Jump to content

New MBP or 2015 MBP?


Recommended Posts

So, I've been working pretty well for a few years on my 2015 MacBook Pro. 2.2 ghz, 256SSD, 16gbRAM. Running 10.12.6 (Sierra) and latest Logic X. Have all my plug-ins on a LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt 2 HD (spinning drive), and save my projects on an external SSD through the USB 3.0 port. Interface is an Apogee Element 46 (Thunderbolt 2).I'm also running Sibelius 7.5, but that supposedly works fine with Mojave if I upgrade. My daughter spilled salad dressing on this machine about 7 months ago, and the damage is starting to show up. Keys not working intermittently, etc. Apple techs opened it up last week and I had standing liquid in there on the left side and corrosion. I'm typing on this machine now and it's mainly working fine still, but it needs to be replaced soon.

I'm debating whether to replace with refurbished version of the same machine or to go with a MBP post-2018.

The only hiccup in my current flow is that large midi projects with my CSS strings can get pretty slow. I'm wondering if that's my LaCie spinning drive.

Would having the plug-ins on a solid state drive through the USB 3.0 port be faster flow than the HDD LaCie on the (faster) thunderbolt 2 port?

Or is the computer itself (processor speed, quad-core, etc) the culprit?

I find it very hard to get clear answers as to what exactly creates fast/ more robust work-flow for Audio production.

Processor speed vs. speed of delivery for the plug-in drive?

I'm tempted to get another 2015 MBP for cost (and because that laptop is so well-designed), but I fear painting myself in a corner because of it's age and needing to switch up again in a couple of years. The adpaters for USB-C seems like not a huge deal. I try to get as much life out of these things as possible. I need mobility for work travel, so I'm not looking at desktops.

Thanks in advance! This forum is the best.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey there,

At this point everybody recommends using SSDs for everything if possible. But:

I would use a spinning USB 3 drive for the projects and

a thunderbolt ssd for your samples.

 

In terms of what machine to get, maybe try a laptop of the same year or year later with the same ports but with higher CPU specs?

Once you go to the latest machines, everything is USB-C, so you need adapters for everything.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just retired my 2014 MBP 15 (2.8ghz i7 quad-core, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) - it's going on ebay.

Replaced with refurbed 2018 i9 MBP 15.Crazy-powerful. I thought I'd hate the new keyboard - it's fine.

I have a small dongle that plugs into the side - 1 pass-thru USB-C for power and 3 USBA ports. I thought that would annoy me but it hasn't yet.

 

I keep everything on the SSD. I have a time-machine disk connected to a thunderbolt dock at home. I keep a 1TB SSD in my backpack for TM backups on-the-go.

I also use Backblaze for cloud-based backups. I used to carry a tiny midi keyboard but Logic Remote on an iPad has become my go-to mobile input device for ad-hoc idea capture.

Hope this helps in some way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...