The key to a long-time successful venture is frequent developments and updates. Apple is having a glorious business time of late and is on the papers almost all days, for sweet reasons. The recent development from the tech champ is its all new Logic Pro 9, the latest MIDI sequencer and digital audio workstation software, developed for Mac OS X. It is a hybrid 32/64 bit application.
Apple has made over 200 new changes to their chief music production bundle. The company is expected to win hands down among its core fans that have been using the services of Logic.
Here is a review on the new Logic Pro 9.
The First Impression
The new Logic’s capabilities remain the same as that of the previous versions and you can enjoy 255 software instrument tracks, 99 external MIDI tracks, and 255 audio tracks. It is also complemented by 4500 presets, more than 70 plug-ins for audio effects and a bundle of soft synthesis. There are some more features that include six Jam Packs, 6GB surround sound music beds and 16 GB sound effects. You also have more than twenty thousand Apple Loops that are tempo checked and royalty-free.
Other extra features include extra-processing power, ability to combine with networked Macs to share loads and ReWire implementation. You can also transfer songs to any other platforms as there is support for AAF, XML and OMF.
The Flex Time
Flex time is the name Apple gives for the collective tools that are using the new Flex timestretching engine. It comes in different modes like Rhythmic, slicing, polyphonic, monophonic, speed and tempophone. All these except the Speed feature, are designed to assist you in adjusting the audio timing without disturbing the pitch. The options can be seen in the Inspector window as a track view with a new flex tool on the toolbar.
When you are in the Flex mode for a specific track, Logic studies the audio and produces a set of Flex makers and transient makers. The Flex time feature is very impressive when the rhythmic mode is used with multi-tracked drums and when coupled with channel grouping. Audio Quantize is a new feature in the Flex mode where you can use groove templates from most other tracks.
The Feature List
The Bounce-in-Place option is found to be a refined tool for audio merging and is better than the former Glue Tool (in the previous version of the software). The tool allows you to decide whether or not to include volume, pan automation, inserts and other effective tail.
The swipe comping feature that existed in Logic 8, is now more refined with its ability to move or copy existing comp from one track to another. The Space Designer feature gets new effects with impulse responses including moving spaces, drone tones, drum transformers, ghost rhythms and textures. Speed fade is yet another welcoming change. The feature allows you to determine the speed-up or speed-down status when using the fade-out/fade-in option. The new Logic makes it easy to combine different tasks / projects using the new track import option.
The convert-to-new sampler track and the new drum replacer can make audio transient analysis and also produce MIDI output. Both these features are capable of taking sound technology to the next level with their simple but crucial abilities.
Other luxurious software that will please the men of music are WaveBurner and MainStage. MainStage Version 2 offers a couple of useful plug-ins – Loopback and Playback. While the former helps you play audio within MainStage, the latter simply plays back audio within channel strip. WaveBurner app can help in CD compilation, burning and mastering.
Sum up
On the whole, Logic Pro 9, may not be very different from the previous version with its appearance but the deeper you study, the more you will realize that it has lots of new and tasty features. An existing user might feel that audio features like Flex Time are slick and beautiful. On the other hand, new users will be amazed by the fact that the software has everything it takes to make a quality audio.
