rMBP Questions

[youngmic]

Just ordered a retina macbook pro and have a couple of questions for you guys who have one.

I have an 896 interface. Will the Thunderbolt to Firewire adaptor work with that? Any issues?

Can I authorize DP with a shared DVD drive over the network or do I have to have an external drive connected to the laptop (hoping to avoid the need to buy one).

Thanks!

[stubbsonic]

WRT to your first question, I have two firewire interfaces (RME FF800, and ECHO AudioFire4). Both work perfectly using apples FW-TB adapter on rMBP and in DP.

The first snag I hit was that DP would hang during launch. I then launch AudioMIDI Setup which was very slow to launch and gave a driver warning. SOLVED: deleted all MIDI drivers and re-installed all one-by-one (not sure which driver was the culprit, but one was old).

The second snag I hit was that the TB port with the FW adapter couldn't power the ECHO AF4, so I had to use the included power-supply which worked perfectly.

(I haven't tested my M-Audio MIDISport UNO yet.)


I used an external super-drive to install DP, so I can't answer your question about the networked drive.

For me personally, I can't imagine not having an external CD/DVD drive. I've used it at least once a week since I got the new machine. It's funny how Apple brags on making the rig thinner, but when I've got the super-drive attached it is WIDER!!

[youngmic]

Thanks! How does DP look on the retina display? Any issues at all?

[stubbsonic]

If there are any differences, it is subtle. When I'm running non-retina apps, they look like a standard macbook to me. It is when I'm running the retina apps that it shines.

This will put it into perspective. I recently typed a text document and hit print. The dialog window came up and showed a miniature version of the pages of my document. The tiny text on that thumbnail was readable on the retina display. Cool!

[youngmic]

Thanks!

[youngmic]

Well, I ended up cancelling my order (long story), but I am positioned to order again. Only I'm having a heck of a time deciding on the CPU speed. Most seem to be advising that 2.3 is all I need. Do you guys agree?

What I can't get clarity on is what scenarios might max out the CPU or when insufficient speed might be an issue? I'm planning on running multiple soft synths via MIDI (e.g. Spectrasonics, Synthology, and Toontracks) while tracking at the same time. When would I hit the limits of the CPU? Anybody know?

Thanks!

[mikehalloran]

What I can't get clarity on is what scenarios might max out the CPU or when insufficient speed might be an issue? I'm planning on running multiple soft synths via MIDI (e.g. Spectrasonics, Synthology, and Toontracks) while tracking at the same time. When would I hit the limits of the CPU? Anybody know?

Thanks!

There is no "clarity" here. No one else will use DP the same way that you do.

OTOH, when the G5 came out, some magazine tested it with DP 3 or 4, I no longer recall. Everything was identical except the CPU speed. The 2.0GHz DP was able to run 150 tracks of audio while the 1.8GHz DP could run 135. No plugins or VIs were used - strictly raw audio tracks. Probably OS 10.2. Wow! Compared to my beige G3, this was huge.

I remember that test because, at the time, there was nearly a thousand dollar difference between the two machines. I bought the 1.8 figuring I didn't need to spend $1K for only 15 more tracks. I never did max out that machine - but that was then; this is now.

DP uses a lot more CPU now. VIs, effects etc. all take their toll. It is a good idea to buy the fastest machine you can afford. When I bought my current iMac, I decided it was worth the extra few hundred dollars to go with a faster i7 processer over the i5 - bench tests show that an i7 is 30% faster than an i5 rated the same speed. I have no idea how that translates to real world performance in DP but, these days, we need all the help we can get.

My wife's big application is Word. I was quite comfortable buying her a 27" i5 iMac a year later. Gotta have that big screen as our eyes get older...

[well2thebone]

Well, I ended up cancelling my order (long story), but I am positioned to order again. Only I'm having a heck of a time deciding on the CPU speed. Most seem to be advising that 2.3 is all I need. Do you guys agree?

What I can't get clarity on is what scenarios might max out the CPU or when insufficient speed might be an issue? I'm planning on running multiple soft synths via MIDI (e.g. Spectrasonics, Synthology, and Toontracks) while tracking at the same time. When would I hit the limits of the CPU? Anybody know?

Thanks!

I just purchased the base 2.3 rMBP primarily for DP8 use. However, I do plan on using mostly hardware synths. Anyhow, my main reasoning for going with the base model is that if I eventually decide down the road i need more power, I can always sell my rMBP and buy a new one (which by then will have been refreshed at least once). I figure i'd end up paying about the same amount of money either way, but i'd end up with a better computer at the end of the day w/ a new warranty. Thats how I see it at least.