How To Update Logic Pro

Have you ever watched a YouTube tutorial and the creator is using a different version of Logic Pro?

Maybe you've even seen my Logic Pro Tutorial on YouTube, which you'll notice I'm using Logic Pro 10.5.1. However, this Logic Pro Reverb Tutorial, I'm using Logic Pro 10.7.4.

Logic Pro is a music software designed by Apple and there are teams of people working on it, every single day, so it's a good idea to learn how to update Logic Pro so that you can get the best possible version there is. Read this post if you're just looking to download Logic Pro from the AppStore.

You'll notice when you first purchased Logic Pro, there is section called What's New on the Apple Apple Store. See the image below.

For example, if you purchased Logic Pro today, you'll see what the current version is and what the recent update entailed. You can also see, in the image below, that the most recent update for Logic Pro contained stability improvements and bug fixes.

No one wants any bugs in their Logic Pro. That's why you need to stay on top of your updates!

If you don't, you're missing out on a cleaner software with better features. However, I will play "devil's advocate" for a second and talk about the disadvantages to updating Logic Pro at the end of this post.

Take note of the image above. In the right hand corner, you can see Version History.

If you click on this link, you'll be able to read all past updates of Logic Pro.

They date back until the software was created. As you'll notice, there are updates that happen every few months.

However, the updates are small and hardly noticeable. They fix bugs or improve stability. Things that you probably don't see in Logic. However, once a year or so the Apple team will do a big update in Logic Pro that adds big new features or improves the design experience.

For instance, the Logic Pro step sequencer was included in the Logic Pro update from 10.5 to 10.6.

How Do You Know If You Should Update Logic Pro?

You'll need to find out 2 things before you know if you should update Logic Pro or not. You'll need to find out:

• The most recent version of Logic Pro
• Your local version of Logic Pro

Most Recent Version Of Logic Pro

The most recent version of Logic Pro can be found on the Mac App Store. Similar to the finding out the version history in the section above.

Go to the Mac Store here. Navigate to the What's New section to see the current version of Logic Pro. Take note of the image below, you'll notice the current version is 10.7.4. However, this version could have already changed from the time I've written this post.

Your Local Version Of Logic Pro

Now the moment of truth to see what your current version of Logic Pro is. 

Open up Logic Pro and navigate to the top right:

Logic Pro > About Logic Pro

Take note of my current version of Logic Pro in the image below. I am up to date. What does your version say? Are you current? Or do you need to update?

How To Update Logic Pro

Step 1

Open up the App Store from a Mac Finder window. Navigate to Applications on the left side menu then click on App Store.

Step 2

Navigate to the Updates section on the left hand side menu in the App Store:

Step 3

In this section, you'll notice all the apps you have on your mac that need an update. You might see many apps here but you might not see any at all. However, if you do not have the current version of Logic Pro then I guarantee that you will see Logic Pro in this section of the app store. 

Take note of the image below, you'll notice that I do not see Logic Pro. This is because, as you noticed above, I have the most recent version of Logic Pro. Therefore, I don't need to update my Logic Pro.

Instead, Apple gives us a list of recently updated apps.

Auto Updating Logic Pro

It is possible to auto update Logic Pro. You can actually auto update any app that you have on your mac. This is setting that can easily be turned on in the App Store.

Open up the mac App Store.

Navigate to the top right:

App Store > Preferences

When you open up preference, click on Automatic Updates. Keep in mind, this will automatically update Logic Pro and all other apps you have on your mac (when they need updating).

For me personally, I like to have this "off". This is because I prefer to do my updates manually since sometimes the updates require significant processing speed to do the updates.

For example, if I'm producing a song in Logic Pro and then all of a sudden my mac is trying to update the most recent version of Final Cut Pro, well that is going to cut into my computer resources for my production session.

Not great. This is why I do my updates manually. There is another reason why I update manually and I'll teach you in the next section.

Disadvantages of Updating Logic Pro

In general, you should always update Logic Pro because the most recent version of Logic Pro is always the best.

The only reason you might want to delay your update on Logic is if you use paid plugins. Paid plugins introduce a lot of problems when you update Logic Pro because the paid providers of the plugin haven't updated their plugin to work with the newest version of Logic Pro.

However, this usually only happens when there are significant updates with Logic Pro. These happen about once a year.

BackUp Logic Pro Before Updating

Once way to remedy the situation of messing up a big mix you're working on in Logic Pro is to backup an older version of Logic. You can do this by storing it on an external device. This is your lifeline if your updated Logic Pro doesn't work wth your current paid plugins.

Don't worry too much about this. I think over the 10 years I've produced music, this happened once to me. However, it wasn't a happy day which is why I point it out. In general, the paid plugin providers are quite good at keeping their plugins working with your current software. 

Final Thoughts On Updating Logic Pro

Not only should you consider updating your version of Logic Pro but you should also be updating your Mac as well.

The good news is that since Apple has created your Mac and Logic Pro, they should always seamlessly work together if you have both your software updated.

I'd love to teach you more about Logic Pro and Music Production and I can start teaching you for free, I recommend you start with my free 6 pillars on learning Logic Pro faster.