If a co-writer, producer or another artist disputes when a song came together, your Logic Pro project is a detailed witness: it holds the arrangement, the takes and the edits. But Logic’s own dates come from your Mac. Here is where a Logic project keeps its dates, why they are easy to question, and how to freeze versions so that you can show when they existed.
Short answer: Logic Pro’s dates come from your Mac, so they are easy to change and easy to dispute. To show a song existed before a date, save the .logicx project, bounce a reference mix and timestamp both with TimeBinder before you send anything. A TimeBind shows that the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches its fingerprint. It doesn’t show who made it or what a court will make of it.
Disclosure: I’m Inna Hall, co-founder of TimeBinder, the file timestamping tool this guide uses. This page is general information, not legal advice.
Table of Contents
Where a Logic project keeps its dates
- The project package. A .logicx project is a package, a folder that looks like one file in Finder. It contains the project data and, depending on how you saved, the audio files too.
- Project backups. Each time you choose File > Save, Logic keeps a backup of the current alternative, up to ten per alternative. You can open them with File > Revert to. Apple describes this in its Logic Pro User Guide.
- Alternatives. Alternatives are different versions of the project that share the same assets. They are handy for showing how an arrangement developed.
- Audio file dates. Recorded takes carry file-system dates, and some formats store their own creation time. You can see what a bounce or take claims with our free file date and metadata inspector.
Why those dates are easy to challenge
Every one of those dates is written using your Mac’s clock. Clocks can be wrong or changed, and copying, restoring from Time Machine or syncing a project can rewrite file dates. Project backups also live inside the same package, so they rise or fall with it. They help tell the story, but on their own they rest on your word.
What to freeze
| File | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The project, zipped | Shows how the song was built: tracks, regions, edits, plug-in settings |
| A bounce (WAV or MP3) | Anyone can listen to it without Logic or your plug-ins |
| Lyrics and chord sheets | Shows the written song, not just the recording |
| Stems, if you are sending them out | Matches exactly what a collaborator or mixer receives. See proving WAV stems existed |
If the project refers to audio stored outside the package, use File > Project Management > Consolidate first so everything the project needs is inside it.
A simple routine
- At a milestone (first demo, the version you send, the final mix), save and close the project.
- In Finder, right-click the .logicx project and choose Compress to make one zip.
- Bounce the song (File > Bounce > Project or Section).
- Open TimeBinder and TimeBind the zip, the bounce and the lyric sheet together. One Pooled TimeBind covers up to 10 files.
- Keep the certificate with the frozen files and never re-save or re-zip them. Carry on working in the original project.
Which plan fits
The Free plan is $0 and gives you 1 Token a month. A Pooled TimeBind costs 1 Token, covers up to 10 files and is usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity. An ASAP TimeBind costs 3 Tokens and gets its own Bitcoin transaction straight away. Checking a file is always free, and no credit card is needed for the Free plan.
If you TimeBind more often, Essential is US$20 a month for 5 Tokens ($4 per Token, against $5 pay-as-you-go) and Expert is US$50 a month for 15 Tokens (about $3.33 per Token). Paid plans replace the Free plan’s monthly Token, so Essential adds 4 Tokens for US$20 and Expert adds 14 for US$50. See pricing.
What a timestamp does and doesn’t do
TimeBinder anchors each file’s SHA-256 fingerprint to the Bitcoin blockchain and gives you a Proof of Time Certificate. That is verifiable evidence of when a file existed: it shows the file existed no later than the anchor time, and any later change to the file is detectable. Your file is hashed in your browser and never uploaded. ASAP TimeBinds can be checked independently from the certificate and the Bitcoin blockchain; Pooled TimeBinds are verified through TimeBinder.
It doesn’t show who created the file, whether its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make it, and it can’t tell you how a court or anyone else will treat it. It also doesn’t cover versions you didn’t TimeBind. Pooled TimeBinds are verified through TimeBinder; ASAP TimeBinds can also be verified independently from the certificate and the Bitcoin blockchain. Who owns a song usually depends on what you agreed with co-writers, so put splits in writing. Our free split sheet generator helps. See also timestamping for songwriters and musicians and the Ableton Live version of this guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Logic Pro project show when a song was written?
Only loosely. A .logicx project records its saves using your Mac’s clock, and Logic keeps project backups with their save times. Those dates are useful for your own records, but anyone can change a computer clock or copy files around, so they are easy to challenge.
Should I TimeBind the .logicx file or a bounce?
Both. The project shows how the song was built, and the bounce is something anyone can play. Zip the project once, then TimeBind the zip and the bounce together.
Why do I need to zip a Logic project?
A .logicx project is a package: a folder that Finder shows as one file. Zipping it gives you one fixed file whose fingerprint can be recorded. Keep that exact zip unchanged.
Do Logic’s project backups help?
Yes, as context. Logic keeps backups of each alternative, so you can show how the project changed over time. But the backups sit inside the same package and use the same clock, so they don’t replace an outside record.
Is my project uploaded?
No. TimeBinder hashes files in your browser and only the fingerprint is anchored to Bitcoin, so unreleased music stays on your Mac.
Plan details were checked against timebinder.io/pricing on 29 October 2026.
