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Apple Enhances Stem Splitter, Adds AI Writing Tools in Logic Pro

Both the Mac and iPad versions of Logic Pro also pick up a new sound pack and more flexible search tools for larger projects.

 & Jamie Lendino Executive Editor, Reviews

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(Credit: Apple)

Apple has unveiled Logic Pro 11.2 for Mac and Logic Pro 2.2 for iPad. Both apps get some new features, some refinements to existing ones, and some bug fixes.

We’ll know for sure when we test it, but the star of the show appears to be Enhanced Stem Splitter. The regular version first appeared last year and lets you separate stereo audio into vocals, bass, drums, and “other.” That “other” category is still there, but the new Enhanced Stem Splitter now separates out piano and guitar as well, for a total of six stems. It also comes with presets for a cappella and instrumental with vocal, among others.

Enhanced Stem Splitter
(Credit: Apple)

For years, Logic has been able to capture your MIDI performances even when you didn’t have the record button. Apple has rebranded it as Flashback Capture; the big addition is that it can pick up audio now, a crucial addition, while Cycle mode lets you improvise takes on a loop. The idea is that you can capture good ideas without the pressure that often accompanies being in Record mode.

This being the age of AI in everything, Logic now has its own Writing Tools; it’s turned on by default if your Apple-Silicon Mac or iPad can run Apple Intelligence, macOS 15.4, and has the ChatGPT extension enabled. Say you have a couple of verses and a chorus but need an extra verse; you can ask it from the notepad feature within Logic Pro to come up with another verse and bounce around ideas off of it.

(Credit: Apple)

New Search and Select tools now let you find tracks in large projects using the keyboard, the way you already could with plug-ins. You can search by name or number.

A new Dancefloor Rush pack in Logic Pro for iPad 2.2 brings some up-to-date drum and bass loops to your fingertips, complete with hundreds of loops, custom kits, Alchemy patches, and a Live Loops grid, and you can pull out individual samples. The iPad version also gets new in-app purchases for lessons on new features, as well as ground-floor stuff like making beats, doing your first mix, and so on.

Learn MIDI
(Credit: Apple)

Finally, the iPad version of Logic Pro has a new Learn MIDI feature that lets you plug in a MIDI controller with faders, knobs, and other features and then assign anything to those physical controls. When you activate Learn MIDI, it starts “listening.” Grab a knob on your controller and twist it; it will show up on-screen, and from there, you can tap on something to attach it to, such as a control inside the EQ or Compressor plug-ins, or on a synth. You can also set it so that it’s either specific to that one track or plug-in instances, or for any track that’s in focus.

Both versions are available now and are free updates for existing Logic Pro owners (on Mac) and subscribers (on iPad). For new users, Logic Pro costs $199.99 as always and now requires macOS Sequoia 15.4 or later; there’s also a 90-day free trial available. Logic Pro for iPad 2.2 costs $4.99 per month or $49 per year, with a one-month free trial. Stay tuned for our full reviews.

About Our Expert

Jamie Lendino

Jamie Lendino

Executive Editor, Reviews

My Experience

I’ve been a technology journalist and editor for more than 20 years, including for PCMag since 2005. I've also written seven books about retro gaming and computing. Previously, I was the editor-in-chief of ExtremeTech. I’ve been on CNBC and NPR's All Things Considered talking techplus dozens of radio stations around the country. My articles have also appeared in Popular ScienceConsumer ReportsComputer Power UserPC Today, Electronic MusicianSound and Vision, and CNET.

Before all this, I was in IT supporting Windows NT on Wall Street in the late 1990s. I realized I’d much rather play with technology and write about it, than support it 24/7 and be blamed for whatever went wrong. I grew up playing and recording music on keyboards and the Atari ST, and I never really stopped. For a while, I produced sound effects and music for video games (mostly mobile and online games in the 2000s). I still mix and master music for various independent artists, many of whom are friends.

The Technology I Use

I’ve been cross-platform for decades, with PCs and Macs, iPhones and Android, Atari and Intellivision, NES and Sega…I’ve been doing this a while. Especially everything Atari, from the 2600 and 800 through the Atari ST, Jaguar, and Lynx. I bought my first 286 PC in 1989, the same year I bought my first issue of PC Magazine from a newsstand. I subscribed in the 1990s and upgraded to a 386, two 486s, and beyond.

Today, I use a 16-inch MacBook Pro, a custom AMD Ryzen 7 PC, and an Acer Nitro 5 gaming laptop. My phone is an iPhone 14 Pro Max. For music recording, I work in a variety of DAWs (and review them all for PCMag), but my main ones are Logic Pro and Pro Tools. I use an LG 27-inch 4K monitor, a pair of PreSonus Eris E8 XT studio monitors, Beyerdynamic and Sennheiser studio headphones, and a Focusrite audio interface. For my books, I use Scrivener, Microsoft Word, and Adobe InDesign and Photoshop. I also use a zillion emulators of old computers and game consoles for…work. 

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