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Apple Releases Logic 7, New Jam Packs

Posted by pudge on from the mmmmmmusic dept.

RadRafe writes "Apple today introduced Logic Pro 7 and Logic Express 7. Logic Pro now features Distributed Audio, a clustering tool (Xgrid-based?) to exploit the DSP power of multiple Macs, and Sculpture, the long-awaited component-modeling synthesizer. Also out today are two new Jam Packs for GarageBand - though they work in Logic too, now that Logic supports Apple Loops."

2 of 187 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Kind of like... by ennerseed · · Score: 5, Informative

    "Only 192kHz?"
    This is not mp3 bit rates here. This is Pro Audio level sound quality.

    An Audio CD has a sample rate of 44.1kHz.

    --
    "If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?" - Albert Einstein
  2. I am impressed. by Steve+Cowan · · Score: 5, Informative
    Logic Pro 7 includes a ton of the stuff I've been waiting for, and when you consider all the bundled synths and effects it's actually a pretty damn good value.

    I've been using Logic since version 2, and I have watched it evolve from a do-everything MIDI sequencer to a full-fledged DAW suite.

    I'm frustrated to read so many negative comments from people who have obviously never used serious music software before, so I'm going to address a few things:

    First, this is very relevant to apple.slashdot.org because Apple owns Logic, and a lot of us have been very eager to see just what Apple was going to do with Logic for version 7.

    Is it anything like Fruity Loops or Garage Band? No, not really. You could probably pick up any of the above to create a piece of dance music, but Logic is the only one of the three that is wide open - if there's something a computer can do with audio, Logic Pro can probably do it.

    I doubt Cubase is more popular than Logic in the studio. Once you get used to working in Logic, Cubase feels like a toy. I'll admit I haven't used it in a few years so maybe it has improved.

    Somebody posted that Logic is unstable and doesn't draw right a lot of the time, but this has not been my experience - in fact version 6 has been rock-solid for me. I know that cracked copies of Logic tend to not work very well.

    A few people have said that there aren't a lot of new featured, but I downloaded the Logic Overview PDF from the Apple site, and I see TONS of stuff:

    • Distributed Audio Processing. Yes this is cool stuff, maybe other software does it too, but how scalable is it? Apple is claiming they can stuff 512 mono streams over a gigabit backbone. That's cool stuff, and makes a pretty neat case for a few XServe cluster nodes. (By the way, this appears to not be XGrid-based, as the nodes don't seem to share a single distributed task - instead you choose which node you want to work on which track from the Arrange window.)
    • Sculpture. Sorry but I don't know of any DAW app that includes a professional component modelling synth at any price. Emagic's synths have always sounded great to me, and I'm anxious to hear this.
    • Ultrabeat. A drum machine. Well here's some Fruity Loops functionality - as a matter of fact this looks like a kick-ass drum machine, something I've been anxious to see in Logic. It's got virtual analog, FM, component modelling and sample playback. The only drum machine I know of that's as versatile on paper is the $1100 USD MachineDrum, if ya wanna order one from Sweden.
    • EFM-1 - another synth - this one looks like a simple FM synth. I reserve judgement, but it's probably nice for metallic and buzzy sounds.
    • Inclusion of Garage Band Instruments is awesome, and was much-anticipated by Logic composers. Garage Band has a kick-ass sample set, and I'm sure they will find their way into my bread-and-butter work (commercials).
    • Apple Loops first appeared in SoundTrack, then in Garage Band. It looks as though it is actually possible to create Apple Loops, which means that Logic now has Ableton Live! / Acid - like functionality at last. Live is a lot cheaper at around $400, and Acid is Windows only, but they both lack the flexibility and plug-in set that Logic has.
    • Guitar Amp Pro is also pretty damn cool. People's jaws drop when they hear the amp simulation in Garage Band, so its inclusion (with the addition of a few extra parameters) in Logic is a no-brainer - it had to happen. Still, it's here, and I will be using it.
    • Other Effects like Ring Shifter, Vocal Transformer, Pitch Correction are fun effects to play with, and offer lots of opportunities for creative use.
    • New Mastering Plug-ins: Linear Phase EQ (I haven't heard it, but Logic's EQ's are already pretty good, and from its description this is a bona fide mastering EQ), and Match EQ (