Although they may have been designed to look like classic pieces of hardware, and certainly taken inspiration from them, Apple’s Logic Pro plugins have traditionally been original designs rather than emulations of specific pieces of classic studio gear. That’s changing in the new versions of Logic Pro for Mac and Logic Pro for iPad, though (v11.1 and v2.1), as both feature a software version of the Quantec Room Simulator.
Released in 1982, Apple says that the original QRS is “the most acoustically accurate reverb ever created”. It was developed by Quantec founder and inventor Wolfgang Buchleitner, and Apple used his original schematics, algorithms and code to recreate its sound as closely as possible.
As well as giving you a ‘vintage’ QRS option, which is said to preserve sonic character, you can also select the modernised Quantic Yardstick mode, which promises improved clarity and detail.
The original QRS was a favourite of Peter Gabriel, and he’s pleased to see it making a return.
“The Quantec Room Simulator has been a key element to my sound for many years, appearing on records like Passion and Us,” he says. “I also used it to build harmonic drones to start my live set, which then evolved into songs like Across the River. It’s wonderful that Apple is bringing the Quantec QRS back to life as a plugin for Logic users around the world.”
There are other new features in Logic Pro for Mac 11.1 and Logic Pro for iPad 2.1, too, such as the ability to reorder channel strips in the mixer simply by clicking and dragging them. You can select multiple channel strips if you wish - including nonadjacent ones - and any changes you make are reflected in the Tracks area.
On the Mac, plugin search has been improved - you can now search by category, company name or part of a plugin name - while Logic Pro for iPad adds Sample Folders, so you can access your user samples from the Sound Browser. This applies whether they’re stored on the iPad, external storage or iCloud Drive.
Both versions get a new sound pack, too - Modular Melodies is a collection of carefully designed tones that sound like the result of a serious patching session.
For new users, the prices of Logic Pro for Mac and Logic Pro for iPad remain the same: $/£200 for the former, and a subscription price of $/£5/month or $/£49/year for the latter. If you already own either version, the update is free.
Find out more on the Apple website.
