Protools on iMac i7

[CrAkD]

Whats up guys I think this is the first time I've posted in the mac section. im currently running protools on a hackintosh i7 I built following the windows threads but was sick and tired of all the errors I got with windows. So I decided to try and put OSX on it and since then its been smooth sailing! no more protools errors! I've always been a huge supporter of apple just never really made the "switch" with the desktop. Im so happy right now I want to switch to an official mac so I can upgrade without worrying about crashes and such. I cant afford a Mac Pro so was thinking about an i7 iMac. How does this work with Protools? I have an 002R so it worries me that it only has 1 firewire port. Plus it only has 1 internal HD and I know protools runs way better with 2 but will using an external hard drive be an issue?

[nst7]

The Imacs in general work great. You'll want to have a separate drive for audio and there's not a problem daisy chaining. I've successfully had 3 drives (2 audio, one streaming BFD samples) and a 003R daisy chained off one 800 port on my Imac and it works fine.

[Bubblegum]

The latest iMac i7 has the option of an SSD and a hard drive (2 drives in total) both internal.

I have this configuration and it works like a dream. I have Eleven Rack as my interface, which is USB 2, but that means I can use my SSL Duende on the firewire buss. No issues whatsoever.

It is a beautifully, smooth running setup.

SSD carries OSX and Protools/apps etc and I use the 1TB internal HD for audio.

It was a pretty pricey option to have the SSD, but still way cheaper than a Mac Pro and my FW drive can be used for archiving now.

I recommend it if you are considering an iMac.

[cserv]

I have the new i7 quad core iMac with 4gb RAM, it runs great with Pro Tools. I have a regular internal 1TB hard drive and an external 1TB FW 400 OWC dirve for recording.

The only problem I have noticed is that when I import audio (drag and drop) it takes a while to process it. Through searching I see that this may not be confined to the i7, seems like a Snow Leopard problem.

Overall I'm very satisfied.

[Ty Ford]

Hey Boy,

on your iMac rig with both drives, is the mechanical drive quiet enough to open mics in the same room? Any fans come on during recording?

Regards,

Ty Ford

[Bubblegum]

Originally Posted by Ty Ford

Hey Boy,

on your iMac rig with both drives, is the mechanical drive quiet enough to open mics in the same room? Any fans come on during recording?

Regards,

Ty Ford

The drive is very quiet. It's not totally silent, but it's a lot quiter than the Lacie FW drive I used to use on my old system.

The fan does come on at some point, but I've found it's pretty unobtrusive. The fan noise is like a low frequency rumble (not very loud though), mostly I think it's resonating through the desk the iMac sits on. I don't think you'll find a problem with it.

I record vocals in the same room with condenser mics and I find the bleed from the headphones is more of an issue than the noise from the iMac.

Hope this helps.