Apple Announces Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad With Subscription Models

[MobiusStrip]

It's a bit surprising that Apple maintains what's left of the Pro Apps teams, but it's nice that those people still have jobs. Apple needs something to show on new computers at WWDC, where they leech off of their "partners" for keynote material and then back-stab them later.

 

[ConcernedCitizen]

Yeah,

To be honest I suppose I could most of what I do on an ipad as well (if I had all my plugins and libraries)

But I personally just find tablets cumbersome to use in generally, so I just can’t imagine why I would

Maybe if I was younger and grew up using tablets it would make more sense to me?

But after going from tape to computers, I don’t see what the jump from computer to tablet accomplishes other than making the hardware and software less powerful and the ui more cumbersome
When I use logic I’m sitting at a desk, or at least in a room close by, I don’t need it to be portable

I have different tools for remote work that serve me fine. And if I NEEDED logic outside of the studio I’d just buy a laptop or even a Mac mini (I used to have for using mainstage live)

Watching me try to use a DAW on iPadOS is like watching my mom try to play Nintendo with me when i was a kid. and I’ve had an iPad since the first one, launch day.

 

[deevey]

I’m trying to picture what this use case is exactly that you need to RUN from person to person with a laptop open and some audio or video editing software up and running

Let alone how a tablet running inferior software is going to make that so much better just because you don’t have to hold it open

So, picture a youtuber at the likes of a conference or trade show (e.g. NAMM) where you are shooting video and need to be "the first" with the latest and greatest hardware to garner the most views.

Being able to shoot video directly on the device, edit on it and have something reasonably decent looking uploaded in minutes is going to be priceless.

Ridiculous, and nonsensical. If you're going to use an external DAC, why would you be dicking around with an iPad in the first place? And what do you mean "without a dongle?" You have to plug the DAC into the USB-C port (assuming that Apple hasn't gimped this capability out of the port, as they are wont to do), making it... a dongle. And how are you going to power your iPad then if necessary? Or use external storage (if that happens to be allowed)?

And you still have the general file I/O hassle on iOS devices.

Instead of turning a tablet into an octopus of wires and external junk, you might as well just use a MacBook Air. Then you get proper I/O, a keyboard and trackpad, precise UIs, and can use all kinds of software and plug-ins.

For one thing, maybe I'm using my desktop/laptop for other tasks. Maybe I'm recording and outputting the entire band on one device, while using the other device as a midi brain.

There is already oodles of standalone audio apps that will be able to routed into Logic channels. If plugins are indeed coming, that might be where the real value lies.

People are working so hard to turn a gimped toy into a computer; when the computer is nearly as small and affordable, and way more capable.

I don't disagree, the computer is more capable. But an iPad is almost as capable and fits into some situations better. The right tool, is the best tool for any given job. You seem to think the only tool is a hammer.

Do they sell headphones that are like the lightning headphones with a mic and headphones together?

Yes

 

[ThunderSkunk]

>Logic/FCP on ip ad.
Been waiting for this to arrive for years!
>subscription
Aaaand you’re outta here!

 

[corinthos]

Subscription? Check.

Can't transfer project files back to iPad? Check.

Gimped file system? Check.

Just one USB-C port? Check.

No audio jack? Check.

Just take my money, 🍎 !

 

[mdriftmeyer]

Look at the press release https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/05/apple-brings-final-cut-pro-and-logic-pro-to-ipad/

In the notes, they are specific to use different languages for FCP and Logic about working on Mac:

FCP: "iPad users can export their Final Cut Pro projects to Mac"
Logic: "Logic Pro for iPad supports roundtrip capabilities, making it easy to move projects between Logic Pro for Mac and iPad."

FCP is a one-way street and Logic is a two-way

Logic Pro for iPad is a scaled down version from the Logic Pro for Mac. The features on the iPad are compatible with the full package on the Mac. Those features are two way. The rest are not.

Final Cut Pro is too advanced to be a two-way street from iPad <-> Mac.

 

[dannys1]

The iPad App Store is full of AU and others audio apps and effects. Audio makers have been supporting the iPad since 10 years ago.

Nothing from any of the professional audio makers. Fabfilter, Native Instruments, Waves, Sonible, Slate Digital, Izotope - I could go on and on. There's nothing but toys in the app store.

 

[dannys1]

That's pretty much how i see it too. I own lots of plugins and not a single one is in the app store. Probably because plugins can be so niche and un-commercial that they just aren't something you'd ever find in an app store.

My only hope for Logic Pro for iPadOS is that maybe if it's popular enough, it will help ignite a shift in the plugin community where developers will be willing to invest the time and money to put them there. My expectations are low.

Same. The app store is full of toys and unknown companies. The professional companies (and even the independent companies) don't take it seriously. Perhaps they'll port things now, but you've got an eco system on the Mac of far far too many plugins to pick from, hundreds and hundreds of great (and not so great) ones - now they've all got to develop for another eco-system which I don't think they'll ever see as a serious one.

 

[MobiusStrip]

I don't disagree, the computer is more capable. But an iPad is almost as capable and fits into some situations better. The right tool, is the best tool for any given job. You seem to think the only tool is a hammer.

"Seem" to the unobservant or argumentatively bankrupt only. I pointed out specific problems with the platform for these types of applications, and those hold true.

 

[GilBill]

Now bring MainStage to the iPad

 

[dandeco]

Also, that Scene Removal Mask feature looks neat. Wouldn't be surprised if it's added to the Mac version of Final Cut Pro in a future update, given that the MacOS Ventura version of Preview has such a feature for still images. (I hope they do, too - it'd be great for my YouTube Poops, so I don't always have to use the Chromakey effect or rotoscope using the "Draw Mask" effect!)

 

[Mac... nificent]

Also, that Scene Removal Mask feature looks neat.

Yeah, that's the first feature I'll be playing with. Sucks that you can't do tracking though. Glad I have LumaFusion for that.

 

[moonwalk]

Same. The app store is full of toys and unknown companies. The professional companies (and even the independent companies) don't take it seriously. Perhaps they'll port things now, but you've got an eco system on the Mac of far far too many plugins to pick from, hundreds and hundreds of great (and not so great) ones - now they've all got to develop for another eco-system which I don't think they'll ever see as a serious one.

Loopy seems to be making headway with musicians on the iPad. it’s a non-traditional daw. Tools with new functions and ui seem to be what the iPad is about. FCP for a subscription? We’ll see. Making quickie videos with your iPhone or iPad camera to post on social media really isn’t a professional function. I recently worked on a pro doc, and everyone was on Premier, with no wish to change.

 

[masterpace]

The monthly subscriptions are fine to me. 5 $ a month is really cheap (about a latte coffee), especially if it brings value. I’m expecting the initial version of Logic Pro being some GarageBand on steroids. Most of the desktop content will be there, but support for 3rd party plugins will be very limited. That’s my main concern. In my workflow, I’m doing some modern trance music and I rely on 3rd party VST’s (AU’s) like Serum and Nexus. Obviously, they won’t be available for the iPad version of Logic Pro. So « pro » is relative here… I’m still dreaming of the day I could compose that next banger on a lounger under the sun using my iPad Pro…

 

[MobiusStrip]

Resolve is now on the iPad too; good luck with the rental scam on your kids' video editor, Apple.

 

[smulji]

A. Agreed.

B. Not even close. There is a reason people got excited about a Workstation in the Recording and Film studios and were far less interested when the Mac Studio arrived. Scalability doesn't exist.

The Xeons were old, but the resources to extend the system via PCI are obvious.

More and more studios are moving back to Analog audio gear that has been taken from Consoles to 1U/2U rack units at a fraction of the Console cost but with all the Console power.

Film is headed that way as well. Apple should build the work horse to allow studios to expand their footprint and options, not be boxed into a corner.

When Tim Cook first revealed the iPad Pro (don't remember the exact year), he said and I paraphrase: "iPad Pro represents the clearest expression of our vision of the future of personal computing."

Bringing FCP and LP to the iPad Pro aligns with that thinking.

 

[smulji]

These aren't full equivalent Pro apps that are on the Mac.

YET

 

[MobiusStrip]

When Tim Cook first revealed the iPad Pro (don't remember the exact year), he said and I paraphrase: "iPad Pro represents the clearest expression of our vision of the future of personal computing."

Bringing FCP and LP to the iPad Pro aligns with that thinking.

Deeply misguided thinking. If true, it spells the end of Apple as a viable computing platform. This would be particularly depressing, now that Windows has become such a monumental, intolerable shìtshow.

 

[junior]

Clearly they’re not, or else it would’ve come free, like iMovie does, and they most certainly wouldn’t have turned it into a subscription service.

Clearly they are, as both FCPX and Logic Pro on Mac have been placed at a price point that would bankrupt any other software-only company in the field. I still remember paying $1.5K+ or so for emagic's Logic + reverb plugin back in the day.
There's no way in hell their developers could have been paid from software sales alone for over a decade.

 

[JKAussieSkater]

The real question is: Can Apple be trusted with ongoing software development for Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro?

The reason Adobe's creative suite subscription model has been so successful is because the software is frequently updated with new features and assets, year after year. They payments can be justified.

Whereas Apple's Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro have been using the same assets & transitions for, idk, the past decade? Sure, Apple have been updating the software, but it's mainly been stability updates and bug fixes.

 

[smulji]

Deeply misguided thinking. If true, it spells the end of Apple as a viable computing platform. This would be particularly depressing, now that Windows has become such a monumental, intolerable shìtshow.

That depends. Assuming Apple is a consumer-focused company, first and foremost, and part of that MO is democratizing technology and bringing "high-end" computing to the masses, then I don't think that's deeply misguided thinking.

 

[Zest28]

I've always assumed they were basically subsidizing FCP to throw pro/prosumer users a bone and give them a reason to keep buying Macs. I don't follow Logic, but I own FCP and it's seen free (and major!) updates for like a decade or more at this point, all off that initial one-time purchase price.

That said, $4-5/month is truly peanuts if you're earning literally any money at all using it. There are freaking astrology apps out there that charge a lot more than that...

I actually had a hard time switching back to PC as Cubase costs $600 while Logic Pro costs only $200.

 

[groove-agent]

The iPad Pro's provide power over USB-C. You can even charge your phone using the USB-C port

I've tried both pioneer DJ controller and Behringer 502 usb mixer without any problems with a USB-C to USB-B cable. The battery drains a pretty fast though. A USB-C hub with PD in is the right way to do it if you intend working with an external DAC for any length of time.

Thanks for the info. My guess is that this started with the M1 iPad Pro? I’m pretty sure I tried it with my A series iPad Pro and the interface was without power. I’ll have to confirm tomrrow.

 

[iPadified]

Because I have one, I have been using iPads from the beginning and of course I am interested in the platform. I just believe that especially with the last two versions of iPadOS is losing its main advantage, namely simplicity. The iPad was originally meant to be the computer for everyone, especially people with no tech knowledge whatsoever. That's why I wrote that it is for novice users. Most non tech savvy people find computers overwhelming and complicated. The iPad is not. Trying to make a full blown computer out of it seems to me unfitting. The iPad should remain a great tablet. That is just my 2 cents..

Thank you, it should not be a full blown computer with roots that are 40 years old.

You lost me at novices though. Considering the smartphone market penetration, there are no novices for touch controlled computers relying on online services.

Sometimes when I see comments about the iPad from Tech people, I think “what a novice”

 

[mdriftmeyer]

It's a bit surprising that Apple maintains what's left of the Pro Apps teams, but it's nice that those people still have jobs. Apple needs something to show on new computers at WWDC, where they leech off of their "partners" for keynote material and then back-stab them later.

You mean those partners that leverage decades of Frameworks for peanuts?