which macbookpro for logic?

[aby1]

Hi,

 

I want to but a macBookPro laptop to use along with Logic Pro. I was thinking about one for 1799 Euros on this pagehttp://store.apple.com/ie/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro

 

I have iMac (2.4 GH Intel Core 2 Duo, 2Gb of Ram) and it's a little bit slow on some projects ant others I can't run at all, even if I freeze all tracks. I use a lot of plugins.

 

Do you think that laptop should do the job? I still want to keep my old iMac and use Logic Node with laptop.

 

What do you think,?

[n6smith]

Unless you really want a laptop for other purposes, I would recommend getting one of the new Mac Minis /Mac Mini Server and using that as the primary computer using your older iMac as the node. You will immediately notice the huge bump up in processing power over what you have... and for a lot less money (even if you have to buy a good monitor) than the cost of an equivalent laptop.

[Eriksimon]

I have no idea if that laptop will do the trick for you ("a lot of" plugins really doesn't tell me much), but that laptop is about 2.75 times more powerful, so I think it is reasonably likely that your projects will run on it.

However, if you are a plugin fanatic, chances are you'll run the MBP into the ground soon too.

But the MBP will initially absolutely blow your mind with its' power. Downside to that is that you stand to gain little from using your iMac as a node, since it'll only add 25-30 % to the MBP, and that is not counting the extra power that the noding process itself eats up, so, I'ld advice against that, better be prudent with CPUheavy plugins, and keep using Freeze (especially for heavy Software Instrument tracks).

You could always try to do it the other way around (use the MBP as node machine to the iMac), but I have no idea how well noding actually works in practice. The main advantage would be that you can work with the large iMac screen that way.

 

Longstoryshort: Yes, that MBP is a good choice, power-wise. A new iMac of the same price would be too.

[shivermetimbers]

Hi,

 

I want to but a macBookPro laptop to use along with Logic Pro. I was thinking about one for 1799 Euros on this pagehttp://store.apple.com/ie/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook_pro

 

I have iMac (2.4 GH Intel Core 2 Duo, 2Gb of Ram) and it's a little bit slow on some projects ant others I can't run at all, even if I freeze all tracks. I use a lot of plugins.

 

Do you think that laptop should do the job? I still want to keep my old iMac and use Logic Node with laptop.

 

What do you think,?

 

 

Try adding 2G more of Ram first.

[JimDavidson]

I mostly just read things here, but your question caught my eye. It's something I just went thru, which model of the new MBP's to go with. I picked the more expensive $2100 model, and now realize I'd have been just as happy with the $1700 one. In my usage, light recording of bands I'm in, 6 to say 12 tracks, Logic is coasting in this new MBP.

 

For my live work, Mainstage is WAY better on the 2011 model as compared to my earlier MBP, a 2008 2.5ghz.

 

I typically see very low cpu usage in LOGIC, numbers in the 20% or so range. It's not straining there at all. What it does strain is the systems ability to cool itself. Things get hot quick, the fans roar. Considering the low cpu usage numbers I see, I'd have been just as happy with the 2.0 ghz cpu. Maybe it'd be running at 30% ?

 

Also, the bigger better video card in the more pricey model ….. is that gaining me anything ? Not that I notice. When it's active, you can expect the battery life to drop WAY down.

 

In any case, if you get a new MBP, it'll have LION, and the current LOGIC is, well, a bit buggy with that. I'm looking forward to an upgrade soon. Logic works ( with bugs ), and Mainstage, which I use a lot also works, with some cute graphic problems. Hopefully the next LOGIC will better spread the work across the cpu cores and then I'll have even more excess cpu.

 

 

If it were me and I could do it over, I'd not have bothered with the 2.2 ghz cpu. The cpu just isn't a bottleneck at all on my system. The fans are. And Logic's coding is. There'll be a better written Logic, but the loud fans and overkill graphics card I'm sorta stuck with.

 

All that said, I've no idea how hard you would push your system. I can say that in my case, the cpu isn't even close straining. Have fun shopping.

[aby1]

Ok, thanks for all posts, ac couple weeks ago I wanted to buy a MacPro but then I realized that with laptop I'ts make it a lot more flexible to take my projects to the studio especially that I use plugins on Master Out and because of that I can't export tracks. I go for that laptop than. I hope it will run well for a while. Cheers!

[JimDavidson]

That macbook pro should be fine. Like it's been said, it's gonna be way more power than your current iMac. I sold my iMac in the process of getting this new MBP and I do miss it some. They have beautiful screens.

 

On just the laptop's LCD, Logic seems pretty cramped screen wise, especially compared to the iMac. Adding an external is cake easy. I bought an adaptor to run a 24" HDMI LCD off the laptops thunderbolt port. Plugs right in, works great. I don't miss the iMac as much now

[skyshooter]

I own the late 2008 unibody 2.4 GHz 2GB/500MB I upgraded the drives to 1.25TB and the RAM to 8GB it's still a screaming machine, and mine is about 3 years old now - no issues.

 

Don't upgrade through Apple, RAM and HD's I get at Other World Computing (shopped there for years now) www.macsales.com best place to get info, I also buy a lot at my local CompUSA where they have incredible prices on the email list, just added a WD 750GB 2.5" 7200RPM drive in place of my DVD for $90.00, I purchased the datadoubler drive holder on eBay for $12.00 instead of the OWC one at $90.00. All my RAM has come from them, they even bought my old RAM I took out back!

 

Being this computer is a lot newer than mine I don't think you'll find any real dealbreaker on it, great machine!