Apple Logic Vs Pro Tools

24 Janvier 2021

Apple Logic Vs Pro Tools 8
Logic Pro
Logic Vs Pro Tools Forum

Pro Tools users without Ultimate can achieve something similar by simply editing the automation with the Trim Tool (F6). To protect users from accidentally overwriting their freshly written automation, write-enabled tracks can be configured to revert to Latch or Touch as soon as playback stops. Apr 13, 2017 It feels like a much smoother workflow. Logic's MIDI editing window, which opens in a window within the main application window. Pro Tools' MIDI edit window, which opens in a new window on top. Main Differences Between Logic Pro vs Pro Tools. The main differences between Logic Pro and Pro Tools are: Pro Tools is more industry-standard, whereas Logic Pro is popular with musicians; Pro Tools offers a Free Trial, whereas Logic Pro does not; Pro Tools offers flexible Yearly, Monthly, or one time paid plans, whereas Logic Pro offers a 1.

In this piece, industry consultant Bobby Borg sat down to chat with Maurizio Otto De Togni about the comparative advantages and disadvantages between Avid's Pro Tools, and Apple's Logic Pro.

Guest post by Bobby Borg of the Disc Makers Blog

Musician, author, educator, and music industry consultant Bobby Borg talks with Maurizio Otto De Togni to compare Avid's Pro Tools software with Apple's Logic Pro based on price, usability, and compatibility. Excerpted from the video, 'Pro Tools Versus Logic? Which Home Recording Software is Better?'

Bobby Borg: The topic for my discussion today is Pro Tools versus Logic, and we'll break that down into three areas:

Price
Learning curve, and
Standardization

I've got Maurizio Otto De Togni with me, he's an Avid-certified Pro Tools expert instructor, an Apple-certified Logic Pro X trainer, and a music-maker and audio technologist.

So, when it comes to home recording equipment, there's still a debate as to which is the better platform, Avid's Pro Tools or Apple's Logic Pro, and here to help us settle the score is the go-to expert in Hollywood. So let's go ahead and start with price. Which of these programs is cheaper, because a lot of the independent artists out there are on tight budgets, so this is an important factor.

Maurizio De Togni: Price is crucial for everybody, whether you're working with a small or big budget. When it comes to purchase price, if you want to just own the software, at the end of the day, Logic is less expensive — and is actually it's the only option you have. When it comes to leasing or renting, that's the new-school trend for this kind of software, Logic gives you all the options: you can buy or you can lease it long-term. It's going to cost you more with Pro Tools, you can't buy it, but you can pay little-by-little — it's as low as $10 a month, I believe, with a student or academic discount. When it comes to Apple (Logic), there are no discounts, it's just one price for everybody — it's less than $20 a month.

Bobby Borg: OK — there are more options with Pro Tools, but in the end, Pro Tools is the more expensive product.

Maurizio De Togni: Yes.

Bobby Borg: So, let's move on to the learning curve. Which one is easier to learn? Of course, I ask this question because a lot of the independent artists out there will be excited to get the software uploaded and get right to work. They want to start creating and they don't want to deal with headaches and tech stuff.

Maurizio De Togni: The learning curves, as I like to say to my clients and students and anyone I'm coaching/mentoring, are on opposite ends of the spectrum. When it comes to Logic, you can upload to the computer and in an hour or so, you can play around with it and get things out of it. Of course, you might want some formal training, but you can move around relatively quickly at the very beginning. Then, of course, as you want to go deeper, get more professional, it gets more challenging and more complicated.

When it comes to Pro Tools, it's the opposite. You upload the software and then after an hour, a day, a week, you're still at square one. It's a story I hear from all my clients and students: you can't start using it without formal training. There's a lot of pain, it's like walking through the woods and dealing with mosquitos and you don't know where you're going, but you continue day after day and then you emerge on this beautiful beach. This paradise is your reward — it's like a long-term relationship. You get married with Pro Tools, Logic is an easy-going guy, you can get along with easily, even if it's for one night.
Bobby Borg: OK, so the last point is standardization. Which software is going to be easier to communicate with and speak with the rest of the world, you know with other producers with other industry professionals? I'll make an analogy with word processing programs… when it comes to Microsoft Word compared to something like iWorks' Pages, I'd say Pages is much easier to use and manipulate, but when you go to intern or when you go to work, businesses are more likely going to ask you to understand and use Word, so it behooves you to know how to use it. Is it similar to what we're talking about Pro Tools and Logic?

Apple Logic Vs Pro Tools 8

Maurizio De Togni: Very similar. I would say Apple's Logic is like the iWork Pages software and Pro Tools is the Microsoft Word in this analogy. In terms of cross-platform compatibility, Pro Tools works on a Mac, Apple, PC, it doesn't matter. Logic only works on a Mac, which might be a limitation for some people. And in the end it's a matter of, as you said, which is the most spoken language? And we could even throw in another competitor, Ableton Live. So let's consider English, Spanish, and Chinese languages. In business, you can go pretty far knowing any of these languages, but once you know English, especially in the Americas, you can't go wrong. At the end of the day, Pro Tools is your main language — no offense to the others.

Bobby Borg: No, of course not. It just makes it makes sense. If you're going to communicate broadly, Pro Tools is the more universal choice. You made a great comparison when we spoke on the phone the other day. You said, if we were comparing a Lamborghini and a Mercedes, we might say the Lamborghini is a more sophisticated, better car, but it's also not the most practical choice for your day-to-day driving. So, in this example, Pro Tools might be more advanced and more sophisticated, but for the independent artists out there, it may not be the most practical choice.

Maurizio De Togni: Yeah, you're not going to go to the grocery store in a Lamborghini, I'd go with the Mercedes. And, in the end, it doesn't sound like a compromise at all because a Mercedes is still more than a decent car — so we're saying you can't go wrong.

There's lots more… watch the entire conversation!

Bobby Borg is the author of Music Marketing For The DIY Musician (Second Edition), Business Basics For Musicians (Second Edition), and The Five Star Music Makeover (published by Hal Leonard Books). Get these books at any fine online store in both physical or digital format. Learn more at www.bobbyborg.com.

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In the modern age of music production, we, as creative professionals, have an arsenal of music production tools to choose from. Inevitably, with choice comes some very strong opinions. If you have been keeping tabs in the music production world, then you are probably heard or participated in the 'which is the better DAW' debate between Pro Tools, Logic and Ableton.

The truth is that every producer, artist, and engineer has their own personal preference based on how they work. It is hard to say which DAW is best when hit records get made in all three. Each of these DAWs serve the same purpose at their core- they are for recording, editing, and mixing music. However, just as every producer may have their area of expertise, each of the big three DAWs in my opinion are best for certain task. Here is my breakdown of the big 3 DAWs and how I use each of them in my workflow.

Pro Tools

This was the first major DAW I ever worked with so it is no surprise that I am the most familiar with it. Though I have gone on to work in the other DAWs of the world, there are certain features in Pro Tools that keep me coming back.

When it comes to recording and editing, the simplicity of the tools and counters can't be beat! Once you get passed the seemingly overwhelming options for chopping, moving, dipping and dropping your audio, you'll find that it is very easy to make precision edits inside the DAW. The trick to this is the grid and counter options inside of Pro Tools. The grid view in Pro Tools shows musical subdivision just like the other three DAWs in question but instead of zooming in to see smaller sub divisions, Pro Tools allows you to set gridlines (based on bars and beats, minute second time or samples) that are always visible. The modes for the grid that dictate how your tools will respond make it really easy to make ridged grid-based moves or pin point extremely specific locations between the lines. This is incredible handy when replacing samples or creating comp tracks. The edit counter allows for us to see the exact start time, end time and length of any selection we make or we can use it to create specific selections on a track. When recording in Pro Tools, you have complete control over when, where and how you record using punch-ins, pre-roll, post roll, count-off and even half speed playback. Pro Tools is designed with console recording in mind, which may be a huge reason as to why it is a mainstay in most studios.

Logic Pro X

You may have heard 'record in Pro Tools, Produce in Logic' if you have been around modern music production. I find myself doing a bit of this these days (to clarify- in this instance, produce means building tracks inside a DAW.) The stock options for virtual instruments and effects plugins in Logic Pro X dwarf the stock options in Pro Tools. The ease at which you can use these things sweetens the deal! Loading up a new instrument in Logic Pro X is as easy as selecting your track and then selecting you instrument from the well laid out Library tab. Logic Pro X also has a slew of high quality loops and samples to use if that is your thing. Logic Pro X does a fantastic job of organizing its content so you have easy access to it and it also goes the extra mile to make sure that you can quickly incorporate your own samples into your session. Overall, the Layout for Logic Pro X is very intuitive, making it a great choice for working with MIDI and samples. Another great feature that is proprietary to the DAW is the Drummer feature that allows you to build drum patters based on genre, feel and the frequency of drum set elements. This is a great way to get an idea out of your head fast!

Ableton

Ableton is often known as the king DAW of the EDM world. It was designed with the genre and live DJ'ing in mind, however, it is not to say you cannot get some serious work done with the DAW in any genre. The thing that caught my attention about Ableton right away was the ability to switch sounds in seconds! Using Sample or Simpler, you can get your drum pattern ideas out quickly and then switch your audio samples without resequencing the pattern. This allows you to forgo doing your sound design upfront in fear of needing to re-sequence your pattern once you figure out the sounds you imagine. Ableton is also fantastic for creating never before heard sounds using the vast variety of audio and MIDI effects. The ability to manipulate audio and MIDI inside of Ableton is unmatched to say the least and the DAW comes stacked with electronic music inspired samples and instruments.

In the end, it really comes down to personal preference in your workflow when choosing what DAW to use. It is not uncommon to see a producer using 2 or more DAWs on one project. What matters most is how you use whatever tools are at your disposal to create great music- the DAW won't do that for you.

Here is how I rank each DAW in my work flow based on task.

Recording Live Instruments
Pro Tools- you get exactly what you want with the straight forward editing and recording functions.
Logic Pro X
Ableton

Manipulating MIDI
Logic Pro X- the display of Logic makes it really easy to see what you are doing.
Ableton
Pro Tools

Hip Hop Production
Ableton- Ableton has great options and tools for sound design and sequencing. It also makes manipulation very fast.
Logic Pro X
Pro Tools

Scoring to Video
Pro Tools- The counter options and additional window for video sold me despite having a limited option for quality stock sounds. Time is paramount when syncing music/audio to video.
Logic Pro X
Ableton

Logic Pro

File Organization
Logic Pro X- It has the most organized media layout.
Ableton
Pro Tools

Audio Editing
Pro Tools- The no frills approach to its tools and grid options allows users to be extremely precise with edits.
Logic Pro X
Ableton

Sampling
Ableton- Automatic warp and the vast amount of audio effects helps you get the job done the right way fast.
Pro Tools
Logic Pro X Apple presentation app.

As you continue on in your music career, you will find what tools work best your workflow. While all three of these popular digital audio workstations have key differences, common knowledge and functions can be applied from one DAW to the next. Of real importance is the necessity of being capable of using the tools at your disposal to deliver musical expression. Use what you've got and keep creating!

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Get real world advice and insight at our Audio Blog.

Pro Tools appeals to trained recording engineers more than Logic.

When pro tools was developed the market for a product like it was limited to professional recording engineers because of the expense and the amount of training required to record music well. It was designed as a recording and editing tool with no sequencing capabilities and therefore was designed with the educated recording engineer in mind. You had to have a basic understanding of signal flow and recording techniques to use it effectively.

Logic was designed as a sequencing program to be used by composers and musicians who had limited knowledge of signal flow and recording techniques but had a good understanding of how to layer instruments and develop compositions. Over time both programs incorporated recording, editing and sequencing into their product but initially Logic was designed for the musicians way of thinking.

Logic is less expensive and more accessible than Pro Tools.

One of the most common complaints about Pro Tools that I have heard over the years is that it is too proprietary. Until the release of PT 9 you could only use the Digidesign interfaces which tended to be prohibitively expensive if you needed to record more than two tracks at a time. Logic allows a wide range of third party interfaces to be used with it making it more accessible for the average user.

Logic is only available for the Mac.

This point is not an issue for me since I have been a Mac user for many years. There is a reason for the popularity of Apple computers in the creative industries. Macs have been the superior operating system since 2001 when Apple released OS X. I have found that these systems are much more stable and reliable than Windows and that makes a huge difference if you have an orchestra waiting on you.

Pro Tools works on both platforms which can be an advantage if that is your preferred operating system.

Pro Tools is still the professional recording industry standard.

Logic Vs Pro Tools Forum

I believe that this is changing rapidly as the competing products are getting better and more accessible. One thing that I like is that I can use the Pro Tools HD system which is found in any good pro studio to record a rhythm section and then take that session home and work on my LE system to add single instruments and virtual tracks and back to the studio to mix.

Conclusions:

I use both systems for different things. Logic is the better sequencer for what I do because it has more instrument available initially and Pro Tools is the better mix system for me. Both products deliver high quality audio and are now accessible for the average user. With Logic you can get more bang for your buck and with Pro Tools you get the industry standard system is used by the most professional engineers and musicians in the industry.