APPLE LOGIC PRO 7
Feb 1, 2005 12:00 PM, BY ROBERT HANSON
A couple of years ago, when the word came in that Apple had purchased Emagic, the reactions were very mixed. Many PC users were certainly put into a tight spot: They could either change platforms or abandon their favorite sequencer. For the Mac crowd, there was concern that a cutting-edge application like Logic would get watered down into some sort of iDAW. But the vast majority of users felt a great sense of relief. Finally, the people who were making the hardware and OS would finally be the ones making the application. Although this may sound a bit sinister to the conspiracy theorists, for those who had torn their hair out for the past decade or so while trying to get this great promise of a studio-in-a-box to actually work reliably, this was all great news.
Apple picked up Emagic midstream during the Logic 5 era, and though version 6 offered a number of key refinements, it still retained most of the look and feel of the previous versions. With version 7, however, the transition of the Logic platform from a Mac-friendly application to a Mac-designed application has now been fully realized. The product line has been broken into two tiers: Logic Pro 7 and Logic Express 7. The Pro version includes the whole shebang; users get all of the effects and all of the instruments, including top-shelf items such as Ringshifter, Match EQ, Linear Phase EQ, Ultrabeat, Sculpture, the renowned Space Designer and more. The Express version is the same basic application without a number of the high-dollar effects and instruments, and it goes for about a third of the price. Both versions sport a new streamlined look and layout that enhances work flow while not putting off longtime users.
FIRST STEPS
Getting up and running with Logic 7 is really no different than with previous Mac OS X versions of the product. Simply insert the disc, double-click on the installer, enter your password, and you're essentially set. For copy protection, the program still requires a dongle, or XSKey, which ships with every boxed version. Because the platform is now broken into only two versions, the copy-protection process for Logic Pro 7 is much more streamlined. With Logic 5 and 6, separate registrations were required for the various instruments and effects, but, thankfully, the consolidation that began late in the game with version 6 has been carried over to 7. Also of note, Logic Pro 7 requires the latest revision to OS X, which at the time of writing this was 10.3.3.
Launching the program for the first time will give users their first sense that things are new. To begin with, the old blue tortoise-shell icon for Logic has been replaced with an analog-synth-inspired piece. But more important, upon startup, the program will scan your plug-in folder for all available Audio Units plug-ins to see if they pass the Apple Audio Units Validation requirements. The purpose of the AU Validation Tool is to ensure compatibility and stability with third-party products. And I guarantee that not all of your plug-ins will pass — even items that worked yesterday on the same machine under Logic 6 may not pass the validation process. For me, and this was back in October 2004, a number of items, such as IK Multimedia Amplitude and Waves plugs, didn't make it, but all of my Universal Audio UAD-1 and TC PowerCore plugs did. It's all dependent on the third-party compliance with Apple's latest version of the AU spec, and suffice it to say, most companies have already addressed the issue and posted updates. If you absolutely must use a plug-in that doesn't pass the initial scan, it is possible to go into the utility (Logic Pro > Preferences > Start Logic AU Manager) and force the program to recognize it, but it's not always pretty. I tried to make a few crucial Waves plug-ins active without updating them, and I eventually had to force-quit the program and make them again unavailable. The moral of the story is to keep your plug-ins as current as possible.
Once you've cleared the initial startup, the Logic Setup Assistant is available to guide users through the setup of their audio and MIDI interfaces, and a number of prebuilt templates, ranging from multitrack recording to MIDI composition and so on, are available. For previous users of the program, much of this will be old news, and most will be able to cruise right through and get working. For newcomers to the application, the setup utility takes the guesswork out of the initial configuration of the system, and the selectable templates greatly reduce the program's learning curve, allowing newbies to get their hands dirty much sooner.
For testing purposes, I used the program on a Mac G5/dual 2.5GHz, with 4 GB of RAM, with two UAD-1 cards and a PowerCore Compact, as well as on a G4/1GHz PowerBook with 768 MB of RAM. For audio hardware, I used an Apogee Mini-Me and Mini DAC combination as well as an M-Audio FireWire 1814 interchangeably between the two systems. On the MIDI front, I used an Emagic MT|4 for my external hardware, and I kept an M-Audio Oxygen8 plugged into the front-panel USB port on the G5. I also used a LaCie 160GB FireWire hard drive with the two systems and had no trouble starting sessions on one computer and opening them again with the other.
With these two systems, I was essentially able to test the top and bottom end of the spectrum. And without going into great detail right away, performance on the dual G5 was amazingly good. High track and plug-in counts were no problem with this system. On the PowerBook, the performance was also great. I use the laptop mainly for mobile recording gigs, so I'm never really straining the system, but Logic 7 felt surprisingly nimble. Overall, most users moving from Logic 6 to Logic 7 should notice a slight performance increase.
THE NEW WORK SPACE
Although Logic 7 is a substantial rewrite of the program, it doesn't feel like you're landing on foreign soil. Nearly every major feature is in pretty much the same place as it was in Logic 6, but everything has undergone a degree of refinement and retooling. For instance, the tool icons look slightly different than they did before. Also, the Edit, Functions, Audio and View pull-down menus on the main Arrange window have been expanded and slightly reorganized. Now, the upper-left corner of the window includes Edit, Track, Regions, MIDI, Audio and View pull-down menus. Longtime users of the program will almost immediately discover that the Create Track function they used to find under the Functions pull-down has now been moved to the Track pull-down and so on. It will take a few hours to get totally reacquainted with things, and once you do, you can really dive into the new features.
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