Apple “decimates” Pro Audio team!

[Morten Carlsen]

I thought that Article was full of non-sense…

Been using Logic (Protools HD is my main DAW) since 1995.

The programming team is sitting in Hamburg, Germany.
And AFAIK, they are still there.

Logic wont be dumped.

We’ll see

[Walter Soyka]

The linked article within this linked article offers a bit more in-depth hearsay:

https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/home-page/2012/11/25/apple-pro-audio-applications-team-decimated.html

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
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[Craig Seeman]

If one is going to base things on when things were last updated, one might well surmise that iWorks and iLife team might have been decimated as well.

I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a major rethink going on in software design though. Think of the years it took between the slow down of FCP legacy (FCP6) and FCPX getting out the door in its very primitive state.

Least we forget, Apple laptops sell well and, in its category, so does iMacs and Apple is going to use software to sell hardware. Thunderbolt isn’t compelling as “consumer” technology.

[Walter Soyka]

[Craig Seeman] “If one is going to base things on when things were last updated, one might well surmise that iWorks and iLife team might have been decimated as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a major rethink going on in software design though. Think of the years it took between the slow down of FCP legacy (FCP6) and FCPX getting out the door in its very primitive state. Least we forget, Apple laptops sell well and, in its category, so does iMacs and Apple is going to use software to sell hardware. Thunderbolt isn’t compelling as “consumer” technology.”

All fair points, but not much to do with this rumor:

“Apple’s Pro Audio application team is virtually gone, according to recent conversations with a couple of ex-Apple employees. Europe is now down to just two pro application specialists according to sources, with the key pro applications job going and with no plans to replace the post. In the meantime the outgoing post-holder’s deputy has had to assume responsibilty for any work in addition to their own. In the words of one of them, the team has been ‘decimated’.

Futhermore, we have been told that the next big audio application from Apple will be for the iPad.”

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Chris Harlan]

[Walter Soyka] “the team has been ‘decimated’.”

Do I understand this correctly? The Logic team was getting a little mutinous, so a tenth of them were drawn from the ranks and executed in front of the others as an example. I’m pretty sure that’s what they do at propellerhead.

[Morten Carlsen]

[Walter Soyka] “The linked article within this linked article offers a bit more in-depth hearsay:

https://www.pro-tools-expert.com/home-page/2012/11/25/apple-pro-audio-applic...”

That was the article to which I was referring… Utterly non-sense, spoken as if that someone was indeed someone spending time programming his website and NOT delving into facts. Calling FCPx a scale-down is about the dumbest and most untrue comparison I have heard in a very long time. Such a claim truly comes from someone who believes the hype rather than pioneering the facts.

[Walter Soyka]

[Chris Harlan] “Do I understand this correctly? The Logic team was getting a little mutinous, so a tenth of them were drawn from the ranks and executed in front of the others as an example.”

Maybe someone refused to remove tracks?

Although now that you mention it, I am a bit curious on the etymology side, how the definition changed from removing a tenth to destroying by removing a large portion.

[Chris Harlan] “I’m pretty sure that what they do at propellerhead.”

Well, sure. That’s the only way the developers can be made to see reason…

In all seriousness, I know nothing more about this rumor other than what Steve had originally pointed to, and obviously I have no idea if it’s true or not. Logic X could launch later today for all I know.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Craig Seeman]

But if it’s not on AppleInsider it must be far below the “sensational” link bait radar. I’d think if there were some mix of fright and value, it would be spreading like wildfire.

I wouldn’t at all be surprised that there’s a major change in direction with audio. Logic hasn’t been EOLd and there’s no reason for Apple to be shy about that, if that’s their intent.

As to a major audio app on the iPad, well it must mean they have programmers working on audio apps somewhere. If one is going to argue that FCPX has iMovie roots then this may be just another step in the evolution of something that will come back to desktop… with whatever team is doing it for iPad. BTW when those argue about iMovie roots, it was the iOS version, not the desktop version, which was based on AV Foundation.

I just don’t see a piecemeal rumor which may well have some truth in it to be the full extent of the picture.
Heck we can extrapolate about Forestall going and Ive being handed software responsibilities as well.

One piece does not a puzzle make and even if the piece is a 100% accurate it’s far from complete.

[Walter Soyka]

[Morten Carlsen] “That was the article to which I was referring… Utterly non-sense, spoken as if that someone was indeed someone spending time programming his website and NOT delving into facts. Calling FCPx a scale-down is about the dumbest and most untrue comparison I have heard in a very long time. Such a claim truly comes from someone who believes the hype rather than pioneering the facts.”

Well, that’s a matter of opinion, not fact. Think back to the launch — FCPX couldn’t do broadcast monitoring or interchange with any application other than iMovie. Given all the workflows FCPX 10.0.0 could not participate in, I think it’s reasonable to suggest it was scaled down. The big advances made from launch to 10.0.6 that make that statement seem questionable today are a testament to how far Apple has come with FCPX in 18 months.

But regardless, what does the author’s opinion on FCPX have to do with his report, supposedly from former employees, that there are only two developers left on the team, with no plans to rehire? That’s either factually true or not.

Now, whether it is true or not, or what that might mean for Logic X, I have no idea. I’ve long since given up trying to read the tea leaves. I just tried to point out that the linked article’s source offered more detailed questionable speculation than the linked article itself.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Chris Harlan]

Its just funny to me, and probably no one else. I’ve had a long-time fascination with Roman history, so the current agreed usage of “decimate” as “utterly destroy” instead of “reduce by a tenth” always sticks out. And, rather boorishly, I always seem to want to remark about it.