'Serious' Audio on iBook 700? Options

[Tim]

I am switching to Mac and generally want a laptop. I actually have already bought an MBox from digidesign. Initially, I intend to use ProTools LE, Absynth. I envision myself running mostly MIDI, with half of a dozen audio tracks. I intend to also get a glyph drive in the future.

So, knowing that, will the iBook 700 suffice. The debate of course between it and the PB (maybe 550). It seems like the iBook will be fine, especially when packed with 640 of RAM, but I've read comments here and there on the net about how it isn't for the 'Serious' audio production. No, I'm not recording the next Puff Daddy album, but I want something that I won't outgrow for 2-3 years.

Any opinions are great, especially from current iBook owners...

Thanks,
Tim.

[rickenbacker]

Hmmm, not sure how much help I can be. I do have Logic on my iBook, but a fairly old version (4.2!) although this runs just fine. I'm sure the latest version would be just as good - judging from general opinion on the web, it seems fairly stable now. VST plugs and instruments are also fine - I get occasional problems whatever program I'm running, which is all just part of the "fun" of computer music.

As for audio+Midi I/O, that's a big subject. It all comes down to personal preference, your favourite sequencer and cold hard cash. There are plenty of options: the Mbox is very good, although this is designed to deliver its best performance with Pro Tools LE (plus I can't get any other hardware to register in the version of PTLE that comes bundled with the Mbox). Midiman make a few hardware options (Omni Studio, Audiosport Quattro, Duo) but they do have a somewhat "variable" reputation.

The Tascam US224 might suit you: around £260 here in the UK and you get one Midi I/O, one digital I/O and two channels of audio. No phantom power for condenser mics, though (the Mbox has phantom power). But it's pretty good - again, I've got one on my desk right now that I was testing last night and it works well. It's also a control surface for practically every sequencer out there, so that's a bonus. There's also the US428, but that's more expensive and I don't know if the extra features are really essential.

There's also a Roland U8 (don't know much about that) and I have a Swissonic USB-Studio D, but these cost more than $300. If you know that you want to work with Logic, eMagic do the EMI 2/6 USB audio interface (very nice by all accounts) and the MT4 USB Midi interface, which will probably set you back about £450. That's about $600, I think, which is double your budget, but with computer music, you get what you pay for. Better to get the best once (within reason - we're not all made of money) than end up wishing you'd spent the extra, selling your gear at a loss in order to make the move to the gear you should have bought in the first place.

Hope that make sense! Basically, buy the very best you can afford and if it means waiting a little while so you can save the extra cash, it'll totally be worth it. I bought my Swissonic by selling all my outboard gear - hard-disk recorders etc - as I made the decision to go totally software with my iBook. No regrets... yet! In your situation, maybe the US224 is a safe bet. Good sound, good price, excellent support on the Tascam website. Plus you can use it as an audio+Midi I/O with virtually any sequencer, so you're free to use what you like. OS X drivers now available, too! No bigger than an iBook (and lighter) and USB-bus powered, so a neat portable solution.