mac mini

Charlie Paterno · Post by **Charlie Paterno** » 11 Mar 2012 9:22 am

I have Protools Mbox 2 and can't get it to work with Windows 7. I was wondering if I switched to a Mac devoted just to recording what would be the best to use? I really don't want to spend any more than is needed to get the job done. Thanks Charlie

Al Carey · Post by **Al Carey** » 12 Mar 2012 4:22 pm

Charlie,

I just bought a Mac Mini Server, and it's fantastic. I would think that the base model($600) would be adequate, but I'd plan on adding RAM. That can be done for well under $100.

Charlie Paterno · Post by **Charlie Paterno** » 12 Mar 2012 5:00 pm

Thanks Al

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 13 Mar 2012 6:57 am

I believe the mBox 2 has a FireWire 400 port, while the new MacMini has a FireWire 800 port. There are many cables and adapters to convert between the two, but that's the only issue I think you'd have. I use an mBox 2 with a iMac and have no problems. The newer MacMini is faster, with a bigger hard drive, and cheaper than my iMac, but you need to provide your own monitor, mouse and keyboard.

Al Carey · Post by **Al Carey** » 13 Mar 2012 7:06 am

good point about the Firewire port, I was thinking the mbox was USB. If you need an adapter/cable, www.monoprice.com can't be beat.

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 13 Mar 2012 7:29 am

I use a Mac Mini at home. I haven't recorded much with it, but I do sound editing in Audacity with it. I also have Parallels Desktop set up to run Windows programs, and I do CD track mastering in using a very old copy of WaveLab in that environment. It's what I used to master the Forum Showcase CD.

If I didn't already have a Roland VS-1880, I'd be using a Mac Mini in my home studio. No doubt. It's only inertia that keeps me on the Roland VS.

One caveat here... My own recording requirements are very modest. I never need to record more than 3 simultaneous tracks, and I don't have any songs that use more than 8 tracks. I'm not sure, but I imagine that you could overwhelm a Mac Mini with a 16 track board.

Ken Morgan · Post by **Ken Morgan** » 13 Mar 2012 7:48 am

I don't think you could overwhelm it. A mini mac is a dual core beast, right? Even with a FW400 (or 800, reverted to 400 with an adapter) is a pretty powerful beast, capable of some pretty significant streaming. I've tracked 20 simultaneous ins at 24/48K, with 6 back out (stereo main and 2 stereo cue sends) with a couple of low impact effects running off a lesser dual core PC.

As for the mbox2, you might make sure you have the very latest drivers for Win7...they did a substantial update when 7 (and Lion) came out to try and keep the '2' series things functional.

Charlie Paterno · Post by **Charlie Paterno** » 13 Mar 2012 12:39 pm

My apology as I did forget to mention this is a USB version. Does this mean a Mac will be less affective with out the firewire? Not worth doing?

Al Carey · Post by **Al Carey** » 13 Mar 2012 12:45 pm

Charlie Paterno wrote:My apology as I did forget to mention this is a USB version. Does this mean a Mac will be less affective with out the firewire? Not worth doing?

There's nothing wrong with a USB interface. It has a more limited bandwidth than Firewire, but for most home recordists it's plenty capable. Have fun with it!

Ken Morgan · Post by **Ken Morgan** » 13 Mar 2012 2:13 pm

You should still be able to get 16 in and 4 out at 24/48K without breaking a sweat.

I would recommend though, using an external drive as your recording/data drive if using USB. It will take the load off the internal drive, and any decent USB controller (which Macs have) should be able to handle the load no problemo....

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 13 Mar 2012 7:00 pm

While we're on the subject, I have a firewire Firebox from Presonus. I bought a new computer with windows 7 but no firewire card in it.

The question is should I buy another firewire card for my new computer
or is their an adapter I can use?

Al Carey · Post by **Al Carey** » 14 Mar 2012 3:59 am

There are no external FireWire adapters that I'm aware of. You'd need to get a pci card, assuming your new computer has an available pci slot.

Also, FireWire devices can be finicky about the chipset used in the adapter. I'd suggest checking the Presonus website for any compatibility info.

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 14 Mar 2012 6:12 pm

There are adapters, it's just that I'm not sure they will work.
I guess I'll bite the bullet and buy a card, if I have the slot. Actually the card is cheaper anyway.

Howard Smith · Post by **Howard Smith** » 13 Jun 2012 5:15 pm

The Mini Mac would work great for recording, I got so tired of reloading drivers and trying to diagnose why I couldn't record I finally bought a MAC. I have never had even one problem yet...after having it over two years now. I'm not sure if your M Box is compatible, but more than likely. What makes your computer run slower is loading up the tracks with plug-ins. The more plug-in's the slower the operation. I strongly recommend Logic Studio. Best recording software I've ever used.

Gary Reed · Post by **Gary Reed** » 14 Jun 2012 4:10 am

When you get the mini home, you can partition the drive to have ( for example) 30% for PC programs & 70% for the Mac. During initial setup is the only time you have this option unless you want to perform a reinstall. This enables us to have our favorite PC aps. A 1TB external HD (USB) is more than adequate. The ext HD can house all your audio & video files of lesson's & recordings keeping the main drive from getting overloaded. Use the Mac portion for internet access if you want no blue screens of death. Once your in Mac you'll never go back.