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That dang rumored 16" MBP


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I also asked this in that new computer forum, but I"m asking here too.

As some may remember, I"ve been waiting & waiting on the rumored 16' MBP, & intend to pair it with a new UAD Apollo x6.

I"ve got a 20% off coupon at GC (plus the accelerator rebate) which expires in 4days.

Do any of you who know so much more than I see any reason not to grab the Apollo now?

With my luck, the 16' MBP will come out with something other than Thunderbolt!

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What I really like about the 16 vs. the 15 is that it"s 1 more!

Quite right! The 15" is huge! Love it, but I wouldn't want to go any higher for stage.

 

I loved my 13" for stage, but you can't juice it up and load it with RAM, also GPU is more and more necessary for everyday programs even if you (like me) don't play games on it.

Puck Funk! :)

 

Equipment: Laptop running lots of nerdy software, some keyboards, noise makersâ¦yada yada yadaâ¦maybe a cat?

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It seems unlikely that the next MacBook Pros will exclude Thunderbolt ports. I think it's safe to buy an Apollo.

 

That said, it certainly wouldn't hurt to make sure you have a reasonable return window with Guitar Center. If it's 90 days, then you'll probably know the answer to your question before it's too late to return the Apollo.

 

The bigger concern to me would be the supported operating system of the new machine. I'd be surprised if you could run an older operating system than Catalina on it. If so, there won't be many compatible music apps until sometime next year, perhaps as late as third or fourth quarter. You'll probably have to put off retiring your old Mac until then.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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What I really like about the 16 vs. the 15 is that it"s 1 more!

Quite right! The 15" is huge! Love it, but I wouldn't want to go any higher for stage.

 

I loved my 13" for stage, but you can't juice it up and load it with RAM, also GPU is more and more necessary for everyday programs even if you (like me) don't play games on it.

What I really like about the 16 vs. the 15 is that it"s 1 more!

Quite right! The 15" is huge! Love it, but I wouldn't want to go any higher for stage.

 

I loved my 13" for stage, but you can't juice it up and load it with RAM, also GPU is more and more necessary for everyday programs even if you (like me) don't play games on it.

 

It"s rumoured that the 16' will be more or less the same size as the 15' as the bezels will be thinner. A little bit like what they did with the 12.9' IPad between generation 2 and 3.

 

I only read an article on macrumors yesterday about one of their executives pretty much stating the 16'won"t launch until 2020. Sorry I can"t find it now but I saw it on my phone but for some reason it"s not appearing now on my iPad. Maybe it"s been pulled. I thought they were going to release it when the newer airpods were released.

 

Yamaha MODX8, Legend Live.
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Thunderbolt ports. I think it's safe to buy an Apollo

 

Ah, the Thunderbolt Thunderbird Apollo. Very rare car. (Sorry... couldn't resist).

 

http://automotivemileposts.com/files/tbird1967apollo1.jpg

 

http://automotivemileposts.com/tbird1967apollo.html

 

 

When an eel hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's a Moray.
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I have been worried about that to (Catalina compatibly).

It"s making me seriously consider going with a 15' 2019 MBP

If you're getting the Apollo, the UA stuff works with Catalina and they even updated their installer for it, but last I checked their stuff wasn't fully qualified. Except for a few minor glitches, that part would be fine. I don't remember what DAW you use, so you'll have to see if it works with Catalina at least mostly.

 

I'm sure any new MBPs will have Thunderbolt or later and still compatible ports, like maybe that new USB spec that uses the same USB-C port, has faster USB as well as TB3.

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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I"m on Catalina and using UVIWorkstation no problem at all. I don"t have full Kontakt, but Kontakt Player loaded Canterbury Rhodes also, (though I try not to use NI stuff very often, so perhaps there are still problems I haven"t encountered.)

____________________________________
Rod

Here for the gear.

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That's good to hear, drawback. It could be that most people won't have a problem in Catalina with the current versions of these apps as well. Who knows?

 

Each of us must decide for ourselves when to take the plunge. I prefer to wait until the manufacturers give the green light; but if I were to try Catalina now, I'd want to do it on a Mac that would allow me to rollback if I encountered any problems.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

My Blue Someday appears on Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon

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More and more I am tempted to go with a 2019 MBP or even a used 2018 from OEC. I need to learn when the butterfly mechanism was modified so I don't go back too far.
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What's all this talk about?

 Find 660 of my jazz piano arrangements of standards for educational purposes and tutorials at www.Patreon.com/HarryLikas Harry was the Technical Editor of Mark Levine's "The Jazz Theory Book" and helped develop "The Jazz Piano Book."

 

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The actual butterfly mechanism may not have changed all that much, but there's a protective envelope that I believe was introduced in the 2019 models. I have a 2018 and had the keyboard replaced under warranty when it started acting up - no problems since.

Acoustic: Shigeru Kawai SK-7 ~ Breedlove C2/R

MIDI: Kurzweil Forte ~ Sequential Prophet X ~ Yamaha CP88 ~ Expressive E Osmose

Electric: Schecter Solo Custom Exotic ~ Chapman MLB1 Signature Bass

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I'm sure any new MBPs will have Thunderbolt or later and still compatible ports, like maybe that new USB spec that uses the same USB-C port, has faster USB as well as TB3.
To clarify, I was talking about USB 4, which uses USB-C ports and Thunderbolt 3 speeds and specs as part of USB. If Apple does "replace" Thunderbolt on any new Macs, it seems extremely likely it will be with this. Even though this article says some implementations won't include TB3, I highly doubt any MacBook Pro would be among those (maybe some lower MacBooks like the ones now that don't have TB3 but do have USB-C ports would, but No Way a MBP wouldn't).

"I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck

 

"The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI

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If Apple does "replace" Thunderbolt on any new Macs, it seems extremely likely it will be with this. Even though this article says some implementations won't include TB3, I highly doubt any MacBook Pro would be among those (maybe some lower MacBooks like the ones now that don't have TB3 but do have USB-C ports would, but No Way a MBP wouldn't).

 

The only MacBook with USB-C but no Thunderbolt was the very first model IIRC. I don't think Apple has sold a laptop without Thunderbolt for years now, and I don't expect them to start any time soon. The real question is whether future iPads will support Thunderbolt or not.

Acoustic: Shigeru Kawai SK-7 ~ Breedlove C2/R

MIDI: Kurzweil Forte ~ Sequential Prophet X ~ Yamaha CP88 ~ Expressive E Osmose

Electric: Schecter Solo Custom Exotic ~ Chapman MLB1 Signature Bass

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Maybe last question..

What's the prevailing opinion on cores vs speed? Knowing the kind of programs I'm using now and potential future music software, is the general rule that 8 cores at 2.4 is a better choice than 6 cores at 2.9??

 

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Negative.

But application dependent.

In my case a fast Quad is far better than a slower 6/8 core.

 

But I choose ZebraHZ and Omnisphere/Keyscape which excel on speed as they are core locked.

They"re suppose to be multi core someday but for a live performance rig my best settings are easy on a fast quad with multi threading and turbo disabled in the BIOS.

 

Years ago I discovered the i7 4790k was an amazing CPU.

I bought 4 of everything and am only on my 3rd as we speak.

In 2020 I"ll likely use my last 4790k.

 

Its cool to be behind the times, especially when you never have a crash or gag from heat.

I also use .07 msec/ 64 samples @ 48k.

This way I can use AES/EBU Hardware reverb.

 

Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic
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Interesting bringing up Cores v speed. This reputable used Mac spot in my neighborhood has some great deals on 2015 iMacs with blazing fast processors, faster than your stock 2019 offerings. They've said the speed is really way more important. I was wondering if there was truth to this, and it seems there is.

Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37

 

My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section

https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native

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It depends on the software. If the program algorithm is suitable for smaller multiple processes running on many cores and was written to take advantage of it, then the program will run faster with more cores.

With all else being equal CPU speed wins. If your running multiple programs and threads simultaneously then more cores is better.

Boards: Kurzweil SP-6, Roland FA-08, VR-09, DeepMind 12

Modules: Korg Radias, Roland D-05, Bk7-m & Sonic Cell

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Interesting bringing up Cores v speed. This reputable used Mac spot in my neighborhood has some great deals on 2015 iMacs with blazing fast processors, faster than your stock 2019 offerings. They've said the speed is really way more important. I was wondering if there was truth to this, and it seems there is.

 

Cores work great for recordings as most DAWs seem to user hyperthreading and multi threading really well at the sacrifice of tight settings.

Guys I know with Hackintosh Custom PC"s say Logic and its ESX24 Sampler scream at 4.2GHz and higher.

ESX24 is such an advanced sampler it can take excess tracks and render them better than the sequencer from what Ive been told.

So instead of a DAW for live work and a different DAW for recording their OC"d Quads do it all and very well too.

 

I often wanted to go the Hackintosh route but so set in my ways I fear change.

Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic
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I leaning more and more towards something like this.

 

Refurbished 15.4-inch MacBook Pro-May 2019, 2.3GHz 8-core Intel Core i9 with Retina display - 32Gig, 2TB SSD

 

$3,229.00

 

That's around $800 savings over brand new 2019, and that old gag of waiting for "The Next Big Thing" often doesn't turn out to be worth the trouble.

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A few Mac sites and writers are saying it will be announced tomorrow and speculate it will be available in December when the new Mac Pro will be available. Another thing that seems to indicate tomorrow is the day is that advance reviewers can finally talk about it.

 

Other rumour floating around 2020 will be when Apple moves it's computers off Intel chips over to it's own. In past from my experience big moves like that Apple would give developers a one or two year warning a change is coming start working on porting over. Always some scuttlebutt in the Apple world.

 

 

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Wonder no more, it's here. The takeaway I have is they changed the keyboard [back?] to a scissor mechanism, and improved the thermal handling with bigger heatsinks & fans. And it's available with tons 'o ram and storage if you have a big enough wallet. For grins I specced it maxxed and it came to $6100. They are also claiming much improved performance.

 

[video:youtube]

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