# New Mac Mini to replace a MBP & 3 Mac Mini slaves?



## Luke W (Jan 29, 2019)

I'm considering a system change but wondering if anyone can see flaws or drawbacks in this plan.

Current setup: 2012 MBP 2.3 ghz quad core i7 with 16GB ram & 256gb SSD as main machine. No samples housed here, and all work files on external firewire HD. Connected by VEP/ethernet to 3 Mac Minis. Two of them are 2012 i7 quad core with 16GB ram each, each with second internal 480GB SSD that houses samples. Third mini is a 2010 i5, 16GB ram with 250GB second internal SSD for samples. Everything works pretty flawlessly, but I'm not a heavy user with tons of tracks.

Considering: Sell all machines for a new Mac Mini i7 with 6 cores, 256GB SSD, upgrade the RAM myself to 32GB. I'd pull those 3 SSD from the slave minis and put them in a thunderbolt dock to house all samples. Work files still housed on an external drive.

Am I losing anything if I make this change? Am I gaining a lot? Are there bottlenecks that will arise compared to the existing setup? All RAM usage moves to one machine, rather than spread across 4 - will performance take a hit? I've got some hefty libraries (Metro Arks 1-3, Berlin WW and Inspire, Spitfire Albion One and Sable, Cinestrings and Cinebrass, among others) but I don't load a giant template or use all the mics. Am I a moron to even consider this?

My motivation to upgrade is mainly because all my computers are 6 years old. Not too old that I couldn't sell them to help offset the cost of the new setup. They would surely last several more years, but their value will be lower, especially if they've started having issues. Better to make this move now?

Your esteemed opinions are welcomed!


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## givemenoughrope (Jan 29, 2019)

In a very similar boat. I’ve been thinking I’d keep them all and add a PC slave.


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## Saxer (Jan 29, 2019)

I think it depends on the CPU: one 6core to replace three 4cores and a dual? I'd load a busy track and watch the CPU of all your included machines.


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## gsilbers (Jan 29, 2019)

maybe i read too fast but the new mac mini will blow all of those away and more. but check out the logic pro benchmarks and the normal benchmarks of the mac mini new vs that macbook pro. 

the only downside is that youll have to buy external storage and that adds to the price considerably if you use thunderbolt usb type c cable connectors. its very fast.. and different than usb2. and different than thunderbolt lighting and moderfukin tech companies not deciding in only one fuking connector for everything. 
anyways... as for your question no, even though its cool to spread them and all that, nowadays those mac pro 2013+ and new macmini will be able to load and run a huge amount of stuff compared to a macbook from 2012 with mac mini slaves.


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## Luke W (Jan 30, 2019)

Saxer said:


> I think it depends on the CPU: one 6core to replace three 4cores and a dual? I'd load a busy track and watch the CPU of all your included machines.


Saxer: I'm not a heavy hitter, so I've never done anything that taxed my current system significantly. So there's a case to be made for "ain't broke, don't fix." But I do worry about Kontakt and other software updates that force me to upgrade the OS (the mini's are currently running El Capitan, the MBP is Sierra).

A hardware upgrade is inevitable eventually, so I'm wondering if this the moment to consider it while I can still get decent $ when I sell these older machines.


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## Luke W (Jan 30, 2019)

gsilbers said:


> maybe i read too fast but the new mac mini will blow all of those away and more. but check out the logic pro benchmarks and the normal benchmarks of the mac mini new vs that macbook pro.
> 
> the only downside is that youll have to buy external storage and that adds to the price considerably if you use thunderbolt usb type c cable connectors. its very fast.. and different than usb2. and different than thunderbolt lighting and moderfukin tech companies not deciding in only one fuking connector for everything.
> anyways... as for your question no, even though its cool to spread them and all that, nowadays those mac pro 2013+ and new macmini will be able to load and run a huge amount of stuff compared to a macbook from 2012 with mac mini slaves.


So even though I'd be loading all samples into one Mac Mini's RAM through a thunderbolt dock (instead of slaves' RAM through VEP), and also running the DAW on that same machine - it will keep up and maybe perform better?

That's the crux of the performance issue. I'll take a look at benchmarks of the machines I'm comparing.


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## gsilbers (Jan 30, 2019)

Luke W said:


> So even though I'd be loading all samples into one Mac Mini's RAM through a thunderbolt dock (instead of slaves' RAM through VEP), and also running the DAW on that same machine - it will keep up and maybe perform better?
> 
> That's the crux of the performance issue. I'll take a look at benchmarks of the machines I'm comparing.



I think so. I have a mid 2012 mbp. w/o slaves and the cpu doesnt let me load almost nothing.
and my main computer is a 2009 cheesegrater w updated cpu (5,1) 3.46ghz (like a 2012 mac pro) (12core) and 64gb of ram and i can load a bunch of libraries. And checking the becnhmarks the mac mini is better cpu wise for one core (important for logicpro) and a bit more multicore wise. The benchmarks where about the same as Mac Pro trashcans from 2013 which ive seen poeple load complete templates. mac mini loads up to 64gb ram, the trashcans up to 128gb. so thats a difference.
Also, you might even get a used slave pc with 64gb of ram for les than $1k.
so quiete incredible that the mac mini gives such a performance punch. you might have to search some of the threads of users in here, at gearslutz and at avid/pro tools forums. some people mentioned its great, others that it gets hot with a big load and everythig in between.


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## wayne_rowley (Jan 30, 2019)

It’s not all about synthetic benchmarks. The Mac Mini thermal throttles and actual usage suggests that the Mac Pro, which the Mini beats in synthetic benchmarks, can run more tracks, for this reason.

Don’t forget that Macs with the T2 chip have broken USB audio. You will need either a thunderbolt audio interface, or a thunderbolt dock to connect a USB interface to, to avoid dropouts.

Wayne


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## tav.one (Jan 30, 2019)

wayne_rowley said:


> Don’t forget that Macs with the T2 chip have broken USB audio. You will need either a thunderbolt audio interface, or a thunderbolt dock to connect a USB interface to, to avoid dropouts.



Not facing any of these issues on my 2018 Mac Mini, do you have more info on this?


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## wayne_rowley (Jan 30, 2019)

Lots of information about this on the RME and Gearslutz forums, from Mini and 2018 MacBook Pro users. In summary:

Here is some info on the current situation with Apple's Mac Mini 2018 and 10.14.2.

- USB 2 is not usable for audio on any port.

- USB 3 is not usable for audio on the two USB-A sockets.

- USB 3 works as expected on all USB-C ports using a USB-C to USB-A adapter

If you use an USB-C to USB-A adapter and connect a USB 2 device it is internally connected to the same bus/hub where all the other USB 2 sockets are connected to - and thus won't work. You can gain basic knowledge about the internal structure and connections by using the Mac's System Report/System Information, USB. Connect your USB device and look where it is shown in the nested structure.

_In clear words: there is currently no way to have a Mac Mini 2018 working without audio errors when using USB 2, neither directly nor with the standard USB-C to USB-A adapters._

But there is a workaround. Devices connected to Thunderbolt do not show audio errors as with the internal USB 2. So all you have to do is use 'external' USB, or a thunderbolt audio interface


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## wayne_rowley (Jan 30, 2019)

There are reports though of some USB audio device users without issue. Nobody knows why. Perhaps there are some hardware variances on some models.

It’s a risk though.


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