Today at Apple's Let Loose event we got our first look at the new M4 chip and the new iPad Pros it powers. The next-generation iPad Air and the new Apple Pencil Pro, but it wasn't all hardware. Apple also briefly talked about the latest releases of Final Cut and the new version of Logic Pro for iPad and Mac. Apple's beloved flagship DAW has been punching a rhythm for years now, with the app receiving a major overhaul in 2021 and a relatively steady stream of new features (by Apple standards, anyway) since then. But today we're celebrating the unveiling of Logic Pro for iPad 2 and Logic Pro for Mac 11. Let's dive into some details about the new AI technology, smart stem splitter, and more.
More virtual musicians with artificial intelligence, for which you don’t need to buy beer
Apple introduced Logic’s Drummer as one of the “world’s first” software products. true generative digital musicians with artificial intelligence for over a decade. Okay, that's a bit of a stretch, but it can really pack a punch or two, and it's quite customizable and smart. With the new Logic Pro for iPad 2, the company has brought much of that technology (and hopefully some improved capabilities) into its new virtual bass player and keyboard player.
Presumably they'll provide the same customizable options and versatility that Drummer offers these days, and look to be an exciting new addition to Logic Pro's commitment to using AI-like features while maintaining artistic integrity and individual creative approach. personality.
Session Players enhance the live performance experience while giving artists complete freedom of action at any stage of the music creation process.
Bassist
Apple says the bassist is “trained” by “the best bassists today using cutting-edge artificial intelligence and sampling technologies.” There will be eight different bassists to choose from (presumably organized by style/genre, much like a drummer would be) with plenty of variables to vary the performance and groove. – “complexity and intensity, slides, muting, dead notes and beats.”
The bassist can play along with your chord progressions, or you can choose from 100 loops to draw on. Chord Track allows performers to “define and edit chord progressions in a song,” and you can use the Studio Bass plugin to select the instrument the bass player actually owns—“six new, carefully recorded instruments, from acoustic to electric—all inspired by with the sounds of today's most popular bass tones and genres.”
Keyboard player
It looks like much of this is also being carried over to the keyboard player, where users can choose from four different styles. Apple's AI Key Tickler Jammer can play simple locked chord hits and understand chord voicings with alternate harmony extensions, while using the same Chord Track options and the Studio Piano plugin mentioned above.
Stem splitting recording recovery (an easy way to steal samples)
We've seen this technology pop up in various third-party products over the years, and more recently in the MPC ecosystem, but now Logic Pro has its own Stem Splitter. It allows users to split audio files into four separate parts: drums, bass, vocals and “other instruments”—requiring Apple M-series silicon hardware.
Apple is promoting this feature as a kind of restoration tool to salvage the magic, with that you've encountered while recording stereo voice memos, something you did on an old tape or even recorded live. And it's theoretically possible, and, knowing Apple, probably quite well. But I'm just going to use it to separate vocals and sounds from other people's recordings for sampling, like the rest of us. Just kidding, not kidding.
Either way, this could be really cool and just another feature that Apple adds to Logic Pro for the same price so we don't have to spend money on it elsewhere.
Chroma Analog Glow
ChromaGlow is still a mystery to me. During today's event presentation, it initially seemed like this would be some sort of direct update to ChromaVerb. And it looks like that's true to some extent, but it looks like there's more to it, as well as additional analog saturation processing – perhaps something similar to what we'd get from analog compressors and equalizers. or ribbon emulation plugins.
Here's how Apple describes it:
Users can select the perfect tone with five different saturation styles to add ultra-realistic warmth, presence and energy to any track. They can also choose between modern clean sounds, nostalgic vintage warmth or more extreme styles that can be shaped to suit their taste.
Did I get it wrong? Is it just a new reverb plugin with some nice analogue saturation options? Cool anyway.
Logic Pro for iPad 2 (I'll call it Logic Pro 2 for iPad from now on) will also be released on May 13th as a free upgrade for $4.99 (US ) per month. or$49(US) per year.
The new Logic Pro for Mac 11 (starting with names again) is available May 13th as a free update to all existing users at the regular price of $199.99. for those who are jumping for the first time.
