Garageband vs Logic Express

[Yardbird Mac]

Howdy:

I've been "tinkering" with some home recording, mainly just "demo" stuff. I've been using GARAGEBAND "09" and really like the results, but I'm thinking about going to the next step up... LOGIC EXPRESS. Talk to me about the "pros and cons" of making such a move.

Thanks!

[Offshore Angler]

Mostly the issue with GB is that the midi sounds are somewhat lame. I know a few people that create in GB and then move the files over to something like Cubase to render them with better models. I don't know Logic Express but I woudl suggest you ask around as to the quality of the instrumet sounds.

[Wilko]

IMHO, the big programs like Logic and Protools are stuck in an antiquated mindset--that of the signal through outboard gear and into busses and tape, etc.

That is not neceesary anymore as sound is there and can be prosessed however, and and whenever you want.

GarageBand in that respect is lightyears ahead of the "biggies".

To your original question, moving to Logic Express--or full Logic-- will allow you to use all the nicer midi sounds and provide for the "pro" user workflow.

I have to disagree that all the sounds available to GarageBand are "somewhat lame", and yes that's subjective as hell.

[clayville]

I use an old version of GB to make backing tracks out of loops -- both "audio" and midi, and it's a solid, simple and fairly intuitive platform for that. Mostly because I can, and because of the vastly expanded control and the bells & whistles, I do most of my actual guitar recording in ProTools. GB's set of tools are somewhat limited for capturing and manipulating sound in comparison, but still quite capable.

I think, generally, the major program suites (Logic, PT, etc) have relatively similar capabilities to each other -- and many more/better tools than those that are stock in GB. Your choice for an upgrade can often come down to relatively small things like Do I want to get into Midi more heavily? Do I need/want a strong drum program? Do I need a vast library of Instruments to manipulate with a midi keyboard? Do I like these bundled plug-ins more than those ones? They're all fairly similar, but user-comfort with the interface can go a long way when you're learning how to do things, and I assume that's where your instinct for Logic comes from.

But I do think it'll come down to "what do I want to do that I can't do now?" and you haven't said what that might be. At the pro-sumer level of the major tool suites you won't find vast difference in the quality of the "capture" (though I hear great things about the Apogee Duet preamps compared to similarly priced options), but there are significant differences in the bundled software -- not so much in quality, but in capability. You don't mention what interface/preamp you're using now, or how ambitious your intentions are... and that's key too. Are one or two inputs enough? Do you want to capture 4-6-8 inputs at once to record a band or track a drumset? Questions like that can point you toward USB vs. Firewire issues, external hard drives, outboard mixers and host of other issues to help get your rig ready. PT, notably, requires that Digidesign hardware be attached to your computer before it will even operate, which can be a severe limitation if you intend to go mobile or mix from a laptop. This list of things to think about goes on and on... but, What do you want "more" of?

[Yardbird Mac]

You don't mention what interface/preamp you're using now, or how ambitious your intentions are... and that's key too.

My recording set up is really simple: Guitar>Digitech RP250>USB into 20" iMac. I mainly record stuff to practice with and sometimes stuff to "WOW" my non-musician friends! I just bought a manual for Garageband 9 and it looks pretty impressive. The one thing that really impressed me with Garageband vs what I was using with a WINDOWS based computer, is that I don't seem to have to worry too much about latency issues.

[clayville]

I don't want to sound like I'm dissing, cuz lord knows I ain't... but if you intend to stick with your existing iMac for this and you're reasonably happy with the sound you can get out of your RP, then I'd just stick with Garageband for a while (i.e. 'till the hardware dies) and see how good you can get at crafting your sound via things like e.q., compression, and your mixing chops. Maybe add one of Apple's Jam Packs for more drum loops... there's a lot you can still learn with that setup about recording process (and processing) without upgrading.

I'm guessing that processor speed, O.S. version and overall computer horsepower might soon be a barrier to Logic Express or full Logic, if they aren't already. Or that you'd want a hardware upgrade to take advantage of what the software upgrade can do if you're going to continue to pursue home recording as a hobby.

At least... I took that full upgrade plunge when I got to the fork in the road you're facing. That was 4-5 years ago now, and it's almost time for me to start over again to stay ahead of the feature-creep curve.

Fwiw, the latency thing as I understand it is more related to drivers and processor speed than to platforms -- but I'm a Mac-head too!

[Wilko]

Withe iMac ans what it seems you want to do, stick with Garageband. There's really not much it can't do. I'm even using a Firepod with mine. That can get me 10 tracks of simultaneous recording.

GarageBand is highly capable.

And one thing I like to remind myself... It can do way more with much better sound quality (more tracks, better signal to noise, more dynamic range and frequency bandwidth than the gear) than almost all of our favorite recordings were made with.