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Is Logic Pro The Perfect DAW Or Are There Things To Improve?

In this article Edgar Rothermich answers the question by considering what logic does so well and where it drops the ball.

The answer to the first part of the question would be "it depends" and the second part would be "definitely yes". And that could be the end of the article unless we look into a few interesting details.

Unlike many Logic users who started with Logic version 1.0, I am a late convert. I started my DAW journey in the mid-80s with Steinberg's Pro16 on a Commodore64 and was a Cubase user until 2004 when I switched to Logic Pro 7 as my main DAW (and never looked back). Of course, I use other DAWs that complemented Logic Pro for specific film composer tasks, such as Reason, Ableton Live, and Pro Tools.
Since 2013, I have written 17 books for Logic in my best-selling book series "Graphically Enhanced Manuals" series that Apple endorses.

The Grass is Not Greener On The Other Side

Before we start, let's be clear about one thing. A big portion of the Internet is filled with pointless discussions about which DAW is the best. People don't seem to understand that all the DAWs are nowadays fully professional tools. If someone can't produce professional results with any of the DAWs, then the problem is most likely the person operating the DAW.

Of course, there are differences between DAWs, and that is where you have to find out which one suits your personal preference and has the feature set that you need for your line of work. Someone working on post- production of the latest Marvel superhero movie has different needs than someone creating beats in their bedroom.

In this article, I want to look at eight of the main advantages of Logic Pro but also some of its shortcomings. If you are already using Logic, you might know what I'm talking about or want to look into it. If you are currently using a different DAW, I don't want to convince you to switch. All DAWs are very complex software applications, and Logic is no exception. Even if you really really want a specific feature not available in your current DAW, always evaluate if it is worth re-learning a new DAW. Maybe the next software update will provide you with that long-awaited improvement.

1 - The Advantage Of A $2 Trillion Company

Logic Pro has the significant advantage that it is from Apple, a company with deep pockets. They have the luxury of producing that software without the need to recoup their R&D cost. When the new version "Logic Pro X" was released in 2013, it had a sticker price of $199. Not only did that price not change since then, all the updates over the last eight years (and they were quite substantial) were free.

Of course, Apple is not in the charity business, and they have their little tricks of requiring recent hardware to run the latest Logic update. So, they will get your money eventually.

Besides the money aspect, the critical part of a software company is the developers, the masterminds who create those incredible tools. The original Logic software was made by the German company Emagic that Apple acquired in 2002. However, the two founders, Dr. Gerhard Lengeling and Chris Adam, are still working for Apple as head of the Logic team along with many of the original members.

2 - Atmos Mixes For The Masses

The big new feature in the recent Logic Pro update 10.7 is Dolby Atmos which now is fully integrated into Logic. Without the need for any additional software, Logic users can produce a Dolby Atmos mix and export a Dolby Atmos Master File that they can directly submit to their aggregator like DistroKid or AvidPlay to get it on the music streaming services.
Two other DAWs, Nuendo and DaVinci Resolve, also have the Dolby Atmos integration, but they are more post-production tools. With its large user base, Logic is the first DAW in the music production field that now provides this capability.

3 - Breathing "Live" Into Logic

Another big addition to Logic's capability as a DAW was the introduction of "Live Loops" in 2020. This integrated the loop-based workflow of Ableton Live directly into Logic. Many users who like that workflow now have this option without switching back and forth or buying Ableton Live.

Logic didn't just copy that feature from Ableton; they came up with an excellent user interface and extremely powerful tools. For example, a loop is not just one Region, it can contain multiple Regions and you can edit those Regions inside the loop and apply automation and other editing features.

4 - The Not-So-Little Drummer Boy

Logic's Drummer might be one of my favourite features in Logic, a virtual session drummer/percussionist. It was the first of its kind that was part of the original Logic Pro X release in 2013. Anyone who tried to program a drum sampler to sound as it was played by a real drummer could finally stop that tedious process and work as if you have a real drummer in the studio. You tell the drummer what and how to play (in the form of simple parameters), and it plays along with your tracks with pristine studio-quality drum sounds.
People always thought these were recorded audio loops of drum sessions, not realizing that they were still based on drum samples but with an amazing MIDI engine that produced all the nuances of a real-life drummer.

5 - Please Save The Environment

The strength of Logic, which always set it apart from other DAWs, was its object-based architecture. This made it highly customizable, which was one of the reasons I switched to Logic. Its famous Environment window lets you pretty much configure and customize every aspect of the internal signal flow. Especially for film composers, this has the advantage of creating complex setups. At some point, I was running three Logic Pro apps on three separate PowerMacs, one as the DAW and the other two as re-configured sample players for the huge orchestra templates.

However, this open architecture also made Logic complex. To appeal to a broader user base, including many musicians and bedroom producers, Apple managed to hide the complexity by simplifying the user interface over the years. The powerful Environment window is still there, and you can do your open-heart surgery, but it is not required for daily use.

6 - Smart Tempo

Smart Tempo is one of Logic's powerful features that is, unfortunately, not used by many. It is based on machine learning technology and is pure magic. Especially if you have had the "pleasure" of tedious Beat Mapping procedures, you’ll appreciate the tool. Here are two use cases:

If you have an existing song that was recorded without a click, you can analyze the tracks, and Logic creates the Tempo Map with the click of a button. Now you can add any loops, step sequencer, or Drummer tracks to that song. Or, with the help of Flex Time, you can change the tempo of the song. Sometimes, if I have a Pro Tools session of a live band that needs an additional percussion track, I import the song into Logic, use Smart Tempo to get the Tempo Map, use the Drummer to have it play, for example, the tambourine, and fly that track back into the Pro Tools Session.

The other use case for Smart Tempo is especially helpful for songwriters or musicians. Instead of playing to a click, you can perform your first track (guitar or piano) without any click track restriction and fully concentrate on your performance. Once you stop recording, Logic has already created the corresponding Tempo Map. You can leave the performance as is and record additional tracks or quantize the track via Flex Time. This is a great example where technology lets the musician focus on creativity instead of overburdening them with technical tasks.

7 - Two macOS Or You Are Out

Logic has one convention that is rather annoying to some users. People might have noticed that Apple are not a big fans of backwards compatibility. They always push technology and leave "old" technology behind in a heartbeat, even if that means incompatibilities with software/hardware components that are only a few years old.

Logic follows a similar track. For a few years now, the current Logic version has only been compatible with the current macOS and the one prior to that. The "logic" behind that is that developers can take advantage of modern technology available only in the newer macOS. With an established (and somewhat annoying) yearly macOS update cycle, that means you can't run Logic on a computer with an OS that is more than two years old. Unfortunately, many still use older Macs that can't run newer macOS versions at some point and, therefore, can't upgrade Logic until they get a more recent Mac. So, it depends if you consider this a pro or a con.

8 - The Full Package

One great "feature" in Logic is its comprehensive package of everything. No other DAW comes with such a complete toolset to create professional productions with virtually no extra cost for acquiring additional components. The sound library of loops, samples, impulse responses, and sounds is an 80GB download. The collection of studio-quality FX plugins and software instrument plugins includes pretty much everything you need from synths, samplers, drum machines and even the more complex Studio Horns and Studio Strings that let you create realistic arrangements.

The Score Editor lets you create everything from sheet music to full orchestral scores, and the Quick Swipe Comping is by far the best (and fastest) comp tool.

Like many other DAWs, Logic also has its external control surface that runs on iPads and iPhones, the Logic Remote. Not only can you perform the usual mixing tasks, it also has full editing capabilities for the Step Sequencer and DJ-style FX performance tools.

9 - Room For Improvement

And finally, many great features are not (yet) available in Logic. Again, depending on the personal workflow, everybody has different needs, and those missing features are more or less frustrating. Here are just a few shortcomings:

  • Logic still can't import 32-bit floating point audio files, a long-overdue feature.

  • Logic's refusal to allow GUI customization is highly annoying but may be based on Apple's self- imposed authority that pretends only they know the right color combination.

  • Especially with Projects that have a growing number of tracks, there is a need for better track management to quickly show/hide tracks beyond the outdated show/hide feature.

  • Track Stacks still can't be nested, which is a typical workflow with high track-count projects.

Further Reading

I hope you found the information in this article useful. If you want to dive further into Logic or Pro Tools, I have written the most in-depth manuals with lots of unique graphics and diagrams that you won't find anywhere else. This visually enhanced concept of my books makes it super easy to learn and understand those DAWs. They are available as pdf, iBook, Kindle, and printed book, with all the links on my website.

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