Choose Your Logic: Express or Studio?
Apple’s Logic software is a powerful and seemingly limitless application for both musicians and producers alike. If you are beginning to feel constrained by the limits of GarageBand, especially in terms of editing sounds and mixing to produce a professional quality recording, Logic is definitely worth looking into.
The biggest question that you’ll be faced with is whether to go with Logic Express ($199.99) or the full-blown Logic Studio ($499.99).
Musicians looking to dive further into recording will be more than happy with Logic Express. As a guitarist who loves extreme and bizarre sounds I was pleasantly surprised to see all of the built-in guitar amp and effects pedal models, which offer you seemingly endless combinations of effects, and also sound incredible. There are more than enough virtual instruments to keep you busy for months, and the fact you can edit almost every parameter of every instrument and effect plug-in gives even the most discriminating sonic architect something to tinker with.
Mixing in Logic is much more straightforward and visually pleasing, with a virtual analog mixing board right in front of you. Logic offers full support to almost every MIDI controller or USB interface, so you can control faders and knobs in real time to your hearts content.
All of these features are present in both the Express and Studio packages. However, Logic Studio adds on a ton of additional features.
Here are a few of the highlights:
- MainStage: Brings your studio sound to the stage. This is heaven for guitarists and synth players, as you can access all of the virtual instruments and effects within Logic and use just about any MIDI controller to manipulate every imaginable aspect of your sound (if so desired) in live performance.
- Soundtrack Pro: Apple’s film scoring/mixing/soundtrack application. It is of note that Logic Express does offer some limited film scoring as well
- Includes all of the Apple JamPacks, so you get hundreds and hundreds of additional instruments and sound loops.
- Delay and Space Designer: create your own delay and reverb algorithms (the sound sculpturing possibilities here are mind-blowing).
- Surround Sound mixing.
- WaveBurner: A CD Mastering/Authoring tool.
To sum up, most musicians looking to enhance their recording projects will find more than enough features to keep themselves busy churning out professional quality recordings with Logic Express. Those looking for advanced studio functionality, or looking for more virtual instruments and effects, and the flexibility of live and studio use will be right at home with Logic Studio.