review
Apple Logic Studio
Logic Studio is appropriately named. It is essentially a complete recording studio in software. The core of Logic Studio is Logic Pro 9, a full feature DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), but it also includes MainStage 2, a live performance application that gives you access to Logic Studio’s virtual instruments and effects for live use; Soundtrack Pro 3, post-production software geared for creating music soundtracks; WaveBurner 1.6, CD burning software; 80 studio effects plug-ins; 40 software instrument plug-ins; and 38 GBs of additional content: six DVDs containing Apple Loops Jam Pack collections, sound effects, surround music beds, EXS24 samples, and impulse response files.
Since Logic Studio contains so much, it would be almost impossible to review it all. However, Logic Studio was designed to be different things to different musicians, and since Better Guitar is geared for guitar players, I will be focusing this review mainly on the new guitar features in Logic Pro 9 and MainStage 2. Even with that limited focus there is a lot to cover. Here we go.
Hardware
You will need to provide your own hardware in order to use Logic Studio: at minimum you will need a Mac with an Intel processor (Logic Studio does not support Windows) and an audio interface for getting your guitar signal into your Mac. And while a mouse can handle any single task, to get the most of Logic Studio you may want to use some type of control surface for recording, editing, and mixing. Guitar players will also want some type of MIDI foot controller for live use. Naturally, the faster your processor and the more RAM you have the better your results will be. I tested Logic Studio with a 15" MacBook Pro laptop with a 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB of RAM. I had no issues with audio drop outs and was able to achieve very low latency using MainStage.
Logic Pro
Logic Pro is a professional DAW that has been used to create countless professional recordings over the years. It contains a number of new recording and editing features. The most interesting is Flex Time, which allows you to freely manipulate timing and tempo of audio in real time. Using beat slicing and “elastic audio” techniques you can combine audio recorded at different tempos, or change recorded audio to another tempo, all in real time at the highest audio quality settings. Groove templates allows you to apply the feel of one audio track to another, and Varispeed allows you to slow a section down to play a difficult part and then return it to regular tempo.
The well-organized Logic Pro 9 interface.
Any DAW has a learning curve, but Apple has continued to worked their magic on Logic Pro making the interface well-organized and relatively easy to use. Being a long time MOTU Digital Performer user, I found myself able to master the basics of using Logic Pro in far less time than I imagined. Users moving up from Garage Band will find similarities in the media browser and tracks window that will ease the transition.
Naturally, it’s the new guitar features in Logic Studio that you are reading this review for, so take a look.
Amp Designer
Amp Designer is a guitar amplifier emulator plugin that allows you to mix 25 amplifier heads and matching cabinets, plus select between three microphone types (condenser, dynamic, ribbon), and locate virtual mic placement on the cabinet. In addition you can choose between 5 amp EQ types and 10 reverb types via popup menus.
Amp Designer Brown Amp model.
The bulk of the amp models are based on classic vintage and popular modern amps, and have the same basic visual appearance of the modeled amps. However, they all share the same control layout, including three tone controls (bass, mid, treble), three effects (tremolo, vibrato, and reverb), and gain, presence, master. Purists will say these are not authentic amp models since some contain controls and effects not found on the original amps, or are missing controls found on some amps. This is a valid argument, but the shared layout also make for a consistent user experience and allows you to quickly try out different amps while keeping the same general tone and effects settings. For many the deciding factor will ultimately come down to the tone you can get out of the models.
The Models
Amp Designer features 25 amp models with matching cabinets. There are eight Fender models which cover everything from the “ice pick” brightness of the Mini Tweed to the muscular “brown” tone of the Small Brownface amp. Blues, country, roots, and rock users will all find something here to like. There are four Marshall models that cover classic 70’s rock tone, blues tone, and modern metal. There are two Mesa/Boogie models providing the Mark I series rock tone and the ever popular Dual Rectifier metal tone. Two Vox models offer you Beatles chime and a darker crunch tone. Two Orange models give you that distinctive Orange gritty crunch and fat rock tone. Two Hiwatt models give you a generic clean tone and the tough 60‘s rock tone Hiwatt is known for. Two Washburn models provide solid state metal grind. Finally there is a Boutique Retro Combo that has a nice beefy crunch and a Pawnshop Combo that has a “lo-fi” quality to it and also has a nice crunch when set at 10.
Amp Designer Modern Stack.
Comparing Models
Obviously, I don’t own physical versions all the models included, and tone can vary from amp to amp — even of the same model, so I compared some of the Logic models with models from Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 and IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube line. I chose four models that are have very distinctive tone to make comparison easier. I set all the control settings the same where possible. I will start by saying that all of the models from each company captured the basic tone of the modeled amp, but each had some distinct tonal variations which I will explain next.
First up was the Orange amp. The Logic Studio model was darker and more “studio processed” sounding than the Guitar Rig model which was brighter, had more bite, and less gain. AmpliTube doesn’t offer an Orange amp model. Next came the Vox AC-30 model. The Guitar Rig model had more gain than the Logic model. The AmpliTube model offered less tonal options but seemed more dynamic than the other two. The Hiwatt amp model was next. AmpliTube offers no Hiwatt model. The Guitar Rig model was brighter than the Logic model which was smoother and darker. Finally, the Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier amp. The Guitar Rig model had more grit in the tone than the other two. The Logic model was more compressed sounding than the other two. The AmpliTube model had the most focused (clearer note definition) tone.
With any amp models, the goal is getting good tone, and all of the Logic models provide this, as do Guitar Rig and AmpliTube. Each company seemed to offer its own “flavor” of the same models. Which flavor you prefer is really a matter of taste.
Pedalboard
Pedalboard is a virtual pedalboard on which you can place modeled guitar effects pedals, or “stompboxes”. There are ten fuzz and distortion models. Highlights include the Grinder model which has a nice meaty grind with a scoop switch for metal, and the Happy Face Fuzz which, when cranked, gives you that stuttering fuzz effect that Hendrix got.
Logic Pro 9 Pedalboard.
Modulation effects include two chorus, one flanger, one vibrato, three phasers, two tremolos, one ring modulator, and one rotating speaker effect. All the modulation effects models sound good, and some are great. The one exception is the lone flanger model which has a very subtle “swooshing” effect, which was disappointing. Highlight include the Phase Tripper which can go from subtle phase to alien blips and beeps, the Total Tremolo which has “speed up” and “slow down” buttons, and The Vibe which has six selectable types of vibrato.
There are two delays. One is a warm analog model and the other is a Electro-Harmonix flavored delay with reverse. Both offer delays up to 1500ms. There is also a spring reverb pedal with only three available time settings (short, medium, long).
There are three filter effects. One auto wah and two pedal wahs. One wah is a basic wah and the second is a wah/volume combination with four wah modes and a Q setting. Nice. Finally there is a basic compressor pedal with a sustain control.
Obviously the wealth of effects models, when added to the included amp models, opens a lot of tonal possibilities.
MainStage 2
MainStage 2 is software designed for live use. It allows you to control the virtual instruments and effects available in Logic Pro in a live setting. MainStage 2 comes with several handy templates so you can use it right away, but also allows you to build just about any kind of control rig you can imagine from scratch if you desire.
MainStage Full Screen Mode with Amp, Effects, and Loopback controls.
The first step toward using MainStage is setting it up to work with your hardware controller. For the guitar player this usually means a MIDI foot controller. Behringer, Rocktron, Roland, Voodoo Labs, Yamaha, and others offer suitable MIDI controllers. I had hoped to use my Guitar Rig 3 controller but it uses proprietary communications with its software and doesn’t send MIDI controller information. Apogee is set to release a foot controller/audio interface called GIO, designed specifically for Logic, MainStage, and GarageBand. Guitarists will also need an audio interface if they don’t have the GIO.
There are four modes in MainStage: Layout, Edit, Perform, and Full Screen. Layout mode lets you customize your on-screen layout and make connections to your MIDI hardware. There are a number of handy templates for guitarists that simply require you to create controller assignments between your hardware and the onscreen controls. This is the quickest and easiest way to get up and running. Of course, you can always tweak the templates or start from scratch. Once your hardware is configured, you are ready for Edit mode.
Edit mode is where you control the sound setup of your rig. You choose the instruments, amps, effects, etc., and create patch lists. Patches are basically presets that you can step through. You could make patches for entire songs or for parts of songs such as verse, chorus, bridge, solo, etc. All of this information is saved in a file called a concert, which makes it easy to create and save set lists for different gigs.
MainStage 2 Edit Mode.
Perform mode and Full Screen mode are the modes you use when performing. The only difference is Perform mode shows the toolbar and allows you access to the Finder. Full Screen mode shows only the layout you have created, filling the entire screen.
Playback
Playback is a plugin that allows you to use audio files as backing tracks during live performance. If the audio file includes markers you can jump forward and backwards to markers. This could be handy if you want to repeat a verse or jump to a chorus section. You can also cycle an audio file or have it fade out. Playback is not a full-featured performance app such as Abelton Live, but it would be handy for solo performers who just want to use pre-recorded backing tracks.
Loopback
Loopback is a looping plugin that allows you to layer audio tracks live using MainStage. You can fade out audio, reverse audio, and undo the previous pass. Multiple instances of Loopback can be used (and grouped together) to create more complex looping functions such as separate loops for verse, chorus, bridge, etc.
With MainStage running on a laptop and a MIDI foot controller, you have access to all the amp and effects models in Logic Studio live. This also allows you to use the same exact tone on stage that you record with. There are a lot of possibilities here for guitarists willing to go the laptop direct to PA route.
Final Thoughts
Logic Studio offers a wealth of recording and live features for guitar players, essentially everything (as far as software) you would need for recording and performing live. The main drawback is the lack of included hardware, but the new Apogee GIO foot controller/audio interface looks promising as the missing link (the GIO was still unreleased at review time.) For guitar players, Logic Pro/MainStage’s main competitor is Native Instruments Guitar Rig and IK Multimedia’s Stomp IO. Neither of which include a full featured DAW, but both include controllers and great sounding guitar amp and effects software — the main ingredients for a live rig. And both can be used as plugins in a DAW (such as Logic Pro or Digital Performer.)
If you don’t already have a full featured DAW, Logic Studio is an excellent choice for guitarists. It has all the power and features of a professional DAW wrapped in an attractive, functional interface. If you are upgrading or moving up from GarageBand, Logic Studio is a no-brainer thanks to the new guitar features. If you already have a full featured DAW, it is a tougher call. If you really like your current DAW, you may be better served by Guitar Rig or Stomp IO. If you are considering switching to, or adding, a new DAW, Logic Studio is a tremendous value and worthy of serious consideration.
Reader Comments
Better Guitar encourages your input. Agree with this review? Think I’m crazy? If you have used Logic Studio, email me your comments and I’ll post them below. The more opinions we have available, the better our buying decisions will be.
stats
- • Logic Pro 9
- • MainStage 2
- • Soundtrack Pro 3
- • 40 software instrument plugins
- • Over 80 effect plugins
- • WaveBurner 1.6
- • Compressor 3.5
- • Impulse Response Utility
- • Apple Loops Utility
- • QuickTime 7 Pro
- • Six content DVDs containing Jam Pack collections - 20,000 Apple Loops, sound effects, surround music beds, EXS24 sampler instruments, and impulse response files
Positives
- Logic Pro 9 is a powerful, full featured DAW; MainStage 2 allows you to use your recording tone live; Amp Designer provides 25 mainly vintage guitar amp (and cabinet) models; Pedalboard has lots of good sounding stompbox effects models; tons of additional content.
Negatives
- No hardware included - MIDI foot controller and audio interface needed for live guitar use of MainStage. All amp models have the same controls and layout.
Rating
- Features: 10
- Performance: 9
- Sound Quality: 9
- User Interface: 9
- Value: 10
- Overall: 9.4
Ratings Key
- 0 = Worthless
- 10 = Excellent
Approximate Street Price
- $499
Available At Guitar Center
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Apple Logic Studio 9 DAW Software Standard
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Company
- Apple
Audio Examples
- Apple
System Requirements
- Mac computer with an Intel processor; 1GB of RAM (2GB or more highly recommended); Display with 1280-by-800 or higher resolution; Mac OS X v10.5.7 or later; QuickTime 7.6 or later; DVD drive for installation; PCI Express, ExpressCard/34, USB, or FireWire-based audio interface recommended
- 9GB to install all applications and required content; Additional 38GB to install all optional content