OK, NEW QUESTION:which MAC to go w/for composing?

[girasoledonna]

Ok guys. So here's my follow up question to the Pro-Tools, Logic, Sonar question. You guys were so hugely helpful with THAT question that I wanted to pose this one to you.I decided to go with Logic Studio, but that leave me with buying a mac. What mac should I get? Macbook Pro? Or just a Macbook? How much Ram does it need to have to get the job done, and do you think its ok to get a small screen and just plug it into a larger monitor? (its cheaper).Second - I have a roland, but its just a piano keyboard, not a synthesizer. My pop told me I should get a second midi keyboard controller for a computer workstation that I can use for the synth sounds - because my roland probably won't allow me to work with some of the sounds very well?Lastly - best way to go about buying the Logic, Monitror Screen, Headphones, Keyboard etc. Recommendations as to where?Thanks!!! Anj

[southpaw]

Dont skimp on your computer. Get the best you can afford. Mac Pro gives you the most options... I have a macbook pro with 2gb ram anad i have done some work with logic on it, its good for sketches and midi... but i cannot really push it too far when it comes to heavy audio processing and plugins. I have a mac pro with 9gb ram and it has given me a certain peace of mind because it runs like a champ and can handle everything i throw at it. I'll never use any less, and i love the thing! I dust and massage it regularly! "think its ok to get a small screen and just plug it into a larger monitor? (its cheaper)."Of course its ok. Its up to you. Can you deal with the screen size when you're on the go is the question...Which I assume is why you are looking into a laptop as opposed to desktop right, or..?"Second - I have a roland, but its just a piano keyboard, not a synthesizer. My pop told me I should get a second midi keyboard controller for a computer workstation that I can use for the synth sounds - because my roland probably won't allow me to work with some of the sounds very well?"Im a little confused... You have a roland midi controller or no? If you dont have a midi keyboard controller you will want to get one. If you have one, and the size and feel is fine for you, then you dont need another one. Unless you want a keyboard workstation which is a midi keyboard with an internal sound module/synthesizer. A midi keyboard workstation, allows you to play/record a wide range of instruments portably. You can also take it into the studio and hook it into your Computer DAW and use the sounds you like from it, in addition to using it as a midi controller."Lastly - best way to go about buying the Logic, Monitror Screen, Headphones, Keyboard etc. Recommendations as to where?"Im going give you a super secret, so here it is..... The place with the best deal! Monitors (computer), headphones, etc. you can buy online IMO unllike a guitar or something where id like to feel and play it before i buy it.You'll usually find the best deals online, in any case.Jamie

[girasoledonna]

Thanks!!!1) Yea, I was thinking laptop so I could take it on the go - and i wasn't gonna go with TEEENY, but maybe 14-inch or so... if i get a stationary computer that really will imobilize me. Thanks for the info on MacBook Pro, if im going to the trouble of buying this thing, I might as well make sure its OK and not end up having to re-buy something in a year! So the MACbook you HAD before, really didn't cut it then?2) Not really. It's a digital piano with a few sounds on it - buts its not a controller. It has no modulation devices or bender. It has midi ports on the back, to trigger the sounds, but it has no CONTROLLER. It's touch sensitive so it might transmit the loudness and softness but it can't really give me any midi control over the device. I could hook up a module to trigger with the keyboard but whatever else i want done would have to be done in the computer. Is that ok? Or do you think I should get a midi controller keyboard to be able to do it hands on. Like a 49 or 61 keyboard etc for a hundred bucks.3) I don't have a pre-amp for singing. If i just take my mic and plug it into the computer and sing, it won't sound warm at all right? Are there ways around that? Or do I need to buy a Pre-Amp to put the sound into before the computer? And if so, what kind do I get? Thanks for the quick response!!

[southpaw]

"So the MACbook pro you HAD before, really didn't cut it then?"Well, don't get me wrong, i love my macbook pro... I use mine as more of a business computer, but i've done a bit of recording on itand its certainly capable of doing that. I would just reccomend getting as much processing power and memory you can afford, resources can be taxed very quickly. I would just get a decent 61-88 keyboard controller, I cant say for sure that what you have already doesnt work though.") I don't have a pre-amp for singing. If i just take my mic and plug it into the computer and sing, it won't sound warm at all right? Are there ways around that? Or do I need to buy a Pre-Amp to put the sound into before the computer? And if so, what kind do I get? "No, you dont want to plug a mic directly into your computer and record. ;-)A pre-amp takes an input 'mic-level' signal and turns into a line-level signal which is louder and sound much better, in most cases.To start out with, i would just get a decent audio interface. These have internal preamps and converters and are generally just plug and play. For portable recording you'll likely want this kind of all in one interface so you dont have to carry around a rack etc. . I.E I carried an mxbox 1 and my macbook pro for a couple years for portable recording.. I d say look into the apogee duet, ive got one and i love it. Check out reviews and find the one suitable for you.Jamie

[mazz]

For what you want to do, a very important thing is the amount of RAM that you have in your computer. Right now I would recommend at least 4G if the computer will handle it. Laptops are good for what you want to do but desktops (especially the MacPro!!) are necessary for ultra heavy lifting like big orchestrations, etc. Get the best laptop you can afford and load it up with RAM.You'll need at least one external hard drive and 2 would be better, one for your audio work and one for streaming samples. Don't use the internal drive for this purpose. For one thing, in laptops, they are usually much slower on purpose to conserve energy and even on a more powerful computer, you want to only run your applications and OS from the internal drive. You could certainly sketch ideas out on the go using your internal drive but I wouldn't rely on it for your crucial final output. Oh, and you'll need a third drive for back up. If your music isn't in at least 2 places, it could very easily cease to exist!! The main two drives should be Firewire and the backup could be USB.You will most definitely need some kind of sound card to get audio in and out of your computer. For one thing, when you play instruments inside the computer, the built in audio circuitry will cause an unacceptable delay in the time you hit a key and the time you hear sound. You need an outboard sound card that has low latency (the term for the delay) drivers. Any decent USB or Firewire interface would do that. Most of these devices also have MIDI I/O on them so you could use your Roland and just add a small 49 key USB device that has faders and knobs on it which you can use at home in addition to the Roland and also will be mobile as well.You'll also need some good speakers and if you're going mobile, a good set of headphones or nice in-ear monitors (Future Sonic makes some nice ones, there are others). I wouldn't recommend mixing on headphones but some people do with good results. You'll have to learn how to mix anyway and it's whatever you're used to.Whew: 2 or 3 external hard drives, headphones and a controller plus a bunch of cables and a sound card. Starting to not sound so mobile ready anymore!! You've bit off a big chunk but you'll learn it. Starting from ground zero makes for a steep learning curve. Go to the Apple store, consult with your Mac expert boyfriend and you'll be on your way.Mazz

[southpaw]

Good point with the external drives mazz. I have to second RAM RAM RAM!It is quite a 'bit o gear'. I will mention though that my 49 key keyboard, soundcard, mac, studio headphones, cables, and external HD fit in my backpack with very careful padded encasement.

[mojobone]

Rest assured, if your keyboard has MIDI output, it IS a controller, however limited. Which note you hit and how hard you hit it is most of the info a MIDI controller sends; whether you need the rest of MIDI's functionality could be a question of style. Pitch bend and modulation control are a necessity if you use the keyboard to emulate string and/or brass instruments, but if keyboard instruments are your primary focus, you could live without them, though it's nice to have a few assignable knobs and faders to control virtual instruments. In any case, your sequencer should allow you to enter and edit MIDI data after the fact, from the keyboard you use for typing. You may not need a separate preamp for vocals, as there are several USB mics on the market that can plug in directly, but a multi input interface is recommended because it's unlikely that your sequencing software will be able to deal with more than one interface at a time, (multiple PCI audio/MIDI interfaces are usually supported, but mixing PCI, USB and Firewire; usually not) in case you want to record singing (through a USB mic) and playing keys (through a PCI-based audio/MIDI interface) in a single pass.

[girasoledonna]

ok so.... then buying a single firewire interface is not reccomended? How do I get a multi input interface?

[kouly]

Jan 6, 2009, 5:34am, mojobone wrote:In any case, your sequencer should allow you to enter and edit MIDI data after the fact, from the keyboard you use for typing. You may not need a separate preamp for vocals, as there are several USB mics on the market that can plug in directly, but a multi input interface is recommended because it's unlikely that your sequencing software will be able to deal with more than one interface at a time, (multiple PCI audio/MIDI interfaces are usually supported, but mixing PCI, USB and Firewire; usually not) in case you want to record singing (through a USB mic) and playing keys (through a PCI-based audio/MIDI interface) in a single pass.In Logic there is no problem with mulitple audio interfaces, an aggregate device iscreated in the operating system. Midi interfaces are handled separately and you can have as many as you want. So I would get a Firewire or PCI Audio interface and a small MIDI interface and you will be set. I personally would stay away from any USBaudio interfaces. USB is fine for MIDI.

[fusilierb]

I would also recommend the macpro as opposed to the macbook pro. I own both and the laptops just don't have the same power as the monster desktop. If you absolutely have to be mobile, then you have no choice. But I only record myself mainly and that always happens in the studio, so the mobility thing isn't really an issue for me.I will say that the macbook pro works fine for tracking as I've recorded with it many times. It's just that when you are mixing, or as Mazz says, doing heavy orchestra work, the plug-ins will bog it down.As far as RAM, definitely get as much as you can (up to 4 GIGS) Until everything goes 64 bit, having more RAM than that is really more of a bragging right than a help. 32 bit systems and software cannot address more than 4 gigs of RAM, so it really won't be used.That being said, Snow Leopard (the next version of mac's OS due out this year) will change that game. It will be full 64 bit and will be optimized to handle multiple cores. So very soon, having more RAM will be a real help. So get as much RAM as you can, and get a modern multi-core chip, don't skimp on this and buy a used pre Intel chip or you will be shortly left in the dust.hope this helps.B