Recommend best setup - evaluating Logic 9

[chillywilly]

Hi Folks. I'm switching DAWs and evaluating Logic 9 Studio vs. Pro Tools 9. (My current DAW has been unstable and features I desire (lock tracks, hide tracks, and lots more).

 

I have a few questions for you...

1) Do you find Logic 9 to be very stable and reliable on a MacBook Pro 2.4 GHz w/4 GB RAM? I want a stable system. Highest priority. Nothing worse than losing previous work to a corrupted file.

 

2) When plug-ins are in bypass mode, are they still taxing the system? If not, this feature can create a major improvement in performance.

 

3) What features do you wish Logic 9 still had? Anything vital missing?

 

4) What is the very best way to set up the app/data?

 

In the past, I have used the internal drive (which I upgraded to a 7200 RPM drive) for everything. I might have 20 tracks going and only a few plug-ins. I never use virtual instruments, although I own the Jupiter 8V synth plug-in and plan to use it someday soon. My system seems to work fine, except of course that I've had some issues which I believe are just issues with the software.

 

Anyway, if I went with Pro Tools I would have to upgrade to 10.6. Originally I thought of getting a fast external drive, installing 10.6 and Pro Tools software on it, and storing my audio data on it as well. Then I heard that it's much better to use the internal drive for performance reasons, so instead I would upgrade the internal drive OS and put 10.5.8 on an external drive for non-audio apps that aren't 10.6 friendly. In this case I would just use the internal drive for everything. Then somewhere in these forums I read a suggestion to put the Mac OS and Logic on the internal drive and put the audio data on an external drive. Is that just a recommendation for those who haven't upgraded their internal drives? Is it faster and better to a two drive combination than to use a 7200 RPM internal drive for everything? Which setup yields the best results?

 

5) By the way, how do you connect an eSATA drive to a MacBook Pro anyway?

[Scott Jackson]

You have so many questions in one thread.

 

Read Me Before Posting - Forum Guidelines

[Eriksimon]

2. No.

[Nublu]

5) Acquire an eSata card that plugs into the MacBook Pro. I have a two port card that works well. I have two Lacie's and a Maxtor external and they perform as well as my internal 7200 drive.

 

4) Install the program you choose on the internal system drive (let the installer do what it does) and record to the external drive. Projects and supplementary libraries can also be saved to the external drive. The idea is to relieve stress on the system drive, and its' mechanisms.

 

When you experience instability in your current set-up, do you find that the computer is running hot? My MacBook Pro seems to experience dizzyness around 150 degrees fahrenheit (approx. 75 Centigrade). I monitor the temperature with a program called smcFanControl.

 

Other than that this set-up has been stable for over three yrs. now.

Don't be afraid of the 10.6 series operating system. Or Logic 9

Learn some of the basic system cleaning and maintenance procedures and in my opinion you are good to go.

 

Check here for stuff we hope Logic gets:

http://www.logicprohelp.com/viewforum.php?f=24

[chillywilly]

Thanks for the responses so far. Sorry if I packed too many questions in one thread! I highly appreciate your answers.

 

I went ahead and ordered an eSATA Express Card and external drive from OWC. I'm going to use it for the audio data as suggested.

 

I haven't noticed any specific heat associated with the bugs in Studio One. I did experience heat issues back when I was trying to use MOTU DP7. There were lots of problems with that DAW and my computer. It would freeze up and heat up regularly. The Studio One bugs don't create heat and don't crash the Finder. They have something to do with saving files and file permissions. It's unclear what is going wrong, but I have lost of lot of work because of the problems with Studio One and my computer.

 

Does Logic perform better or the same on 10.6.6 compared to 10.5.8? Since I'm thinking of installed 10.5.8 and moving all my non-audio apps to the external drive, I'll be free to upgrade the internal drive to 10.6. I only want to do this if it will be a noticeable improvement because it's a fair bit of work. What do you think?

[Eriksimon]

10.5.8 is very stable. But no 64-bit Logic. If you don't need to run 64 bit, 10.5.8 is fine. If you update to Snow Leo, update up to 6.4. There were some issues with 6.5, 6.6 with some USB hardware.

[chillywilly]

Stability is way more important to me than 64-bit processing. I highly doubt I would notice the difference in audio quality. I can tell the difference between 16-bit and 24-bit, but that's about it. I don't record at sample rates higher than 44.1 kHz. Besides, I have the MIO 2882+DSP that I'm about to send in for a 2D card upgrade. That will allow me to use the high-resolution, out-of-the-box DSP mix engine for summing the individual tracks to stereo if I really want to (as if I would even notice the quality difference). With 32-bit processing, I imagine I'll have a lot more horsepower available for recording, playback, and plug-ins - especially with my 2.4 GHz Intel Dual Core machine.

[Nublu]

Things will work well with 10.5.8 which you are already familiar with.

To my mind, getting to a foundational workflow that you enjoy, is the most important step at this point. You can tweak your hard-drive management, your system upgrades, and your third-party plug-ins as time unfolds. You can let your knowledge, skill, and enjoyment drive your purchases.

 

Good luck!