What to get in the meantime while I wait for the next MBP

[New_Mac_Smell]

Never fall into the trap of "waiting for the next release". Ask yourself why you don't want the current one, and go from there. Don't listen to a few dozen people on the internet and interpret it as gospel for the millions of units out there.

There have been several threads on this forum related to problems, but know that this is <1% of the units out there. The vast majority of people (Other than band-waggoning youtube reviewers) are extremely happy with the device.

As for the issues. I've seen a lot of threads of people returning the device due to extremely minor defects, such as keyboard double strokes, these people immediately rush to the internet to condemn in then return it. In truth, the keyboard simple requires a little wearing in (Like a day), instead of opening/returning straight away.

Battery life is a curiosity, again these will mostly be out of sync on a brand new device, but tend to settle after a week or so of use.

Basically, if all the people complaining just used their device for a week or so instead of rushing to return it, they'd probably find it's perfectly fine. Of course there are a few extremely rare instances of genuine hardware failure, I've had no issues with graphics on mine, the webcam wasn't working but worked after a reset, keyboard settled after a few days, no trackpad issues at all, a lot of it is software related so won't matter with a replacement.

Point is, I am very happy with my device, I didn't feel the need to rush online and praise it, I just started using it. So you're not going to see many of these compared to the negative posts. If the 2016 suits your needs then get it, do not wait till next year as you will likely disappointed (Ask yourself, when has Apple ever introduced a staggering change in such a short space of time? It'll be an extremely marginal increase in performance, and you'd probably just wish you brought this one). Try not to deliberate for too long either, if you wait till next summer you'll be stuck waiting till the next refresh... It is possible they'll release 32GB versions late next year, but Intel doesn't seem to match up to this. Either way if they do, expect to have deep pockets for it!

 

[runner77]

I was planning on buying a new Macbook Pro for Audio work (Ableton production, recording, live shows)...though it seems the verdict is out that the last release is disappointing, and to expect another release in the second half of 2017 that is far superior (Am I correct in assuming this at this point?).

What did disappoint you?

I am a software engineer with a new MBP 15", 2.9 Ghz, Radeon Pro 460 and 512GB SSD.

I have no issues at all and this is by far the best Mac I've ever had for professional use.

 

[Boneheadxan]

Look, raw 4k video is ~5GB per minute.
Raw 24bit audio is ~10MB per minute.

So 500 times smaller.

And the machine's RAM has no problem whatsoever editing multichannel 4k video (plus the audio tracks that come with the video tracks!).

I just do not believe you guys.

Hmmm, checkout Junkie XL's scoring videos on Youtube. Sessions get massive. RAM can be used as a sample buffer for insta-loading huge libraries. Some of these libraries run between 70-100GB just for a small ensemble, 1000's of samples, round-robin etc. We run multiple instances of these for example trying to re-create a 60-piece Orchestra. All of this is playing simultaneously. It's not audio magic!

 

[coolbreeze]

You people are funny. My 15" tMBP is perfectly fine. Sorry you fell into the hysteria that is MR. It's a fantastic machine, shame you are missing out. Have fun with whatever you can afford I guess.

While you are perpetually waiting, may as well hold out for the 2023 update. I hear it's a real doozy. Or just admit you are hoping for people to convince you to buy the 2016. Whatever floats it for you I guess.

 

[johnnyindia]

Thanks for talking some sense into me. Gonna pull the trigger on a 15" 256GB 16G RAM MBP today.

Not worth it to upgrade the internal SSD I'm guessing when I can buy and external SSD for samples for much cheaper, right? Seems like Apple charges a ton for a bit extra HD space

 

[Fzang]

Hmmm, checkout Junkie XL's scoring videos on Youtube. Sessions get massive. RAM can be used as a sample buffer for insta-loading huge libraries. Some of these libraries run between 70-100GB just for a small ensemble, 1000's of samples, round-robin etc. We run multiple instances of these for example trying to re-create a 60-piece Orchestra. All of this is playing simultaneously. It's not audio magic!

Why don't you freeze tracks instead of complaining about the lack of 100 GB of RAM in a laptop?

I've followed enough artists to know that RAM usage does not correlate with the quality of the music.

 

[ag29]

I have the 2016 touch bar 13 inch Mac and I think it's a really good laptop, although the graphic card keeps freaking out every time I open the lid to unlock my Mac and it's pretty annoying but hopefully the next software update will fix it.

Another annoying issue is scrolling, it's been very laggy and I really hope the new update will fix it.

The downsides about the touch bar is not every app supports it and you have to rely on developers to add touch bar functionally to their apps. An app that has no support for the touch bar will be very limited in the features you can use.

Battery life is ok, not bad but not better than previous Macs.

Overall once more developers add touch bar support or Apple adds an override switch for apps that developers refuse to add support to, and Apple issues software updates to fix all the glitches, then I'd say the Mac will be a really great machine!

 

[jerryk]

Your call what you buy. I am in the same boat with my 2015 15" rMBP. I probably should upgrade to the 2016 to burn some cash so I do not have to pay taxes on it, but I will probably hold off. The current unit is about like the first rMBPs. Very cool and nice, but with a few issues that will get taken care off in the next upgrade or two. I expect the next version will have the high performance Kaby Lake processor, a different touch pad that has taptic feedback like the iPhone7, display upgrades. Also, in a year, the availability of TB-3 docks, monitors, etc. will be better. And more apps will have figured out how to best use the touch pad.
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Thanks for talking some sense into me. Gonna pull the trigger on a 15" 256GB 16G RAM MBP today.

Not worth it to upgrade the internal SSD I'm guessing when I can buy and external SSD for samples for much cheaper, right? Seems like Apple charges a ton for a bit extra HD space

The price of Apple SSD upgrades is reasonable. Since memory is soldered on the board you cannot find the exact price. But check out the price of that various sizes of the Samsung 960 Pro, which has similar performance, and you will get an idea on the price vs. size curve.

 

[johnnyindia]

How much of a difference is there between 2.6 and 2.7Ghz for audio? Worth the $300 upgrade?

I think having an external 500GB SSD for samples and an internal 256 SSD for OS and sessions should be fine, and might even be better than running both on the same HD, no?

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

How much of a difference is there between 2.6 and 2.7Ghz for audio? Worth the $300 upgrade?

I think having an external 500GB SSD for samples and an internal 256 SSD for OS and sessions should be fine, and might even be better than running both on the same HD, no?

Stick with the 2.6

HDD wise get whatever you can afford. I'm guessing 256GB will be pushing your limits today and will not be suitable in 2-3 years time. Also by the time you add apps and stuff you'll likely have only 100GB of free space, and if you're working with larger files it can be a pain to constantly require working from an external. Sometimes it's just nice to be able (For simple tasks) work natively and then export/archive to external, gives you more flexibility and allows you to forget the thing and still carry on.

 

[happyhippo1337]

2.6 to 2.7 won't bring you any benefit.

I got the 15' base-model with 256GB as well and use 2x 500GB Samsung T3 USB-C drives along with it. Works very well.

 

[jerryk]

How much of a difference is there between 2.6 and 2.7Ghz for audio? Worth the $300 upgrade?

I think having an external 500GB SSD for samples and an internal 256 SSD for OS and sessions should be fine, and might even be better than running both on the same HD, no?

Any external drive will be slower than the internal drive, but probably much faster than needed for music data, and of course, expandable.

If you go with an external drive look into the Samsung T3. Small and with USB-C connector.

 

[johnnyindia]

Any external drive will be slower than the internal drive, but probably much faster than needed for music data, and of course, expandable.

If you go with an external drive look into the Samsung T3. Small and with USB-C connector.

I already have a Samsung EVO850 512GB SSD, i would just need an enclosure that has USB-C, right?

Wil consider spending an extra $200 on the internal drive to 512GB its not that much $ to avoid any headaches.

So running samples and sessions off a single internal SSD will be faster than sessions on internal and samples on external? Or won't make a difference?

 

[jerryk]

I already have a Samsung EVO850 512GB SSD, i would just need an enclosure that has USB-C, right?

Wil consider spending an extra $200 on the internal drive to 512GB its not that much $ to avoid any headaches.

So running samples and sessions off a single internal SSD will be faster than sessions on internal and samples on external? Or won't make a difference?

If you have the drive, than an external enclosure is the way to go. Make sure it support USB 3.0/3.1 to max performance. The enclosure does not need to support USB-C directly. You can get a USB-A to USB-C cable for a few dollars.

Your speed on Evo 850 in an external enclosure will max out at 0.5 GB/sec. The internal hard drive is around 3.0 GB/sec, 6 times faster. So for moving files you will see some difference.

 

[johnnyindia]

Your speed on Evo 850 in an external enclosure will max out at 0.5 GB/sec. The internal hard drive is around 3.0 GB/sec, 6 times faster. So for moving files you will see some difference.

So will there only be a difference when moving files, or will having everything on an internal drive allow me to run my samplers more efficiently? For instance, if I have a session with 4 Kontakt Plugins, each loading a large Orchestral Sample Library...will the internal drive just load the session faster? Once the session is up, will it be any more efficient on the CPU, performance, etc?

 

[daijholt]

I was planning on buying a new Macbook Pro for Audio work (Ableton production, recording, live shows)...though it seems the verdict is out that the last release is disappointing, and to expect another release in the second half of 2017 that is far superior (Am I correct in assuming this at this point?).

If that's the case, what's my best option to buying a temporary computer to use for audio, that I can sell when the new Macbook Pros drop in 2017, and not lose much $ on my investment?

Or should I just pull the trigger on a new MBP now?

I wouldn't expect next years release to change radically. Look at the 12" MacBook, the 2nd gen is practically the same as the first ten just with a spec bump. Next year's MBP will be the same; same design, same ports (probably the same number of them too) but with better internals. Its not like this year's Pro is that underpowered either. The RAM ceiling is almost irrelevant since the absurdly fast SSD's are designed to compress and swap data at insane rates, which makes up for it in real world situations. Some reading on the topic: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/11/10/does-the-new-macbook-pro-really-need-32gb-of-ram/

The 2016 Pro is more than capable at its job. The internet has blown it way out of proportion.

 

[jerryk]

So will there only be a difference when moving files, or will having everything on an internal drive allow me to run my samplers more efficiently? For instance, if I have a session with 4 Kontakt Plugins, each loading a large Orchestral Sample Library...will the internal drive just load the session faster? Once the session is up, will it be any more efficient on the CPU, performance, etc?

I think this will depend on your application you use for editing you music more than anything. I have a 2015 15" rMBP. It's internal drive is about 1.5 GB/sec, so 3 times the performance of my external drive. When I load up a Adobe Premier video or Audition audio files I do not notice much difference from external or internal drives. In both cases they are fast. I am sure there is a difference I would see if I timed it, but when using the application I do not notice much of a difference. I suspect this is due to the overhead of the application loading the files into buffers, managing the UI, etc.

But, let me say that I am building programming training courses with a series of short (2-10 minutes) video clips. Plus my resolution is required to be low (720) since we never know what sort of playback device the user has. So the clip size of screen captures and associated audio render into video is relatively small.

 

[leman]

, and to expect another release in the second half of 2017 that is far superior (Am I correct in assuming this at this point?).

There is no way* there will be a far superior release in the second half of 2017. Unless something unexpected happens, the best one can expect is few % CPU performance increase and very slight efficiency increase (the GPU would get a healthy boost though).

*Actually, there is, if AMD very suddenly releases a far superior mobile CPU and Apple adopts it in its laptop line. But its fairly unlikely.

 

[spacebro]

You could spend $600 and put together or get a middle of the road pc. This way you have access to windows, linux, and macos when you get a macbook.

 

[aevan]

I was planning on buying a new Macbook Pro for Audio work (Ableton production, recording, live shows)...though it seems the verdict is out that the last release is disappointing, and to expect another release in the second half of 2017 that is far superior (Am I correct in assuming this at this point?).

Well, first of all, it's "disappointing" to only a minority (most vocal here, though) and a lot of people really like it. However, even if it would be disappointing to you, there is a big chance that the one in 2017 will be just as disappointing.

Let's see: most things people mention as disappointing are: lack of 32Gb RAM, GPU choice, USB ports.

Most likely, the 2017. MBP won't offer significant improvements in this field:

First of all, Kaby Lake CPUs that will be in the next one are a minor speed improvement, and they also do not support more than 16Gb of low-power RAM (we have to wait Coffe-lake in 2018. for that) - so there is a big chance that the 2017. will also come with 16Gb RAM max. Also, Nvidia still doesn't have a chip that could fit MBP needs planned for the next year, so the GPU will most likely be just a higher clocked Polaris, meaning minor speed improvements. Also, the design won't change and you'll still get the same USB-C/TB3 ports. Battery life could improve a bit, but I wouldn't expect drastic changes there either.

In other words, there will most likely be a small spec bump for the 2017. version. If you don't like this one, you won't like the next one.

In my opinion, if you ARE planning to buy a MacBook Pro some time in the future, you might as well get this one. For me, it's an amazing computer. Really. For some - it's not. But, as I said, for those people, the 2017. update will be just as bad.

Or should I just pull the trigger on a new MBP now?

As I said - if you are planning to get a MacBook before the second half of 2018, get this one and don't worry - there won't be "an amazing upgrade" next year.

And, also, this is really a great MacBook.