MacBook Pro Question (PC users, go back to sleep)

[Gerk]

for APE files I use a program called CocoaMonkey (APE GUI front end for OSX).  It works well.

For cakewalk and Sonar, yes they juse use the the installedcodes, so if you have updated then your WMA's are 9.2 and likely unlayable

Mark

[Appleluza]

I'll respond to DoozerDan about the APE translation on OSX Macs since Mark may not have seen this post. (woops, sorry, did not see the previous post) This is what he referred me to on another board when I asked the same question last year:

http://tmkk.hp.infoseek.co.jp/monkey/cm.html

This page is in Japanese and Chinese or something I can't read.  Just look towards the bottom and you will see a link (or two) spelled out in English that will download the software.  I have it running and it is pretty simple to use and seems to do the job.  I'll know better soon as my collab is starting to produce some final tracks which I will want to do as APE files.

Rob Talbert

[DoozerDan]

Thanks for the link for the APE program,  when I saw Gerk's post I typed in CocoaMonkey and that site which you sent me was the first one I came across    What settings do you find work best for it?

Cheers, Daniel

[Gerk]

I use the default settings mostly   They work great.

Mark

[DoozerDan]

In the settings, it has a list of compresion amounts, at one end the have "fast" the other "insane"  which is the better end of the scale?

[Appleluza]

I've just stayed with "normal" - but honestly, I haven't used it that much, as I have gotten by with .wav or .aif files except for here and I'm just working my first collab on MC.  I have not had any problems with 'normal'.

[Gerk]

Normal is the safest and the best compressions vs. time ratio.  Insane gives you smaller files, but takes a lot more time and rasies the potential for issues.  Fast is quick to compress the files, but the end filesize will not be as small.

Long story short, normal is good

Mark

[DoozerDan]

Ahh thanks, Gerk, that's what I wanted to know

Cheers, Dan.

[Appleluza]

Is there a a new MacBook Pro Quad coming out soon?  I would think it might be worth waiting for that.

Has anyone had experience with DP5.1 or MachFive on the intel Mac?

[Gerk]

Dunno about a macbook quad ... I wouldn't hold my breath, not to mention the fact that it's overkill for a laptop at this point in the game

I've tested DP 5.1 on my mac mini (Intel) and it works fine.  I didn't test it with all my hardware (which requires PCI cards) ... but the general reports I've seen with people that did were all great.  Lots of macbook pro users on the bandwagon already.

A great resource for all things MOTU is the forum at http://unicornation.com/phpBB2/index.php

Mark

[Appleluza]

Dunno about a macbook quad ... I wouldn't hold my breath, not to mention the fact that it's overkill for a laptop at this point in the game

I didn't think there was such thing as overkill when it came to getting a more powerful computer   Alos, there are definitely rumours floating that Apple is going to release an upgraded laptop before Christmas - a core-2 duo (so isn't that a Quad).    I got this off the internet at www.macrumours.com (we all know you can believe anything you get off the internet):

*************************

Core 2 Duo MacBook Pros Soon?
Friday October 06, 2006 07:07 PM EST
Posted by arn


Note: This is a Page 2 News Item

AppleInsider continues to feed fuel to the fire that MacBook Pros will see updates in the coming weeks.

According to the rumor site, current MacBook Pro production has slowed as Apple prepares to ramp up the revised Core 2 Duo MacBook Pros.
These reports are joined by tips from insiders who say the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is preparing to begin -- if it has not done so already -- manufacturing ramp of its holiday line of MacBook Pro notebooks.

Reportedly, revisions of the 13" MacBook and the 15" and 17" MacBook Pros are complete and are anticipated to be released before the holiday season.
Mac Guides: MacBook, MacBook Pro, Core 2 Duo
Rating (33 Positives; 7 Negatives)
[ 319 comments ]

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So, maybe I'll wait another 6 weeks just to see.  I also have heard that MachFive doesn't work or at least is not certified to run on the intel Mac's yet.  Who knows when MOTU will upgrade that product.

Rob

[Gerk]

Yep no Intel news for MachFive afaik yet

The Core 2 Duo stuff is not a quad, just an updated Core Duo, faster, less power consumption, deeper pipelines, that sort of thing

Mark

[Appleluza]

Oh... I thought (and someone other equally gullible people I know) thought that it was going to be two dual-cores.  Which I think would add up to a quad (or is that "multiply up" to a quad?)  So, maybe it's not worth waiting.  Or maybe I can get a version-1 PowerBook Pro on ebay for less when the newer versions come out.

Mark, do you use any of the Apple displays with your portable when at home or have you found something better or cheaper but still good?  I also salivate everytime I go to Apple store and see one of those 30-inch Cinema guys and think how much better my music would sound if I were mixing it on one of those (I could actually see the whole meter bridge and mixing console at once).  But $2K is serious money, plus it would be hard to hide from my wife

Rob

[Gerk]

hehe

Well, be very careful if you buy a first gen macbook pro, lots of them had problems, ans I suspect that you'll find a lot of the problematic ones on ebay . . .

I use the Apple 23" Cinema Displays on my DAW (a pair of them).  Great value for the $$, much better value than the 30" when you count pixels. I got my pair of them for less than a 30" would have run me.  My resolution right now (with the 4 monitors) is about 6400x1200



Mark

[Appleluza]

Very cool.  Good point about the two 23-inchers being more pixel realestate that a single 30-inch for  the same or less money.  So, when you got your Cinema monitors, did you find a place that was selling lower than the established price?  I think they go for $999 today.