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saltybrian

Joined: 08/08/06
Posts: 197

what can my macbook handle?
#989064 - 23/05/12 07:28 AM

i'm expecting delivery of an ada8000 next week to complement my motu 8pre. I'm doing a project in a few weeks with a friend's band where i hope to record 12 simultaneous channels of audio on Logic express

i have a 4 yr old macbook with a 2.16Ghz intel core 2 duo processor. The memory is 2GB 667 Mhz DDR2 SDRAM.
Is it enough, or should I consider upgrading before the project starts? I'd prefer not to as my self imposed budget is spent...

-Could anyone indicate what I might reasonably expect of this machine in terms of simultaneous audio channels?
-Any tips on how I could optimise performance?
- Are there any other factors I've left out?

Thanks

Brian

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Richie Royale

Joined: 12/09/06
Posts: 3452
Loc: Bristol, England.

Re: what can my macbook handle? new

[Re: saltybrian]
#989071 - 23/05/12 07:57 AM

I don't think you will have any problem recording 12 channels simultaneously. You may want to consider more memory; Crucial are the best people to go to for that, but you should have enough processor power to cope with 12 channels recording at once.

You may also want to consider an external drive to record to and if you don't have one already, to back up to.

Before you spend time recording anyone, make sure you test the system to see how many tracks it can handle at once. You may need to adjust the buffer to a higher setting if you experience crackles or drop outs.

--------------------
http://soundcloud.com/richie-royale
http://www.mixcrate.com/richieroyale

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G-Doubleyou

Joined: 10/02/06
Posts: 1135

Re: what can my macbook handle? new

[Re: saltybrian]
#989143 - 23/05/12 01:32 PM

Here's a chart that shows relative performance of different Macs using a Logic stress test.
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/371545-logic-pro-multicore- benchmarktest.html

Not sure what software you are using, but I completed my current album with a lesser machine.

I did have to freeze tracks, something that is now not needed with my quad core Macbook Pro.

More RAM, and always keep projects on an external hard drive.

With the OS and most audio apps being 64bit, you may want to upgrade to a newer Mac.

--------------------
G-Dub
Studio G-fx 15inch quad-core i7 Macbook Pro Logic913

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