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."

Comments

As a Logic Platinum user

[mcc]

I'm honestly kind of pissed about the bug fixes thing. I bought the top-of-the-line version of Logic when 6 came out. Shortly afterward suddenly they redid the pricing structures so there's no longer a Platinum, just a Pro and an Express. A year later I find that they're issuing updates to Pro 6 that they aren't issuing to Platinum 6, even though on would expect these to be the same product. Meanwhile despite them being introduced not long after Logic 6 I still can't use Cocoa-view AudioUnits, a basic feature which you'd think Apple would support in their own software and a feature which I need. Now that 7 is out I can pretty much be guaranteed that Cocoa-view audiounits are not coming to Platinum 6, no?

Re:"Scale out"

[BWJones]

This actually is a *BIG* thing. Built in distributed computing infrastructure that is easy to enable without a ton of scripting and custom coding has been a holy grail of distributed computing for a while. Programs like Pooch from Dean Dauger have helped considerably, but distributed computing built into applications that take advantage of an OS supported computing "grid" are another level entirely. Certainly folks that use film rendering and such can benefit, but so can users of Photoshop, not to mention a whole cadre of folks in scientific computing (like myself) for image analysis and clustering analysis (of images) and molecular simulations, particle based modeling etc...etc...etc...

User-unfriendly Logic

[Psychic Burrito]

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?

Re:User-unfriendly Logic

[piecewise]

You say Logic is this, this, this, and that.

Are you referring to previous experiences with Logic - or do you say you've used the product that came out today and it's improved on none of these problems?

Re:Cubase SX 3

[jsoffron]

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?

Apple Loops ??

[IntergalacticWalrus]

I prefer Froot Loops. They also taste lemon, grape, orange, etc. instead of just apple.

Re:Kind of like...

[ennerseed]

"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.

Re:Kind of like...

[RiotXIX]

Actually, 192Khz seems to be the most professional audio cards seem to be able to cope with. M-audio, who make professional audio cards and instruments, are just about to release there latest model [http://www.samash.com/catalog/showitem.asp?ItemID =32398] in the next few days/weeks, and that's (only?) 192khz . Apparently that's quite high in terms of hardware parts for professional recording. And you may like to know, it is reported at several locations even though manufacturers like creative claim their parts are 192 khz, the music is resampled at a lower rate least once before output so it's just advertising garbage. I only know this because I've been searching for the best soundcard to get for audio playback [exclusively], and this seems to be the best option..if any one knows any more on this, then please do correct me.

Thanks a lot by the way..now I probably can't keep moderating this quite interesting thread ;-)

Re:Review.

[E-Lad]

Mod this down.

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. /dale

Re:Infinite Loops!

[MasonMcD]

Notice how they advertised infinite loops as a feature. Seems like they're copying Microsoft advert strategies now...

Or likely playing off of Apple's Cupertino address, 1 Infinite Loop.

I am impressed.

[Steve Cowan]

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 (