MB / MBP with URS CSP

[Heiko]

Oh, and I would be very much interested in how many instances of the Waves SSL channel strip you can run on these machines!

Thanks to anybody for any answers!

[ProducerBoy]

idk if this helps,
but I've run up to 20 intances of CS Pro in logic without any trouble on my MB 2.0 with 2 gb ram.

[thermos]

Why don't you just demo them both? CSP is pretty efficient given what it is. I didn't like the waves ssl stuff enough to do an efficiency test.

[Heiko]

ProducerBoy,
thanks, it was indeed helpful, that was exactly the kind of info I was looking for!

thermos,
would love to demo them both. Problem is that I run a PC from the stone age and will get my Apple laptop and Logic Studio in October when Leopard is out. I still have not 100% decided if I want a MB or MBP. I will run it with an Apogee Duet later. The display size is not an issue, I will have an external one connected most of the time. So the MBP just has more connection options as the main advantage, namely the second FW port and the Expresscard34 slot.
Therefore I wondered if these machines have enough native horsepower, even if you want a good channel strip all over your mix with 30+ tracks to create a general colorisation or glue or whatever you want to call it. That would spare me maybe from getting some DSP powered stuff and drop the need for a MB Pro. I think just from the pure processing power, the MB and the MBP should not be THAT far apart from each other. But could be that I am totally wrong on that one.

Hence the question. Anybody else experience with this setup?

[thermos]

You should be fine with the CSP and a Macbook or a Macbook Pro. The great thing about the CSP plug is if you start to run out of horsepower, the included stripped down version sounds great and takes about 1/10th the cpu. I've done a few full mixes on my Macbook and used CSP on every channel.

[Heiko]

Thanks for the info, thermos! So there is enough native power there.

I am getting more and more excited about getting my machine in Octobre! Maybe I just invest a bit more money and take the Pro... then I will never doubt the decision later and feel like "I should have taken the bigger one".

[Stiff]

I will try it in Logic 8 on my MacBook today and let you know. I bet you could at least get close to mixing an entire song with it. Logic 8 seems very efficient, and if you compress and EQ every track anyway the CPU usage shouldn't be that much different with the CSP.

[Heiko]

Thanks, stiff, looking forward to hearing your results!

You are all a nice bunch of guys!

[ProducerBoy]

Another thing to consider is the ExpressCard slot on the MBP. I'm really wishing I had one on my MB so I could run some of the UAD plugs. If you're not interested in those plugs, then like thermos said, either will do just fine.

[Heiko]

Originally Posted by ProducerBoy

Another thing to consider is the ExpressCard slot on the MBP. I'm really wishing I had one on my MB so I could run some of the UAD plugs. If you're not interested in those plugs, then like thermos said, either will do just fine.

Yes, the UA stuff sounds amazing. I worked with it lots a while back, LOVED the 1176LN, LA2A, Cambridge and Pultec. I just wonder if I might be able to replace the vintage emus by the URS CSP. The reverbs, Cambridge and the PL might be possibly replaced by Sonnox EQ, Reverb and Limiter...

But you are absolutely right - as I wrote earlier, I might get the Pro just not to miss any options later. Maybe I will find myself eagerly wanting to use UAD plugs.

(Just for the record: I am just a bit discouraged to use the UAD on the Expresscard Slot because the UAD-Xpander has only the horsepower of one single card, and that is not very much. And a Magma chassis with 2 or more cards is not very handy to carry around anymore. Going all native would really be a nice thing to do!)

[Stiff]

Heiko, took a bit longer than expected - but here's what I did:

* Created 8 mono audio tracks and 8 stereo audio tracks, each with a copy of URS Strip Pro.

* Ran three instances of Amplitube 2 (it's heavy, much heavier than the CSP).

* One instance of EZ Drummer (which later was removed).

* Recorded on the audio tracks (well, used loops on some of them actually).

No problems whatsoever! I then decided to "master" it directly in the mix, using seven other plug-in on the main out. Still worked fine.

Then I got tired and didn't know what else to do...

[thermos]

I don't use my UAD plugs after purchasing CSP, FWIW.

[Heiko]

Originally Posted by Stiff

Heiko, took a bit longer than expected - but here's what I did:

* Created 8 mono audio tracks and 8 stereo audio tracks, each with a copy of URS Strip Pro.

* Ran three instances of Amplitube 2 (it's heavy, much heavier than the CSP).

* One instance of EZ Drummer (which later was removed).

* Recorded on the audio tracks (well, used loops on some of them actually).

No problems whatsoever! I then decided to "master" it directly in the mix, using seven other plug-in on the main out. Still worked fine.

Then I got tired and didn't know what else to do...

I understand that was on a MacBook, not Pro? Which one? The 2.16GHz?
Anyway, sounds like pretty amazing processing power!

I don't use my UAD plugs after purchasing CSP, FWIW.

Wow. Then it must sound REALLY good.

I think I will really go all native and get URS CSP and the Sonnox sixpack...

Thanks a lot, everybody, you really made my decisions a lot easier!

[Stiff]

Yes, a MacBook 2ghz, 2gb ram.

[ProducerBoy]

Originally Posted by thermos

I don't use my UAD plugs after purchasing CSP, FWIW.

I love the CSP, so that makes me feel better.

[slopeshoulder]

Originally Posted by Heiko

I think I will really go all native and get URS CSP and the Sonnox sixpack...

Thanks a lot, everybody, you really made my decisions a lot easier!

I'm with you! I have one UAD and love it. Also just got Sonnox stuff. But rather than more UAD, I'm going for URS CS Pro.
If UAD goes native (no card), I'll buy lots more becuase I do love their plugs.