The new Touch Bar MacBooks were pretty well stocked with first-party software support when they launched last year. One proprietary program that was notably absent from the shiny new input device, however, was Logic Pro X, Apple’s pro-level audio editor, with the company promising delivery in early 2017.
On cue, Cupertino has dropped an update that brings the functionality to the application, letting users navigate projects via timeline on the touch surface in a control scheme that seems similar to the one it implemented for Final Cut.
The coolest bit of functionality on that front, however, is the ability to utilize the surface as a software instrument, with the Touch Bar doubling as a piano keyboard or drum pad, which seems like actually the sort of interesting use case the company has been looking for to drive adoption of the new feature. The surface can also be assigned to things like volume and sound effects.
The application is also getting a new UI more inline with the feel of the rest of MacOS, along with a look that’s designed to be more easily viewed in well-lit rooms. Other updates include an alternative track feature for better management of different takes of a song and a new processing engine.
Garage Band for iOS is getting an upgrade, as well, including the long-awaited addition of the Alchemy synth program, previously available on the higher-end Logic. Also new is multi-take recording and a new track view.