Macbook PRO for musical applications

Xenon · Dec 26, 2009

Hi to Everyone!

I Have to buy a notebook that I will use surely for commons applications (browsing Internet, writing docs, check/sending Emails ..etc) but mainly to make music... I need infact to use notation programs (Finale,Sibelius) and recording programs (Protools, Cubase) to make music and recording as a mobile studio-rec (I need professional results as possible). I know apple for this kind of apps is the most used.
I need a help for the choice of the notebook! Mine is oriented on a MBP 13" 2.53 Ghz (mainly because of my not very expensive budget). Also I am thinking about take it with a more performing hard drive (the 128gb SSD)....but...worth it?
This will be useful for this kind of applications (0 latency in recording, velocity of use many vst instruments...) or a normal HDD 5400 rmp is enough??

Thank you guys

Mac Pro · Dec 26, 2009

That macbook pro should be fine for your needs. The SSD may not be worth it if you need more space to store all of your music. Also it's going to raise the cost quite a bit. By the time you add the SDD, you could buy the base model 15" macbook pro for about the same price. I would just get it configured standard and do your own upgrades as you need them, as it is cheaper to buy upgrades 3rd party. Good luck with your purchase!

Xenon · Dec 26, 2009

Thank you for the reply!
I am Italian so let me se if I understood correctly

Do you mean that could be preferable to buy the base model of 15" (which has the same features of the 13" I mean) and then take the SSD drive? Won't it more expensive?

The 13" with SSD costs 1700 EURO (1849 USD in the States)

""The SSD may not be worth it if you need more space to store all of your music""
Probably it will be great to have 2 hard drive in the notebook, one SSD to run the applications, and one HDD to use as a storage... however I have an external drive for this use.....

Slydude · Dec 26, 2009

Xenon said:
Do you mean that could be preferable to buy the base model of 15" (which has the same features of the 13" I mean) and then take the SSD drive? Won't it more expensive?

The 13" with SSD costs 1700 EURO (1849 USD in the States)

I think Mac Pro means to take the base 15" model with the hard drive instead of the SSD. I haven't done the level of recording you are talking about but to me the SSDs are just too expensive right now. I would probably look at the cost of either the 7200 rpm drives are largest capacity internal drive I could afford.

Mac Pro · Dec 26, 2009

Yeah I was talking about getting the 15" macbook pro with the standard hard drive as it would be around the same price as the 13" macbook pro with the SSD. The idea of the SSD for applications and external for storage isn't a bad idea, but I think you would just be spending money that you don't have to. Maybe buy the standard 15" or 13" macbook pro and buy a 500gb 7200 rpm hard drive for better performance. Or just stick with the 5400 rpm hard drive and see how things go. If I were you I would start with the standard configuration and go from there on maybe getting an external or upgrading to a 7200 rpm hard drive. I would stay away from a SSD now until the price comes down.

JUKE179r · Dec 27, 2009

Mac Pro said:
Yeah I was talking about getting the 15" macbook pro with the standard hard drive as it would be around the same price as the 13" macbook pro with the SSD. The idea of the SSD for applications and external for storage isn't a bad idea, but I think you would just be spending money that you don't have to. Maybe buy the standard 15" or 13" macbook pro and buy a 500gb 7200 rpm hard drive for better performance. Or just stick with the 5400 rpm hard drive and see how things go. If I were you I would start with the standard configuration and go from there on maybe getting an external or upgrading to a 7200 rpm hard drive. I would stay away from a SSD now until the price comes down.

+1
True statement.

Go with an internal 7200rpm HD and get an external 1 or 2 TB Firewire 800/400 HD to save all of your music samples/songs/projects to.
This is what I do. ;D

idirtbike · Dec 27, 2009

dude MacBooks are amazing for this type of stuff. i do alot of producing for my friends and i use to make beats all the time off my old macbook (aluminum unibody) i just got the white unibody one which has more memory then the 13" MBP it has 250gb n im pretty sure the MBP 13 has 120 or 160gb....look into it more because the 13" MB is better then the 13" MBP so if ur gonna get the pro go for 15" n up.....i also have Pro Tools on my new uni MB n it works great, the only thing i am thinking about doing is upgrading from 2gb ram to 4gb....ontop of pro tools, fruity loops and my DJ equiptment i also have the whole ADOBE workshop n Microsoft office downloaded and the MB is still running amazing! couldnt be happier. so if you want to save a few hundred go for the NEW unibody white one. also read more into them read the specs on the new uni MB n then read the specs on the new uni Pro. hope this helped a little, if u have any questions let me know!

Xenon · Dec 27, 2009

mmmm Indeeed Idirtbike.... the macbook with 4 gb ram (instead of 2 as basic model) costs 990 Euro, and the specs are quite similar of a first level PRO 15" that costs 1600 euro (only the Intel core is 2.26 ghz instead of 2.53, and the screen of course. Ram-NVIDIA-hd are the same)
now the question is...It will be possible to put, in future, a ssd or 7200 rmp hard drive into the macbook?...or enlarge the Ram memory?
I think a MBP has more possibilities of expansion....

however....from the second level 13" to the first level 15" I think you pay mainly the bigger screen because the specs are the same

So a few days ago I had only one certainty: to take a PRO....now it casts serious doubts ( DON'T KNOW IF IT IS CORRECT)

Mac Pro · Dec 27, 2009

Xenon said:
mmmm Indeeed Idirtbike.... the macbook with 4 gb ram (instead of 2 as basic model) costs 990 Euro, and the specs are quite similar of a first level PRO 15" that costs 1600 euro (only the Intel core is 2.26 ghz instead of 2.53, and the screen of course. Ram-NVIDIA-hd are the same)
now the question is...It will be possible to put, in future, a ssd or 7200 rmp hard drive into the macbook?...or enlarge the Ram memory?
I think a MBP has more possibilities of expansion....

however....from the second level 13" to the first level 15" I think you pay mainly the bigger screen because the specs are the same

So a few days ago I had only one certainty: to take a PRO....now it casts serious doubts ( DON'T KNOW IF IT IS CORRECT)

Yes, you can upgrade your hard drive and ram whenever you feel you need to. I think you would be happier with a macbook pro, but if your budget doesn't allow it, the white macbook is nice too.

Xenon · Dec 28, 2009

idirtbike said:
dude MacBooks are amazing for this type of stuff. i do alot of producing for my friends and i use to make beats all the time off my old macbook (aluminum unibody) i just got the white unibody one which has more memory then the 13" MBP it has 250gb n im pretty sure the MBP 13 has 120 or 160gb....look into it more because the 13" MB is better then the 13" MBP so if ur gonna get the pro go for 15" n up.....i also have Pro Tools on my new uni MB n it works great, the only thing i am thinking about doing is upgrading from 2gb ram to 4gb....ontop of pro tools, fruity loops and my DJ equiptment i also have the whole ADOBE workshop n Microsoft office downloaded and the MB is still running amazing! couldnt be happier. so if you want to save a few hundred go for the NEW unibody white one. also read more into them read the specs on the new uni MB n then read the specs on the new uni Pro. hope this helped a little, if u have any questions let me know!

Well I have to disagree! the new white macbooks doesn't have the firewire port!! I have just noticed that!! I didn't know it before....

...I'm seriously thinking about getting the second level 13"....the first 15" is a 13" with a 15" screen

and it costs 200 Euro more..... and I don't want (but I am very tempted to do it...probably also for the great Graphics) to spend 1799 euro to get the second 15".....I don't even need a screen so big....

Then I will do what Mac Pro suggested me: I'll take a SSD when his price will comes down (I hope the SSD technology will replace the HDDI think it is much more reliable)

Xenon · Jan 22, 2010

OK I contacted Apple and they said me that if now I get the second model MBP 13" as standard, it won't be possible in the future to substitute the HDD with any SSD because of the internal hardware. So, if I don't get it with SSD now, I'lle have to change notebook to have a SSD.
To me is very strange because everyone said to me it is possible to do this kind of substitution, only Apple say it is not!

What do you think about? is it possible that it concerns only the italian market?

osxx · Jan 22, 2010

This is worth looking into if you take music seriously and it only works on a Mac. Apogee Electronics > Products > Duet

MYmacROX · Jan 22, 2010

Xenon said:
OK I contacted Apple and they said me that if now I get the second model MBP 13" as standard, it won't be possible in the future to substitute the HDD with any SSD because of the internal hardware. So, if I don't get it with SSD now, I'lle have to change notebook to have a SSD.
To me is very strange because everyone said to me it is possible to do this kind of substitution, only Apple say it is not!

What do you think about? is it possible that it concerns only the italian market?

I think what everyone is suggesting is not the SSD drive. They are saying you should purchase a larger hard drive on your own that has 7200 RPM instead. It's cheaper than SSD and just fine for what you will use your macbook pro for.

Xenon · Feb 17, 2010

Well! I've done....I'm an Apple user! My first post using my new macbook pro

It's an incredible machine!!!!

See you soon guys!

Macbook PRO for musical applications

Xenon

Mac Pro

Xenon

Slydude

Well-known member

Mac Pro

JUKE179r

idirtbike

Xenon

Mac Pro

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Xenon

osxx

MYmacROX

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