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Logic Pro on iPad (not a deal)


Marshall

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A significant part of the internet is in meltdown over Apple’s announcement that Logic Pro is being ported to the iPad:

Logic Pro on iPad

Just wondered if this is exciting to anyone else here? I spend a fair amount of the time I have for music on an iPad these days, and I think this is huge news! I can see many other software developers feeling the need to port their products as a result. 

If this is too off topic, please feel free to shift or delete! 
 

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I have cubasis and Auria for iPad. Don’t use them as much anymore.  The subscription only piece I guess is the controversial part? I would only ever use this likely for sketching and if I get access to my AU3 plugins, it sounds like a great bonus. I’m excited. Beside needs IPad Pro so GarageBand is always there for anyone else not wanting to pay.  Need Larry to find us a really good deal on IPad Pro hahah.

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7 hours ago, Fleer said:

Wondering what this will do with Logic Pro on the Mac. 
Probably version 11 on sub. 

My main DAW is logic. If this happens I would refuse to pay sub and move to studio one.

Edited by smde
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Some of you work with iOS music, so what I write below may be very familiar...

For people who make ALL their music on IOS, I think this is a huge deal.  One of the weaknesses of iOS has been the standard DAWs, like Auria and Cubasis.  It's possible that this will have some improvements over those two.  It sure looks like it.  But I expect that most iOS musicians will continue to use the tools that they have,  like AUM, Drambo, Loopy Pro, Beatmaker3, Gadget 2, etc.,  because what works on the iPad are things that are DAW-ish, but different.  Some of these things are superior, depending on the music you make.  Check out Drambo and I bet you'll be very impressed at what $20 buys.

For people like us, I don't think it will be a replacement for our DAWs, but a supplement.  We can make music on our iPads and bring it in.  We can sketch music on a trip, import the MIDI and finish it on our VIs and synths, using our effects.   If somebody has Logic on the Mac expects it to be the same on the iPad they are going to be disappointed.  A lot of features will be missing.  But on the other hand there will be new features that can only exist because of the touch interface of the iPad.  

From that perspective, $5 a month is wonderful for me.  I'll pay $5 whenever I use Logic on the iPad, and let my subscription lapse when I'm not.  If Apple wants to charge $49 a year for a subscription, what would they charge to own?  $99? I don't think so.   $199?  More? Yikes!  I don't know how much I'll use it, so I love the $5 a month.  Also this is a subscription in the same way that Reason and other subscriptions work: they will be adding loops and other instruments constantly.   So whenever I come back to Logic on the iPad, there will be more waiting for me.  But if I do use it all the time, then I'm okay with $49 a year. 

I made all my music on the iPad from about 2013 to 2016. I went every day to the Audiobus Forum to talk to people who had the same passion.  It's a different world.  People expected synths to cost $5 or $10.  They screamed at $20!  Too expensive!  😃  But I started coming to VI:Control and here and never looked back.

This Logic Pro thing has woken me up.  I've gone back and reconnected with my friends at the Audiobus Forum.  I didn't have any music stuff on the new iPad my wife got me for my birthday.  I installed it all.  Fun!  Oh my god, there are so many amazing things that you can do on the iPad that you can't do on the computer. .  So I'm going to be working hybrid.  Making some tracks on my iPad and bringing them into my computer for a finish.  

For example, this week I discovered this cool app called Riffler, that generates guitar riffs.    Ten bucks! I've been playing with this for hours and it will definitely find its way into my tracks. Output the MIDI and play my guitar VIs.   It will work great with the Session Guitarist electrics.  

As I mentioned on another thread, a limited version of Scaler is free on the iPad. You can unlock all features for $18.99.  So I'm going to use my iPad to finally learn Scaler2.  In fact the iPad has always been strong with Chord recommendation apps like Suggester, Kord, Navichord, etc.  A great place for songwriting.  If you are looking for accompaniment apps but don't want to spring for BIAB, there is the Session Band series.  They sound great, are available in many genres, and are very cheap. The Piano one can't compete with EZKeys, but it offers many different piano styles that follow your chords--and it costs $5.99! Also, it work on an iPhone!   In fact, all the "Universal" apps work on both iPad and iPhone.  So you can compose on Cubasis on a phone.  But not on Logic Pro, as it isn't Universal. 

I'm really excited to explore Logic on the iPad next week.  I can't imagine why anybody wouldn't check out the free month trial if they have an iPad that can handle it.  

I think it's a game-changer for iOS music. All this publicity will draw people to the platform and will cause more developers to get into it.  And as I said, you can't beat the prices.    The Fabfilter Bundle on the iPad--Pro-R, Pro L2, Pro-MB, Pro-Q3, Pro C-2, Pro-DS goes for $119.99.  And wait until Black Friday!  

 

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Great write up, TTF!

I’m quite interested too. Got those Session Band apps, for instance, along with other apps like the ones from Sugar Bytes, but never got to use them as it all seemed a bit cumbersome, especially DAW-wise. 
 

Funnily, never got Logic Pro X on Mac after having paid (way too much) for Logic Pro Studio back in the day. 
I did get MainStage, mind you, containing all 70GB of LPX sounds for 30 bucks. 
 

So now it seems logical for me to dive into this monthly subscription at $5 provided it will also include Logic Pro 11 on the Mac, and preferably as part of Apple One :)

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I look at this as a paid subscription for a GarageBand on steroids.  Besides the people who are balking at the subscription, there are also those who use Logic Pro on the Mac who are wringing their hands over the interoperability between the iOS version and Mac.  What was their problem when there was only GarageBand on iOS?  Half (maybe more) are using Windows or nothing as their primary computer.  Just take Logic on iOS for what it is.  I'm excited too - what better place to create music than on a couch, with headphones.  You can be with your family and they don't know you are composing a tune 😂

My main problem with GarageBand on iOS is that your Smart Instrument and regular MIDI are held captive in the Apple ecosystem - Boo!!!  Why shouldn't you be able to export that to a non-Apple DAW?

Also re: the minimum hardware requirements - I thought it was any iPad with an A12 Bionic chip and greater:  "Logic Pro will run on any iPad with at least an A12 Bionic chip, including the 8th-generation iPad, the 3rd-generation iPad Air, the 5th-generation iPad mini, and newer models. Final Cut Pro is more demanding and requires an iPad Pro or Air with an M1 or M2—presumably, it's the small amount of RAM included with older iPads that keeps them from running software that much slower Macs have managed to run for years."

Apple brings Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro to iPad as $50-per-year subscriptions | Ars Technica

Edited by pbognar
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@Reid Rosefelt great post! 
 

At present I am away from my desktop studio for periods of time, and during those times, I get my fix from iPad music making. It certainty has its strengths, but for what they call on the Audiobus forum ‘traditional linear songwriters’ (that’s me!) it is still pretty weak. I use Cubasis, it’s sort of OK, reasonably solid and I’m grateful it’s there, but it’s like stepping back 15 years or more on a desktop. There is also a real need for a great acoustic drums package like EZ Drummer.

I’ve tried hard to produce songs on my iPad to a standard I would be happy to ‘release’. Not yet managed to get past a decent demo to be honest, and have had to redo these pieces in Studio One once I am back in my studio. 

So, I am hoping Logic Pro will fill that gap to a large extent. 

That all said, making music on an iPad is great fun and I love it - it’s just different. Riffler, AUM, Drambo, GeoShred, almost anything by 4Pockets…I could go on and on, these are amazing apps. And if you already have an iPad, it’s so cheap to dive in and see if you like it! 

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