Logic Pro

[Muad’Dib]

I’m unfamiliar with Logic Pro? I have been told it is a good software music program for the Mac! 

[PianoMan51]

Yes Paul, but you already knew that.

[Stokely]

If you have a Mac, it's a great deal especially if you lack instrument plugins, as it's one of the (few?) Daws that come with a bunch.  And so far, updates have cost nothing and haven't for a very long time.  Some of these updates have added a ton of functionality.   

[Mark Schmieder]

I've never figured out how to use it in a traditional linear tape-style workflow fashion, or how to get it to accept my "new" audio interface, but I bought it when Camel Audio sold their assets to Apple, as I use Alchemy a lot compared to other soft synths. I also use Logic for some custom MIDI transform scripts that I wrote, to cover gaps in what Digital Performer can do.

 

It's definitely a good price, but the limitation of Audio Units only, no VST, and it being the least stable DAW despite coming from the vendor who has the most control over Core Audio, has always bugged me.

 

If you've been using Garage Band, you'll probably find Logic Pro a fairly easy transition, as it's essentially the same application with features removed.

 

Depending on your needs though, there are other options, suck as Traktion or whatever it is currently called. It goes on sale a lot (including recently) and appears to be more traditional as well, in terms of being straightforward for composers/arrangers/recordists/performers/etc. vs. being geared towards the "loop music" crowd.

 

I also have Cubase but have never been able to wrap my head around it -- though I haven't tried recently. It is Logic's opposite, in that it only supports VST/VST3 and not AU. It too, ironically chokes on other Steinberg products during startup validation, like Logic with AU. Strange.

 

 

[Muad’Dib]

27 minutes ago, PianoMan51 said:

Yes Paul, but you already knew that.

 true!

[ElmerJFudd]

Logic Pro X is an excellent DAW for composition.  It is priced well and has the most included (sounds, instruments, fx) of any DAW on macOS.  
 

Any audio interface that is supported on the version of macOS you are running will work with Logic.  If it is recognized by core audio, you simply select it in Logic’s audio preferences.  
 

It’s quite standard for plug-in developers to release their software as AU/VST/AAX.  Any developer that writes for macOS or iOS/iPad OS is going to release as an AU.  Even Steinberg releases their plugins in “(Mac): VST 3, AAX, AU”. 
 

Logic is very stable.  A crash is quite rare.  Typically caused by a plug-in that fails AU validation.   Insufficient RAM or CPU may trigger a failure to sync audio and midi error.  As they ad features (and they often do) bugs get discovered - something doesn’t work as expected. But an actual crash - I haven’t seen one in a long time.  And macOS in general - this is not the OS7 days where the Finder might quit or the machine just freeze.   The only thing that I’ve seen cause strange behavior is  insufficient storage on your system drive.  

[Muad’Dib]

56 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said:

Logic Pro X is an excellent DAW for composition.  It is priced well and has the most included (sounds, instruments, fx) of any DAW on macOS.  
 

Any audio interface that is supported on the version of macOS you are running will work with Logic.  If it is recognized by core audio, you simply select it in Logic’s audio preferences.  
 

It’s quite standard for plug-in developers to release their software as AU/VST/AAX.  Any developer that writes for macOS or iOS/iPad OS is going to release as an AU. 
 

Logic is very stable.  A crash is quite rare.  Typically caused by a plug-in that fails AU validation.   Insufficient RAM or CPU may trigger a failure to sync audio and midi error.  As they ad features (and the often do) bugs get discovered - something doesn’t work as expected. But an actual crash - I haven’t seen one in a long time.  And macOS in general - this is not the OS7 days where the Finder might quite or the machine just freeze.   The only thing that I’ve seen cause strange behavior is  insufficient storage on your system drive.  

RABid suggested and SSD for extra storage!

[ElmerJFudd]

3 hours ago, Muad’Dib said:

RABid suggested and SSD for extra storage!

Are there current models shipping without an SSD?  Yes, SSDs are a must on modern computers, they provide significantly faster read/write times and take advantage of the speed and bandwidth of the bus they are attached to. Current Apple Silicon (M1, M2) has the RAM and storage on the SoC.  Very fast.   Spinning drives, like a 7200 rpm have been relegated to affordable backup storage. 
 

If you purchase a Mac in 2023 going forward the minimum spec should be 16gb RAM and 512gb ssd.   If you can afford it, 1tb ssd. If you plan to use it for 5-10 years you’ll be frustrated just a few seasons out from now with 8gb/256gb.  

[Docbop]

From my experience in Media department and recording on Macs for video and Macs for audio was to alway do capture to local storage.   When done then transfer to external storage.    So want enough local storage for capture. It also kept the production Macs cleaner moving files to external drives after initial capture, didn't have a tons of files cluttering the production machines. Now managing all those external drives was PIA of its own. 

 

 

[Muad’Dib]

Thank you!

[UnderGroundGr]

I had Logic since 2008( Logic 8 ), when I switched to Mac. In windows I used Cakewalk Sonar. After 15 years I am very happy with it. Great DAW.

[David Emm]

I began with version 8 and the issues I had with my previous $#@! sequencer disappeared. Rather than prattle on much, I point you towards Apple's description of its powers. You'll gradually add some 3rd-party things, but its still quite comprehensive.

 

I especially benefit from Alchemy, their vintage B-3 and the vintage EPs. There is a generous compliment of effects, including convolution reverb. Their Mellotron is too basic for me, but their inserts add all the beef I need with M-Tron Pro. Building on it has been a natural process with few bumps.

 

With an M1, you can pile things on and the system never chokes. I'm plodding through 36 tracks of one big ol' orchestral beast and it still glides along smoothly. I've already noted that I can become a bit lazy with the track count because its so easy to do. 

 

Check out the YouTube tutorials concerning the sections you are using the most frequently. Some of them are droners, but the good ones will fill your goodie bag with practical tips. I admire those who can keep 2 or 3 different DAWs in their heads, but my advice is to embrace Logic so you can at least reach my level. I don't know its every detail (oh, hell no!), but I've built the Logic *I* need, so I now live in a wonderful grab-it-&-go world. It beats the bleep out of screaming at a MIDI router with 14 octopoid cords running across your brain.      

[Muad’Dib]

Thank you David!

[Joe Muscara]

I am a big fan of Logic Pro, but I'll step out and say all the current crop of DAWs are really powerful and fully featured when you're talking about the top versions, anyway (GarageBand, which is a simplified version of Logic, and say, Pro Tools Intro or Artist have limits that you may or may not run into depending on what you're looking to do).

 

It all depends on your workflow, if you collaborate with anyone, what you like, if you care to deal with copy protection, etc. We have many choices and that's a good thing.  

[Docbop]

Back before I retired and working doing Post Production the way people broke things down is Composers types like Logic because it workflow fits how they work.   ProTools is prefered by people coming from traditional recording studio workflow, it was great for editing which I did a lot of.     

 

When I was coming back to recording after not doing any since my early days working with tape and no computers in sight anywhere I start with Logic (back when it was expensive and came with a shelfful of manuals.)   Then I got the job in Post and they were a ProTools shop so I switched and didn't look back.    Today back to Logic,  ProTools I like Avid the company I can't stand. 

[Reezekeys]

Just got a new 15" MacBook Air. As a parent of a college student I was eligible for the edu discount (which took about $140 off the price) and an associated promo from Apple - a $150 gift card. Edu customers can get the "edu bundle" for $200 - Logic, Final Cut Pro, Mainstage, Compressor and Motion. I applied my gift card to that bundle, so Logic is my new joint. Even at the regular $200 price for Logic alone, it seems like a good bargain given all the sounds they include. Anyone considering Logic and a new computer to run it might want to see if this Apple promo is still happening. I also applied for and got an Apple Card - 0% interest and a year to pay off the laptop.

 

I'm still climbing the learning curve of Logic, but so far it seems able to do whatever I need - sometimes through roundabout procedures or well-hidden menu items (e.g., scrubbing). Luckily there seems a very healthy support scene between youtube and Facebook groups. I've heard some speculation as to whether Logic for the Mac will become a subscription like ProTools (I know the iPad version is). My gut says yes, that's the way of the software world it seems - but that's just my uneducated guess.

[obxa]

On 8/7/2023 at 11:33 AM, Reezekeys said:

sometimes through roundabout procedures or well-hidden menu items (e.g., scrubbing).

Something I wish I knew when I switched to Logic in  '09:  Get very familiar with Key Commands.  More importantly, creating your own that can be triggered by hot keys or buttons from your hardware.    Saves a ton of mousing around, and makes for better workflow.  Anything you can't do with Logic's shortcuts, check out Keyboard Maestro (macro program) or StreamDeck.  

 

 Youtube:  "MusicTech Help " guy, and  David Nahmani's awesome  Logic forum

 

 Other Daws worth looking at for Mac: Studio One, Abelton Live, Cubase, and Reaper.   Many studios (down here at least...) have jumped ship from Pro Tools and gone Studio one.  Great Daw, well supported & pretty easy to get up to speed on.      Film score guys love Cubase.  Many Video Post houses are weirdly big on Adobe Premier, or often doing audio within Final Cut.   The Loop crowd is Abelton all day.       Because of client projects & my other gigs (VO and Ministry)  I've had to learn  most of them, but prefer Logic most. 

 

 

Definitely worth getting the free Demos  and seeing what feels best. 

 

 

 

[Stokely]

Getting familiar with key commands also saves you a LOT of aggravation when you accidentally cause something to happen and you have no clue what you did.  Like muting regions or something you didn't even know was a thing

I type on a windows laptop all day and the slight differences between that and my mac keyboard causes a lot of fat fingering when I first start using it.

[Reezekeys]

I will check those sources out, thanks! In the case I mentioned (scrubbing), I had to go into the "advanced" prefs and enable the PAUSE button - apparently Logic's default config doesn't include it in the transport! Huh? OK, nbd I guess, once I googled.

[ElmerJFudd]

Hot Keys and keyboard shortcuts, macros, etc. are very important for any software.   
 

That said, if you like control surfaces, not everyone does, but if you do some work really well as a Logic Control.  
 

https://www.soundswow.com/best-control-surface-for-logic-pro/#the_best_control_surfaces_for_logic_pro_x_reviewed

 

 

[b3plyr]

On 8/6/2023 at 11:45 AM, ElmerJFudd said:

Logic Pro X is an excellent DAW for composition.  It is priced well and has the most included (sounds, instruments, fx) of any DAW on macOS.  

Excellent and accurate post. Stability is non-existent for me.

[Jonathan Hughes]

I've used Logic for about 15 years and have never had any stability issues. Like any program, there have occasional crashes or freezes, but those have been very rare. And Logic's autosave has always gotten me back up and running to basically where I left off. I also regularly use it "in a traditional linear tape-style workflow fashion". My latest album is a live jazz trio recorded in Logic, as if it were a tape recorder. Like every other DAW I've used, you arm the tracks, press record, and it's acting like a tape recorder.

The built-in synths and effects are fantastic, and I don't think any other DAW has anything like Drummer built in.

[Mark Schmieder]

I use WAY too many apps to ever remember very many key commands that aren't universal in nature. Between my job and music production plus all of the other creative arts that involve the computer alongside several notation apps, there's too much room for error. When there's overlap (even if not a universal command) I'll use it. On a regular basis, there are probably over 16 apps that come into play fairly regularly throughout the week.

[Mark Schmieder]

Maybe the reason I can't get Logic to work for actual recording, editing, mixing, etc., is because it insists that my previous RME Fireface interface is still the active one, no matter how much time I spend investigating hidden features and settings. It constantly tells me that the interface isn't attached, which is of course true, and refuses to acknowledge my Babyface Pro FS even though it is set EVERYWHERE (including within Logic) as my audio and MIDI interface. I have trashed preferences, etc.

 

I suspect I have more problems than most on this board, because I am on my third macOS computer and have been with OS X / macOS since the beginning, doing Migration Assistant with each rev rather than building a new computer from scratch. I have probably hit the limit in that regard. Hardly anything works well on my computer anymore and I have spent eons researching, looking at all sorts of on-line resources, using the command line, etc.

 

I will agree that Logic doesn't crash, but I still find it shocking how slow its AU validation is, and how often that crashes. It has improved a bit lately, and some say that it's good that it crashes because it is being less forgiving than other DAW's and thus is warning us not to use the plug-ins. Too bad they tend to be the most necessary ones, but more and more vendors -- especially during all the recent industry consolidation -- are falling further and further behind on bugfixes and OS compliance.

[ElmerJFudd]

44 minutes ago, Mark Schmieder said:

Maybe the reason I can't get Logic to work for actual recording, editing, mixing, etc., is because it insists that my previous RME Fireface interface is still the active one, no matter how much time I spend investigating hidden features and settings. It constantly tells me that the interface isn't attached, which is of course true, and refuses to acknowledge my Babyface Pro FS even though it is set EVERYWHERE (including within Logic) as my audio and MIDI interface. I have trashed preferences, etc.

 

I suspect I have more problems than most on this board, because I am on my third macOS computer and have been with OS X / macOS since the beginning, doing Migration Assistant with each rev rather than building a new computer from scratch. I have probably hit the limit in that regard. Hardly anything works well on my computer anymore and I have spent eons researching, looking at all sorts of on-line resources, using the command line, etc.

 

I will agree that Logic doesn't crash, but I still find it shocking how slow its AU validation is, and how often that crashes. It has improved a bit lately, and some say that it's good that it crashes because it is being less forgiving than other DAW's and thus is warning us not to use the plug-ins. Too bad they tend to be the most necessary ones, but more and more vendors -- especially during all the recent industry consolidation -- are falling further and further behind on bugfixes and OS compliance.

You certainly are not alone in decades spent with Apple computers  (in my case Apple IIe, Mac Plus, Power Mac 7600… ah shit, too many to list).  
 

Most of what you’re describing isn’t current however.  Can you share what version of OSX you’re on and which version of Logic?  Which Mac? 
 

It also sounds like a few strange things have crept into your system.  Possibly as you suggest  related to some incarnation of your many  migrations, avoidance of a clean install for too long, a bad plist that should have been trashed some time back.  All is entirely fixable - but how far one is willing to go for a clean rig is a personal decision I suppose.  
 

Regardless, yes the problems are unique to your machine and not inherently a part of how Logic Pro X is coded. I’d probably copy my project files and folders to an external drive, clean install the latest OS and install the up to date version of Logic from the App Store, install current versions of your plugins, and the current drivers for your interface.  

[UnderGroundGr]

And if you have an ipad do not forget Logic Remote...😉

[jarrell]

15 hours ago, Mark Schmieder said:

Maybe the reason I can't get Logic to work for actual recording, editing, mixing, etc., is because it insists that my previous RME Fireface interface is still the active one, no matter how much time I spend investigating hidden features and settings. It constantly tells me that the interface isn't attached, which is of course true, and refuses to acknowledge my Babyface Pro FS even though it is set EVERYWHERE (including within Logic) as my audio and MIDI interface. I have trashed preferences, etc.

 

Just checking - do you use the Audio MIDI Setup app, and if so, are you using a configuration that has the Babyface, not the Fireface, current?

[Iconoclast]

I think guys can argue about which DAW is best until the end of time, but the truth is that the capabilities of any of the major ones (Logic, Studio One, Pro Tools etc) far exceed the capabilities of the typical artist.

If you already have a Mac, Logic is the cheapest option and is as full featured as a DAW gets. I've used it extensively and I think it's excellent. Mostly I stick with it because I perform with Mainstage and the workflow between the two is nearly identical.

There's actually very few people in the world who have used Pro Tools and Logic enough to actually speak to the differences.

[Michael W]

On 8/6/2023 at 10:45 AM, ElmerJFudd said:

Logic Pro X is an excellent DAW for composition.  It is priced well and has the most included (sounds, instruments, fx) of any DAW on macOS.  

 

Very true.  And let's not forget the what.... 23,000 loops it comes with?  I typically only use drums and percussion stuff, but it's all rather incredible.

[Tusker]