Dig out the ‘DAW update day’ bunting, because Apple has just presented us with new versions of Logic Pro for both Mac (v11.2) and iPad (v2.2).
In keeping with Apple’s apparent desire to make the two editions as similar as possible, the big improvements apply to both of them, starting with enhanced audio fidelity and functionality in Stem Splitter, which arrived on the scene last year as part of Logic Pro for Mac 11 and Logic Pro for iPad 2.
You can expect greater detail when you use Stem Splitter to break apart old recordings and demos, and the feature is now able to isolate guitar and piano parts and put them on separate tracks. There are also presets that enable you to select common stem variations - acapella, instrumental, or instrumental with vocals, for example - so you can more finely tailor the results to your requirements.
The submix feature, meanwhile, enables you to quickly export just the parts of the track you want. You can quickly generate an instrumental version of a song, or choose to export just the drums and bass for a remix, for example.
Next, we have Flashback Capture, which sounds like the name of a sci-fi cop movie but actually enables you to recall MIDI and audio performances that you gave when, for whatever reason, you weren’t recording (previously, only MIDI could be recalled). You can access these using a key command or custom control bar button, and if you’re in Cycle mode, each pass is stored in its own take folder.
There are also the sound pack upgrades. Dancefloor Rush is designed to push your drum ‘n’ bass buttons by way of 400 loops, drum kits and a dedicated Live Loops grid, and comes to both versions of Logic Pro. There are also a couple of previously iPad-only packs that are now on the Mac as well: Magnetic Imperfections focuses on the sound of analogue tape; and Tosin Abasi has his own prog metal pack full of his boutique amps, effects and riffs.
Elsewhere, Logic Pro for Mac’s Learn MIDI feature is now in the iPad version, too, making it quicker and easier to assign hardware controllers. And there are a couple of Mac-exclusive updates, too: Notepad now supports Apple’s AI-powered Writing Tools, and there’s a new search and select feature that’s said to make it easier to find and choose tracks by their name and number.
All of which feels very much like what it is - a point release update that comes a year after a much chunkier ‘full’ Logic Pro revision. There’s no need to question the value of it, though, as it’s free for owners of both the Mac version, which is priced at $200/£200, and subscribers to the iPad version, who pay either $5/£5 a month or $49/£49 a year.
Find out more on the Apple website.
