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Logic or Pro Tools?


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Hi

 

I'm about to learn Pro Tools or Logic. However, choosing which one to use seems hard.

 

Which program is used most frequently?

 

I recently purchased a macbook pro 13 ", given that computer, which program is the best?

 

Is Logic usually better if you own a mac?

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i've used ProTools and Logic on my mac... they are both solid. PT is definitely the industry standard in big studios, however Logic can do just about everything PT can and vice versa. I definitely feel like Logic is more geared towards the creation of music, and PT is more for recording, so I guess it depends on your application. I have found that Logic has a steeper learning curve as well. Editing to me is a little easier in PT, but I can write a song with nearly limitless options with more ease in Logic.

 

FWIW, I use Logic Pro 9 and I have never looked back. My reasoning- if I can master this, I feel like I will be more valuable. Apple is definitely doing things right these days (minus the iPhone 4 antenna problem).

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Hi


I'm about to learn Pro Tools or Logic. However, choosing which one to use seems hard.


Which program is used most frequently?

 

Pro Tools. But Logic is a popular program.

I recently purchased a macbook pro 13 ", given that computer, which program is the best?

 

Both should run well on a MacBook.

 

Is Logic usually better if you own a mac?

 

You can bank on that -- Logic does not run on PCs. :D

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Which program seems more appealing to you? Can you try both and see which one you like?

 

I've never used Logic. But I do know that Logic comes bundled with a LOT more than Pro Tools does, at least right out of the gate. There's more things for songwriting, etc., and generally more features, although PT8 has done a lot to catch up with that.

 

I like Pro Tools because it's compatible with many other studios, and it's quick to edit and record. But I think Logic is a perfectly viable option, and in many cases, probably a better one than Pro Tools.

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  • 4 weeks later...
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I'll just chime in and say that Logic, just like a few other have noted, is more geared towards someone creating music. Pro Tools is geared towards a recordist.

 

I use PT8; great software, it's what I'm used to, ect. I tried an old version of Logic several years ago, and I could never get my head wrapped around it. Difficult to use, but definitely powerful. They're two different beasts.

 

Ideally, I'd like to have and utilize both, and I imagine in any ideal situation that any musician could stand to put both simultaneously to achieve great results.

 

As it stands, I'd pick PT, but only because I'm more of a recordist at the moment, and not so much a creationist.

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"I have found that Logic has a steeper learning curve as well" - trmckenz

 

That's the first time I heard that. All the DAW Tech sites I've been on state the opposite (Pro Tools having the steeper learning curve).

 

If you have an Apple store nearby, I'd sign-up for their Logic Pro training program (you'll have to purchase your Mac there though). You'll be entitled to a weekly "one-to-one" class for a year (one hour class). Their Logic Pro trainers are great. It was a pleasure learning Logic Pro from them. I give it 5 stars!

 

Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Digital Performer, and Sonar are supposedly the five top names in DAW's. They all basically do the same thing (pluses and minuses in each).

 

It's such a pleasure for me to work in the Logic Pro realm. I'm sure the others are just as good.

 

Best, John :)

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The one thing that made me move away from ProTools was being forced to use their hardware. I don't know if that has changed, but I hated that my old interface that I bought for a G4 would not work on a G5 when they came out. Instead of paying more money for another Digidesign interface, I abandoned ProTools.

 

On the Mac you can also use the above mentioned Reaper or Ardour. You may not need to spend too much money and still get something that will work for you.

I think that Presonus Studio One falls somewhere in between regarding price.

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i've used ProTools and Logic on my mac... they are both solid. PT is definitely the industry standard in big studios, however Logic can do just about everything PT can and vice versa. I definitely feel like Logic is more geared towards the creation of music, and PT is more for recording, so I guess it depends on your application. I have found that Logic has a steeper learning curve as well. Editing to me is a little easier in PT, but I can write a song with nearly limitless options with more ease in Logic.

 

While both programs have made significant strides in moving into the "territory" of the other in terms of where they came from and what they generally do best, this is a very accurate and astute post IMO. :phil:

 

Logic came from Notator - an Atari sequencing program originally. I still have my old Notator rig from the late 1980s. Killer app back in the day. And I used Logic on the Atari and then PC up until Apple discontinued PC support. That was for about 14 years... a long time! Pro Tools came from Sound Designer (also a late 80s era program), which was a early two channel (stereo) audio editing program. In other words, Logic started as a MIDI program, and Pro Tools started as an audio program... and in the years since their respective introductions, each program has been working not only on increasing those core capabilities, but in terms of moving in the direction of covering what the other program does. Today both programs do quite well at both tasks, although I still find Logic to have some superiority in terms of MIDI, and Pro Tools to be a more elegant and capable audio recording / editing / mixing application.

 

I've been using Pro Tools for about a decade now, and I absolutely love it for recording, editing and mixing. It's still more capable and speedier at those tasks than Logic is IMO. And while Avid (formerly Digidesign) has added a lot of things to PT, such as editable MIDI notation (finally!) and virtual instruments and greatly increased MIDI capabilities and functionality, it still isn't as flexible and capable as Logic is in that regard, although it will do fine for all but the most demanding users...

 

"I have found that Logic has a steeper learning curve as well" - trmckenz

 

That's the first time I heard that. All the DAW Tech sites I've been on state the opposite (Pro Tools having the steeper learning curve).

 

I'm going to have to disagree with "all the DAW Tech sites" then. :o

 

I guess it comes down to how you personally interact with the computer program and its paradigm, and what you want to do with them, but IMO, Logic is the more difficult program to get up and running with, and the more difficult program to master. Remember... I've spent a decade or more with each program as my "primary app", so I'm fairly familiar with both of them.

 

Logic is highly user configurable, and can be customized out the wazoo. It also has a plethora ("Jefe, what is a plethora?" ;) ) of screens, and you have to open up different screens to perform different tasks - or leave open the ones you use most frequently. Pro Tools has only two primary screens - the edit window (similar to Logic's arrange window) and the mix window, and pretty much everything is done within those two main screens. The paradigm is more closely analogous to traditional recording - a tape deck / splicing block and a mixing console... so if you're familiar with those concepts, transitioning to Pro Tools will probably be easier and more intuitive than getting up to speed with Logic.

 

But again, both are highly capable professional programs, and while PT may be better represented in terms of usage in professional studios, it's certainly possible to do good work with either program - as long as you do YOUR part. :)

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Hey Phil,

 

I'm curious. Have you tried or had any exposure to FL Studio? How do you think it stacks up to Logic (with the understanding that one is only available on the Mac and the other only on Windows).

 

I have both, but am kinda new to both. Trying to get some opinions before deciding where to focus my energies first.

 

I'll point out I come from the "writing songs" angle rather than the "recording" angle here.

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I think an important question is whether you're going to be producing your own music (midi controllers, software instruments etc) or just recording audio mostly?

 

Logic 9 wins hands down imo for producing your own beats w/ midi. The work flow, flexibility, and huge software instrument library really lends itself well to producers. Plus you can freeze tracks, eliminating cpu overload and memory drain with processor intensive plug ins.. which may come in VERY handy depending on how much RAM you have in your MacBook Pro.

 

I will admit I enjoy Pro Tools 8 when I have recording sessions for full bands though..

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They really are great programs. Each one has it's strengths. I've been using Pro Tools since '99 and the only time that I got really pissed off with it (other than having to buy the hardware!) was the time it took them to port it over to Snow Leopard specs on the mac. I had a brand new computer at the time that I couldn't use with it. They really blew that aspect. I made the mistake of switching to Logic and figuring I could learn things quickly and easily. It's kind of difficult when you have been used to using a certain setup for a longer period of time and your mind is trained to run things a certain way. Old habits are sometimes hard to break....that and the fact that I had a 2 yr old running around the house didn't give me enough time to properly grasp it. . No worries though....I sold it to a friend and he loves it, so it all worked out.

 

So...once they fixed Pro Tools with their update...I went back to it and am thankful that I did. I just didn't like the workflow on Logic. And really, it is a great setup, just wasn't for me. Now with the 11Rack, I just find things so smooth and a great workflow.

 

There is nothing wrong with familiar and comfortable.

:)

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