>Apple has launched new versions of Logic Pro for both Mac and iPad – versions 11 and 2 respectively.
Leading the way in each of the editions are new AI-powered features: Bass and Keyboard ‘Session Players’, which do for these instruments what Drummer does for drums; Stem Splitter, which breaks apart stereo material so that you can create remixes; and ChromaGlow, a new effect that promises to add “instant warmth”.
Both Bass Player and Keyboard Player are designed to follow your defined chord progressions, and offer various levels of customisation. You can choose from eight different virtual bassists – these are said to have been trained “in collaboration with today’s best players” (we’d be keen to find out who) – and control the levels of playing complexity. There are adjustable slide, mute, deadnote and pickup hit parameters, too, and 100 Bass Player loops are provided so that you can hear what it can do.
It’s a similar story with Keyboard Player; here, there are four different styles, and you can generate everything from simple chords to complex voicings.
Functionally, these are fairly similar to Logic’s existing Drummer tool, which has also been updated. You can define and edit your chord progressions using the dedicated Chord Track, and you can access the sounds that Bass and Keyboard Player draw on, using the Studio Bass and Studio Piano plugins. There are also a variety of preset chord progressions to draw inspiration from.
Although the technology is undeniably impressive, from our tests so far we’re not convinced that this is going to kill songwriting as we know it. In general, results are of a similar quality to what you’d achieve by mixing existing Apple Loops, albeit with more flexibility. Singer/ songwriters looking to put together demos will likely find it a useful tool. It’s these users, more than electronic musicians, who are likely to benefit from these new additions – although we’d be interested to see what experimental artists can come up with through creative misuse.
Stem Splitter, meanwhile, does what it says: breaks apart mixes. As is becoming customary with tools like this, audio is split into Drum, Bass, Vocal and Other instrument tracks, with these immediately being put
