So dont blast me here for not being completely on topic, but I thought I'd reference my experience for you. I have no experience with logic, so I'm not sure how different it is in terms of cpu use. However, I use pro tools 9 for mac and I can definitely say there is a difference when using a dual core vs a quad. Before when I was using a dual I would get cpu overload errors all the time. After switching to the new sandybridge quad it rarely happens. For example, I'm currently working on a project that is 80+ tracks with dozens of plugins running with no cpu issues. I don't think the dual would be chewing through it like the quad is. Again, I'm not running logic, but my gut tells me that if you are doing orchestral recordings, than go big or go home. Full orchestral recordings can end you up with 100 tracks or more. Just my one cent...
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Which macbook pro for music production?
- Thread starter Nielsh
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
That's completely on topic if you ask me
So, ok, this makes it even harder
But you have a good point there..I'll have to think about this a little more...
These i7 machines sort of make the audio power user needs question moot
Hat's off to Intel on this.
Having said that, the quad will be better if you have lot of tracks (obviously).
But the 13" 2.7GHZ probably will be more than enough.
I haven't tested these in this way yet but these things are really, really powerful.
I would give the 13" a try, if you can utilize a return policy or an Ebay sale etc, in case your not %100 on this. If your going to be locked in to the machine the choice is harder.
IF money was not an issue I would get the 15" 2.2GHZ (or 2.3), for obvious reasons. These are costly though.
Hat's off to Intel on this.
Having said that, the quad will be better if you have lot of tracks (obviously).
But the 13" 2.7GHZ probably will be more than enough.
I haven't tested these in this way yet but these things are really, really powerful.
I would give the 13" a try, if you can utilize a return policy or an Ebay sale etc, in case your not %100 on this. If your going to be locked in to the machine the choice is harder.
IF money was not an issue I would get the 15" 2.2GHZ (or 2.3), for obvious reasons. These are costly though.
Last edited:
These i7 machines sort of make the audio power user needs question moot
Hat's off to Intel on this.
Could you explain that? I'm dutch, so I don't really get the expression...
That's completely on topic if you ask me
So, ok, this makes it even harder
I'll have to think about this a little more...
I think it will run just fine on the dual core i7. Sure it may run better on the quad, but people here have said they are running it just fine, and the minimum specs are well below what your machine will be running..
* Mac computer with an Intel processor
* 1GB of RAM (2GB or more highly recommended)
* Display with 1280-by-800 or higher resolution
* Mac OS X v10.5.7 or later
* QuickTime 7.6 or later
* DVD drive for installation
Additional recommendations
* PCI Express, ExpressCard/34, USB, or FireWire-based audio interface
* At least 2GB of RAM for large EXS instruments
* USB musical keyboard (or suitable MIDI keyboard and interface) for instruments
* Logic Node requires a Mac computer with an Intel Core processor.
* Logic Pro 9.1 and MainStage 2.1 require Mac OS X v10.6.2 or later and an Intel Core 2 Duo processor to run in 64-bit mode. Learn more about running in 64-bit mode
Available disk space
* 9GB to install all applications and required content
* Additional 38GB to install all optional content (large content packages can be installed on separate disk):
o 10GB for Jam Pack collections
o 16GB for sound effects
o 6GB for surround music beds
o 6GB for other optional content
Any laptop is going to need either either 2 internal drives, one for apps, one for recording or an external firewire drive dedicated to recording.
There's no drive type in existence that can simultaneously allow swap file activity and audio recording because that would mean accessing 2 or more areas of the disk at once and that wouldn't be very reliable at all.
Buy an external firewire drive with a 7200rpm mechanism and an Oxford based chipset for recording to and then buy whatever Macbook fits your budget.
There's always the option of replacing the DVD drive with a second internal drive and fitting the DVD into an external housing but I imagine that would void your Applecare.
Personally, I have 2 internal drives, 1 split into boot volume and general storage, 1 dedicated to audio recording and 1 external for backup but that's a desktop.
I wish Oxford Semiconductor and Sandforce would get together an make a firewire memory stick, it would kill 2 birds with one stone and allow absolute flexibility for audio work without having to choose between potentially bulky external drives, limited internal expansion or possible warranty voiding modifications but I think that's just a pipe dream.
Personally, I use Pro Tools LE but any multi-track recording system has the same basic requirements.
There's no drive type in existence that can simultaneously allow swap file activity and audio recording because that would mean accessing 2 or more areas of the disk at once and that wouldn't be very reliable at all.
Buy an external firewire drive with a 7200rpm mechanism and an Oxford based chipset for recording to and then buy whatever Macbook fits your budget.
There's always the option of replacing the DVD drive with a second internal drive and fitting the DVD into an external housing but I imagine that would void your Applecare.
Personally, I have 2 internal drives, 1 split into boot volume and general storage, 1 dedicated to audio recording and 1 external for backup but that's a desktop.
I wish Oxford Semiconductor and Sandforce would get together an make a firewire memory stick, it would kill 2 birds with one stone and allow absolute flexibility for audio work without having to choose between potentially bulky external drives, limited internal expansion or possible warranty voiding modifications but I think that's just a pipe dream.
Personally, I use Pro Tools LE but any multi-track recording system has the same basic requirements.
Last edited:
Could you explain that? I'm dutch, so I don't really get the expression...
Geesh, people are posting like crazy today
It means, that the new machines are so powerful that the worries people always had dealing with audio production (cpu, memory, etc) have in some ways, been resolved.
It was a matter of time. As of today you can buy a consumer machine that is powerful enough to handle just about anything.
I might as well give you an example of how much of an improvement these are as far as audio goes. This isn't really what your going to be doing, but it's related I suppose.
I use a program called "Band In A Box" a lot. It is an realtime audio accompaniment/arranger, that plays jazz tunes (or other styles) in real-time while it scrolls sheet music (cords and notes). It is what the title says; a computer back-up band. Over the years this app has evolved along with the improvements in computing power, to where today, it sounds almost like a real band; that is, if you supply it with realistic sounds, as it's only as good as the samples that it uses (you know: garbage in-garbage out).
Here's the thing. I use this app with a sampler called Kontakt, and with very good audio samples called EW Colossus (32GB of samples). in the last few years the improvement in computers has made this an easy task, but it's a Windows app (the one I use), and so I had to use Bootcamp to run it. It would run in a virtual machine but was glitchy with the Kontakt sampler.
With the new machines I can run this in VMware and it uses about 25% cpu (according to the stats), but all of the glitchiness (stuttering, and other issues), is completely gone, so it's as good as bootcamp-problem solved.
I'm curious as to what the stats of latency and real-time-monitoring will reveal with these new machines, as it appears that there is a substantial improvement.
Point is, this was the 13" 2.7GHZ machine. I also tried this on a 2.2ghZ macbook quad with virtually the same result
Last edited:
Thanks, you know what it is, I recently bought a 500gb 7200rpm for my current laptop, so I can place that one in my macbook pro then, so no extra costs.
Are you sure the dual-core is powerfull enough to handle a big number of tracks in logic pro? I've got no experience at all, so I don't really know for sure...
Just buy an external Firewire case to put that drive in, you've then taken care of your recording drive requirements and then you're choice of internal drive is simply down to your preference between speed or amount of storage.
Look for any 2.5" firewire case that's both bus powered and based on one of the recent Oxford 9xx series chipsets and that guarantees reliability/compatibility.
There's other brands and other places to buy them from but this case from Amazon is Oxford based and fits all the requirements for audio recording as long as it's paired with a fast 7200rpm disk, it's under £25 and likely to be available to other countries too:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/StarTech-co...1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1302546401&sr=1-5
(StarTech.com 2.5in USB FireWire SATA External Hard Drive Enclosure)
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
You atually say to keep the 5400rpm drive as the system disk, an then use my fast 7200 rpm drive as an external storage? Isn't it better to have the program run fast, and have a bit less speedy data storage?
Curious if you bought your MBP with Logic Express preinstalled and then upgraded to full Logic (seems to be the only option that Apple offers)?
I've been debating between a 15"-17" MBP with SSD drive.
Booting from a slower drive just means waiting a second or 2 longer for applications to load or your Mac to start up, a slow audio drive means dropped tracks because it simply wouldn't cope with the throughput and access time required to work with multiple audio tracks.
Audio needs to a steady stream of data, no DAW company recommends recording to either your system drive or anything slower than a 7200 rpm drive so a 7200rpm drive dedicated to audio recording with a fast access around the 10ms mark is the minimum spec for multi-track recording.
If the Mac is literally dedicated to audio recording, you could always keep your iTunes library and other miscellaneous files on your desktop mac and go for the SSD option on the laptop.
That would give fast booting and app loading AND you'd still have a suitable drive for recording to with the external firewire disk.
Oh ok! I get it
Well, I think I'll go for the standard 5400rpm drive, and add my 7200rpm drive by an optibay. Thanks
Hate to interrupt, and probably ruin a thought process, but my personal preference in this is the 15-inch MacBook Pro. Quad Core, an Audio In and out port, better screen for mobile work. Totally your choice though, just my 2 cents.
Oh ok! I get it
Well, I think I'll go for the standard 5400rpm drive, and add my 7200rpm drive by an optibay. Thanks
I'm not sure if using the Optibay instead of an external drive enclosure would void the warranty because you're removing the DVD drive to fit it, not sure for definite though.
this thread might be helpful about that
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/837916/
13"s have audio in/out (with optical), too...
If he's recording he'll be using an external audio interface either way. I'm using a PreSonus FireBox which works great.
Being that you are new to Logic, you'll be glad to know that you can "freeze" your tracks. This takes all the load off the CPU and moves it to the FW hdd. So on that 13", 100 tracks is totally in the bag.
I can run that many frozen tracks on my old eMac G4 forcryingoutloud.
And get that FW drive already.
I can run that many frozen tracks on my old eMac G4 forcryingoutloud.
And get that FW drive already.
Ok, that's good to know!
But can't I just get an optibay, and put a 500gb 7200rpm in that as a fwdrive alternative?
absolutely no reason to buy the 13 if you can afford the 15. none. not one, unless you cant handle one more pound to carry. or you cannot fully open your lid all the way because where you use computer is that compact. speakers, screen size, speed, hi Res.. graphics. the list goes on as to why you would want the 15. as for you it sounds like speakers could be a selling point. im sure you have a decent pair of externals for your music work but theres always going to b e that time and place when you don't have them and the speakers in the 15 are sooooooooooo much better
oh yeah and did i mention hi res speed and screen?
oh yeah and did i mention hi res speed and screen?
Quadcore is a no brainer for any sort of intensive music production. Check the benchmarks.
http://www.gearspace.com/board/music-computers/371545-logic-pro-multicore-benchmarktest.html
I also don't understand why anyone would want to run logic with multiple screens. banks of virtual faders and multiple plugins on anything less than a 17" screen. If your going to be tethered to a monitor than buy an iMac or a used Macpro for a much greater bang for your buck.
http://www.gearspace.com/board/music-computers/371545-logic-pro-multicore-benchmarktest.html
I also don't understand why anyone would want to run logic with multiple screens. banks of virtual faders and multiple plugins on anything less than a 17" screen. If your going to be tethered to a monitor than buy an iMac or a used Macpro for a much greater bang for your buck.
Think about portability, people may want to produce music on the go. At home they hook it up to a big monitor, to use it as a desktop.
I too am building a DAW. I narrowed my choices down to either A-DATA S599 (256gb) and Intel 320 (300gb) (thread: SATA II: ADATA S599 vs 320).
Bing'd and found: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paging
Why it is unreliable to have the audio files on the same drive as the swap file? Why do I need two drives?
Why is a 7200rpm drive a better than SSD? Please explain.
And then how do you read DVDs? An external DVD drive?
What about using the SDXC card slot?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3553
I asked about this last week back but got 0 useful replies. See: SSD For MBP?
BTW good choice on getting the quadcore, If you look at that thread I posted and go to the last posts, folks with the new MBP Quads are getting phenomenal track counts.
I've owned both 15 and 17 and a little less than a pound of weight and under an inch of depth and width doesn't affect my perception of portability not one bit even when side by side. for a whole lot more screen realestate, this is a trade I'm willing to make everytime.
Don't get me wrong if I was a student or a frequent travaler it would either be the iPad,the Air or the 13" MBP
I'm a pro-engineer/producer type.
I tried to run my studio off a portable (17" C2D) for about a year.
I ended up going back to using a Mac Pro desktop and will be sticking with desktops for the time being.
Yes you can do it, but a Mac Pro is going to be a LOT better if you are doing any serious work.
With a portable you will find yourself running out of disc space all the time, unplugging and plugging in drives, freezing tracks, bouncing down and such.
Plenty of people seem to use portables though but I found it frustrating and limiting.
I tried to run my studio off a portable (17" C2D) for about a year.
I ended up going back to using a Mac Pro desktop and will be sticking with desktops for the time being.
Yes you can do it, but a Mac Pro is going to be a LOT better if you are doing any serious work.
With a portable you will find yourself running out of disc space all the time, unplugging and plugging in drives, freezing tracks, bouncing down and such.
Plenty of people seem to use portables though but I found it frustrating and limiting.
http://www.gearspace.com/board/music-computers/371545-logic-pro-multicore-benchmarktest-55.html
This was a post at gearslutz
"Quad core 2.2 MacBook Pro with 4GB Ram, using logic 9.1.3:
32 Bit: 72 Tracks
64 Bit: 83 Tracks
I'm going to see how I can get by with 4G RAM for now, I want to upgrade the ram and do the SSD/Optibay at the same time in the future to add another bump to this already beast of a machine."
These track count numbers puts it squarely in the perfomance range of the 2009/2010 MacPros which wre no slouches as DAWs To have this powere on the go is amazing. While I loved my 2010 MBP 2.66. It did everything well but audio perfomance was suprisingly lacking. Quad core sandybridge changes this and makes the MBP a legitimate remote/portable DAW solution