Mini mac for pro tools

[minestrone]

So the problem is that your recorded MIDI is out of time?

Have you tried setting (or unsetting) the MIDI ports to "use system timestamp" in device setup? This has fixed the same problem for me in the past (i.e. where recorded midi is even more out of time than my hamfisted playing).

Possibly useful article here:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec0...etech_1207.htm

I'll give that a whirl sometime this week, probably the weekend at this rate. Cheers

[doodab]

So the problem is that your recorded MIDI is out of time?

Have you tried setting (or unsetting) the MIDI ports to "use system timestamp" in device setup? This has fixed the same problem for me in the past (i.e. where recorded midi is even more out of time than my hamfisted playing).

Possibly useful article here:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec0...etech_1207.htm

[minestrone]

What sort of latencies are you getting at the moment? I'm surprised latency is a problem playing a synth module unless you are playing through a lot of plugin effects. Have you tried using ASIO direct monitoring or is that not possible with your setup? What effects are you using?

BTW, I'm sure you already know you need a digidesign or m-audio interface to use pro tools. If you already have this then I doubt you're going to see a massive difference plugging it into a mac, unless of course the mac is a great improvement on your existing PC.

I think we are out about .1 of a second now. That bad. If I lay down a piano to the click track and listen back it's miles out esp as my first instrument is the drum kit and my timing is very good.

really my machine is now a server, I run countless stuff on it that it was never bought to do. Web cams streaming to the interent of my drive way and other such nonsense, The machine was never up to the job really. I use my laptop for most suff these days,

If I can dedicate a mac mini to the job then I can retire this old box and move the server stuff onto a windows home server thingy.

I recon I can build a shelf above my korg keyboard and plonk my dual monitors and mac mini on that, I have a m-audio already for the midi to the PC.

Then I just need to get benched and I will be as happy as a pig in tulip.

[doodab]

What sort of latencies are you getting at the moment? I'm surprised latency is a problem playing a synth module unless you are playing through a lot of plugin effects. Have you tried using ASIO direct monitoring or is that not possible with your setup? What effects are you using?

BTW, I'm sure you already know you need a digidesign or m-audio interface to use pro tools. If you already have this then I doubt you're going to see a massive difference plugging it into a mac, unless of course the mac is a great improvement on your existing PC.

[Sysman]

It's not so much being able to run Pro Tools but what you're going to throw at it. Audio recording, samplers, MIDI plugins, softsynths etc.

Here again, go for the Intel version. The trend for some time has been that newer bits of some apps are Intel only (e.g. iPhoto face recognition, bits of Garageband, all of iMovie).

[Durbs]

Seen one chap say that he put more memory in and now the case does not line up quite right anymore so it sounds like it's no fun getting them open.

Aye, they are not the easiest things to strip. Had to do mine 3 x because the first time i put it back together i could hear the fan, whereas before the thing was completely silent.

On the third time of rearranging the packing to cure this hum i realised i'd disconnected a tiny black cable that i assume controls the fan so the bios was just whacking the fan up to full speed

By that time though, I could strip and reassemble it super speedy.

[minestrone]

As has been said dont even consider a Power PC based Mini. The Intel based ones are the way to go.

Even the lower end Core2 ones are pretty nippy so bung in an extra gig of memory (had to upgrade mine recently, not a fun job cracking those things open!) and it'll be fast enough i'd say.

I've got a Mini 1.83 Core2Duo and its plenty quick enough for most things so that or higher would do the job.

Also helps if running Snow Leopard, I upgraded from Leopard --> Snow Leopard which cost a few quid from Amazon and its noticably quicker.

There are a few of that kind of spec kicking about ebay. can't get on in clientco though

Read somwhere that I should be getting 2 gig min of ram

Seen one chap say that he put more memory in and now the case does not line up quite right anymore so it sounds like it's no fun getting them open.

[minestrone]

It's not so much being able to run Pro Tools but what you're going to throw at it. Audio recording, samplers, MIDI plugins, softsynths etc.

I pretty much exlusively use my roland synth module with a couple of expansion cards ( orchestra and keys). Won't be tanking the thing.

I'm wanting to get away from my XP box as the latency makes it unworkable now and I have not done anything in ages.

[Durbs]

My thoughts are to get a second hand mini mac and it seems that you can pick a second hand one up for abut 100 quid. like a "Mac Mini G4 1.25GHz 1GB RAM 40GB HDD" on ebay just now

As has been said dont even consider a Power PC based Mini. The Intel based ones are the way to go.

Even the lower end Core2 ones are pretty nippy so bung in an extra gig of memory (had to upgrade mine recently, not a fun job cracking those things open!) and it'll be fast enough i'd say.

I've got a Mini 1.83 Core2Duo and its plenty quick enough for most things so that or higher would do the job.

Also helps if running Snow Leopard, I upgraded from Leopard --> Snow Leopard which cost a few quid from Amazon and its noticably quicker.

[Cliphead]

It's not so much being able to run Pro Tools but what you're going to throw at it. Audio recording, samplers, MIDI plugins, softsynths etc.

[Scrag Meister]

Go for an Intel based newer version as you can then still run Windoze within the Mac OS if you need to.

[OrangeHopper]

I've just been checking and I think only the more recent models support dual monitors. The newer one in front of me certainly has two video outputs while the older one upstairs - hold on a minute - only has the one output.

[minestrone]

Cheers, that is something I did not know.

[OrangeHopper]

Don't know anything about Pro Tools but I personally wouldn't get a Power PC based Mini. They are supported by Leopard but not Snow Leopard. My Intel based Mini is also significantly faster than my Power PC one.

[minestrone]

I'm thinking of getting shot of my old XP box running cubase and shifting to the dark side to go with pro tools.

I pretty much want to keep to a budget though as I will be buying a new drum kit at the same time.

My thoughts are to get a second hand mini mac and it seems that you can pick a second hand one up for abut 100 quid. like a "Mac Mini G4 1.25GHz 1GB RAM 40GB HDD" on ebay just now

Is there any chance that something like that can handle pro tools? I assume not but really I don't want to go and buy a brand new one and would want a half way house, the machine will only be used for music creation.

Also can the mac support dual monitors?

Cheers for any advice.