Logic Pro 2 is a reminder that Apple’s AI ambitions aren’t just about chatbots

While the focus of Apple’s May 7 special event was mostly hardware — four new iPads, a new Apple Pencil, and a new Magic Keyboard — there were mentions of AI with the M2 and M4 chips as well as new versions of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for the tablets. 

The latter is all about new AI-infused or powered features that let you create a drum beat or a piano riff or even add a warmer, more distorted feel to a recorded element. Even neater, Logic Pro for iPad 2 can now take a single recording and split it into individual tracks based on the instruments in a matter of seconds. 

It’s a look behind the curtain at the kind of AI features Apple sees the biggest appeal and affordance with. Notably, unlike some rollouts from Google or OpenAI, it’s not a chatbot or an image generator. With Logic Pro, you're getting features that can be genuinely helpful and further expand what you can do within an app.

A trio of AI-powered additions for Logic Pro for iPad

Stem Splitter in Logic Pro for iPad 2.

Stem Splitter can separate a single track into four individual ones split up by instrument.  (Image credit: Apple)

Arguably the most helpful feature for musicians will be Stem Splitter, which aims to solve the problem of separating out elements within a given track. Say you’re working through a track or giving an impromptu performance at a cafe; you might just hit record in Voice Memos on an iPhone or using a single microphone.

The result is one track that contains all the instruments mixed. Logic Pro 2 can now import that track, analyze it, and split it into four tracks: vocals, drums, bass and other instruments. It won’t change the sound but essentially puts each element on a separate track, allowing you to easily modify or edit it. You can even place plugins, something that Logic is known for, on iPad and the Mac.

The iPad Pro with M4 will likely be mighty speedy when tackling this thanks to its 16-core neural processing unit, but it will work on any iPad with Apple Silicon through a mixture of on-device AI and deep learning. For musicians big or small, it’s poised to be a simple, intuitive way to convert voice memos into workable and mixable tracks.

AI-powered instruments to complete a track

Bass Session Player in Logic Pro for iPad 2

A look at the Bass Session Player within Logic Pro for iPad 2. (Image credit: Apple)

Building on Stem Splitter is a big expansion with Session Players. Logic Pro has long offered Dummer — both on Mac and iPad — as a way to easily add drums to a track via a virtual player that can be customized by style and even complexity. Logic Pro for iPad 2 adds a piano and bass player to the mix, which are extremely adjustable session players for any given track. With piano, in particular, you can customize the individual left or right hand’s playing style, pick between four types of piano, and use a plethora of other sliding tools. It's even smart enough to recognize where on a track it is, be it a chorus or a bridge. It only took a few seconds to come up with a decent-sized track as well on an iPad Pro.

If you’re only a singer or desperately need a bass line for your track, Logic Pro for iPad 2 aims to solve this with an output that plays with and complements any existing track.

Rounding out this AI expansion for Logic Pro on the iPad is a Chromaglow effect, which takes a common, expensive piece of hardware reserved for studios and places it on the iPad to add a bit more space, color, and even warmth to the track. Like other Logic plugins, you can pick between a few presets and further adjust them.

Interestingly enough, alongside these updates, Apple didn’t show off any new Apple Pencil integrations for Logic Pro for iPad 2. I’d have to imagine that we might see a customized experience with the palette tool at some point.

It’s clear that Apple’s approach to AI, like its other software, services, and hardware, is centered around crafting a meaningful experience for whoever uses it. In this case, for musicians, it’s solving pain points and opening doors for creativity further.

Stem Splitter, new session players, and Chromaglow feel right at home within Logic Pro, and I expect to see similar enhancements to other Apple apps announced at WWDC. Just imagine an easier way to edit photos or videos baked into the Photos app or a way to streamline or condense a presentation within Keynote.

Pricing and Availability

All of these features are bundled in with Logic Pro for iPad 2, which is set to roll out and launch on May 13, 2024. If you’re already subscribed at $ 4.99 a month or $ 49 for the year, you’ll get the update for free, and there is no price increase if you’re new to the app. Additionally, you can get a one-month free trial of first-time Logic Pro for iPad users.

You might also like

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More

Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are finally available on your iPad – here’s how to get them

Just two weeks after the initial announcement, Apple's Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro editing software have made landfall on select iPad models.

Both apps function similarly to their desktop counterparts with some customizations so they can take full advantage of the hardware. As stated in our previous coverage, Final Cut Pro will feature a new jog wheel to make interacting with the touch screen easy to do. This includes smoothly navigating the Magnetic Timeline and moving clips for a video. Support for the Apple Pencil is present enabling Live Drawing so you can draw and write on top of content. Additionally, Final Cut Pro on iPad allows for multicamera editing so you can easily combine multiple angles into one timeline.

As for Logic Pro, the music editing software comes with Multi-Touch so you can use your hands to zoom in on tracks or scroll through them. Custom audio boards can be built thanks to Plug-in Tiles. All you have to do is drag audio control plug-ins together like a jigsaw puzzle. Apple Pencil support is here as well for “precision edits”. 

There are even a couple of new features not present on the desktop version. First, you have Beat Breaker, which lets “creators “reshape and shuffle sounds with a swipe of their finger or a pinch. There’s also Sample Alchemy for manipulating music samples with, as you can probably guess, just your finger.

Availability

The apps can do more than what we just described, but we think you get the picture. It doesn’t look like there will be any hiccups in the transition from desktop to tablet. So, how can you buy them?

Both Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro are available through the App Store for $ 4.99 USD (£4.99 and $ 7.99 AUD) a month or $ 49 USD (£49 and $ 59 AUD) a year “with a one-month free trial.” As you can see, the iPad versions of these apps are much, much cheaper than on Mac. Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro will run you $ 299.99 (£299.99/$ 499.99 AUD) and $ 199.99 (£174.99/$ 299.99 AUD) respectively.

Do note there are some limitations. The software only works with select iPad models. To use Final Cut Pro, you need to own either a 12.9-inch iPad Pro (5th or 6th gen), 11-inch iPad Pro (3rd or 4th gen), or iPad Air (5th gen) with iPadOS 16.4 or later installed. For Logic Pro, the app will work on “any iPad with the A12 Bionic chip or later” like the 7th Gen iPad from 2019. The device must also be running iPadOS 16.4.

It’s worth mentioning there have been rumors of these two applications coming to Apple’s rumored VR headset. This information comes from notable industry insider Mark Gurman who claims “there’s a very real possibility” they’ll roll out to the headset at some point. Apparently, the xrOS platform can run iPad apps.

It’s unknown if that’ll actually happen, but our questions may soon be answered. The company’s big WWDC 2023 event will be held in less than two weeks on June 5. We do expect to see the long-awaited reveal of Apple's VR device among other high-profile gadgets.

TechRadar – All the latest technology news

Read More