You have a few options for viewing the debug log output, assuming you have the SDK installed and your command path set up correctly:
(1) type "adb logcat". The log output from the connected device or running emulator will appear. I usually prefer "adb logcat -v time" to see the time stamps.
(2) type "ddms". This launches the stand-alone version of DDMS. It has a logcat display at the bottom.
(3) install the ADT extension for Eclipse, and open the logcat view. (Since you're using NetBeans I assume this isn't what you want to do, but I'm mentioning it for completeness.)
In all cases, the interaction is the same whether you're using a physical device or software emulator, because the ADB daemon conceals the details. Whatever you're doing for the device is also expected to work for the emulator.
If you have a device and emulator connected simultaneously, you can use "adb -e logcat" for the emulator and "adb -d logcat" for the device. From stand-alone DDMS or Eclipse, just pick the device or emulator from the pop-up menu.