Log InCreate An Account
  1. Plugins
  2. »
  3. Apple
  4. »
  5. Logic Pro
  6. »
  7. Reviews

Logic Pro

Sequencer / Multitrack by Apple
MyKVRFAVORITE238WANT23
$199.99

Logic Pro has an average user rating of 4.43 from 7 reviews

Rate & Review Logic Pro

User Reviews by KVR Members for Logic Pro

Logic Pro

Reviewed By musiclover55547 [all]
August 27th, 2015
Version reviewed: 10.2 on Mac

Logic Pro is an incredible DAW, and is well respected within the overall music production community. The "Suite" caters to all-- from recent Garage Band upgraders to many well-known producers and DJs.

Logic's stregths have already been capitulated, to a large degree, in a few previous reviews. However, I will state--in Bold 20 pt Italics-- this currently is and will remain a "pro" application, despite trivial comments made otherwise.

The 10.1 update was incredible unto itself-- adding several new drummers, VCAs, and other sought out features.

10.2 demonstrates the clout, strength, and commitment of Apple to the Music Production community with the addition of Alchemy, let alone many bug fixes. Logic has been quite responsive to its user base and platform improvement / feature additions (they do listen to feedback and fix bugs. Maybe not every vocal critics' deal-breakers, but as of late they have come to the plate on many issues.) One area to focus on in the mixing stage is utilizing a well planned template. One area that could be improved is the matching of the mixer to the arranger, so if you set up the approriate placeholders, including sends/aux channels, upfront, you'll be better off through the course of a production. If you're a MIDI wizard, you also could engineer your own solution in the program's environment. Logic is an extremely powerful mixing and mastering studio.

Furthermore, Logic can serve as the rewire master with the likes of Ableton or Reason, so planning for those inputs too might be necessary. Rewire can be quite the drain on CPU, however, and if you connect Ableton, be aware that the DAW only acts as a true slave-- Ableton does not give access to anything other than the ability to port loops--or "clips--" to Logic (useful in order to access their Session view.) I believe with Reason you at least have access to its plugins-- the whole reason rewire was created? Perhaps one day Logic will create a Session-driven environment-- extremely beneficial for general workflow (and heck Apple just released an additional 1000 Apple Loops with the 10.2 release.) Given the CPU drain, I prefer using Bitwig and manually porting over loops / scenes into the arranger-- if I don't mix/master on their platform.

Logic's compressor received a faceplant in 10.1, and I dare say the GUI-- and sound-- is like a third party plugin unto itself. It has six different modes, including 2 FETs, one OPTO, and 3 VCAs (in addition to the base-line Platinum.) Also, the meters offer two views, one traditional, one more animated, similar to some others out there.

Space Designer is one heck of a convolution reverb, and its algorithmic 'verbs are pretty decent. I've read that some folk have used Logic just for this plugin alone. You can create your own Implulse responses or download others from third party sources, usually free. There's actually an Impulse Response Utility deep inside the plugin to manage the process.

Alchemy effectively affords the DAW two samplers, whereby some DAWs don't even include one (of course in addition to four or so other types of synthesis.) And talk about a good GUI. This plugin too might steer you in the DAWs direction; MacProVideo just called it one of the most powerful synths out there: http://www.macprovideo.com/tutorial/whats-new-in-logic-pro-x-10-2.

The Amps-- including Bass and Pedalboard-- are strong enough to ward off third party plugins.

Channel EQ-- and Linear EQ-- are quite good plugins too, both sonically and to a large degree visually. Q/Gain linkage is a great inclusion, and the ability to resize the GUI is awesome-- as is tweaking its settings on Logic remote.

The remote can serve as a MIDI keyboard, drum machine, or other more customized inputs such as guitar strings. It too can control Logic's transport and library, and it also can control the mixer and FX plugins such as Channel EQ. It's awesome.

Enveloper is one heck of a modulation plugin, the Delay Designer is excellent, heck some of its metering plugins are surprisingy decent, there's a sub-bass plugin similar to several third party offerings, and the included instrument library is quite deep-- amazing given the price point.

Yes, the EXS24 is dated. However, Alchemy 2 can play EXS24 instruments. And talk about good sampled pianos--let alone Saxaphones, Marimbas, and the relatively new Mellotron. Then there's the vocoder, organs, clavs, electric pianos, and a ton of orchestral samples in the EXS24. Several of the large loop vendors too include patches for the sampler, often in tandem with similar files for the likes of Kontakt.

Retro synth is actually quite good, the old ES2 is too, and you can generate decent sounds with even the simplest of plugins-- the ESM.

How about Beats? The somewhat dated, yet quite capable (if not powerful) Ultrabeat has received a face-lift with the new Drummers-- and now you can swap samples with the Front End (rather than the "Back-End" Ultrabeat.) I still like to get deep and dirty with the latter; its modulation parameters, filters, OSCs, and sequencers are all extremely flexible, again albeit somewhat dated. Enter the Drummer's front end and you have a match made in heaven. And if you want to further play around with drum loops-- just add certain arrangement parameters to your project and let 'er rip. Want to explore third party plugins? Just replace Ultrabeat. Want to experiement with the loops in third party programs? Just convert the drummer regions to MIDI. I do both all the time--all the while having fun with the original sequencer in Ultrabeat. The possibilities are just about endless. Lastly, Logic includes 50+ Gigs of content / Apple Loops. If you happen to be really experimental, after playing with Alchemy's 3000+ presets (14G alone, ) create a few with your own samples.

Anyone wanna FLEX? Time or Pitch?

In summary: Strong Buy.

Read Review

Click here to read all 7 reviews

Comments & Discussion for Apple Logic Pro

Discussion
Discussion: Active
Conslaw
Conslaw
10 March 2012 at 6:55am

Nobody has anything to say about Apple Logic Pro? I'm incredulous. For $199.99, there's a LOT of stuff here. You have a pro-level DAW, with a full suite of effects including a convolution reverb, custom amps and roll-your-own guitar pedals. You get a sampler with gigabytes of content (EXS-24). You get a very nice jack-of-all-trades synth, ES-2. You get a physically modelled synth, electric piano and clav. There's a drum machine (Ultrabeat), and more loops than you'll want to sort through. There are only two things that I don't like about Logic. (1) It doesn't import General MIDI files well. (2) You don't have all the fun freeware VST instruments that are available for Windows.

rocketpower
rocketpower
7 March 2016 at 4:55am

There are various VST-in-an-AU Audio Units.

https://www.fxpansion.com/products/vst-au-adapter/.

They all cost about $100 or so.

drtimwaters
drtimwaters
20 May 2012 at 4:37pm

Conslaw, I agree with your 2 complaints about Logic. However, I have found some good workarounds:

1. I use energyXT on a PC to get samples, loops, etc. from certain PC VSTs, then convert those audio files into things Logic can use (EXS24, Apple Loops, etc.).

2. ReWire seems to be a good option for running Logic along with other DAWs at the same time.

Tim Waters

mastertrackspro
mastertrackspro
9 August 2012 at 4:59am

Love Logic, have used it since v6 after moving from Nuendo when that studio closed.

I also recommend Reason to be used alongside Logic. Low on CPU usage and great sound design possibilities.

tommym
tommym
16 July 2013 at 4:41pm

The download queue's will probably be pretty slow for a few days. I remember upgrading Mainstage to v.2 was multi-gigabyte, counting the 'Additional Software" - which was well worth it! Does anyone know if Logic X requires OS 10.8.4 minimum, like Apple says (the new) Mainstage 3 does? I'm a big fan of Mainstage 2.2. But I'm still running 10.6.8 OS X because of compatibility with other apps I use occasionally. I just upgraded MOTU's Flagship DAW, Digital Performer, which gives you great control, less instruments for sure though.. . and now works on PC's too, to v. 8. So I need Logic even less. DP has had pitch correction for a long time, and it works great. Not automatically like Auto-Tune. You draw it in. There are plenty of ways to make music these days. Is one best? Maybe...but it depends on which feature set you use most, and what you've already built your workflow and rig around. Different for everyone. Enjoy.

musiktro123
musiktro123
8 August 2014 at 2:33pm

Just a quick question. Is it possible to develop your own MIDI FXs to Logic Pro X, such as an arpeggiator that can export MIDI to the track?

pboy
pboy
8 August 2014 at 6:44pm

Yes by scripting, but someone has already done it so why "invent the wheel a second time"? It is an AU MIDI plugin called "MIDI FX Freeze" from the company Audio CR. http://www.audiocr.com/index.php

You just slap it on the MIDI signal path where you want to record MIDI and then you run the piece and drag the captured MIDI onto a new MIDI arrange track. I'm finding it super easy and it actually stopped me wishing for that function in Logic.

tommym
tommym
8 August 2014 at 2:59pm

I'd like to add to my last post about Mainstage 2 vs. Mainstage 3. I have heard that, while in Mainstage 2 you can hold keys down making a sound, then switch the Patch to a different sound, and the sound of the previous Patch keeps sounding, in Mainstage 3, this very useful feature doesn't work. Is that true? Thanks.

outofspace
outofspace
21 February 2015 at 5:07pm

best daw for $ 200.

murnau
murnau
30 August 2015 at 3:28pm

0 of 10 from me because it's not available on Win. :-P.

fizzicist
fizzicist
31 August 2015 at 4:07am

Actually, the problem is your PC hardware. If you had a Mac, you could run Windows on it, and you could also run Logic Pro in OS X. I'm not saying anything negative about Windows, so this isn't about that. It's simply a question of what hardware gives you the option to run both Windows and Mac software. So far, the Mac is it.

murnau
murnau
31 August 2015 at 6:44pm

The problem is not the PC Hardware since you can hackintosh it this is obvious. The problem is Apple they don't want that people run OS X on a windows PC. You don't seem to get that many people running OS X on PC hardware by installing OS X (as hackintosh). So there you goes your theory about the hardware.

fizzicist
fizzicist
1 September 2015 at 6:12am

Let me see if I've got this straight. Your first post whined because you couldn't run Logic on Windows, and then you claim it's not a problem after all because you can hack OS X. So which is it?

It didn't occur to me that I was dealing with someone who would openly admit to violating the user agreement and hack (steal) OS X. I stand corrected. Thanks for making that clear to everyone.

EdgarRothermich
EdgarRothermich
30 August 2015 at 11:39pm

0 of 10 for Windows, because it can't run Logic Pro X.

murnau
murnau
31 August 2015 at 6:44pm

Yeah it can't run Logic because Apple don't want it. Smart reply..

THIS POST HAS BEEN REMOVED

Role Router
Role Router
5 September 2015 at 7:10pm

I've tried to use Logic 5.5.3 for years, but it has not showed the functionality it presents as the Original, about those times I was not able to buy those kind of software. So it only has caused errors to my expectations, but the possibilities was so big and the future was so possible. But I lost all the challenge when eMagic got out of the line from PC to be only available in Mac. Macintosh seems to be a great promise to the great response it have in Hardware, but PC still are the Joy for Windows, and I am believing in a better future since them for what I have lost many times before and today just the faith.

I'm not believing anymore that will be available for PC again, and I'm not inquired to Install OS X emulated for PC. But they say that is a great Idea! I see that as a dangerous way only, who knows about a MAC Laptop/desktop in the future for the additional, but that is the way. Maybe the future will can bring OS X to PC also, but in that is another cause which costs for the Ideas I have as own.

fizzicist
fizzicist
5 September 2015 at 7:59pm

That's the best post I've read on KVR in a long time.

rocketpower
rocketpower
7 March 2016 at 5:01am

It's very clearly been google translated.

jemjem
jemjem
4 December 2023 at 7:34am

I use Logic since the 90's Atari time. since the manager became Apple the evolution is incredible, but through the years, I also noticed less and less attention from Apple about the health of the composers/customers... The last update of the OS is a giant mess (my Logic is quite sick now). Between the updates of the OS and updates of Logic each year my time to fix the backhand, bug, instabilities, plugins troubles growing up. Also the difficulty to secure a session through the years is more and more difficult and short viability. Yes Logic is not so expensive but please remind the money we spend to follow with the Apple computers and devices. I know that's not only the responsibility of Apple, there is also the delay between updates and third parties dev' and updates BUT, because Logic is at the highest point of the pyramid it's its responsibility to make all this universe working, efficient and secure.
Don't forget too the actual sade state of the music market too. Less and less money in the musician's pockets. I think a brainstorming in the Apple office about its philosophy could be welcome for the future of everybody.

Please log in to join the discussion