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MacBook Pro for Recording

A

Afrox

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 9, 2011
8
0
Hi, this is the first time I write a message.

I'm planning to get a new MBP, now, I have a HP with W7 64-Bit and it just DOESN'T WORK WITH RECORDING PROGRAMS. I'm a little tight on budget and I'd like to know if I'll get a lot of difference while using the laptop for recording (Ableton Live, Reason, Pro Tools, etc) between the high 13" model (dualcore i7 2.7GHz) and the low 15" (Quadcore i7 2.0 GHz).

The effort of getting the extra 300$ is really really big, so I'll be very thankful if anyone who knows about the subject could help me.

Sorry for my English

Thank you.:D
 
cgiugliano27 said:
get the quad...its worth the $300..especially if your running audio software.
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What he said. Most definitely worth it. Pro Tools is running like a dream on my 2.3Ghz Macbook Pro 2011. I do have 8 GB of ram, but it run fine with 4GB too :)
 
PAPO said:
good to know I'm about to install pro tools now
Click to expand...

You on 9 too? Like I said, it runs marvellous - my only annoyance is that the fans run at about 5000-5500 RPM on a heavy session. But we're talking, heavy, heavy.
 
I run logic and pro tools on my 2010 MBP, and it dosent even blink. Even during heavy sessions it barley breaks a sweat. You'd be fine with either. The quad would be nice, but if you cant afford it, the 13" will be MORE than capable of running what you want.
 
thanks

Thank you all for your quick answer. I have until mid April to decide wich mbp i'll buy.
 
I've run some pretty big Logic files on my old dual 1.42 g4 without issues. My 2008 2.53 15" never got past 20% or so CPU usage even with lots of plugs and my new 2.2 is a joke. ANny Mac you can buy with a Firewire port will easily handle anything you throw at it.
 
Screen size does also matter quite a bit when doing audio recording, so i'd get a 15 inch just for that.
 
psychedelia said:
You on 9 too? Like I said, it runs marvellous - my only annoyance is that the fans run at about 5000-5500 RPM on a heavy session. But we're talking, heavy, heavy.
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Nah, I'm still on 8, and it's not recognising my Mbox 2 Pro (I posted a thread in the "Digital Audio" sub forum) something about not being able to use a FW800 to FW400 cable directly...
 
I have been using my 15" MacBook Pro that I bought over four years ago (2.0 Core Duo) and it has been working fine to run programs like Logic Studio, Digital Performer and GarageBand. I just bought a new 17" MacBook Pro but I have yet to install the music software on it. I'm actually considering leaving my old MacBook Pro attached to my music studio and just using that for music, at least until I run into performance issues. For recording software, I find it is preferable to have a larger screen to work with, but I have my laptop attached to a 32" HDTV. So the laptop's monitor size doesn't really matter in my case. I also make use of a wireless keyboard, trackpad and mouse so I don't really touch my laptop while I am working in the studio.

I would recommend getting whatever you can afford that will give you the most processing power and ram, if you can make use of a larger monitor or tv.
 
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I'm also running a Core Duo, and looking to upgrade. I'm just curious as some of my large sessions, which are on external drives, (esp with Sound Design, before I consolidate, where I've gone up to around 100 tracks with at least some plugin on every track) will choke up. I don't necessarily need something too powerful as I don't use VIs or abundant amounts of reverb, but I do need something that won't flip out.

Though, even on some of my small music sessions, if I toss in a powerful iZotope plugin, the system will choke.

I have an external monitor, so not worried about that.

I would love to get a Mac Mini + MBA combo, but I'm worried the Mini wouldn't be able to handle my sessions. Was also eyeing an iMac, but I figured that'd be a bit much (not price-wise, but for my own reasons), and reading all those stories about the black spots worries me (more so than any of the issues people are reporting with their new 2011 MBPs for some reason).

The down side is I need something soon. I wish I could wait for a new Mini, but I will need something within a week, so at this point, I think the MBP is the way to go!
 
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Heavy as in around 50 tracks (some stereo, some mono), several waves plugins, several virtual instruments(synths, sampletrons, Hybrid, several instances of GuitarRig, etc, etc
 
psychedelia said:
Heavy as in around 50 tracks (some stereo, some mono), several waves plugins, several virtual instruments(synths, sampletrons, Hybrid, several instances of GuitarRig, etc, etc
Click to expand...

I never run more than about 30 tracks, but I also use several software instruments, and numerous effects on my tracks.
 
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