New 2011 Mac Mini Server & Logic 9 *UPDATED 9/26/11*

[n6smith]

I've bought one of the new 2011 Mac Mini Servers (i7 Quad Core) so I can easily take my system with me when I am going up into the mountains rather than lugging my iMac along... as i already have a monitor up there and my Ultralite is easily transportable too..

Anything I should know/do in regards to Logic setups/config given I am going from a Dual Core to Quad Core?

I am intending to record to the second of the built in 500 Gig drives (7200rpm) Should be ok yes?

Any other suggestions?

Cheers..

[n6smith]

Two further questions...

Compared to my iMac 3.06 6 gig... I am assuming that my Mac Mini i7 Quad Core with 8 Gig will actually be 'faster' .... though of course, I have got to deal with the current 'Lion' issues with Logic 9 as i am still running SL on the iMac... yes?

I'll be using an external FW800 loaded with my music... to accompany this.. Ok?

Cheers..

[Thornblom]

Nope, no CPU configs.
That'gs great, do it!

Your Mac mini WILL be a lot of faster. The benchmarks of the i7 2635QM is slightly above the desktop i7 950. It does even slightly better then the Mac Pro Xeon Quads, which is very good for that little sucker!

[jordito]

Nope, no CPU configs.

Well, for best results, he should set the Processing Threads preference accordingly in Logic's audio preferences.

J.

[n6smith]

Ah.. Yes.. thanks, as always J.. I almost forgot about that...

Good call!

Cheers..

[jordito]

You're welcome, Nigel.

J.

[n6smith]

Well, after using my new Mac Mini Server for a couple of weeks or so, I have to say it is an absolute screamer! Despite a few issues using Lion with Logic the new computer handles even my biggest projects with absolute ease compared to my previous setup..

Observations:

No CPU spikes at all with seemingly unlimited amounts of tracks available to me (Though I am quite sure it has a limit but I have got nowhere near that limit no matter I have done/added/used..)

Runs VERY cool compared to any of my previous Macs.

Runs almost silently with no discernible fan noise even at highest loads for extended periods of time (My Glyphs make far more noise than the MM)

Display/Mouse/Keyboard input is extremely snappy with no noticeable redraw lag

Cheap and effortless upgrade to 8GB thanks to OWC

Twin 7200 rpm 500GB drives are a great combo for use with Logic..

Loss of CD/DVD drive is no biggie. Simply bought a 3rd party drive for $40.

Small Footprint on desk.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with my new purchase and by buying one of these Mac Mini Servers I have saved myself a bunch of cash in the process compared to the Mac Pro I was considering buying prior to the new Mac Minis being released. In fact, I ordered another one this morning to replace my aging, general use 3.06 iMac.... I'll have to buy a new monitor but still, the bump up in power will be well worth it and I'll have another 3 years of Applecare along with a nice discount from BHPhotoVideo.com (and no tax or shipping) from where I buy most of my gear these days .

I cannot recommend the Mid 2011 Mac Mini Server enough.....

[jordito]

Thanks for the report, Nigel!

J.

[rhino]

I've been debating buying the i7 server vs. the 21.5" imac i7, and I'm happy to hear that you're liking the power of the mini.

One question I have though, how do you "set the processing threads preference accordingly in Logic's audio preferences," as was mentioned by jordito. Thanks.

R

[Kjazz]

Loss of CD/DVD drive is no biggie. "Simply bought a 3rd party drive for $40"

Which CD/DVD drive did you get from OWC ?

Thanks for the review !

I think it's time now for me to take the leap up to the Mac Mini Server.

[n6smith]

Loss of CD/DVD drive is no biggie. "Simply bought a 3rd party drive for $40"

Which CD/DVD drive did you get from OWC ?

I didn't get the CD drive from OWC, only the memory upgrade.

I put together one from various sources;

Case from http://www.cooldrives.com/index.php/alox911fiusb.html

Drive from http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106281

...and I had a cable lying around...


Hope this helps..

[n6smith]

I've been debating buying the i7 server vs. the 21.5" imac i7, and I'm happy to hear that you're liking the power of the mini.

One question I have though, how do you "set the processing threads preference accordingly in Logic's audio preferences," as was mentioned by jordito. Thanks.

R

Under Preferences/Audio and look at the lower half of the pref window. By default it is set to 'auto'

[n6smith]

Just as an additional couple of bits of info/feedback...

I finally heard the built in fan 'kick in' last night during a very heavy workload... Still not too noisy (My External Glyphs are louder) but it can be heard and if I were recording through a mic I would have had to muffle it somehow.. This was the first time during normal use for the last few weeks, that I could actually hear it clearly though, so no real concerns about it here.

One minor concern/inconvenience is that I had no backup of the Lion Install files. You cannot use the "Option Click' trick via the app store to download and create a USB drive backup ( You get a msg when trying to use/download that version along the lines of "You cannot use this version of Mac OS X 10.7 with this computer" when you try...) so I had to find a safe image of Lion, myself.. which I used to create my own backup but even so, I find it odd that Apple did not allow or provide for a means of making a Lion system image yourself..

[jordito]

Keep the info coming, Nigel. I may get one at some point.

J.

[TheRdungeon]

Dammit I think I may just grab one of these afterall

[rhino]

Hi,

Just finished ordering a MMS. How have you set up yours for recording, n6smith?

Does Lion run Logic smoothly thus far for you?

Ryan

[n6smith]

Hi,

Just finished ordering a MMS. How have you set up yours for recording, n6smith?

Does Lion run Logic smoothly thus far for you?

Ryan

I installed Logic on the main drive and projects on the second internal drive (Both of which are 7200's..) with an external FW800 drive (or 5 in my case!) for samples and loops.

So far, apart from the few known issues with running Logic on Lion.. it has been a very smooth transition and as I alluded to, in an earlier post, Logic runs as 'smooth as cream' no matter what I seem to throw at it... A huge improvement over my 2009 3.06 Dual Core iMac for sure.... in terms of number of tracks/plugins I can run at the same time without needing to BIP...

Bear in mind, I tend to use more Midi that Audio tracks in my music but having said that, I do use a lot of soft synth plugins too...

One example of improvement would be previously on my iMac I had a orchestral piece that used 22 tracks of Kontakt 4 instruments and combos (Running from the same external FW800 drives I am using with my MMS) . and I had to BIP at least 1/2 of those tracks in order for it not to stall... On the MMS it runs completely without issue and without BIP'ing anything... For me, that is a major deal and step up in performance...

Hope this helps..

[rhino]

Thanks for the reply, Nigel.

I'm going to go and search for the "known issues," as I haven't read anything yet. I ordered the computer then thought, "Gee, I wonder if there are any known issues..."

Oh well. I'm sure I'll manage.

Thanks again.

[n6smith]

Yes.. This thread here....

http://www.logicprohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=73565

...outlines most of them.... I honestly haven't found any real 'showstoppers' but there are a couple you need to be aware of like not running Logic in Full Screen mode (not yet at least) to increase stability...

It's not so much Logic itself, you need to be aware of.. (Although as i said earlier.. there are a few outstanding known issues still..) but issues with 3rd party drivers not (yet) being fully compatible with Lion.. or 3rd party plugins.. though there have been several updates recently to many plugins to improve Lion compatibility and/or adding 64bit versions.

Just do some reading here and via Google.. and make sure that whatever Audio Interface you are using, does have Lion compatible drivers otherwise you are onto a non-starter for the time being at least... I think most of the common Audio Interfaces now have either final or beta versions out and about.. thankfully!

[rhino]

Well, I'm using a Motu 828mk3 and according to the website, they say there aren't any issues but they haven't actually released a specific driver.

I also have an apogee one, and am not concerned about apogee with drivers.

I'm pretty sure my plugs are all 64bit compatible, so I should be good.... We'll see.