VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[vox1]

Greetings fellow voice trekkers,

After some 20-odd years (in a number of ways; ) working largely
from a home based ISDN studio, I'm constructing a second
"satellite-office" set-up in an urban setting. We've put a good
two months into the hard part - acoustic treatment, floating-floor
room-within-room customized booth, soundproofing/window framing
et.al and am now at a point where I need to revisit that little matter
of hardware/software and audio chain : )

Originally I'd intended to duplicate my main studio set-up. Typically
for non-ISDN stuff I mostly track into a Lynx L22 Card to Bias Peak
on a "Legacy" Mac desktop G4 w/ OS9 (I hate the word Legacy - it's not
THAT old..just user friendly for my workflow style). Alternately my
21st century setup is an Imac Intel G5 OSX with one of several
Firewire or USB interfaces such as a Mackie Onyx Satellite - to Peak, Soundtrack Pro or Source Connect's standalone desktop for some folks.

I have lots of shelved outboard gear but the question here is about a
suitable Mac for the second studio set-up. I don't want to overspend
on this because it will not be my primary workspace and I know a MacBook would do but am looking for an intel mac that'll be powerful enough for
most applications and had been sort of hung up on whether I wanted to
go for another IMac or possibly look at a Mac Mini as an alternative?

I must say I don't know first-hand all that much about the Minis other
than I've used one in someone's home office for a while a couple of
years ago and it felt a little underpowered / slow even for multitasking with
some basic as - Love the "quietude" of them though - and likewise
same with the IMac - and wondering if Apple's come up with a more robust
version of the Mini - I think the one I was using was a 1.5G Intel Core Solo...

It's pretty much down to the computer - everything else I've got covered.
Happy to hear any opinions/suggestions on an economical Intel Mac solution that might work out for, say, a few hundred less than what I'd
expect to pay for the IMac. I wouldn't rule out a desktop machine for
that matter if the price fits - Budget not including peripherals is 400-600
ballpark(ideally).

Thanks for any thoughts!

Mike
_________________
Mikey ... Vox-Versatiliti

Saying something since 1970-
something

[David Swinehart]

Mike,
For what it's worth, I use one of the newer Mini's as my main recording computer (newer; not the ones that just came out last week.) Mine's a Core2Duo, 1.83GHtz running Leopard 10.5.6 on 2 GB RAM. I use Logic 8 with plenty of plugins, and I typically have Mail and/or Safari running at the same time with no lockup issues, even when I have 8-10 or more tracks running at the same time.

The biggest limitation of the Mini is, IMHO, the factory cap of 2 GB RAM (3 GB available via a 3rd party option). However, for voice work this has never caused an issue for me.
_________________
David Swinehart
an actual Dave
Kinetic Sound Labs

[jasbart]

My studio computer is a Mac Mini, 1.83 Ghz, Intel Core 2 Duo. Bought it in the fall of 2007 when I moved into a place with only one small room for my office/studio. Only 1 Gig memory, but it's never missed a beat. The main reason I like it? It's whisper quiet...only 3 feet away from the mic, and you can't hear a thing. It's quieter than my Macbook.

Jim
_________________
Jim Barton
Barton Voice & Sound
www.bartonvoice.com

[georgethetech]

You really can't go wrong with the Mac Mini.
It's quiet, reliable, cost effective, tiny, and runs Mac OS. Upgrade to 2GB RAM and you'll be just fine running your full assortment of applications. I have the Intel Core Solo, which IS slowish, but still works fine. The Dual Core models since then are MUCH faster, and feel just like a "full size" desktop.
Here's one of the best deals going on the Apple Refurb store:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB138LL/A?mco=MjE0NDk5Mw
_________________
If it sounds good, it is good.
George Whittam
GeorgeThe.Tech
424-226-8528
VOBS.TV Co-host
TheProAudioSuite.com Co-host
TriBooth.com Co-founder

[Rob Ellis]

Another Mac convert here.

Mac Mini (2.0 Gig) desktop.

MacBook w/ 13-inch screen as a backup/travel rig.

Finally settled on Amadeus as my software for editing.

May be imagination but my sound quality seems better since making the switch.

[georgethetech]

That's probably placebo effect, but if it feels good it is good.
I often forget to mention Amadeus, but it has some powerful features and at $40, is the cheapest of the paid software options. It also includes a lot of effects, and supports VST effects, of which there are far more options (and many are free). Definitely worth demoing!
_________________
If it sounds good, it is good.
George Whittam
GeorgeThe.Tech
424-226-8528
VOBS.TV Co-host
TheProAudioSuite.com Co-host
TriBooth.com Co-founder

[Rob Ellis]

[jrkaiser]

I'm extremely pleased with the new "green" mac mini... bought the $599 version, purchased a 4 gig Crucial.com ram upgrade for $65, 24" acer HD refurb monitors for $225 from TigerDirect.com, and LOVE IT!

Upgrading the ram was tedious but it only took 30 minutes for the uninitiated...

This thing does video and audio very well!

[steveanthony]

Another nod for the Mac Mini. Mine is a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 2gb RAM. I like the fact that with VM Fusionware, I can run Windows XP and Mac OS at the same time. Directories are a breeze to share between the two systems. And, oh yea, it's really quiet.

[Jowillie]

[jrkaiser]

I originally bought the Mac Mini because I was tired of fighting Windows doing simple video editing... So far I LOVE iMovie... advanced functionality, simplicty of use. I'm sure Final Cut goes above and beyond. Dual video cards built-in to the new Mini along with the 4 Gig Ram cap and I'm golden... I haven't even started editing audio yet, but I'm told I can run Audition in Parralels or VMWare and have no problems with both OS at the same time.

[Jowillie]

Thank you, Justin. That's going to be a big help.
Keep us up to date.
WE
_________________
Wild Willie Edwards
www.hometowntvtoday.com
http://vomictest.blogspot.com