Happy with the look of logic?

[Walnut]

I'm curious here.  I've used cubase and Ableton a lot over the years.  I switched to logic because,. I bought an m1 MacBook and demoed logic pro X.  I instantly loved how customizable it was (especially the key commands). It's revolutionary in that aspect.  Still...  I wasn't convinced so I went back to Ableton and Cubase.  But. I'm actually not too thrilled with the yearly price to pay for updates etc etc.  So I quit those cold turkey and switched to logic.  I'm pretty happy, especially with the help I've received in this forum.  I think the only thing I'd really like to see in logic is a more square and modern interface.  My number one choice is Ableton for this.  I just love the colors, the look, the wave forms.  So for me that's the first thing I'd change about logic.  It looks a bit elementary to me.  

 

How about you?

[des99]

It's Apple's ProApp look - Final Cut uses similar design language.

It's fine, it's uncluttered, straightforward, and helps me get the job done. And it's actually flatter than it used to be in earlier versions, as per Apple's evolving interface aesthetics.

I personally think it looks and feels nicer to work with that the completely flat interfaces (which are hard to do well without looking "cheap"), but ymmv.

Live is great, but I don't think it's particularly visually attractive - but it gets the job done too.

(Remember Ableton's "modern" interface is 20 years old now, too... and back in those days, they couldn't do rounded rects... 😉 )

Edited February 3, 2023 by des99

[scg]

Obviously bug fixes and popularly requested features like arbitrary track stack depth should be first priority, but I'd love to see Logic's UI overhauled. Perhaps a bit cheerier, and consistent across all elements (including all the old-school E-series instruments). I do find Ableton's UI appealing in that respect.

That said, it's subjective of course. Plus, I imagine a new UI would be a fairly monumental task and won't be happening any time soon. (And there's the issue of consistency between apps that des99 mentioned.)

Edited February 3, 2023 by scg

[des99]

20 minutes ago, scg said:

I'd love to see Logic's UI overhauled.

Honestly, I'd rather see them *finish* it's current UI (eg, updating/migrating the old instruments as you mention, and the dustier corners like the Environment - yes, I know that's not going to happen, and other things, like the plugin headers which I still think are super clunky) - than start again with another overhaul.

If feels like we've had continuous UI overhauls. LP7 was the first Apple-ification of Logic 6 which overhauled the interface, then we got a completely overhauled look for Logic 8, which was overhauled again for Logic 9, and then another complete overhaul for Logic 10. Then we've had significant UI updates in the 10.x period, from the more bevelly, chunky first versions, through several iterations, colour tweaks, and flattening, and design changes as per Big Sur+ macOS changes etc until we got to where we are currently.

Apple did move to a flatter design look for iOS 7, but by the time they had come to revise macOS, that somewhat extreme flattification of iOS7 had evolved into something a bit more sensible, so macOS never got that uber-flat, no button, Helvetica Neue Ultra Thin look, which was just as well (although I liked it on iOS at the time). It's not really Apple's thing, that square, flat look. I don't think they're moving away from round-rects for some time to come, yet.

Honestly, the last thing Logic needs in terms on developer focus - in my humble opinion, at least! 🙂 - is *another* UI overhaul. Improvements, sure, but in the list of my personal priorities it seems somewhat wasteful of effort, and just change for change sake - rarely the best use of developer effort.

If you want to hack Logic's UI, there are tools to let you do it - I'm sure there are third-party flat replacement UI mods available. Knock yourself out! 😉 Although I've never seen a *single* modded UI other people are running that looks anything other than awful*, imo.

(* Other than my old modded UI for LP7, which was *awesome*, subtle and tasteful...)

Edited February 3, 2023 by des99

[dubsak]

I think Logic is already really flat. Where they break from that is only really buttons and buttons should be buttons. They should be instantly apparent that they're clickable. Logic tends to place the interface into that background which is my preference. Ableton is too distracting to me because it's so colourful. Pro Tools, when colour is involved, tends to kind of overdo it in my opinion. I suppose it's a preference but the less the interface is drawing my attention, the better.

Edited February 3, 2023 by dubsak
Additional thought.

[scg]

2 minutes ago, des99 said:

Honestly, I'd rather see them *finish* it's current UI (eg, updating/migrating the old instruments

Quote

Honestly, the last thing Logic needs in terms on developer focus - in my humble opinion, at least! 🙂 - is *another* UI overhaul.

Agree to both. It's just sort of a 'wish list' kind of thing. But hey, we can dream 🙂

[markno999]

1 hour ago, Walnut said:

I think the only thing I'd really like to see in logic is a more square and modern interface.  My number one choice is Ableton for this.  I just love the colors, the look, the wave forms.  So for me that's the first thing I'd change about logic.  It looks a bit elementary to me.  

How about you?

Personally I like the flat simplistic look of the current Logic interface and one of the reasons I switched to Logic in the first place.    I find multiple colors or very vibrant colors distracting.     It might be an age thing, I have noticed that my preferences in that regard have probably changed over time.

Also I think changing UI's can be problematic for many users.  You get used to a look and position of tools so much that using it can be more a reflex action than a conscious decision in many cases.    That makes for a productive workflow.    This is one of the reasons I like Apple products, they keep a common theme going forward and don't make radical changes to their UI's (like MS did going from Windows 7 to Windows 8/10 GUI).   Not bashing MS, we use their products but hate the look of Windows 8/10/11.  Fortunately Classic Shell returns the classic look and menus to the OS.

Perhaps a viable solution for Logic development would be to keep the current UI but to give users choice on different UI layouts or to use a 3rd party tool to alter the UI to your specific preferences.   There are some out there, haven't tried them but I have seen different apps out there for altering layout.

Regards

[redgreenblue]

I just wish they'd bring the wider variety of colors that we used to have for tracks and regions. Black was super useful for me (yes, I know the work around but keep forgetting to put that in my template) and the wider variety we used to have helps me organize things better. What kills me is there is *no valid reason* to take the colors away. 

[enossified]

I love the way Ableton Live doesn't try to look like real hardware. Just show me device controls in a clear fashion, thank you.

I also love the almost total lack of pop-up screens and the control-only display of third party plugins (like Logic's Control view). That was much appreciated when I had only a 13" laptop screen to use.

I like how Live's Racks display all devices at once, unlike Logic channel strips.

On the other hand, Logic has more complex functionality than Live so it could never be as streamlined.

[blinkofani]

I’ve started to use Pro Tools more recently, for reason too long to explain, and when I return to Logic, the overload of grey is quite depressing, for my taste. I still have an old G5 with LP9 and prefer it a lot more than LP 10. But hey, to each his/her own, or any english expression for this might suit!!

[FLH3]

Do I care about the "pretty look" of a DAW? Not sure.

I need something I'm used to.

I need something clear.

I need something with only the necessary colors I need where I need them, the rest has to be black, white, and grey. And flat. For the various 3d fancy designs the third party plugins are enough for me (and sometimes I enjoy them, no problem).

The final listener doesn't see, and doesn't care about, your GUI. 🙂