Mobile film and music production: Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro on the iPad

Apple's professional software for video and music production will be available for mobile use on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. By means of a press release and a promotional video, Apple showed the possibilities with Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro revealed on the iPad. It was also communicated which hardware and which iPadOS version are required to get the apps running. In this post I have put together everything you need to know about the topic.

Cut videos and make music: creative apps at your fingertips

Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro have each been modified in their user interface in such a way that a mouse and keyboard are basically not required for their use on the iPad. Operation can certainly also be implemented via connected input devices, but the apps have been optimized for display inputs via finger or Apple Pencil. The interfaces should get the best out of the multi-touch display and offer new usage options. Controllers can be operated more intuitively than on the Mac and virtual instruments can be played more haptically - no keyboard or MIDI keyboard is required to use the keyboard.

We're thrilled to introduce Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad, empowering producers to express their creativity in new ways and in more placessaid Bob Borchers, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Powerful, intuitive tools designed for the portability, performance, and interface for touch of iPad make Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro the ultimate mobile studio.

Incidentally, the individual (new) features of the apps are shown and described in detail in the press release on the subject. Check it out, if you are interested.

System Requirements

• Final Cut Pro: iPad with M1 chip or newer and iPadOS 16.4 or newer
• Logic Pro: iPad with A12 Bionic chip or newer and iPadOS 16.4 or newer

Subscription price of the new apps

• First month: free trial
• Monthly subscription: 4,99 euros / month
• Annual subscription: 49 euros / year

Final Cut Pro for the iPad: Information on mobile video editing

Final Cut Pro is a comprehensive and powerful app for professional video editing. The version for the iPad also offers the option of recording videos directly with the iPad or transferring them quickly from a paired iPhone. The Final Cut Pro app for iPadOS is not just a port of the macOS version, but has been fundamentally adapted to the design and usability of the tablet computer. Use with your fingers and the Apple Pencil is therefore natively supported. The app will be available from May 23, 2023 and can be tested free of charge for one month.

New tools, such as a jog wheel for scrolling through the video material, are intended to make video editing on the iPad easier than ever before. Various multi-touch gestures should also help to complete various editing steps faster. Frame-accurate editing should be just as possible as on the Mac. If you want to use handwritten titles or overlays, you can create them directly with the Apple Pencil. For editing HDR videos and color-accurate editing in the right reference mode, the 12,9-inch iPad Pro can be used with Liquid Retina XDR display be used. On M2 iPads, the Apple Pencil 2 hover function can also be used to preview video footage.

Apple also advertises the use of Final Cut Pro on the iPad as an all-in-one solution for recording, editing and exporting videos. With the tablet's built-in cameras, you can record multicam videos, change the camera or angle with a tap of your finger, adjust focus, exposure and white balance, and much more. Even ProRes material can be recorded and edited on the iPad Pro with M2 chip. There are also Fast Cut features that work with machine learning. A wide range of functions is also available for titles, effects and audio. All information and more pictures can be found in the press release linked above.

Other sources: Promo Page / Support page

Logic Pro for iPad: Information on mobile music production

For mobile music production, Logic Pro has also been optimized for use on the iPad. From a simple fingertip to input with the Apple Pencil to multi-touch gestures, there is a lot that should enable and simplify use even without a keyboard and mouse. But not only the software with an adapted interface, easy-to-use plug-ins and easy-to-use instruments should simplify music production on the tablet computer. The hardware should also be able to be used - such as the microphones built into the iPad, which (to a certain extent) can be used to record music, singing and sounds.

For use on the iPad, the sound browser was App completely reworked so that sounds, instruments and loops can be better selected and their tabs do not fill the entire screen. The new Sound Chooser is now also the place to find patches, plug-in presets, and samples. All other powerful tools known from the Mac app are also available, such as EQs, with which sounds and audio tracks can be individually adjusted in terms of sound and ambience. The creation and production of beats has also been adjusted and expanded, so that even more individual influences are possible here.

For the finalization of a project, not only the Pro Mixer with numerous tools, controls and final adjustments are available, but also options for exporting and sharing the finished song or soundtrack. Who, by the way, from the free GarageBand App wants to switch to Logic Pro (if only for the period of the free trial month) will also be happy about the import options: GarageBand projects from iOS and iPadOS can be opened in Logic Pro for iPad and edited further. More information and pictures can be found in the press release linked above.

Further source: Promo Page

Introducing the video: Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro for the iPad

As mentioned above, the two new professional apps for the iPad were not only presented in a press release from Apple, but also with a new video that was published on YouTube, among other places. Stay tuned for the video showing some of the features and reactions from the pros who have had the privilege of watching with this link or with the player embedded here:

Johannes Domke

After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.