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MACBOOK question?


sdresdre

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would be moving around alot. like i said... thought about building a desktop PC and the imac is also and option. i compltely disagree about XP but whateves. a big +1 of macs mice. complete POS!




all core 2 duos

 

 

Another +1 for the Mighty Mouse. I hate those things. They look cool, but function horribly.

 

As for the processor, have you gotten both of these laptops in the past few months, or spent top dollar in the past year? Core 2 Duo laptops aren't exactly common with Toshibas...Dells, somewhat, but still. Are you positive they weren't Dual-Core instead of Core 2 Duo?

 

Also, I highly recommend a laptop for the mobility. You could build a powerful PC, but if you even *think* you'll need mobility, get a notebook of some sort.

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Another +1 for the Mighty Mouse. I hate those things. They look cool, but function horribly.


As for the processor, have you gotten both of these laptops in the past few months, or spent top dollar in the past year? Core 2 Duo laptops aren't exactly common with Toshibas...Dells, somewhat, but still.
Are you positive they weren't Dual-Core instead of Core 2 Duo?

Also, I highly recommend a laptop for the mobility. You could build a powerful PC, but if you even *think* you'll need mobility, get a notebook of some sort.



100%. im pretty well versed with PC's. macs...... not so much :evil:

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Yeah, I disagree about XP too. I've used it at work for years now and I'd rely on it over Vista anyday.

 

 

I don't think he's saying that XP is "bad," but just outdated. Which it is.

 

IMO, Vista performs better, and is easier and smoother to use. Keep in mind - this is coming from a former Vista hater. When Vista came out, it was awful. There were tons of compatibility issues, and they took a while to get fixed. Now that they are fixed, Vista works great.

 

XP is still functional, and works well, but IMO, Vista has it beat.

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100%. im pretty well versed with PC's. macs...... not so much
:evil:



Hm...that's odd. The only thing I can think of that would cause issues like that with a Core 2 Duo + 2GB of RAM is hardware being mediocre/{censored} and programs bogging the computer down.

If you still have either notebook, you might try a completely blank Vista install. That will get rid of all the bloatware that *could* be interfering with recording by hogging resources.

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{}). I actually had to google how to type them. As a programmer, I don't like that I have to hold three buttons to type some of my most used special characters.


(I have a third one, but I don't think you'll care for this:

- THE language for writing Cocoa applications in is Objective-C, which looks to be clumsy, dated, and just plain f****** retarded. I think am beginning to understand why more companies does not want to port their more advanced applications to OSX.)

 

 

The keyboard thing is a bit annoying indeed. Using TextMate for coding (for me it's HTML/CSS markup and JavaScript/PHP/RubyOnRails) does make it less unbearable thanks to its good completion features. The delete thing is pretty {censored}ty. It's found on regular Apple keyboards though. Apparently on the Macbooks Fn+Backspace acts like delete.

 

I don't know much about the programming aspect but some seem to say that developing for OSX is actually easier. Perhaps it's essentially just a matter of learning the quirks of the ObjC language?

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A PC is fine for most recording tasks, but I wouldn't trust it for 8+ tracks of simultaneous recording.

 

I regularly use a (desktop) PC to record two to three times that many tracks (with lots more playing back), and I don't have any problems... but I AM using Pro Tools HD 2 Accel.

 

Not only does the CPU speed matter - in terms of maximum track counts, your disk I/O is likely to be the bigger issue. If your drive is slow, and spinning at 5400 RPM, (IIRC, the Macbook drives are not speedy, and run at 5400 RPM) - you might only be able to get 24 - 32 tracks of record / playback off of them. I can actually track to my system ("C") drive and get away with it except on the largest of sessions / projects. That's definitely NOT recommended, and if you go with a Macbook (or any laptop for that matter), buying a good external firewire drive is definitely recommended.

 

CPU speed is more pertinent to maximum plug in counts. Of course, RAM also plays into it. I was having significant issues using elastic audio in PT 7.4 until I upped my RAM from 2 GB to 4 GB - now it works like a charm.

 

If you DO go to a PC, I would strongly recommend checking if it can run Windows XP, and that there are XP drivers available for all the hardware. Vista has been VERY problematic for DAW use for a LOT of people.... :(

 

BTW, this message was created with an old Mac Ti Powerbook. :D

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It just has to kick ass for audio. Im done trying to {censored} with PC laptops. Not cutting it.


Has to be able to run high sample rates without lag, pops and clicks , cpu spiking etc etc. Guitar rig 3. Multiple VST's via Ableton Live.

 

 

a macbook will do just fine. though i will say that it's smart to buy the best that you can afford at the time. i have a g5 quad and i had a powerbook and for my new computer i got a standard white macbook. I've never had problems and it runs software great.

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a macbook will do just fine. though i will say that it's smart to buy the best that you can afford at the time.

 

I agree completely - and IMO, this is especially important with a laptop; where upgrading the CPU is difficult if not impossible compared to a desktop system.

 

I wouldn't mind having a Macbook, and it would probably be fine for me as a mobile rig, but that smaller screen would be an issue for my aging eyes. :o

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a macbook will do just fine. though i will say that it's smart to buy the best that you can afford at the time.


I agree completely - and IMO, this is especially important with a laptop; where upgrading the CPU is difficult if not impossible compared to a desktop system.


I wouldn't mind having a Macbook, and it would probably be fine for me as a mobile rig, but that smaller screen would be an issue for my aging eyes.
:o



HAHA. as long as the fingers and ears work you're all good i guess. I bought a powerbook that was going out to save some money and it was the worst decision ever. It was 400mhz and didn't have wireless or a cd burner (bought in 01 or so).... LOL. It sucks when operating systems change over and you have to spend a ton on that or buy a new computer because your machine won't handle it.

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i would take a desktop over a notebook any day of the week. i think anyone would. the power in a desktop cannot be matched by ANY notebook(at least for now). i need it to be very portable tho.

i bought a 200 gig 7200 laptop drive for the eventual notebook.

5400 is ass in comparison.

what are your PC specs phil? im going to be building a new recording computer sometime soon.

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You can download Reaper here; www.reaper.fm

 

I believe it's free as long as you aren't using it commercially. I use it as basically my entire studio. MIDI instruments and effects, recording, editing, you name it. It does it all, and REALLY well.

 

It's non-crippled, non-expiring... so while there is a "trial" period, you could, in theory, use it beyond that point and not pay for it. But Reaper is actually shareware, and they request that, upon the conclusion of the trial period, you pay for it if you're going to continue to use it. Last I heard, the shareware fee is $40 for non-commercial use, and $200 for commercial use, which is really quite fair, and considering the support and speedy bug fixes and new feature additions, I think that's more than fair. :)

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HAHA. as long as the fingers and ears work you're all good i guess. I bought a powerbook that was going out to save some money and it was the worst decision ever. It was 400mhz and didn't have wireless or a cd burner (bought in 01 or so).... LOL. It sucks when operating systems change over and you have to spend a ton on that or buy a new computer because your machine won't handle it.

 

My Ti Powerbook is also a first generation, but 500 MHz. My dad gave it to me when he replaced it with... a Macbook Pro. :)

 

My Pro Tools machine is a couple years old, and while it was pretty state of the art when I built it, it's far from cutting edge now.

 

Athlon 64 X2 4200 OC'd to 4800 specs Coolermaster Hyper 48 CPU cooler w/ heat pipes

ASUS A8N-SLi Premium motherboard; heat pipe for the chipset cooling

Sapphire / ATI Raedon X550 video card.

WD and Seagate ATA and SATA HDD's (1 TB onboard, and plenty of externals)

4 GB Patriot RAM

Enermax Noisetaker PS (500 - 600W range, I don't recall exactly)

Thermaltake "Tsunami Dream" (what a poorly chosen name! :eek: ) case.

 

Like I said, not exactly a speed demon, but OTOH, with PTHD, I don't find myself using RTAS plug-ins nearly as often, and I don't come close to maxing out that dual CPU setup at all these days... although I do suppose I'll go to a Core 2 Quad setup sometime in the next year or so.

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Apple is planning on coming out with the next generation of Macbooks and Macbook Pros, so you may want to hold off until they come out.



new macbooks? holy {censored}. they change things weekly it seems :mad:

i guess its a godo thing if you buy used :idea:

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