I’ve never really used Apple’s high-end audio or video software – I’ve tried Logic Express and found it to be a little too overwhelming – but there are plenty of folks out there who will be lining up for the new version that just dropped. It costs $499 and includes a number of cool features that have piqued my interest.
CNET has a nice rundown of the new version. It will include an Amp Designer and Pedalboard system that will let you model your guitar sounds using specific amps and pedal styles, all in real time.
Amp Designer, Apple’s new amp modeling software, fulfills these requirements. Apple obviously spent a lot of time on the design of Amp Designer. While that doesn’t help with the sound, it certainly does help with the familiarity with the software. If the software looks and acts like an amp, you’re more apt to approach it like you would a real amp.
Obviously this software won’t sound like a classic Fender you found in your grandpa’s basement but it’s still a great noodling tool. Another feature includes a time and tempo editing feature called Flex Time. You can adjust the tempo to match other tracks. This means if your guitar playing is out of sync with your drum track the system will automagically fix it.
The tools are a little daunting but hopefully they’ve cleaned up the UI so GarageBand refugees can move to the more powerful stuff.
“Obviously this software won’t sound like a classic Fender you found in your grandpa’s basement but it’s still a great noodling tool.”
That kinda depends – solo, the digital emulation will stick out like a sore thumb, but in a mix (assuming it’s comparable with similar third-party plug ins NI Guitar Rig and Amplitube, and I have no reason to doubt Apple will have done what’s necessary to ensure it is: the old version of Amp Designer sounded pretty close, and the update ought by rights to be better) it’d probably be very hard to tell the difference without a side by side comparison and/or years of experience with a classic Fender…