Apple updates Logic Pro, GarageBand and MainStage

Apple's trio of music-related apps have each now been updated with unspecified bug fixes on the Mac, while Logic Pro has also added a series of new features including a Mastering Assistant.

Apple regularly updates Logic Pro, GarageBand, and MainStage, but perhaps the last significant release for each was after the launch of macOS Ventura and iOS 16 in November 2022. Now following the release of macOS Sonoma and iOS 17, Apple has updated them again — although there are only new features for Logic Pro.

Logic Pro

The Mac version of Logic Pro has been updated to version 10.8, and is a 1.15GB download from the Mac App Store. The iPad edition has similarly been updated, and is now on version 1.1.

For both, Apple has added a series of new tools:

Mastering Assistant with sound-shaping tools
Sample sounds with Sample Academy
Free "Hybrid Textures" Sample Academy pack
Beat Breaker time- and pitch-morphing plug-in
New Slip and Rotate tools
32-bit float recording on supported devices

Apple says that the new Slip and Rotate tools "allow for the contents inside a region to be moved independent of their position on the timeline."

The Mastering Assistant delivers "a release-ready mix," using its "professional palette of intuitive sound-shaping tools."

For the iPad edition, Apple has added a new Recorder mode, in which "users can create instruments and drum kits by directly recording audio with the built-in microphone or a connected audio input, allowing for instrument creation to happen just about anywhere."

There's also now a Quick Sampler plug-in for the iPad edition of Logic Pro, which lets users "quickly create sampler instruments from virtually any sound."

The Mac update is free to existing users and can be downloaded from the Mac App Store. For new users, Logic Pro costs $200.

Logic Pro for the iPad is a $50 annual subscription, and with the new update can be downloaded directly from the App Store.

GarageBand and MainStage

The Mac version of music-creation app GarageBand has been updated to version 10.4.9. The new release is a 854.1MB, and is available via the Mac App Store.

At time of writing, the iPad version of GarageBand has not been updated. However, GarageBand for iPadOS typically sees updates around the same time as the Mac.

MainStage, for live performances, has been updated to version 3.6.5 for the Mac. It's a 1.08GB download from the App Store, and is Mac-only.

All Apple has said of either of these two apps is that the "update includes stability improvements and bug fixes."

GarageBand is free, and MainStage is $30 for new users.