Macbook 12" + Pro Tools 11. What performance can I expect?

[tobbenos]

Hi,

I experience lots of playback errors when using Pro Tools on a Macbook 12". I want to know what performance I can expect from the system.

Earlier, I used Pro Tools a lot for studio and stage use, with a semi-pro setup on a Macbook Pro and Digidesign interface. Now, however, life has other demands from me and more of a hobby. Still, I would love to use Pro Tools as a quick go-to tool for creating music at home. I want to use it as a companion to my piano/keyboard, so that I can use it as soft synths and with beats playback, and I want to be able to do quick recordings. Now, when hitting 'Play' with one to instances of Xpand (one for a preentered MIDI-beat, the other for live synths) and one instance of Mini Grand (for live use), the system plays back for only a few seconds before it stops reporting the standard playback error asking me to increase buffer size. However, this happens also when buffer is set to maximal size.

My current setup is a early 2016 Macbook 12-inch (1,1 GHz Intel m3, 8 GB RAM) running MacOS Sierra (10.12.5), Pro Tools 11.3.1, and Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 USB interface.

Before trying to find out more about what's slowing my system – what performance can I expect from this system?

To be honest, I have thought about converting to Logic as I somehow expect that to have an okay performance without tweaking so much. Maybe that would not solve the problem. But since this is for quick home use, I want to have a plug-and-play use – I want to be able to have other applications open (and WiFi enabled) while using Pro Tools.

Thank you in advance.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by tobbenos

Hi,

I experience lots of playback errors when using Pro Tools on a Macbook 12". I want to know what performance I can expect from the system.

Earlier, I used Pro Tools a lot for studio and stage use, with a semi-pro setup on a Macbook Pro and Digidesign interface. Now, however, life has other demands from me and more of a hobby. Still, I would love to use Pro Tools as a quick go-to tool for creating music at home. I want to use it as a companion to my piano/keyboard, so that I can use it as soft synths and with beats playback, and I want to be able to do quick recordings. Now, when hitting 'Play' with one to instances of Xpand (one for a preentered MIDI-beat, the other for live synths) and one instance of Mini Grand (for live use), the system plays back for only a few seconds before it stops reporting the standard playback error asking me to increase buffer size. However, this happens also when buffer is set to maximal size.

My current setup is a early 2016 Macbook 12-inch (1,1 GHz Intel m3, 8 GB RAM) running MacOS Sierra (10.12.5), Pro Tools 11.3.1, and Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 USB interface.

Before trying to find out more about what's slowing my system – what performance can I expect from this system?

To be honest, I have thought about converting to Logic as I somehow expect that to have an okay performance without tweaking so much. Maybe that would not solve the problem. But since this is for quick home use, I want to have a plug-and-play use – I want to be able to have other applications open (and WiFi enabled) while using Pro Tools.

Thank you in advance.

With all that you're looking to do, as well as have WiFi enabled (probably surfing the net) you're going to have miserable performance. CPU - way too slow. I'm guessing you're also recording to the system drive and unless that drives is an ssd of considerable size you'll continue to have performance issues.

There is no such thing as plug and play with PT (or any audio recording s/w to tell the turth). Going to IlLogic won't help either. I'd use that machine as nothing more than email and web surfing and get a real Mac laptop for recording.

And let's not even get into the eye strain that'll come from working with such a small screen.

[tobbenos]

Thank you for your reply. I am normally recording to an external audio drive, but since moving to the macbook that is only a USB drive. The internal drive is SSD.

I am also interested in other voices: Does everbody agree that a regular Macbook is useless for use as a softsynth with a few instruments, and the occasional recording?

[Meads]

I have a 2016 MB with the m7, which works fairly well for editing or the occasional smallish mix on the go, with a few plugins.
I wouldn't expect the m3 to do any kind of lifting, though. This is a media consumption device, not a platform to do work on. A MBP or Air would have been better suited for your needs, I guess. Also going for the lowest tier CPU doesn't help.

[DannyB_KY]

For home use, I can highly recommend an OWC TB dock. They are handier than a pocket on a shirt.

Personally, I wouldn't go with anything less than an I7 and 16gb. I have two MBPs. One I bought new, the other used. The new one is I7 and 16gb. The used one has an I7, I upgraded HDs and boosted the ram to 16gb. It works great in a project studio. I track drums with it and the new one is used for mixing horsepower.