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Other inclusions

Other software within Logic Studio that will be of prime interest to musicians includes MainStage and WaveBurner.

MainStage started out as Apple's attempt to provide all the processing and instrument content of Logic but in a performance-friendly interface for live use. Version 2 adds a couple of nice new plug-ins, namely Playback and Loopback.

The first lets you play audio files from within MainStage – import them and MainStage will make up a channel strip and Playback instrument for you. The plug-in reads file markers and loops playback between them, so if you just want to jam, you can load up an Apple Loop, which you can also sync to the prevailing patch tempo.

The companion Loopback device appears as a delay plug-in, and to get up and running, you simply insert it on an audio channel strip with your input correctly assigned. The recording process behaves much like a tape loop, so hitting Record and Stop dictates the start and finish. Again, like a tape loop, you can record in a 'sound on sound' fashion, adding audio on top of your original loop.

"Other software within Logic Studio that will be of prime interest to musicians includes MainStage and WaveBurner."

To make the most of both features, you'll probably want to assign foot controllers to playback duties – a simple matter in MainStage 2 – and if you're an Apogee GiO user, you should be able to do this and run in your guitar all from the one unit.

WaveBurner is a CD compilation, mastering and burning app, and v1.6 has parameter automation. You can apply this to region plug-ins on the main waveform lane and master plug-ins on the all-new mix lane. In this latter feature you can also render a full disc-length waveform that includes all the tracks, fades and processing.

Summary

It may not look that different to v8, but scratch the surface and you'll find that Logic Pro 9 boasts many tasty new features. Existing users will be impressed by the slickness of the audio features, especially Flex Time.

For new users, the real attraction is that Logic Pro 9 includes everything you need to make release-quality music. And for the record, Logic Pro 9 didn't crash once during our testing.

So, is this release faultless? Not entirely – there's no dedicated drum kit plug-in, for example – but when you sit it alongside all the other production packages, it really feels like the most complete, and for that reason it absolutely deserves top marks.

In the audio demo, you will hear:

1. A live drum kit with dodgy playing: first it's fixed with slicing mode, then rhythmic mode. Then, for fun, using pitch mode to show bits speeding up and down to correct the timing, then slowed down with slow-down fade, and sped up with speed-up fade.

2. A melody played on piano with dodgy timing: switching through the flex time modes monophonic, polyphonic, then polyphonic with the complex parameter selected. Next still in this mode, audio quantised to 8ths, then 16ths, then with a silly quantize for fun. All adjustments are made in real time to show the various processing kicking in.

3. A selection of warped effects from Sound Designer: added to a simple bongo, first with the bongo then without.

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