Kind of new to digital recording, ok, 40 years ago we used tape. Any input on the MacBook Air vs Mac Pro to start a studio?
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New to digital recording, help…
- Thread starter Robert Udell
- Start date
I have both. My Pro has more RAM and disk space than my Air, but it's heavier and the battery doesn't last as long. So I take the Air out into the field, and leave my Pro at home on the desk.
Main thing is to get as much RAM as you can up front. Very likely you will not be able to add RAM later.
Main thing is to get as much RAM as you can up front. Very likely you will not be able to add RAM later.
Either of you Macs will work fine to start.
You need an audio interface of some kind. An audio interface lets you plug instruments and mics into preamps and converts the analog audio to digital signals that can be recorded on your computer. Focusrite, Motu, Presonus, UA are some brands to look at. All are pretty much comparable, you will have to consider how many simultaneous inputs (instruments or mics) you will want to use. Buy as many as you can afford as its better to have more than you need at first, rather than not have enough.
On the laptop, you will need to run a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). For Mac native there is Garage Band, which is free with the MacOS, and Logic. Both will work, but Garage Band is pretty basic compared to the pro level of Logic. Reaper is an option on Macs as well. The DAW is the "tape" and mixing console for digital recording.
There's lots to work out if you are truly a newb at this, but if you've had old school recording experience I think you will find it pretty familiar once you get the hang of some basics with the Audio Interface and the DAW you choose.
come back if you have more questions, there are lots of folks here who will help you out as you go on this journey. Also, check out the top discussion in the Recording Gear and Equipment thread .... Recording 101. Lots of good info there.
enjoy!
You need an audio interface of some kind. An audio interface lets you plug instruments and mics into preamps and converts the analog audio to digital signals that can be recorded on your computer. Focusrite, Motu, Presonus, UA are some brands to look at. All are pretty much comparable, you will have to consider how many simultaneous inputs (instruments or mics) you will want to use. Buy as many as you can afford as its better to have more than you need at first, rather than not have enough.
On the laptop, you will need to run a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). For Mac native there is Garage Band, which is free with the MacOS, and Logic. Both will work, but Garage Band is pretty basic compared to the pro level of Logic. Reaper is an option on Macs as well. The DAW is the "tape" and mixing console for digital recording.
There's lots to work out if you are truly a newb at this, but if you've had old school recording experience I think you will find it pretty familiar once you get the hang of some basics with the Audio Interface and the DAW you choose.
come back if you have more questions, there are lots of folks here who will help you out as you go on this journey. Also, check out the top discussion in the Recording Gear and Equipment thread .... Recording 101. Lots of good info there.
enjoy!
A DAW newbie here too. After fighting tooth & nail with my PC for weeks with latency issues, I decided to download Reaper to an old MacBook I inherited from my mom. An old Mac indeed but, I have zero issues with latency now just banged out the drums, acoustic guitar and bass tracks in about 3 hrs.
I'm looking at a future purchase of a refurbished MacBook of some sort. Mac has made me very happy today.
My interface is a Focusrite 4i4 'cause I like the dual inputs.
Next up are some flat response monitors, headphones and a preamp for those items where needed.
I'm looking at a future purchase of a refurbished MacBook of some sort. Mac has made me very happy today.
My interface is a Focusrite 4i4 'cause I like the dual inputs.
Next up are some flat response monitors, headphones and a preamp for those items where needed.
I use a larger monitor (hdmi cable) to view as this current project grows.
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you're asking about Mac Pro or MacBook Pro? I bet, the latter.
IME, a MacBook Pro is worth extra over the Air, as it has active cooling and under stress it launches the fans instead of silent performance downgrade. this said, many folks are okay with Air, it's still a very nice performing computer for real-time audio. but the MacBook Pro is just better for a long-time solution. buy once, cry once.
just in case: I'm talking about the current lineup, the M1/M2 Macs. I'd not advice any Intel Mac in 2023, ARM ones are really much-much better for real-time audio.
IME, a MacBook Pro is worth extra over the Air, as it has active cooling and under stress it launches the fans instead of silent performance downgrade. this said, many folks are okay with Air, it's still a very nice performing computer for real-time audio. but the MacBook Pro is just better for a long-time solution. buy once, cry once.
just in case: I'm talking about the current lineup, the M1/M2 Macs. I'd not advice any Intel Mac in 2023, ARM ones are really much-much better for real-time audio.
oh, it's been the case with MacBooks for more than a decade. I believe, the current ARM lineup doesn't support user-replaceable RAM in any models, nor desktops, nor laptops.
this said, 16G RAM on an ARM Mac is pretty enough for a reasonable studio machine. is the 32G upgrade worth the price? debatable. if they have money for 32G -- sure, it won't hurt, but if not -- it's not really that a problem. YMMV, but my 32G are sitting unused.
sorry you had problems with the PC. Due to OS kernel architecture, Macs do not have the same challenge with interrupt latencies like some PC's. OTOH there are plenty of PC platforms that easily deliver very low ( 7ms or less) latencies for audio recording (and other latency sensitive applications). I personally have no dog in the "what computer is best for recording" hunt, but I do want others, particularly newbs, to be clear that Intel/AMD based PC's can/are perfectly good computer platforms for audio recording.
2017 I got a MacBook Air with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. For recording audio only one track at a time, it was barely acceptable. It wasn't any good for amp modeling apps and software instruments, and I had to move the Logic Library files to an 1TB external SSD. I'm about to buy a Mac Studio M2/Max with 64GB RAM and 512GB storage. My recommendation would be to get a MacBook Pro with as much RAM and storage as you can afford.
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I ain't crankin' about it now. I wanna get at the ideas and throw 'em on a canvas w/o having to lift too many items at once.
P.S. one hinge on the Acer I was using broke as I was closing it up. It's been a light-use PC for about 5 years now. I generally like it but, there's quite a bit of tedium to deal with and I was at my wit's end.
totally understand, the path of least resistance is not a bad decision. Honestly, I usually tell newbies that, given most reasonably modern computers (PC or Mac) will work for fine recording, they should go with what ever platform that has the most comfortable work flow for them. After the hardware aspect, the next question is the DAW and how comfortable you can get with that.
good luck, and enjoy! once your stuff is all set up and working, it's great fun to be able to record/create using these amazing tools.
Playback-fidelity is already miles ahead of my old Fostex 4-track days. I have to up my game on clean takes. I'm not skilled enough at editing to make corrections in the data so I gotta play like them Nashville Cats.
This is an important point. It's assumed that we're talking about which Mac to use, but perhaps the real question is which DAW to use..
When some one talks to me about moving from Tape to DAW, I emphasize the interface. When I first got into DAW, I was using Cakewalk, then Sonar, on a PC (half-dozen or so) that I was always fiddling with. It was the interface that I was most comfortable with, excluding Pro Tools, which was out of my budget.
A friend of mine showed me Logic 5, running on a PC, at about the same time I decided to start using Mac (int the interest of my IT job). I found the interface to be very easy to use. Ultimately, Logic Pro became my DAW. Since Apple owns it now, and there is no Windows version, I only run Mac systems now.
However - if the OP already owns a modern PC and hasn't set on a DAW yet, I suggest hold off on that Mac purchase until the DAW is selected. Perhaps the tools needed are already in the house.
