Tarekith wrote:I've stayed away from the Logic versus Live thing more or less, cause it's a real hornets nest now that the price is so low. I don't think any of the major DAW makers can compete with Apple when it comes to price, Apple just got too may other forms of revenue to even try.
And I really don't think Live needs to ADD more content either, at least not based on the synths and content they've provided so far. Operator and Sampler are fun, but (for me at least), they just don't sound that good to be worth the price. Again, more than capable of making good sounds, but an FM synth is just not going to get that many people excited regardless of how integrated it is. Neat, fun, but sterile sounding and beyond most people's ability to program. Sampler is cool for warping things all crazy like, but I think Ableton really did it a disservice trying to compare it to things like X2, Kontakt, Halion, etc. In terms of a multi-timbral sampling machine, it just doesn't compare with those feature to feature, and requires a lot of rack building to even come close. Sampler should have been the upgrade for Simpler, with the focus purely on sound design and new ways of twisting audio, which is what it's really good at. Really good.
And then there's EIC. Well.... hmmm. It's a huge resource hog, doesn't really compete with other 3rd party libraries out there, and we've yet to really see the other additions to it that were advertised as 'coming soon' when it was released. I just don't think content is Ableton's specialty, or what makes them such a kick ass company. The last thing I want to see with live 7 is 20GB of loops, presets, and a new $200 synth.
I'd REALLY like to see Live go back to being a live tool, or shall I say, I'd like to see that once again be the development focus. There's enough there already if you want to use it as a DAW, easily justified by all the people here standing up for it an saying they will continue to use it for that regardless of what Apple does (including me, even though I too bought the Logic upgrade). It's time to once again put the focus on performance tools, and even some DJ tools, like it or not they have a huge following there. Not saying lose any new features, just let the way forward be driven by the stage and not the studio per se.
And yes, right now there's a LOT of Logic talk going on, which is more than expected and justified:
1. Logic is the premier DAW on the Mac platform, and it's the first major release since Apple bought Emagic. If Microsoft bought Sonar and released a new version considerably cheaper, there'd be just as much talk. It's not just an Apple thing, it's a huge corporation throwing their weight around.
2. It's been 3 years since the last major update for Logic. If Live went three years without an update (feels like it already
), you can bet forums everywhere would be alight with talk like this.
3. Many, many pro's use Logic as it was the main app for Mac's for so long, and unfortunately the last few years have been kinda buggy. Useable yes, but nowhere near as up to date feeling as the competition. So understandably people are happy that now their main tool is more stable, and the code has finally been revamped. And because so many pro's use it, of course it's going to get a lot more exposure in the press and on the net.
4. The price. Hate it all you want, but yes Logic is now insanely cheap considering all you get. The Apple Loops are very good, their synths and effects have always been very good, and you even get a revamped mastering app and a sound to picture composition tool included now. It's not fair to other software manufacturers that Apple has the ability to do this, but they did, and people are shocked and talking about it. Yes people will likely switch to Macs just for this, duh, that's the point. NO one ever said you had to choose one or the other, many people I know bought the update asap and still use Live daily, they now just have even more tools at their disposal for very little outlay. Sucks for some, good for other, make up your own mind where you stand and just be happy with the decision.
Having used Logic 8 since the day it was announced, let me say it's both a good and bad update to me. Yes the code and interface have been updated, and both are very welcome and well done IMO. However, it's still not the ProTools killer some would have hoped, nor will flocks of musicians suddenly find themselves in the garden of eden using it. Audio editing is still as painful as before IMO, you can move things with sample accuracy now (and thank god for absolute snap mode), but all editing is still regulated to the Sample Editor (which as no snap mode BTW), and you still need to be very wary of accidentally editing any audio used elsewhere in the project. Still no real destructive editing in the Arrange View. SX, DP, PT and likely Sonar are still better in this regards IMVHO. Just a small example that it's not a perfect DAW, and that it still lags behind the competition in some regards.
It looks new, and certainly the new features are nice, but once you learn where the old functions and such are in the new version, it still very much feels like Logic 7. Maybe not a bad thing for some, but not a huge leap forward for others. Just a reminder that even at $499, if it doesn't work well for the way you want to work, then who cares how much it costs, it's still not a good deal. If you're happy in Live and getting a lot done, awesome, let people talk about Logic and just keep working away doing your own thing. If on the other hand you are doing a lot of midi (for example), and you're starting to find Live constraining for this, well read the threads and make up your own mind before you try it.
Either way, keep an open mind and remember it's not the end of the world for you, Ableton, or your Windows PC.
) to allow anyone to mix a session wherever he likes without stamping external plugs to the tracks. 
