Emagic

History

C-Lab beginnings

Gerhard Lengeling, a University of Hamburg medical student, began developing MIDI software with Chris Adam. They approached a Hamburg music store to establish a licensing agreement, and the store owners established C-Lab to enable Lengeling and Adam to distribute their products. Sven Junge joined as Sales Manager. In 1985 they released the SoftTrack 16+ and SuperTrack MIDI sequencing software for the Commodore 64. The following year, ScoreTrack, also for the C64, added notation functionality.

Creator and Notator

In 1987, C-Lab released Creator, a sequencer for the Atari ST, followed by Notator the following year.

In late 1992 following a dispute with the owners, Lengeling, Adam, and Junge parted ways with C-Lab and founded a new company, Emagic Soft- und Hardware GmbH. The Emagic brand name was created by combining the words 'Electronic' and 'Magic'. later followed by versions for Atari ST and Windows.

Logic

The "Notator" was dropped from the name and the product was redesigned from the ground up, and the product became known under the name "Emagic Logic". Original copies of Emagic's Logic software retailed for , and with plugins ranging from $99 to $299.

The other major software product that Emagic offered was SoundDiver, an editor/librarian for hardware synthesizers. It communicated via MIDI and offered easy patch and sound management. While there was a beta version for Mac OS X, production of SoundDiver was discontinued in 2005.

Emagic formerly offered a line of audio interface hardware, the Audiowerk PCI cards, as well as USB units. A potential post-acquisition successor to these products, the unreleased Asteroid FireWire interface, was the subject of the Apple v. Does trade secret litigation.

Acquisition by Apple

Emagic was acquired by Apple in July 2002. The announcement included the news that development of the Windows version would no longer continue, rendering Logic 5.5.1 as the final version available for Windows. This announcement caused controversy in the recording industry with an estimated 70,000 users having invested in the Windows route not wishing to reinvest in a complete new system. Despite much speculation in various Pro Audio forums however, exactly how many users may have abandoned Logic upon its acquisition by Apple, or abandoned the Windows platform for the Mac version, remains unknown, but Apple Pro Apps revenue has steadily increased since Apple's acquisition of Emagic, (roughly $2 billion a year as of Q1 2014).

Logic 6 was released in February 2003, serving as the first major release of Logic following Apple's acquisition of Emagic. The following year, it released Logic Pro 6, which replaced Logic Platinum and consolidated over 20 different Emagic products, including all instrument and effect plug-ins, Waveburner Pro (CD Authoring application), and Pro Tools TDM support, into a single product package. Apple also released a scaled down version of Logic called Logic Express, replacing Logic Silver and Logic Gold.

Logic Pro 7 was released on September 29, 2004, the first version of Logic to be released under the Apple brand, with technical support being provided through Apple instead of Emagic. As Emagic's products had been transferred to its parent company, it discontinued all of its older products, but continued to provide technical support until late 2005. Emagic became defunct on June 12, 2006.

Lengeling remains Apple's Senior Director of Software Engineering of Musical Applications, where his team continues to develop and offer Logic Pro as their flagship DAW for Mac.

Products

C-Lab software

• SuperTrack (for Commodore 64) – MIDI sequencer
• ScoreTrack – scorewriting
• Creator (for Atari ST) – MIDI sequencer
• Notator (for Atari ST) – MIDI sequencer and scorewriter
• Notator Alpha (for Atari ST) – cut-down educational version of Notator
• Aura (for Atari ST) – ear training
• Explorer 1000 – patch editor
• Explorer 32 – patch editor
• Explorer M1 – patch editor
• Midia – MIDI monitor/educational tool
• Polyframe – patch editor
• SoftLink
• Xalyser (for Atari ST) FM synthesizer

C-Lab hardware

• Unitor (for Atari) – SMPTE/EBU synchroniser
• Unitor 2 (for Atari) – SMPTE synchroniser/MIDI interface
• Combiner (for Atari) – cartridge expansion interface
• Export (for Atari) – MIDI interface
• Falcon mk I, mk II and mk X
• Steady Eye – SMPTE/VITC synchroniser
• Human Touch – Audio synchroniser

Emagic software

• Logic
• MicroLogic
• Sound Diver
• Waveburner
• Epic TDM
• Guitar Tuner
• Space Designer
• HearMaster – music theory training
• ZAP – audio file compression

Software instruments

• ES1 synthesizer
• ES2 synthesizer
• EVP73 Fender Rhodes VST instrument
• EVP88 electric piano
• EXS24 sampler
• EXSP24 sample player
• EVB3 Hammond B3 instrument
• EVD6 Hohner Clavinet instrument
• EVOC20 vocoder

Emagic hardware

• LOG3 (for Atari ST) – MIDI interface
• LOG2mac – MIDI interface
• LOG2PC (c.1991) – ISA 1×1 MIDI interface card (rebranded Midiman MM-401 card)
• Audiowerk II – PCI soundcard
• Audiowerk8 – PCI soundcard
• Unitor 8 – 1U rackmount 8×8 MIDI interface
• AMT8 – 1U rackmount 8×8 MIDI interface
• MT4 – 2×4 MIDI interface
• EMI 6|2m – USB audio interface
• EMI 2|6 – USB audio interface
• Logic Control

References

References

1. "Company". Emagic.
2. (30 August 2022). "C-Lab / Emagic".
3. Jenkins, Mark. (May 1986). "C-Lab Supertrack".
4. Trask, Simon. (June 1986). "Multitracking On A Budget: Software for Commodore 64".
5. Trask, Simon. (February 1989). "C-Lab Creator And Notator".
6. Boddy, Ian. (April 1993). "C-Lab Notator Logic".
7. Waugh, Ian. (August 1993). "Emagic Notator Logic".
8. (21 February 2020). "Early DAWs: the software that changed music production forever".
9. "Emagic Logic Audio v3.0".
10. "Emagic Logic Audio 3".
11. "Emagic freeware and software downloads for mac and pc".
12. (2018-06-11). "EMAGIC LOGIC AUDIO - Logic SILVER from the Logic range is a great cheap s/w with more than enuff facilities for any dance".
13. (May 2001). "Emagic Sound Diver 3". Sound On Sound.
14. "Apple Acquires Emagic". Apple, Inc..
15. "Apple Drops Emagic Bombshell". The Register.
16. "Apple Pro Apps Quarterly Revenue". Alex4D.
17. (February 28, 2003). "Emagic Logic 6.0 (MacOS/OS X) and 5.51 (Windows) released".
18. (September 29, 2004). "Apple Introduces Logic Pro 7 & Logic Express 7".
19. "Emagic – Support".
20. Lawrence, Gregory. (10 February 2024). "The Historical Connection Behind The iPhone's Most Famous Ringtone".
21. Alper, Max. (12 January 2021). "Gerhard Lengleling and the Creation of Garageband: A Catalyst in the Democratization of Music Technology".
22. (May 1986). "C-Lab Supertrack".
23. (November 1987). "C-Lab Creator".
24. (September 1988). "C-Lab Notator".
25. (May 1991). "C-Lab Notator Alpha Scorewriter".
26. (May 1991). "C-Lab Aura".
27. (September 1989). "C-Lab Explorer 1000".
28. (October 1989). "C-Lab Explorer 32".
29. (May 1991). "C-Lab Midia".
30. (February 1989). "C-Lab Unitor".
31. (March 1992). "C-Lab Unitor 2".
32. (October 2000). "Emagic Logic Audio v4.5". Sound On Sound.
33. "SoundDiver V1.5.7".
34. (June 2001). "Emagic Waveburner Pro". Sound On Sound.
35. (May 2000). "Emagic ES1". Sound On Sound.
36. (September 2000). "Emagic EXS24". Sound On Sound.
37. (August 1997). "Emagic Audiowerk8". Future Publishing.
38. (July 1997). "Emagic Audiowerk8". Sound On Sound.
39. (April 1998). "Emagic Unitor 8". Sound On Sound.
40. (January 2000). "Emagic AMT8". Sound On Sound.
41. (October 2000). "Emagic MT4". Sound On Sound.
42. (November 2001). "EMAGIC EMI 2|6". Sound On Sound.