Justin is the Editor-in-Chief at 9to5Toys and a senior editor covering all things music for 9to5Mac, daily deals, and more. A senior deal Jedi over at 9to5Toys where he heads up our Apple gear and game/app coverage, Justin is also an audio engineer/producer with well over 10 years experience in the music industry.
Apple has now unleashed the latest update for its flagship music production software, Logic Pro X. And it’s a major one. As expected from a leaked screenshot late last month, the Logic Pro X 10.5 update includes some amazing new features like Live Loops, Remix FX, and much more. Head below for a closer look.
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Spitfire Audio, a British company making stellar virtual production gear since 2007 or so, has now logged over 3 million downloads of its free instrument library, LABS. The DAW agnostic dedicated plug-in houses a series of sampler instruments for musicians using Logic Pro X or just about any other platform. Recently adding a brand new 60’s-inspired “Wurli” instrument to its growing library, we thought it was time to dive into this completely free virtual instrument resource.
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Universal Audio’s new LUNA recording platform is now available for free to all of its Thunderbolt-interface owners. The highly anticipated new recording environment is looking to rival industry heavyweights like our beloved Logic Pro X, Pro Tools, Live 10, and others with a tightly-integrated hardware/software system and its powerhouse stable of analog processing emulations. Universal Audio has been responsible for some of the recording industry’s most prolific audio processing units since the 1950’s — a trend that continues to this day with its professional audio interfaces and best-in-class DSP-based virtual FX units for audio professionals. Head below for our hands-on first impressions.
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In today’s Logic Pros, we are taking a deep dive into the new EastWest Hollywood Backup Singers. The powerful vocal sampler instrument adds a trio of iconic Hollywood singers to your Logic Pro X library and directly beneath your finger tips. EastWest has been a major player in the premium sampler instrument game for a while now and its latest gives producers incredible ability to program three equally tenured, if not even more iconic, vocalists to their liking. Head below the jump for everything.
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It seems like a fitting time to look at all of the best plug-in deals and freebies for musicians and producers stuck at home. At this point, some creative distractions in between news updates and worrying about if you have enough essentials stocked up can go a long way. Companies like Moog and Korg were some of the first out of the gate to offer up free musical distractions for folks stuck at home in the form of all-digital, downloadable iOS synth gear. But since then, plenty of premiere plug-in and effects makers have launched wide-ranging sales and rare freebie offers to promote social distancing. Head below for everything.
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Today we are exploring Apple’s Vintage Mellotron sampler instrument from Logic Pro X. With so many brilliant third-party instruments and sound libraries out there, it can be easy to forget about Logic’s built-in gear. The retro-inspired Mellotron virtual sampler instrument is one of the most interesting libraries of sounds to get overlooked by some Logic Pro X users, and it comes completely free with the purchase of Apple’s professional DAW suite.
Steinberg is adding to its lineup of USB-C Mac interfaces today with the new UR24C two-channel model. After launching back in September of last year, Steinberg’s UR-C line of audio interfaces is seeing an interesting addition today with the latest entry in the family. With some unique headphone monitoring options in tow for stage performers and studio producers, the new UR24C falls in the middle of the line offering up an affordable option for musicians that need a little bit more than the base model UR22C can offer. Head below for a closer look. Read More
Today we are exploring the Logic Plug-In Manager. This handy tool is built-in to Logic Pro X and allows us to manage the plethora of included plug-ins as well as all of your favorite third-party effects, instruments, and more. For years, Logic Pro X users were stuck with the app’s stock plug-in hierarchy system — an organized list of all the plug-ins currently enabled for your Logic Pro system — before Apple finally introduced a feature that allows for a custom-made directory. Whether you’re just getting started or already have a gigantic collection of third-party plugs, with Plug-In Manager we can completely customize the way we access our gear — making it significantly easier to get at them and subsequently providing a much more personalized experience for creatives.
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Universal Audio Luna is a brand new all-in-one recording platform. Makers of the the amazing Apollo and Arrow audio interfaces, UA is employing its over 60 years of analog audio expertise to the new analog music creation and recording platform. Those familiar with the brand are likely expecting an astronomical price tag and a brand new interface to come along with Luna, but this is in fact a massive downloadable add-on for existing Universal Audio interface users. Not to mention one of the most exciting new announcements from NAMM 2020 yet. Jump below the fold for all the details. Read More
The App Store is now bursting at the seams with notable holiday iOS game deals and Mac app price drops. This time of year tends to yield some of the best prices of the year if not just an excellent opportunity to fill out your iOS library at a significant discount. From notable deals on Square Enix Final Fantasy games and RPGs to Apple Game of the Year winning puzzlers and more, we have a giant list of deals curated by hand down below the fold for you.
We have been tracking one of the largest collections of Black Friday iOS apps and games in recent memory. That’s on top of just about all of the most popular Mac apps from Adobe Elements software and Parallels Desktop 15 to Fantastical 2, Pixelmator Pro, and so many more. While many of the most notable offers went live a few days (or more) ahead of Black Friday, just about everything is still available for at least the rest of today. Down below you’ll find a curated selection of the best iOS and Mac games, productivity apps and much more at big-time discounts. Read More
Today we are looking at the best MIDI keyboards for Mac in 2019. After detailing our favorites a couple years back, it’s now time to reassess the MIDI keyboard situation for Mac users. While some of the mainstays are making another appearance this year, there have also been a series of new releases across 2019 from Native Instruments, Arturia, IK Multimedia, and more. Head below for a detailed look at the best keyboards on the market and information to help you decide which option will suit your needs best.
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While the imminent release of the latest macOS is upon us, there are some things to be aware of when it comes to running Logic Pro on Catalina. Home music producers beware as this update could very well silence your latest masterpieces if you’re not careful. Updating to Apple’s latest operating system too soon can yield all sorts of issues with your Logic Pro X projects using third-party gear, so be sure to hit the jump for more details.
After reviewing a number of quality of life techniques recently, today we are taking a closer look at how to Remove Silence in Logic Pro X. Anyone who records audio will know good and well how tedious it can be to edit the undesirable noise out of a recording. While we have looked at some manual options in the past for precision edits, Logic’s Remove Silence feature can get the job done in just a couple clicks or less.
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Apple has now unveiled its new handsets, so it’s time to look at the best new iPhone 11 cases, as well as options for the new iPhone 11 Pro models. Along with updated camera modules on the backside, the latest iPhone also features a number of new colorways. That means we are going to need a new case to match and most of the best are already surfacing ahead of pre-orders in just a couple days’ time. Hit the jump for everything.
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Becoming one with the main Logic Pro X tools is a key part of anyone’s journey to becoming an LPX master. Today we are uncovering some efficiency tactics for flipping through the weapons in your holster while revealing Logic’s triple tool mouse-click technique.
Today we are showcasing some over-looked Logic arrangement tricks. Prying apart a project’s regions in order to make alterations, injecting a gap for a new part or even just moving an entire section of your piece around can be tedious. However, Logic Pro X’s underrated Toolbar houses a number of functions that can get many of these tasks done with a simple selection and a one-click command.
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Naming regions in Logic and color-coding tracks isn’t exactly the most exciting aspect of music production, but it can make for a much more enjoyable session in the end. Not only can messy projects get in the way of productivity — usually increasing the time it takes to navigate a project and locate specific tracks, parts, and regions — but they can also lead to otherwise avoidable mistakes and even make you look unprofessional in front of clients. Today we are exploring some amazing one-click solutions to get your Logic Pro X sessions looking right and keep you focused on what really counts.
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If you’ve ever wondered how the Logic Plug-in Link system works, you’re in the right place. This is something we briefly touched on in the understanding plug-ins section of our Logic Pro X 101 series, but today it’s time to link it all the way up. This easily overlooked feature — designed to accommodate customized workflows and help organize that collage of plug-in windows currently burying your musical masterpiece — has been staring you right in the face this entire time.
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Dear Esther for iOS will release later this year. Developer Chinese Room took to Twitter to announce the upcoming arrival of its beloved indie game on Apple’s handheld devices. All the details are down below. Read More
One of the major new additions in the latest round of updates would have to be Logic Pro’s latest dynamics plug-in. After reviewing some of the more useful and practical features last week, we will be taking a closer look at how to use DeEsser 2 today, along with a rundown of the basics for beginners, its intelligent new Relative tech and some helpful tips for getting the most out of it.
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Apple recently dished out a new update for its flagship music production software and we thought it would be fitting to take a closer look at some of the best new Logic Pro X features in 10.4.5. While it might not have been a full numbered jump up to 10.5 – which usually indicates a collection of boring but welcomed bug exterminations and performance enhancements – 10.4.5 is significantly more exciting than that. Head below for all the details.
BOGO free iPhone XS, Max, more plans are now live via the Black Friday in July Sale, AirPlay 2-ready 4K TVs are starting from $400, and we have a new iTunes movie sale from $5. Head below the fold for more in this episode of 9to5Toys Lunch Break.
Best Buy Black Friday in July is now live with up to $600 off Apple gear, we are seeing huge deals on smart hone gear (Hue, Nanoleaf, LIFX), and the latest Apple Pencil for $90 shipped. Hit the jump for more in this episode of 9to5Toys Lunch Break.