A couple of weeks ago we repeated a poll from 2015 in which we wanted to learn more about what type and format of Pro Tools computer you use now. In this article we compare the results from the two polls and see how the choice of which computer you use for Pro Tools has changed over four years.
What Kind Of Computer Do You Use To Run Pro Tools?
Notes
We have split the results across two charts for clarity. This means the vertical scales are different in the 2 charts.
You can get the exact data by hovering over a pair of bars, and a floating window will appear with the data for that computer.
The Mac Mini 2018, MacBook Pro 2018 and iMac Pro were not available in 2015 and so could not be included in the 2015 poll.
For those with multiple systems we asked that you chose your primary Pro Tools computer for this poll.
Apple Mac Computers Still The Most Popular Computer For Pro Tools
The overwhelming conclusion is that Apple Mac computers are still the more popular Pro Tools computer with a small increase.
Custom Computer Option
One of the most interesting outcomes from these two polls isn’t what is in the data but what is in some of the comments to the 2019 poll.
“What am I suppose to select if I built a custom PC myself?”
“Production Experts: It would have been much more accurate for me to choose an option written something like ‘Custom Build PC/DAW Server’.”
“I'm in a similar situation as you and ended up choosing ‘Other’ instead.”
Other than the additions of new Macs that were not available in 2015, we chose the same options for the 2019 poll as we did for the 2015 poll. Clearly having a custom build option wasn’t an issue back in 2015, but with more and more people wanting to choose an option, which provides an expandable, user-upgradeable computer, it is clearly much more of issue now and perhaps confirms Apple’s choices for the 2019 Mac Pro were correct, even if the price is higher than people would like.
We have covered the subject of Windows Self-Build Pro Tools computers a lot here on Pro Tools Expert. Here is a selection of our Windows Self Build articles…
Jonah Walton is a producer, artist and mix engineer based out of Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He has been a professional Pro Tools user for over 20 years. In this article, Jonah shares his experience building a Windows PC for his Pro Tools computer and explains his choices for each of the technical components used to create his ultimate workstation machine running Windows 10.
Flavio Buonerba wrote into the Pro Tools Expert podcast, telling us all about his incredible self-build cross-platform Pro Tools host computer. Flavio gave so much detail and great tips, that we decided that it would best serve the community to publish his experience in full detail, for everyone to enjoy and learn from.
Post Production Specialist Alan Sallabank looks into building a "Plan B" Pro Tools Host Computer, on a budget.
The perceived high cost of the new Mac Pro 7,1 together with our polls regarding this and long term hardware investment plans, seem to have re-opened the discussion about "the third way" - the self-build that we dare not speak its name in public - The Hackintosh.
It was that odd time between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, where a lot of the community's thoughts turn to what bargains they can snap up in what used to be called the January Sales. This year round though, there are quite a few more options available.
It seems that my series of articles on Windows machines has inspired a lot of our readers to have a go at building their own Windows based Pro Tools computer systems.
Alan Sallabank here, first a bit of background. My entire career has been spent using Windows, Mac and proprietary systems for audio post production, and currently I use both Windows and Mac on a regular basis, and indeed also own a MacBook Pro as a Pro Tools computer, which I bought recently. More on that later. But for now I wanted to outline why I use Pro Tools on the Windows platform as my Pro Tools computer.
Mac Pro 5,1
It is interesting to see that the percentage of people using a Mac Pro 5,1, which was discontinued in 2013, has increased, again showing that the tower form factor is still very popular and in this case, cost effective.
With the pricing of the Mac Pro 7,1, we expect the old style cheese-grater to remain a popular choice for anyone who doesn’t need Thunderbolt and maybe even some who do if they are prepared to use the workaround we discovered. The Mac Pro 5,1 is still very upgradeable as Mike and James have both benefited from.
With all the discussion about new Mac Pro coming, how good the Mac Mini 2018 is as a Pro Tools computer reminded me that a while back I had bought replacement processors for my Mac Pro 5,1 cheese-grater , which I had never got around to fitting. This article will show how to change the processor chips in a Mac Pro 5,1 (Mid 2010) cheese-grater and will show the difference this has made to my Pro Tools computer.
Recently, I have been suffering some screen re-draw issues on my Mid 2010 Mac Pro which had an ATI Radeon HD5770 1024MB graphics card in it. So I had a chat with Rich at Create Pro to see if upgrading my graphics card might help and he recommended an AMD R9 280X 3GB card.
In part 2, I am going to share how I installed my Angelbird SSD wrk for Mac Pro drive into my Mid 2010 Mac Pro and how I followed the advice from Rich at Create Pro to create a clean install and appropriate backups.
In this video James is back with Rich from UK Mac upgrade company Create Pro. Just how far can you upgrade a 2009 / 2010 Mac Pro (Cheese Grater)? This time Rich shows the upgrade process from a single processor to a dual processor. In this case giving 12 cores at 3.46GHz. Rich and James then push the Pro Tools computer to its limit running the PTE Mac Power Test Session. They also install a USB3 card to give the old Mac Pro so new life when it comes to connectivity. Just how many tracks of Boom can you run at 64 samples with 12 cores? The numbers will amaze you and the performance will make you think twice before forking out for a new machine. Watch and find out.
In this video James shows you just how far he can now push his Pro Tools computer a Mac Pro 2010 that was upgraded to 2015 (6.1) specification by Richard at Create Pro. Using Russ' Mac Power Test session James finds out how many times he can run Boom and how many tracks of audio he can run along side VIs to create a vast session. Will 128 tracks of audio be to much. Will 90 Boom drum machines be an 808 to far. Watch to find out.
In the first video James meets Richard Rogers from Create Pro and discussed upgrading James’ old ‘cheese grater’ 5,1 Mac Pro to new ‘Trash can’ 6,1 specification.
As part of me getting ready for Pro Tools 11, I needed to go up from Lion - 10.7.5 to Mountain Lion 10.8.3, as Pro Tools 11 isn’t officially supported on Lion, and so I have finally decided to go for a SSD drive for my boot drive for my 2010 Mac Pro.
Mac Pro 6,1 Trash Can
As we can see from the results of the two polls, the percentage of those using a Mac Pro 6,1 ‘Trash Can’ has doubled from 5.4% in 2015 to 10.8% in 2019. Although many Pro Tools users, like Mike stuck with the Mac Pro 5,1 cheese-grater, there have been a growing number of Pro Tools users that have either needed a more modern machine or a machine that had Thunderbolt, and until recently the Trash Can even with its drawbacks has arguably been the only game in town. Check the image above which is part of a rack from Deluxe in Hollywood with no less than 50 Mac Pro trash can Pro Tools computers.
Even so, the Mac Pro 6,1 trash can has come in for a lot of stick throughout its life. Apple in a rare admission they missed the mark, Apple's Craig Federighi said this…
I think we designed ourselves into a bit of a thermal corner if you will. We designed a system with the kind of GPUs that at the time we thought we needed, and that we thought we could well serve with a two GPU architecture. That that was the thermal limit we needed or the thermal capacity we needed. But workloads didn’t materialise to fit that as broadly as we hoped.
Back in 2017 just a couple of week’s before the revelations from Apple, Russ said this…
“My test of anything pro is how it performs on real jobs for real clients, in other words in the real world. Every day I walk into my studio turn on my Mac Pro and work for sometimes 12 hours if it's a quiet day. There's never a day when I think to myself; I wish I owned a different computer or used a different OS. In years since I owned it, my 'overpriced' Mac Pro Late 2013 has paid for itself over 250 times; it is the rock that powers my business. In fact, it is such a rock that I rarely realise it is there; it just keeps doing the job, quietly humming on the shelf.”
We have produced a number of articles covering the Mac Pro 6,1 trash can…
I'm puzzled if people are so happy with the computer they own then why they feel the need to criticise other people's choices at the first opportunity. In a recent article I spoke about why I love my Macs, it made no comparisons to other machines and other people's choices, in fact, I suggested that if your choice was different to mine, then I'm happy for you.
No sooner had Apple announced a rethink of the Mac Pro than I was reading comments by (as always) people who don't own one, suggesting that those of us who had invested in a Mac Pro Late 2013 "Trash-can" has been at best fooled and at worst ripped off. Some even asked me if I regretted buying a Mac Pro Trash-Can?
I'm going to be terribly unfashionable and tell you why I still love my Apple Mac and why I'm sticking with Apple.
Yes I know it's not the done thing to defend Apple right now, that I should berate them for not listening and for abandoning me, because after all as a creative if it weren't for me Apple wouldn't have a business, would they? I know I should be joining the people queuing around the block at the Microsoft Store to get their latest computer, but I haven't got a clue where to find one. Perhaps had they not disguised them to look like Apple Stores it would have made the job of finding one easier.
When the Mac Pro 6,1 'Trashcan' appeared on the market it was seen by many as a closed system and therefore some were not sure about its suitability as a Pro Tools computer. Mac users were used to the nice aluminium tower which was easy to add extra memory, drives and 3rd party cards to - so the idea of hanging most of the peripherals off cables left many Pro Tools users cold and unimpressed - sticking to the 'better the devil you know' thinking of the older Mac Pro.
The requests keep coming in to run further power tests on Macs with a copy of Pro Tools native. So far we’ve taken the latest Macbook Pro Retina 15” for a spin and also a Mac Mini i5 Late 2012. We’ve been asked to run the same test on a new Mac Pro (Trash Can), so we’ve run this test on a Mac Pro 6-Core Intel Xeon E5 3.5 GHz. This is the basic test, just the Mac Pro, internal soundcard and internal drive, it’s just you, your Mac, an iLok, headphones and a USB micro keyboard.
MacBook Pro
The MacBook Pro was knocked off the top slot from the 2015 poll and pushed into second place by the Mac Pro cheese-grater. We suspect that may well be that as both the requirements for the macOS and because Pro tools continues to be more demanding, that the 4-core limit in the MacBook Pro became an increasing limiting factor. So the release of the 6-core MacBook Pro and the much more recent release of an 8-core MacBook Pro makes the MacBook Pro a much more appealing option for Pro Tools users, especially for those who need a laptop solution either as their main or secondary Pro Tools computer. For example…
Nice upgrade for when I’m not working on the mix stage. 640 Voices!! pic.twitter.com/HcbtBSdSKW
— Adam Daniel (@point1post) June 13, 2019
This is a typical example of someone who has a MacBook Pro as a 2nd Pro Tools computer. He often uses it when he is away from his dubbing theatre Point1Post.
I know that Adam uses a MacBook Pro 2018, he was an early adopter of the 2018 MacBook Pro as it gave him the power he was missing, from previous laptops.
I have witnessed his laptop handling some sizeable Dolby Atmos sessions when he was demoing at the recent AES show in Dublin earlier this year.
There was also the issue with the 2018 MacBook Pro suffering from throttling due to overheating.
Check out these articles for more information…
Following the extended article on Is There A Problem With The New 2018 MacBook Pro? Check Out Our Initial Analysis Now and our article I Might Be Buying A New Apple MacBook Pro As My Pro Tools Computer Soon we wanted to try and establish what, if any, problems the overheating that have been experienced by video users would show up when using Pro Tools.
There has been a growing number of reports and rumours that Apple is working on foldable screen devices. Most have related to phones, similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip, but there has been a growth in reports that Apple is planning to focus on a MacBook Pro with a foldable display. We investigate.
If you are about to buy for a new M3 powered Apple Mac, we want to tell you how you can save money without compromising on real-world power.
Today, Apple held an online-only event entitled ‘Scary Fast’ in which they announced the latest iteration of the Apple Silicon chips, the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max, powering a new 24-inch iMac desktop and new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops. We have the details.
Apple usually holds an event in early October to announce new Apple Mac computers, and there has been intense speculation as to when Apple could release some new M3-powered Macs. In this article, we investigate which Mac computers Apple will update next, and it now looks like we might have to wait until 2024 at the earliest for any M3-powered Macs.
More detail on Apple’s plans continues to emerge, with the first new Macs expected in October 2023 and releases of M3 models continuing through to the end of 2024. We have the details.
With the Apple Mac range now powered exclusively by Apple M2 silicon system-on-a-chip units, we are starting to learn more about the next round of Apple Silicon, the M3 series. This is what we know so far…
What happens if you buy a MacBook Pro and then find you need more internal storage? We investigate an option to see if it’s suitable for use in audio recording and playback.
With the surprise release of the M2 Mac Mini and M2 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops, what can we expect from Apple for the rest of 2023 and into 2024? In this article, we share what we can learn from reliable sources about what Apple is planning for future computer product releases.
Now that Apple has announced the new M2 Pro and M2 Max-powered 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops, with more powerful CPU and GPU as well as support for up to 96GB of unified memory, we compare them to their predecessors, the M1 Pro and M1 Max versions, to see how good they are.
People are already asking if it is worth upgrading to the new M2 Pro Mac mini or how the M1 Max Mac Studio compares to the new M2 Pro Mac mini. If that is you, in this article, we share what we know.
Mac Mini
The Mac Mini has always been Apple’s entry point low cost computer, but it was unloved for a long time, and although there was a 4-core server version for a while, which made a very cost effective Pro Tools computer, Apple chose to discontinue that model and we were left with 2-core Mac Minis for a number of years until Apple announced the Mac Mini 2018.
Although the percentage of users with a Mac Mini as a Pro Tools computer has dropped from 2015 to 2019, probably reflecting the lack of a 4-core Mac Mini, when you look at the number of people already using the Mac Mini 2018, that more than makes up for the shortfall in Mac Mini users from 2015 to 2019. As we have shown the Mac Mini 2018, makes a very convenient and comparatively Pro Tools computer. Check out our articles below…
Is Julian alone in thinking that buying a new mac is inevitably a disappointing experience, and one he’s happy to a postpone for as long as possible? New Macs are pretty, alluring and briefly rewarding, but expensive and while no-one can avoid upgrading their computer indefinitely, when He does, He does so with mixed feelings.
We have the first post-production test of a 2nd-gen Apple Silicon powered mac computer. We compare it with a 2018 Intel-powered Mac mini running a post session with a ProRes video playing.
In this week’s podcast, Russ is joined by Julian and Mike to discuss Macs. What are we using? Why? Did we make the right choice and what, if anything, would we change?
During 2019, it became steadily more apparent that Mike’s ageing Mac Pro 5,1 bought back in 2012 was becoming less reliable and would need replacing. The question was, what should he replace it with and secondly what other upgrade work would come with that change. This article is the story of his choices, decisions and challenges of that journey.
Ever since I upgraded my MacBook Pro laptop to a later model with a Retina screen I have wondered if it was possible to get the same ‘Retina’ experience on a macOS desktop computer system. Recently one of my 24-inch screens failed on my Pro Tools system and this article is the journey to see if it was possible.
There is no doubt that Apple’s compact, no-frills, desktop computer is proving very popular but compared to some of the other Apple computers like the MacBook Pro the 2018 Mac mini is already being left behind. In this article, we explore what Apple would need to do to the Mac mini to make it even better than the Mac mini 2018 model.
We have been picking up reports that some External Graphics Processor Units (eGPU) have issues with macOS Catalina 10.15. We have the details…
With the impending release of the new Mac Pro 7,1 new-style cheese-grater with a starting price of around $6k, we ask is there an alternative to the new new Apple Mac tower that most users will be more than adequate and provide what a lot of us, looking at a new Apple Mac computer, need at a more affordable price?
We've been asked by many people to take a look at the Mac mini 2018 to see if the claims of it being 'awesome' on the one hand or that the 'USB2 audio is broken' are true. There's some merit in other reviews and also in anecdotal evidence from forums and social media, but to be frank, the only way to get to the facts is to test it ourselves. Not only have we tested this Mac mini 2018 on its own but benchmarked it against a Mac Pro Late 2013 to give you a sense of the power under the hood of the Mac mini 2018.
It is fairly well known that Apple would always rather you buy a computer from them as a completed system. However, this is not always the most cost effective approach for us the computer buying public. Thanks, in part of Apple making the RAM of the new Mac Mini a user serviceable upgrade you can now take advantage of after market RAM and give your machine top spec without the top spec price tag. The team at OWC show you how to upgrade the RAM in your 2018 Mac Mini.
Korey Pereira whose Dolby Atmos upgrade we featured had to replace his Pro Tools computer in a hurry when his cheese-grater failed unexpectedly. This is the story of what he chose to replace it with so that he could continue working in audio post-production and Dolby Atmos.
Is a dual Mac Mini system powerful enough to pull off large-scale recording and the intense workload associated with it? LA studio owner and post mixer, Jamey Scott of Dramatic Post, decided to put it to the test, originally an owner of 8 core Mac Pro 6.1 Trash Cans, Jamey decided to test the new Mac mini as a replacement. The results have been mixed.
Following on from our article The New Apple Mac Mini 2018 Is Described As Awesome But Is It A Good Pro Tools Machine? in which we looked at the suitability of the new Mac mini as a Pro Tools computer, we asked community member Simon Nakra to share his experiences.
When the Mac mini 2018 was announced some Pro Tools users were quick to ask if it would be a good Pro Tools machine for those who want to stick with the macOS. There are Windows PC alternatives but this article is not about that, it’s comparing Apples with Apples so to speak. What do we think?
iMac And iMac Pro
The figures for the iMac have stayed pretty stable. Although the figures for the regular iMac dropped from 13.4% to 10.7%, when you add in the figures for the iMac Pro of 1.9% from the 2019 survey, the overall percentage for Apple’s all-in-one desktop computer are 12.6%. The iMac is the type of computer you love or you hate. One of its biggest advantages is having a built in screen, is also one of its drawbacks. But for those for whom the all-in-one form factor is appealing it’s a great Pro Tools computer solution for you.
The iMac Pro will still be the most suitable Pro Tools computer, for some, because it combines processor power with the all-in-one form factor, but at a price and with precious little user upgradability. Here are some of our articles covering the iMac and iMac Pro computers…
Today, Apple held an online-only event entitled ‘Scary Fast’ in which they announced the latest iteration of the Apple Silicon chips, the M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max, powering a new 24-inch iMac desktop and new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops. We have the details.
Apple usually holds an event in early October to announce new Apple Mac computers, and there has been intense speculation as to when Apple could release some new M3-powered Macs. In this article, we investigate which Mac computers Apple will update next, and it now looks like we might have to wait until 2024 at the earliest for any M3-powered Macs.
With the Apple Mac range now powered exclusively by Apple M2 silicon system-on-a-chip units, we are starting to learn more about the next round of Apple Silicon, the M3 series. This is what we know so far…
With the surprise release of the M2 Mac Mini and M2 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops, what can we expect from Apple for the rest of 2023 and into 2024? In this article, we share what we can learn from reliable sources about what Apple is planning for future computer product releases.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has claimed to be able to reveal Apple’s release plans for 2022, which include the final push to move from Intel to Apple Silicon by releasing 5 new Macs in the next year. If you are looking to replace your studio computer, we recommend you read this article.
Since our previous article, more news has come to light and it looks like the new Apple iMac Pro could be a monster housing not one but two M1 Max chips!
See which machines the new MacBook Pro with an M1 Max beats in the Geekbench rankings. You might be surprised…
Following the release of the Apple Silicon 24-inch iMac to replace the 21.5-inch Intel-powered iMac, it looks like Apple are busy developing a replacement for the current Intel-based 27-inch iMac. We have the details…
If you want to know all the news for creative users from the Apple Event April 2021 then check out our coverage here. It includes the new iMac 2021 and an M1 powered iPad.
Apple is dropping its iMac Pro computer and will cease to make it according to MacRumors. An alternative explanation for the ‘while supplies last’ may be that a new version of the iMac Pro is on the horizon.
In this video for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Edit James Ivey leaves the comfort of his home studio for a trip into central London to the Soho HQ of UK pro audio reseller Jigsaw24. They arranged for James to run the Pro Tools Expert Power Test session on a brand new, fresh out of the box Apple iMac Pro. Watch and see how this new machine fares and see if James could push it to the limit.
Our friends at OWC have chosen to celebrate the launch of the iMac Pro with a teardown video. Watch as Mike and Matt from OWC teardown one of the fastest Macs ever made and reveal a look into what makes it work and the upgrade possibilities.
Apple has shown off the iMac Pro and space grey accessories at the recent Final Cut Pro X Creative Summit where visitors were able to get close up to an iMac Pro and take pictures. But what about the pricing of the iMac Pro. Apple has said the base model will be $5000, but it would appear that the top-of-the-range model could be $17,000!
Following Apple's announcement of an iMac Pro, a supercharged all in one computer offering more power for those needing a professional feature set we asked you in a poll if you Would You Buy An iMac Pro?
Apple has today announced the new iMac Pro, they claim is their most powerful Mac ever made.
Apple decided to face the challenge of building a professional level computer inside the iMac design and they've really gone for broke.
Apple has today announced a new iMac range with features aimed at those wanting to use professional applications.
Apple has already announced that there will be new iMacs released later this year, but rumours are now circulating that towards the end of 2017 Apple will also release an iMac with ‘server-grade’ components and the upgrades to the existing iMacs Now expected in September 2017.
Windows Off The Shelf Computers
Although they aren’t as well known about, as the Apple Mac range, there are approved Windows Pro Tools computers. like the HP Z840. Not so long ago, James made the decision to switch from a Mac Pro 5,1 cheese-grater to an off-the-shelf Windows computer. James explains…
“I was missing was Thunderbolt. Sadly there is just no such thing as a Thunderbolt PCI card. In my work with Production Expert I was seeing more and more Thunderbolt devices heading my way and the only machine I could run them with was a 2012 MacBook Pro, also not a new machine by any stretch.
The final nail in the Mac Pro coffin for me was the amount of video I was working on. 10 streams of 1080p video is a vast amount of data to be working with. I did update the graphics card in the pimped 2009 Mac Pro to one with quite a bit of GPU power but it was still not cutting it. Also looking to the future, and starting to think about editing 4K video, I knew the Mac Pro’s days were numbered. I could have probably thrown another £1000 at the old machine to get some more use out of it, but when hardware like the USB ports start to fail, you eventually have to call time on any more upgrades. It was time to look for other options.”
You can learn more about James’ journey from Mac to Windows in these articles…
Take our poll and let us know how much software compatibility determines your choice of computer OS. Also please tell us which software and plugins have affected your choice of going for a Mac or Windows computer.
In this article, I share several adjustments I made in Windows 10 which made my experience of migrating from Mac to Windows much easier. Some of these issues took several weeks for me to resolve. If you've just switched to Windows from a Mac or you are considering a similar switch these pointers could save you many hours of frustration.
As I’m sure many of you are aware, back in March 2017 I shut down my fully pimped 12 core “Cheese Grater” Mac Pro for potentially the final time. I was making the move to what, at the time, I referred to as “The Dark Side.” I was swapping out my 2009 Mac Pro for a brand new HP Z840 Workstation running Windows 10. This is the story of why I switched.
If you are a regular user of Windows Pro Tools and use video, odds are that when you’ve installed any of the 2020 releases, the first time you’ve fired up Pro Tools, you’ve seen this message. In this article, Alan Sallabank gives you the best workflow to ensure a smooth and complete install with your new Windows Pro Tools 2020.9 installer.
In this Pro Tools Expert video, forming part 3 of the From Mac To Windows series, Technical Editor James Ivey talks to Richard "Rich" Rogers from Workstation Pros about all things Windows, in particular, James' WSP HPZ840 Windows 10 machine.
In this 2nd part of a series of articles for Pro Tools Expert, Technical Editor James Ivey talks about the build and installation process when his new WorkStation Pros HP Z840 Windows PC arrived.
To say that there has been a great deal of talk about the upgrade limitations that Mac Pro 5.1 users are facing could be the understatement of the century. In this article, Pro Tools Expert Technical Editor James Ivey talks about some of the reasons he has changed his main studio machine to a new HP Z840 Windows workstation and how that machine has been configured.
Specialist Audio Desktop Computers
There are a number of brands that have put together specialist audio desktop computers. Two brands that have come across our radar (pun intended), are Scan Computers based in the UK and iZ Technology, the company behind the Radar DAW platform. 2 years ago Alan Sallabank was looking for a new Windows based Pro Tools computer. Alan explains…
Since my Is 2017 The Year Of The Windows Self Build? article earlier this year, the challenge has been on to build a Windows equivalent to an Apple Mac Pro, at a competitive price, but with a killer specification.
This is where Scan Computers and their professional computer division their 3XS FWX299 - Digital Audio Workstation come into the equation. With their help I've put together an incredible DAW host system, brimming with all the latest greatest tech.
In the third and final part of this review series, we took the Scan Computers 3XS FWX99 PowerDAW PC and attempted to replace a Mac Pro in a working system, by fitting a pair of Avid HDX cards and a Thunderbolt chassis.
In Part Two of this review series, we put the Scan 3XS FWX99 PowerDAW PC through a series of real world stress tests against two other machines - another Windows PC and a Mac Book Pro.
Are you facing an uncertain future with Apple hardware? Would you like to be able to take full advantage of the latest tech, but don't want to have to lay out £6000, just to get future proofing like USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 and M2? Alan Sallabank checks out the custom build Windows DAW PC's available from Scan Computers.
IZ Technology Corp, the makers of Radar, are announcing the forthcoming release of a new DAW software. iZ Session, is a new DAW software offering the chance to have the same performance and ease of use people have come to expect from Radar.
The RADAR recording and playback system is well known as a tool for commercial audio, creative composing and recording, scoring stages, sound editing, post-production, video game sound design, and mix down. Now iZ Technology want to make RADAR the system of choice for live event capture and multi-channel playback as well.
In this video for Pro Tools Expert James Ivey opens up a fully specified iZ Technologies Radar Studio system and strips it back to the basic Radar Platform hyper PC in about 4 minutes. Nothing like working fast.
Off The Shelf Laptop PC
Alan Sallabank had been using a MacBook Pro for his second machine on the road as well as giving him access to macOS only applications. However, his Apple laptop was starting to show its age, despite him pimping it with an SSD etc. Alan takes up the story…
“The day finally came. I was running a particularly graphics intensive plug-in on my 2011 MacBook Pro, then suddenly it went into a reboot loop, never to return properly. It seems that the GPU overheated for the last time and gave up the ghost. So the hunt was on for a replacement. I needed it to have at least an i7 processor, at least 16GB of RAM, Thunderbolt, USB3 and a 15" screen. After a brief affair with a 17" desktop replacement (not really a laptop due to it being 4kg and huge) I settled on the Dell Inspiron 15 7577, which retails on Dell's own website for £1349, but which I picked up for £1249, off-the-shelf, same day, from a "high street" retailer . This to me ticked all the boxes, plus being a gaming laptop had performance where I needed it for post-production.”
You can read the full story in Alan’s review…
Windows and Post-Production Specialist Alan Sallabank takes a look at the Dell Inspiron 15 7577 Windows Thunderbolt 3 Gaming Laptop to replace his MacBook Pro 2011 and sees how it performs for Post Production.
Conclusion
There you have it. What has been your experiences of choosing and using your current Pro Tools computer? What are your plans with regard to your next Pro Tools computer? Which style of computer will you be going for? Please do share your thoughts in the comments below…