A clear and concise overview of the changes in Logic Pro X. Make sure to watch the 17-minute demo of the new Drummer feature.
Jim Dalrymple’s Review of Logic Pro X→
Apple Launches Logic Pro X with Logic Remote iPad Companion App
Apple today launched Logic Pro X, a major new version of Logic Pro that includes hundreds of new features, new instruments and effects, and a free iPad companion app called Logic Remote that takes advantage of multi-touch to integrate with Logic Pro X.
The standout features of Logic Pro X are Drummer (a virtual session player that automatically plays along a song in a variety of styles), Flex Pitch (an editor for individual notes in a waveform to fix out-of-tune vocals or recorded audio), Track Stacks (organize multiple tracks into one), Smart Controls, and Arpeggiator.
Apple is detailing the new functionalities in a press release and will launch later today a webpage for Logic Pro X.
Logic Pro X provides a collection of new creative tools for songwriting and music production. Drummer delivers professionally produced, realistic drum tracks that respond to your direction and can perform millions of unique grooves in rock, alternative, songwriter and R&B genres. Drummer is powered by the performances and sounds of some of the industry’s top session players and recording engineers, including legendary mixer/producer Bob Clearmountain, who has worked with the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie. Designed to work with Drummer, the new Drum Kit Designer plug-in lets you build your own custom kit using a diverse collection of professionally recorded snare drums, toms, hi-hats and cymbals that you can mix, match and fine tune to get the right drum sound for your song.
Logic Remote, available for free on the App Store, allows users to record, mix, and even play Logic’s instruments directly on the iPad using multi-touch. Compatible with the iPad 2, iPad mini and later and requiring iOS 6 and Logic Pro X, Logic Remote can navigate inside Logic projects, control recordings remotely, act as a second screen for the Logic’s documentation (Smart Help) on the Mac, and also remotely trigger Logic Pro X key commands with customizable buttons. Users can mix Logic sessions from the iPad, or play instruments such as a piano keyboard, guitar fretboard, drum pads and drum kit, adding the Arpeggiator plugin to any instrument.
Logic Pro X is now available on the Mac App Store for $199.99. Logic Remote is free on the App Store, and Apple has also released MainStage 3, a live performance companion app for Logic Pro X, on the Mac App Store for $29.99.
OmniFocus for iPhone Gets Background Location Sync→
OmniFocus for iPhone was updated today to include a background location sync feature previously seen in apps like Downcast, Instapaper, and CameraSync.
Users can now leverage iOS’ geofencing to tell OmniFocus to sync its online database in the background and automatically whenever they enter or leave a specific location. There’s a new Background Sync screen in the settings where locations can be configured, which works similarly to Instapaper’s one. Unlike CameraSync, I wasn’t able to receive a local notification when I left or arrived at a location that triggered background sync.
The Omni Group is undoubtedly looking at iOS 7’s new background app refresh options, but, until then, this is a nice (and common) workaround.
Bugshot: Simple Screenshot Annotations On iOS
Back in November 2012, I shared my frustration with the sharing mechanism of Skitch for iOS, concluding that:
So now I’m looking for simple image annotations on iOS. Or an update to Skitch.— Federico Viticci (@viticci) November 10, 2012
Editorial for iPad→
Ole Zorn is finally talking about his upcoming new app, Editorial, publicly on his website:
I tweeted earlier today that I’ve registered the name for a new app in iTunes Connect. It’s called Editorial, and I’ve actually been working on this for over a year now.
At its core, it’s a Markdown editor for iPad, but you can also think of it as a Pythonista spinoff, or a workflow automation tool, not unlike Automator.
I say “finally” because I have been testing Editorial since November 2012. All my reviews have been written and edited with Editorial; I have built workflows that, for me, make working with text on the iPad better than using Sublime Text 2 on my MacBook Air. When I’m on my Mac, I miss Editorial’s automation and editing features. And if I haven’t posted a screenshot of my iPad’s Home screen in a while, it’s because I had Editorial in my dock and I couldn’t share it.
Ole Zorn is the developer of Pythonista, which I have written extensively about. I can’t wait to share more about Editorial.
WWDC 2013 Session Videos On YouTube→
Update: According to iMore’s Rene Ritchie, Apple confirmed that the videos are not official and, as suspected, in violation of the NDA.
After the release of the keynote’s video on its website, iTunes, and YouTube, WWDC 2013 session videos have surfaced on YouTube under the account WWDCVideos.
Originally tweeted by Safari and WebKit engineer Timothy Hatcher, the WWDCVideos channel has the following description:
Get an in-depth look at what’s next in iOS and OS X, and learn how to take your apps to the next level. With over 100 sessions, extensive hands–on labs, and engaging events, you’ll connect with Apple engineers and fellow developers for an incredible week of inspiration.
If confirmed official, this wouldn’t be Apple’s first YouTube channel, as the company has been uploading keynotes, promo videos, and TV commercials on the Apple channel for years now; it’s unclear, however, how such videos would be available publicly on YouTube considering Apple’s NDA, which prevents developers from discussing upcoming iOS and OS X features publicly.
The Prompt: An Annoying Mispronunciation→
This week on The Prompt, Myke and Stephen discuss Federico’s absence, Myke’s recent government questioning and then cameras and photo management with correspondent Shawn Blanc.
I couldn’t join the team yesterday, but I’ll be back next week. It’s good to know that Myke can survive a government questioning. You can get the episode here.
IFTTT for iPhone: A Different Kind of iOS Automation
I used to heavily rely on IFTTT for my daily automation workflows that involved appending bits of text to files in my Dropbox, forwarding tweets to my OmniFocus inbox, generating PDFs, or archiving Instagram photos to my Dropbox account. IFTTT, acronym of If This Then That, is a web service that lets you connect other web services together to create automated workflows that run every time a piece of data is triggered: by leveraging a variety of APIs from compatible channels (such as Facebook, Dropbox, Evernote, Feedly, and more), IFTTT lets you automate the web in powerful (and sometimes unexpected) ways. Browsing Popular recipes on the IFTTT website can give you an idea of the scope of web automation that’s made possible by the service, and we’ve covered IFTTT in the past on MacStories as well.[1]
However, I stopped depending on IFTTT because, once I got more comfortable with my own Mac mini server as a remote automation assistant, I wanted to control the pipes of my personal data. I’m still using IFTTT for things like receiving an email if it’s going to rain tomorrow or a new SMS for press releases published by Apple (just an example of the power of IFTTT channels and recipes), but it’s not the primary system that I rely upon for automating daily tasks. The new IFTTT app for iPhone, which I have been testing and has been released today on the App Store, may make me (partially) reconsider my decision. Read more
The Next Five Years of App Store
A great man once said that we should look up at the stars, be curious, and keep asking questions. With the App Store now a five-year-old business, I would like – allow me to paraphrase that great man for a much more trivial endeavor – to look ahead and trying to imagine what the next five years of the App Store could look like. I already wrote my in-depth App Store retrospective last year, and I touched upon the changes introduced with iOS 6 back in September 2012. Now, it’s time to think about what’s next. The past can be functional to contextualizing the future, but eventually somebody has to think of that future. This is my humble, brief attempt.
The App Store will soon hit the impressive milestone of 1 million apps available for iPhone and iPad. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to know Apple is figuring out a way to time the announcement of 1 million apps with the release of iOS 7 (and possibly new iPhone hardware) this Fall. The App Store’s soon-to-be-millionaire catalogue pales in comparison to the iTunes Store’s music offerings, but it’s still impressive when considering that the modern concept of app was born only five years ago, whereas music goes, euphemistically, “a long way” back in human history.
I don’t think that the App Store’s growing catalog will ultimately change the nature of the Store itself: if you look back at the past 10 years of iTunes, you’ll see that, in spite of new releases and additions, the iTunes Store’s core mechanics haven’t changed much. Customers go to iTunes, they buy music, and they enjoy that content on their devices. With the App Store, I think we’ll keep seeing a front page, categories, charts, and a download/purchase mechanism that will go unchanged for the foreseeable future. Apple doesn’t need to alter the simplicity of the App Store model, but they must enhance it and modernize it.
I discussed many of my ideas for a better App Store in my piece from February, and I’ll revisit them today with a knowledge of the announcements Apple made with iOS 7. Read more