ROAD
TEST
Apple Logic Pro X 10.5 Digital
Audio Workstation
By Dajaun Martineau
Apple’s Logic Pro X 10.5 boasts some
incredible new features pushing
the software to the forefront of
DAW innovation, delivering brand
new tools like Live Loops, a Step
Sequencer, Sampler, and Quick Sampler that
push the technology forward while simultaneously
creating a more traditional and musical
creative experience.
In Use
The extensive Apple Loops libraries are one of
the key creative tools that drew artists – especially
electronic musicians – to Logic in the first
place. In addition to the traditional timeline, 10.5
offers a completely new workflow streamlined
to work with those loops in a non-linear fashion.
Live Loops allows you to stack and arrange
loops, building up sections without worrying
about the arrangement. Then, when it’s time
to build your song, you can quickly drag-anddrop
the loop stacks into the timeline without
copying and pasting individual parts.
The new Live Loops window looks and feels
like an old friend – a familiar sampler that you
instantly know how to use but with the added
bonus that it seamlessly ties into the rest of
the DAW. Not only is Live Loops going to be
a fantastic tool for building tracks in the studio,
but I can also see it being used live to run
backing tracks or for electronic musicians and
DJs to perform.
Apple has also made it easier than ever to
capture your own sounds and build them into
instantly-playable instruments. Building on
the established EXS24, the new Sampler and
Quick Sampler use advanced audio analysis
and machine-learning techniques to do all the
heavy lifting for you. You can now grab any
sample set – an old set of WAV files you’ve had
sitting on a drive for years but the software is
no longer functional, an odd instrument you
found in a unique music shop, some samples
you recorded into voice memos while walking
through the park, literally anything – and drag
them into the timeline. Logic will automatically
analyze pitch, velocity, silence, and ideal loop
points before it loads them into the sampler.
As a result, the sampler can automatically build
you a playable instrument in seconds. No more
building key map zones or stacking velocity
curves; just drag, drop, and play.
Quick Sampler offers similar functionality
but is based around using one sample to create
an instrument rather than a sample set. Audio
files can also be automatically mapped to additive,
granular, or spectral synthesis in Alchemy
from the same drag-and-drop function. And
of course, drum samples can be automatically
mapped out to create custom drum machines.
In addition to overhauling the sampling system
in Logic, they’ve added a new Step Sequencer.
When you first open it up, you’ll know exactly
what to do. It’s laid out intuitively just like an 808
(and every other drum machine that has come
since). They’ve also added some other incredible
features that I haven’t seen anywhere else.
Rather than having to change the note value
in order to get triplets or 16th notes, Logic now
has a Note Repeater function that permits you to
repeat a note internally however many times you
desire. You can stay in a quarter note view and
have an overview of the patterns you’ve created
while simultaneously having access to subdivisions
all the way up to glitch level. I was able to
make some intense dystopian glitch drums instantly
out of relatively normal samples without
much effort. Tools like this will definitely save me
hours of searching through online sample libraries.
Logic has also added a plethora of new
sounds, with over 2,500 new loops. There are
180 Pattern Apple Loops that can be automatically
loaded into the step sequencer and then
customized, as well as 17 Live Loop starter grids
and more than 70 new drum machines, including
Roland’s TR-808, the classic LinnDrum, and
the Simmons SDS.
In addition to all of the updates to Logic Pro,
Apple has also updated the Logic Remote. Version
1.4 now adds Live Loop functionality so
that you can use it live on an iPad just as you
would any other MIDI drum sequencer. You can
use the remote to trigger cells, switch scenes,
and utilize remix effects. Live Loops combined
with the iPad Remote have transformed Logic
into a very powerful live performance tool that
I expect to see used widely.
Summary
If all of these new features sound overwhelming,
don’t worry; Apple thought of that, too.
When you launch the software for the first time,
you’ll find three tutorials that give you a step-bystep
guide on how to use all the new features. I
was up-and-running with each of them in under
10 minutes. Plus, they have Starter Grids that
build a template for you to start making music
and having fun with it without having to worry
about technological barriers.
For any current Logic users, this update is
completely free! If you don’t currently have a
copy of Logic, they are offering a free 90-day
trial so anyone can try it.
This is one of the most significant updates to
any DAW I’ve seen. The new features push Logic
to the front of the electronic music community
while maintaining all of the features that we’ve
known for years. After using Logic Pro X 10.5,
I was left with the impression that these new
tools had always been there and I can’t imagine
working without them now. It is clear to me that
Apple has really listened to the creative community,
and this is the welcome result.
Dajaun Martineau is a producer/engineer/writer
based out of Toronto, ON, who spent the better
part of a decade as a Senior Staff Engineer at
Phase One Studios before going freelance. For
his full discography and more information, visit
www.dajaun.com.
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