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Level 1

20 points

Buying Advice -Air or MBP for recording use

I am in an insane industry where I cannot travel without still having to be available to record voiceovers 7 days a week,

vacation or not..but that's another topic.

I have to replace a well-traveled MacBook - circa 2006-07 - 13-inch whose case is warping, DVD/CD slot is tricky to get in/out

of, and has a dead ethernet port - but above all loud, noisy and heats up to extremes. I just need to move into the new decade is

what i'm saying - (though I do miss Firewire but hey, I miss OS 9 some days).

My CPU demands are rather intensive - typically need to be multi-tasking with a multi-channel recording app, browser,

firewire connectivity and USB audio interface/mic preamp which is bus-powered only...

So the laptop options for me are an AIR or a current or late-model MacBook Pro from the looks of things- and i really

haven't followed the market too closely in the past few years so am sorta out of touch and could use some guidance.

A big factor is minimal self-noise of the laptop - i.e. no fans kicking in constantly - as well as just overall stability to

support recording/editing soundware. I am also assuming it would be wiser to look at flash OR solid state drive vs

conventional HD - or at least it seems logical that this would be more dependable in the long run.

And this also raises a question of whether i could have a lower-noise situation by installing a Solid State vs traditional

spinning-disk HD

Any help or advice would be hugely appreciated- for what i realize is a rather broad question but maybe not given the

specific purpose and application this will mainly be used for... And if i can accomplish something for under 1K including

max Ram and "enough" capacity HD that'd be helpful but not essential. Also i'm not one who 'has to have the latest thing' -

so if there's something recent vs brand new that is reasonably well proven, that's where i could really use some advice.

Thanks for your time and opinions and apologies in advance if this should go in another discussion category.😕

Mike

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 7, 2013 1:51 PM

Best reply

Ralph Landry1

Level 8

41,850 points

Posted on Jul 7, 2013 1:59 PM

If your price point is $1,000 you are not going to find anything from Apple. There are no portable computers in that price range.

You might try the Apple on-line store, the Store button upper left side of the browser window and see if they have refurbished units available. That is still a very low price point.

If you can go higher, the MacBook Pro would be the better choice as it is a harder working unit. But if you add solid state device storage the price will climb very quickly.

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24 replies

rikhy

Level 1

10 points

Jul 14, 2013 2:10 AM in response to MIKEinMICH

No point speculating about notebook I never used. I can assure you regarding 2010 MBP 13` which I used for production of several CDs, live performances with software synthesizers, DJing with plenty of real time sound FX and VJing- live video performance. No 2 track multitrack but 32 tracks and more. The battery life on very light use was 11 hours. Of course heavy use will shorten it significantly but again putting SSD will be beneficial in all aspects.

2010 has better GPU and is definitely more silent compared to later models. The CPUs (P8800 or 8600) used were the best of that Intel generation, lower power consumption >temp>noise.

I can assure you that that model, if you find new or in good condition will work for the jobs you need for many years.

LowLuster

Level 6

12,105 points

Jul 14, 2013 3:11 AM in response to rikhy

2011 model MBPs, there was 2 released in 2011. A early and a late model. The early models came with either Snow Leopard or Lion after Lion was released. The late 2011 only came with Lion.

To the OP. you do not want a Air model for what you want to do with it. Not enough horse power and limited storage space and RAM. And that it can not be upgraded at all.

rikhy wrote:

I think 2011 MBP were originally released with SL, otherwise 2010 and put SSD. Or 2011 Air

http://store.apple.com/us/product/G0MG1LL/A/refurbished-macbook-air-18ghz-dual-c ore-intel-core-i7

MIKEinMICH Author

Level 1

20 points

Jul 14, 2013 9:16 AM in response to LowLuster

OP Mike here.

Far harder to square this than i ever imagined...

Thanks Rikhy. To LowLuster, ok, so you're disagreeing with Rikhy who has used an Air for similar intensive Audio work as has been spelled out in his posts. What do you suggest, if i may ask... and with due respect I

know more than a few VO guys who manage with an Air when traveling but i'm open to all viewpoints...just hoping to come to some resolution before i retire haha.

This is (what i thought would be) a simple effort to replace an old MacBook with something newer and quiet for VO when traveling. I have used various laptops for decades for this - starting i think with an iBook, a "TiBook" and presently a 2008 MacBook. The thing is warping, gets too hot, works for what i do, but needs replaced because the fan noise gets too loud to record in close proximity (not by choice but necessity) to the Mic - We need to use this stuff in front of the screen vs. my main studio where the desktop computer can be isolated from the sound/voice booth.

So my options; for quietness, horsepower, stability/reliability, and ability to run Snow Leopard (and optionally, if i had a choice yes, even Leopard or Tiger if i 'wanted' to - but i guess i'll settle for SL) are........?

Feel free to recommend the right model/generation for the task at hand. I'm sitting here with a brand new Air that can't run Snow Leopard and the latest generations of the main DAW/editing app(s) I've been using for 20+ years CAN'T RUN reliably - or at least with any proven track record to this point - in MOUNTAIN LION. Ponderous.

So, that cuts my options somewhat, right? I don't mean to sound agitated but conflicting information - and the inability - i have now come to find out - to return the 'new Air' to a particular reseller doesn't help much to top it all off...

How about if we were to put it this way. OF the MacBooks/MacBook PRO models available, current or recent - that CAN run Snow Leopard, which one(s) if/when equipped with the SSD vs conventional HD to 'potentially' reduce the 'possibility' of fan noise being a factor - 'might' be a candidate to consider for the usage I've described?

Thanks for any more perspective and help!

Mike

rikhy

Level 1

10 points

Jul 14, 2013 9:21 AM in response to MIKEinMICH

No, LowLuster is right, pre 2012 Air wasnt suited for any serious audio work, it is just since 2012 they got THAT power, real breakthrough, previous Airs were toys for musician or DJ`s girlfriends. What I wrote was about 2010 13` Macbook Pro, not Air. Actually performance wise the 2012 Air beats the top 15`and 17`Macbook Pros

BTW. What software do you use, that is so important to you that you have to stay on Snow Leopard? Maybe there is better alternative. 2013 Air is amazing, I wouldnt replace it with some 4 years old second hand just because of obsolete software. For jobs you describe any entry level version of Cubase, Ableton Live or Wavelab would do. My choice for such job would be Audition, Wavelab or Soundforge. Harrison Mixbus is offered on discounted price every few weeks, original 159, sells @ 39$, many swear it is the best thing in audio industry since invention of tape recorder.

MIKEinMICH Author

Level 1

20 points

Jul 14, 2013 9:39 AM in response to rikhy

Rikhy, thanks - i misread your reference to the MBPro vs Air (2010). I have used Bias Peak since its inception.

I could enter into a whole new discussion about why and what I don't like about any other app by comparison - and in fact, would have a dragon slayer of an app if i were to pick up its development and make it multichannel, but that is another discussion. The app was orphaned abruptly due to unknown personal issues within the organization last year and loyal users were left abandoned with the last generation of it - for which I was a beta tester and also contributed to development for a new 'Studio' generation of the platform that was designed for multitrack vs. primarily editing. There is NO other app that compares in terms of simplicity, interface, ability to audibly mark edit points et.al. with the speed of workflow that I demand. I edit as fast as I think, and this is the only app- in literally 25 years - that is intuitive enough to fit my workflow. I can splice/edit analog tape faster than the time it takes to perform the same virtual function in some DAW apps. I call it needless complexity...

This would be a tangent that i could debate for a long time and it's exhausting...but suffice to say i can show someone, in a side-by-side comparison specifically how and why the app I use is superior than any other editing interface in the market to-date. Now whether some would understand and appreciate the reason is another issue but it depends on one's definition of simplicity and what defines usefulness. When I can perform - in a single keystroke, a function that requires 4 separate 'steps' to accomplish the same function in another application, I prefer the single-keystroke. It's that kinda thing.

And I've tried em all. Honestly I have. Demo'ed em, HAVE em... prefer Peak. It's my go-to...and it's served me well for 30 years or so.

Shorter answer, I use Bias Peak and it's - as far as we know - not coming back -- so the Support is gone, and the last version tests stable through OSX 7, with mixed reviews about its stability in ML.

rikhy

Level 1

10 points

Jul 14, 2013 10:02 AM in response to MIKEinMICH

It is not easy to get used to new software, done it, didnt like but sometimes you have to. Personally I didnt like Peak at all. When I switched to Mac it was the worst part of it finding good wave editor. Everyone in the industry knows that pc world had superior programs Wavlab, Cool Edit Pro (still in use by German police and spy agencies) Soundforge. What was available for Mac was poor, years behind, looking and working like from 90s. Today all those pc only editors are available for Mac most recently Soundforge. Wavelab was always Steinbergs best product absolutely king of editors, for my needs overkill, I produce, do not do masteing.

I perfectly understand your situation, you know PEAK blind, it is part of your workflow etc, obvious, super easy to work with but how long can you pull it? It is dead, at some point, even if you lucky finding 2010 Macbook Pro 13`, you will have to start using modern app, why not doing it now. Take 2-3 days, get Lynda.com, Total Training, Macpro video, Groove3 or similar tutorial videos and you will be fine running any of those Wavlabs, Soundforges or Auditions on your 2013 Air.

If you dont want to switch, get the 2.4 (lower CPU "better" because of power consumption> heat> noise) MBP 2010 13`, max RAM to 8GB, put SSD in and you will be OK as long as OS still can get you on internets, soundcards working etc. which I do not think could go beyond next 4 years.

MIKEinMICH Author

Level 1

20 points

Jul 14, 2013 11:18 AM in response to rikhy

Rikhy, thanks for your reply. Yep i realize it seems like i should be throwing in the towel and "give it up already..." but honestly, for the time being, if i don't absolutely have to - and could customize the 2.4, 2010 as you suggest without spending a ridiciulous amount - i think it'd be better for me than trying to totally transition at this moment - not saying that i won't take time to 'adapt' to newer Mac soundware that will hopefully come along that's more sensible and useful to me. As far as what's out there.... can pick something up around 650 with

the SSD and 8GB in very good condition afaik - they seem to hold resale value pretty well, that's for sure... many are priced higher right now.... Thanks!

MIKEinMICH Author

Level 1

20 points

Jul 14, 2013 11:31 AM in response to rikhy

duplicate

duplicate post

MlchaelLAX

Level 4

2,286 points

Jul 17, 2013 10:41 AM in response to Ralph Landry1

Ralph Landry1 wrote:

There is a way some claim will allow you to run SL on a new machine...you have to purchase Parallels and then purchase Snow Leopard Server and run that in a virtual machine mode.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1365439

Buying Advice -Air or MBP for recording use