Logic Pro 7 And Logic Express 7

My excitement at being the proud owner of Logic Pro 7 was quickly tempered by the sheer complexity of the software. I spent time with the included documentation and even bought another training book. But it was this book that unlocked Logic's power for me.Each chapter is a standalone lesson on a different aspect of Logic that takes about an hour to complete. The lessons are well thought out and quickly empower the reader. The author allows the reader to experience one easy success after another which quickly built both my confidence and competence with the software. After completing the first chapter, I smiled wide and was once again excited about using Logic. I found the author's style to be encouraging, easy to read and not condescending.Printed on high quality paper and signature bound, the book easily lays flat on a desk. The DVD included with the book has two Logic sessions for each chapter: One for use at the beginning of a lesson and one that demonstrates the end result. I recommend this book without reservation to Logic novices and expect that even seasoned pros can learn new tips and time saving techniques.

After I purchased Logic Express 7, I was told that this book was excellent. I bought it. The book is really helpful when attempting to understand the complexities of Logic Express 7. Indeed, Logic Express 7 is a remarkable program but complex in ways which defy direct explanation: you just have to see it to understand.That said, Apple has recently released Logic Studio which contains Logic 8, a program which is reported to be vastly more logical, intuitive and powerful and yet simpler to use. For that reason, many people who might otherwise try to learn Logic Pro 7 or Logic Express 7 are now going to be able to buy an upgrade which will vastly reduce the need to understand old or outdated commands, structures or layers of functionality.Sometimes a book keeps its vitality because programs don't change that much, but in this case, the new generation of Logic is significantly different and may reduce the utility of this book.

Logic and Logic Express at any given moment can seem very illogical to the user. This book, although written with the idea of (logically) exploring its features and use in a step-by-step manner using prepared lessons with pre-packaged audio and midi files, can also be used to learn the program by reference. That is to say, for example, that if you'd like to learn how to enter Midi, or edit it, you can find the chapters and functions regarding midi, use the example chapters/sections with your own files and learn how to use the program.If you are already a "seasoned" DAW owner/user, other than to figure out where/how the very basic things you are doing in another program are located/implemented in Logic (transport controls, audio editing windows, import/export of files), you will be better off going straight to the second book in this series, Apple Pro Training Series: Advanced Logic Pro 7 (Apple Pro Training) by David Dvorin.I use another DAW in addition to Logic/Logic Express. Logic Express' documentation severly lacks compared to that in Pro, and I would recommend this series of books for Express users in particular, but they are also valuable for those using Pro. One note, however: It is not generally clear in either of these books whether a given function (for example Groups functionality or the Marquis Tool or Aux functionality) is implemented and available in the Express version of the program and thus no workarounds are given for any 'missing' function, although workarounds generally exist.Another nice feature of the books is their coverage of the 'plug-ins' that come with Logic and Express, most all of which are quality and useful to Logic and production in general. Especially for those who have not used a DAW before, and can find the use of software instruments, midi implementations and functional plug-ins such as reverb and compression a bit of a mystery. The chapters here will be of value.There are other books written for learning and using Logic. But for me, this series was the best. I was able to find the information necessary to get me using the program quickly and efficiently (which is not to be taken lightly when it comes to using Logic, which is reknown for a steep learning curve) by example and reference more easily than with other books. Good indexes and clear examples are positives, not knowing whether something is implemented in Express is a negative, and some points just don't seem to be covered so its back to Apple's support forums to figure it out. But all things considered, best in breed in my opinion.Your mileage may vary......J Bohrer

I was looking forward to a good book that would go into more depth about how to use the plugins effectively (not just what each knob does, but how to use it to affect your sound) and tips and tricks about recording and mixing with Logic. I was looking for something more than the (already good) manual.If you've never read the manual, this will get you up and going with Logic and even gives a pretty good overview. However, if you've used the app at all to do any recording, or read the manual, there's not a lot more here. I learned a couple of tricks (features for which there are no top-level menu items), but obviously there are many more and the few that were brought up didn't really justify the expense.The book barely mentions plugins at all besides how to add one to a channel or move between presets. There's nothing about any of the individual plugins or how to use them effectively when making music. There is also a strong bias towards MIDI. I actually don't have any MIDI instruments in my setup (the book asserts that "obviously" everyone does) and analog recording seemed an afterthought rather than an integral part of the book.I know a tiny bit more now about Logic, but I know nothing more about how to make my music better with Logic. I guess I just had the wrong expectations about the book, and I have since returned it.

So many tutorials and manuals I read for software leave me confused so I just use them as a backup when there is something in particular that I'm trying to learn. Some may be like me where having a hands-on lesson sinks into the brain much faster.This book is like taking a class. The lessons are installed on your computer, follow the book at your own speed and you're learning in just minutes. I've heard nothing but good things about this book, so I decided to get it. So glad I did.

I bought Logic Express 7 as a step up from GarageBand and decided to buy this book after starting a new Logic Express song and finding I couldn't get a sound out of it -- plus I wanted something to guide me through Logic's features to make sure I was getting the most out of it.Sitter's book covers Logic's main features in 14 lessons, which are designed to be run through in order. As such, the book's an excellent introduction for a newbie like me. It takes you from the basics (the first two lessons introduce Logic's windows and basic controls) to advanced topics, such as working with video (lesson 13) and surround sound (lesson 14). Each lesson starts by telling you roughly how long it will take, then guides you through its tasks in step-by-step fashion with useful screenshots for each major step. At the end of each lesson there's a quick summary of what you've learned. All this means that it won't make a great reference book, but as a teach-yourself book, it's excellent.My main reservation, as a Logic Express user, on buying this book was to wonder how much it would deal with Logic Pro-only features. The answer is that there are only a few sections that deal with Pro-only features, but in the main what it covers applies to both Pro and Express. Mostly, the Pro-only sections are short, but half of lesson 13 and all of lesson 14 are Pro-only. There were a couple of small features that weren't tagged Pro-only but proved not to be available in Express, but this is my only gripe about a book that is otherwise excellent -- well-written, clear and direct, getting you hands-on right from the start, making the process of learning a complex program quite painless. Before starting this book, I was a bit overawed by all Logic Express's little buttons and submenus; now I know what they all do and I feel confident about getting on with making music.