Should I buy an iPad?

[Shaka]

I've done some audio production work using Pro Tools on a 2 core Mac Mini that was maxed out as far as RAM and had a 7200 RPM hard drive. While I didn't try and play 48 tracks of audio at once I was playing back a around 24 tracks with a couple of soft synths and some additional processing plugins (reverb, compression, delay) on several tracks. I use a firewire external drive that is only used for the raw audio tracks which helps.

Anyway, audio production work is quite taxing on a computer and I was impressed with what I could do. I know a few guys that are using the mini in their home studios. I also know a few graphic designers and multimedia guys that use them as their home computer that seem to like them. Renders take longer but ultimately the job gets done.

If I can do what I do on one of these little guys it's just fine for normal home use.

[LiveCoug]

This meme cracks me up.

That is funny because it's true!

[LA Ute]

I've done some audio production work using Pro Tools on a 2 core Mac Mini that was maxed out as far as RAM and had a 7200 RPM hard drive. While I didn't try and play 48 tracks of audio at once I was playing back a around 24 tracks with a couple of soft synths and some additional processing plugins (reverb, compression, delay) on several tracks. I use a firewire external drive that is only used for the raw audio tracks which helps.

Anyway, audio production work is quite taxing on a computer and I was impressed with what I could do. I know a few guys that are using the mini in their home studios. I also know a few graphic designers and multimedia guys that use them as their home computer that seem to like them. Renders take longer but ultimately the job gets done.

If I can do what I do on one of these little guys it's just fine for normal home use.

I think I understood about 50% of what you say here but it makes we want to have a Mac Mini.

[Shaka]

I think I understood about 50% of what you say here but it makes we want to have a Mac Mini.

Back in the day I used to do a lot of multimedia production work. I was also getting a decent amount of work as a studio musician/jinglewriter etc... While my musician days are mostly over I still enjoy writing and recording music as a hobby. On occasion I still do some stuff for pay. Because of this I maintain a project recording studio in my house that runs off software called Pro Tools. (I'm actually still building out the studio in my new house. Framing is finished and wiring will commence this weekend. Yay!)

In explanation recording used to be done to analog tape. Depending on the studio you could have a tape recording machine that could record and play back up to 24 simultaneous audio tracks on one role of tape. On a standard piece of recorded music you will have several instruments each recorded to it's own track, In the case of drums there could be many tracks as you often would have an individual track for each drum. The tape machine is hooked up to a large mixing board (I'm sure you've seen pics of these) with each track getting it's own fader (volume control). By raising, lowering, and muting the volume of each audio track you create a mix. In the old days if you wanted to add reverb (a type of echo) or some other type of effect to an individual track you would patch a dedicated effects unit to the mixing board. All of these audio processing effects were typically placed in one or more racks. If you can see a decent pick of an old school recording studio you will see bunches of audio processing gadgets in a rack that looks like something in a sci-fi movie. In fact many sci-fi movies used audio effects units to similate futuristic looking electronics.

Tape is mostly gone these days and computers simulate the whole process. Individual tracks are simply a computer audio file much like an mp3. The audio effects units have been replaced by software called plugins that run within the native recording environment. The plugin software similates and is oftentimes modeled after the effects units I mentioned in the previous paragraph. This means no more racks of freaky looking gear. Instead of a huge mixing board everything is done inside the computer with a virtual mixing board on the screen.

I hope that helped.

[LA Ute]

Back in the day I used to do a lot of multimedia production work. I was also getting a decent amount of work as a studio musician/jinglewriter etc... While my musician days are mostly over I still enjoy writing and recording music as a hobby. On occasion I still do some stuff for pay. Because of this I maintain a project recording studio in my house that runs off software called Pro Tools. (I'm actually still building out the studio in my new house. Framing is finished and wiring will commence this weekend. Yay!)

In explanation recording used to be done to analog tape. Depending on the studio you could have a tape recording machine that could record and play back up to 24 simultaneous audio tracks on one role of tape. On a standard piece of recorded music you will have several instruments each recorded to it's own track, In the case of drums there could be many tracks as you often would have an individual track for each drum. The tape machine is hooked up to a large mixing board (I'm sure you've seen pics of these) with each track getting it's own fader (volume control). By raising, lowering, and muting the volume of each audio track you create a mix. In the old days if you wanted to add reverb (a type of echo) or some other type of effect to an individual track you would patch a dedicated effects unit to the mixing board. All of these audio processing effects were typically placed in one or more racks. If you can see a decent pick of an old school recording studio you will see bunches of audio processing gadgets in a rack that looks like something in a sci-fi movie. In fact many sci-fi movies used audio effects units to similate futuristic looking electronics.

Tape is mostly gone these days and computers simulate the whole process. Individual tracks are simply a computer audio file much like an mp3. The audio effects units have been replaced by software called plugins that run within the native recording environment. The plugin software similates and is oftentimes modeled after the effects units I mentioned in the previous paragraph. This means no more racks of freaky looking gear. Instead of a huge mixing board everything is done inside the computer with a virtual mixing board on the screen.

I hope that helped.

Of course it did! Thanks. My wife does lots of recording and editing, so I vaguely get it, and mostly admire the expertise of people like you who can do that sort of thing.

[LiveCoug]

I think I understood about 50% of what you say here but it makes we want to have a Mac Mini.

Yay! $900 CUF viewing machine!

[falafel]

Time for an iPad gripe. Why doesn't this thing have text re-flow? How hard is that? Super annoying.

[TripletDaddy]

Time for an iPad gripe. Why doesn't this thing have text re-flow? How hard is that? Super annoying.

I think they figured that a near 10-inch wide screen would be large enough for most competent readers. I suppose there are some that want to read an article at a 700% zoom.

[falafel]

Well, its not, particularly when you're reading web pages with tons of ads. Some of those pages have what seems to be the equivalent of 5 pt font.

[creekster]

I think they figured that a near 10-inch wide screen would be large enough for most competent readers. I suppose there are some that want to read an article at a 700% zoom.

Get back to me when you are fifty and tell me how funny you think this is.

[TripletDaddy]

Get back to me when you are fifty and tell me how funny you think this is.

I will still think I am funny when I am 50.

[LA Ute]

Get back to me when you are fifty and tell me how funny you think this is.

Presbyopia kicks in for almost everyone at about age 45.

[TripletDaddy]

Well, its not, particularly when you're reading web pages with tons of ads. Some of those pages have what seems to be the equivalent of 5 pt font.

Fair. Let's do a field test. Share some specific websites that have your fragile irises working overtime. I'd like to see a website that is really tough to read because the text doesn't automatically re-wrap itself when I zoom in.

[Shaka]

Of course it did! Thanks. My wife does lots of recording and editing, so I vaguely get it, and mostly admire the expertise of people like you who can do that sort of thing.

When my studio is built out I will be able to do professional quality stuff. My problem is I'm not really a pro quality engineer. I know enough to be dangerous and get good guitar, bass, keys, and vocal sounds but I'm lost when it comes to recording live drums. (I can do fake drums pretty well) That requires a much better room than I have and a much better engineer. McGuirk and I have a mutual friend who, in my opinion, is the best audio engineer around. The guy has amazing talent and incredible ears. If I want to do anything with real drums his studio is where I will go. In fact I'm prepping a personal project that he will record and produce. I'm excited to put some time at a commercial facility as I haven't been in quite some time. He's the guy who does The Lower Lights that I sometimes babble about. You can check out his studio here. Sometimes you can even watch and listen to live sessions as he's recording them.

[falafel]

Fair. Let's do a field test. Share some specific websites that have your fragile irises working overtime. I'd like to see a website that is really tough to read because the text doesn't automatically re-wrap itself when I zoom in.

This is a site that is workable, but only barely. If I'm not zoomed at all, I won't read it. This isn't the best example because if you zoom in to just fit the text column, the text is about the minimum size I would find okay for reading. But I would probably prefer it to be a few pts bigger. If the text would re-flow, it would be much better.

P.S., I selected a page that I thought you would enjoy reading. No need to thank me.

http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-al...ows-youre-lame