Logic Pro X Gets Massive Update With Smart Tempo, New Plug-Ins, and Hundreds of Loops

Thursday January 25, 2018 9:46 AM PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released a major 10.4 update for its professional audio editing software Logic Pro X, introducing a huge list of new features for musicians and sound editors.

A new Smart Tempo system is designed to keep multiple tracks in sync regardless of their original tempo, allowing content to be combined together automatically. It lets users record into Logic Pro X using an attached instrument sans metronome or click track, with the software analyzing your performance to create a tempo map for the project.


Several new plug-ins are included in Logic Pro X 10.4, including ChromaVerb, an algorithmic reverb with a colorful visual component, Step FX for rhythmic multi-effect processing, and Vintage EQ with three vintage analog EQ models from the 1950s to 1970s. A full list of all the new plug-ins is below:
- ChromaVerb is a sophisticated new algorithmic reverb with a colorful, interactive interface for creating rich acoustic spaces
- Space Designer is a convolution reverb with a new design and a scalable, Retina interface
- Step FX adds rhythmic multi-effect processing using 3 powerful step sequencers and an X/Y pad
- Phat FX makes your tracks bigger and bolder using 9 effects that add warmth and punch to your sounds
- The Vintage EQ Collection provides 3 accurate models of vintage analog EQs from the 1950s to the 1970s
- Studio Strings and Studio Horns are deeply sampled, realistic ensemble instruments with custom articulation controls
- Mellotron is now available as a standalone instrument plug-in
- Retro Synth now offers 18 different filter models
Two additional drummers with roots and jazz-influenced styles are included, and there are two new vintage brush kits for Drum Kit Designer. Apple has also added more than 800 new loops in a variety of instruments and genres, plus the New Visions library for Alchemy has gained 150 cinematic presets.

Other new features include an undo option for mixer and plug-in actions, an option for saving favorites in the File Browser, support for looping audio files in the Loop Browser, and a new universal design for controlling articulations for a more consistent interface across Logic and third-party instruments.

Today's Logic Pro X update is free for existing users. New users can download Logic Pro X from the Mac App Store for $199.99. [Direct Link]

Tag: Logic Pro X
65 comments


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star-affinity
12 months ago
Other new features include an undo option for mixer and plug-in actions

Thanks for that! And the rest of the stuff. Especially curious about the Studio Strings and Studio Horns.
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Wow so you really don't need any ability or skill at all any more? And we wonder why music is treated as a near-worthless commodity. :(


I think it's fine to ”cheat” (or whatever you want to call it) when recording and creating your song/project as long as the result is good. :) I still think you need to have skills to make good stuff, it's just that some obstacles are more easy to overcome with modern tools. And the possibilities are endless.
Rating: 15 Votes
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GeneralChang
12 months ago


Wow so you really don't need any ability or skill at all any more? And we wonder why music is treated as a near-worthless commodity. :(

Because the only skill really needed to create music is the ability to follow a metronome... ;)
Rating: 12 Votes
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BigJohno
12 months ago
I really wish Apple kept developing Aperture. I still don't understand why they kept Final Cut Pro and Logic and not Aperture.
Rating: 10 Votes
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johngordon
12 months ago


Wow so you really don't need any ability or skill at all any more? And we wonder why music is treated as a near-worthless commodity. :(


Sure. Because anyone could pick up Logic Pro and be the new Ryan Tedder within a week.

Good luck with that.
Rating: 8 Votes
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petsounds
12 months ago
Fantastic update. The Smart Tempo feature sounds like a real time saver, and I'm interested in checking out some of the new effects like Step FX. Hopefully some of the old plugins have gotten a UI makeover also.

But MacRumors, why isn't this on the front page when even the tiniest bit of iOS news gets put there? This is a huge update to one of Apple's pro products, this is worthy of front page treatment.
Rating: 8 Votes
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AppleInLVX
12 months ago


Wow so you really don't need any ability or skill at all any more? And we wonder why music is treated as a near-worthless commodity. :(


As my current roster of recorded music using Logic clearly proves, technology is not a substitute for talent. Probably never will be.
Rating: 8 Votes
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miniroll32
12 months ago
Logic Pro is being supported really well in recent years. Keep it up, Apple!
Rating: 8 Votes
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BigRed1
12 months ago


Wow so you really don't need any ability or skill at all any more? And we wonder why music is treated as a near-worthless commodity. :(


While this comment may be true on a lot of features, this is not one of them, and quite the contrary. This allows you to play WITHOUT computer assistance to any tempo, including changes, and allow you to sync up loops or other instruments to the original recording. Thus, if you can't keep the tempo as you wanted it, this doesn't fix that, but rather amplifies it. This is great for singer/songwriter types who want to record in more natural, human ways but still have all of the benefits of recording in a DAW.
Rating: 7 Votes
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Starfia
12 months ago
Holy planets. I just played with the Studio Strings for five minutes and they're amazing.

https://d.pr/free/a/dhaOLv (Will expire in a few days.)
Rating: 7 Votes
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kanselmo
12 months ago


Wow so you really don't need any ability or skill at all any more? And we wonder why music is treated as a near-worthless commodity. :(


Guessing you are not a musician who records and performs. Recording music is a wildly different skill than playing live music. Fact of the matter is, unless you only listen to recordings of live sets (and even then, most outside of jazz and classical will have overdubs), there has been some form of "studio magic" on literally every song you've ever liked. If you're that worried about the artist's musical pedigree and integrity, you have to see them perform live, and that has always been the case.
Rating: 7 Votes
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