utrolig Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Hello there everyone! I've been thinking about getting into EDM production for a couple of years now, watching tutorials and reading up on music theory. So I've been saving up some money, and think I'm ready to go out there and buy a Macbook Pro and Logic. So, the gear I already have is: 2x 22" LCD Screens KRK RoKIT RP6G2 Monitors Pioneer DJM-400 Mixer External 1TB Seagate HDD --------------------------------- What I've been looking at for my first setup: MacBook Pro 13": 2.4GHz, 4Gb RAM (With standard specs) Logic Studio M-Audio Keystudio 49 USB MIDI-controller Apogee Duet --------------------------------- So basically my question is if I need anything else to start basic production, and if the Macbook Pro has good enough specs. I was checking out the Apogee Duet and it only has TRS Jacks output (unbalanced) and my KRK's only have Balanced TRS inputs. - utrolig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplets Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 I was checking out the Apogee Duet and it only has TRS Jacks output (unbalanced) and my KRK's only have Balanced TRS inputs. You mean the Duet has TS (unbalanced) jacks. TRS, tip ring sleeve, is balanced. Balanced matters when you have long cables. The Duet has not too many I/0 options, so it really depends on your I/0 requirements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utrolig Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 I was checking out the Apogee Duet and it only has TRS Jacks output (unbalanced) and my KRK's only have Balanced TRS inputs. You mean the Duet has TS (unbalanced) jacks. TRS, tip ring sleeve, is balanced. Balanced matters when you have long cables. The Duet has not too many I/0 options, so it really depends on your I/0 requirements. "Two unbalanced -10 dBV line outputs for powered speakers" is what it says on Apogee's page. Could I just use normal Jack cables from the Unbalanced output of the Duet and into the balanced Jack inputs of the KRK's ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookatthisguy Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 The jacks are the same, less the ring. How far will the monitors be from the Duet? My guess is "not very," in which case you can just use any 1/4" to 1/4" cable (or 1/4" to XLR, if the KRKs have that connection and you're so inclined) and not experience any difference. EDIT: Oops, forgot to add: in case you're interested in reading up more, just as an FYI, this is a handy link: http://www.sweetwater.com/shop/cables/cables_buying-guide.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utrolig Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 The jacks are the same, less the ring. How far will the monitors be from the Duet? My guess is "not very," in which case you can just use any 1/4" to 1/4" cable (or 1/4" to XLR, if the KRKs have that connection and you're so inclined) and not experience any difference. EDIT: Oops, forgot to add: in case you're interested in reading up more, just as an FYI, this is a handy link: http://www.sweetwater.com/shop/cables/cables_buying-guide.php Thanks for replying! My KRK's have XLR input, but I guess I'll just go with a standard TS Cable then. The speakers will be at max 1 Meter from the Duet, so that shouldn't be a problem. Anyone care to elaborate on the specs of the MacBook ? Is the cheapest one powerful enough to run Logic without any hiccups? - utrolig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplets Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 The basic Macbook Pro with a FW800 port should be good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentc Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 If you're buying a new macbook pro I would hold off for a few days. Word is that they are releasing the new macbook pros this week or next. I think the announcement is supposed to be this Thurs 2/24. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utrolig Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 If you're buying a new macbook pro I would hold off for a few days. Word is that they are releasing the new macbook pros this week or next. I think the announcement is supposed to be this Thurs 2/24. Yeah I know, I will be waiting for the new model, but thanks for replying Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookatthisguy Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 If you're buying a new macbook pro I would hold off for a few days. Word is that they are releasing the new macbook pros this week or next. I think the announcement is supposed to be this Thurs 2/24. Good call—I completely forgot about that. Another rumor is that they may be shipping with Light Peak, which is brand new, so there's nothing of benefit yet, but as the market grows, who knows what kind of cool stuff we'll see available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
utrolig Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 If you're buying a new macbook pro I would hold off for a few days. Word is that they are releasing the new macbook pros this week or next. I think the announcement is supposed to be this Thurs 2/24. Good call—I completely forgot about that. Another rumor is that they may be shipping with Light Peak, which is brand new, so there's nothing of benefit yet, but as the market grows, who knows what kind of cool stuff we'll see available. Yeah I read about that too, AND some rumours about it actually replacing the FireWire port which would screw up my plan about getting the Duet. Any other audio interfaces in the similar price range that would suit my needs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookatthisguy Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 If you're buying a new macbook pro I would hold off for a few days. Word is that they are releasing the new macbook pros this week or next. I think the announcement is supposed to be this Thurs 2/24. Good call—I completely forgot about that. Another rumor is that they may be shipping with Light Peak, which is brand new, so there's nothing of benefit yet, but as the market grows, who knows what kind of cool stuff we'll see available. Yeah I read about that too, AND some rumours about it actually replacing the FireWire port which would screw up my plan about getting the Duet. Any other audio interfaces in the similar price range that would suit my needs? I'm far from expert analyst of course, but I really doubt that's going to happen. As it is, Intel is supposed to be premiering Light Peak on Thursday as well, which means unless they've got other companies working with them and signed to NDAs, Apple would lose thousands upon thousands if people buying new laptops need FireWire and don't have it. On the MacBook Pro at least, your only other option would be USB, unless they restore the eSATA slot (which IMHO they should). I never even considered USB as an option (aside from the Apogee One as an "emergency gig bag option"), so you'd have to ask others which options are quality or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentc Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Agreed. If they do include Light Peak, it would have to be in addition to FW and USB. Interesting about Intel premiering LP on Thursday. That might explain why Apple is (supposedly) making their announcement on Thursday. To coincide with Intel's announcement perhaps? All speculation of course, as I'm far from an expert analyst myself. Kind of exciting though since I'm in the market for a MacBook Pro also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentc Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Update: According to leaked specs, the new macbook pros will have Light Peak under the Apple moniker: Thunderbolt. And it is in addition to FW800 and USB 2.0 ports. I'm anxious to see what this Thunderbolt is capable off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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