In this week’s episode of The Logic Pros, we will be taking a user-friendly look at Logic’s mysterious and powerful MIDI Environment. Along with what seems like a countless number of possibilities, tools, MIDI FX mods and more, the Environment has an interesting little item known as Touch Tracks that can do some pretty amazing things once it’s set up properly:
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In this week’s episode of The Logic Pros, it’s the beginning of hardware month. As previously mentioned, we will be looking at a number of interesting hardware add-ons, instruments, controllers and more for Mac and iOS setups, starting with the puc+:
In this week’s episode of The Logic Pros, we are taking a look at how Logic handles external MIDI-based instruments in the real world. It really doesn’t get any easier than loading up your favorite soft-synth, but that doesn’t mean they are as fun or inspiring as the real thing. LPX has a handy feature that makes it so many of the most popular and sought-after external synths/MIDI-instruments can integrate just as smoothly:
The Logic Pros is a new regular series exploring all of the most interesting gadgets and software for making music on your Mac/iOS devices. If there is any gear you would like us to take a closer hands-on look at, let us know in the comments section below or shoot us an email.
In this week’s edition of The Logic Pros, we will be diving into some of the most tucked away and over-looked features packed inside the release of Logic Pro X 10.1. We saw a number of interesting new features get added including AirDrop/Air Mail, a host of new Drummers, and Retro Synth got a seriously powerful overhaul (something we will be looking at in the future). But there were also a few features that didn’t get much attention, whether it be Logic’s brand new MIDI performance creation tool, its simple embedded automation, smarter quantization, or its fully customizable plug-in menus:
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The Logic Pros is a new regular series exploring all of the most interesting gadgets and software for making music on your Mac/iOS devices. If there is any gear you would like us to take a closer hands-on look at, let us know in the comments section below or shoot us an email.
In this week’s edition of The Logic Pros, we will be looking at how to map all those fun looking sliders, switches, buttons and encoders on our controllers to various functions inside of Logic Pro X. In many case, we get home with our MIDI controller, plug it in, and it just works. The keys/pads function just as they should, but the plethora of other dials and faders available generally won’t do much, unless you tell them to.
We will be covering the basics of how to get our MIDI keyboard/controller mapped to just about any parameter in our session, along with a few creative ways to bring some of Logic Pro X’s more powerful features into the real world:
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It doesn’t take much to get up and running recording music on your Mac, iPad, or even your iPhone. With a few pieces of additional hardware and the right software, it’s easier than ever to have a home recording setup that, thanks to iOS and some great third-party apps, is as simple and as intuitive to use as iOS itself.
Head below for our latest guide to the essentials for making music with your iPad, iPhone, and Mac, many of which are currently discounted for Cyber Monday:
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We admit we’ve enjoyed making fun of Brian White’s claim that the long-rumored Apple television would be controlled by an iRing, not least because he just won’t stop predicting the imminent arrival of the television itself (last we heard he was expecting it at the end of last year).
But now he can take heart from the fact that the iRing actually exists, even if it has nothing to do with Apple television, and looks nothing like the various mockups that did the rounds in the wake of his claims. It can be yours for just $25.
Don’t expect much tech for your twenty-five bucks, however: it’s just a piece of plastic with some printed dots on it.
iRing is a simple double sided ring that fits comfortably between your fingers. On one side is an engraved linear pattern of three dots, on the other is an engraved triangular pattern of dots. iRing uses the front-facing camera on your device and advanced volumetric positioning algorithms to recognize and determine the exact physical location of the ring in relation to the device camera. This precise reading of the physical location of the ring is converted into MIDI control messages that are easily read by your music apps
IK Multimedia plans to launch the ring sometime this quarter, initially aimed at DJs for controlling the company’s own music apps. The company does, however, hope that other developers will want to support the device, and is inviting interested parties to contact them.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya0VkjuShJI&feature=youtu.be]
IK Multimedia has announced what it claims is “the most versatile compact audio interface on the market”. iRig is a small battery-powered box that allows musicians to connect microphones, guitars, line instruments or MIDI devices to a Mac, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
iRig PRO is designed to give mobile musicians and songwriters an interface that can handle the widest variety of audio input signals, so they can create music and audio on the go anywhere, any time.
It accepts virtually every type of audio and MIDI input. Users can plug in a dynamic or condenser microphone; a guitar, bass or other Hi-Z instrument; or any line-level source.
Additionally, iRig PRO is equipped with a MIDI input for keyboards, pads and controllers, making it a truly universal compact interface for recording and composing on the go or in the studio. Its audio and MIDI inputs can be used simultaneously, for example, to control guitar or vocal software with MIDI foot controllers or pedals, for switching presets or controlling effects levels …
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Apple’s new release of Logic Pro X marks the first time in nearly six years that the company has completely overhauled the app’s UI. It’s been a long time coming for pros like myself that rely on the application, and to make things even sweeter, Apple is promising more than just a fresh coat of paint this time around.
There’s no ignoring the backlash Apple experienced just two years ago with its redesign of Final Cut Pro X and the removal of pro features in return for an elegant, streamlined interface. The question is, does Logic’s slick new interface come with compromises for professionals? Or has Apple learned from its mistakes with FCPX?
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With NAMM press day kicking off in Anaheim today, iOS app and accessory maker IK Multimedia officially announced some of the products it briefly had on show during CES 2013. One of the more interesting products is the iRig BlueBoard. IK already has the iRig STOMP pedal, iRig accessories for connecting mixers, guitars, and mics to your iOS devices, but BlueBoard marks its first Bluetooth-enabled MIDI pedalboard designed specifically for iPhone, iPod, and iPad.
The pedal works with a dedicated BlueBoard app that will take the Bluetooth signal, convert it to MIDI messages, and then route them to any Core-MIDI compatible app on your iOS device or Mac. The result is the ability to control functions of an app, such as AmpliTube or JamUp Pro XT Amp Effects Processor, in the middle of a performance without having to fumble around your iOS device’s touchscreen. It will work with apps on your Mac, too.
It’s also possible to fully customize the MIDI messages that are sent out by the four switches and two optional expression pedals. It’s easy to setup iRig BlueBoard to control patch changes, effects parameters, reverb, delay on/off – or any parameter that can be controlled via MIDI. For a guitarist or vocalist using a mobile multiFX app like AmpliTube or VocaLive as a sound processor, iRig BlueBoard provides the foot-controlled functionality and convenience of a pedalboard, but with a form factor so compact and portable that it can easily slide into a backpack, a laptop bag or an instrument case.
Among the features: foot switches are backlit, Bluetooth 4.0 provides over 32 feet range, and the unit measures 10.6-inch-by-3.5-inch. It also requires four standard AAA batteries.
iRig BlueBoard will be available for $99.99 in the second quarter of this year. IK announced two new “iLoud” portable studio monitors for musicians, as well.
Steinberg, makers of popular digital audio workstation Cubase and innovators of the VST format for virtual instruments and plug-ins, this week announced the release of a new iPad app. Not surprising to anyone familiar with Cubase on the desktop, the “Cubasis” iPad app at first glance appears to go well beyond the functionality of Apple’s Garageband. However, the app will also cost a little more at $49.99 on the App Store.
Features include unlimited tracks (48 voices: iPad 2, iPad mini, 64 voices: iPad 3, iPad 4), more than 70 virtual instrument sounds modeled after HALion Sonic, and the ability to “sequence other CoreMIDI apps (MIDI recording only) and run Cubasis simultaneously via background audio.”
You’ll also be able to export projects to Cubase and Cubase Artist 7/6.5. Screenshots and a full list of features are below:
Key features
• Unlimited audio and MIDI tracks (depends on the device used)
• Over 70 virtual instrument sounds based on HALion Sonic
• MixConsole with over 10 effect processors
• Over 300 MIDI and audio loops
• Virtual keyboard and virtual drum pads
• Sample Editor and Key Editor
• Export projects to Cubase, Dropbox, SoundCloud, AudioCopy and email
• Core Audio and Core MIDI compatible hardware supported
• Sequence other CoreMIDI apps (MIDI recording only) and run Cubasis simultaneously via background audio
• Audio import from iTunes music library, AudioPaste, Wi-Fi server and iTunes file sharing
• Audio mixdown and MIDI export
Apple just pushed out updates to Logic Pro 9 and Logic Express, bringing both up to version 9.1.8 and introducing a ton of fixes and performance enhancements. The update is also for the Mac App Store version of Logic Pro.
Release notes for both below:
About the Logic Pro 9.1.8 Update:
General
Audio
Performance and Stability
Plug-ins and Instruments
Compatibility
About the Logic Express 9.1.8 Update:
General
Audio
Performance and Stability
Plug-ins and Instruments
Compatibility
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PTY–FKgUFQ]
Two of the big names in slick, Mac-compatible audio interfaces have announced new products that OS X gearheads will want to take note of. While these two interfaces from Apogee and Focusrite include different feature sets and price points, both feature a polished, Apple design aesthetic and introduce features not currently available in the companies’ current audio interface lineups.
Starting with the Quartet desktop interface by Apogee (which is widely considered to be the industry leader in digital audio interface technology), this new interface and control center for Mac is the company’s first to feature a USB MIDI connection. Coming in at $1,295 when it ships later this month, the Quartet lands somewhere between the company’s popular $595 Duet 2 and $1,995 Ensemble interfaces. Included is six touchpads for your inputs and outputs, three assignable touchpads, monitor control for up to three sets of monitors, four analog inputs with Apogee’s reference standard mic preamps and eight analog outputs. We look forward to bringing you a full review of the Apogee Quartet ASAP.
A full list of specs is below:
Features and specifications:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_4n3I-kpcww#!]
Also just announced is a new audio interface from Focusrite that comes closer to the price point of Apogee’s $600 Duet 2. Focusrite’s new “Forte” interface is a 2 in, 4 out, USB 2.0, which features two remote-controlled mic preamps, touch sensitive buttons, a large control knob, and an included breakout cable for XLR connections. The Forte can handle A-D and D-A conversion at up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution, and it will hit stores in October for roughly $600.
We recently brought you a full review of Griffin’s StudioConnect audio/MIDI interface and dock for iPad, and the company is now announcing availability of the device’s little brother, the MIDIConnect. Rather than give you an almost full-fledged audio interface for the iPad, like StudioConnect, MIDIConnect simply provides standard 5-pin MIDI in and out. MIDIConnect is available through Griffin for $79, which is about half the price of the StudioConnect.
Nashville, TN – July 10, 2012 – Griffin Technology, one of the world’s foremost creators of innovations for everyday life, is excited to announce the availability of MIDIConnect, a MIDI in and out interface for iPod touch, iPhone and iPad.
“MIDIConnect offers musicians a compact and portable solution to create and edit music on the go, at a fraction of the cost of a recording studio,” said Ethan Opelt, Line Manager of Griffin’s Audio category. “We are excited to be showcasing MIDIConnect as well as Griffin’s lineup of music products at Summer NAMM, taking place in Nashville, our home town.”
MIDIConnect adds a MIDI input and output to iOS devices. Intuitive to use, MIDIConnect allows you to plug MIDI keyboards and other MIDI-capable devices into an iPad, iPod touch or iPhone. Play your MIDI instrument straight into GarageBand or other MIDI-capable apps, or download MIDI Controller apps to use the MIDI out port and your touchscreen in performance, as a MIDI controller. Both MIDI in and out ports are industry-standard 5-pin DIN connectors, compatible with most commonly available MIDI cables and connectors.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANnKDpVpzow&feature=player_embedded]
We first told you about Griffin’s StudioConnect audio interface when it unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. There are more than a few products on the market that make it easy to hook up your guitar, mic, or MIDI controller to the iPad for use with the many iOS apps that include built-in DAWs with CoreMIDI support (such as Apple’s own GarageBand). While it might not be the prettiest iPad dock we have seen, there are a few reasons why it beats the competition.
With StudioConnect, in terms of inputs and outputs, what you get is pretty basic: standard 5-pin MIDI in and out, one 1/4-inch mono input, and left and right RCA output. The large knob out front controls the 3.5mm headphone jack below it, while a separate volume wheel on the side is for your main output. It is more than enough to plug in supported mics, a guitar, or a MIDI controller, but it is clear that Griffin did not build the StudioConnect with professionals in mind. Most pros will not do anything too heavy-duty inside of an iOS app at this point. The inputs above will likely be sufficient for most musicians using the iPad as a mobile or writing setup.
While it does not offer some of the standard inputs and outputs that pros are familiar with, Griffin used its experience making iOS accessories to nail the design where the competition gets it wrong….
We brought you some of the hottest accessories launched at CES 2012 yesterday, such as the vertical MacBook Air Dock from Henge and a new lineup of cloud products from D-link. That list also included one audio product, Griffin’s Twenty amp enabling Airplay playback on non-powered speakers, but today we bring you the rest of the most intriguing audio accessories and peripherals launched at the show.
Among them: A new audio interface for iPad from Griffin, new iRig accessories from IK Multimedia, and controllers from Line 6 and ION.
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