Logic Pro

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Logic Pro
Developer:	Apple Computer
Latest release:	7.2.3 / 2006-09-27
OS:	Mac OS X
Use:	MIDI Sequencer + Digital Audio Workstation
License:	Proprietary
Website:	www.apple.com/logic/

Logic Pro is a MIDI sequencer and Digital Audio Workstation software application that runs on the Mac OS X platform. Originally created by German software developer C-Lab, then Emagic, Logic Pro became an Apple product when Apple bought out Emagic in 2002. A cut-down version, Logic Express, is also available from Apple. GarageBand also uses Logic's audio engine.

[edit] History of the Logic sequencer

[edit] Early History

Logic started life as the MIDI sequencer C-Lab Creator on the Atari ST platform in the 1980s (the ST was an early favorite among MIDI users during the mid-80s.) As the program advanced, and music notation was added, it was named C-Lab Notator. Sometime in the late 80s(?) due to massive growth in popularity of Cubase, Creator/Notator was given a complete rewrite and became Logic. With increasingly powerful computing hardware becoming available to users throughout the 1990s, succeeding generations of the Logic software were released with ever more powerful inbuilt audio processing tools. New versions of Logic do much more than simply send and receive MIDI messages, and Logic's Audio Unit based effects and synthesiser plugins have become well-respected tools for composers and producers worldwide.

Notator first arrived in the USA from Germany in the fall of 1988 with version 1.12. This was a tremendous event for those who were trying to do electronic music on computers. Digidesign was their early US distributor. Up till this point, sequencers were crude and clumsy, or were esoteric and difficult to navigate and had few if any graphics and didn't use the mouse. Notator was like a dream come true in terms of ease of use. It had a clean "hi res." paperwhite display, like the Mac, but larger, and its complex midi crunching functions were non-destructive and a mere mouse click away. It was also relatively expensive. Notator 1.12 had a suggested list price of $649.

Over its history, the program evolved through many version upgrades and was offered for both Mac and Windows.

[edit] Apple's Acquisition

Apple acquired Emagic in July 2002^[1]. Support for the Windows version has been dropped and Apple now advertises Logic Pro as one of its flagship software 'pro' applications for the Macintosh platform. Besides the release of the incredibly successful Garageband, Apple consolidated over 20 different Emagic products, including all instrument and effect plug-ins, Waveburner Pro (CD Authoring application), and the Pro Tools TDM support package, into a single product called Logic Pro (however TDM compatibility is not supported by Logic 7 running on Intel-based Mac computers ^[2][3]). Apple also released a scaled down version of Logic called Logic Express, replacing two previous versions that filled that position called Logic Silver and Logic Gold.

In late 2004, Apple released version 7 of Logic Pro and Express. A few of the noteworthy additions to Logic Pro 7 included the integration of Apple Loops, Distributed Audio Processing - an innovative technology for combining the power of multiple computers on a network, 3 new instruments including; Sculpture - a sound modeling synth, Ultrabeat - a drum synth and sequencer, and 9 new effect plug-ins including, Guitar Amp Pro - a guitar amp simulator, and a linear phase corrected version of their 6 channel parametric EQ. In total, Logic Pro 7 now included 70 effect plug-ins and 34 instrument plug-ins.

[edit] Features

The Space Designer plugin attempts to emulate the characteristic echo and reverberation of a physical environment, using a technology called convolution.

The Ringshifter effect, new in version 7, which adds a 'metallic sheen' to music.

Logic Pro provides software instruments, synthesisers, audio effects and recording facilities for music synthesis. It also supports Apple Loops - professionally-recorded instrument loops that can be used as beats and are royalty-free. Audio effects include distortions, dynamics processors, equalization filters and delays. The Space Designer plugin, for example, simulates the acoustics of audio played in different environments, such as rooms of varying size, or producing the echoes that might be heard on high mountains. Logic can work with MIDI keyboards and control surfaces for input and processing. It also features real-time scoring in musical notation, supporting guitar tablature, chord abbreviations and drum notation.

Logic Pro and Express share much functionality and virtually the same interface. Logic Express is limited to two-channel stereo mixdown, while Logic Pro can handle multichannel surround sound. Both can handle up to 255 audio tracks, depending on system performance (CPU, Hard disk Throughput and Seek time). A Logic Pro/Express feature comparison table can be found on Apple's site.

The application also features distributed processing abilities, which can function across an Ethernet LAN. One machine runs the Logic Pro app, while the other machines on the network run the Logic node app. Logic will then offload the effects and synth processing to the other machines on the network. If the network is fast enough (i.e. gigabit Ethernet) this works in real time. This allows a user to use machines that are not powerful enough to be used as the main DAW but still able to make a significant contribution to the digital signal processing.

[edit] Notable users

Some notable users include Snow Patrol, The Chemical Brothers, Christina Aguilera, Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, 'N Sync, Nine Inch Nails, Charlie Clouser, Peter Gabriel, John McLaughlin, and Gwen Stefani.^[4]

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Logic Express
• Logic Control
• Audio Units
• Core Audio

[edit] External links

• Official Logic Pro home page
• Logic Pro Tech Specs
• Logic Pro Features