Using Logic 8 & Ableton Live 7 on a Macbook

[sickassdog13]

Hey guys,

I have a 2.2 Santa Rosa mb, with 4Gb RAM, and WD 320Gb HDD. I was wondering if any of you have any thoughts on using this macbook config for DJ'ing, Mixing and creating music with Logic 8 and.or Ableton Live 7? is the macbook powerfull enuf for these applications? or would I need to move up to a MBP? and if a mbp, which one would be good? a 1) refurb 2.2 SR base MBP 2) refurb 2.4 SR MBP, 3) new 2.4 Penryn MBP, or new 2.5 Penryn MBP? would the graphics card have any significance in working with these programs?

Thanks in advance!

 

[6th]

Thought I would chime in here, to give you some peace of mind. Did you know one of the founders of Ableton Live is only using a Macbook ( not pro and not the new Penryn's either) If you just started with Ableton, invest in a good firewire audio interface RME (Fireface), Apogee (Duet or Rosetta), or Motu (Ultralite)

 

[fewture]

A 2.2 merom dual core with 4gbs of ram - of course you can run those programs!

Just make sure you use a 7200rpm external hdd with firewire for running samples etc in logic (and less so for ableton).

Also if you wanted to speed it up further, buy a 200gb hitachi 7200 2.5 drive to act as your onboard hdd.

 

[fewture]

also, moving up to a mbp will make almost no difference whatsoever. The only real advantage is you can use firewire 800 or esata with an external hdd.

But unless you have intense tracks, the firewire 400 with a 7200rpm external drive should be fine.

The only other main difference between the two is graphics card and screen size. You might also appreciate the backlit keyboard if you ever play live, but if you hook up your MB to a big screen in your studio with a external hdd it will be perfect. For music, MB and MBP are essentially the same thing.

 

[sickassdog13]

Great thoughts guys! Thanks for all your input. I really appreciated it.

 

[DarthTreydor]

The macbook will be good enough in terms of power but one thing you might want to consider if you are planning on using it in a live setting is the glossy screen and the glare caused by stage lights. I play guitar in a band and use a SR macbook pro to trigger samples in ableton live. I love my set up because the 15" LED screen is bright, big, and easy to see.

Like I said, the macbook would definitely be fine but the macbook pro might make your user experience more pleasurable.

 

[Mikey B]

I run Logic 8 on a 1.83 cd macbook. and though it definitely works the cpu to the max, it works great!