Apple Macintosh News and Information
Apple Macintosh News and Information

GarageBand and Logic Pro X Music Apps Updated

Apple has announced major updates to its music creation apps with exciting new features for music makers of all levels on iPhone, iPad and Mac. GarageBand for iOS 2.2 now features the powerful creative synthesizer Alchemy and a new sound browser that makes searching through instruments and patches easier than ever. Logic Pro X 10.3 becomes an even more powerful tool for pros with a modern interface, new features for professional audio production as well as support for the revolutionary Touch Bar on the new MacBook Pro, putting intuitive, context-sensitive controls right at users’ fingertips.

Logic Pro X users can also remotely add new tracks to their Logic sessions from their iPhone or iPad when they’re away from their Mac. With a new share option, 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.

GarageBand for iOS
GarageBand for iOS brings even more sophisticated music creation options to iPhone and iPad, while still remaining fun and easy to use. It features a redesigned sound browser that makes it faster than ever to explore Touch Instruments and quickly find the exact sounds you’re looking for.

Alchemy, one of the world’s most innovative modern synthesizers and a favourite of Logic Pro users, comes to iOS and includes a rich collection of over 150 Apple-designed patches from a wide variety of genres, including EDM, Hip Hop, Indie, Rock, Pop and more. And with Alchemy’s Transform Pad, users can morph between eight sonic snapshots in real-time, to create expressive synth performances.

Recording music in GarageBand for iOS also gets easier with Multi-Take Recording, giving users multiple passes to capture their best performance and the ability to audition and switch between their favourite takes.

The release also features a redesigned Audio Recorder that adds fun, one-tap vocal effects and provides users with even more sophisticated studio effects like pitch correction, distortion and delay. Seasoned users looking for even more control over their mixes can use a new collection of advanced audio processing tools, including an interactive graphic Visual EQ and the ability to use third-party Audio Unit plug-in effects for expandable, creative sound design.

Logic Pro X
Logic Pro X includes advanced new features that make Logic an even stronger tool for audio production, giving musicians and audio engineers even more control over editing and mixing their music. The latest release features a new modern design that improves legibility in a variety of working environments.

Logic Pro X also adds support for the revolutionary new Touch Bar on MacBook Pro, providing the ability to view and navigate your project in a timeline overview, along with convenient access to volume and Smart Controls for any selected track. New performance controls let you play and record software instruments with the Touch Bar using a piano keyboard that can also be customised to a variety of musical scales, or by tapping drum pads to create beats. Assignable key command buttons let you customise the Touch Bar controls to keep your favourite keyboard shortcuts available when you need them.

Track Alternatives let users create and switch between different playlists of regions and edits on any track. This feature makes it easier to experiment with various creative ideas or evaluate different versions of a track as it evolves. Selection-based Processing allows users to apply any combination of Logic or third-party effect plug-ins onto any selection of one or multiple audio regions. It is useful for optimising sound quality and a great tool for creative sound design.

Logic Pro X becomes more powerful for professional mixing, with a 64-bit summing engine, 192 additional busses and true stereo panning, providing discrete control of stereo signals.

Pricing and Availability
The GarageBand for iOS update, available now, is free for all existing users and with all new iOS devices. Customers with older, non-qualifying devices can purchase the app for £4.99 on the App Store. For more information about GarageBand for iOS, visit: www.apple.com/ios/garageband.

The Logic Pro X update, available now, is free for all existing users, and available on the Mac App Store for £199.99 for all new customers. For more information about Logic Pro X, visit: www.apple.com/logic-pro.