Can anyone give me a reason not to buy an iMac?

[lepersmeesa]

I have recently come into some money and thinking about buying an iMac for my next recording computer. I was thinking of another mac book pro ( I have the first model) but the iMacs are cheaper and more powerful. The only let down really being no eSata connection.

However can anyone give me a reason to go for the Macbook Pro over the iMac. Does anyone know if the iMac are going to be releasing an upgrade any time soon?

Does also anyone know when Pro Tools will be compatible?

Thanks in advance!

 

[AudioGeekZine]

iMacs aren't expandable in any way, and the stupid DVD drive drops the discs out the side without warning.
It should work with PTLE no problem.
Remember: record to a firewire HD oxford 911 chipset. Expect trouble recording to the system drive.

 

[greyskull]

portability

 

[AudioGeekZine]

There is something about running a studio off a laptop that I don't like.

 

[nwright]

^Even if you are using an external HD for sessions?

I've used my laptop exclusively over the past year and couldn't be happier.

 

[Remy_5150]

I use a new iMac. Yeah, its not expandable and isn't as powerful as a Mac Pro, but it runs Pro Tools just fine, I have 4 gigs of RAM and the thing fucking ROARS...plus, its the most gorgeous computer ever, and it has an absolutely incredible screen. I'm not planning on starting a studio, I just wanted a stationary computer that is more powerful than my G4 powerbook and can do Pro Tools.

and when I say "can do Pro Tools", I mean run a 35 track session at 44.1, with DFHS and tons of other plug-ins running at the same time.

 

[beyond dead]

if you can wait, there is a new generation of firewire coming out next year that is WAAAAY faster than 800. also usb 3.0 will be released. I would wait until that technology is released because i expect the 2008/9 imacs include it. also there will most likely be a new era of interfaces released

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I hear there is a new imac comming around the bend either in march or april.

 

[egan.]

There is something about running a studio off a laptop that I don't like.

My MBpro is running 48 track protools sessions flawlessly. I even maxed the Le 18 ins simultaneously and it didn't flinch. When I'm stationary I can use an external keyboard mouse and monitor, but I can grab just the laptop and do edits at home too if I want.
If you have a proper, permanent studio then obviously there is no sense in a laptop...but if you're mobile doesn't it make sense to be mobile?

 

[AudioGeekZine]

My MBpro is running 48 track protools sessions flawlessly. I even maxed the Le 18 ins simultaneously and it didn't flinch. When I'm stationary I can use an external keyboard mouse and monitor, but I can grab just the laptop and do edits at home too if I want.
If you have a proper, permanent studio then obviously there is no sense in a laptop...but if you're mobile doesn't it make sense to be mobile?

Recording to the system drive?
I really hope you have a backup routine in practice.

I have nothing against using a laptop for music production, or recording. I wouldn't be happy if I was paying for studio time and had to use a laptop for editing. Hey something I just realized is editing in PT on a laptop sucks balls, I need a full size keyboard and a real mouse, add that along with the interface and external hard drive not so portable anymore. Might as well have a desktop.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I find that people who don't like laptops usually have shitty eye site and gigantic 24-30" monitors in thier studios. Even if you did need a mouse, keyboard, interface, and exsternal drive it's still ALOT more portable than rackmounting a desktop.

 

[EerieVon]

I prefer using desktops more because you can control its heat better, I know that sounds kinda stupid but when you run any resource intensive app(music production is great example) the system tends to run alot hotter, and heat kills systems fast. Typically laptops naturally run on the warm side because of size,space, and airflow constrictions anyway . Whereas a desktop you can modify to maximize the cooling without sacrificing noise control.

 

[egan.]

I find that people who don't like laptops usually have shitty eye site and gigantic 24-30" monitors in thier studios. Even if you did need a mouse, keyboard, interface, and exsternal drive it's still ALOT more portable than rackmounting a desktop.

Exactly, I can easily fit my mbpro, a fw800 drive, an mbox, a mouse and my headphones in a single (timbuk2) shoulder bag. If I'm going w/ a larger system I swap the mbox for another fw driver and add a rack w/ pres and an interface. 2 things easily carried in 1 trip.
A big monitor and a numeric keypad are great but certainly not necessary. And I promise that my current solution is infinitely more convenient than moving a desktop system.
As I originally stated, "If you have a proper, permanent studio then obviously there is no sense in a laptop...but if you're mobile doesn't it make sense to be mobile?"

 

[t-rave]

they are using a new cheaper smaller firewire chip called agere instead of the tride and true texas instruments in the newsest imac and macbook pro models..

RME , motu, and presonus are reporting incompatibilities with them

from RME's site:


Hardware Alert: FireWire solutions with Agere FW chip

Hello,

as already stated in the thread 'Workaround for Fireface iMac Problem'

http://www.rme-audio.de/forum/viewtopic.php?id=974

there is a new FW 800 chip on the market from Agere, which seems to be incompatible (not only) to RMEs FireWire audio, and requires workarounds for successful operation.

The reason Apple used this chip instead of the former TI solution is easy to find: half the price and a lot smaller. So it is not astonishing that this chip now also begins to show up on Windows computers. We got our hands on a PCIe FireWire 800 card from Unibrain using this chip, and found the exact (!) same problems under Windows as under Mac OS X using this card.

Our examination of the problem showed that the Agere chip causes the Firefaces to issue a FireWire bus reset shortly after start of data transmission (isochronous mode). We tried a Motu 828 for comparison and found this to be affected as well (everything seemed to work, but playback did not start).

Therefore we have to declare this chip and all related products as incompatible, and expect a fix (if any) from Agere's side, by either firmware or driver updates.
Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Offline

 

[devouredremains]

I prefer using desktops more because you can control its heat better, I know that sounds kinda stupid but when you run any resource intensive app(music production is great example) the system tends to run alot hotter, and heat kills systems fast. Typically laptops naturally run on the warm side because of size,space, and airflow constrictions anyway . Whereas a desktop you can modify to maximize the cooling without sacrificing noise control.

You are partially right. Laptop components are generally underclocked for this very reason.