#1
|
||||
|
||||
Which Mac Laptop to Buy?
To date I've only been using Windows laptops for my recording setups, but I'm at a point where I need to switch over to a Mac, which I have very little familiarity with.
My previous audio interfaces were Motu, but I recently bought a used Metric Halo ULN-8 3D. My plan was to use the ULN-8 as a dumb interface over USB into my Windows laptop; that hasn't worked reliably, and I'm done trying to go that route. Changing to a Mac computer will allow full functionality for the ULN-8 so that's the direction I'm going. Since I will be using this for field recordings (choirs, small ensembles, etc) as well as for my home setup (recording solo guitar, mixing the field recordings, etc) I want a laptop. Also want to attach a larger monitor when at home. I'm thinking of getting the 16" Macbook Pro with 16GB ram and 1TB SSD. Thoughts or recommendations? Thanks!
__________________
Chuck 2012 Carruth 12-fret 000 in Pernambuco and Adi 2010 Poling Sierra in Cuban Mahogany and Lutz 2015 Posch 13-fret 00 in Indian Rosewood and Adi |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Just get something with silicone M1 chip;
Battery life is superb on those
__________________
Martin SWOMGT Maton EBG808TE Taylor 355 Mic: Line Audio CM4 Zoom H6 Audient ID14 mk II Black Mountain thumbpicks https://www.youtube.com/c/SergeDenfordGuitar |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
Memory has always been a performance issue but I find more and more applications and plug-ins these days have become increasingly hoggish. The standard disclaimer applies here in buy as much memory as you can budget, you'll never regret it. |
#4
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Also what DAW ? (doesn't really matter as long as it is Mac OS compatible ) To buy new There are three base configurations 16" MBP to choose from ---one with the M1Pro chip and two with the M1 Max chip. Since you did not mention video I am guessing the M1 Pro chip ? Not much to say it will be powerhouse well into the future They come with three TB 4 /USB-c ports to go to the ULN and an HDMI out for an additional display. What you may find in general that Mac OS is a tiny bit different flow at first (different paths to access features, etc.) but fairly quickly you may also find Mac OS a bit easier, a bit more intuitive, and more of a just plug and play ,,or launch and play situation . The only thing IMO that is a bit hokey on a machine in this price point .. (I have a 14 " M1 Pro chip MBP) is the camera is still only 1080 not 4k,, not a deal breaker but still a bit hokey.
__________________
Enjoy the Journey.... Kev... KevWind at Soundcloud KevWind at YouYube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD System : Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1 Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Sonoma 14.4 Last edited by KevWind; 06-29-2022 at 03:06 PM. |
#5
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
I'm using Reaper as my DAW. Quote:
Quote:
__________________
Chuck 2012 Carruth 12-fret 000 in Pernambuco and Adi 2010 Poling Sierra in Cuban Mahogany and Lutz 2015 Posch 13-fret 00 in Indian Rosewood and Adi Last edited by ChuckS; 06-29-2022 at 03:35 PM. |
#6
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Thanks!
__________________
Chuck 2012 Carruth 12-fret 000 in Pernambuco and Adi 2010 Poling Sierra in Cuban Mahogany and Lutz 2015 Posch 13-fret 00 in Indian Rosewood and Adi |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
If 16 is enough on your current computer, it should be enough one of the new Mac laptops. These new machines seem to use ram a lot more efficiently and people have been reporting they're able to do just as much as before with less ram.
__________________
Jim 2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi 2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood 2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar 2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce 2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce 1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos. YouTube |
#8
|
||||
|
||||
Good to have that as a guideline. Thanks!
__________________
Chuck 2012 Carruth 12-fret 000 in Pernambuco and Adi 2010 Poling Sierra in Cuban Mahogany and Lutz 2015 Posch 13-fret 00 in Indian Rosewood and Adi |
#9
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
I did a quick quasi replication of a test I saw on youtube and recorded 200 tracks of audio at once albeit in 48k 24 bit but it was no problem at all. My machine is a 2021 14" M1Pro MBP with 16 GB memory and 1 TB storage Here is the video test am talking about, he gets into it at about 2:00 minutes
__________________
Enjoy the Journey.... Kev... KevWind at Soundcloud KevWind at YouYube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD System : Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1 Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Sonoma 14.4 Last edited by KevWind; 06-30-2022 at 07:41 AM. |
#10
|
||||
|
||||
Also as far as video performance (if and when)
Note that my M1Pro machine does indeed process video noticeably faster than the i7 machine listed below
__________________
Enjoy the Journey.... Kev... KevWind at Soundcloud KevWind at YouYube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD System : Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1 Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Sonoma 14.4 |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Should do the job. Computer power requirements for live acoustic recording are minimal.* Mixing and the like with plug ins can require a bit more, but nothing like what a computer doing real-time recording with virtual instruments and their performance effects to produce full orchestras and/or a studio full of gear "in the box" (all done with software) can absorb.
I forget what ports are on the current Mac laptop models, but you should be able to drive a larger, high resolution external monitor through USB-C or HDMI. *My live studio space has run a dozen tracks live into an ancient Intel Mac Mini with a Core2Duo recording to an external firewire mechanical hard drive.
__________________
----------------------------------- Creator of The Parlando Project Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses.... |
#12
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
__________________
Chuck 2012 Carruth 12-fret 000 in Pernambuco and Adi 2010 Poling Sierra in Cuban Mahogany and Lutz 2015 Posch 13-fret 00 in Indian Rosewood and Adi |