Hi all

I am thinking of buying an Apple Mac mini with Lion Server . I am planning to use it for Music Production mainly with Cubase and perhaps with Logic.

Has anyone used it for Music Production? Features seem OK but I would like some words from the battlefield...

Anyone?

Thanks

If I may 'piggy-back' the thread, I'd be interested to hear how difficult it is to set-up the server for internet use as well as music production?

Yes. I have a Mini Server i7 hooked up to a few screens and a Yamaha 02r96. It's fast, it doesn't glitch out, it deals with everything I throw at it. Rock solid and nice n quiet too! Just like any normal system really and no problem dealing with an M-Audio lightbridge over Firewire.

Networking wise its a bit weird though as have had a few issues doing basic filesharing... it's like a normal Lion system but with another layer of settings to content with as well. So spend a bit of time setting that up right and it's perfect.

Only other thing to note would be for editing in Final Cut it's sometimes a bit funny when editing high quality HD footage as it doesn't have a dedicated proper GPU so occasionally drops frames even on rendered footage.

All I want now is some good breakout kit to work over thunderbolt... like say 4 FW800 ports or something!

Quote benniferj:

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Networking wise its a bit weird though as have had a few issues doing basic filesharing... it's like a normal Lion system but with another layer of settings to content with as well. So spend a bit of time setting that up right and it's perfect.

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I was wondering about that. Would it be possible to install regular Lion on the server? Also, is it possible to boot from an external USB or FW drive that has 10.6 installed?

Quote Tui:

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Quote benniferj:

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Networking wise its a bit weird though as have had a few issues doing basic filesharing... it's like a normal Lion system but with another layer of settings to content with as well. So spend a bit of time setting that up right and it's perfect.

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I was wondering about that. Would it be possible to install regular Lion on the server? Also, is it possible to boot from an external USB or FW drive that has 10.6 installed?

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I do recall that there is a hack for installing older versions of OSX, Bing it!

The OSX server version just adds server functions, that never come into play, unless you activate them.



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

Quote G-Doubleyou:

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I do recall that there is a hack for installing older versions of OSX, Bing it!

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That wasn't my question.

I don't see any reason why you couldn't use it with normal Lion or boot from a FW drive.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2465599?start=225&tstart=0

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

I'm using the mac mini but NOT the server, but rather I upgraded to an i7 processor and an SSHD; it works really well, is really quiet and has much better graphics than the server model, so it can handle video just fine.

I'm not sure what the server would be better for, except that it's quad core, but lower GHz. Do you need to use it as a server?

you "shouldn't" buy a mac mini right now if you believe the mac rumours site. It's expecting a new release shortly...

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

I'm using the Mini Server. The "server" aspect of Lion is just an app anyway so it's not hard to turn off. After that it's just the same as plain old Lion (although the file sharing settings are a bit more in-depth). You can't install a prior OS on it without a significant performance hit (I ended up waiting until all my plugs were Lion-ready before buying).

The advantage of the Server over the top spec "normal" Mini is the better processor (which benches just below the base Mac Pro) and an extra hard drive (invaluable for audio work of course!). This extra hard drive essentially replaces the discrete graphics card in the top spec "normal" Mini, so not great for video work.

My experience with the machine has been excellent (I've been using it for over 6 months). The fans spin a little faster than the normal Mini (2300rpm compared to 2000rpm) but I can't hear the difference from where I sit.

I tend to agree that it will get a refresh soon so hang on for the new model if you can.

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www.mosso.co.uk

Hi, I too am running a mini with lion (not the server version)

Id upgraded to an intel mini from a G5 PPC power mac, and the increase I found was excellent (Im not even using one of the last batch of intels either)
Lion works great, though the only issues Ive had have been with protools/reason setup, which I never had using tiger on the G5. Just be sure that everything will run on what ever you end up putting on it. (I also have logic express 8, and though it doesnt get used much, it does appear to work fully, and some of the issues I have with pro tools, dont appear using logic)

Just my pennys worth..

Thanks everyone for your replies! Really useful! There is a possibility that the Mac mini with Lion Server model won't get an upgrade on June since it is a rather recent model but the advice of waiting till the San Francisco event is correct.

WARNING: I purchased a 2011 mac mini server only to discover that a considerable number of popular music composition software programs will not function with Lion server -- e.g., Finale, Garritan Personal Orchestra, MOTU Symphonic Instruments, as confirmed by MakeMusic and MOTU. After checking with Apple techs, I discovered that non-server version of Lion will not work; and "shutting off" server elements will not alleviate the problem, either.

That's not true. I run a mac mini server 2011 with the regular version of Lion just fine.

Quote Pinestreet:

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you "shouldn't" buy a mac mini right now if you believe the mac rumours site. It's expecting a new release shortly...

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

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Yes, but it *may* loose the Firewire port...

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"Playing the right notes, but not neccesarily in the right order"

Quote Mr Spanky:

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That's not true. I run a mac mini server 2011 with the regular version of Lion just fine.

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How do you load a regular version of Lion into the mac mini server? Apple Care says it can't be done.

Quote composerm23:

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Quote Mr Spanky:

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That's not true. I run a mac mini server 2011 with the regular version of Lion just fine.

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How do you load a regular version of Lion into the mac mini server? Apple Care says it can't be done.

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You could buy Lion on a thumb drive http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD256Z/A?fnode=MTY1NDAzOA&mco=MTM3ND gwODM When you boot, use Disk Utilities to wipe the drives and set up a RAID, and then install as normal.

You could buy Lion on a thumb drive http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD256Z/A?fnode=MTY1NDAzOA&mco=MTM3ND gwODM When you boot, use Disk Utilities to wipe the drives and set up a RAID, and then install as normal.

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I had already asked the techs at Apple Care about doing that. They said it won't work.

Quote composerm23:

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You could buy Lion on a thumb drive http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD256Z/A?fnode=MTY1NDAzOA&mco=MTM3ND gwODM When you boot, use Disk Utilities to wipe the drives and set up a RAID, and then install as normal.

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I had already asked the techs at Apple Care about doing that. They said it won't work.

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Then, with respect, they are idiots. It's just a computer. You could even try this, from Apple's own Support site:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4827?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

Quote Fen_Tigger:

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Quote Pinestreet:

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you "shouldn't" buy a mac mini right now if you believe the mac rumours site. It's expecting a new release shortly...

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

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Yes, but it *may* loose the Firewire port...

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But it *will* gain a Thunderbolt port, to which you can connect a FW adapter (when Apple gets its act together), or connect an Apple Cinema Screen, which has a FW port in it.

Then, with respect, they are idiots. It's just a computer. You could even try this, from Apple's own Support site:

They may be idiots, but I tried turning off all server functions and removed the server app altogether -- and it still won't load my Finale software.