Logic Pro Vrs. Digital Performer, features? scoring capabilties? Options

[chagos]

greetings all,

I am getting ready to do a bit of a drastic change in the studio. I'm bswitching from a Pro Tools based studio to more of a MIDI enviromnet.

I'm looking into either Logic Pro or Digital Performer to be the main workhorse, and I'll keep a Pro Tools LE rig on the side for everything else.

I mainly do sound design and film scoring/music.
I am somewhat new to Logic since the last version I used was 5.5.1 and I have never used DP.

I am semi-pro, working on many indie films, games and animations.

I have been using Pro Tools, Live, and Reason together for the last few years, but the time has come to get a more sturdy midi program. Almost all of my work is done exclusively through MIDI, mostly by softsynths or plug ins(hence the reason I am moving over pro tools)

I'm mainly just wondering what everyones opinions are on the two sequencers I mentioned. Should I go for Logic or DP?

I've read about both and they both seem to get pretty good reviews, and they both would do the job I need them for. So, i guess I would just like some user feedback.

do both have timecode?
does DP support most plug ins( example: native instruments)?
do both bounce to quicktime?
do they both support 5.1 surround routing and mixing?
rewire?

Any information on either of these would be great, as I am really cautious about a change like this.

Thanks so much for the help. Its appreciated.

(oh, i'll be using os x.3.9, G5, etc.)

[Jsegura]

Logic is very great and complex, but its basic operation is easy. For me it's to most ¨logical¨. Once you begin, everything comes. Plug that it has are impressive. Its price, also.

[ourmanflinty]

I'm going to go for Logic too. Although DP has always been an Apple only program, with Logic being part of Apple I think the intergration into your mac environment will be superior to DP as time goes by..The CPU hog issue too, this started if i remember correctly when OSX came around so it sounds like it needs a complete re-write..? This will become less of an issue as time goes by and faster systems are availiable I guess but it's pretty slow sometimes..I've never been a serious user of DP, only ever enough to install and do minor support stuff so a little biased!

I understand DP has always been a musicians favourite in the US of A, there was a lot of midi intergration back in the day with patch library management etc and it was fairly well performance orientated if you wanted to take it on stage with you...Logic has always been more of a 'european' product?

[hahaworld]

I've never used DP, so I'm going to put my vote in for Logic. I've been using it for about 4 years now, and it gets easier the more you use it (just like everything else). There is a learning curve, but why is that a problem? Everything worthwhile in life has a learning curve or costs some effort, so I think we all need to quit whining about the learning curve. Once I learned how to do audio in Logic, I dumped ProTools like a bad girlfriend. I don't intend to look back, either. I don't think the ProTools folks are too interested in keeping the Mac users happy. So be it. Logic spanks ProTools like a redheaded stepchild.

HOWEVER, I will concur that Apple's Logic support leaves a lot to be desired. I had some serious technical issues with Logic earlier this year, and no one on the phone support line was able to help me. I actually had one tech guy tell me, "Well...I guess you'll just have to figure it out yourself." Hmm...Apple, if you're reading this, how about putting some more effort into tech support training? A tech guy should never say, "Figure it out yourself." That's just bad bid-ness.

Anyway, if you want to skip some of the learning curve in Logic, find a friend who uses it and get them to show you how to do stuff. It's a lot more intuitive and you'll learn more in a 2-hour session from hands on tutoring than you'll ever learn reading the manual (which is pretty confusing). Also, I've learned more from third-party authors about Logic than I ever have from the supplied manuals. Sometimes I think the guys who write manuals (especially manual indexes) get off on obfuscation. If you're like me, in the past month I've gone to the index of the manual 20 times or more to find some information only to discover that the index has absolutely no alphabetical reference for the issue I'm curious about. Then you go digging and waste an hour or more trying to find out what you need to know because the contents pages and the index basically suck. Come to think of it, Mac's help system has always sucked. I rarely find anything I'm looking for that's worth anything in Mac Help or on the Apple support website. It's a jumbled mess, in my opinion.

Okay. I've whined enough (after I told everyone to quit whining!). Have a great day, and after all is said and done, good and bad, Logic rocks my world.

hahaworld

[editbrain]

There is somekind on f***ing grid that I haven't found how to get it
off, or I think you cant ???

if you hold the control key while dragging you can bypass the grid.

[chagos]

So everyone is pointing towards logic? or almost everyone?

any DP users out there want to hit back?

I had a couple problems when I used logic 5.5.1, and it was basically the manual. It was very badly written, and I could not find the exact answers I was looking for. luckily there were many users with the same problems over on the logic forums.

so, we all know logic's midi capabilties are monstrous, which is what I'm looking for. What about its audio? and audio recording and editing?

Ce message a été modifié par chagos - jeu. 28 juil. 2005, 20:29.

[Jsegura]

You must updates to version 7. The manuals are excellent. The capacity for audio is almost limitless.

[DANO10]

I don't know about hitting back but...

I'm a DP user that is very happy and have been for several years. I'm a conventionally trained composer (college and private study) I find DP very easy to use and very musical. There is a new version. DP 4.6 with the following new features:

"Pitch Automation. Pattern Gate Plug-in. V-Racks. AAF file interchange. Film/Video Scoring Enhancements. Multiple outputs for AU plug-ins & ReWire. Audio Click. Bounce to QuickTime Movie. Productivity Enhancements."

I admit that I have never seen a Logic screen. I know that it is a fine program. However, the vast majority of posts on this forum are about how to run Logic and not DP.

DANO10

[Jsegura]

I have worked with DP also. I was two years with both. Finally I was decided by Logic. When it left version 5. The jump that it gave was enormous. I liked much DP. But now I believe that the decision that I took was the best one. Came Apple and everything changed for better.

[gdoubleyou]

I say get them both, get the DP competitive upgrade $395
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DigPerfComp/

And Logic Express, for the best of both worlds.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LogicExp/

I own both much fun.

[chagos]

bloody hell,
now i am so confused i don't know what to get!

as i said, they both look really good.
Logic has all the free plugs in, but DP is about $400 cheaper.

Logic has a steep learning curve(sorry guys. that is the consensus on every logic forum i go to), but Digital Performer is a CPU hog.
pros and cons . . . .

both have amazing features, and both do 5.1.

what is a guy suppose to do??????
damn you money! the bane of every musician!!!

does anyone know where to find Logic pro cheap? I found many deals on DP, still looking around for Logic.

thanks for the unbiased replies everyone. Its appreciated. At this point both seem fantastic, so I am looking for that one small thing that will push one above the other. Hopefully I'll find it.