Hey, Apple! Stop torturing us already!

The new pro-level DAW from Apple has premiered today, and while the general appearance and feel of Logic 8 appears to be retained (it is not, after all, being billed as Logic 8.x or Logic 9), there are a gaggle of fancy new features, including the lovely stompbox interface featured above.  It seems that the goal is to use strong brand identification to get the low-level pro user and, more importantly, the upper level amateur to forgo GarageBand in favor of this comprehensive, all-inclusive, software suite.  I think the real pros are content with the multitude of aftermarket plug-ins that have been in use for years.  The difference is that modeling tech just keeps getting better and better and better.  My GuitarRig software is already getting a bit old, and it still sounds pretty good.

And let me just say this.  While the above interface may be easy on the eyes, the $500 price tag for Logic Studio does not include a foot controller.  For those of us who have been accumulating real stompboxes over the past umpteen years, the best solution is still what Delarus suggested to me some time ago – you want great sound?  Stick a mic in front of your amp and (with all due respect to Bill O’Reilly) do it live!