MacBook & Digi 002 Rack Compatibility

[Bassturbator]

Hi,

I'm thinking of buying a MacBook for some "road"recording, 'cause I'm kinda tired of
moving my G5 around all the time.

I run PT7.1 with a Digi002r.

Are there any compatibility issues that I should be aware of before my purchase?
Besides that I should install PT7.1.1 ofcourse

I'm considering a MacBook 2GHz with 1GB ram.
Or should I go for the 1,83GHz with 2GB ram?

Any tips or pointers are welcome!
Thanx in advance

Cheerz!
Sven

[Chris Shaeffer]

I have a Macbook Pro and it runs fine with the 002r. I would assume the macbook does, too, but that isn't certain.

I'd suggest getting the 2G model- you can always upgrade the ram later, and usually for less money than buying the upgrade through apple.

[Bassturbator]

I have a Macbook Pro and it runs fine with the 002r. I would assume the macbook does, too, but that isn't certain.

I'd suggest getting the 2G model- you can always upgrade the ram later, and usually for less money than buying the upgrade through apple.

That's nice to hear

But isn't 2GB a must for recording on a MacBook?
Also, what kind of external HD should I get?

And does USB 2.0 work as good as a Firewire drive?
Since I'll only have 1 Firewire port (that's allready in use) on a MacBook.

[RussUK]

I use a MB Pro with 002r and it runs like a dream, much better than my G5 with 7.0

Go for it but make ure you buy as much memory as you can afford. Not from Apple but someone like Crucial.

[EDurney]

can you guys work at 128 Hw buffer on the Macbook pro?

[Bassturbator]

Cool thanx!!
Their RAM is indeed alot cheaper!!

I'm assuming you can just change the RAM on a MacBook youself?
Stupid question, but I'm only familiar with desktop models

Any thoughts on external storage? (USB 2.0)

[Bassturbator]

Cool thanx!!
Their RAM is indeed alot cheaper!!

I'm assuming you can just change the RAM on a MacBook youself?
Stupid question, but I'm only familiar with desktop models

Any thoughts on external storage? (USB 2.0)

Nevermind that question
Found the answer on macworld.com

But, still searching for an answer on that
external storage question

[djraz]

i go mobile with my 002r and powerbook for tracking sessions and an occasional mixing session in someone else's room. no major issues here.

- get an external firewire drive, fw400, something fast. i love my seagate barracuda: fast and quiet.

-consider the external drive cases that are also firewire+USB hubs. mine is a ministack from OWC and it rocks for laptops.

-remember to put your 002r on the end of your firewire chain when setting back up

-make sure your 002r is in some kind of road case for transport and plugged into good power like a rack conditioner. i have one of those soft cases with 3 rack spaces. there have been too many issues with the 002r being fragile (especially it's power supply). i wouldn't drag around a fragile $1200 box without $80 of protection on it.

-think about a locking strap for the laptop. macs disappear quickly and can be moved/pawned fast, faster than audio devices.

-if the mac is gonna be used for other things (i hope so!) make a separate user account (as admin) for production. highly optimize that account's settings for pro-tools (no networking, full processor, light graphics, no background utilities, turn off OSX flash, etc.). while these are good tips for any mac, the laptops *are* slower than the desktops for a variety of small reasons.

-don't forget the rest of your studio! depending on the gig and how you are traveling, think about packing a headphone distro amp, a small control surface, maybe a tiny mixing board and a collection of cords with various connectors. you never know what you'll find when you get there and i've worked with setups consisting of my just my lone laptop on top of my 002r all the way to full tracking studios (routing, micing, controlling, recording, & monitoring) pulled out of the trunk of my car.

anyways, you may know most of this. hope i've helped.
ezzy

[antiphase]

I used to take my 002r with a 867 powerbook G4 with only 640 megs ram. I would track up to 16 tracks at once easily, and did many times. Now with the new macbooks, I'm sure you can save a bit of cash and be fine with a faster mac with less ram to start with.

[Bassturbator]

Cool, thanx for the comments people!
And thanx for all the tips djraz!!

MacBook, here I come!!