Logic Pro 11 is hot off the press from Cupertino, and it brings some exciting new features to music producers. First, we are getting some bright and shiny objects in the form of virtual session players, along with new instrument and effect plug-ins (described as AI-driven in Apple's official press release), while under the hood, a couple of less visible enhancements will help improve our workflow.
Let's explore the new Logic Pro 11 features.
How to upgrade to Logic Pro 11
The Logic Pro 11 update is free for existing users. To install Logic Pro 11, open the App Store on your Mac, search for Logic Pro and click the Install button.
I recommend you first back up your current Logic Pro version before updating, should you need to revert to it. To back up, in the Finder, Control + click the Logic Pro app file and choose Duplicate. Rename the copy (I like to give it the name of its version number, for example I named mine Logic Pro 10.8.1), then install Logic Pro 11 from the App Store. You'll end up with both Logic Pro 10.8.1 and Logic Pro (now updated to Logic Pro 11) sitting next to each other in your Applications folder.
Logic Pro 11 requires macOS Ventura 13.5 or later to be installed. You can install Logic Pro 11 on an Intel Mac however you won't be able to use the new ChromaGlow plug-in or Stem Splitter which both require an Apple Silicon chip (M1 or newer).
To create a MIDI region that contains simple voicings of the chords in the chord track, drag the chord progression to a MIDI track.
Bass Player
The BIG new features in Logic Pro 11 are the new AI-driven session players.
Choose Track > New Session Player SI Track (or press Option + Command + P),
Select Bass Player,
Activate the pick,
Turn down the tremolo.
Click Create.
You get a new Bass Player track with an 8 bar Session Player region, similar to the Drummer tracks from earlier Logic versions. In the ruler, the chords present in the Chord global track are displayed. I'll cover the Chord track later.
In the Session Player editor, click the Bass icon to choose a different style. The Complexity and Intensity sliders replace the XY Pad that was present in the Drummer editor in earlier Logic versions: Complexity adjusts how busy the performance is, while intensity adjusts how loud the musician plays.
Below the bass icon, the circular arrow button lets you refresh the performance in the Session Player region to a new variation based on the current set of parameters dialed in the editor.
At the top left of the editor are two pop-up menus to edit chord progressions and choose presets.
Click the pattern in the middle of the editor to choose a different pattern.
Patterns are represented as dark and light dots over a grid of four beats containing four 1/16th notes each. The dark dots represents the main accents while the light dots show where Bass Player adds notes when you raise the Complexity slider.
Below the patterns, you can adjust the type of melody (to play only the root or melodic lines with more notes), choose to play different octaves, and adjust how long the notes are sustained with the Phrasing menu.
There are more parameters to customize under the Details tab to adjust muted notes, dead notes (percussive notes with no pitch), pickup hits (percussive sounds on the upbeats), slides, double stops (two notes at a time)... and more.
Keyboard Player
In the Keyboard Player editor, you can choose chord progressions, presets, styles and enter your own manual patterns as with the Bass Player.
The Keyboard Player editor also has its own keyboard related parameters: it allows you to mute the left or right hand, and also to position where on the keyboard to position the left and right hand so the keyboardist plays in lower or higher ranges.
New Drummer editor
The Drummer editor got a facelift to match the other Session Player editors. You no longer reach to the Library to chose a Drummer style, you just click the drum kit in the editor. Drummers no longer have a first name! Just a style, and a type (Acoustic, Electronic or Percussionist).
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