Despite the rumors of a Logic Pro X being nearly complete, Apple has today released a minor update to the existing Logic Pro 9 and MainStage 2.2 to the Mac App Store, thus ending an era of boxed software from Cupertino. The good news is you can now buy these pro music apps cheaper than ever before!
Apple today released Logic Pro 9.1.6 and MainStage 2.2 to the Mac App Store, which marks the end of the company’s efforts to sell retail boxed copies of its software. Musicians and other pro audio users can now enjoy writing, recording, editing and mixing their work at a new low price of only $199, with the companion MainStage 2 available separately for only $29.99.
Logic Pro 9.1.6 may not be the fully reworked Logic Pro X that was rumored back in September, but the app does get a few minor bug fixes according to The Loop, and users are likely to get a free update to the next major version, in keeping with Mac App Store tradition. Purchasing Logic Pro from the Mac App Store also gets you access to Apple’s sound library, clocking in at around 25GB of media comprised of six Jam Packs, sound effects and more, downloaded from within the app much in the same way that Final Cut Pro X did over the summer.
MainStage 2.2 users will also gain access to the downloadable content, and the app “now takes full advantage of Macs with four or more processor cores” with added support for more MIDI devices. The Loop also reports that the user interface has been rebuilt to “make some elements a bit larger.”
And what about current users of LogicPro 9? Apple will release a Software Update to patch existing versions, although MainStage 2.2 is considered a new app and must be purchased as such from the Mac App Store for only $29.99. Apple will continue offering the boxed version of Logic Pro 9 on its online store, but it will no longer be available at retail.
Finally, if you were holding out hope that Soundtrack Pro 3 might continue to exist after being ignored when Final Cut Pro X was released back in June, we have some bad news for you: It’s dead and gone and won’t be coming to the Mac App Store.
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