y0ud Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 hello i am interested in keeping an aspect of my recording as flexible as possible and using a macbook pro as my system. i will be running logic, reason and a few other programs and also using a apogee duet. basically, i would like to know wether it is a cheaper option for me to outsource the upgrades rather then buying them all in one from apple. i would be interested in the 2.9 chip and 8gig of ram, and the 7200 hd's. so, to top of the line, or buy lower and upgrade my self? opinions? suggestions? thanks Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/169165-macbook-pro-recording-studio-computer-question/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
solaar Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 As for RAM and the HD, it can be done. As far as the CPU (was that part of your question?) it's a resounding NO. You could of course save some money by upgrading RAM and HD yourself - I did that on my white Macbook - BUT I've read that changing the HD on a MBP is way trickier than on a MB and might void the warranty if not done by a certified Apple tech. Anyway, before I start screwing around (literally) on a spanking new MBP I'd first make sure I won't run into any issues to which Apple might reply 'sorry not our problem'. BTW in terms of music production, you don't even need the top of the line CPU, unless you plan on running 50 instances of the Arturia Moog or similar CPU hogs. I can run Cubase 4 along with 20 VSTI instances and 4-5 fx sends on my humble white Macbook without it even close to choking. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/169165-macbook-pro-recording-studio-computer-question/#findComment-1169352 Share on other sites More sharing options...
y0ud Posted June 4, 2009 Author Share Posted June 4, 2009 thanks for the quick reply! in all honesty, im not overly fussed about voiding warranties. sure they are good to have, but i have had to deal with very few hardware problems over a long history of diy computing. now the question comes down to, take advantage of 3 years interest free and then do upgrades my self OR just buy second hand straight up. from one question to another haha how do the new solid states way up as hard drives for recording? as quick as the 7200? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/169165-macbook-pro-recording-studio-computer-question/#findComment-1169579 Share on other sites More sharing options...
solaar Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 thanks for the quick reply! in all honesty, im not overly fussed about voiding warranties. sure they are good to have, but i have had to deal with very few hardware problems over a long history of diy computing. Don't overestimate Apple lol... As for solid state, I've got no clue how fast it is but the question I would ask first 'how reliable is it in continuous real-time applications?'. I don't even want to imagine the situation where you were lucky enough to quickly lay a few tracks down with some high-profile performer who's in town for a couple of days and when he/she is gone you realise you have dropouts on the tracks, and the performer will not be available for the next couple of years... (I know a HD can also {censored} out in the middle of a session but it's usually fairly obvious. Time to quickly react and plug in a FW HD as a backup plan.) but once again, for music production you actually don't need the fastest, you need the most reliable. I've been recording on 5400 drives way beyond the time 7200 drives first came out. It depends what you want to do but the requirements that audio pose on hardware are about 20% that of video for instance. Any poxy recent £399 PC is actually enough for a 128 audio track DAW. Theoretically of course Another important consideration for audio people is that the faster your hardware is the more you risk running into heat issues. Dependent on that you either increase cooling and noise which can be very distracting even in a mobile studio setup or you increase the risk of running into instabilities or in the worst case, hardware failure. The hobbyist can only say 'oh shyte, let's try again another time...' but for the pro it's an absolute nightmare and you can count on the fact that the artists/record label/producer won't come back to you anytime soon.... Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/169165-macbook-pro-recording-studio-computer-question/#findComment-1169638 Share on other sites More sharing options...
y0ud Posted June 6, 2009 Author Share Posted June 6, 2009 haha yea it all makes sense. i do run quite a run plugins and what not, and enjoy a machine being able to search libraries as fast as possible, so i might opt for a quicker cpu. i think this laptop will be MORE SO a hobby machine, anything i want to seriously track will be done on my proper hd2 system haha. that said, id still like a smooth running hobby. where is a good place to look for second hand mac book pro's? forum wise, not ebay/gumtree/craigs Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/169165-macbook-pro-recording-studio-computer-question/#findComment-1170743 Share on other sites More sharing options...
y0ud Posted June 9, 2009 Author Share Posted June 9, 2009 anyhting? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/169165-macbook-pro-recording-studio-computer-question/#findComment-1173277 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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