After the buffer is full, the data is sent off for digital-to-analog conversion.Ī keyboard rig running MainStage on a Mac mini. In the context of live music performance, a musician presses a key on a MIDI keyboard, and the CPU generates the “sound” and stores it in the buffer. If you don’t know what buffer is, think of it as temporary memory where the computer can store processed data before handing it off somewhere else. High-end virtual instrument plugins like Ivory (Broadway’s favorite piano sound), Omnisphere, and Session Strings require a lot of CPU and RAM, especially in a live performance setting that requires a 64 or 128 sample buffer size. High Flexibilityīroadway shows can be very sonically diverse, and it’s not uncommon to use dozens if not hundreds of different sounds in a MainStage file. The iMac is only semi-modular, and the current MacBook Pros completely lack modularity.
#Best daw for mac mini pro
The Mac mini and Mac Pro are the only two Apple computers that satisfy the requirements for high reliability. It’s a lot cheaper to replace a mouse than to replace a whole MacBook Pro with a faulty trackpad. This allows for components like the keyboard, mouse, display, and hard drive to be replaced individually. Secondly, the keyboard rack’s computers should be modular. Ideally, every keyboard rack should strive for redundancy and have two of everything, which automatically doubles the cost. Loading and unloading gear to travel to a new city every week while having to worry about the fragility of MacBook Pros and iMacs is a nightmare.
High reliability is the key factor to consider when building a keyboard rack, and this is especially true for touring productions that prefer to have computers mounted in a rack case. In a live performance setting, redundancy and modularity make up a system’s level of reliability. This leaves a total of $3,350 for two computers, making a mid to high-end Mac mini the only viable option.
#Best daw for mac mini professional
Unfortunately, professional music equipment is really expensive, so this reality often presented a “trilemma” between low price, high reliability, and high flexibility. Why Mac mini?ĭespite all the razzle-dazzle you see onstage, Broadway shows actually have very tight budgets, especially when it comes to keyboard racks for the electronic music designer. More often than not, the racks I built were powered by Mac minis running MainStage. Prior to moving to Tokyo, I worked as an electronic music designer in New York and Las Vegas, where my job involved building keyboard racks and designing sounds for keyboard players on Broadway shows. Two things came to mind as I watched Tim Cook unveil the 2018 Mac mini.
0 kommentar(er)
