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Post by kcatthedog on Jun 2, 2023 3:59:56 GMT -6
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Post by thehightenor on Jun 3, 2023 14:09:53 GMT -6
My only issue with the Mac Studio (I've been looking into buying one - esp. if they get M2 CPU's) is they only have a single very expensive internal M.2 SSD
You can only have one and it's going to have the OS on it - though of course it can be partitioned.
On an equivalent costing PC workstation I can have 3 very large M.2 drives 1x for the OS and 2x to hold and rapidly serve up my very extensive sample libraries.
If I get a Mac Studio I'll have to use external SSD's to store my libraries which in a addition to being a messier solution it's going to mean way slower for loading times
for large libraries.
Is this just the way it is if one goes with the Mac Studio?
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Post by kcatthedog on Jun 3, 2023 16:11:31 GMT -6
Why do you say way slower, can you not get the speed you want with an ssd over tbolt ?
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Post by thehightenor on Jun 3, 2023 16:46:43 GMT -6
Why do you say way slower, can you not get the speed you want with an ssd over tbolt ? So, I'm currently used to PC workstations for music. I have a Apple Macbook Air, iMac and iPad Pro (and iphone :-) So I'm well into Apple for a whole range of creative stuff just not a main studio machine. Therefore I have no experience of SSD of thunderbolt. My PC SSD's are over USB 3.0 and compared to internal M.2 drives (which can manage 7000MB/s!!) the external USB SSD's are very slow. I didn't know SSD's came as thunderbolt devices. |
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Post by gmichael on Jun 3, 2023 17:08:48 GMT -6
Other than the USB C SSD's, aren't all thunderbolt "SSD's" using a housing that then ports to TB?
I'm happily PC but hunting down a Mac solution to start tracking with LUNA. I'm upside down in the UAD2
eco system and looking to at least try and use LUNA for recording and get some more purpose out of the UAD stuff I already own.
It's looking like I might just rebuild or heavily mod an iMac and go that route until I can decide whether the future is going to lean towards
a fresh purpose built audio PC that I can slave my existing beast of a PC to and or add the Mac element as a front end tool essentially.
I'm flying blind into the Mac options at this point but very keen to learn as much as I can
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Post by kcatthedog on Jun 3, 2023 17:25:42 GMT -6
You can get tbolt chassis to hold ssd or tbolt ssd’s. I doubt you csn’r get acceptable r/w speeds.
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Post by kcatthedog on Jun 3, 2023 17:27:40 GMT -6
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Post by gmichael on Jun 3, 2023 18:02:46 GMT -6
Those look more than able options! I used to run a glyph set up similar to some of those rack units |
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Post by kcatthedog on Jun 3, 2023 18:16:03 GMT -6
Gives you a sense of the art of the possible and nvme drives are even faster.
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Post by gmichael on Jun 3, 2023 18:25:01 GMT -6
I see there is a Nvme mod for the 27" iMacs. That full ram and replacing the Fusion with an SSD would be great. What I'm less clear on is whether the mac motherboard can accept an intel i9 chip and not be problematic or buggy as. Again, I want it for tracking, not heaving lifting, maybe some intense audio restoration like RX10 or so as well.
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Post by sirthought on Jun 3, 2023 19:04:33 GMT -6
Why do you say way slower, can you not get the speed you want with an ssd over tbolt ? So, I'm currently used to PC workstations for music. I have a Apple Macbook Air, iMac and iPad Pro (and iphone :-) So I'm well into Apple for a whole range of creative stuff just not a main studio machine. Therefore I have no experience of SSD of thunderbolt. My PC SSD's are over USB 3.0 and compared to internal M.2 drives (which can manage 7000MB/s!!) the external USB SSD's are very slow. I didn't know SSD's came as thunderbolt devices. I have some TB SSDs used for libraries. In my experience I never get the advertised speeds, but that hasn't been an issue. I would not consider it an issue to hold anyone back. But I also know things can depend on what sort of enclosure you use, the actually SSD, the cable. It's not at all consistent on performance, but we're getting higher speeds than in years past. It's been some time since I tested any of it, so I'd be pressed to say what I had. |
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Post by thehightenor on Jun 3, 2023 19:11:13 GMT -6
Thanks guys for all this information, it’s very helpful.
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 16,107 
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Post by ericn on Jun 3, 2023 20:04:47 GMT -6
While on paper TB or USB drives look significantly slower in reality you won’t notice to much of a difference.
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Post by kcatthedog on Jun 4, 2023 13:49:44 GMT -6
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Post by gmichael on Jun 4, 2023 16:57:30 GMT -6
Reading through the link, it looks like the 2011 27" iMacs are the ones to go for. 3 drives including pcie ssd, 64gb ram, intel i7 4.0ghz chip. That would be a beast for tracking imo
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 16,107
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Post by ericn on Jun 4, 2023 17:11:26 GMT -6
Reading through the link, it looks like the 2011 27" iMacs are the ones to go for. 3 drives including pcie ssd, 64gb ram, intel i7 4.0ghz chip. That would be a beast for tracking imo
Except you are then at the Mercy of your interface vendor, plugin vendors, DAW developer and Apple ending support for Intel. Great machine, but also a doomed machine. |
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Post by kcatthedog on Jun 4, 2023 17:49:16 GMT -6
Reading through the link, it looks like the 2011 27" iMacs are the ones to go for. 3 drives including pcie ssd, 64gb ram, intel i7 4.0ghz chip. That would be a beast for tracking imo
I ‘d compare the i7, to m2 performance and see? |
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Post by kcatthedog on Jun 4, 2023 17:51:59 GMT -6
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Post by gmichael on Jun 4, 2023 17:54:55 GMT -6
Reading through the link, it looks like the 2011 27" iMacs are the ones to go for. 3 drives including pcie ssd, 64gb ram, intel i7 4.0ghz chip. That would be a beast for tracking imo
Except you are then at the Mercy of your interface vendor, plugin vendors, DAW developer and Apple ending support for Intel. Great machine, but also a doomed machine. Nah, I'd use either my Zen Tour or 1st Apollo with such a machine and park it. Bet I'd get 15 yrs out of it! Doomed gear is only an issue for those that upgrade at the drop of a hat. I still use a W7 custom built well maintained beast for mix and printing and it's still got legs. I can probably get 5-7 more years out of that once I park it. But it will ultimately because a slave to my next windows machine.
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Post by gmichael on Jun 4, 2023 17:56:43 GMT -6
Reading through the link, it looks like the 2011 27" iMacs are the ones to go for. 3 drives including pcie ssd, 64gb ram, intel i7 4.0ghz chip. That would be a beast for tracking imo
I ‘d compare the i7, to m2 performance and see? M2 grunt would be overkill for tracking vocals only dontcha think? |
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Post by gmichael on Jun 4, 2023 17:59:47 GMT -6
Yes I have read these type threads but I see it as a great opportunity to get a machine to explore my unexplored Apple side at a price even modified would be pennies on the dollar and repurpose and upcycle a machine that could serve as an ancillary tool for
light duties in an eco system I am already very invested in ( UAD). I've been in studios where they still happily use monster cheese graters for tracking.
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Post by gmichael on Jun 4, 2023 18:01:22 GMT -6
But I am listening to what you guys a re saying and I am not saying I have completely thought this through, but there does seem a plausible path forward for
equipment made redundant that could serve duties as parked machines no longer subjected to software upgrades
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Post by kcatthedog on Jun 4, 2023 18:21:59 GMT -6
Ah, so why are you buying an i7 for just tracking vocals ?
You could buy a used m1 mini. I did, works fine.
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Post by kcatthedog on Jun 4, 2023 18:26:58 GMT -6
You can keep older macs running up to date os.
I run ventura on my 2012 i7 mbp.
You use Opencore legacy patcher.
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Post by Mister Chase on Jun 4, 2023 22:18:36 GMT -6
RE: the drive thing - I am still on a Mac Mini m1 and needed an external drive for sample banks such as Spitfire BBC orchestra. I watched a video where a guy was getting the same speed as internal drives with the right chassis and drive. I went with these and it runs crazy fast. No issues. Just kind of expensive. WD Black m.2M.2 40gbps USB4/USB-C chassis/enclosure |
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