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Post by nashbass on May 8, 2020 20:24:48 GMT -6
I currently have an iMac in my studio but it's beginning to get a bit sluggish. Time to upgrade. I'm thinking of going with a laptop this time around, mirroring to a flat screen TV, but also keeping me portable which will free me up to do occasional editing while on the road. I've had a couple conversations with engineer buddies here in Nashville but am just trying to gather up as much information as I can. I tend to like "new" stuff but the newer Mac computers have really changed the ports available. In my humble home studio, I just have an Apogee Duet interface. (I never need more than 2 inputs at a time.) The Duet has a USB connection. If I get a new Mac then I have to consider all the peripherals as well for their connectivity.
Suggestions on what Mac laptop would be best? Thoughts?
Thanks!
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Post by the other mark williams on May 9, 2020 0:30:44 GMT -6
If you really want to go with a laptop, the latest Macbook Pros (16" and new 13" released a couple days ago) should be excellent, with a nice bump up in power. Especially the i9 options on the 16". Regarding I/O, just get a good Thunderbolt 3 dock and be done. That'll have all the USB-A, Thunderbolt 2, Ethernet, etc. connections you'll ever need from your description. MBP + dock is not a low-cost option, but it'll be high-quality gear that should last you for a good long while. Several years. And simple to hook up for studio use and road use. If you don't need all the I/O from a dock solution, you can get a small hub for USB-C to as many USB-A connections as you need.
Another option would be a current Mac Mini: it's a great little computer that should work really well in a studio environment, unless you start doing video editing. Obviously less mobile than a MBP.
And yet another option would be to go with a newer version of what you've already got. You can find Apple-certified refurbished iMacs all day from Apple directly, with full Apple Care. The most recent couple generations are really quite good. Even the i5s are fine for video production, esp. if using FCPX. If you were doing a bunch of video compositing or heavy color grading, I might recommend a different choice, but as you don't mention that, I'm assuming those are not daily tasks for you. Add all the RAM you need yourself aftermarket, but consider going with an SSD instead of a Fusion drive for the internal storage.
It sounds like your situation isn't terribly complicated, which is great! You should be able to get a killer machine that meets both your immediate needs as well as outlying future possibilities.
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Post by mrholmes on May 9, 2020 6:07:05 GMT -6
Are you sure that you can do work on the road? I still recommend the old mac pro 5.1 12 cores @ 1.2K fully refurbished.
They are still fast machines. With full-blown RAM they don't cost you a leg or an arm. You get 1-Year warranty on top I could not be happier with my computer...
I still run a mac pro 1.1 upgraded as server for Vienna. Unbelievable stable machine....
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Post by the other mark williams on May 9, 2020 17:32:02 GMT -6
Are you sure that you can do work on the road? I still recommend the old mac pro 5.1 12 cores @ 1.2K fully refurbished. They are still fast machines. With full-blown RAM they don't cost you a leg or an arm. You get 1-Year warranty on top I could not be happier with my computer... I still run a mac pro 1.1 upgraded as server for Vienna. Unbelievable stable machine.... i run a Mac Pro 5,1 as my daily studio machine, and while it’s great, a current MBP smokes it in terms of performance, as do the iMac Mini or iMac options mentioned above.
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Post by mrholmes on May 9, 2020 17:43:59 GMT -6
Are you sure that you can do work on the road? I still recommend the old mac pro 5.1 12 cores @ 1.2K fully refurbished. They are still fast machines. With full-blown RAM they don't cost you a leg or an arm. You get 1-Year warranty on top I could not be happier with my computer... I still run a mac pro 1.1 upgraded as server for Vienna. Unbelievable stable machine.... i run a Mac Pro 5,1 as my daily studio machine, and while it’s great, a current MBP smokes it in terms of performance, as do the iMac Mini or iMac options mentioned above. How much is the current mbp and maybe it's the loudest mbp again?
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Post by ericn on May 9, 2020 17:46:44 GMT -6
Are you sure that you can do work on the road? I still recommend the old mac pro 5.1 12 cores @ 1.2K fully refurbished. They are still fast machines. With full-blown RAM they don't cost you a leg or an arm. You get 1-Year warranty on top I could not be happier with my computer... I still run a mac pro 1.1 upgraded as server for Vienna. Unbelievable stable machine.... i run a Mac Pro 5,1 as my daily studio machine, and while it’s great, a current MBP smokes it in terms of performance, as do the iMac Mini or iMac options mentioned above. And according to Geekbench 4 It’s not even close, it’s like a Tesla S performance VS a Kia Sorento.
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Post by Tbone81 on May 9, 2020 18:27:16 GMT -6
i run a Mac Pro 5,1 as my daily studio machine, and while it’s great, a current MBP smokes it in terms of performance, as do the iMac Mini or iMac options mentioned above. And according to Geekbench 4 It’s not even close, it’s like a Tesla S performance VS a Kia Sorento. Hey, I resemble that remark! Don't be talking trash about our ancient machines! Old cheese graters need love too. lol
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Post by Ned Ward on May 9, 2020 18:43:30 GMT -6
I had a 2009 27" iMac and when it went south, upgraded to a 2011 15" MacBook Pro and now a 2013 15" MacBook Pro (2.7GHz i7, 16GB, 500GB). Mine is still USB/Thunderbolt HDMI, but works fine for Pro Tools sessions through a Scarlett 18i20 3rd Gen.
One thing that I hated about the 2015 on MacBook Pros is the keyboard - to me it's crap. On the new MacBook Pros introduced they have gone with a new version, but worth trying out.
I think just about any MBP will keep up with or surpass your iMac, unless you had one of the newer 4K iMacs. I've found that 16GB RAM works for Pro Tools well, and with either iLok Cloud or a USB cable for the iLok you could edit on the road. USB-C is the future and is supported by way more peripherals than Thunderbolt ever was, and one cable plus a OWC dock and you can make connections easily. There are also now USB-C Magpower type adapters that will give you that same safety benefit of the magnetic power cable on earlier models...
I'm able to run El Capitan 10.15.4 and Pro Tools 2020.3 fine; can post the results of the Pro Tools Expert stress test later if it's helpful.
Before you upgrade, please check to see what apps may not make it forward. I'm almost tempted to get an old Mac mini to install OS9 and run Opcode Studio Vision Pro 4.5 from time to time... but with the new machines non-64 bit apps won't work and downgrading them to Mojave looks to be impossible. Go to About this Mac, System Report, Software:Applications, and sort by 64 bit. Of course if you're already running El Capitan, you know what apps don't work...
Happy to chat more about it if you need...
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ericn
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Post by ericn on May 9, 2020 19:08:17 GMT -6
And according to Geekbench 4 It’s not even close, it’s like a Tesla S performance VS a Kia Sorento. Hey, I resemble that remark! Don't be talking trash about our ancient machines! Old cheese graters need love too. lol Hey I still have a first generation that I did a CPU upgrade on !
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Post by geoff738 on May 9, 2020 19:17:33 GMT -6
Will be following this closely. Got a new Ad/da, Antelope, and Inthink my 2009 iMac is fubar for this. Updated the OS and my geriatric Daws both went south. It may be time. To update everything.
Cheers, Geoff
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Post by yotonic on May 9, 2020 22:03:17 GMT -6
I bought the new Mac mini 8 months ago and I'm not impressed. It runs Logic but it doesn't feel like it was worth $1600. I wish I had put the money towards something else.
PROCESSOR 065-C70X 3.2GHz 6-core Core i7
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Post by the other mark williams on May 9, 2020 22:19:35 GMT -6
I bought the new Mac mini 8 months ago and I'm not impressed. It runs Logic but it doesn't feel like it was worth $1600. I wish I had put the money towards something else. PROCESSOR 065-C70X 3.2GHz 6-core Core i7 I would certainly lean towards either the MBP or the iMac, myself.
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Post by sean on May 10, 2020 8:03:19 GMT -6
I’ve been trying to decide what to buy myself. At home I use HD Native Thunderbolt with a (cheap) Mac Mini and it works but I wouldn’t trust it with tracking.
I don’t know if I should buy a modern Mac Mini or iMac...I have too many Thunderbolt interface to get an old 5,1 Mac Pro tower.
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kcatthedog
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Post by kcatthedog on May 10, 2020 8:14:21 GMT -6
The ol cheese grater doesn’t tbolt normally so not really good for tbolt?
What drive is in the new mini above ?
am still running a 2012 mbp i7, 2 internal ssd snd 16g Ram, works fine but have KB issues so use wireless KB.
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Post by sam on May 10, 2020 11:17:28 GMT -6
Anyone take a look at the 2019 iMac 3.6 i9 8 core? I’m looking at this to replace my 2013 iMac and it seems like a solid move. Anyone have this computer?
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Post by mulmany on May 10, 2020 13:34:47 GMT -6
I bought a hex core trashcan to replace the 2014 mac mini I was using. It has been rock solid. I can track on a 64 sample buffer at 96k, no issues up to about 16 tracks. It's got TB2, and is quieter then the external HDD enclosure.
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Post by the other mark williams on May 10, 2020 14:36:18 GMT -6
Anyone take a look at the 2019 iMac 3.6 i9 8 core? I’m looking at this to replace my 2013 iMac and it seems like a solid move. Anyone have this computer? I don’t own that machine, but I’ve looked at it a bit and done some research. It’s supposed to be a really nice machine. My only real concern would be whether the fan noise is OK for studio use. The i9 certainly generates a little more heat. It may be fine, I just haven’t been able to find totally reliable info on it. The iMac Pro has the totally redesigned fan system, which is supposed to be dead quiet.
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Post by sam on May 10, 2020 16:13:20 GMT -6
Anyone take a look at the 2019 iMac 3.6 i9 8 core? I’m looking at this to replace my 2013 iMac and it seems like a solid move. Anyone have this computer? I don’t own that machine, but I’ve looked at it a bit and done some research. It’s supposed to be a really nice machine. My only real concern would be whether the fan noise is OK for studio use. The i9 certainly generates a little more heat. It may be fine, I just haven’t been able to find totally reliable info on it. The iMac Pro has the totally redesigned fan system, which is supposed to be dead quiet. Thing about the iMac Pro line is to get a computer this fast, it's almost like $1200 more, which seems like a weird oversight with Apple... Fan noise doesn't bother me too much, I almost never heard the fans come on my current machine, except under a few hefty amp sims, so I imagine this machine won't run into that at all (if I'm lucky)
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Post by mrholmes on May 10, 2020 16:21:36 GMT -6
I’ve been trying to decide what to buy myself. At home I use HD Native Thunderbolt with a (cheap) Mac Mini and it works but I wouldn’t trust it with tracking. I don’t know if I should buy a modern Mac Mini or iMac...I have too many Thunderbolt interface to get an old 5,1 Mac Pro tower. The ol cheese grater doesn’t tbolt normally so not really good for tbolt? What drive is in the new mini above ? am still running a 2012 mbp i7, 2 internal ssd snd 16g Ram, works fine but have KB issues so use wireless KB.
Watch this.... T BOLT ON OLD 5.1
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kcatthedog
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Post by kcatthedog on May 10, 2020 17:03:14 GMT -6
Thx, I know about this and that it is possible, but I had read it’s kind of burdensome with a dual boot and like two operating systems?
Neat that they got it working but I’d just get a newer machine that was designed for tbolt.
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Post by the other mark williams on May 10, 2020 17:17:46 GMT -6
I don’t own that machine, but I’ve looked at it a bit and done some research. It’s supposed to be a really nice machine. My only real concern would be whether the fan noise is OK for studio use. The i9 certainly generates a little more heat. It may be fine, I just haven’t been able to find totally reliable info on it. The iMac Pro has the totally redesigned fan system, which is supposed to be dead quiet. Thing about the iMac Pro line is to get a computer this fast, it's almost like $1200 more, which seems like a weird oversight with Apple... Fan noise doesn't bother me too much, I almost never heard the fans come on my current machine, except under a few hefty amp sims, so I imagine this machine won't run into that at all (if I'm lucky) The cost difference mostly comes from the hardware differences: the Xeon vs. i-based chips, the extra Thunderbolt bus, the T2 chip, the upgraded graphics card, the higher base RAM (obviously Apple always overcharges for RAM and SSDs...), even little things like the 10gig Ethernet card. Though I’m sure Apple is rolling their R&D for the new board layout into it, whether fair or not. I’m not defending Apple on their pricing here, but the hardware differences are pretty significant. Performance-wise, the latest iMac 5k is *faster* than the iMac Pro except for multithreading and graphics/film work. So as long as the fans are quiet enough for you, and you’re not doing heavier video editing, and you don’t need a second Thunderbolt bus or faster Ethernet, the iMac is probably a better machine for audio over the iMac Pro.
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Post by the other mark williams on May 10, 2020 17:18:25 GMT -6
Thx, I know about this and that it is possible, but I had read it’s kind of burdensome with a dual boot and like two operating systems? Neat that they got it working but I’d just get a newer machine that was designed for tbolt. Yes yes
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Post by mrholmes on May 10, 2020 17:32:32 GMT -6
Thx, I know about this and that it is possible, but I had read it’s kind of burdensome with a dual boot and like two operating systems? Neat that they got it working but I’d just get a newer machine that was designed for tbolt.
If it runs stable I don't see a problem to run a partition with Windows to make it work. Did it in the past for other things - Windows worked like breeze on the mac.
I upgraded CPU and RAM I had to do changes on the OSX for the CPU Upgrade.
Everybody told me I would get an unstable Mac but my Cheese Grater runs and runs and runs.
I have no doubt to try this when I get an T Bolt interface one day.
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Post by kcatthedog on May 10, 2020 17:38:40 GMT -6
Sure, if you have a cheese grater, but if I want a tbolt mac, I wouldn’t buy a CG first !
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Post by nashbass on May 11, 2020 10:56:49 GMT -6
Thank you all for your input. One of my primary considerations right now (unfortunately, tied to my budget) is that my interface is USB and all the new Mac computers the last few years ditched USB 3.0 ports and now have USB-C which is basically Thunderbolt 3. The legitimate concern is that if the ports all change then I have to consider all my peripherals as well and I currently can't afford and new computer AND a new interface. I'm curious about processing, recording, speed, and how all things technical would work thru an adapter. Has anyone done this and been successful? Or have you either heard or personally found there to be issues when doing this? Thanks again!
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