Plugging It In

Effects, Plug-ins, ,

Do you need to buy third-party plug-ins when you have Logic Pro X?

Short answer: Probably not.

Longer answer: Logic Pro X comes with tons of plug-ins, both instruments and effects. Lots of instruments are well-covered in Logic, but some haven’t been updated for a number of years and some types just haven’t been covered. So there are lots of good reasons to buy third-party instrument plug-ins. But as far as effect plug-ins, I think for many people Logic has what you need. Sure there are some types of plug-ins that Logic does not include (tape emulators and analog-style VU meters are two off the top of my head) so if you need or want those, third-party is the only way to go. On the other hand, Logic comes with a bunch of compressors, reverbs, EQs, and more that should be enough for almost anyone to get started.

That’s not to say there aren’t some great third-party plug-ins out there. I fully support them. If you feel they work better for your workflow, if you think they sound better or right for what you’re trying to do, or they came with your interface, have at it. There’s no reason you shouldn’t use them. My point here is that I see a lot of people ask if they should get a plug-in from Chalk Digital or Trough Audio because they heard it was great. They may be, but you should ask yourself if you’re at a point where you can even tell the difference between their plug-in and the one in Logic. What’s cool is that you can often download the trial and listen for yourself. If you can hear the difference, if the third-party one works more intuitively for you, or if for some other reason you like it better, go for it. But there’s no reason to buy it sight unseen because someone told you to and you don’t really know if there’s an audible difference for you. If there’s a free trial, try it first.

There is one more thing. Lots of plug-in manufacturers often have sales. You should keep an eye out for those before you pay full price. Some companies will eventually put each plug-in on sale at one time or another. I’m sure you can wait for the better deal.

Logic Pro 10.4 is released

Updates

It’s not a huge list of new features, but they look pretty killer.

New in Logic Pro X 10.4

New Features and Enhancements

Smart Tempo

  • Advanced tempo detection lets you automatically combine content together, regardless of their original tempo.
  • Record audio without using a click or drag in an audio file and have the performance define your project tempo.
  • Add any audio file and have it automatically conform to the project tempo.

Plug-ins

  • ChromaVerb is a sophisticated new algorithmic reverb with a colorful, interactive interface for creating rich acoustic spaces.
  • Space Designer has a new design and a scalable, Retina interface.
  • Step FX adds rhythmic multi-effect processing using 3 powerful step sequencers and an X/Y pad.
  • Phat FX makes your tracks bigger and bolder using 9 effects that add warmth and punch to your sounds.
  • The Vintage EQ Collection provides 3 accurate models of vintage analog EQs from the 1950s to the 1970s.
  • Studio Strings and Studio Horns are deeply sampled, realistic ensemble instruments with custom articulation controls.
  • Mellotron is now available as a standalone instrument plug-in.
  • Retro Synth now offers 18 different filter models.

Content

  • 2 new Drummers play roots and jazz-influenced brush styles.
  • 2 vintage brush kits for Drum Kit Designer .
  • More than 800 new loops in a variety of instruments and genres.
  • New Visions library for Alchemy adds 150 cinematic presets.

Other Enhancements

  • You can now undo mixer and plug-in actions.
  • The Files Browser now allows you to bookmark locations for your favorite folders containing samples or projects.
  • In addition to Apple Loops, the Loop Browser now supports looping audio file and can preview them in sync with project tempo.
  • A new universal design for controlling articulations provides a consistent interface for Logic and third-party instruments.
  • Plug-ins: The Direction Mixer plug-in has an updated interface, and offers new functionality.
  • The Audio Track Editor can now be opened as a stand-alone window.
  • Logic now supports the Audio Random Access (ARA) standard.
  • Plug-ins: The Category and Manufacturer sections at the left side of the Plug-in Manager window now scroll independently of one another.
  • Region quantization can now be set from a submenu in the contextual menu opened by right-clicking on a region.
  • There is now a preference to toggle user interface animations on or off.
  • There four new options for the behavior of Replace mode when recording MIDI: Region Erase, Region Punch, Content Erase, Content Punch.
  • Smart Controls and Instrument plug-ins now offer a key switch view for Articulation IDs.
  • Transformer, Transform Window, Environment Faders and Step Editor can now edit MIDI fader events.
  • Logic now supports bouncing files as 32-bit float.
  • Click-holding the Replace button in the Control Bar now brings up new options to set the behavior of replace – Content Erase, Content Punch, Region Erase and Region Punch.
  • There is now an option to have Logic automatically set a new color for each newly created audio, software instrument, or external MIDI track.
  • There is now an option to switch the first automation lane in a track to show the last clicked control.
  • There are now Key Commands for Undo and Redo in plug-in windows.
  • The File Browser and Loop Browser now show a waveform overview and playhead when previewing files and loops.
  • Plug-ins: Plug-in windows offer a new Multilink mode that updates open plug-in windows per insert slot as channel strips are selected.
  • Articulation symbols automatically added to the score based on their note articulation setting are colored blue in the Score.

Logic Pros on 9to5Mac

Uncategorized

9to5Mac has a nice guide area for Logic Pro X including tutorials and product reviews, and they have begun a Logic Pro X 101 guide for beginners.

See the articles here and look for the stories that start with “Logic Pros (101)” for the beginner guide articles.

Logic isn’t dead (and smells just fine, thank you) – Logic Pro X 10.3 Released

Updates

Funny, I just finished tracking and sending a client the comps when I saw the announcement that 10.3 has been released. Here is the press release (covering the new GarageBand 2.2 of iOS as well because the two apps work together over iCloud)

http://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/01/garageband-and-logic-pro-x-music-apps-get-major-updates.html

What’s new? Touch Bar support, Alchemy on iOS GarageBand, “users can upload a special GarageBand-compatible version of a Logic project to iCloud, which they can then open on their iOS devices and add new recordings whenever inspiration strikes. When the project is saved back to iCloud, any newly added tracks will automatically appear in the original Logic project the next time it’s opened on a Mac”, and more.

Here are the full release notes for Logic Pro 10.3

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203718

Have fun, and don’t forget to backup first!