Logic Pro 12.3 Update: The 5 Main Features

Logic Pro just dropped update 12.3, and while it's not one of the huge, feature-packed updates we sometimes see, there are five changes here that are genuinely useful for everyday workflow.

Here's a rundown of what's new, plus a heads up that this release also includes a solid batch of bug fixes.

1. Beat Breaker Gets New Controls

The Beat Breaker has picked up some handy new tools. You now get new filter and resonance modes, with high pass and low pass filtering available per slice. There's also a new panning mode, so each individual slice can be panned left or right independently. On top of that, randomisation has been added, giving you more ways to inject variation into your chopped up beats. All of these new controls can be adjusted directly within the Beat Breaker interface.

2. New Grid Lines in this Logic Pro 12.3 Update

Grid lines have always been a part of Logic, but until now they've always sat behind your regions.

In 12.3, you can bring them to the foreground instead, making editing audio much easier.

To turn this on, head to your settings, then View, then Tracks. From there you'll find a Gridlines Placement option, where you can choose between foreground or background.

You can also customize the colour of the horizontal and vertical lines to match your preference. It's a small tweak, but for anyone doing detailed editing, having those lines visible in front of your regions makes lining things up noticeably easier.

3. Alchemy Adds a New Granular Sync Mode

If you're a fan of granular synthesis, this one's for you.

Alchemy's granular mode used to give you control over size and density. Now there's a new Sync option that adds a format shift control, letting you reshape the sound in an interesting way that’s tied to pitch.

It's a fairly simple addition, but it opens up some interesting sonic possibilities if granular synthesis is your thing.

4. Flex and Smart Tempo Are Now Separated

This is probably the most practically useful change in the update. Previously, Flex and Smart Tempo were tied together, and that setup tripped a lot of people up. In Logic 12.3, they've been split into two separate controls.

You'll now find a dedicated Smart Tempo option in the inspector, which you can toggle on or off, and set to align bars if needed.

Alongside that, you can adjust a region's tempo independently from your overall project tempo, right from the same window. That means a single region can run at a different tempo than the rest of your session, which is a great feature for anyone layering in loops or samples that don't naturally match your project's BPM.

There's also a related setting worth knowing about: when you drag in a new loop, Logic can now automatically sync it to your project tempo, so anything you import lands at the right speed without manual adjustment. You can switch this on as a default in your project settings by going to the smart tempo tab and “Set imported files to” and choosing the option that suits you best.

5. New Granular Alchemy Sound Pack 

Rounding out the update is a new sound pack, built using Alchemy's new granular sync mode. It's a collection of loops, one shots, and field recordings that have all been processed through this new Achemy Granular Sync mode, giving them a distinct granular character. Worth digging into if you want some fresh textures for your next project.

Final Thoughts

That covers the five main additions in Logic Pro 12.3. On top of these, Apple has rolled in a good number of other

changes and bug fixes as well. None of these changes are really massive on their own, but the Flex and Smart Tempo separation in particular should make a real difference for a lot of Logic users.

If you want to learn more about Logic Pro, then you can check out my online video courses here or schedule an online session where I help you with Logic Pro by emailing adam@ammusic.co.uk.