Musicians! Tell me about Logic Pro X, please :)

[r04DiE]

Hello all,

I am lucky enough to have a very talented daughter, who's birthday is coming up soon.

She would really love the above software, but I am not really a Mac person, so I don't know much about them, or the software they use.

Can anybody tell me which Mac will run it and anything else that I might need to consider before splashing out. She also wants a MIDI keyboard with it.

Thank you!

 

[further]

Ask here,someone will know.
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/

 

[StuAff]

Not a musician, but a long-term Mac user here…Any Mac made in the past few years (2012 on, say) will run it, plus a lot of older machines (the 2009 Mac Pro I'm using right now would have no issues whatsoever).
Of the current Mac range, and if you have the dosh, a MacBook Pro of some description would be the best bet, iMac if you want a desktop. Mac Mini is long past its sell-by date, MacBook is ££££ for the spec and lacks the expansion ports she'll need for the gear, Mac Pro is being replaced (hopefully this year) and again long in the tooth, and iMac Pro is ideal if you've got a lottery win to spend.
Second hand: I'd suggest pretty much any MacBook Pro from 2012 on, Mac Pro (2009-2012 vintage, the old 'cheese grater' case with lots of expansion), or recent-ish iMac. Also worth considering going down the Hackintosh route…

 

[AndyRM]

Does it have to be a Mac and does it have to be Logic? I get the appeal of both, but there are alternatives. Fruity Loops, for example.

What is she looking to make/record?

 

[MrPie]

Mac is wonderful for music creation - been doing it for years. Just about any Mac will run Logic.....of course, the newer the better. Newer models have USB-C inputs so you’ll need a dongle to connect any instruments. A midi keyboard will likely be a simply simple USB connector. I use a ‘Presonus firestudio mobile’ for recording vocals (microphone input has phantom power) and the quality is awesome. I also use the Presonus for guitars, but also have a Gio pedalboard, which is also very good quality.
Software wise, GarageBand is all you’ll ever really need. I’ve used other commercial software but I keep coming back to GarageBand as it is simple and straightforward. Have also downloaded ’Mainstage’ for additional sounds (essentially most of the Logic sounds).

My recommendation would be to stick with GarageBand until Ms Roadie has mastered it. Logic is the next progression for that total professional control.

 

[midlife]

I'm sure we got a pile of software with our Roland keyboard. I am completely non-musical so all I did was fund it lol

 

[r04DiE]

Not a musician, but a long-term Mac user here…Any Mac made in the past few years (2012 on, say) will run it, plus a lot of older machines (the 2009 Mac Pro I'm using right now would have no issues whatsoever).
Of the current Mac range, and if you have the dosh, a MacBook Pro of some description would be the best bet, iMac if you want a desktop. Mac Mini is long past its sell-by date, MacBook is ££££ for the spec and lacks the expansion ports she'll need for the gear, Mac Pro is being replaced (hopefully this year) and again long in the tooth, and iMac Pro is ideal if you've got a lottery win to spend.
Second hand: I'd suggest pretty much any MacBook Pro from 2012 on, Mac Pro (2009-2012 vintage, the old 'cheese grater' case with lots of expansion), or recent-ish iMac. Also worth considering going down the Hackintosh route…

Great - that is all very useful stuff and thank you very much for giving me your advice here!

Does it have to be a Mac and does it have to be Logic? I get the appeal of both, but there are alternatives. Fruity Loops, for example.

What is she looking to make/record?

Thanks. Well, she is mainly interested in classical and stuff for films and theatre. She wants Logic Pro as that's what they use at school and she is fairly proficient with it.

Mac is wonderful for music creation - been doing it for years. Just about any Mac will run Logic.....of course, the newer the better. Newer models have USB-C inputs so you’ll need a dongle to connect any instruments. A midi keyboard will likely be a simply simple USB connector. I use a ‘Presonus firestudio mobile’ for recording vocals (microphone input has phantom power) and the quality is awesome. I also use the Presonus for guitars, but also have a Gio pedalboard, which is also very good quality.
Software wise, GarageBand is all you’ll ever really need. I’ve used other commercial software but I keep coming back to GarageBand as it is simple and straightforward. Have also downloaded ’Mainstage’ for additional sounds (essentially most of the Logic sounds).

My recommendation would be to stick with GarageBand until Ms Roadie has mastered it. Logic is the next progression for that total professional control.

OK, thank you for that, I know that her singing teacher uses GarageBand and she says she is willing to give it a go. So does this run on Mac only?

[QUOTE 5185872, member: 45"]Garage Band is the simplest to use. Failing that you don't need a mac. There's plenty of software, that you can run on a normal laptop that's either free online for the restricted version, or packaged free with the midi controller (or an interface) that you'll be getting.[/QUOTE]Many thanks. Another vote for GarageBand then.

 

[irw]

Can anybody tell me which Mac will run it and anything else that I might need to consider before splashing out.

Be aware that there are subtle hardware differences between versions of Mac machines built in the past 10 years or so, even though they all look the same. Consequently, out of two machines that look identical on the outside, one may support the latest version of OSX, and one may not. For example, I have a MacPro 3.1- 'Early 2008' model, and this only supports up to OS X 10.11 (El Capitan), whereas a MacPro 5.1 looks externally identical, but will run the latest OS (although it's probably fairly likely these will also stop being supported soon, given the track record), so don't be fooled into buying what looks like a bargain, but is actually very obsolete.

Here's a handy page that shows you what each model supports, just click on the type of machine you're looking at to see the versions.

 

[r04DiE]

OK, what about this one? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Apple-Ma...588358?hash=item33e6a02a46:g:D3cAAOSwOrxZvPyI