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  #1  
Old 11-16-2010, 01:58 AM
amateurtool amateurtool is offline
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Default Frustrated!!!

Hey everyone!

I purchased a 003 rack earlier in the year with protools 8 LE for my Macbook pro (bought july 2010) with 2.4 GHz i5 processor, 4 GB of ram and a 5400rpm hardrive. I had countless problems with record and playback usually something to do with buffer size. The computer hard drive crashed not too long after buying it, not sure if it was related or not.

But anyway Ive since found out that i should purchase a firewire external hardrive with minimum rpm of 7200. The computer actually has since been stolen and I will have to purchase a new one. I was thinking of buying the same computer and hoping that it was just an external hard drive issue causing the problems before. I was wondering if it was worth upgrading the processor to 2.53 Ghz and putting a 7200 rpm internal hard drive in also wondering if this would improve performance? Also would getting the i7 model macbook pro be of any help with protools? Any advice to specifications would be good. Im at a point where i dont mind spending a little more cash, I just want the friggin thing to work!! Since iv been investigating this also, Iv spoken to someone at the macshop who said I shouldnt run protools on a laptop, only a desktop. Is this true? I hope not.

One last thing, if an external hard drive could be recommended, that would be great as Iv heard also that it must be fitted with an oxford chip or I will run into more trouble? Not sure what models contain this chip so any help would be muchly appreciated.

Thanks very much :)
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  #2  
Old 11-16-2010, 03:13 AM
mattrussell mattrussell is offline
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Default Re: Frustrated!!!

for starters, take a deep breath.

running PT on a macbook pro is fine. i have a 2.4 dual from about 3 years back that i use for portable editing and often to get my mixes underway. i was able to get a 4GB stick of RAM, so i have 6GB running in it. for sheer performance, my mac pro quad-core 2.66 is far superior and now machines are available with more processors. these machines will outperform a laptop by a whole lot. that said, the problems you were having sound like they had nothing to do with the machine itself and were all about how you were using it.

keys you were missing are:

- run your audio media (sessions and VI installs) from a portable FW800 drive. NEVER run sessions from the internal macbook drive. doing so is a recipe for nightmares. (i've done this on simple two-track edit sessions, but that's all).

- keep your playback buffer as low as it will run while tracking and at 90% on 2 processors with the buffer at 1024 when mixing (i've never had to go higher, but others will probably tell you to go beyond that).

- READ. there are so many resources online that could have helped you. for starters, READ THE MANUAL. it clearly states all of this. then, come here and post questions that you can't find answers for. i don't understand how people spend thousands of dollars on computers and software and then walk around in the dark, tripping on every little thing when all they needed to do was turn on the well illuminated light switch - the manual is accessible through the app itself.

you'll have to be the judge as to whether or not portability outweighs horsepower. for many, a laptop is the only answer and they get good results using one. i know i like having both and i certainly understand that there is only so much i can do on the laptop. that said, the laptop runs very well and i get a lot done on it.
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  #3  
Old 11-16-2010, 04:44 AM
drumster drumster is offline
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Default Re: Frustrated!!!

I also agree with the above poster. You shouldn't have any issues using a laptop with Pro Tools as long as you set it up correctly. Just follow all the instructions in the manual on how to optimize your Mac for Pro Tools.

Regarding your decision for a new laptop, my recommendation would be to purchase the fastest model you can afford and then expand the RAM on it. If you plan on running VI's with a MacBook Pro, the optimal configuration is to have two external FW 800 drives (one for audio and the other for VI's) running off of the FW 800 port. I recently purchased 2 of the Glyph PortaGig 50 drives for my MacBook Pro for this very purpose. The PortaGig drives use the Oxford 934 chip set and are compatible with Pro Tools. Check them out here: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PG50-500/

If for some reason, it isn't possible for you to have 2 external drives then I would recommend running your VI's/Samples off the system drive and your audio off the external drive. It won't be as optimal as the 2 drive configuration, but will be more stable than running both audio and VI's off of one external drive. If you do choose to go the route of 1 external drive, I would suggest upgrading the internal drive to 7200 RPM when you purchase your new Mac.
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  #4  
Old 11-16-2010, 05:07 AM
drumster drumster is offline
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Default Re: Frustrated!!!

I should also note that your external hard drives need to be 7200 RPM. The Glyph PortaGig drives I was speaking about in the above post both run at that speed.
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  #5  
Old 11-16-2010, 07:53 AM
mattrussell mattrussell is offline
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Default Re: Frustrated!!!

i've used two of these for years and drive performance has never been a problem:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other.../MS8U7320GB16/
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  #6  
Old 11-16-2010, 08:05 AM
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Keybeeetsss Keybeeetsss is offline
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Default Re: Frustrated!!!

WELCOME TO THE FORUMs...


Jus makin u aware that u posted in the wrong forum so u may not get as much help as u could...

Maybe Digi will move it...
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  #7  
Old 11-17-2010, 01:14 AM
amateurtool amateurtool is offline
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Default Re: Frustrated!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by amateurtool View Post
Hey everyone!

I purchased a 003 rack earlier in the year with protools 8 LE for my Macbook pro (bought july 2010) with 2.4 GHz i5 processor, 4 GB of ram and a 5400rpm hardrive. I had countless problems with record and playback usually something to do with buffer size. The computer hard drive crashed not too long after buying it, not sure if it was related or not.

But anyway Ive since found out that i should purchase a firewire external hardrive with minimum rpm of 7200. The computer actually has since been stolen and I will have to purchase a new one. I was thinking of buying the same computer and hoping that it was just an external hard drive issue causing the problems before. I was wondering if it was worth upgrading the processor to 2.53 Ghz and putting a 7200 rpm internal hard drive in also wondering if this would improve performance? Also would getting the i7 model macbook pro be of any help with protools? Any advice to specifications would be good. Im at a point where i dont mind spending a little more cash, I just want the friggin thing to work!! Since iv been investigating this also, Iv spoken to someone at the macshop who said I shouldnt run protools on a laptop, only a desktop. Is this true? I hope not.

One last thing, if an external hard drive could be recommended, that would be great as Iv heard also that it must be fitted with an oxford chip or I will run into more trouble? Not sure what models contain this chip so any help would be muchly appreciated.

Thanks very much :)
hey mattruss thanks for replying.
I actually bought the 003 rack on good advice from an old school friend i ran into at the music shop. I was investigating recording equipment at the time when he said get the 003 youll have no problems whatsoever. When getting it home, i realised, no manual was in the box! I rang him to get one but still havnt heard a thing. I didnt realise there was a manual in the app (is this the program itself?) With the machine crashing and also being later stolen I havnt been able to realise this. Just a case of very bad luck! Im on my desktop now. With regards to reading these forums, all cases seem to be slightly different, sometimes i dont even understand the terminology so having a tailor made answer with my specs is invaluable especially as i am very new to this and just a dumb band guy (hence the name amateurtool). Actually speaking to someone from digidesign is virtually impossible so please excuse my naive sounding post.

However I am very appreciative to your response as I really do want portability. It is actually for recording my band at a mates place so desktop is not really an option. We are trying to record around 12 tracks at the same time using an ADAT Ultragain pro8 Digital interface as an add on. The guy who recommended the whole setup may have had a desktop and therefore hasnt experienced the same problems as me. Hes been useless to get info off. I was duped!

You mentioned portable editing (does this include effects etc?), is this possible to do without having the 003 rack plugged in? I had tried to get onto the protools but had always been requested to plug in the hardware. A little annoying since i wanted to leave the 003 at the drummers place but if thats the only way, then at least i asked

Thanks drumster for the post, I realised later that i may have posted in the wrong section. Is there a way to be redirected?

At the end of the day i just want to be able to record our songs, Ill probably never use the full capability of protools but im keen to give it a go and just dont want any restrictions later on down the track with a computer thats too weak to handle what I want to do.

Cheers fellas thanks for answering
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  #8  
Old 11-17-2010, 01:17 AM
amateurtool amateurtool is offline
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Default Re: Frustrated!!!

woops just realised it was keybeeeets who told me i posted in the wrong section. Thanks. What section should i have posted in?
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  #9  
Old 11-17-2010, 01:26 AM
amateurtool amateurtool is offline
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Default Re: Frustrated!!!

I replied to a quote of my original post. I got no idea. That was meant for Mattrussels first reply. See? I got no idea haha
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  #10  
Old 11-17-2010, 06:03 AM
drumster drumster is offline
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Talking Re: Frustrated!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by amateurtool View Post

You mentioned portable editing (does this include effects etc?), is this possible to do without having the 003 rack plugged in? I had tried to get onto the protools but had always been requested to plug in the hardware. A little annoying since i wanted to leave the 003 at the drummers place but if thats the only way, then at least i asked
If the 003 Rack you purchased included Pro Tools LE 8 software then you would have all the bundled Digi plugins and effects at your disposal, allowing you to both edit and mix your tracks. After reading your post, it sounds to me like you don't want to have to be tied to the 003 hardware for mobility purposes. In that case, you should consider the crossgrade to Pro Tools 9 which would allow you to run the software on your laptop with only an Ilok. For $249, it's a huge step up for anyone using an LE system because it comes with higher track counts, ADC (Automatic Delay Compensation) and a whole lot more. If I were in your position, that's exactly what I'd do. Then I'd get a new MacBook Pro, 2 Firewire 800 external drives and be off to the races!
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