Logic Studio

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=6E4EC444&nplm=MA797LL/A

INCLUDES Logic Pro 8, Mainstage, Soundtrack Pro 2 -
All for $499 USD, 500 less than the last version of Logic. (You get a free upgrade if you purchased Logic 7)

Anyone planning on getting it? With the huge price drop, are there going to be features left out of the new version of Logic?

On another note - I am just starting to think about producing my own tracks...did not want to jump into Logic Pro for $999, but this makes it slightly more palatable. Can anyone tell me if my computer will run Logic Pro 8 smoothly? I know I have the minimum specs required, but I will eventually be making songs with up to 70 tracks or more per song- is my machine capable, or do I need to upgrade to a MBP?

Actually, I'm pretty sure my little ol' Macbook wouldn't be able to handle 70 tracks smoothly...but in the meantime, how about like 30-40?

Yeah I'm certainly going to be getting it. Hurrah for the price drop!

I've been speaking to a few people at the Mac shops and I've had various responses. Some say that Macbooks will run fine with any Logic, whereas others tell me that that it will run but there are certain to be freezes and slower use. So sorry, I can't be much use I'm afraid.

So do you reckon Logic is being updated to coincide with Leopard? I just bought my MBP and it should be delivered just before Leopard is pre-installed on all Macs. I hope Logic Studio works just as well with Tiger as with Leopard. Otherwise I shall be cross! I know I can upgrade to Leopard for $200 but I don't really want to if Tiger is all I need.

I doubt that would be the case, since it has already been released, and Leopard isn't out yet. You'll be fine with Tiger, I'm sure.

Brandon said:

Actually, I'm pretty sure my little ol' Macbook wouldn't be able to handle 70 tracks smoothly...but in the meantime, how about like 30-40?

Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing me here.

70 tracks is not an issue, unless they're all 24-bit, 192khz with layered effects. You can just bounce stuff and mixdown regularly, you'll be fine. I use Logic Express 7 on my Macbook too.

A Macbook is no less able to run Logic than a MBP. A faste external Firewire HDD is helpful.

I am very very tempted by this new edition.

Thanks for the advice.

From what I heard speaking with an apple guy at the genius bar the other day, and from what I read on another forum, the main changes/upgrades seem to be a new interface, workflow improvement, more instruments, and perhaps most interesting, tempo matched audio. You can even open and match audio from Logic Pro 7.

I'm also really interested in checking out Mainstage - looks similar to Abelton Live...all of this stuff for $499???

Sweet.

Brandon said:

Thanks for the advice.

From what I heard speaking with an apple guy at the genius bar the other day, and from what I read on another forum, the main changes/upgrades seem to be a new interface, workflow improvement, more instruments, and perhaps most interesting, tempo matched audio. You can even open and match audio from Logic Pro 7.

I'm also really interested in checking out Mainstage - looks similar to Abelton Live...all of this stuff for $499???

Sweet.

Click to expand...

Now that's worth paying for. In LE7, you have to export the audio to AppleLoops, give it some fixed tags that are useless and then re-import it as a loop. Hopefully now you can just drag and drop the audio and tempo match it in real time, a-la Ableton Live style.

I could be mistaken, but I believe you can.

Ok, I would like to purchase The Logic Studio Box set, but right now i'm working off a 17" PowerBook G4 and I'm not exactly sure i have the requirements to run these programs smoothly. I'd like to know what i need to upgrade (if anything) to run the new Logic smoothly.

Here's my G4 specs right now:

Machine Name: PowerBook G4 17"
Machine Model: PowerBook5,5
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.1)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1.5 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 167 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.8.6f0
Internal Hard Drive: 160gb

Everything is "STOCK" from Mac except for an upgraded internal hard drive. I upgraded from the 80gb hard drive to a 160gb. I realize that you have to keep up with technology but i cant really buy a new computer everytime MAC upgrades to the next best thing. I LOVE MAC and its the only thing i like to work on.. but they just upgrade too fast for me sometimes.

If anyone can help me with this, i would really appreciate it. I want to start producing my own music in LOGIC is (what i hear) the best program to have for music production.

From looking at your spec's i would probably say no.
I have a macbook 2ghz dual core 2, 4mb cache, 2gb ram. Logic 8 glitches sometimes and when even browsing the net at the same time it can cut out.

On the note that is Logic the best. For beginners yes definitely, value for money is spectacular. I Have used Cubase sx3 and Logic blitzes that. I also run Pro Tool LE7 on my macbook and i'm torn between the two. Logic is easier to use but also it can let you get into a trap of being lazy, it does everything for you. When using pro tools i feel like i'm actually in control of the settings where as Logic is very much set-up really well from the start point.

robmac said:

On the note that is Logic the best. For beginners yes definitely, value for money is spectacular. I Have used Cubase sx3 and Logic blitzes that. I also run Pro Tool LE7 on my macbook and i'm torn between the two. Logic is easier to use but also it can let you get into a trap of being lazy, it does everything for you. When using pro tools i feel like i'm actually in control of the settings where as Logic is very much set-up really well from the start point.

Click to expand...

I really don't agree with that. On the surface, yes Logic is easier to get to grips with, and the workflow is very powerful and allows you to get quick results very efficiently (unlike Cubase). BUT... if you dig under the bonnet, and get to grips with the Environment (note the capitalization), Logic is immensely powerful and you can literally create everything from scratch if you want.

I bought Logic after using Pro Tools for a long time, and I like them both and will continue to use Pro Tools I'm sure(sometimes, it's just easier to work in the project format you're sent!).

That said, I agree with Zoolook - I've already found a great deal of power under the hood of Logic (Express, going to be Studio with the next cheque), and I've barely scratched the surface. Both DAWs have a lot of power (so does Cubase, but YOIKS it is arduous to do things there ... /shudder). To me, however, Pro Tools has only one mode, "Advanced Intermediate". Logic has "Beginner / Fast" and scales all the way up to "Extreme Workhorse".

One of the things I noticed is that Logic was very well set up the first time I launched it (as robmac pointed out). Pro Tools isn't bad at that either, but I'm always tweaking it when I sit down at a new workstation or re-installing it. That's a good thing! When I needed to, I found Logic to be very tweakable.

I just find it more flexible to use. If I'm doing something quickly, all the nitty-gritty is tucked away and I can just get to work. When I need to get right down into it, it's all there and easy to get to and understand. (Kinda like OS X - go figger!) I love the interface - all in one, or pop out the windows I want to focus on. It took me a day of doing whatever came to mind to appreciate how well it all works for me. Pro Tools doesn't conform to my tasks in the same way - it's more the other way around.

At the very end, software is a metaphor for whatever you're doing, and you're going to have your own set of symbols and processes that you prefer. Beg or borrow access to someone else's computer if you need to, to explore and experiment, and find out which metaphor works best for you, and for what you want to do. The good news is that the upgrade from Logic Express to Logic Studio costs the same as the price difference between them as complete packages. This is what convinced me to try it out. I bought Express for $200, loved it, and for $300 more I'll be upgrading to Studio. That's a much less risky proposition than shelling out $500 for Studio in the first place, for one who's never used Logic before.

If you're curious, I encourage you to get some hands on with it, one way or another. You could really be missing out on something good.