Logic, Motion & Compressor also see updates alongside Mac Pro

Logic Pro 10.0.5, Motion 5.1, and Compressor 4.1 are all now available on the Mac App Store to purchase, or as free updates for existing owners. Apple's list of improvements fro Logic 10.0.5 are:

• Adds 3 new Drummers and 11 new Drum Kit Designer patches
• Significant enhancements to Channel EQ and Linear Phase EQ plug-ins including redesigned interfaces that are also accessible within the Smart Controls area
• Solo now works as expected on channel strips using an External I/O plug-in
• Volume and pan automation is now included in XML interchange with Final Cut Pro X
• Loops that belong to the same family can be selected and changed using a new control in the region header
• The waveform size in an audio region now adapts to the value of the region Gain parameter
• The Link mode button is now available for the Piano Roll editor
• Includes stability improvements

Apple's list of changes for Motion 5.1 are:

• Optimized playback and rendering using dual GPUs in the new Mac Pro
• FxPlug 3 with custom plug-in interfaces and dual-GPU support
• Faster project loading, especially for complex projects
• Share directly to YouTube at 4K resolution
• Spanish language localization

And new additions in Compressor 4.1, according to Apple, are:

• New interface with a single-window layout and streamlined controls
• Preset Destinations for common encoding tasks
• Simplified setup for distributed encoding
• Hardware-based H.264 encoding in supported Share operations
• Support for Dolby Digital Plus encoding
• Share directly to YouTube at 4K resolution
• Share directly to Chinese video sites Youku and Tudou

The updates join Final Cut Pro X, which was given new additions earlier Thursday specifically to take advantage of the latest Mac Pro desktop. Final Cut Pro version 10.1 features optimization for the Mac Pro's dual-GPU setup, as well as video monitoring at up to 4K resolutions via Thunderbolt 2 and HDMI.

Thursday's updates did leave out one major component of Apple's professional-grade applications: Aperture. The photo editing software was last updated in mid-November to version 3.5.1, which addressed a few minor bugs.

Apple is now taking preorders for its cylindrical Mac Pro, an American-made desktop geared toward high-end Mac users. Pricing on the machines starts at $3,000, with some configurations reaching nearly $10,000.