Foreword

Through most of the decades since the founding of the first record label ("His Master's Voice") in 1900, the roles of composers, musicians, and recording engineers have stayed the same. To be sure, there were numerous improvements in technology, as studios moved from tubes to transistors and from analog to digital recording equipment, and the distribution medium changed from vinyl records to CDs, DVDs, and the Internet. Yet the workflow for recording and production remained largely unchanged. Musicians had to go to dedicated studios, filled with large and expensive equipment, to produce professional-quality recordings.

However, in the past few years, the arrival of extremely powerful personal computers has effected a revolution in the recording and production process, ushering in an exciting transition to an integrated, software-based system. This transition opens a world of possibilities for the recording musician, and it is unlikely that we'll see such a dramatic shift again in our lifetime.

Most recording studios have an array of hardware equipment, such as multitrack recorders, huge multichannel mixing boards, mastering devices, racks full of effects, and an army of keyboard and other instruments. All these devices and more can now be replaced by lines of code executed on a personal computer. A fast computer can provide extremely high sound quality, easily matching professional studios of just ten years ago at a fraction of the cost. This new development is profoundly changing the way we interact with the studio, giving us more power and possibilities, new types of effects and instruments, and tremendous versatility and ease of use. Not only is it now possible to produce projects on a portable Macintosh PowerBook, but that's actually become the norm.

These changes allow musical creativity to unfold unhindered by past economic constraints. Composing, performing, recording, mixing, and mastering can now all be accomplished in a home studio, at minimal cost, with amazing results. Needless to say, this has and will have a huge impact on music; and we have already begun to see the genesis of musical styles made possible only through these new means. Another result is a blurring between the creation, performance, and consumption of music, and the advent of computer artists joining musicians playing standard instruments onstage.

Logic started as a MIDI sequencer and notation package in 1993. With the addition of digital audio recording and DSP effects, Logic is now a complete software studio, with mixing and mastering capabilities and a wide array of software instruments. Logic has been used to produce many professional audio recordings and movie soundtracks, and it is recognized today as an industry standard.

Since 2004, Logic's audio engine and professional-level sound quality have been available to everyone in Apple's GarageBand consumer application. GarageBand is extremely easy to use but at the same time surprisingly powerful and versatile, and it comes with a "band" in the form of Apple Loops, a huge collection of prerecorded musical material that you can use in your own original songs.

Logic Pro 7 adds new software instruments including Sculpture and Ultrabeat, new effects including pitch correction, more mastering tools, and many workflow improvements in every area. Together, these additions enable you to realize your musical intentions with even greater ease and power. Some effects simply go beyond anything possible using analog hardware gear. Logic Pro 7 also supports Apple Loops and GarageBand Software Instruments and songs. You can "sketch" in GarageBand, then bring projects into Logic Pro 7 for fine-tuning and production. And with Apple's Jam Packs, you can add high-quality instruments and Apple Loops to your toolkit.

Logic Pro 7 gives users the best of both worldsa top-notch professional software studio that is also easy to use and affordable. With this complete set of tools to make music anytime, anywhere, artists have the ability to realize their musical vision now more than ever. I am sure that this book will help you unlock that power.

Dr. Gerhard Lengeling
Senior Director, Lead Architect Audio/Music Applications
Apple Computer
December 2004