Looks like Logic, with all it's power is destined to become the world's most full featured app toy.. not by design but by the demands of it's soon to be, largest demographic... beginners. Nothing against beginners but when they become the core of the user base things will change, they're already changing. Logic's recent new features are playing catch up to features that have been available on other systems for a few years.
Logic X is merely a "pretty new UI" release, with a couple of tacked on gimmicks to make it look like it's not just a pretty new UI release.
Granted, it's a lot of fun - I had a blast playing with the iPad remote and noodling along with the drummer yesterday. But it's certainly not a professional DAW anymore, and clearly is heading away from that direction. Apple (probably rightly for their business model) has decided not to compete with Avid and go in their own direction, appealing to the masses.
Good for them of course, and it's a great piece of software. But it shouldn't have the Pro in its name anymore.
Hi Miles... What do you see as being less of a pro app than LP9?
Data Stream Studio wrote:
Hi Miles... What do you see as being less of a pro app than LP9?
The direction it's moving in.
I can't find a single thing that was added to this release that a "Pro" user would find useful. Even things that sounded exciting, such as Flex Pitch, non-destructive audio editing and Smart Controls, don't really have much practical use in a working studio as far as I can tell. Flex Pitch might have been useful if it was any good, but have you tried it? It sounds awful. Everything that has been added (which I'll admit again is very "fun") is flashy compositional stuff that makes it quick and easy for anyone to knock out some cool sounding beats.
If this was a "Pro" piece of software, that kind of stuff may or may not have a place, but you would also address things like the broken routing mechanism and lack of configurability in the mixer, as well as not breaking essential things like the ability to quickly create MIDI tracks and instead replacing it with superficial "Track Stacks" so that beginners don't have to learn what an Aux channel is.
That's why it's less of a Pro app now. Nothing was added to justify that title.
Looks too good to be pro!
But seriously, the more beginners buy it, the more dosh they make and so the better they can afford to make it.
But seriously, the more beginners buy it, the more dosh they make and so the better they can afford to make it.
Agreed, and no doubt it will get better. Look, don't get me wrong - it's a fantastic piece of software and I'm sure the user base will increase as a result of this release. But it will be a different demographic, and that demographic does not include working studios.
Believe me, I can't bear the thought of having to switch to Pro Tools - I've been using and loving Logic since it was called Notator. But as someone who earns a living as a mix engineer, I can't continue to kid myself that Logic will continue to be developed as a DAW that will improve my working life.
Logic is a fantastic production and composition tool that is going to get a whole new generation interested in making music. That's a great thing. But it's very different to being a professional DAW that has a place in a commerical studio. Logic has been skirting this line for a while, and it just picked its side.
"I can't continue to kid myself that Logic will continue to be developed as a DAW that will improve my working life."
But thats speculation, you may well be right! who knows? but as Data asked "What do you see as being less of a pro app than LP9"?
But thats speculation, you may well be right! who knows? but as Data asked "What do you see as being less of a pro app than LP9"?
I already answered that above - see my response to Data.
Should have said that differently, what I meant was where is it less 'Pro' than before? we dont have to use the gimmicks and if they help it sell more then Apple can invest more in it, have more reason to, and more time to listen to the pro users and make it better, will not the faults go soon in the updates like before?
wow i don't get the griping at all. sure, there are things to improve. and moving from L9 to LX is a little dizzying at first...the GUI is so different.
but track stacks, midi effects, the new drum designer, flexpitch (which is working fine here)...and lots of other 'logical' enhancements.
even things i don't use (but find impressive); the new apple loops. drummer.
overall, am finding i like it better each day (and hey, it's only day 3).
live with it, work with it a few weeks, a month. THEN decide if it's good for you (or not).
where is it less 'Pro' than before?
Important existing features are either unchanged (i.e. unimproved) or damaged, whereas new features are superficial and gimmicky.
A major new release of any software package should provide useful new features to its target demographic. Look at the complete list of new features in this release and ask yourself who the target demographic is.
Imagine if Adobe released a new version of Photoshop that included built-in Instragram sharing and next generation tilt-shift filters, but removed the shortcuts for creating adjustment layers.
could you be specific?? what's damaged, which features are 'superficial and gimmicky'?
Well, let's look at your own list:
- MIDI effects
These aren't new. They've been there forever in the Environment. Logic X has just added pretty UI wrappers around them. That's great - makes them much more usable and accessible. But it's superficial change.
- Flex Pitch
Have you used Melodyne? Any pro user worth their salt already uses Melodyne for time and pitch correction. Flex Pitch is neat and convenient, but it introduces audible artifacts on every source I've tried it on. It's just not very good.
- Track Stacks
This is the worst one: a superficial change that has damaged an important existing feature. The only benefit to Tracks Stacks is it saves you having to manually set up an Aux channel. It has come at the expense of the "Create new track with next MIDI channel" command, which no longer exists.
- Drummer
Gimmicky. It's really just another set of Apple Loops, with little pictures of hipster drummers. There isn't much variability. Imagine how many songs are going to get created with this - all with the exact same drum track.
Also badly damaged is the Environment. They haven't even bothered to update it to the new UI style, which means that existing projects that made heavy use of it now look garbled, and in the worst cases have inaccessible objects off the side of the visible area.
Look - again - I think it's a great piece of software. I'm not griping (or at least not trying to). I'm just trying to point out that there is not much here that's new or innovative, or honestly that useful in the long run. It's fun, but it does it improve your workflow in a professional setting?
With all things considered, Logic does everything i can think that a mix engineer would like it to. It has full mixing capabilities and plugin support - I can't see how it is any better or any worse than any DAW on the market in that respect?
Surely the biggest difference between DAW's is their workflow and how it suits your style? Ableton takes a completely different approach and will probably remain my favourite for more Techno/loop based music. Logic, however, still remains my favourite for guitar/band work.
As a hobbyist i love the direction that it's going, and the price point is amazing! Many people are self publishing their music and software is changing as a result.
For me the difference between a professional and a bedroom producer is the skill sets they possess, not the software they have installed.
"For me the difference between a professional and a bedroom producer is the skill sets they possess, not the software they have installed."
Clichè.....
It has full mixing capabilities
No, it doesn't. Try sending mono audio tracks from Logic to your console via output channels 1 and 2 and see how far you get. Try panning your aux sends without setting up horribly convoluted routing.
As a hobbyist i love the direction that it's going, and the price point is amazing! Many people are self publishing their music and software is changing as a result.
Absolutely - it's going in a great direction for hobbyists, and it's going to open up a whole exicting new world for lots of people. That's a good thing.
For me the difference between a professional and a bedroom producer is the skill sets they possess, not the software they have installed.
Agreed. A professional will get great results regardless of the software. A great DAW doesn't make anything sound better; a great DAW allows you to work more efficiently.
Such a piece of software that calls itself "Pro", but - in its first major update in four years - provides not a single feature that professional users have been asking for, cannot continue to call itself "Pro." IMHO.
May be time to head elsewhere..
