Keys, Synths & Samplers

[angstwulf]

I went MacBook Pro as a replacement laptop. I use Sonar, Wordperfect and a lot of my peripherals (a couple of scanners and a photo-printer) are not supported by OSX. But I needed something that supported my MOTU 828 so I went MBP 13" and loaded Win7 under bootcamp. It's the low-end i5 version.

I loaded some games for just to see. All of the Valve games work fine (Half-Life/Portal) and a surprising number of other games do well enough: FEAR and Borderlands did close to highest settings. The demo for Crysis 1 did just fine on low settings. It isn't going to impress anyone but it was far better than I would have expected. I actually had more issues with XP/Vista designed software not handling Win7 than I did with the hardware specs of the Macbook.

For all other applications, Win7 on Bootcamp works great. There are a couple of minor driver issues (the hardware disc eject button and some of the other dedicated control buttons won't work - you have to use the on-screen commands) but they have not been a problem in any significant way.

Sadly, the only thing I'm having trouble with is the MOTU 828 running on Win7. If I can't get it set up then I'm going to do all of my DAW work using OSX. Garageband works a charm. I'm testing out Reaper for OSX and the early results look promising. If I'm satisfied then I may not get Logic or any other OSX DAW.

I'm not a Mac devotee by any means but the fit and finish of the Macbook is leaps and bounds over pretty much every other notebook that I've used with the exception of a pre-Lenovo Thinkpad and a couple of Sony Vaios. I think, price aside, the Air is a good choice as a laptop and a not so good replacement for a tablet. Outside of recording music and watching DVD movies, I honestly don't think that I would miss a dedicated DVD drive.

[j_e_f_f_g]

32-bit or 64-bit version of Win7?

[carbon111]

Mac laptops can do that; it's just not the default—which is good, because I personally hate lightly tapping a trackpad to input a click. There's no tactile feedback.

Check the Trackpad page in System Preferences.

Very good to know! I'll give it another shot!

The pad/switch arrangement is the most awkward and clunky thing I've ever come up against. :/

[angstwulf]

32-bit or 64-bit version of Win7?

64 bit

[j_e_f_f_g]

If you're running the 64-bit version of Win7, make sure you have at least the first service pack installed. There was a bug in the initial 64-bit Win7 that causes 32-bit audio apps to not run properly. This is fixed in service pack 1. And of course you need MOTU's 64-bit Win7 drivers installed -- not the 32-bit ones. (But I'm not sure MOTU is still testing the older models with Win7. I use the Ultralite Hybrid just fine with Win7 64-bit. If that's a Mk3 version of the 828 you have, then you should have no problems). Are you getting any MOTU audio inputs or outputs listed under Controls Panel's Media/Sound devices?

[BonsoWonderDog]

Well at the risk of sounding snobbish or contrived, owning Apple products is somewhat a life style.

bwaaahahah that's the stupidest thing I've heard in a long time.

[DJ RAZZ]

bwaaahahah that's the stupidest thing I've heard in a long time.

Thanks man, love you too. :rolleyes:

[Gribs]

Thanks man, love you too. :rolleyes:

Hugs and luvs all around

Apple certainly wants you to *think* that owning their products is a lifestyle decision.

As it turns out, after a description of Boot Camp to my son and the fact that he could run an Apple laptop as a Windows machine, he let me know that he doesn't want an Apple because he *doesn't like the way they look* :facepalm: I also think it might have something to do with the fact that the kids at school that he likes all use Windows machines and the one kid that he can't stand has an Mac Book (and also an iPhone 4G) that his parents and/or grandparents bought for him.

[DJ RAZZ]

Makes total sense. I know adults who have felt this way for a long time. Despite Apple's efforts to remain cutting edge and visually cool, but also try to appear compatible and more mainstream, some will always think it is the computer that can't be used outside the music world.

[BonsoWonderDog]

Thanks man, love you too. :rolleyes:

Sorry, that was a bit harsh.

I neither love nor hate Apple stuff. I have a PC and a couple of iPods....perhaps may consider the iPad 3 if it is really good.

I just don't get how a particular brand of technology can be considered a "lifestyle".

[DJ RAZZ]

No problem. I was exaggerating to make a point.

[Gribs]

I don't care one way or the other - it is all numbers to me in various ways. For my son's laptop I am trying to help me make the best choice for his money, especially since he is working so hard to save up for it. In a way that means that I am paying (indirectly) for a significant portion of his future purchase, since the lion's share of his savings comes from allowance earned, but I still like to think of it as his money since he could just as easily blow it on junk food, funky clothes, fancy hair cuts, hair spray, makeup, or other stuff. What you think that only girls use lots of hair spray and makeup? You don't know one of my brothers... You know what is really funny? My wife just doesn't get the difference between an iPad and a laptop. My son and I have tried to explain it about 3 times. To her it they are both mobile internet, email, facebook, youtube, music-playing, gaming devices and nothing else. I keep trying to convince her to get an iPad but she would rather have a new set of lamps or over-stuffed chair for the living room or something like that.

[DJ RAZZ]

LOL....
:love:

[Gribs]

Back to the new Air, I spent some time comparing at Newegg, Dell, and Lenovo, and it looks to me that this might be the first time that Apple really nails the features and the price if you want something in that size range for a business class laptop (meaning more solid than consumer class - and there is a difference).

A 13" MacBook Air with 1.8 GHz Core i7 and external drive is $1778. A Dell Lattitude 13" with 2.7 GHz Core i7 and 256 GB solid state drive is $1779 (what do you know about that!). A Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 12.5" with 1.5 GHz core i7 and 128 GB solid state drive is $1324 direct and does not quite compete balancing out features, Samsung has a really nice 2.88 lb 13.3" with 1.5 GHz core i7 256 GB solid state drive 6GB of DDR3 and HDMI out (need extra cable for Air) is $2049 at Newegg (plus you have to buy an optical drive for it).

So why after saying that I would not want the smaller sized and resolution screen am I going through all that? First of all to find out what is out there because I work in the display (and graphics and lighting) business and want to know. These models are all pushing the boundaries between tablets and laptops and are interesting because of that. I have said before mobile interface is a big hot topic these days here at 3M and elsewhere. Second I want to get educated for my kid and try to help him find the best and most reliable system he can get that also includes good support if he needs it. We have a good Apple store with knowledgeable staff within biking distance of our house (walking even really) - I am working on him for the Apple angle. Finally - and here is a weird one - I am waffling backwards and considering one of these for myself and to share with my wife for music-making and web surfing / email purposes only. I had a birthday this week and bought nothing for myself, have the cash in the bank, and am about to put the M3M that the Kronos has replaced up on Ebay. I really, really, really considered getting a MachineDrum UW. If you search back through the last year you will see a few posts in various threads from me on this... I keep going back to it. However in my home studio it makes very little sense... other than as a DLP-style irrational want (integrate with modular synth etc). I am also thinking it might be like crack for my wife... once she starts playing with it when I am at work or online gaming or something she will not want me to have it. Coincidentally the new Air as equipped above is pretty much the same price as the Machinedrum...

Sorry for the multiple and long posts. I am babysitting a big modeling and design code that I just finished running iterations today and also working on sending various printing and cutting jobs to a specialized device in our lab and waiting for them to finish.

[DJ RAZZ]

Hope you get it. I really want one as well. Apple is really frustrating sometimes. They just brought out both the new upgraded AIR and the IPAD 1 a little over a year ago. Both are now replaced by better models that just make more sense. Great for new buyers, crappy for the ones who bought their products a year or so ago.

[Tomkeen]

Yeah, but you can say that about everything. I bought a nice LCD TV last year, and this year I can get a bigger LED TV with better screen etc for the same money. Wait for a newer product if you can, but if you really need something new (or really want it), it's probably not a good thing to think like that.

[Gribs]

I am fine with my iPad version 1. In that sense using a tablet has become part of my lifestyle... not Apple in particular but having this mobile device thing that I can write on and no more little messy bits of meeting notes.

[DJ RAZZ]

I am fine with my iPad version 1. In that sense using a tablet has become part of my lifestyle... not Apple in particular but having this mobile device thing that I can write on and no more little messy bits of meeting notes.

You should try the new keyboard case combos. I am thinking of getting one to make it the ultimate forum and e-mail writing machine for travel. Remember it also has 3G for the pesky areas as well.

[Gribs]

You should try the new keyboard case combos. I am thinking of getting one to make it the ultimate forum and e-mail writing machine for travel. Remember it also has 3G for the pesky areas as well.

Wow those look pretty nice. Is there one that you recommend? I like writing by hand too. I take my iPad to meetings and take notes using a stylus. The new versions of Note Taker HD has folders now which makes it easier for me to group notes by meeting (I have a lot of weeklies or biweeklies) and a nice set of tags for searching by subject. I have experimented with trying to do mathematical calculations and whatnot using Note Taker HD and it is almost there... but not quite perfect.

[DJ RAZZ]

Google IPAD and IPAD 2 keyboards for choices. I will try to look up some for I can't remember their names right now.