Logic Studio is here

Well after much speculation, we are now able to see all that Logic Pro 8 has to offer. And perhaps the most surprising part of the announcement is the price: $499 for the full suite, and $199 for the upgrade. I thought it had to be wrong, but it seems Apple has actually cut the price in half and added some very helpful new features.

The consolodated window is a very welcome feature (thanks to the folks at MOTU for coming up with this — Digital Performer is way ahead of Logic here). Basically, this means you can access the mixer, arrange, transport, piano roll editor or whatever else you want to see in one window. There have been many times that I hit F9 (Exposé) only to find I have over a dozen windows open — and I’m not using 10 of them! The whole look seems a lot more “Apple,” meaning simpler.

The new multitake and comping tools also look amazing. I won’t try to describe them here. Check out the Logic Studio pages for more details.

The inclusion of Soundtrack Pro was not that surprising to me. I think this really allowed Apple to focus on Logic as a music production application and leave out features (and complexity) that would have duplicated Soundtrack Pro’s functionality.

The surprise for me, is a new application in the bundle called MainStage. This application basically allows you to use your favourite soft synths in a live performance setting without having to have Logic open. The look and feel of this app is also very simple — a welcome feature for live use.

The latest release of Logic is in no way a “Pro Tools killer,” but rather a very professional music production suite that allow both musicians and engineers a swiss army knife of tools to create — and perform — with ease and flexibility. I’ll be picking up my copy shortly. -mc