Mac Book Air for portable DAW ?

[pfschim]

With the new MacBook Air models out, and lower pricepoints to match, I was wondering if either of these configs would support a basic (and highly portable) DAW set-up. I don't do huge, muti-track work, but am very interested in a high level of portability. I'd also have to re-introduce myself to the Mac OS, as its been a while since I played with one.

11 inch Air
Processor

• 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB on-chip shared L2 cache
• Optional 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache
• 800MHz frontside bus
  
  Memory
• 2GB of 1066MHz DDR3 memory
• 4GB maximum configurable option

13 inch Air

• 1.86GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB on-chip shared L2 cache
• Optional 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache
• 1066MHz frontside bus
  
  Memory
• 2GB of 1066MHz DDR3 memory
• 4GB maximum configurable option

I'd guess that loading up on RAM would be the best option, but otherwise they look like they would make a decent, highly portable DAW platform.

I currently use, and am perfectly happy with, a run-of-the mill Toshiba with a Dual Core 2.4Ghz CPU, 4GB Ram and a std 5400rpm HD. It works just fine with the DAW's that I have loaded (Ableton, Reaper), so after checking these out, I got curious.

anyone use a MacBook Air for their portable audio/DAW platform ?


ON EDIT - just checked the price of a loaded 13" MacBook Air: 2.13Ghz CPU, 256GB SSD HD, 4GB RAM is $1799. That is quite a bit of $$ for the configuration offered

[Yvon]

Why not the 13" macbook pro?
Cheap and it will be a lot better than the air... and you will have a dvd player.

[pfschim]

Originally Posted by Yvon

Why not the 13" macbook pro?
Cheap and it will be a lot better than the air... and you will have a dvd player.

well, I have stayed away from Macs in general because they are pretty pricey (IMO/IME - not looking for a Mac vs PC argument here), and I am much more familiar with either Windows or Linux OS. OTOH, the Air caught my eye because of its specs and weight (2.9lbs!).

I see what you mean about the 13" MacBook Pro vs. the Air (DVD drive and more ports), but looking at the specs, I am back at the compare I would make against a Wintel laptop where, for the same money as the 13" MB Pro ($1199), I can get an i7 CPU (instead of a Core 2), at least 500gb - 7200rpm SATA HD, (instead of 320gb - 5400rpm) and 4 or even 6gb RAM (instead of 4gb). Perhaps not as sexy as the MB Pro, but now we are into the realm of opinion as opposed to specs.

[magneezius]

Well although i have a macbook pro and absolutely love it i must say the use for my optical drive has dwindled. Yes i still use it occasionally to play a DVD however with itunes and netflix and even hulu the use for optical drives is dying out slowly. Apple is slowly killing off the optical drive all together. In time it will go the way of the floppy drive in favor of thumb drives, which is what the macbook air uses to restore its OS.

with that said, the mac has no plans to upgrade to USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 can only handle sample rates up to 46k. the Macbook air only has USB 2.0. maybe thats not an issue for you if you choose a USB interface but im just letting you know.

Macbook pro is still a superior laptop for recording however in my opinion a macbook air will definitely get the job done even without optical drive and firewire ports.

[pfschim]

Originally Posted by magneezius

... Macbook pro is still a superior laptop for recording however in my opinion a macbook air will definitely get the job done even without optical drive and firewire ports.

I am using a USB 2.0 interface at the moment with perfectly acceptable results, so that would not be an issue.

My OP was more of a hypothetical question, but I am starting to get that the C2D equipped MB Air would probably work fine for my digital audio needs. The $1799 price is a bit steep for that config - 2.13Ghz CPU, 256GB SSD HD, 4GB RAM.

Money is not an issue, but I am utterly pragmatic when it comes to equipment, and I'm kind of a cheap ba**ard too

The practical question for me is whether I really want to switch platforms (Win7 to Mac OS X), with all the potential workflow issues of switching OS's, just to use a MB Air. I have used Macs with OS X before (as a long term Win user, I found it somewhat challenging, but not a show stopper) and I am perfectly happy with my current NI interface into Ableton on my Win7 64bit laptop.

The 2.9lbs MB Air with a 256gb SSD is sure keeping my interest up though

[4Mal]

ask ... does it need to be a very portable DAW ? or will a Hi Quality field recorder work and a more stationary DAW work as well. Either answer is fine. Just a god thing to ask before plunging on the hyper portable, and hence hyper expensize thing ...

I go both ways, Mac & PC. A long time PC guy - I'm reallybeginning to prefer the Mac and I'm more or less amazed at that.

[magneezius]

Originally Posted by pfschim

I am using a USB 2.0 interface at the moment with perfectly acceptable results, so that would not be an issue.

My OP was more of a hypothetical question, but I am starting to get that the C2D equipped MB Air would probably work fine for my digital audio needs. The $1799 price is a bit steep for that config - 2.13Ghz CPU, 256GB SSD HD, 4GB RAM.

Money is not an issue, but I am utterly pragmatic when it comes to equipment, and I'm kind of a cheap ba**ard too

The practical question for me is whether I really want to switch platforms (Win7 to Mac OS X), with all the potential workflow issues of switching OS's, just to use a MB Air. I have used Macs with OS X before (as a long term Win user, I found it somewhat challenging, but not a show stopper) and I am perfectly happy with my current NI interface into Ableton on my Win7 64bit laptop.

The 2.9lbs MB Air with a 256gb SSD is sure keeping my interest up though

well you could always run bootcamp or parallels and have both OS X and Windows installed on your macbook air. Best of both worlds.

[atheos]

Speed is basically no issue unless you're using heavy plugins. The SSD is blazing fast compared to traditional hard drive. In normal use the Air actually feels faster than e.g. 13 inch MacBook Pro, thanks to the SSD. If you'll live with no optical drive (there is the external Superdrive if you need one) and a USB audio interface, go for it.

You'll also get GarageBand which is truly a magnificent piece of software, especially the new '11 version since it has the Flex Time feature (easy audio editing without traditional cut and paste).

[Citymariner]

You can do remote installs from another mac to get over the lack of optical drive which is a pretty cool feature - relies on y.u having another mac in your house mind,

[Chrisk-K]

The SSD is worth $$$. My i3 2.14 GHz Vaio notebook with a 128GB Intel SSD feels much faster than my i7 3.33 GHz Tower with 2x 10,000 rpm SATA HDD's.

[vin*tone]

I'd decide based on software. Would your current software run on Mac?
Mac software IS good. For simple recordings Gge Band is hard to beat. Then if you need to take your project to the next level you can open your Garage Band file in Logic and go to town.

[Spencer!]

Originally Posted by magneezius

with that said, the mac has no plans to upgrade to USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 can only handle sample rates up to 46k. the Macbook air only has USB 2.0. maybe thats not an issue for you if you choose a USB interface but im just letting you know.

You mean 48k? Not true - plenty of USB 2.0 interfaces do 24/96 easily. No Macbook is really that great for serious recording - they don't have any high-speed connections now that they gave the expresscard slot the axe. That said, most USB 2.0 interfaces should be fine for the average hobbyist.

[Spencer!]

Originally Posted by vin*tone

I'd decide based on software. Would your current software run on Mac?
Mac software IS good. For simple recordings Gge Band is hard to beat. Then if you need to take your project to the next level you can open your Garage Band file in Logic and go to town.

Rumor has it that Pro Tools 9 is getting announced this week, that'd be the way to go for anyone doing heavy audio editing.

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by Yvon

Why not the 13" macbook pro?
Cheap and it will be a lot better than the air... and you will have a dvd player.

+1
It works real well.
I'm using the apogee duet with it which makes for quite a useable portable set up...

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by Spencer!

Rumor has it that Pro Tools 9 is getting announced this week, that'd be the way to go for anyone doing heavy audio editing.

Nice it may be, but protools is very expensive, no?

[Spencer!]

Originally Posted by cnltb

Nice it may be, but protools is very expensive, no?

It's included with Avid interfaces, which start around $350. Rumors are that Pro Tools 9 won't be locked to hardware - no idea of price, though. It's really the only way to go if you do a lot of editing. The interface is miles ahead of everything else.

[D.A.R.K.]

Originally Posted by Spencer!

You mean 48k? Not true - plenty of USB 2.0 interfaces do 24/96 easily. No Macbook is really that great for serious recording - they don't have any high-speed connections now that they gave the expresscard slot the axe. That said, most USB 2.0 interfaces should be fine for the average hobbyist.

not true, the 17" macbook pro still has the express card slot.

[pfschim]

Originally Posted by 4Mal

ask ... does it need to be a very portable DAW ? or will a Hi Quality field recorder work and a more stationary DAW work as well. Either answer is fine. Just a god thing to ask before plunging on the hyper portable, and hence hyper expensize thing ...

I go both ways, Mac & PC. A long time PC guy - I'm reallybeginning to prefer the Mac and I'm more or less amazed at that.

I am preparing to go to Europe (Prague) for the next 2 years on a business assignment, and am spending some time/effort trying to reduce much of my gear to the smallest useful form factor I can swing (within reasonable financial limits).

I have really fallen hard for my laptop as a combination practice, writing and basic recording tool, so I want to stay with that format instead of a less capable dedicated recorder.

For software, I use Ableton as my "DAW" at the moment and I believe it has both Win and OS X installers available. I'll have to check my drum machine (iDrum .. well duh, of course it will install on Mac ). otherwise I use the Amplitube/Ampeg model package from time to time and a few other VST's. I think I am good as far as OS X and my software. I know Garage Band is part of OS X, could be cool, but at the moment that's just an adder for me.

This system is really just for practice, basic song writing and some basic home recording projects (no more than 6-8 simultaneous tracks). I suspect the MB Air would handle this just fine.

The comments about the SSD have me thinking about other lappies configured with SSD's .. have to go check that out.

Thanks to all for the input

[D.A.R.K.]

Originally Posted by Spencer!

It's included with Avid interfaces, which start around $350. Rumors are that Pro Tools 9 won't be locked to hardware - no idea of price, though. It's really the only way to go if you do a lot of editing. The interface is miles ahead of everything else.

i'd love it if you didn't have to use the interfaces.
tried logic or reaper lately?
pretty much on par with pt as far as interface goes.
i use ableton more than anything else these days.
they all do the same thing, really, just depends on personal preferences as far as work flow and native plug-ins are concerned.
for native plug-ins, it really is hard to beat logic.

[magneezius]

Originally Posted by Spencer!

You mean 48k? Not true - plenty of USB 2.0 interfaces do 24/96 easily. No Macbook is really that great for serious recording - they don't have any high-speed connections now that they gave the expresscard slot the axe. That said, most USB 2.0 interfaces should be fine for the average hobbyist.

yeah my bad i meant 48k...and yes i forgot some interfaces can handle 96k. I've been using firewire interfaces so long i havent been keeping up with usb interfaces much. however i must disagree because macbooks are perfect for serious recording of any kind. Of course its not being used in pro studios however many projects have been recorded and mixed using a macbook.