Apple's Logic Pro X gets massive update with new effects, tools, AirDrop support and more

Apple on Wednesday released a huge update to its Logic Pro X professional digital audio workstation, complete with fresh drum and synth effects, redesigned plug-ins, an expanded sound library and support for new OS X features like AirDrop and Mail Drop.

Among the many highlights of Logic Pro X version 10.1 are new Drummers, a feature introduced with Logic Pro X in 2013 that gives users access to an automatically generated virtual session player. Today's update packs in ten new Drummers covering electronic and hip hop styles including Techno, House, Trap, Dubstep and more.

Drummer also comes with refreshed sound and performance controls for tuning electronic or hip hop beats.

"I've seen everything out there, but I use Logic Pro X because it gives me everything I need to tackle every phase of music production," said Dave Tozer, who produces music for John Legend, Jay-Z, Kanye West and other big-name artists. "People are blown away by how fast the new version of Logic lets me work, and how quickly I can generate ideas, perform sophisticated edits, and create awesome sounding mixes."

New functional plug-ins include a revamped Drum Machine Designer with new sounds and features tailored to electronic kits, while a redesigned Compressor plug-in boasts a scalable, Retina display-ready interface and 7 models including the new Classic VCA. A new plug-in manager keeps everything organized with customized menu views.

As for instrument additions, Apple built in Retro Synth functionality for creating wavetables from imported audio, stackable up to eight voices. The standard sound library has been extended to include more than 200 new synth patches and 10 Mellotron instruments.

Other new features include:

• Create a sequence of notes with a single mouse gesture using the new Brush Tool in the Piano Roll Editor
• New view options in the Piano Roll Editor let you see more notes in less vertical space and help identify drum sounds by name
• Easily compress or expand the timing of selected notes with new time handles in the Piano Roll Editor
• Note Repeat and Spot Erase modes allow classic drum machine style techniques for creating beats in realtime
• Smart Quantize proportionally corrects the timing and length of notes to preserve the musicality of your original performance
• Automation can now be part of a region, not just the track, which makes it easier to use effects creatively
• Manage large-scale mixes more easily with the addition of console-style VCA faders
• Relative and Trim Automation modes extend the options for fine-tuning existing automation
• Mixer now allows remote control of microphone and other input settings for compatible audio interfaces
• Realtime rendering of fades allow them to work with Flex Pitch and speeds up project load times

Finally, Logic Pro X now supports Mail Drop and Air Drop for transporting large files in OS X Yosemite.

Logic Pro X version 10.1 is a free update for existing users, while new customers can buy the app for $199.99 from the Mac App Store.