MacBook Pro

[DJCraig Ryan]

i have to chip in here because i feel you might be a little disillusioned here Craig mate, and i wouldnt want to see someone spend so much money on something that might not do what they think it will....

re the production side of things, its not the actual laptop/macbook that will determine the quality or quantity of the music you make. It's pretty much everything else that is attached to it, such as soundcard, monitor speakers (most important!!!!) and other peripherals such as midi controllers or synths etc etc. The quality of these machines will have a much, much bigger bearing on the output as apposed to the quality of the machine your using to produce on, as the main difference between laptop or macbook is basically power, and you can always add or soup up whatever machine you went for anyway.

I think its very misleading when people say "oh yeah i do most of my stuff on the road on my mac" because it makes people who maybe dont know so much about production think that they will be able to pick up a mac and start knocking out professional quality production, when that's not the case at all. Alot of people fail to say that they use their laptop/mac as literaly a sketch book and still have to actually produce the tracks to a professional level once they get back into their studio's. I think this is a very important point that people need to point out more because i just think its pretty misleading, and like i say i wouldnt want anyone spending big amounts of money on something without really doing their research first

not patronising you at all by the way mate, your a sound lad and just trying to offer something important to think about.

I personally would buy a very powerful desktop and learn your trade on that first, you might find that digital mixing or even production isnt for you and you might not actually enjoy it, i've found this with dj'ing on a laptop and whilst being good at it, i dont actually get that much out of it and thus i never do it really, i get my buzz of just producing tracks now really, and i sold the laptop i hadnt long brought until i learn how to produce a live set to the level i want on the new desktop i got, and then il invest in the needed hardware as and when

Yo scot. That's a cracking read there and you make some very good points in which i need to consider. Yes you are right when you say i'm a little disillusioned because i am mate. It's alot to take in and consider because i am new to all this. To be honest i was thinking all about the spec/power of the machine and not your soundcard/monitors/midi controllers etc etc (as you point out) I'm going to have a shop about for some desktops pcs now. I have been looking at those Carillon Audio Pcs. Have you seen them and if so would you recommend them?

Cheers for the help, much appreciated.

Hows your productions going lad?

[Barely Human]

Yo scot. That's a cracking read there and you make some very good points in which i need to consider. Yes you are right when you say i'm a little disillusioned because i am mate. It's alot to take in and consider because i am new to all this. To be honest i was thinking all about the spec/power of the machine and not your soundcard/monitors/midi controllers etc etc (as you point out) I'm going to have a shop about for some desktops pcs now. I have been looking at those Carillon Audio Pcs. Have you seen them and if so would you recommend them?

Cheers for the help, much appreciated.

Hows your productions going lad?

The carillon pc's are very good, but they are pricey. You could knock something up yourself for a lot cheaper. I managed to build a tower for 600 which ive still not got anywhere near its limits. This all deppends on how much you know about building pc's though.

The main point i will make is this, the single most important part in your studio (IMO), is your monitors. They are the only part you can hear. So make sure you consider investing in some decent monitors at some point if your planning on making a decent go of it.

[RDR]

The carillon pc's are very good, but they are pricey. You could knock something up yourself for a lot cheaper. I managed to build a tower for 600 which ive still not got anywhere near its limits. This all deppends on how much you know about building pc's though.

The main point i will make is this, the single most important part in your studio (IMO), is your monitors. They are the only part you can hear. So make sure you consider investing in some decent monitors at some point if your planning on making a decent go of it.

+1 for the monitors everytime.

You dont need a lot of knowledge to build a P.C. just read the MOBO manual and you're away, unless you are a total n00b craig.