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dual-core MBA + quad-core MMS = 6 cores. Problem?

I am planning a hardware purchase and I want to be able to use Logic Pro with samples, synthesis engines, physical modelling instruments and some audio, as well as some fairly heavy convolution reverb (Altiverb). Not epic arrangements - probably not more than 20 tracks at a time. My employer is getting me (for non-music reasons) a new MacBook Air 13" which I am upgrading to 8GB, with the i7 dual core processor. And I plan to buy a Mac mini server, also 8 GB, to network with the MBA. I have read several old threads about Logic not doing well with 6 cores - here, for example: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1000550 . My questions for you are:


1) With the setup I described, would I be better off running *everything* from the MMS, or Logic on the MBA and the samples, synthesis etc. on the MMS? Or some other combination?


2) I'd have a total of 6 cores. Is this still a problem, as in the thread I linked to above, which says Logic performs better on 4 cores than 6? Maybe it's not even an issue if Logic could never spread itself across two machines the way I'm imagining it?


3) Is it worth getting two SSDs on the MMS? You can order it with 500GB HD x2, or 250GB SSD x2, or 750 HD + 250 GB SSD. I'm thinking maybe getting both drives SSD is overkill because in any case networking between the machines is going to be more of a bottleneck than read/write on the HDs? Or should I shell out $500 extra for a 512 GB SSD on the MBA instead of 256 GB? That's pretty steep!


The main sample sets and instruments I will be using are VSL special edition, NI Komplete 7, Pianoteq, SampleModelling brass.


Most important, I guess, is where to put the extra money for a larger SSD: MBA or MMS. And that would depend on which CPU I set up Logic to run on, and which will serve the samples.


As you can tell I am new at this so if my post betrays any big misconceptions about how this will all work, I would also be grateful to hear about it. Thank you!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8), 17", early 2009

Posted on Jun 28, 2012 6:45 PM

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3 replies

Jun 28, 2012 7:20 PM in response to montagular

You don't add the cores together, you're running on ONE operating system, that's how many cores Logic will see, the other machine will simply be added processing.


Be forewarned, Logic from the app store does not come with the "Node" software that allows use of a second machine for extra processing. At least I don't think it does, can anyone confirm.


Personally, I would first try running everything off the MMS, so much simpler. I'll let others comment on the drives.

Jun 29, 2012 9:10 AM in response to Pancenter

Thanks Pancenter and I'm sorry to be obtuse, but: you say the other machine will simply be added processing and Logic will not see its extra cores. So if Logic is running on the MMS, is there no point networking it with a new MacBook Air and/or my current laptop, a 2009 MacBook Pro, and placing some virtual instruments on those machines? In my imagined version of how these things work, Logic would direct those instruments, residing potentially on an external node, to compute some audio from the midi information sequenced in Logic, and to send it back to Logic over the network asap. So it wouldn't really be *Logic* running on the external node machine, but whatever virtual instrument Logic is requesting. Do I understand this right?

Jun 29, 2012 10:48 AM in response to montagular

No, Logic will not see the extra cores. It's the operating system of the Mac that Logic is running on that defines the cores that Logic sees. That doesn't mean you can't gain processing power from networking the computers.


If you run a virtual instrument on a networked machine the VI uses processing power on the machine it's running on and flows the data into Logic from the network, so yes, you understand that part right, but that's different than Logic seeing the actual processing cores and adding them, each machine stands alone, does the processing needed for whatever is running on it and flows the processed data in/out to Logic.


That said... I would still try to use the MMS for everything first. Simpler is better and more reliable.

dual-core MBA + quad-core MMS = 6 cores. Problem?

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