New Logic Pro X update

Apple released a Logic Pro X update this afternoon that features extensive new (Alchemy) synthesizer features as well as other additions and fixes.. I noticed this reference to FCPX in the updates notes:

Sharing/Export
Project XML files exported from Logic to Final Cut Pro X now reliably maintain the correct sample rate.
When importing Final Cut Pro X Project XML, Logic now places audio clips that lack time position information in the Audio Bin.

I will be interested if this update makes the FCPX/Logic Pro X roundtrip more reliable.

I'm testing it now to see if it works any better. I hope it does. And there is a LPX forum here to post about LPX, too.

Massive update, very cool new features, working will be much faster and easier now. If only FCPX would have an update this massive, that'd be cool.

Yeah, I've given the new Alchemy a test run, and it is the classic old Alchemy that ruled the industry, PLUS so much more power. A much welcomed update to Alchemy (which was a great synth with a suck-ass UI). Leave it to Apple to make stuff work better.

As a composer, and daily, very heavy user of LPX, so far I'm loving this update.

I started a thread on the actual LPX forum here, FYI.

Logic 10.2.0 DOES NOT!!! work any better with FCPXML. It's all one big mess.

C'mmon Apple, Logic Pro X has been out for over 2 years, and you still can't have it work reliably with FCPX?
We can only hope with a new update of FCPX, but after 2 years of updates, I'm kind of sad hearing that Apple cannot make it's Pro Apps a bit more compatible, especially since they mark it as a feature and both programs were more or less a complete rewrite.

On another note, I would hope that Ripple Training one day makes a course on Logic X purely for filmmakers. I don't know if the update of yesterday (spectral editing?) helps in canceling background noise and that kind of stuff. Pure on audio editing for films and video. Compression, mixing, background noise, ...

Problem is LPX and FCPX are two different dev teams, and who knows how often they talk to each other. A situation that isn't helping us end users at all. I tested the XML from one to the other and back, and yes, it is still very buggy. I'm going to assume there's stuff on both ends from both teams that needs fixing... dang shame it is this way. Apple definitely is not doing what needs to be done with this specific issue.

As for Ripple doing LPX training, they'd need to find a career composer and audio engineer. macProVideo.com has the best online training. Ripple will have to do a LOT to top that. Also, these two books are by far the best way to learn LPX:

Basic training (which gets a bit advanced),
www.peachpit.com/store/apple-pro-trainin...sional-9780134185736

For very advanced engineering and recording,
www.peachpit.com/store/apple-pro-trainin...-audio-9780134135816

Both books are hands-on, self-paced, and the absolute best way to learn LPX, hands down.

Hi Ben,

correct me if I'm wrong, but Logic Pro still hasn't got the more specific noise reduction tools (and more video-oriented stuff) that Soundtrack Pro had?
I understand it's more a DAW, and something that originates as a music production program and is still (correctly) viewed as such, but with the loss of Soundtrack Pro, I kind of hoped some more functionality from Soundtrack Pro would have gotten into Logic and/or FCPX.
The background removal feature in FCPX still doesn't hold a candle to the Soundtrack Pro method of making a noise print and removing it then.

Regards,

Most recording studios aren't doing much noise reduction. iZotope Rx and Sound Soap are the defacto apps for doing that now. Maybe one day the LPX team will do more for videographers. But at this point, for noise reduction, it is either the built-in noise reduction inside FCPX, or iZotope or Sound Soap. Noise reduction isn't something we normally have to deal with in recording studios doing music and voice work. That's the only "video-oriented" feature missing at this point. Not sure what else you're referring to as other tools.

I'd not hold my breath for anther STP coming out of Apple, either.

STP's noise reduction tools weren't that great anyway.

They were okay, but really didn't help too much with the more problematic issues without introducing to much undesirable side effects. They ended up in FCPX anyway. I'm almost positive the algorithms were lifted from Logic's antiquated plugins too.

Best bet at this point is third party, RX, Waves has some tools, the Sonnox suite just went 64-bit, but I don't know how good they are. It's Sonnox though so they can't be that bad.

Personally I think Waves has some great tools and I'm often running them inside of RX as well. Some tools just seem to be better for certain activities.

Seriously would love to see Apple up the ante with better restoration tools and that role based mixer many people are asking for. It's easy enough to achieve, so i can't se they wouldn't do it, the Role Mixer that is.

I'm not sure I would call this version of Logic a major update though, despite what everyone else is saying.

All it got was a new synth, couple of small features and lots of bug fixes...yet sadly they didn't fix a few of the bugs that are currently annoying me.

Not that there's anything wrong with bug fixes, I love bug fixes, I just would call a synth that the brought from elsewhere a major upgrade, no matter how useful it is. If they bought that tech from elsewhere then seriously, what were they doing for the rest of the time?!?

While I don't see it as a major upgrade, its an upgrade nonetheless. I'll take whatever I can get frankly.

It was a HUGE LPX update! The synth they bought, they revamped, made much more powerful, and made its UI incredibly better. This synth is an industry defacto, big, expensive, not a toy, used on pretty much everything. That is not small news that we now get it free with LPX. Plus the amazing amount of enhanced features and functionality are nothing to sneeze at. I'm a composer, I do tons of audio work, and the latest LPX update was indeed very major. TONS of functionality enhancements.

STP did a great noise reduction job, with great manual control over things. The spectral analyzer was super useful. Will we ever see that come back? Another STP like app? I would hope so, but not holding my breath. Sound Soap fills that space quite well, also.

LPX is designed as and sold as a DAW, a recording studio, Apple never touted it as an audio restoration solution. But a good spectral analyzer would be nice to have again.

No I had huge issues getting any decent quality audio out of STP, so I end up looking elsewhere and got much better result.

Yeah Alchemy is a massive synth, its an impressive synth but it's a synth nonetheless. I certainly don't think of it as a toy and definitely envisage myself using it quite a bit. I'm a composer too but i would disagree that its an industry de facto, albeit it has been popular amongst many. I can name a few other contenders for industry de facto since its all I ever see people across internet-land talk about. Actually, I almost bought Alchemy myself at one or two points in the past.

It would have been bigger if the also provided that long over due update to EXS but I guess Alchemy has a few tricks up its sleeves regarding EXS import.

There's not much in terms of enhanced features really, but lots of bug fixes and I certainly didn't sneeze at that.

I would have liked to see more revamping done to call it a major update, personally. They have plenty of plugins that really could do with an overhaul. Or the Environment, is it staying, is it going, hard to know what's going on there. They didn't even throw in CamelPhat or CamelSpace. They could have at least taken the time to improve FCPX/Logic round-tripping, but that didn't happen either.

Apple didn't even work on Alchemy, they just plugged in the preexisting tech. Word is, it was almost ready for it's next major release at that point too. Which makes sense. By the time the acquisition and the legal stuff would have gone through, they would have probably only had 3 to 6 months to finish the work and to integrate it.z

That's bought tech. So what was Apple doing all this time?!? Possibly bug fixes, but I doubt that. Perhaps they are brewing up something big and were just buying themselves time by releasing Alchemy.

Perhaps they are working on simpler solutions for people to get their music mastered and on the Apple Music network

Don't get me wrong I'm quite appreciative, I just don't see how they could call it a major update. A major update usually makes me go "wow" at least once, but sadly, I'm not feeling it. Not feeling that Apple love as I usually do.

However, what I think is irrelevant. Life goes on. Music and post-production goes on and we will just continue to use the tools at our disposal as best we can.

Next time perhaps...

Ok this may be the dunbest LPX question but how do you access the synth (Alchemy?) from within LP? I use LP to record guitar stuff and just wanted to take a look at this. I am pretty sure that I'd probably need a midi keyboard to use correct?

Jonathan

Thank you, Jonathan, for taking the hit - I wanted to ask the same question about accessing the Alchemy synth. Count me as dumb and dumber.

I used Alchemy a bit before Apple bought it. Apple greatly improved the UI, and beefed it up, adding a bit more power and ability to it. They did a lot with it. It is very impressive, if you're familiar with Alchemy at all.

Yes, you would probably benefit from a MIDI controller, but the on-screen keyboard LPX has, and the Piano Roll editor can also be used.

It is the first instrument listed in the Software Instrument menu.

Yeah so you would need to create a software instrument track as opposed to an audio track. Right at the top, the very first slot is where you insert instrument plugins, as per aben's pic.

Only one instrument per strip, but you can of course add other plugins as well.

Most of that beefing up is what the Camel crew already did before Apple came along. Apple just gave it a bit of a polish

It's a good synth, plenty of presents to go through. You should have fun!!

Thanks for explaining that guys!

I have downloaded the additional content « alchemy » 14.83 Gig and since this is a very big download, I did transfer the folder from my iMac to my MacBookPro. It is well detected in both logic X software but if I go to my MacBookPro « download additional content » menu logic still wants to RE-download the 14.83 Gig …
Is there a way to have this menu detect that the « alchemy content » is all there?
Which file on the MacBookPro should I overwrite with one from the iMac to normalize this ?

thanks

Francois

Dangerous but it worked ... Copied 588 .bom and .plist files from\to : private/var/db/receipts/

Please don't try that if you are not ready for trouble!

cheers