I use a stand with a shelf that is only a foot or two off the ground, right under my main controller. Remember that computers are a lot more fragile then road warrior boards, and one trip on a chord might send your fragile laptop crashing to the ground. Keep in mind how big of a risk using a computer live is too. Good controllers are as, if not more important then the machine you get to run your set up. Buttons on my Remote SL are set to send CC changes, and those call up patches in Mainstage.ĭepending on what kinds of plug ins you want to use live, a MacBookPro might be better, but I have seen a friend of mine's MacBook running Logic 8, was I impress to see that little thing running a monster like L8! Sure it wasn't running it very quickly, but it was running!
I want all of my live patch changing to take place from my boards, also so I don't have to scramble with a mouse trying to select patches. I want my computer's display off, I don't want to have to use the mouse or keyboard at all. I want to be able to look at my controller and see what patch I have selected, not look down at my computer.
I don't consider a large display necessary for live use. If I were getting a machine strictly for live use, I think I would go with a MacBook, just because it's lighter, smaller, and cheaper. My audio interface is firewire, so it doen't take up any usb ports. I got a 17" because I needed 3 usb ports to have two usb ports and my Logic 7 dongle ( the dongle is gone in L8 btw). The main differences are going to be max CPU speeds, Hard drive size options, and the shared graphics RAM vs. I honestly think I you could get away with alot with just a MacBook, but the MacBookPro's are nicer. Keep in mind I'm still running OSX 10.4, haven't made the jump to Leopard yet. These things aren't even at X.1 yet, so perhaps giving these programs a little more time is wise, though like I said, I haven't had problems yet. Just keep in mind that Logic is only version 8.01, and Mainstage is 1.02. I have heard Mainstage and Logic 8 are still quite buggy, though they are running just fine on my machine. If I ever had issues, they were all from user error, not the machine or software's fault. I've actually not played much with this current set up, but I played a lot back when I just had Logic 7 and Reason 3. Controllers are a Novation Remote SL for Main stage, and a Korg Kontrol 49 for Reason. For audio out I use a m-audio Firewire 410 (about $300). I use a MacBookPro 17" running Mainstage and Reason 4.
For people gigging with Macs, how do you transport it and set it up on stage?Īny other tips or tricks would be appreciated!
What widgets are needed to bring audio into the Mac and also out of the Mac? Any particular brands or models? If I could save money, I would like to, but not if I'm gonna be bummed out in 6 months when the machine maxes out.
Which Mac notebook would be the best call? I think I could get by with a plain Macbook, but the Macbook Pro seems so much nicer.
I'm looking to get back into some recording and also considering using it live. I want to go notebook route and won't be doing any crazy recording sessions just yet. I know we have had some threads here and there about such stuff, but I can't find one that specifically addresses the basic rig needed to get started. After doing a lot of research and thinking about which one would give me broader benefits, I'm pretty drawn to the Mac/Logic route.
I really want to get more into the software side of things. One Eric Moment I've been toying with for '08 includes getting either a Receptor or Mac with Logic Studio.