Apple/Intel/the DAW

[midnightsun]

I am in need of a new laptop for personal/business use and will probably get the Apple/MacBook Pro. I was wondering if it would be worthwhile having it do double duty for audio recording.


Has anybody started using the Apple/Intel for audio recording yet. I guess it would have to be through firewire. Can firewire really handle multiple tracks in and out of a DAW. If so how many as what sample rate. It appears that Apple and Apogee are hand in glove on this development.

There is a limited amount of universal software ported over for it. It might be a while before you get a response. The only two machines with Intel chips are the laptop and the mini. I wonder if there is a big rush.

[pounce]

this will probably be a great thing later this year. right now there is not a lot going on for intel macs. now is not the time to jump on in.

i have a firewire interface for my powerbook and you can multitrack to it, but i wouldn't replace my actual daw with the laptop.

[TonyBelmont]

Plus, it's sounding like the next revision of chips will be an even bigger performance increase than what we just got with the switch... I would wait it out until the end of the year...

[midnightsun]

Thanks guys, I'll take your advice and hold off. I might just pick up Logic and start playing with in on my G4 laptop just as an experiment to see if I like the platform.

[tomwehrle]

Originally Posted by Lowdbrent

There is a limited amount of universal software ported over for it. It might be a while before you get a response. The only two machines with Intel chips are the laptop and the mini. I wonder if there is a big rush.

imacs....

[papiel]

there are some tests floating around (can't provide a specific link though) that show that a MacBook Pro outperforms a Dual 2ghz G5, both in track count (with internal HD!) and plugins count.

[tomwehrle]

if you find that info, i'd love to see it, if you could send me a message or something...regardless of it beating a dual g5, i'd like to see where it stands

[AdamJay]

Originally Posted by midnightsun

Has anybody started using the Apple/Intel for audio recording yet. I guess it would have to be through firewire. Can firewire really handle multiple tracks in and out of a DAW. If so how many as what sample rate.

I've been recording with a MacBook Pro 2ghz (2GB Ram, 7200rpm internal SATA HD), and Ableton Live 5.2

I've managed sending 14 outputs from a Metric Halo 2882+DSP @ 24bit/96khz. and 18 outputs @ 48khz. I'm using a Lynx Aurora over the MH's ADAT. 512 samples buffer.
The Metric Halo is so solid and the intel drivers are extremely reliable.

I haven't tried setting up the 2nd 2882, but i will eventually, and i'll be shooting for 36 outs @ 24/48khz, or 28 outs @ 24/96khz with 2 MH's the Lynx Aurora 16 and a DAC-1 (kurzweil rumour reverb sends over s/pdif). Mixing on an AudioArts 8x 32/8 console.

i love the macbook pro. With Live 5.2 its equivalent to a dual 2.5ghz G5
So it has become my main machine inside and outside of the studio. Next month i'll get a 20" Cinema display and bluetooth keyboard for it.
Software is of course a concern, but most of the plug-ins i use are for either tracking or OTB mixing and those would be the Metric Halo +DSP plugs which are working great on Intel. I also use AudioDamage plug-ins, of which they have 5 that are Universal Binary and another one on the way very soon. Just between metric halo and audiodamage i've got 15 solid plug-ins plus all the Ableton devices (some of the best delays!)
Wave Arts, Native Instruments, Pluggo (tritone digital), PSP, and others will have UB plug-ins within the next 1 to 3 months. Logic's built in effects and instruments are nothing to laugh at either, you could get alot of work done with a MacBook Pro and Logic 7.2

good luck!

[darkwater]

I'm waiting for the Quad MacIntel desktop. My G5 Dual 2 is a dog. I'm sure you're getting better performance than me.

[AdamJay]

Originally Posted by darkwater

I'm waiting for the Quad MacIntel desktop. My G5 Dual 2 is a dog. I'm sure you're getting better performance than me.

yea the Quad Intel is going to be sick. seriously sick.
For one you have to figure it will need to be much better than the Quad G5. So you're looking at at least Quad 2.3ghz Intel.

And perhaps with the smaller footprint the motherboard/cores will have in the case, we'll get more drive bays or pci-e slots.

[Tonal-Retentive]

If you're using Logic and need the laptop now anyway, go for the MacBook Pro! Don't buy a G4 and run Logic :( The MBP will be soooo much faster.

[Adebar]

There seem to be some MacBook Pro with strange very high tones coming from the processor or a transistor. Depending on the power usage this tone changes intensivity.

Anyway - I would wait until the next revision.
But if you want, be my beta tester

[AdamJay]

Originally Posted by Adebar

There seem to be some MacBook Pro with strange very high tones coming from the processor or a transistor. Depending on the power usage this tone changes intensivity.

Anyway - I would wait until the next revision.
But if you want, be my beta tester

yea,
i get a little whine sound when the processor is at idle.

There are two ways around this.

1) Use the computer for more than iTunes and iChat.

2) Disable core#2 during times of low cpu usage. This can be done easily by installing Chud tools which gives you a CPU pref pane, you can make a menu icon that allows you to turn off core#2 with 1 mouse click.

[js1]

And it makes a good Windows machine too (well, with some limitations today)...

http://gearlog.com/blogs/gearlog/arc...3/21/8212.aspx

js

[majool]

I'm happy with my MacBook although I can only really run Logic 7.2 at the moment. It serves as a node with my desktop G5 which is great...

I heard rumors that you can upgrade the cpu in time too...anybody confirm?

As for speed/performance...I loaded 15 Space Designers and an EXS24 and had about 1/2 my processors eaten up. Prob is I got the slower hard drive (could fork out the extra cash at the moment) and I can't even run the G5 demos included with Logic. Not sure if those were written for Quads or what, but kinda bummed me out a bit.

I'll be happy when Reaktor arrives for UB.

[gizeh12]

Why a macbook pro exactely? Just a macbook will do, youll have the extra cash for some plugins or logic 7.2

[midnightsun]

Wow.... I forgot that I started this thread some time ago!!!! Shortly thereafter I purchased a G5 Quad and Logic Pro. Logic was a steep learning curve for the likes of me but now that I have it figured, it works great for me. I use a RADAR connected to the G5 via TDIF running at 24/48K and have an analog console, Tonelux.

Just for grins I purchased a Macbook (not pro) and maxed its ram. It runs Logic Pro just fine for my purposes of needing a laptop for creating music on a basic level. However, a full blown DAW the laptop is not.