Help with buying a system!

[baterax]

Bump!

Come on...anyone?

[psycho_monkey]

I can thoroughly recommend HD native for your situation - see my thread in the PT10 + HDX forum re soft synth use and buffer settings for example. I can't really fault it overall.

I'm running an older mac pro, and it works fine. I do need more RAM - I've only got 4GB, going to double that shortly.

[baterax]

So, you're saying an iMac should be fine? And it will last me a while?

[Doc Mixwell]

The HD Native Thunderbolt System is fantastic. Low Latency. Low DSP draw. High Channel Count. If you would like to upgrade to more I/O later this will be an amazing option for you. The Omni is a very cool piece of kit, if it will fit your needs.

What is going wrong with your current system? Does it outstretch your applications? Do you do a lot of high track count mixing with Plugs? What kind of work do you do?

Any computer with more Horsepower will be a great call, Imac or Not. just depends on your applications and needed peripherals. I certainly think you'll have better results with even your Mbox with a better computer.

The Mac Pro is certainly not a bad choice, even without any updates. It's simply a more pro computer for audio. Any of the new Mac Pro's are going to be Rocket Ships, especially with an HD Native PCie rig and Avid HD interface.

[baterax]

Ok, so basically what I'm doing is mixing.

It's typically from 16 to, say, 32 tracks. Could be going up soon.
I run at least two plugins in each track, sometimes five on some of them...
Then the really heavy stuff like Melodyne, for instance. I don't wanna have to open the vocal tracks outside of Pro Tools and do that in Melodyne and then import them back.
I keep getting that damn CPU error. I tweak the buffer back and forth, and sometimes that fixes it but I just wanna MIX and not mess with any of that stuff.
And I wanna have the option of taking the rig with me if I wanna record something live on a laptop. Which is why I'm thinking about the Native Thunderbolt thingy, with the Omni. B&H sells them as a bundle for $4k if I give them my Mbox, which is pretty reasonable...but the Mac Pro is gonna be at least twice the iMac price and I'd have to wait at least 3 months for the new one to come out, I really don't wanna wait that long. And from what I understand, if I have the external thunderbolt thingy and I somehow reach its limit, I can keep that and change the computer, so it looks like a win/win to me...

[Doc Mixwell]

Yea, I am familiar with the pricing, I am an Avid Dealer as well and support these systems for my clients.

So you have a greater demand for the Host computer then. I would suggest getting a Mac Pro, and not sweating any bleeding edge or new update. They are amazing studio computers regardless of Tbolt. The current crop of Mac Pro Computers are expected to be work horse machines for the next 5-7 years.

The HDN PCie card is the same technology as the Tbolt chassis, and achieves the same performance. Low Latency, High Channel Count with HD Interfaces and the Full Pro Tools HD feature Set. Room for growth as well.

So if you decide to get a Mac Pro, which would be a better, more powerful studio machine than the Imac, [with better options for Drives and Peripherals, regardless of TBolt Connectivity] you can get the PCie/Omni Bundle instead and it will be more a more powerful computer in the long term.

[baterax]

Hmmm....

But then I lose mobility...
And we're talking about spending what, $2k more?
I also don't get a display.
And it not only does not have Thunderbolt, it also doesn't have USB 3.
Then, let's say I buy it anyway.
Then Apple releases the new Mac Pro in, say, February?
And the price drops and I feel cheated...
Let's see some more opinions! This is helping!
:-)

[baterax]

bump.

[DAW PLUS]

If you do 32 tracks, don't need more than 8 I/O and need mobility, both MacPro and HDN are a non-topic.
The issue is that FW is dropped by Apple, it forces you to find other ways.
A fast Macbook Pro with thunderbolt Apollo would be something I'd consider.
And updates will always come out, just buy when you need it or when you know new things come out (filtering rumours is hard, I know).

[baterax]

Wait, how come HDN is out of the question? I thought the external thunderbolt one would take care of it? As in, I can plug that into anything with a thunderbolt port and it would do the job? Of course with the OMNI for I/O?

[Doc Mixwell]

If mobility and I/O upgrading [beyond 32 Channels of I/O] are a concern, than HDN Thunderbolt/OMNI with a Mac Book Pro setup is a solid choice.

You are talking about purchasing regret, based on speculative conjecture. I cannot speak to your individual concern. But if you get a Laptop or Imac, you can also look at it as a doorstop in itself. Its about your applications and what best suits your studio. Only you can decide what's going to be the best option. I am telling you, as a studio operator and owner, I like the Mac Pro Machines.

You are saying you do some heavy processing, not unreasonable - but heavy. With Pro Tools HD, the Tbolt chassis, will indeed use less DSP on the host, than other 3rd party interfaces. It will offer high performance, and low latency no matter what. Plus, you are getting the Full HD feature set, if you don't require that, than the standard $600 Native version of PT10 will suffice and you can run any 3rd party interface you want up to 32 I/O and 96 Tracks.

With the HDN Tbolt system -- You won't need to mess with buffer size or guess about the 3rd party Driver Performance. All you need is a powerful Mac, and the right interface for your applications. Remember the Omni is not a true EightXEight Interface. It has a total of 4 analog inputs, but does have eight analog outputs. It is a great choice, to function as a "center-section" for PTHD while giving you some Digital I/O options and Clean Mic amps.

[eplust]

it sounds to me like you're trying to build two separate rigs; one that remains grounded as a labor intensive studio setup, and one that may every now and again do some mobile recording. a lot of this is predicated on budget, but one option may be to buy something reasonable (duet, babyface, even mbox mini if pre quality doesn't matter a whole lot) for those few mobile instances, and run your mix sessions on a stronger interface that doesn't get lugged around. toting around something like the HDN piece is not only impractical but also risky.

the laptop seems like a reasonable enough setup, though you may find it lacks the power to keep up with your sessions. again, you're gonna find a lot of this to be predicated on budget; a high end field recording system can be a very expensive endeavor, it may come down to you weighing its importance/finding a way around it.

essentially, my only issue with trying to make a computer work with either setup is that I find laptops to be a bit weak for very labor intensive sessions. iMacs are relatively portable (not really though), but at the end of the day who wants to be constantly plugging in and unplugging their setup? if you've got money to spend consider building multiple systems.