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Apple Releases Logic 7, New Jam Packs
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."
The UI looks quite complicated. I imagine that means there is a lot flexibility at your fingertips. I wonder, though, at the wisdom of making computer user interfaces attempt to mimick the traditional analog interfaces. Knobs that you turn, for example, are pretty stupid, yet the screenshots for Logic Pro show loads of such controls. With a wheel mouse i suppose turning the knobs is easy, but apple has only one button from the factory. Will this UI make it in the User Interface Hall of Shame?
Does anybody know why Logic has to be this complicated to use? From the top of my head:
- A second menu bar? Why? It is unintuitive, defeats Fitt's Law and is just plain awkward.
- Init files: to have a standard way of organizing, you have to save a project in a certain way with a certain name to a certain folder which I always forget. Apple's GUI guide simply states "after an app starts up, make it appear like when you left it"
- Often times, Logic doesn't redraw correctly.
- Icons vary widely in quality: Some are Aqua-esque, other's are 8bit-like, and even others are pure b/w... ?!
- Hundreds of icons that do not line up, or overlap each other... looks sloppy
- Sometimes bouncing works, sometimes it does nothing
- Timestreching crashes Logic from time to time
These errors are all present in the (until now) most recent version of Logic. Emagic is aware of these problems: They have a buglist feature that all registered users get access to (I wonder why others don't... let me guess: because it might hold them off from buying it?).
Anyway, my point is: Now Apple owns Logic, and this app still does not behave in the way Apple asks apps to behave... it's just silly...
Anybody know why after all these years, Logic is still extremely unlogical (don't let me go into details about *these* things), yet they don't care?
Just wondering (honestly, because I don't know) - does slahdot usually post about music software updates? It seems an odd thing to show up on the front page, because I didn't see anything (which, again, might have been something I missed rather than something that didn't happen) about the new Cubase on here, which I think is as/more popular than Logic, or anything about adobe audition when it came out, or anything about the other myriad music programs on the market. Why is this slashdot news-worthy?
Mod this down.
/dale
There is no such thing as a "Altivextreme" card. Dual 2.5Ghz G5s even with 4GB of ram do not cost $12,000. Someone who does use Logic doesn't refer to their stuff as a "music file". There is no DMA enable/disable in MacOS, and it is enabled by default. And running Logic on a G3 iMac... what did you expect??
This is just a AC posting negative drivel out his bum for whatever reason.
While I doubt your market research, and your ability to recognize that OS X sells separately from iLife, I understand the source of your confusion.
iLife is bundled with new Apple hardware, so you get a copy when you buy a new iBook, iMac, PowerMac, etc.
Now, maybe you won't use GarageBand, but I'm going to guess that 99.999999% of OS users have some interest in one of iPhoto, iMovie, or iDVD. Ok, mainly iPhoto. But do you really think Apple would be able to drop the price of their machines by much if they excluded a single program that costs less than $50 ?? Why am I answering this troll?
Really, GarageBand is there for semiserious users of iMovie and iDVD- so you can put together a little tune for your home movie project. It's totally useful and doesn't affect the price of the overall package much at all.
Not at all. Although you could do most of what you can do in soundtrack with logic, they're really aimed at different markets; Logic is very powerfull but has a steep learning curve, whereas soundtrack is ideal for people who aren't neccesarily musicians, but who need pro-level software for background music to their projects.
All previous versions were referred to as Emagic Logic.
Today the existing Emagic web site essentially went away (although there is some new information there).
Emagic is a German company and Apple bought it two years ago and stopped its development of Windows products.
So this release of Logic 7 represents the culmination of a huge realignment of music and audio software on the Mac platform, with profound implications for the market and third-party companies that make competing and complimentary products.