Can I buy Logic Pro 9 on its own?...

No, you can't.

No you can't buy L9 without the rest like Compressor, Soundtrack PRO and Mainstage. Express deosn't have Space Designer and it doesn't have Sculpture (physical modelling synth). Everything else is the same as fas I know (never used Express, only read about it).

Think of Logic Studio as buying only Logic Pro 9, but getting a whole bunch of extras for free.

And it's still half the price, and ten times the content, of what Logic Pro used to be on it's own.

And Logic Pro, came with all the optional extras which used to make the full Logic Platinum twice as much as Logic Pro was.

Basically, quit whinging about the price, and just buy it 🙂

Indeed.

The Space Designer reverb plug-in alone used to cost as much as the entire suite today (and it was worth it, too).

Think of Logic Studio as buying only Logic Pro 9, but getting a whole bunch of extras for free.

And it's still half the price, and ten times the content, of what Logic Pro used to be on it's own.

And Logic Pro, came with all the optional extras which used to make the full Logic Platinum twice as much as Logic Pro was.

When I was first starting out, I was lucky enough to sort of intern at a studio, where I composed for commercials and very bad corporate videos and such. I was barely 18 at the time, and among other gear, the hallowed music production workstation I was trained on to do this work was the Fairlight series 3. By then the Fairlight was already a bit past its prime (this was the early 90s), but just to make a point - the thing cost like 100 grand. And was significantly less capable than one instance of the EXS 24. In fact, the laptop I use now, does more than everything we could do in that whole studio back then, outboard gear included. OK I'm not counting the mics and preamps. Nor the acoustically designed control room or recording rooms. But you get the point.

Ok I sound like grandpa going on about you young whipper-snappers, you have no idea how good you have it etc.. But I'm a pro musician only in my mid 30s, so it wasn't really that long ago.
499 bucks for everything I had access to in a multi-million dollar studio back then? Sounds like a more or less reasonable deal to me.

hi, Hoping you can help. We are beginners, so i'm trying to decide which i need. More features are great, but *is LogicPro9 more complicated compared to LogicExpress9* for a BEGINNER than we need? My daughter is composing music, currently in GarageBand, i bought LE8 but found it overwhelming, so she's using GB. Logic looks cool, i know she would use the Notations & Scoring, and Vocal track editing etc. Plus her Dad wants to learn the "editing/mixing" aspect. I don't mind paying more, I just don't want to be overwhelmed. Thanks in advance.

LogicPro9 more complicated compared to LogicExpress9 for a BEGINNER than we need?

They are essentially the same program - Logic Pro has some extra pro-oriented features. So it's not really more "complicated", but if you already find Logic Express complicated, then you will have the same opinion of Logic Pro.

My daughter is composing music, currently in GarageBand, i bought LE8 but found it overwhelming, so she's using GB.

So stick to GB. Logic is a pro application - if you/she isn't there yet, then stick with what works for you.

Logic looks cool, i know she would use the Notations & Scoring, and Vocal track editing etc. Plus her Dad wants to learn the "editing/mixing" aspect.

So continue to use GB while playing with Logic and seeing how it fits, if you want to learn. Pro software is deep, and it takes invested time to learn. Some of us here have been using Logic for nearly twenty years..!

I don't mind paying more, I just don't want to be overwhelmed

I recommend getting some introductory video tutorials from MacProVideo or other companies to help get you started. They are probably the easiest way of getting started.

Thanks a million. I'll upgrade to LE9 and have her do her initial recordings in Garage Band for now. I know she'll need the guitar chord feature, to have others play her music with her.

Sounds like a plan! Don't forget that you can load your GB songs directly into Logic, which can help make the transition also.

Have fun, get some video tutorials, and do ask if you get really stuck... 🙂

You may want to consider purchasing some tutorial before buying more software. If you can master Garageband first, it will be way easier to jump into LE. Even if you get LE9- invest in the tutorials- It won't be easy either way and will take years to master. But it is worth it.