While the focus of Apple’s May 7 special event was mostly on hardware – four new iPads, a new Apple Pencil and a new Magic Keyboard – there were mentions of AI with the M2 and M4 chips, as well as new versions of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for the tablets.
The latter is all about new AI-infused or powerful features that let you create a drum beat or a piano riff or even add a warmer, more distorted feel to a recorded element. Even better, Logic Pro for iPad 2 can now take a single recording and split it into individual tracks based on the instruments in seconds.
It’s a behind-the-scenes look at the kinds of AI features that Apple sees as having the greatest appeal and affordability. Notably, unlike some Google or OpenAI implementations, it is not a chatbot or image generator. With Logic Pro you get features that can be really useful and allow you to further expand what you can do within an app.
A trio of AI-powered additions to Logic Pro for iPad
Probably the most useful feature for musicians is Voice Splitter, which aims to solve the problem of separating elements within a given song. Let’s say you’re working through a song or giving an impromptu performance in a café; maybe you just press record in Voice Memos on an iPhone or use a single microphone.
The result is one song in which all instruments are mixed. Logic Pro 2 can now import that song, analyze it and split it into four tracks: vocals, drums, bass and other instruments. It doesn’t change the sound, but essentially puts each element on a separate track so you can easily adjust or edit it. You can even put plugins, something Logic is known for, on iPad and the Mac.
The iPad Pro with M4 will likely be extremely fast at tackling this thanks to its 16-core neural processing unit, but it will work on any iPad with Apple Silicon thanks to a combination of on-device AI and deep learning. For musicians big or small, it’s a simple, intuitive way to turn voice memos into workable and mixable songs.
AI-powered instruments to complete a song
Building on Stem Splitter is a major extension of Session Players. Logic Pro has long offered Dummer (on both Mac and iPad) as a way to easily add drums to a song via a virtual player that can be customized based on style and even complexity. Logic Pro for iPad 2 adds a piano and bass player to the mix, which are extremely customizable session players for any song. With piano in particular, you can customize the playing style of the left or right hand, choose from four types of piano, and use a plethora of other sliding instruments. It’s even smart enough to recognize where it is on a song, whether it’s a chorus or a bridge. It only took a few seconds to come up with a decent sized song on an iPad Pro as well.
If you’re just a singer or desperately need a bassline for your song, Logic Pro for iPad 2 aims to solve this with an output that plays with and complements any existing song.
This AI extension for Logic Pro on the iPad is rounded out with a Chromaglow effect, which puts a commonly used, expensive piece of hardware reserved for studios on the iPad to add a bit more space, color and even warmth to the track. As with other Logic plugins, you can choose from a number of presets and customize them further.
Interestingly enough, Apple didn’t show off any new Apple Pencil integrations for Logic Pro for iPad 2 beyond these updates. I’d have to imagine we could see a custom experience with the palette tool at some point.
It’s clear that Apple’s approach to AI, like its other software, services and hardware, is focused on creating a meaningful experience for everyone who uses it. In this case, for musicians it’s solving pain points and further opening doors for creativity.
Voice Splitter, new session players, and Chromaglow feel right at home with Logic Pro, and I expect to see similar improvements with other Apple apps announced at WWDC. Imagine an easier way to edit photos or videos baked into the Photos app, or a way to streamline or condense a presentation within Keynote.
Prices and availability
All these features are bundled with Logic Pro for iPad 2, which will be rolled out and launched on May 13, 2024. If you already have a subscription for $4.99 per month or $49 for the year, you’ll get the update for free and there’s no price increase if you’re new to the app. Plus, you can get a one-month free trial for new Logic Pro for iPad users.