It was a very long wait. Logic 7 was released in November 2004. Since then there was only one major update when releasing the Intel version of Logic 7. Rumors about a new Logic 8 have been floating around the Internet for at least the last year. People felt abandoned because of the lack of updates in the past. But these dark times are over. Today Apple released the new Logic Studio 8.

The Logic Studio 8 package not only contains Logic Pro 8, but also the fantastic audio editor Soundtrack Pro 2, numerous effects and software instruments and the new MainStage application. Everything comes at a price of $499, which is basically half of the old price. Considering what you get for the price, this is an unbelievable bargain. There is not a single competitor who can match this pricing.

I am primarily a live musician and 90% of my music making consists of preparing and performing for concerts. Until now I have been using Brainspawn Forte on my Macbook running in Bootcamp. This works flawlessly, but I do not like having to boot into Windows to run Forte, but there were simply no suitable alternatives on the Mac. Now MainStage which is part of Logic Studio seems to deliver exactly the live capabilities I need. Including complex Patches with multiple instruments which can be organized into Setlists. It seems a dream is coming true.

I guess this will be a must-buy for me for Christmas or at least in the near future. I really hope that MainStage will deliver what it currently promises.