Apple Logic Pro X review | MusicRadar.Apple Logic Pro X Review | Top Ten Reviews

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Drum Machine Designer has been disconnected from the ancient Ultrabeat and retooled, Ableton Drum Rack-style, for the integration of Drum Synth and Quick Sampler see below into its pad kits, with the controls for either appearing right within the DMD interface. The main issue with EXS24 has always been its mad, fiddly interface, and Sampler utterly transforms it into an intuitive new format based on five concealable panels Synth, Mod Matrix, Modulators, Mapping and Zone , with big, clear controls and good visual modulation feedback.

And there are plenty of completely new features, too, including automatic drag-and-drop sample mapping with pitch analysis , properly integrated sample and mapping editors, Flex Time implementation, an increase to four LFOs and five Envelopes, a second filter and a ton of new filter types. Logic Pro X Live Loops opens up a radical new for Logic, at least creative avenue for electronic producers, Step Sequencer is flexible and powerful, Drum Synth sounds wicked, Drum Machine Designer is slicker and more useful than before, and Sampler a last pulls EXS24 kicking and screaming into the 21stt Century.

Ultimately, even though Apple is largely following trends here rather than setting them, this is the modernising step up that many Logic users have been waiting for. Home Reviews Computer Music. He is the senior editor in charge of iOS software and has become an expert reviewer of the software that runs on each new Apple device. He now spends most of his time covering Apple iOS releases and third-party apps. With last year’s Logic Pro X, Apple gave its music recording software a major overhaul, both bringing it into alignment with its main competitor Avid’s Pro Tools, and also finding some bold points of differentiation to create a starker contrast between the two programs.

This early update, called version Logic includes a huge library of software plugins apps that add effects such as EQ or pitch correction to audio tracks , including compressors, reverbs, and simulated guitar amps.

It’s great to have so many effects included, because popular plugins from other companies, such as AutoTune from Antares or the L3 multi-band compressor from Waves, can cost hundreds each. You also get a varied selection of virtual instruments, which are digital recreations of instruments from pianos to guitars to vintage synths to exotic world music gear, all played via either MIDI input from an external music keyboard, individual note input within the program, or even from an on-screen keyboard on your iPad.

If that all sounds a bit over your head, and you have no idea what plug-ins, virtual instruments, or MIDI are, than I’ll be the first to say that Logic Pro X may not be the right app for you. It’s an advanced music recording and production suite, with a steep learning curve, although I appreciate the built-in song templates, designed for getting a singer-songwriter or electronic music session up and running quickly with preset tracks and plug-ins.

But if you’re just dabbling, stick with GarageBand until you feel you’ve outgrown it. That said, Pro Tools is in many ways still the industry standard, especially if you plan to take your work to a professional recording studio for additional recording or mixing. The value equation has also changed somewhat with the recent release of Pro Tools First, a limited, but still usable, free version of Pro Tools that offers an easy way to learn that software before investing.

But the secret weapon in Logic is no doubt the ability to use your iPad as a realtime control surface, for riding faders, playing instruments, or adjusting plug-ins. Having tried many hardware and software external control surfaces for Pro Tools and other music programs over the years, the iPad-to-Logic connection is amazingly simple to set up and it operates in real time.

The connection offers tremendous flexibility, making Logic an easy-to-use tool for capturing music ideas on the fly once you’re fluent in the basic workings of this deep, complex software package.

One of the big upgrades for Logic Pro X last year was the addition of drummer profiles you could use to perform as a sort of AI drummer in your songs.

Each drummer is essentially a bank of drum loop families, and you can reassign any drummer’s patterns to any other drum kit. You can even tie the timing and complexity in with an audio track, such as a bass guitar, and it will tweak itself on the fly to follow along.

In version Also, a new drum machine designer plug-in gives you new sounds and features for custom electronic drum kits in several different styles.

Drummer’s performances are astonishingly lifelike and represent its limited range of genres very well. The15 kits themselves weighing in at 20GB in total sound great, and with Drum Kit Designer enabling mixing and matching of a broad range of drums and cymbals, plus the inclusion of fully mixable multichannel Producer Kit Stacks, complete with overhead and room mics, it all adds up to by far the best bundled ‘live’ drum production setup ever included with a DAW.

It’s all hugely impressive and will more than satisfy the songwriter or drummer-less producer looking to get some real percussive feel into their tracks. For some, though, Drummer will be at its most rewarding when pointed at more interesting sound sources than the relentlessly acoustic ones provided by Apple. We had an absolute riot running it through Battery 4, Microtonic, Tremor and the like.

The equivalent of the macro systems found in other DAWs, Smart Controls enable you to assign up to 12 parameters of your choice from the selected track’s channel strip, instruments and effects both third-party and Logic’s own to a set of MIDI-assignable knobs, sliders and switches wrapped up in a simple GUI housed in the bottom pane.

Assignments can be made ‘intelligently’ by the software or manually; each control can be assigned to multiple parameters,; response curves are fully editable; and all Smart Controls are automatable. As a decidedly ‘Apple’ take on the macro concept, Smart Controls are a resounding success, giving us a clutter-free way to keep key channel and plugin parameters constantly present and instantly accessible.

Making the processes of foldering and bussing tracks easier than ever before, multiple tracks can now be nested into fold-away Stacks, of which there are two types: Summing and Folder.

A Folder Stack simply groups the included tracks for unified level control, solo and mute, without affecting their routing in the mixer – like the old Folder Tracks, basically, although they’re still around, too, should you prefer. A Summing Stack, on the other hand, mixes the output of all contained tracks to a bus, and can record and play back MIDI on its Master track for triggering all MIDI instruments in the Stack – massive collapsible synth stacks ahoy, then.

Stacks can also be made within Stacks, and complete Summing Stacks, with all their components and settings, can be saved into the Library as Patches a new format for Logic Pro X for recall at any time. Stacks are similar to Ableton Live’s Groups and Instrument Racks, but once again, Apple has done a great job of realising the concept in its own style.

Whether you just want to gather that string section together in the Arrange page or build the world’s phattest multi-synth pad, you’ll have a much easier and more manageable time of it now than in previous versions of Logic, not to mention most other DAWs. The presentation is superb, with the notes of the selected clip overlaid in a piano roll on top of the waveform, each note graphically indicating deviation from perfect pitch and accompanied by expression lines showing vibrato and pitch movement.

All of the involved parameters – Pitch, Drift, Formant, Vibrato and Gain -are accessed via a set of handles on each note that you just drag up and down to adjust. It’s hard to imagine a more intuitive system, and even absolute beginners will have no trouble getting to grips with it.

It also sounds very good indeed – as long as you don’t stray too far from the original pitch – and while it doesn’t have the toolset to rival Melodyne, it certainly gets the job done.

Crucially, being so easily tweakable, sound designers will have a field day with it. The headline is the well-equipped Arpeggiator, which features all the functions and parameters you’d expect from such a thing, plus both Live and Grid modes for two different styles of triggering.

The rest of the line-up includes the self-explanatory likes of Chord Trigger, Note Repeater, Modulator and Randomizer, as well as Scripter, with which you can design your own in code, I hasten to add – this is absolutely not ‘Max For Logic’.

Every one’s a winner, and we look forward to seeing how this new aspect of Logic develops moving forward, as they say. After the addition of Amp Designer for guitar processing in Logic Pro 9, X introduces the equivalent for bass. Bass Amp Designer boasts three amps, six cabs and three positionable mics, plus a mix control for setting the balance between amped and DI signals – nice touch! Also on the guitar front, seven new stompboxes have been added to Pedalboard, including a graphic EQ, an octaver and a flanger.

Painfully notable, however, is the total lack of love given to EXS24, which remains the powerful but weird, awkward creature it’s always been. You can also create tracks, trigger key commands, load Patches from the Library and even run the Smart Help system Logic’s version of Live’s contextual help pane , instantly updating on your iPad to describe whatever’s under the mouse pointer in Logic. There’s still an awful lot Remote can’t do that it obviously should, however.

It doesn’t give you any visual representation at all of the arrangement view even though it does let you shuttle the playhead using a timeline ruler or the transport display , and, as mentioned, the obviously iPad-influenced Drummer and MIDI Effects are represented by the same Smart Controls as everything else.

And is there any reason why Logic’s own plugins couldn’t be mirrored on the iPad?

 
 

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This download may not be available in some countries. Editors’ Review Download. Full Specifications. What’s new in version Release March 2, Date Added March 2, Version Operating Systems.

Additional Requirements None. Total Downloads , Downloads Last Week 8. Report Software. Related Software. Apple GarageBand Free. Turn your iOS device into a collection of touch instruments and a full-featured recording studio. Voice Changing software for the Macintosh Computer. Capture screen actions and sounds as a movie. If you want to add some notes in a specific section, you can use the new Brush Tool in the Piano Roll Editor to click and drag notes that conform to a scale so even randomly placed notes will end up sounding good.

The Compressor plug-in has been redesigned with a scalable Retina-ready interface and features seven different models of compressor, including a new Classic VCA voltage-controlled amplifier model, designed to simulate famous real-world compressor hardware from Neve, Focusrite, and others.

New automation features let you add automation to a region rather than the whole track. This means you’ll be able to add things like a section where the volume or effect changes to just a selected region within a track.

To round out the new features, we finally get a plug-in manager that lets you customize the organization of your menu. This means you can now keep all your most-used plug-ins handy so you can make quick changes while recording or at a performance. You can use multi-touch gestures to shape the tone of individual tracks using the Visual EQ, rather than simply changing values or presets from a list. It also lets you remotely add or reorder plug-ins — an option that was limited to the desktop in the previous version.

That’s because most music-recording apps mimic the look and feel of a traditional physical mixing board, while also offering an edit view with music note data and audio file waveforms, as well as multiple pop-up windows for controlling everything from effects to signal routing. There’s so much going on that it can be nearly impossible to effectively control everything via a mouse and keyboard, unless you’re sticking to very simple track-by-track recording.

One common solution has been physical control surfaces, which could be anything from a USB-connected keyboard the musical kind, not the QWERTY kind to a full-on mixing desk with physical faders, knobs, and inputs. These can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, and as many third-party companies make these devices, the functionality and reliability can vary widely.

One of the best features of Logic Pro, first added with last year’s The big advantage here is that Apple makes both the OS X software and the iOS app, so they’re built from the ground up to work well together. The most obviously useful way to control Logic Pro X from the iPad is to use the tablet’s surface as a mixing board. This mode literally puts a bank of faders in front of you up to eight at a time and you can jump between different banks at will.

Manipulating the mixing board faders via iPad instead of mouse and keyboard has one big advantage: thanks to multitouch on the iPad, you can grab several faders at once and manipulate them in real time. On a laptop or desktop, you’d have to link several tracks together or else record fader automation one track at a time. Many of the built-in plugins and virtual instruments that come included with Logic Pro also have custom control screens on the iPad.

Keyboard-based instruments give you an actual physical keyboard you can play, plus the various knobs and other controls as the real-life version of these virtual keyboards would offer. Obviously, with no tactile feedback, it’s very difficult to play accurately or expressively on an iPad screen. With only an octave or two represented on the screen at once depending on how you set it up , you can really only play with one hand at a time.

You can, however, use the iPad screen to quickly and easily input note information, strum a virtual guitar neck, or even set up basic chords you can strum or arpeggiate with minimal fuss. Logic Pro shares some DNA with Apple’s consumer-level music app GarageBand, and knowing how to use one can at least help getting started in the other.

That said, Logic Pro is not the sort of program a beginner is going to be able to pick up and master overnight. Also keep in mind that many professional recording studios primarily run Pro Tools these days, which could make transferring sessions between home and studio a hassle. Logic Pro X Dan Ackerman. Jason Parker. It’s easy to run the mix or individual instruments from an iPad.

 

Logic Pro Review | Macworld

 

This “virtual drummer” idea has been around for a while, with plugin apps such as Strike and BFD, and the Logic Drummer works in a largely similar way. In the right hands, it’s definitely more expressive than simple drum loops, but even with the new drummers and categories, there’s still a loop-based feel to it.

The latest version of Logic Pro X also includes new synth patches and 10 classic Mellotron instruments. The original Mellotron was an instrument that generated sounds via audio tape loops, and was used by bands such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and several other progressive rock bands. As an example, you might remember the breathy flute sounds that accompanied Jimmy Page’s guitar in “Stairway to Heaven.

But beyond just new sounds, you also get some revamped tools. The piano roll editor has been improved to show more notes in less vertical space and lets you identify drum sounds by name. You can easily compress or expand the timing of selected notes using new time handles. If you want to add some notes in a specific section, you can use the new Brush Tool in the Piano Roll Editor to click and drag notes that conform to a scale so even randomly placed notes will end up sounding good.

The Compressor plug-in has been redesigned with a scalable Retina-ready interface and features seven different models of compressor, including a new Classic VCA voltage-controlled amplifier model, designed to simulate famous real-world compressor hardware from Neve, Focusrite, and others.

New automation features let you add automation to a region rather than the whole track. This means you’ll be able to add things like a section where the volume or effect changes to just a selected region within a track.

To round out the new features, we finally get a plug-in manager that lets you customize the organization of your menu. This means you can now keep all your most-used plug-ins handy so you can make quick changes while recording or at a performance.

You can use multi-touch gestures to shape the tone of individual tracks using the Visual EQ, rather than simply changing values or presets from a list. Integrated Dolby Atmos tools for mixing and exporting songs as spatial audio. A massive collection of plug-ins and sounds to fuel creativity. Control music-making sessions from your iPad or iPhone with Logic Remote. Mix and export your song as a Dolby Atmos spatial audio file, ready for Apple Music.

Expanded surround mixer and new 3D Object Panner Mixer level meters and surround panners now support Dolby Atmos up to 7. Plug-ins enhanced for spatial audio Surround-enabled plug-ins are optimized to work in Dolby Atmos and provide all the tools you need to create a professional-sounding spatial mix. Live Loops Explore musical ideas using a grid of musical loops and phrases that you can trigger and manipulate in real time to create unique arrangements.

Sequence your beats Program drum patterns and melodic parts, create dynamic rhythmic performances, and automate your plug-ins — all with a quick tap of your finger. The ultimate way to record.

Get the most out of MIDI. Live Loops. For spontaneous composition. Step Sequencer. Pure beat poetry. Novation Launchpad. Live off the grid. Remix FX. Command your performance. Industry-leading tools. Flex Time Quickly manipulate the timing and tempo of your recording with Flex Time. Flex Pitch Edit the level and pitch of individual notes quickly and easily with Flex Pitch. Smart Tempo Play freely and stay on beat with Smart Tempo, a way to effortlessly mix and match music and beats without worrying about the original tempo.

Drummer Create organic-sounding acoustic drum tracks or electronic beats with the intelligent technology of Drummer. Takes and Quick Swipe Comping Click and drag to choose the best sections of each take to create a seamless comp, complete with transition-smoothing crossfades. Track Stacks Consolidate multiple related tracks into a single track. Track Alternatives Create alternate versions of a track or multiple grouped tracks, and switch between them at any time to audition different options.

Automation Easily capture changes to any channel strip or plug-in parameter. Each version simply brings new a dimension to the system. The introduction of Alchemy in Having used Logic since version 2. Despite its accessibility, its well tailored to engineers and musicians who like to drill down into the details.

Choosing the right DAW is one of the most important decisions you can make in respect to setting up your studio. While many studios opt for Pro Tools as a replacement for a traditional multi-track recorder, Logic Pro X has been the popular choice for music professionals working across a range of composition and production tasks for many years. Logic is also one of the most keenly priced DAWs, possibly because it helps keep the market for new Apple computers buoyant.

To use Want to upgrade Logic? In fact, key commands are as well supported by Live Loops as they are throughout the rest of the DAW. They sound great and are a lot of fun, if not something the serious producer is likely to get much mileage out of. This impressive adjunct to Logic Pro turns your iPhone or iPad into a comprehensive wireless multitouch MIDI controller and key command launcher, and now it also presents your Live Loops Grid just as it appears on your Mac, enabling perfectly responsive triggering of as many clips as you can get your fingers round at once, and Remix FX manipulation by touch or even tilt.

Each step is programmable in terms of Velocity, Gate time, Note Repeat up to 16 repeats , triggering Chance, Start Offset, Step Rate overriding the global or lane-specific Rate and Tie, and the sizeable in-built library of preset patterns can be added to with your own creations. Easy to use and beautifully integrated, Step Sequencer is a triumph.