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DJ making the MBP switch now... or in January?

B

broncoted

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 5, 2009
14
0
Ok so i'm set on the 13'' MBP for portability, size, and strength and got stuck.

I will be primarily using this machine for heavy music downloading/use, regular browsing, and when I completely make the switch to all digital DJing, it will be the mainstay in my setup

If I have no need for gaming or video/photo editing, would it be in my best interest to wait for the MBP upgrade anyway?

It's not the most important thing for me to carry the 'biggest stick' but I would like to be completely competent. I'm about the multitasking.

Any input would be greatly appreciated
 
DJ AM used a mac, that should be enough for you to make the switch. Seriously, the MBP 13 is a great machine, though I would wait until Jan or Feb if you can for the next release.
 
I don't know about anything big happening to the mbp soon. But I do expect a silent little spec bump to the low end 13 inch, nothing too big maybe just a hard drive update since the new macbook has a bigger standard hard drive right now
 
If you're going with Serato, the most important thing you can get is more RAM. It'll help with if you have a lot of songs.
 
I was actually leaning towards Traktor Pro, the interface is a little bit smoother in my opinion.

So it sounds like i should actually wait for the new intel chips to drop?

Oh, and since I can most definately fill the internal 160gb hd, can i use an external HD and onlt have music on it?

For instance, can i have aplications/pics/documents on my internal and access songs without a lag if there is a firwire external connected?
 
we might get new intel chips in january, but I think they will release them closer to the summer. But since I got the top of the line 17", i am hoping they dont release the new intel chips in a while lol
 
Dmich116 said:
we might get new intel chips in january, but I think they will release them closer to the summer. But since I got the top of the line 17", i am hoping they dont release the new intel chips in a while lol
Click to expand...
Yeah, your just saying that because you just bought a 17":p. The chips will drop and be in MBPs by Feb.
 
The 13MBP should be fine for what you want. Depending on what software you are using it might be a good idea to bump the RAM a bit to keep it running snappy and maybe a bigger HDD depending on how much music you have/need. Maybe even opting for an external drive might be better.
 
DKatri said:
The 13MBP should be fine for what you want. Depending on what software you are using it might be a good idea to bump the RAM a bit to keep it running snappy and maybe a bigger HDD depending on how much music you have/need. Maybe even opting for an external drive might be better.
Click to expand...

RAM upgrade was def. in my sights - As far as external HD, can i just put music on it and access it quickly if its a firewire?
 
broncoted said:
RAM upgrade was def. in my sights - As far as external HD, can i just put music on it and access it quickly if its a firewire?
Click to expand...

If you can, upgrade the ram to at least 4GB. Hard drive... I'm not sure here, there are 1TB 5400RPM hard drives around, but I'm not sure if the Speed would be an issue.

Edit: Never mind, you're going for the 13". The 1TB won't fit. 500GB 7200RPM are available though.
 
broncoted said:
I was actually leaning towards Traktor Pro, the interface is a little bit smoother in my opinion.

So it sounds like i should actually wait for the new intel chips to drop?

Oh, and since I can most definately fill the internal 160gb hd, can i use an external HD and onlt have music on it?

For instance, can i have aplications/pics/documents on my internal and access songs without a lag if there is a firwire external connected?
Click to expand...

Traktor uses a lot of processing power if you have a ton of stuff connected so you might want to wait depending on how much stuff you have.

You definitely can use an external HD. I actually had my iTunes library all on an external though firewire and it was fast (even when loading).

But I didn't like connecting an external hard drive every time I wanted to get to my songs so I got an expresscard SSD (though with the new MacBook Pros that won't help you very much) which stays in my comp (it's pretty much flush).
 
I do DS DJ'ing and honest Traktor isnt great. You should check out a program by Image Line called Deckadance. It allows you run it as a vsti aswell so you can have 4 or even 8 deck running at the same time and you can manage them via Logic Pro. I use Deckadance alot for acapellas because sometimes logic pro just cant match the vocals right ,using DxD as a vsti cuts that time down as you would just record the corrected acapella into an audo region and allows you to do real time creation all within logic pro.

As for using a macbook pro.I havent found a solid reason to use a macbook pro yet but, i do have my eyes on the new 24" iMac.I think an iBook or a Powerbook G4 1.5/1.67 would be enough. if anything use a iBook or PB with a 7200 rpm HD.the noise and battery life wont really matter considering youll be plugged in anyway XD. an external drive was also a great idea. get a 500GB sata HD and ide adapter for it.

Logic Pro 8 + Ableton Live + DxD = :)

Deckadance Website : http://www.imageline.com/documents/deckadance.html
- If you dont do gaming or video then really you dont need a dual processor either.1.5/1.67 ghz works-
-dont belive the hype Serato sucks XD-
 
MACannibalLectR said:
I do DS DJ'ing and honest Traktor isnt great. You should check out a program by Image Line called Deckadance. It allows you run it as a vsti aswell so you can have 4 or even 8 deck running at the same time and you can manage them via Logic Pro. I use Deckadance alot for acapellas because sometimes logic pro just cant match the vocals right ,using DxD as a vsti cuts that time down as you would just record the corrected acapella into an audo region and allows you to do real time creation all within logic pro.

As for using a macbook pro.I havent found a solid reason to use a macbook pro yet but, i do have my eyes on the new 24" iMac.I think an iBook or a Powerbook G4 1.5/1.67 would be enough. if anything use a iBook or PB with a 7200 rpm HD.the noise and battery life wont really matter considering youll be plugged in anyway XD. an external drive was also a great idea. get a 500GB sata HD and ide adapter for it.

Logic Pro 8 + Ableton Live + DxD = :)

Deckadance Website : http://www.imageline.com/documents/deckadance.html
- If you dont do gaming or video then really you dont need a dual processor either.1.5/1.67 ghz works-
-dont belive the hype Serato sucks XD-
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info and the link, i have seen Deckadance and it is pretty sweet, it honestly just left me more with a producing/remixing feel - i do weddings and corporate parties and really liked the straightforwardness of traktor pro

And I demoed itch and really dint like the layout
 
Niiro13 said:
Traktor uses a lot of processing power if you have a ton of stuff connected so you might want to wait depending on how much stuff you have.

You definitely can use an external HD. I actually had my iTunes library all on an external though firewire and it was fast (even when loading).

But I didn't like connecting an external hard drive every time I wanted to get to my songs so I got an expresscard SSD (though with the new MacBook Pros that won't help you very much) which stays in my comp (it's pretty much flush).
Click to expand...

THanks, yea my production isnt that big, I mostly roll with bands - and at most i'd run a controller and thats about it - when did mac remove the expresscard slot? and why the hell would they do that?
 
I use Traktor Pro on my 15" pro. I would recommend the 15" pro for the screen real estate. You should definitely use an external drive (if to keep your music backup at a minimum). A 7200rpm drive would also be a good idea.
 
broncoted said:
when did mac remove the expresscard slot? and why the hell would they do that?
Click to expand...

June 8, 2009 at WWDC. The ExpressCard slot was dropped from the 15" MBP (and it never existed on the 13" MB/MBP) because, according to Phil Schiller in his keynote at WWDC, the ExpressCard slot was "used by less than a single digit percentage of our customers".

The 17" MBP retains the ExpressCard slot and it's one of the two big reasons that I'll get the 17" over the 15" come February.
 
iphonematt said:
I use Traktor Pro on my 15" pro. I would recommend the 15" pro for the screen real estate. You should definitely use an external drive (if to keep your music backup at a minimum). A 7200rpm drive would also be a good idea.
Click to expand...


have you ever had any crashing issues with your traktor setup? any crash at any point would, as im sure you know, destroy me

after doing a bit more research it seems that serato itch is the most rock solid platform out there, although not as effects saavy as traktor.

any thoughts?
 
broncoted said:
have you ever had any crashing issues with your traktor setup? any crash at any point would, as im sure you know, destroy me

after doing a bit more research it seems that serato itch is the most rock solid platform out there, although not as effects saavy as traktor.

any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I don't know that I have ever had traktor crash or freeze. i know back when it was traktor dj studio (before traktor pro) every once in a while there would be a very slight audio hiccup, but with pro i have never had that. I haven't used serato before, but i am VERY satisfied with traktor and would recommend it to anyone.
Check out this link reviewing DJ software. Traktor is rated #1 and checkout their full review too.
http://dj-software-review.toptenreviews.com/
 
broncoted said:
I was actually leaning towards Traktor Pro, the interface is a little bit smoother in my opinion.

So it sounds like i should actually wait for the new intel chips to drop?

Oh, and since I can most definately fill the internal 160gb hd, can i use an external HD and onlt have music on it?

For instance, can i have aplications/pics/documents on my internal and access songs without a lag if there is a firwire external connected?
Click to expand...

I use traktor with my 5400 internal. Works well. No lag at all. But AM used Serato so that must be good too.
 
Yea, deckadance might be more extensive but why settle for traktor.i geuss it really is just user prefference.but if i do a set i want to remembered for the musical experience i created ....and not for being just a human cd player.whether its a small or big set you should always go all out.

as for serato,just because DJ AM used it doesnt mean its "top" of the line.
Traktor might seem great now but when you start to advance and want to do more than beat mixing and what not; youre going to get bored of traktor.
consider Deckadance the "tiesto" of digital mixing software.

The deckadance demo has its limits.its true its not something you can just jump into,but neither is DJ'ing.If you dont put in the work to learn you wont make it too far DJ'ing.


-lol no i dont work for Deckadance,Deckadance works for me XD -
- and Deckadance has multiple layouts,if you learn more about it you can figure out how to change them-
 
broncoted said:
THanks, yea my production isnt that big, I mostly roll with bands - and at most i'd run a controller and thats about it - when did mac remove the expresscard slot? and why the hell would they do that?
Click to expand...

You really should be fine. I've seen a MacBook Air run Traktor Pro (yes, it means that the person had to use a USB hub in order to accommodate the hard drive and the controller) so a MacBook Pro would do really well (and if there is no lag with a USB hard drive through a USB hub into the MacBook Air, Firewire 800 should be amazing).

Future10's DJ Wirjono showcased a DJ setup with his MacBook Air and Traktor Scratch (though I'm not sure if the connected device was a controller) and it had enough power to even drive the 40+ screen behind him.
 
Itch looks good because the controllers, at least the vci-300, have an external sound card built right in, and the interface is built around the controller - but - you must have the controller plugged in to be able to do any 'work,' such as pre setting cues and loops.

THat is where traktor pro comes thru. Now if i download 12 songs and want to fully take advantage of being on top of my game, i can set my cues and loops and notes and organize my possible sets while on the couch.
 
You dont need a controller to set up cues nor loops.it can be automated usin logic pro or ableton by using MIDI/Keyboard mapping on Ableton or Hyper Edit on Logic Pro then using an automator to control values on deckadance.like you mention its not something to just start up on but its like riding a bike. you can automate numerous crossfaders and the effects and make some really professional mixes and mash ups via vsti host. just use traktor and then try learning how to use deckadance with vsti hosts.see which way you lean towards more :)

all this you can do from your mac keyboard alone.if you dont plan on using synthesizers or what not over the mix. also by using deckadance as a vsti you can you features like bus'ing and audio effects,correct harmonic clashes via pitch correction or using vocal corection, just name a few.the possibilities are endless.
 
lol =X that is true. Crack really does kill. check out some Deadmau5 sets on youtube. even though he uses numerous hosts,his main-stager is ableton
 
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