macbook pro as primary daw?

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macbook pro as primary daw?

Prior Sonar user on pc desktops and have decided to switch to Mac running Logic Pro X. My only experience with apple is a 27" iMac we've used as our primary household computer for the past year. I like it.

I'm leaning toward a 15" macbook pro as a dedicated DAW. Will use primarily in the studio but 10 - 15% of time out in the field. I thought about another iMac (dedicated) and a carry bag (NSP, or ILugger) But it's huge, heavy, and not the ideal form factor out in the wild. So I'm considering the 15" macbook pro retina loaded up (2.8ghz i7, 16gb ram, 512 ssd, with an external drive for storage.)

My concern is if I'll regret using a laptop as a primary workstation. The screen is not an issue as I can always plug into a bigger LCD monitor in the studio. So. . . anyone with experience using both form factors or with a dedicated macbook studio have any wisdom to share?

Thanks!

Posted on Feb 15, 2015 9:35 AM

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Answer 1

Feb 15, 2015 3:34 PM in response to Jazz Hat

Former Sonar X user here. Got my wife's Macbook Air after she got an iPad.

I have a 2012 Macbook Air (i5 1.8, 8, 256) that I use as my primary computer. I have a 27" monitor at my home-studio. For my projects, using the Air and Logic Pro X works for me. I have about 20-25 tracks of audio plus a few tracks of loops/synths. I connect my TASCAM US-1800 to the Air via USB and an additional USB hub with a mouse/keyboard/external HDDs which connects to the Air's other USB port. I connect my external LCD to the Thunderbolt port using an TB-DVI converter.

I do not have any problems recording on this system. No system-related dropouts. No running out of memory. I have at least two projects that are 5GB in project size. I have no problems loading them on the Air. I have been using this setup for about 14 months.

My home studio needs are small however. I record drums, guitars, vocals, bass and edit them using Logic. I only record a track at a time unless I'm recording drums in which case I'm recording 8 tracks at once.

The system is responsive and doesn't crash or have "Disk not fast enough" or other related errors. There is no lag, stuttering or other audio weirdness.

For a performance example, it takes about 25 seconds to load up my 6m45s 5.71GB project. I timed this to compare it to the same project file loading on a friend's mackintosh (i5 3.2GHz, 16GB, 256 SSD). On his system it takes 16 seconds to load the same project from a cold boot. Neither system have problems playing this project.

Understand that I write/produce music as a hobby. Therefore ultimate speed/performance is not a concern for me. I enjoy the portability of the Air and the ability to write/record my music on the same machine. You may have different goals.

I use an external HDD to copy my audio files to after a recording session. I also have another external HDD that I use for Time Machine backups. Thus, I have a copy of my music on the Air and essentially two external HDD. I feel that is suffice should the SSD in the Air die, AND I lose an external HDD at the same time.

I use this machine daily and I'm in my studio many times per week.

TL;DR - Yes you can use a Macbook Pro to record using Logic and you won't have a problem. This depends on your needs. There's a reason a professional studio spends $$$ on Mac Pros.. However for a home studio, in my opinion, a Macbook Pro would work well.

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Answer 2

Jazz Hat Author

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Feb 15, 2015 4:23 PM in response to dsmedic10

Thanks dsmedic, really appreciate the detailed response!

Makes sense to plug in (mouse, keyboard, monitor) at home. . . and I'm really drawn to the portability of the MBP. I think what I'll do next is hit an Apple store, take some garage band tracks on a thumb drive & headphones . . . If they allow I'll try mixing a project on each format (MBP & desktop) and see how that feels.

Again, thanks for the detail on your system, your projects, & stability. Extremely helpful! Sounds like Logic will have no issues on the system I'm considering.

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Answer 3

Feb 16, 2015 9:31 AM in response to Jazz Hat

I think it will work out excellent for you. I would consider getting a MBP upgrade for my Air but in my case, I just can't justify it. I will grant you that a MBP will run Logic "faster" and have more potential to run more tracks/effects etc. But in my case specifically, I don't run many effects, I don't use Amp designer or Drummer, and I use only about 20 tracks. In my case, the Air works perfectly.

If you are using a lot of synths/effects/loops then YMMV. You have an excellent suggestion: Go to an Apple store with a flash drive of your current project and ask if they will allow you to test your project on a MBP. If you feel that performance is ok, then you know your answer.

I will recommend at least an external HDD to use as a file storage/Time Machine backup.

Good luck!

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