Well, is it...?
It's the wild wild west when it comes to the land of DAW's. Everyones standing off with their favourite. Some may say no, but I would argue yes, and I'm confident there's others who would stand with me. But In reality there's really no definitive answer, only preferences. It's been an ongoing debate with people in the world of DAW's and it'll probably go on until the end of time, or at least until there's one SUPER DAW to rule them all! You're going to hear, "This DAW's better cause of this". "Well my DAW does this". "Yeah? well my DAW was free" and countless other claims that makes that DAW the best. Now, you may be sitting there thinking to yourself, "Well.. Jeremy.. couldn't you say this blog is a claim for Logic Pro X?" You could make that stretch yes, but this is written as more of a open end question for you to answer yourself.
Throughout are simply 8 reasons (through experience) why I feel Logic Pro X is the BEST DAW for a BEGINNER to learn on:
1. Ease of use - Logic Pro X's interface is a super easy one to learn on. (If you've looked at or seen Apples Garageband at any point, you'll be familiar with the look) If not, when you first open it, the screen may seem daunting, but I promise everything you'll see you'll end up using at some point. There isn't many hidden functions until you know what function or option you're going to look for. There is a little question mark button on the top left of the screen you can click to add 'help' bubbles over areas you hover on. Once you gain the confidence there is much deeper settings you can access when you have the experience and knowledge.
2. Price Point - Logic Pro X is actually on the "cheap" side for the cost for a program itself. A full version of Logic Pro X can be acquired for $279.99 US (with no upgrade or annual fees!) on the Apple APP store. Other DAW's such as, AVID's ProTools (considered the industry standard DAW) can run you up to $599.99 US + $99 US/year for their upgrade plan. That's up to $800+ for the first year... Probably not ideal for someone just starting in the recording world. Another DAW gaining popularity is, Presonus Studio ONE 4 Professional. This DAW will cost you $395.95. Still not as expensive as AVID's Protools, but it it still more than Apples 'Logic Pro X'. (How ever, if you plan on using a large amount of Presonus equipment, I would consider Studio ONE 4 simply because of all the integration they have implemented within their products.) There isn't many DAW's I've found that offer the same value right out of the box at the price point that Logic Pro X does.
Link for Logic Pro X purchase - https://www.apple.com/ca/logic-pro/
3. Plugins - On most DAW's you're given a few basic stock plugins to get going. But with Logic Pro X you're given an exceptional amount of stock plugins. Let's not forget to mention the quality of the plugins, they are quite surprising. Right out of the box, you could easily mix a polished sound with just Logic Pro X's stock plugins. Everything from modern digital analyzers, crazy effects, to vintage modeled equipment. Here's a list of some great STOCK plugins to check out!:
> Compressor - It's actually 7 compressors in one. Change from VCA to FET to OPTO with vintage and modern versions all by the press of a button.
> Channel EQ - A modern digital EQ with 8 bands and real time analyzer to hone on your performance fix ups.
> Vintage EQ collection - 3 very famous EQs modeled into the DAW world. If you're familiar with your vintage equipment, identifying the models shouldn't be hard.
> Desser 2 - A updated and improved version of Logic Pro X's original desser. Works amazingly for harsh consonants.
> Space designer - convolution process that produces a reverb nearly indistinguishable from that of a real room or hall. Considered one of the best convolution reverbs. > Multi effects - 2 Plugins that are composed of multiple organizable effects in one. Use for some WILD effects, Get experimental! (Essentially a modular plugin as you can change the order in the plugin)
> And many more! - Here's a link to all the plugins that comes with logic - > https://www.apple.com/ca/logic-pro/plugins-and-sounds/
4. Vst’s and Loops - Logic Pro X at its base is roughly around 6GB in size. But when you get all the FREE additional downloadable content, It becomes a MASSIVE 78GB monster of a package of pre loaded VST's and loops. Some VST's I'd argue as being worth more than everything you get for the price of Logic Pro X. A great example of that is Logic Pro X's super powerful "Alchemy" VST.
There's NO reason you can't start creating the next potential hit record right out of the box with no need for 3rd party VST's or plugins.
Here's some of the many spectacular STOCK Vst's:
Alchemy - This ultimate sample-manipulation synthesizer is the most powerful instrument within Logic Pro X.
Drummer - A VST that is like having a session drummer right in your session you can tell how to play at any given moment.
Sampler - A updated version of the classic EXS24 sampler. Super powerful sampling VST.
Vintage Keyboards - authentically modeled versions of the Hammond B3 organ, the Mellotron, the Hohner Clavinet D6 and the Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer and Hohner electric pianos.
And many more! - Here's a link to all the VST's that comes with logic - > https://www.apple.com/ca/logic-pro/plugins-and-sounds/
5. Flex Pitch & Flex Time - When you purchase Logic Pro X, you're given instant access to a powerful pitch correction processing tool. It's essentially autotune. Flex Tune allows you to fix and change the tuning of recorded performances, add and fix up vibrato ect.. but Flex Pitch let's you take it a little further with Flex Time. With Flex Time you can manually move your audio around and fix timing, shorten or elongate sections of audio without the need of slicing any regions.
5. Working with someone else in logic - This is a really nice feature within Logic Pro X. When bouncing any audio in Logic Pro X, it automatically adds tempo, sample rate, key and any other factors to the file. This allows for anyone importing the file into their Logic Pro X session, will have it automatically set all those settings for them. Great for when you're working with a someone newer to the whole process, they wont need to worry about setting all that before the session!
6. Recording - When it comes to the recording side of the DAW, Logic Pro X stands on its own. Record pristine audio all the way up to 24-bit/192kHz quality. Seamless punch-in recording, add up to 1000 stereo and surround audio tracks, as well as an additional 1000 possible software instrument, all with the capability to run hundreds of plugins at the same time. Logic Pro X has everything you need to finish any project at hand.
7. Editing takes - A great feature with Logic Pro X is the 'Takes and quick Comping'. This feature allows you to stack recordings on a particular channel. You can save multiple comps and switch among them to pick the one you like best. Click and drag to choose your favourite sections of each take to create a seamless comp. Each is created with transition-smoothing crossfades.
8. Logic Remote - Logic Remote lets you connect your Apple Iphone or Ipad to Logic Pro X so you can control it wirelessly! You can use the multi-touch gestures to do stuff like, mix your track, play software instruments, and take control of features like Live Loops and Remix FX from anywhere in the room. You can even use the gyroscope in your Ipad or Iphone to manipulate the filters and repeaters in Remix FX! Get creative!!
Well. There ya have it, there are MANY other reasons I feel that Logic Pro X is to be considered the BEST DAW for BEGINNERS (and the best DAW, but that's just preference..), but these are the ones I tell people about all the time when they are considering what DAW they should get to start. Either it be strictly recording, all digital production, MIDI sequencing, editing, mixing and mastering ect.. you name it. Logic Pro X can handle it and probably more.
After reading this blog I hope I've been able to start showing you the power and potential you can harness from this program. The only thing stopping you from creating is your imagination and creativity. So stop reading and pondering, go get the trail and see if Logic Pro X is the right DAW for you. I look forward to seeing (well, more hearing) the fantastic songs and audio creations that all you talented individuals create. This year has been filled with quite unfortunate events and negative energy. Go liven it up a little with something that is YOU.
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