mastering stage (for example: lower the kick, add saturation on a sound, enhance the high-end of the vocal, etc…). In the following studio session, I apply the notes and repeat this process until I am satisfied. For “Lost”, almost everything sounded right from the first moment. This is what time and practice can lead to. In the past, I would create up to 10 versions of the same track because I was never satisfied with the mixing. All of this happened because I made some major mistakes:

– Staying too locked into fixed rules
If you learn a technique from a professional, or study a method to achieve a certain result, that does not mean you must always use that method in the future.. Just like in production, it is important to develop your own processing style and direction when mixing.

Learning how experienced engineers work is extremely valuable, because once you have seen different approaches, you can choose what best suits your needs. However, these methods and tricks should not become a cage that forces you to work in a certain way. Mixing is, of course, about technique, but it is even more about creativity. Learning to think ‘beyond the rules’ is essential for finding your own sound.

– Caring about loudness instead of dynamics
I believe loudness is a very complex subject… It is difficult for me to get a clear and definitive view, partly because opinions from professionals are very contradictory. What I can say for sure is that what really matters for me is dynamics. Loudness-related values are very important factors to keep under control, but dynamics is what truly makes the difference between a good and a poor master. In a world where everyone tries to sound louder than the next because of the so-called “loudness war”, it is important to decide first whether you want to prioritize dynamics or loudness when working on a track. My approach to this is to constantly increase the loudness of my track until I hear a noticeable loss in dynamics across the piece.

– Trying to fix mixing issues in mastering
I have always mastered my own tracks. Compared to the past, I now keep mastering relatively simple. Back in the day, I used to try (unsuccessfully) to fix, in mastering, what should have been solved during the mixing stage. I often did this by adding too many plugins to the master channel. This approach can be very counterproductive and confusing. What reaches the mastering stage must already sound good.

Wondering How to Get a Mix to Sound Good?

I believe there is no single clear answer. For me, it comes down to constant learning, studying, watching professionals at work, critically listening on various sound systems, and most importantly, practicing the same techniques over and over. It took me years to make my tracks sound more like how I wanted, rather than just how they just came out, and I still have a lot to learn and improve.

Knowing When the Track is Really Finished

As said before, creating a track from start to finish often takes me a significant amount of time… But in this case (and some other rare ones) the process felt extremely natural and straightforward. Tracks like “Lost”, “dissidium” or “The Edge” came out in just a few days.. Other tracks like “Together (Intro)”, “Restlessness” and “Burnout”, took months to be completed. It’s not about the complexity of the track or process but about feeling when the track is finished. Usually, I complete about 70% of the track in one initial long session. I sit at the computer, and within a few hours of pure focus the track takes shape.

What requires the most time is the remaining 30% refining the track, focusing on details, automation, arrangement, mixing, and mastering. This phase is crucial, and it is important not to lose sight of the original idea or be deceived by your own ears and mind. Because after listening to a track many times, it can start to sound ‘different’ from the initial vision and objectivity may fade. Recognising this phenomenon and continuing with clear focus is a skill you should practice over and over.

In my opinion, a track is truly finished when certain signs appear. When I try to add something and immediately feel the need to undo it, it means I am adding too much. When I start focusing on details so small that they are almost irrelevant, or when I stop feeling confident about the track, even though I was at the beginning. These are signs that it is time to stop. At that point, I usually ask a friend for feedback. A fresh perspective can really help confirm if the track is “ready” to be released.

Closing Thoughts

“Lost” is one of those tracks that reminded me why I make music. I did not overthink it. I did not chase a predetermined path. I was simply in the moment, and that moment turned into sound.

This is a workflow I try to protect. When things flow this naturally, I do not question them. I have learned that some of the most special and original tracks are also the ones that really come out themselves.

The same thing applies to the entire music project: From day one, I chose to approach it without expectations. I never set specific goals or chased milestones. I just allowed things to unfold naturally and that sense of spontaneity has been the most rewarding part of the journey. It turned out to be the most unexpected and beautiful gift.

What I started as something small and personal almost as a joke has grown beyond anything I imagined, simply because I decided to go for it without overthinking.

My only intention now is to preserve that spirit and enjoy the process for as long as I can!

A Final Message for Aspiring Artists

Over the past few years, I have seen more and more people get into music production. They are full of passion, ideas, and potential, but often hesitant to release their work. They hold back because they believe their work is not “good enough” compared to the music of their favourite artists.

It is a beautiful thing to admire those who inspire you, and ambition to make great music is important. However, comparison should never paralyse you. Your music does not need to match someone else’s, it needs to reflect you.So, instead of trying to imitate a sound you love, ask yourself why you love it!

What feeling does it give you? What is the idea behind it?

Use that insight as inspiration to create something of your own. If you think your track doesn’t sound as polished or powerful as a chart-topper, does that mean it has no value? In fact, the music you make, no matter how raw or different, is something no one else can create. That uniqueness is your greatest strength.

Do not try to be someone else, because it will not feel right. More importantly, it will not be you. Authenticity is what truly resonates, and it is the reason people connect with music in the first place.

So, when you feel that, just release your work. Share it. Let it breathe!

A heartfelt thank you for reading, and I truly hope this inspires you to create your own amazing work. Thanks to Insight Music for having me.

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