LOGIC PRO Updates to 10.8
Apple’s 10.8 update to Logic Pro is quite interesting. It’s been some time since I’ve been excited about a Logic update, but this one brings a couple new devices, full compatibility with iOS version, and a new editing tool that I’ve been wanting for quite some time. Of course there is a whole [changelog] available on their website if you are looking for anything particularly specific or just want to see everything. I’ll only really be discussing a few of my personal favorite new features.
First of all, a couple new devices have been added: “Sampler-Alchemy”, “Beat Breaker”, and a “Mastering Assistant”. The mastering assistant is only available for the stereo output channel and is designed to be used at the end of production. You’re supposed to analyze your track and it should give ideal settings for a “professional” master. I haven’t tested this one out yet but I will be sure to update this article when I do. Beat Breaker is a time manipulation tool, specifically designed around rhythmic sequencing. It has three channels, one for time, repeats, and volume. Beat Breaker comes with quite a few presets, with each main preset containing a variety of sub presets. Even just clicking through these various presets can lead to some interesting ideas.
The “Sampler-Alchemy” instrument seems to be a new device built on aspects from the Alchemy synthesizer. I’m not sure if this is an elaborate preset with custom UI, or something entirely new containing pieces from Alchemy. The main design of “Sampler Alchemy” seems to be inspired by the iOS app SMPLR, and the UI seems like it’d be just a bit more fun on iOS too. It lets you load in a sample, and arrange 4 playheads onto this sample with various playback modes. These playheads can loop regions, bow/scrub the sample like a granular synth, or even play through in series like an arp. These various playback modes are what remind me of SMPLR, where you can articulate a sample via various playback modes at the touch of each finger. One really fun aspect here is that each playhead can be set to either granular, additive, or spectral mode, each with various settings and sub modes to give different characteristics per playback. This is all pitched based on input midi, and fed into a filter which includes a neat little FM mode as well. You can record the motion of each playhead as well, but I haven’t quite figured out how to get this to work reliably. All this adds together for one of the stranger instruments added to an otherwise straightforward DAW.
Finally, a feature I’ve been waiting quite some time for, even to the point it was one of the main reasons I switched over to Bitwig. Apple have added a “Slip” tool to Logic. If you are unfamiliar with audio slipping, you might not understand why this is so powerful. It’s a bit tricky to explain, but audio slipping is like moving a sample, without moving the clip start and end points relative to the transport. Think of the clip as a window into the audio, you’re not moving the frame, just the audio behind the frame. This is very important for sample based workflows, where you might set up the timing of various clips and transitions, but want to play around with the audio within those clips. The’ve even added a nifty “rotate” mode, which works similarly, but rotates the information as though it were a loop. Audio slipping also respects your “snap” settings, meaning you can slip by beat division if you’d like