Mac advice

[bayswater]

3.2GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz)
8GB 2666MHz DDR4
Intel UHD Graphics 630
128GB SSD storage
Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet using RJ-45 connector)

Maybe things have changed, but when I ordered my Mini, the i7 option automatically triggered the 256G SSD. In any case, I'd be wary of a 128G startup. I'm using ~70G for DP, Logic, DSP-Q and Mixbus with about a dozen VIs and a few hundred plugins, along with the usual Apple apps that come with OS X and some CAD. A 128G startup would be tight for those who have a broader suite of VIs, and other apps, and even a smaller footprint like mine would take up more than half of the drive. That might make things like test partitions and keeping working versions of projects on the main drive difficult, not to mention accommodation of future app bloat.

[HCMarkus]

If one specifies the less expensive base version of the Mini, then upgrade only the CPU, one ends up where I did.

I do hear you, bays, about the small size of the base internal SSD. 256 or 500 would be simpler and better for many but, because you can boot from external drives and/or keep a majority of your data (including all sample sets) on external media, the internal SSD size can be small if dollars are a concern. Test partitions, etc, can be kept on a bootable external SSD, even a spinner.

For studio audio and/or live keyboard, even including business, mail, photos and other apps, I know I could squeeze everything I need and more into 128GB comfortably as long as I keep all downloads, photo, mail, docs, sample and project data on drives or cloud space other than the internal SSD. If one is going to expect the Mini to a "be all, do all" machine, one would want to consider whether housing all data on external media is acceptable but, if it is, show me the money!

And if the focus is audio, how much space does one really need for OS, DAW Apps, and Plugins (excluding data)? The DP App doesn't take even a GB.

I must admit, my interest in looking at the Mini has been as a touring keyboardist sound source, running Man Stage and some VIs. I offer nothing more than my perspective. Whatever the circumstance, if tech stirs fear in your heart and you have the money, buy the machine of your dreams direct from Apple! Ultimately, we each vote with our lucre, be it filthy or otherwise. We are lucky to have such awesome options available to us.

[bayswater]

If one specifies the less expensive base version of the Mini, then upgrade only the CPU, one ends up where I did.

For studio audio and/or live keyboard, even including business, mail, photos and other apps, I know I could squeeze everything I need and more into 128GB comfortably as long as I keep all downloads, photo, mail, docs, sample and project data on drives or cloud space other than the internal SSD.

Yes, if the 128 i7 combo had been available when I bought the Mini, I might have done this. My baseline cost comparison then was a PC.

[mikehalloran]

An early reviewer of the 2018 Mini said his external TB 3 SSD ran even faster than the Mini's internal SSD which at the time was the fasted he'd come across.

Early reviewer is wrong.

It is possible for a Samsung X5 to be as fast as a Mini with a single blade SSD. $800 for 2TB. There is a dual blade TB3 external that has the potential to be slightly faster with two fast blades configured RAID 0. $1,250 for 2TB. The 4 blade unit out there is slower @ RAID 0. $2,300 for 2TB. TB3 is limited to 4 lanes of data.

Only the X5 is capable of booting a Mini, BTW, unless the others are set up JBOD. The 2-blade becomes half as fast (3 x2 slots) and the 4 blade becomes 25% as fast since its slots become 3 x1. The plus side is that you increase storage as the twin is now 4TB and the quad is 8TB if all slots are filled with 2TB NVMe 3 x4 blades.

All are slower than the dual blade storage — 512GB and larger.

Fortunately, were talking about audio and streaming. Above a certain point, speed is irreverent and streaming libraries on SATA III SSDs in $8–$20 docks are fine. There is no need for large housings with fans. Toaster style docks are fine.

Your apps and working files should be on the boot drive. Period. That means that DP and current project(s) plus system files, plugins etc. all need to be on your system drive which should never be partitioned with another bootable OS. Since High Sierra and APFS, there is no argument or debate to engage on this issue although I’m happy to explain why.

Streaming libraries, inactive projects, your iTunes folder, videos you watch (but not the ones you are editing) and so on... go ahead and store them on externals.

The larger the internal, the less housekeeping you have to do in the form of swapping projects in and out. I could get by with 1T, I suppose, but not smaller and a drive that small would drive me nuts. 2TB means I do it 1–2x a year. Had I waited till now to buy—Apple lowered the price of storage on July 9, I would have bought an iMac Pro with 4TB onboard. Oh well. I’ll live.

APFS Snapshots only works on the boot drive. I’m writing an article about Snapshots and data security. Frankly, I wish someone else would have written it by now so that I could throw up a link. For that reason, booting your main Mac from an external as a matter of course is a really bad idea unless you have no bootable OS on the internal drive. Really, really bad idea. I have bootable OS on my external SSDs but those are used for testing, not for normal operation. If I need to use APFS Snapshots, I simply disconnect them first.

BTW, I recently lost all my data on my externals. I was installing a TB external dock and while turning it on for the first time, I experienced a power outage. Talk about a freak accident. Snapshots can’t help there but I had everything backed up on a 6T HDD so it just took time. There are recovery apps, too — I tested one but didn’t have to buy. Info for another thread.

[HCMarkus]

There is no argument or debate to engage on this issue although I’m happy to explain why.

No argument or debate, but please explain why Mike.
Asks a guy who has always stored projects on a Project, not Boot, drive.

[dix]

Me too. That's a hard concept to accept for old dogs, but I'd love to set it aside. The 'projects on a project-drive' rule may be a holdover from the days when we had way less RAM, m'be?

[billgers]

Fortunately, were talking about audio and streaming. Above a certain point, speed is irreverent and streaming libraries on SATA III SSDs in $8–$20 docks are fine. There is no need for large housings with fans. Toaster style docks are fine.

Your apps and working files should be on the boot drive. Period. That means that DP and current project(s) plus system files, plugins etc. all need to be on your system drive which should never be partitioned with another bootable OS. Since High Sierra and APFS, there is no argument or debate to engage on this issue although I’m happy to explain why.

Streaming libraries, inactive projects, your iTunes folder, videos you watch (but not the ones you are editing) and so on... go ahead and store them on externals.

Question: why don't streaming libraries benefit from increased speed?

[Tonio]

Me too. That's a hard concept to accept for old dogs, but I'd love to set it aside. The 'projects on a project-drive' rule may be a holdover from the days when we had way less RAM, m'be?

Good question dix. I'm also confused with recording/project files onto the internal drive

Come to think I remember Magic D has always went to same drive as app/os on his laptop

[HCMarkus]

Me too. That's a hard concept to accept for old dogs, but I'd love to set it aside. The 'projects on a project-drive' rule may be a holdover from the days when we had way less RAM, m'be?

Good question dix. I'm also confused with recording/project files onto the internal drive

Come to think I remember Magic D has always went to same drive as app/os on his laptop

I've always understood it to be fine as long as that drive is a fast SSD with enough capacity. But, despite researching the subject, I'm not privy to any info that suggests keeping project files on a separate drive is undesirable. Hoping for illumination.

[cuttime]

DP 10 Manual, page 49:

WORKING WITH MULTIPLE DRIVES Since Digital Performer does not care on which hard drive you record and store your audio files, you can store audio files for a single Digital Performer project on several different hard drives. This can help improve the overall disk performance of your system because it distributes the intensive disk accessing burden across more than one disk.

[billgers]

As a follow-on to my original post (now that this thread has me leaning toward a beefed up mac-mini), would there be any disadvantage to getting an imac versus the mac-mini (other than paying for a big fancy screen that I likely don't need)? Also, would I see a big performance boost from an i9 imac vs a top-shelf mac mini?

Thanks.