Logic Pro on the iPad

[burpgun]

Looks like Apple finally brought Logic Pro to the iPad, albeit with a subscription model. I personally have given up on iPads for music--so much promise, so much hassle without a real file system--but I'm sure this will work for someone. Still shocks me how much the Logic price has come down under Apple. I paid $1K for a cross grade version of Logic 20 years ago with the dongle, and I remember when Logic's big reverb came as a separate package at like $500.

https://cdm.link/2023/05/logic-pro-fina ... -the-ipad/

[Larry Mal]

Yeah, everyone is complaining about the subscription model. But this one I would pay. Actually, I wouldn't mind paying to upgrade Logic on any platform since it might lead to more development. Every company is rolling out some bullshit software with "AI" baked into it, but AI and Logic's Drummer would seem like a natural fit.

To me, though, the standout is that this software runs on M1 chip equipped iPads, which is running Apple's highest end professional softwares. This tells me that the merger of iOS and MacOS is accelerating a lot, and soon there might not be any appreciable difference.

This is bigger than just Logic, this is a big moment in computing right here.

[burpgun]

Yeah, everyone is complaining about the subscription model. But this one I would pay. Actually, I wouldn't mind paying to upgrade Logic on any platform since it might lead to more development. Every company is rolling out some bullshit software with "AI" baked into it, but AI and Logic's Drummer would seem like a natural fit.

To me, though, the standout is that this software runs on M1 chip equipped iPads, which is running Apple's highest end professional softwares. This tells me that the merger of iOS and MacOS is accelerating a lot, and soon there might not be any appreciable difference.

This is bigger than just Logic, this is a big moment in computing right here.

I'll grant that the subscription price seems reasonable. I'm out just because I just never got anywhere serious with iPad music stuff. Plus my kids broke them at a rate we just gave up on the whole thing. The M chips really are something, I'm doing my music work on an M2 Air and have yet to even slightly dent the processing capacity, and I suspect the lack of fan in my machine will never be an issue.

[JSett]

My Macbook has the M1 chip and no fan...it's never even felt warm, let alone hot.

[NBarnes21]

Makes me wonder if Apple eventually intends to make the Mac version of Logic subscription based too, with some sort of big update that would make both the Mac and iPad versions similar to each other... would not dig that

[GreenKnee]

Makes me wonder if Apple eventually intends to make the Mac version of Logic subscription based too, with some sort of big update that would make both the Mac and iPad versions similar to each other... would not dig that

I can see it happening, everything seems to be going this way unfortunately.

My 2013 MacBook Pro hasn't been updated for about 5 years now in the hope that it can last me forever. So far so good and I can still download the Logic libraries as and when I fancy - just last week I downloaded the Alchemy synthesizer to try and tame it's granular delay stuff.

[NBarnes21]

I can see it happening, everything seems to be going this way unfortunately.

My 2013 MacBook Pro hasn't been updated for about 5 years now in the hope that it can last me forever. So far so good and I can still download the Logic libraries as and when I fancy - just last week I downloaded the Alchemy synthesizer to try and tame it's granular delay stuff.

That's exactly what I did for a long time with my 2013 iMac, just upgraded to a Mac Studio as the iMac finally started sputtering here and there (ran Logic about 6 hrs/day on it). Now that I've got the latest everything, if they do go subscription I'll probably become that old guy that sticks to using an old version indefinitely

[Embenny]

To me, though, the standout is that this software runs on M1 chip equipped iPads, which is running Apple's highest end professional softwares. This tells me that the merger of iOS and MacOS is accelerating a lot, and soon there might not be any appreciable difference.

This is bigger than just Logic, this is a big moment in computing right here.

Agreed. My wife got one of the M1 iPad Pros, but it felt like a waste of a processor to me. They're finally giving people a reason to have all that horsepower under the hood.

[Larry Mal]

Until such time as someone else comes up with an alternative to Drummer, I'm stuck on Logic. If it goes subscription then so it goes... I'd possibly already be on Live or Cubase or maybe back to Digital Performer if I had any choices. Don't get me wrong- Logic is wonderful. But I'd like the choice to leave the Apple ecosystem.

[burpgun]

Until such time as someone else comes up with an alternative to Drummer, I'm stuck on Logic. If it goes subscription then so it goes... I'd possibly already be on Live or Cubase or maybe back to Digital Performer if I had any choices. Don't get me wrong- Logic is wonderful. But I'd like the choice to leave the Apple ecosystem.

As someone who has probably fixated more over getting drums right than any other element in my recordings, it's pretty wild how good the Drummer software is. Key for me is to make sure it follows another more organic element in the recording, and to take what ever files Drummer puts on the timeline and route them to different beat software. Drummer also solves one of the hardest parts of programming, and that's fills.

[Embenny]

As someone who has probably fixated more over getting drums right than any other element in my recordings, it's pretty wild how good the Drummer software is. Key for me is to make sure it follows another more organic element in the recording, and to take what ever files Drummer puts on the timeline and route them to different beat software. Drummer also solves one of the hardest parts of programming, and that's fills.

Yeah, that's pretty much the ideal workflow right there. Drummer is the main reason I haven't yet taken the plunge on buying an electric kit. I find drumming incredibly fun, but the amount of practice it would take for me to be as happy with my own parts as I am with Drummer is...a lot. And to buy a kit and not even use it for recording feels like a waste.

So I guess Drummer has saved me a bunch of money.

[mediocreplayer]

Until such time as someone else comes up with an alternative to Drummer, I'm stuck on Logic. If it goes subscription then so it goes... I'd possibly already be on Live or Cubase or maybe back to Digital Performer if I had any choices. Don't get me wrong- Logic is wonderful. But I'd like the choice to leave the Apple ecosystem.

As someone who has probably fixated more over getting drums right than any other element in my recordings, it's pretty wild how good the Drummer software is. Key for me is to make sure it follows another more organic element in the recording, and to take what ever files Drummer puts on the timeline and route them to different beat software. Drummer also solves one of the hardest parts of programming, and that's fills.

Out of curiousity what different beat software do you route drummer tracks to?

I must be in the minority who like the Logic kits as they are, but I guess I don't have that much of a tuned ear when it comes to a good drum sound.

[BTL]

[Embenny]

Out of curiousity what different beat software do you route drummer tracks to?

I must be in the minority who like the Logic kits as they are, but I guess I don't have that much of a tuned ear when it comes to a good drum sound.

I know I'm not the person you asked, but I started out with BFD, then got into EZDrummer, and then into Superior Drummer from there (which is the fuller-featured brother of EZDrummer).

EZDrummer is the sweet spot where you have way better sounds and more flexibility than Logic's kits, but it's still really approachable and quick to use. Superior Drummer is for the times when you want full mixing flexibility, but is overkill for songwriting purposes.

I've been meaning to pick up Slate's drums on one of their annual Black Friday sales, but I keep forgetting to (and am fully satisfied with Superior Drummer, but still get curious about trying other options).

[Larry Mal]

Out of curiousity what different beat software do you route drummer tracks to?

I must be in the minority who like the Logic kits as they are, but I guess I don't have that much of a tuned ear when it comes to a good drum sound.

Well, I route Drummer tracks usually out to an acoustic drum sampler like BFD, but BFD isn't working on M chip Macs that I can find. So I decided to fire up Superior Drummer but I only have 2, and there's no upgrade path to 3, which pissed me off so I won't do business with them. So then I decided to get Steven Slate Drums, I don't love them a whole lot, really. But even they aren't working as of yesterday, so I guess I have to troubleshoot that.

I almost always layer in some electronic sounds, which may dominate the whole thing, I tend to use Battery and Rob Papen's Punch. Punch also has a dedicated bass drum module so no way I ain't layering that in.

I used to also use Geist, but that also isn't working on my Mac Mini with the M2. I don't know if FXPansion might not be dead in the water, there was some weird spinoff where BFD was different from the rest of FXPansion's shit despite it being their flagship and now nothing works.

I did try and get going with Native Instrument's Machine, but never could really get on with it. The workflow is confusing to me, the sounds are great.