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Larry Mal wrote: ↑

Thu May 20, 2021 9:25 am

What I predict (and I'm not alone in this) is that the days of the desktop are going to be over soon, and that what you'll do is have some kind of access device and you'll run all your software on the cloud, using that as storage and the work environment.

And like Adobe, you'll have to pay an exorbitant monthly subscription that borders on extortion, lest you lose all access to data, applications, and functionality.

Maggieo wrote: ↑

Thu May 20, 2021 10:19 am

Larry Mal wrote: ↑

Thu May 20, 2021 9:25 am

What I predict (and I'm not alone in this) is that the days of the desktop are going to be over soon, and that what you'll do is have some kind of access device and you'll run all your software on the cloud, using that as storage and the work environment.

And like Adobe, you'll have to pay an exorbitant monthly subscription that borders on extortion, lest you lose all access to data, applications, and functionality.

It is going to be a mixed bag, that's for sure. There's a lot of upsides to it as well, though. Not having to maintain your own computer would be one of them.

I talked earlier about me replacing my 12 core Mac Pro, for me to get a new one would be like eight thousand dollars, and it's a rapidly depreciating asset on top of it.

A thousand dollars a year would probably be about the same cost, overall.

Just a little closure here. I decided to go with the Mac Mini after all. The economy of one of those vs. Rest of the M1 line up is just a bit too bonkers. I'll eventually put some of those savings towards a 4k monitor, but I'm no rush.

The iMac is cute or whatever, but it's just a bit meh for the price. It's just not as appealing as a work station for some reason. All I can think is why shouldn't I just get a lap top with equal performance.

I'll let you know if I hate the Mini once it gets here. Gonna work that 8 core GPU on my 720p monitor.

Suppose I'll update too.

I went with a refurbished base-spec Macbook Air, a 'magic keyboard' and splurged on a very nice Dell U2720Q 27" display when using at as a 'desktop', mostly when working from home or when I need extra screen real estate.

Not to sound too fanboyish (FWIW I've been critical of Apple for a long time and haven't been part of their ecosystem for ~15 years, but also used them from around System 6.0.3 back in the 68k days as a young kid), but it really is a stunning piece of kit. No concerns around the passive cooling or having 'only' 8GB of RAM as memory management is done differently. Cannot believe something this good only cost $1359AUD.

So... Because M1 audio software updates are still way off and my old Macbook is so outdated, I've been using Logic Pro without any third party plugins on the new M1 Macbook. It's been very refreshing to build something with only the built-in tools.

A lot of things sound great - drums, compressors, EQ - most can compete with more commercial versions! However, the Amp Room cabs (I don't use the preamps) are severely outdated and fizzy sounding. But thankfully I've discovered I can load the most excellent Celestion IRs into Apple's Space Designer plugin. I might use this minimal setup for a lot longer!

I have the sense that if you can hold out for as long as you can and let this transition play out, there will be a payoff. Some of the leaked stuff indicates the second generation of Apple Silicon is pretty close and from what I've read, a massive amount of power may be on tap. I'm on Mojave on a 2017 iMac and everything's just fine, so I have no rush to update. The only thing that might goose me forward would be dropping Mojave support, which means no more security updates.

I'm reading that the second iteration of Apple Silicon, the M1X, will be supporting up to 64 gigs of RAM and that the M1X-powered Mini will have 4 thunderbolt ports, 2 USB 3, and a separate power cable that doesn't take up a thunderbolt port.

That pretty much covers everything I could ask for, hardware-wise. By the time it's out, if all my software and hardware is AS-compatible, I'd see no reason to hold off if I needed a new or better computer.

I figured it would take 2-3 generations to reach a point I'd be happy with. Might just be the 2. About 80% of the stuff I own is AS-compatible already and the few things that aren't are from companies that are actively working on it.

Yeah, if the rumors of the M2 chip are even partially true, the next generation of Apple computers is going to be very impressive all around.

Nick and the Noise wrote: ↑

Tue May 25, 2021 12:37 am

So... Because M1 audio software updates are still way off and my old Macbook is so outdated, I've been using Logic Pro without any third party plugins on the new M1 Macbook. It's been very refreshing to build something with only the built-in tools.

A lot of things sound great - drums, compressors, EQ - most can compete with more commercial versions! However, the Amp Room cabs (I don't use the preamps) are severely outdated and fizzy sounding. But thankfully I've discovered I can load the most excellent Celestion IRs into Apple's Space Designer plugin. I might use this minimal setup for a lot longer!

That's pretty much how I've always used Logic Pro with just a few exceptions (FabFilter's DeEsser and Gate are both VERY good and then I have some free plugins). And I think the Logic compressor is excellent for my purposes. I've always said that the $200 I spent on Logic Pro X is the most effective money I've ever put towards making music and it's going to take a lot to change that. We're very spoiled these days!