- #Mac mini for recording studio how to#
- #Mac mini for recording studio upgrade#
- #Mac mini for recording studio pro#
how to get safari to open in full screen on mac.The Joule V setup gets my highest recommendation. Mojo Audio surpassed my expectations with this.
#Mac mini for recording studio upgrade#
The new Mojo Audio Joule V Mac Mini upgrade with a dedicated internal SSD drive yields a significant improvement in sound quality from their earlier models which already are outstanding: I would stack this new upgrade against any music server even higher in price. Nothing like that can truly come from an audio system, right? The Joule V brought me as close as I have ever succeeded. Weekend Apple deals: Flash deal: Month-end Apple deals: New price drops: Apple markdowns: Last call for these Apple deals: Final hours: Last call: Today only: Last minute savings: Lowest prices ever: I wandered back and forth with my wife from the left-most cellist to right-most cellist listening and admiring the gorgeous sound. Sell or buy a used Apple Complete Recording Studio with Mac Mini v5.Mojo Audio Joule V Power Supply - Audiophilia.However, in many ways, the entry-level iMac represents better value for those on a budget, especially if you see yourself quickly outgrowing the Mini's capabilities. In a nutshell, the Mac Mini remains a basic, yet capable machine that provides a good starting point. But if you factor in the cost of these required devices to even the cheapest Mac Mini, the price difference between that and the low-end iMac starts to narrow considerably. If you already have a suitable monitor, keyboard and mouse, that's fine. Although the Mac Mini is the cheapest Mac that Apple sell, its £649starting price can be deceptive in terms of value, even though, on paper, it's several hundred dollars cheaper than the cheapest iMac. However, it is possible to connect a faster drive for audio, thanks to the Mac Mini's built-in FireWire 800 port - assuming you're not already planning to use this port for an audio interface, of course, since daisy‑chaining devices isn't always possible.Īnother important factor when considering the Mac Mini, and one that might initially sound a little bizarre, is price. As a guide, you should expect to be able to handle approximately 50 to 60 mono 16-bit tracks at 44.1kHz. But, perhaps more crucially, this internal drive runs at 5400rpm - slower than those used in most other Macs - which will limit the number of audio tracks you can play back simultaneously. In terms of storage, the basic Mac Mini comes with a 360GB drive. It's worth bearing in mind that 8GB is the maximum amount of memory supported by the Mac Mini. But you'll find life rather more comfortable with 4GB, especially if you want to work with sample‑based instruments. When it comes to memory, the 2GB supplied in the entry-level Mac Mini should be just enough to get you started. Today's baseline Mac Mini also has a 2.4GHz processor, so those figures should be roughly comparable.
#Mac mini for recording studio pro#
The current range features Intel Core 2 Duo processors, and the 2007 MacBook Pro (which, with a 2.4GHz processor, had similar performance capabilities) gives us a rough guide of the performance you can expect: using Logic Pro 7, this was capable of running 150 PlatinumVerb instances, 54 Space Designers and 512 EXS24 voices (with the filter enabled). Since the first Power PC-based model was introduced (see the full review at /sos/may05/articles/applemacmini.htm), the Mac Mini has established itself as a basic-yet-capable studio computer. The updated Mac Mini comes with a 2.4GHz processor, 2GB RAM and a 320GB hard drive as standard, making it perfectly capable of running decent numbers of tracks. Among the most important factors to consider in determining such handling are the type and speed of the processor, the amount of memory and the speed of the hard disk. It's all a matter of how many audio tracks, instruments and effects you need the computer to handle. SOS contributor Mark Wherry replies: While it used to be the case that a high-end computer like the Mac Pro was essential for running music and audio applications, these days it's really hard to purchase a system that will be incapable of such tasks. I'm tempted by a Mac Mini, as I already have a decent screen, but am concerned that it won't be able to cope with the requirements of audio recording. I always hear people saying that the Mac Pro is the Mac of choice for musicians but, as a hobbyist, I simply can't justify the expense.