Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
The out-and-out telescope , power , and alone affordability of Logic Pro 11 make it a top - grade DAW that every musical Mac user should own . Version 11 brings new swordplay - along bass and pianissimo intelligence operation to fall in the existing academic term drummer . Is it now the real “ Garage Band ” ?
It would take a healthy tome indeed to deal all of the features offered by Apple ’s powerful mainstay digital audio workstation , Logic Pro – the three user guides total intimately 2,600 pages ! Instead , we ’ll cover the staple and then let you in on what ’s new with version 11 . And there ’s plenty .
What is Logic Pro 11?
Logic Pro 11 is a digital audio workstation ( DAW ) , i.e. a program that allows you to record and manipulate audio files and MIDI data . Like other DAWs such as Pro Tools , Ableton Live , Cubase , Digital Performer , andStudio One , Logic Pro seeks to emulate a full - on transcription studio apartment with the equipment ( recorders and FX ) , engineers , pawn – and singular to Logic Pro , the musicians . come up out how Logic Pro compares to other options in our roundup of theBest music software for Mac .
The kicker : Logic Pro is only $ 200/£200 ! The trashy rival that ’s listed above is fully twice the terms , and several are considerably more than that . Why ? Logic Pro single-valued function as basically a loss drawing card to get you to corrupt Apple ’s excellent but often dauntingly - priced computer hardware . As I recite my Windows admirer who constantly dwell on the price of Macs ( consider me , I understand ) , there are some mitigating factors : ( comparatively ) cheap powerful computer software , low-pitched mogul consumption , and of course gorgeous display .
Logic Pro 11: Basic features
Logic Pro is very much old - school in emulating the classical commixture cabinet , recorders , and outboard outcome processors that live a traditional recording studio apartment . Indeed , its canonical design and work flow will likely feel more well-fixed to engineers than artists . Not that it does n’t accommodate both .
The raiment of editor program include a cartridge clip ( orregionin Logic - speak ) arranger timeline , wave editor in chief , MIDI piano bankroll editor , footstep sequencer , event leaning editors , and even cheerily - up to musical note .
Logic Pro 11 takes the studio surround emulation further by providing software instrument and – again , uniquely – practical musicians . These are proprietary to Logic , as are its huge set of eminent - timbre instrument and effects . In fact , with Logic Pro there ’s really no indigence for third - party quid - Immigration and Naturalization Service , which make the $ 200 cost shred seem even cheaper . Logic Pro does stomach other vendors ’ efforts , the Brobdingnagian majority of which are useable in Apple ’s AU data format – the only one supported by Logic at the minute .
Logic Pro lets you edit audio, as well as MIDI in various guises–including musical notation.
While Logic Pro provide a bang - up recording studio apartment emulation it also sport a launch grid , à la Ableton Live . It facilitates live functioning by let the exploiter launching / play various pre - recorded regions , immix and matching them to make mixes , etc . on the fly . These regions , or clip can be anything from a one - measure loop to an total song ( mixed down ) .
Logic Pro supports a wide variety of extraneous controllers and hardware ( Apple ’s osmium - floor Core Audio fill care of most of this ) and audio transcription up to 7.1.4 channel , 32 - bit ice-cream float , 192kHz wave , AIFF , or CAF sound filing cabinet . It ’s also Dolby Atmos able .
Unlike Apple ’s consumer - level DAW , GarageBand , Logic Pro is in reality one of the least proprietary programs when it come to import and exportation ; supporting undulation , MIDI , AAF , Final Cut Pro XML , MusicXML ( account notational system ) , and Dolby Atmos ADM . In other word , you may habituate Logic Pro X in alignment with other Corvus monedula without a whole lot of annoyance – at least no more pain than with other DAWs . The industry has yet to settle en masse shot on a comprehensive project - sharing formatting , though one has been developed by Presonus and Bitwig call , of course enough , DAW Project .
Logic Pro lets you edit audio, as well as MIDI in various guises–including musical notation.
Logic Pro 11: What’s new
Now that we have the BASIC out of the way – here ’s what ’s new .
Probably the most prominent additions to Logic Pro 11 are the novel Session Piano and Session Bass players / instruments . add to the be Session Drummer , they form a pretty decorous financial backing striation .
What exactly is a Logic Pro Session Player ? It ’s a virtual ( software ) instrument that practice a database of rhythmic and harmonical practice ( beats / smasher , chords , scale , etc . ) to emulate what a real player might play . In fact , the patterns were originally played by tangible musicians . Not exactly AI as Apple ( and everyone else ) claims .
Logic Pro also features a clip launcher for live performance à la Ableton Live.
While all three academic term players follow the current tempo , and optionally try out to match the rhythmic pattern of another track , the pianoforte and bass also take harmonic clew from Logic Pro ’s new editable global and regional chord tracks .
As a guitar player , I ’m both more or less pained and grateful that Apple did n’t admit a Session Guitarist ( I ’m sure they will eventually ) . Beyond that , I discover the academic term histrion technology impressive . While I would never stick simply with what it plays , it is consanguine to catch input signal from other musicians , in a reasonably modified fashion of course ( without any egotism to worry about ! ) .
The rest of the improvements may not be as sexy , but some are extremely utile . TakeInternal MIDI Infor instance . It reserve a trail to input MIDI data from other MIDI track without delving into the highly powerful but confusing and now well - obliterate Logic Environment ( still uncommitted via Command+0 ) .
Three tracks showing the Bass, Piano, and Drummer Session player tracks. At the bottom are the controls for the bassist.
Along the same lines , part can now be automatically transpose using auction pitch beginning ( primal mansion , etc . ) that you choose . Or not .
Karaoke fans will make love the ability to extract vocals , drums , bass , and “ other ” ( a.k.a everything else ) , from a mixed audio file . The utility is yell Stem Splitter , a stem being an instrument or caterpillar track in DAW - speak . Stem Splitter works unco well , or not so big , depend on the cloth . I had cracking results with commercial material ; with my own , not so much , though Stem Splitter did get the vocal music and drums correct . This no doubt means I postulate to mix my stuff better .
take note that Logic Pro could already extract tempo change from audio files , as well as MIDI from undivided - instrument audio via Flex Pitch . Indeed , you may take a stem make by Stem Splitter and extract the MIDI notes from it using said Flex Pitch . I wish I ’d had something like this when I was first learning songs by ear .
A session player region with a chord track. Of course, the Session drummer doesn’t use this, but the piano and the bass players do.
I should warn you that extracting specific instrumentation from audio , while immensely meliorate over the decennary , is still not unadulterated . Many tool operate in similar frequencies , making extract them a very unmanageable task . Hence a lot of stuff is lumped together in the “ Other ” trail . I still marvel that descent works at all , let alone this well .
A new saturation ( thermionic valve “ passion ” ) stopple - in , ChromaGlow has been added ; Dolby Atmos feature have been enhanced ; and there are new producer sample / grummet pack : The Kount , Corey Wong , and Hardwell .
Other newfangled features admit more fundamental commands for the marquee ( area highlight ) , real - clip bouncing of external instruments , and input monitoring for software instruments . Apple has also shift the default transcription format from AIFF to the omnipresent WAV , which admit for longer recordings and easier meaning into other programs .
Complex and occasionally odd
So far , I ’ve heaped nothing but praise on Logic Pro 11 . But the fact is , it ’s been around since the 1980s , first asCreatorandNotatoron the Atari ST , then as Emagic Logic on Windows and macOS , then was purchased by Apple and became the macOS - sole Logic Pro .
The point of the history moral is that Logic has a drawn-out heritage that includes some baggage , such as the aforementioned Environment patch bay . As a result , Logic Pro ’s learning bender is unconscionable and the work flow is not always as straightforward as it might be . Look upMusicTechHelpGuyon YouTube for some of the secure tutorial .
Fortunately , the Logic Pro UI is also highly configurable , so you could hide interface elements and feature film you do n’t need , and then go your way up to them . you’re able to also transfer the keyboard ( computer ) shortcuts to sample , hit it easier to adapt to logical system or move back and onward between DAWs .
Logic Pro’s Stem Splitter can separate vocals and instruments out of a mix. Success varies according to the source material.
Should you buy Logic Pro 11?
Yes , though if you ’re an survive user , you do n’t have to – it ’s a free upgrade . That ’s another thing about Logic Pro : Apple has improved the program significantly over the years at a nominative toll to the drug user . To be reasonable , Apple can afford to do this , while other vendors can not . The fact remains .
On the other script , if you ’re fresh to the DAW game , you wo n’t feel anything else on the Mac that proffer Logic Pro ’s capability for anywhere tight to the Leontyne Price . We barely scrape up its functional surface in this review .
Even if you own another DAW , you ’ll in all likelihood find something utilitarian in Logic Pro . And for $ 200/£200 , without recurring upgrade charges ? Come on now – Apple even offers afree 90 - day visitation for Logic Pro .
Logic Pro X 11’s new ChromaGlow saturation (like tube amps) plug-in.
The Logic Pro X routing Environment.
