Apple reveal AI music-making features for Logic Pro
A brand new version of Apple’s flagship music production software Logic Pro brings artificial intelligence into the mix.
Apple’s big event this week saw announcements of new iPads and Apple Pencils. It also saw the announcement of new Logic Pro apps for music making, powered by artificial intelligence.
Apple promise to enhance the workflow of musicians and producers with AI. Tools that the software will introduce include automatic instrumentation from virtual players, STEM splitting of single audio, and a function that adds “warmth” to tracks.
Apple’s senior director of Apps Worldwide Product Marketing said: “Logic Pro gives creatives everything they need to write, produce, and mix a great song, and our latest features take that creativity to a whole new level. Logic Pro’s new AI-backed updates, combined with the unparalleled performance of the iPad, Mac, and M-series Apple silicon, provide creative pros with the best music creation experience in the industry.”
AI powered session players
Apple’s music programs have included players for a while now. They have allowed you to select instruments to be played along, setting the sort of energy, vibes, and sounds they should use to match the rest of your track. Now Apple will use AI to enhance these players to play along to your music automatically.
In an expansion of their generative drummer, which launched over a decade ago (!), Apple are adding a new virtual Bass Player and Keyboard Player to Logic Pro. These AI-fuelled players will automatically pick up the feel of your music to play along with something that fits the vibe.
Apple claim: “Bass player was trained in collaboration with today’s best bass players using advanced AI and sampling technologies.” There are eight different bass players to choose from, each with their own approach. To tweak their playing to your liking, there are a number of parameters for slides, mutes, dead notes, and pickup hits.
Users can ask the players to jam along to the chord progressions or choose from 100 loops. Using a Chord Track tool, users can define the chords and timings for the bass player to play along in time and in tune. There are a number of bass instruments to choose from too, from acoustic to electric.
The Keyboard Player has also been designed with top studio musicians and allows a choice of four different styles. Users can set the keyboard player to simply play chords or to add voicing with extended harmony. Chord Track can also be used to set the chord progression allowing the player to play along and flourish.
Split single recordings into stems
Once a recording has been turned into one audio file, if you lose the original stems then that’s normally it. Gruelling EQ work is the only way to edit that track further. Apple are bringing you the solution, with Stem Splitter.
This fantastic tool allows you to separate stems from a single file using AI to detect the individual elements within a recording. Whether it’s a band recording taken in Voice Memos or an old demo recording, bring these recordings to life with brand new control.
Stem Splitter can separate “nearly any mixed audio recording” into four different channels: Drums, Bass, Vocals, and Other instruments. With the stems for the recording, you can edit each channel, add effects, and mix it into a brand new stellar sound. Apple promise “lightning fast” speed using M-series Apple silicon.
Add warmth to your tracks in seconds
ChromaGlow is a tonal plugin that combines a “blend of the world’s most revered studio hardware” for an immediate effect. Using AI and the power of Apple’s M-series silicon, users can simply turn a dial to customise five different saturation styles, adding ultrarealistic warmth, presence, and punch to their tracks. Users can choose from modern clean sounds, nostalgic vintage warmth, and other more prominent styles to their taste.
The new Logic Pro on iPad and Mac
Apple have been building upon last year’s launch of their flagship music production software on iPad. They have been upgrading the app to design a complete studio experience that is available on the go. With the addition of their new AI tools, users not only have more control than ever but exclusive tools in their portable music making software.
With fast and simple linking between iPad and Mac, users can switch their workflow to wherever suits them best, allowing for control on the go that rapidly returns to their studio setup.
Logic Pro for Mac 11 is available on May 13 as a free update for existing users and for £199.99 for new users on the Mac App Store. Logic Pro for Mac 11 requires macOS Ventura 13.5 or later. For more information, visit apple.com/uk/logic-pro.
Logic Pro for iPad 2 is available on May 13 as a free update for existing users, and available on the App Store for £4.99per month or £49 per year, with a one-month free trial for new users. Logic Pro for iPad 2 requires iPadOS 17.4 or later. For more information, visit apple.com/uk/logic-pro-for-ipad.