Logic Express 9 Update

Today Apple released a major update to Logic Studio with more than over 200 new features and enhancements. The new version includes Logic Pro 9, MainStage 2, Soundtrack Pro 3, Compressor 3.5, and WaveBurner 1.6.

Apple says Logic is for “guitar players, live performers, and all musicians who record, edit, and mix their own music.

The center of Logic Studio is Logic Pro 9, which makes it easier than ever to create your own compositions. Produce and play nearly any sound imaginable with a huge collection of effects, instruments, and loops, including the new Amp Designer and Pedalboard plug-ins. Use MainStage 2 to perform live with the instruments, amps, effects, and sounds you used to make your tracks. Logic Studio also comes with applications and utilities that expand your creative options into audio post-production and mastering.

Logic boasts:

* Flex Time lets you manipulate audio timing and tempo like never before.
* Build dream guitar rigs with the new Amp Designer and Pedalboard.
MainStage 2 with new Playback and Loopback features let you take your Mac to the stage.
* Inspire your music with more than 1,000 instruments.
* Everything musicians need to write, record, produce, and perform on a Mac.
* Logic Pro 9 for do-it-yourself musicians to write, edit, record, and mix their own compositions.
* Shape your sound using more than 80 studio-quality effect plug-ins, including vintage and modern compressors, delays, reverbs, and more.
* New Amp Designer to help you re-create the sound of 25 legendary amps and 25 speaker cabinets.
* New Pedalboard with an assortment of 30 virtual stompbox pedals inspired by the classics.
* 20,000 royalty-free Apple Loops from all the Jam Pack collections.
* Soundtrack Pro 3, a streamlined audio post-production application for film and video.

The U.S. retail price of Logic Studio is $499.99. Current owners of Logic Studio or Logic Pro can purchase an upgrade for $199.99. Current owners of Logic Express can purchase an upgrade for $299.99. Upgrades are available only for retail versions.

“Click here to see Logic Studio.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74231
“Click here to see the Logic Studio Upgrade from Logic Pro 6, 7, or Logic Platinum or Gold 5, 6.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74232
“Click here to see the Apple Logic Studio Upgrade from Logic Express 6, 7, or 8.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74233

If you’re a musician that uses GarageBand, you must “read this excellent GarageBand vs Logic Comparison on Macworld.com”:http://www.macworld.com/article/141775/2009/07/logic_studio_garageband.html

I got an email today from my brother who said that his iPhone had gotten wet. There’s definitely hope for it, but it was an important reminder that the best thing to do when a computer, phone or other device meets potentially disastrous liquid consequences is to turn it off and leave it off.

The worst thing that can happen is that if you turn the device on while it’s still wet, it may short circuit because the electricity + water = bad. Advice ranges from using low heat to putting the device in rice to help suck out the moisture. Neither will hurt it, but the best advice our techs can give is to simply leave the affected device off for 3-5 days.

Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes. Stay tuned for our regular news in next week’s issue!

Your Kibbles & Bytes team,
_Kali & Ed_

This week we have great offer on a Small Dog Refurbished 4GB iPod nano 3G in silver. This is the square iPod nano that came out before the current rectangular version. The iPod nano 3G can play music, videos, podcasts, some games, and is compatible with the Nike+ Sport Kit.

We’ve bundled it with an arm band, screen protecter, and car charger, all for only $89.99. “Click here to see this.”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag19317

Small Dog’s Apple-certified technicians test and bring the product to current specifications. iPods carry a 90-day Small Dog Electronics limited warranty come complete with all accessories (unless otherwise noted).

Mediamakers rejoice. Today Apple introduced a new version of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Studio 3. The suite includes Final Cut Pro 7, Motion 4, Soundtrack Pro 3, Color 1.5, and Compressor 3.5.

DVD Studio Pro had an incremental update from 4.2.1 to 4.2.2, and no, it does not yet have Blu-ray support (though Blu-ray disks can be burned directly from Final Cut Pro 7, Compressor, and Motion).

At first, this looked like a minor update to Final Cut Studio, but now that I’ve spent time researching the new features, I see this as a very compelling upgrade.

Speaking as someone who uses Final Cut Studio on a near-weekly basis, I am happy with this update. It brings many new features and tools to Final Cut Studio that make working with video and motion graphics easier and more efficient. It also makes sharing and publishing projects much easier.

There are over 100 new features in Final Cut Studio. Here are a few notable new features and upgrades in each application:

*Final Cut Pro 7*

* I’m a huge fan of Apple’s ProRes codec, which is a beautiful format to work with. In addition to the previous Pro Res and Pro Res HQ codecs, Apple has introduced ProRes 422 (Proxy) for offline editing, ProRes 422 (LT) for projects that require reduced file sizes at broadcast quality, such as news, sports, and events, and ProRes 4444 is ideal for compositing and digital workflows that require the highest-possible image fidelity. ProRes 4444 also has an Alpha Channel.

* I bet FCP 7’s new Easy Export function will be extremely popular with editors everywhere. It introduces one-click delivery to web and disk. You can keep working while projects are rendered, compressed, and published to the web in the background. Files can be exported to iTunes for syncing with iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV; publish to YouTube or MobileMe or burn a Blu-ray disc or a DVD, with a choice of Apple-designed menu templates without leaving the application. You can also create custom presets in Compressor for use in the Share window.

* Background exporting and rendering, and improved render management –
Render management enhancements reduce the need to re-render as you trim clips, move media, and perform a wide range of other functions. This means you can work more efficiently as you experiment with creative options.

* Also, now you can keep editing in Final Cut Pro while using Compressor to render, export, and publish in the background. This means FCP won’t be unusable and locked up while rendering video and effects.

* iChat Theater support. Send your Final Cut Pro video to iChat Theater to let everyone see the same footage while you view dailies, select shots, and make edits. You can instantly switch the iChat view between clips and sequences as you talk, and turn on a timecode overlay to help identify specific frames.

* New speed change tools. A new option lets you make speed changes without rippling the sequence, which means you can experiment freely without affecting the surrounding clips.

* Final Cut Pro now saves you setup time when you transfer clips from a wide range of file-based cameras including Panasonic P2 and Sony XDCAM. The files are automatically copied to your media storage volumes the moment your media is mounted. A new Log and Transfer option allows you to set up custom metadata and add it to all your assets in a single step.

*Motion 4*

Motion 4 has several new features that will bring extra polish to video projects. It also focuses (heh, bad pun) on more realistic 3-D support.

* 3-D Shadows – When you set up a point or spot light in Motion 4, a single click lets you designate it as a shadow-casting light. Then Motion adjusts the shadow as you position objects, lights, and the camera.

* Depth of field – Draw attention to one or more moving objects in 3D space by selectively setting the focal point. Motion 4 makes it easy to highlight or de-emphasize objects by defining a range of focus, with an interface that illustrates the near and far focus planes as well as the point of focus. Add a Focus camera behavior to lock focus to a single object, or create a rack focus effect by using multiple Focus camera behaviors. “In Macworld Magazine’s review of Motion 4”:http://www.macworld.com/article/141836/2009/07/motion4.html, they note that “Previously, it has been possible to simulate this effect by painstaking manipulation of manual blur settings. But with Motion 4, it is a “set it and forget it”-type behavior–let the rampant rack focusing begin!”

* Credit rolls – It’s easier than ever to create and edit even a long list of production credits with ease. Just import a text file or type in your credits using the new Scroll layout in the Text tool. An innovative graphical interface lets you jump to any location in the credits with a click.

* ProRes 4444 support – With support for the new ProRes 4444 format, Motion 4 makes it possible to work with masks, alpha transparencies, and other high-resolution effects, maintaining pristine image quality at smaller, highly optimized file sizes. Fast, efficient decoding lets you take advantage of dynamic, real-time feedback as you work.

* Easy Export – Just like Final Cut Pro 7, Motion now supports Easy Export. Use this shortcut to export your file to iTunes for syncing with iPod, iPhone, and Apple TV; publish to YouTube or MobileMe; or burn a Blu-ray disc or a DVD, with a choice of Apple-designed menu templates.

* The Share window also gives you access to Compressor presets that let you export to other formats–including ProRes 422, ProRes 4444, and H.264–with a click.

* New preset Text Sequence behaviors – 149 new preset Text Sequence behaviors will help save time. Featuring a wide variety of playful or dramatic effects, such as Scramble In or Shimmer Out, for animating text onto or off the screen. Highlight effects include Scale Through, which makes the text look as if a magnifying glass is being passed over each letter in turn. You can use any preset as is or modify its parameters to get just the effect you want.

Note that the Live Type application has been dropped by Apple. Many Live Type features are now bundled in Motion.

*Compressor 3.5*

After spending untold hours working on a project, the final step of getting it to the web or burning in maximum quality to DVD can be torture. This is where are beautiful video can end up looking terrible. I’m nerdy enough to admit the changes in Compressor have me very excited.

* Batch templates – Compressor 3.5 introduces batch templates for automating end-to-end encoding workflows. For common encoding tasks, you can choose one of the preset batch templates that are similar to those in the Share window in Final Cut Pro 7 and Motion 4. Create your own templates for use in Compressor, using any combination of settings and destinations, as well as a job action.

* Blu-ray disc and DVD burning – You can now easily burn a Blu-ray disc or a DVD directly from Compressor. Quickly add a menu to your disc by choosing one of the Apple-designed HD or SD templates included in Compressor. Because Compressor uses an open XML-based template format, you can import third-party or custom templates for a specific look.

* Blu-ray compatible H.264 encoding – Compressor now includes a setting that allows you to create Blu-ray–compatible H.264 files that can be imported directly into third-party Blu-ray disc authoring software.

* Auto-detect settings – Compressor 3.5 lets you create a custom transcoding setting from an existing file with a simple drag and drop. Just drag any QuickTime file into the Settings pane to have Compressor analyze the file and instantly create a preset with matching characteristics.

* Enhanced droplets – Droplets allow you to create a standalone Compressor preset that you can use on your desktop. With the new droplet architecture in Compressor 3.5, you can create a self-contained miniature Compressor application that has just the options you need for a particular encoding task. Choose alternative settings at any time by double-clicking the droplet to reveal its interface. A set of Apple-designed droplets is available at no charge.

*Color*

Now with expanded support for digital cinema workflows, Color 1.5 lets you confidently create unique color grading looks and deliver at the highest quality.

* Seamless round-tripping with Final Cut Pro 7. You can now send most long, complex sequences–including scenes with still graphics, speed effects, multicam clips, and other advanced functions–directly to Color from Final Cut Pro, with no preparation required. Speed changes render faster when you send your graded sequence back to Final Cut Pro.

* Copy and paste in the Color FX room – You can create new looks faster than ever by copying and pasting Color FX nodes. Modify an existing effect by quickly duplicating elements, or bring a set of nodes into an entirely new effect.

* New Apple-designed looks – In addition to more than 20 signature looks provided in Color, you can download more than 90 new Apple-designed color grades. The looks, reminiscent of your favorite films, include Glows, Sepias, Day for Night, Blues and Greens, and more.

* Optimized rendering – Color 1.5 renders more efficiently by processing only the shots that have changed. The Add Unrendered feature automatically selects the shots you need to re-render when you make changes. The Add All Beauty Grades option ensures that you render only the grades you have flagged as the final, approved version. Open the Render Log to see at a glance a detailed record of your rendered jobs.

The price of Final Cut Studio has dropped from $1299.99 to $999.99. Back when Final Cut Pro was introduced in 1999, it sold for $999. Fast-forward ten years, and Final Cut Studio ships with six, high-end bundled titles–for the same $999 price. Pretty amazing!

“View product details and specials for Final Cut Studio 3 here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74227
“View Final Cut Studio 3 Upgrade and specials here.”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/74228

In Tuesday’s Q3 earnings announcement, Apple crushed the street like King Kong crushes bananas. Apple earned $1.35 per share, up nearly 12% year over year (having earned $1.19/share in Q3 2008).

The company generated $8.34 billion in revenue, booking $1.3 billion in profit. Apple now has over $31 billion in cash on hand (up $2.2 billion for the quarter). This was the best non-holiday quarterly revenue in Apple’s history.

While Apple cut prices on MacBooks and iPhones in June (as much as 10%), gross margins were still up to 36.3%, compared to 34.8% the year-ago quarter.

Sales of iPhones and Macs (especially MacBooks) led Apple’s growth.

* Apple shipped 2.6 million Macs during the quarter, a 4% increase over the year-ago quarter.
* According to Macworld, 1.75 million of those Macs were notebooks. That’s up 13 percent from the 1.553 million notebooks sold last year-ago quarter.
* Tim Cook reiterated that Apple’s goal is not to build the most computers, it’s to build the best computers.
* Quarterly iPhone unit sales reached 5.2 million, a 626% increase from the year-ago quarter.
* Apple hopes to have iPhone in China “within a year.”
* International sales accounted for 44 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
* Apple sold 10.2 million Pods during the quarter, which was a 7% unit decline over the year-ago quarter.
* Despite the overall decline in iPod sales, Apple noted that sale of the iPod touch are still growing.
* Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO, said “We expect traditional MP3 sales to continue to decline over time as we cannibalize ourselves with sales of the iPod touch and iPhone. But we still have a great business which we believe last many, many years, and we will continue to manage well.”

It was rumored that Steve Jobs would participate in the conference call, but chose to send a prepared statement instead:

bq. __”We’re making our most innovative products ever and our customers are responding. We’re thrilled to have sold over 5.2 million iPhones during the quarter and users have downloaded more than 1.5 billion applications from our App Store in its first year.”__

Tim Cook, Apple’s COO (and acting CEO when Jobs was out on medical leave) noted that “The Mac has now outgrown the market a staggering 18 out of the last 19 quarters.”

Almost 20% of Fortune 100 companies bought 10,000 or more iPhones while some corporations and government organizations bought 25,000 or more iPhones. Tim Cook noted “We think we’re at the tip of the iceberg with what the iPhone can do with business customers.”

Regarding the future, Apple’s guidance for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 (which is actually the current quarter as of this writing) includes expected revenue of $8.7 billion to $8.9 billion and earnings per diluted share of $1.18 to $1.23. Apple is forecasting an increase in Mac sales during the back-to-school shopping season. It’s worth noting that Apple is notoriously conservative with its future estimates.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is valued at $135 billion. That makes it the tenth most valuable company in America and 19th worldwide.

“Read this article for a slightly bearish opinion of Apple’s stock price future in the Wall Street Journal.”:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124821056118269783.html

“Click here to read Apple’s press release on its third quarter results.”:http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/07/21results.html

“Click here to listen an audio webcast of Apple’s conference call discussing Q3 – 2009 financial results.”:http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq309

“Click here to read Macworld’s in-depth converge of this matter.”:http://www.macworld.com/article/141829/2009/07/appleq309.html?lsrc=top_1