analogholic Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 I´ve read the recent threads about Mainstage, (Toto, Rosenthal etc) and I´m thinking about switching to Mac. Since I´m already set to buy an Ipad, could that be used as a monitor for a Mac Mini? I just managed to blast the screen on my windows laptop and thought maybe that a Mac Mini could be used as a "poor mans" Receptor? A bit more durable (and cheaper) than a Macbook Pro? I understand that Mainstage could be set to autoload at startup? Anybody here using a Mini live? Pros and cons vs a Macbook? All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. Arthur Schopenhauer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 I've been wondering this same thing myself. I think you'd at least need a wireless router and this on your ipad: https://www.realvnc.com/products/ios/ Korg Kronos 61 (2); Roland Fantom-06, 2015 Macbook Pro and 2012 Mac Mini (Logic Pro X and Mainstage), GigPerformer 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr88s Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Unless things have changed, there are some issues with using the Mac mini this way. The Mac does not like to boot up without a monitor attached. You would have to buy (or DIY) a dongle which plugs into the monitor port, effectively fooling the Mac into thinking a monitor is connected during power up. Last I have read about this, you would then have to use the iPad as a remote controller over VNC using a wireless network. If things have changed I am all ears and would love to hear otherwise. Nord Stage 2 Compact, Yamaha MODX8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Monitors can be had dirt cheap. I'd go that route, and use the free Logic Remote app on your iPad to control MainStage. "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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dongna Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Unless things have changed, there are some issues with using the Mac mini this way. The Mac does not like to boot up without a monitor attached. Anyone know if a USB monitor satisfies the Mac Mini bootup requirement? If so, a USB touch monitor might be another, possibly less finicky, option to explore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealvicz Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Dongle details here for high quality graphics over VNC Klonk otherwise will be fine from iPad with Mocha VNC or similar. "Just a tad more attack on the filter, Grandad!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 I use MacMini's as media servers at home. I did not like iPad control at all because too many things need mouse control. I also remember it needing a wireless network when I tried it. Not a good option on the road. A cheap MacBook would work better as a controller but you would still need a network. This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewImprov Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I´ve read the recent threads about Mainstage, (Toto, Rosenthal etc) and I´m thinking about switching to Mac. Since I´m already set to buy an Ipad, could that be used as a monitor for a Mac Mini? I just managed to blast the screen on my windows laptop and thought maybe that a Mac Mini could be used as a "poor mans" Receptor? A bit more durable (and cheaper) than a Macbook Pro? I understand that Mainstage could be set to autoload at startup? Anybody here using a Mini live? Pros and cons vs a Macbook? I gig regularly with a Mac Mini setup, and I'm pretty happy with it. I don't have an iPad, I have been considering getting one, but it hasn't made it past the "Wouldn't it be cool to have" list and onto the "gotta have it" list yet. I use a cheap Lilliput monitor, that i have mounted on one of the end pieces of my Hammond XK-1, and an Apple track pad that sits on my bottom board. I take a bluetooth keyboard to gigs just in case, but haven't needed it yet. My Mini is a Quad-Core i7, I put 16G of RAM into it, and it is one fast and powerful little computer! The main reason I went with the Mini over a MacBook was because you get way more computer/dollar with the Mini. Even with the monitor and trackpad, it was less than half of what a comparable MBP would have cost. In my most complicated band, I run a setlist with about 50 patches, and it handles then all pretty flawlessly. Your poor-man's receptor comment is right-on! Once I have started the Mini and booted Mainstage, it's just like running a module. I can change patches from my midi controller, and the monitor just provides visual feedback so I know I'm on the right patch. I only use the trackpad to start Mainstage at the start of the night, and occasionally to select a patch out of the master list when we jump out of the setlist. The only problem I have had so far was that I have forgotten to pack the trackpad twice, once for a rehearsal and once for a gig. Both times I was close enough to home that I could run back and grab it, but it was pretty embarrassing. I keep an old USB mouse in my gear bag now for these times. I guess if I had a laptop, I wouldn't have to remember the individual parts, but it seems like a small problem. I don't auto-boot Mainstage, because, when I did, every once in a while my audio interface wouldn't load its drivers correctly before Mainstage launched. Now, I just turn on the computer, it takes about a minute to launch, then I launch Mainstage. My most complicated setup takes about 2-3 minutes to load. This is with a conventional hard drive, I keep threatening to replace it with a pair of SSD's, but haven't yet. I love my Mini setup. This computer just had 2 functions, it's a VEP slave in my studio, and it runs Mainstage on my gigs, and it does a great job of both tasks. If I had a MBP, I'd be tempted to surf the web, play games and all that other crap on it, but it's easier to just treat the Mini as a module. Turn up the speaker Hop, flop, squawk It's a keeper -Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream for Crow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Burgess Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Great reply, that last one. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Great reply, that last one. Thanks! Ditto! Thank you! Korg Kronos 61 (2); Roland Fantom-06, 2015 Macbook Pro and 2012 Mac Mini (Logic Pro X and Mainstage), GigPerformer 4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I didn't have access to the link for Logic Remote in my previous post, so here it is. It is a great app and works with GB X, Logic X, and MainStage 3. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/logic-remote/id638394624?mt=8 "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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 I considered replacing my Macbook Pro, which bit the dust earlier this year, with a Mac Mini, but saw it hadn't been updated since Oct. 2012. So I went with an iMac instead and have been happy with that. The Mini is due for a refresh soon. http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac_Mini Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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