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Mac Mini Studio
IMac, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, or MacBook Air — there are a lot of different Macs to choose from. On the desktop front, though, the two obvious choices are the Mac mini and iMac. In this guide, we. Switcher Studio lets you capture video from multiple camera angles — and edit it in real time — helping you connect with your community in the most engaging way yet. Stream it live or record it for later. Start your free trial Play video. Best studio Mac for musicians: iMac. The iMac is a great Mac for studio based musicians. We'd suggest that you exercise some caution though if you are buying an iMac. Updated With Larger Openings to Support Proper Cooling of 2018 and 2020 6-Core Mac minis The enclosure’s design—updated to properly support 6-core Mac mini models—manages airflow through the computers to keep them as cool as ambient air in the rack as on a desk, enabling you to stack them close and stack them high for a Mac mini server farm.
I always hear people saying that the Mac Pro is the Mac of choice for musicians but, as a hobbyist, I simply can't justify the expense. I'm tempted by a Mac Mini, as I already have a decent screen, but am concerned that it won't be able to cope with the requirements of audio recording. What are the pros and cons?
Petra Smith via email
SOS contributor Mark Wherry replies: While it used to be the case that a high-end computer like the Mac Pro was essential for running music and audio applications, these days it's really hard to purchase a system that will be incapable of such tasks. It's all a matter of how many audio tracks, instruments and effects you need the computer to handle. Among the most important factors to consider in determining such handling are the type and speed of the processor, the amount of memory and the speed of the hard disk.The updated Mac Mini comes with a 2.4GHz processor, 2GB RAM and a 320GB hard drive as standard, making it perfectly capable of running decent numbers of tracks.Photo: Apple
Since the first Power PC-based model was introduced (see the full review at /sos/may05/articles/applemacmini.htm), the Mac Mini has established itself as a basic-yet-capable studio computer. The current range features Intel Core 2 Duo processors, and the 2007 MacBook Pro (which, with a 2.4GHz processor, had similar performance capabilities) gives us a rough guide of the performance you can expect: using Logic Pro 7, this was capable of running 150 PlatinumVerb instances, 54 Space Designers and 512 EXS24 voices (with the filter enabled). Today's baseline Mac Mini also has a 2.4GHz processor, so those figures should be roughly comparable.
When it comes to memory, the 2GB supplied in the entry-level Mac Mini should be just enough to get you started. But you'll find life rather more comfortable with 4GB, especially if you want to work with sample‑based instruments. It's worth bearing in mind that 8GB is the maximum amount of memory supported by the Mac Mini.
In terms of storage, the basic Mac Mini comes with a 360GB drive. But, perhaps more crucially, this internal drive runs at 5400rpm — slower than those used in most other Macs — which will limit the number of audio tracks you can play back simultaneously. As a guide, you should expect to be able to handle approximately 50 to 60 mono 16-bit tracks at 44.1kHz. However, it is possible to connect a faster drive for audio, thanks to the Mac Mini's built-in FireWire 800 port — assuming you're not already planning to use this port for an audio interface, of course, since daisy‑chaining devices isn't always possible.
Another important factor when considering the Mac Mini, and one that might initially sound a little bizarre, is price. Although the Mac Mini is the cheapest Mac that Apple sell, its £649starting price can be deceptive in terms of value, even though, on paper, it's several hundred dollars cheaper than the cheapest iMac. If you already have a suitable monitor, keyboard and mouse, that's fine. But if you factor in the cost of these required devices to even the cheapest Mac Mini, the price difference between that and the low-end iMac starts to narrow considerably.
In a nutshell, the Mac Mini remains a basic, yet capable machine that provides a good starting point. However, in many ways, the entry-level iMac represents better value for those on a budget, especially if you see yourself quickly outgrowing the Mini's capabilities.
Audio MIDI Setup User Guide
If you use MIDI devices or a MIDI interface connected to your Mac, you can use Audio MIDI Setup to describe the configuration of your MIDI devices. There’s a default configuration already created, but you can set up your own.
You can use this configuration information for apps that work with MIDI, such as sequencers, to control your MIDI devices.
Note: Make sure your MIDI devices are connected to your Mac. If you’re using an interface device, connect any other MIDI devices you’re using to the interface. Also check that any software provided by the manufacturer of the MIDI devices has been installed. For more information, see the documentation that came with your devices.
View a MIDI configuration
In the Audio MIDI Setup app on your Mac, choose Window > Show MIDI Studio.
In the MIDI Studio window, click the Choose MIDI Configuration pop-up menu (it may show Default), then choose the configuration you want to view.
In the toolbar, click the following buttons to change how the configuration is shown:
Show Icon View : Devices in the configuration are shown as icons. If a device isn’t connected, its icon is dimmed. To view information about a device, such as channel properties and ports, and to add or remove ports, double-click the device’s icon.
Show List View : Devices in the configuration are shown in a list, organized by type (such as Interface or External Device). If a device isn’t connected, it’s dimmed. To filter which devices are shown, click the Show pop-up menu, then choose an option (such as Online or Connected). To view information about a device, double-click the device. To view its ports, or to connect or disconnect devices, click the device’s disclosure triangle.
Mac Mini Recording Bundle
Create a MIDI configuration
In the Audio MIDI Setup app on your Mac, choose Window > Show MIDI Studio.
In the MIDI Studio window, click the Choose MIDI Configuration pop-up menu (it may show Default), then choose New Configuration.
Enter a name for the new configuration, then click OK.
To add a new external MIDI device, click the Add button in the MIDI Studio toolbar.
To set properties and add or remove ports for the MIDI device, double-click the device, or select it, then click the Device Info button in the toolbar.
In the Properties window, do any of the following:
Describe the device: Enter a name for the MIDI device; the name appears in apps you use with the device. If you know the manufacturer and model, you can enter those.
Change the device icon: Click the MIDI device’s icon to open the Icon Browser, select a different icon to represent the device, then click the new icon to close the Icon Browser.
Change the device color: Click the color well, select a different color to use for the MIDI device, then close the Colors window.
Set the device channels and other properties: Click Properties, then click the channels to use for transmitting and receiving audio. To deselect a channel, click it again. Also select whether to use the MIDI Beat Clock, the MIDI Time Code, or both, then select other features.
Add or remove ports: Click Ports, click the Add button below the list of ports, then specify the MIDI In and MIDI Out connectors for the port. To delete a port, select it in the list, then click the Remove button .
Select MIDI-CI profiles for interface devices: If an interface device supports MIDI-CI, click MIDI-CI to see the profiles available on each channel. To turn a profile on or off, select or deselect its checkbox.
Click Apply.
Repeat steps 4 through 7 for each MIDI device you want to include in the configuration.
In the MIDI Studio window, specify the connection between MIDI devices:
In Icon View , drag the In or Out connectors at the top of a device icon to the corresponding connector on another device icon.
In List View , click a device’s disclosure triangle, click the Port disclosure triangle, click the Add Connection icon, then use the pop-up menus to specify the connections.
If you have a MIDI interface connected to the USB port on your Mac, it should appear in the MIDI Studio window. If it doesn’t, see If a connected MIDI device isn’t shown.
You can’t specify a “MIDI thru” connection between two MIDI devices. To indicate a MIDI thru connection, connect the two MIDI devices to the same port of the MIDI interface device.
Edit a MIDI configuration
In the Audio MIDI Setup app on your Mac, choose Window > Show MIDI Studio.
In the MIDI Studio window, click the Choose MIDI Configuration pop-up menu (it may show Default), then choose Edit Configurations.
Select a configuration, then click Duplicate, Rename, or Delete.
When you’re finished making changes, click Done.