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Old 01-31-2020, 10:32 AM
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ljguitar ljguitar is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanfarmer View Post
I have a halfway decent recording setup. Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Audio Technical's 2035, Denon headphones and ok monitors.

I have been recording into my MacBook Pro--but I want to invest in a dedicated computer or maybe an iPad Pro for my recording--

I need to be mobile so that eliminates desktop machines--

So I trying to decide between an iPad or MacBook Pro--

Any input would be welcome!

J.
Hi uf…
For me, it's about ease of setup, less intrusive recording for artist's creative process, and workflow.

A MacBook is FAR superior than recording using any of my iPads (I've owned 5 different generations of iPads including my 2018 iPad Pro 12.9").

Even though the iPad can now access the FILES library, it's not the same as using an external drive and backing up work from the computer to other sources.

Not only is recording software for iPads less sophisticated, the process of working on them is slower and more intrusive, the whole process is slower. It would be great if everyone could record music in a single take. But that's unrealistic. And the more technical things we have to do as recordists to capture people's music on the fly, the more we slow their creativity down.

Cable connections to the MacBook Pro are more hearty, more permanent, and less fragile than on an iPad. My current USB C interface on my iPad cannot be secured as stable as I want to interface with external gear (be it video or audio gear). It works ok most of the time - unless it gets bumped.

The screen on a desktop or 15" or 16" MacBook Pro has enough real estate to work with. My desktop/laptop recording software uses a mixture of mouse driven and keyboard shortcuts, and if you record with professional software, you get into a rhythm using it.

Touch based iPad software falls short. An issue is the speed with which we can work, not the 'features'. The rhythm part is where it generally falls short.

When recording music, the players thrive better when we can work close to real-time speed instead of bogging them down when we need to do retakes etc. So the simpler and more capable the input process is, the more spontaneous musicians can be (the thing which makes music come alive!).

With all the adapters, mic cords, interfaces etc that I have to carry for mobile recording, the laptop doesn't take up any extra room over an iPad, and my MacBook expands and speeds up the whole process.

And if it's simple two track remote recording, I'll take my ancient Zoom H4n any day over either a computer or iPad. I can use professional mics going into it, and bring the tracks home to edit. Actually if i needed pro-level remote field recording, I'd move up to the Zoom H6. It's cheaper, easier to transport, and more reliable than either my iPad or laptop.

If it's multi track then I want a laptop and a decent small USB interface.

Just my Saturday morning, off the cuff observations…




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