macbook pro and audio interface?

mac500

Hi Guys,

looking to get a macbook pro today, its the lowest spec one of the pro range, 2.4ghz core 2 duo, 4gb ram, 250gb 5400rpm harddrive,

will it be good enough for basic home studio for a hobbie, not looking to go professional.

i will probably use garage band that comes with it for now for my daw

also what would be a good audio interface to go with it, im thinking of going with firewire one over a usb one as i believe it has better low latency as i need that for recording my vdrums through midi, all only need one with two mic/line inputs with phantom power and midi in and out.

thanks
Rory

MilanPan!c

mac500 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

looking to get a macbook pro today, its the lowest spec one of the pro range, 2.4ghz core 2 duo, 4gb ram, 250gb 5400rpm harddrive,

will it be good enough for basic home studio for a hobbie, not looking to go professional.

i will probably use garage band that comes with it for now for my daw

also what would be a good audio interface to go with it, im thinking of going with firewire one over a usb one as i believe it has better low latency as i need that for recording my vdrums through midi, all only need one with two mic/line inputs with phantom power and midi in and out.

thanks
Rory

Hey Rory,

Those specs should be fine, assuming you don't overdo it on FX and track count.

I would ask what sounds you plan to be triggering while you're recording the drums?

If they're internal vDrums sounds, then latency doesn't come into the equation... MIDI doesn't really have latency.

I know a lot of people love those duo and solo cards.., but I wouldn't really know.

Someone else will chime in with more info I'm sure.

Good luck!

mac500

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Hey Rory,

Those specs should be fine, assuming you don't overdo it on FX and track count.

I would ask what sounds you plan to be triggering while you're recording the drums?

If they're internal vDrums sounds, then latency doesn't come into the equation... MIDI doesn't really have latency.

I know a lot of people love those duo and solo cards.., but I wouldn't really know.

Someone else will chime in with more info I'm sure.

Good luck!

thanks for the reply Milanpan

No dont think i'll be using much fx yet as im still in the learning process on how to record, prob use the usual compression,reverb etc.

im going to be triggering with ezdrummer as that has much better sounds than the vdrum module i think personally

i dont mind going for a usb interface if i know it will give good results.
i almost bought m-audio fast track pro but read a few bad reviews about it so that turned me off it.

oh i must note i have a budget of €200 for the interface, may push 300 if i can, but i would prefer around the 200 mark

Paolo_M

mac500 wrote: »

thanks for the reply Milanpan

No dont think i'll be using much fx yet as im still in the learning process on how to record, prob use the usual compression,reverb etc.

im going to be triggering with ezdrummer as that has much better sounds than the vdrum module i think personally

i dont mind going for a usb interface if i know it will give good results.
i almost bought m-audio fast track pro but read a few bad reviews about it so that turned me off it.

oh i must note i have a budget of €200 for the interface, may push 300 if i can, but i would prefer around the 200 mark

You will also need to invest in a faster external hard drive if you don't want your head wrecked with errors. The drive be at least 7,200rpm. Firewire is preferable but not essential, IMO.

MilanPan!c

mac500 wrote: »

thanks for the reply Milanpan

No dont think i'll be using much fx yet as im still in the learning process on how to record, prob use the usual compression,reverb etc.

im going to be triggering with ezdrummer as that has much better sounds than the vdrum module i think personally

i dont mind going for a usb interface if i know it will give good results.
i almost bought m-audio fast track pro but read a few bad reviews about it so that turned me off it.

oh i must note i have a budget of €200 for the interface, may push 300 if i can, but i would prefer around the 200 mark

My personal advice would be to try to record with the internal sounds, but record the midi, lots o folks do this I think, I have certainly... That way your machine isn't trying to do any audio processing in real time... You can always use the midi to sample EZ drummer after you've recorded it...

Just a thought if you start running into real time resource issues.

Anyway, it may never be an issue; just file it in your head somewhere.

As for interfaces at that price point.

People love the Focusrite stuff.. I personally love TC electronics stuff... The Konnekt 8, which gets pretty awesome reviews, is about 300.

mac500

Thanks guys.

ya i plan to upgrade the hard drive to 7200rpm and the ram to 8gb but that will be in due course when i get the funds to.

that sounds like good advice recording with internal sounds first, thanks ill keep that in mind if i do start to experience problems.

im just reading reviews about the focusrite saffire pro, seems like a good bit of kit and will be perfect for my needs.

heres a link to it for anyone having the same questions as i am

http://www.thomann.de/ie/focusrite_saffire_pro_24.htm

MilanPan!c

mac500 wrote: »

Thanks guys.

ya i plan to upgrade the hard drive to 7200rpm and the ram to 8gb but that will be in due course when i get the funds to.

that sounds like good advice recording with internal sounds first, thanks ill keep that in mind if i do start to experience problems.

im just reading reviews about the focusrite saffire pro, seems like a good bit of kit and will be perfect for my needs.

heres a link to it for anyone having the same questions as i am

http://www.thomann.de/ie/focusrite_saffire_pro_24.htm

For my money the Konnekt 8 has nicer sounding pres, but it's a preference I guess...

people def like the focusrite pres as well..

and again, +1 on the 7200rpm hard drive... you need that sooner than the ram, IMO.

plus hard drives are soooooooo cheap!

Paolo_M

MilanPan!c wrote: »

For my money the Konnekt 8 has nicer sounding pres, but it's a preference I guess...

people def like the focusrite pres as well..

and again, +1 on the 7200rpm hard drive... you need that sooner than the ram, IMO.

plus hard drives are soooooooo cheap!

+1, hold fire on the RAM. 32 bit systems can only use up to 4GB of RAM. Any money is money wasted. 4GB will be loads for anything you'll be doing, you'll rum out of CPU power first.

10.6 is 64 bit but AFAIK GarageBand is still 32 bit.

You'll get more RAM cheaper later when you can actually make use of it.

madtheory

mac500 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

looking to get a macbook pro today, its the lowest spec one of the pro range, 2.4ghz core 2 duo, 4gb ram, 250gb 5400rpm harddrive,

Beware- that one does not have Firewire.

mac500

will take advice on board, and upgrade hard drive before ram. thanks.

will the 7200rpm put more strain on the processor and have the fans running more?

saw this

http://www.adverts.ie/255381/pro-audio/edirol-ua25-usb-audio-and-midi-interface/

on adverts and is well within budget, would prefer secondhand stuff starting out anyway is it any good?

@ Madtheory, it does have firewire heres link

http://store.apple.com/ie/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro?mco=MTM3NDczMzg

its the €1149 macbook pro.

MilanPan!c

madtheory wrote: »

Beware- that one does not have Firewire.

Macs...

:rollseyes:

madtheory

Note to self- read thread title properly.

Paolo_M

mac500 wrote: »

will take advice on board, and upgrade hard drive before ram. thanks.

will the 7200rpm put more strain on the processor and have the fans running more?

saw this

http://www.adverts.ie/255381/pro-audio/edirol-ua25-usb-audio-and-midi-interface/

on adverts and is well within budget, would prefer secondhand stuff starting out anyway is it any good?

@ Madtheory, it does have firewire heres link

http://store.apple.com/ie/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro?mco=MTM3NDczMzg

its the €1149 macbook pro.

Sorry, I'm not sure you got what I meant.

The internal drive can stay at 5,400 if you wish, though going 7,200 rpm will noticeably improve general system performance.

However you should not, ideally, be using the OS drive for reading or writing real time audio data. The OS does all kinds of things in the background, yes even Macs!!!, and this can lead to disturbances in the flow of audio data.

The ideal solution is to have a dedicated external hard drive for your session files. This drive should be Firewire, using the Oxford chipset, spin at 7,200rpm or faster and have a quick seek time. The first two parts normally guarantees the last. Here's what I use http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Apple-Mac-500GB-Firewire-800-7200-Disk-Drive-K507-/370217781277?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Computing_HardDrives_RL&hash=item5632b3081d#ht_4494wt_1138



Buying second hand gear is a great, low risk, way of getting into stuff.
However here's a quick word of warning; technology moves quickly. Your new MBP will be running OSx 10.6.x Snow Leopard. Drivers for older gear do not always run, or run reliably, on newer platforms where the company doesn't formally support them.
I'm not saying that's the case with this unit, as I don't know, but just make sure yourself. You could get a great deal if you do your homework properly, or you could just be wasting money and have to buy new anyway.

mac500

excellent post Paolo thanks, very informative. i'll definatly be getting an external hardrive for all the music files, the internal will just be for the OS.

as for audio interface i have my head wrecked trying to pick one, anyone i pick then do some research on there are problems with them especially driver issues.

my budget has dropped unfortunatly for an interface. but i keep coming back to this one
http://www.thomann.de/ie/focusrite_saffire_6_usb.htm

it seems to do exactly what i want it to do and nicely priced and i hear good reviews about focusrite in general

if anyone can tell me any different why i should not get it then please do.

my set up plan at moment is

13.5" macbook pro and two dell 17" monitors (how to hook up for use of 3 screens not sure yet)

DAW is garageband or mixcraft 5

ezdrummer

focusrite saffire 6 usb interface

rode nt1a condenser mic (for guest vox as i dont sing)

roland td6 vdrums (triggering ezdrummer using midi from the td6 moduel into the saffire 6 interface)

Guest guitarists (cos i dont play) and (may plug direct or mic amp with sm57)

yamaha ypt 210 keybord ( using midi again to control synths and bass and the likes)

this all set up in spare bedroom (not acousticly treated as im renting) will be using rugs,blankets,duvets heavy curtins to help this.

im a novice when it comes to recording and am teaching myself with info and videos over the internet and soon trial and error when it is all set up

so basicly this is my plan that i hope to achieve as a hobby not looking to go professional, just thought id fill ye in to help answer anymore questions i may put to ye.

thanks again
Rory.

Rockshamrover

mac500 wrote: »

excellent post Paolo thanks, very informative. i'll definatly be getting an external hardrive for all the music files, the internal will just be for the OS.

as for audio interface i have my head wrecked trying to pick one, anyone i pick then do some research on there are problems with them especially driver issues.

my budget has dropped unfortunatly for an interface. but i keep coming back to this one
http://www.thomann.de/ie/focusrite_saffire_6_usb.htm

it seems to do exactly what i want it to do and nicely priced and i hear good reviews about focusrite in general

if anyone can tell me any different why i should not get it then please do.

my set up plan at moment is

13.5" macbook pro and two dell 17" monitors (how to hook up for use of 3 screens not sure yet)

DAW is garageband or mixcraft 5

ezdrummer

focusrite saffire 6 usb interface

rode nt1a condenser mic (for guest vox as i dont sing)

roland td6 vdrums (triggering ezdrummer using midi from the td6 moduel into the saffire 6 interface)

Guest guitarists (cos i dont play) and (may plug direct or mic amp with sm57)

yamaha ypt 210 keybord ( using midi again to control synths and bass and the likes)

this all set up in spare bedroom (not acousticly treated as im renting) will be using rugs,blankets,duvets heavy curtins to help this.

im a novice when it comes to recording and am teaching myself with info and videos over the internet and soon trial and error when it is all set up

so basicly this is my plan that i hope to achieve as a hobby not looking to go professional, just thought id fill ye in to help answer anymore questions i may put to ye.

thanks again
Rory.

Hi Rory,

The best advice on the interface would be buy the best you can afford as it will have a serious impact on the quality of the sound you end up with.

Also think about about the number of inputs. Do you need 6 if you are using e drums? (I don't know)

Apogee make interfaces that are designed to work with Apple. You can get the ONE for 222 on Thomann (or chat to Paul Brewer) it just has one input but it is also a high quality condenser mic. You can plug your bass or guitar directly into it too.

Cheers and good luck.

Paolo_M

Rockshamrover wrote: »

Hi Rory,

The best advice on the interface would be buy the best you can afford as it will have a serious impact on the quality of the sound you end up with.

Also think about about the number of inputs. Do you need 6 if you are using e drums? (I don't know)

Apogee make interfaces that are designed to work with Apple. You can get the ONE for 222 on Thomann (or chat to Paul Brewer) it just has one input but it is also a high quality condenser mic. You can plug your bass or guitar directly into it too.

Cheers and good luck.

And finally to add:

Be careful on inputs. The Focusrite unit advertises 6 input which it has.
However it only has two mic preamps. Therefore you'd need additional external mic preamps to use all 6 inputs to record a drum kit for example.
The Focusrite unit cannot be expanded beyond 6 inputs from what I can see.

The M-Audio Fast Track Ultra has 4 mic preamps on board, 6 ins in total, and the ability to expand I/O via S/PDIF.
The M-Audio unit also has two headphone outputs which is important if you're recording drums. The drummer's (or any musician really) is gonna want to hear the mix as well as you and if you don't have a separate control room (like most of us home based heros) then using your monitors is not an option as it will bleed and feedback.

Just some stuff to consider.