Menu
What's new
By:
Filters

2018 Mac Mini

I’m trying to decide between Mac mini and base Mac Pro..looks like mini should do the job but the pro can be quieter..decisions
 
Started a different thread with this post but figured it belongs here. Working on deleting that other thread:

I generally have projects with anywhere from 20 to 100 tracks (upper range usually closer to 50? 75? dunno...) mostly Kontakt instruments, Trillian, Superior Drummer 3, some synths in there as well (Omni, Diva, Zebra). I'm usually in Logic. At least half the time I'm working directly to picture, and often editing video in Final Cut ProX—just for showing tracks/revs etc. to clients, not for finish... So I'm interested in:

1) How much CPU headroom you're getting.

2) If working to picture in your daw, does it seem like the cpu is getting unduly hit by the video processing?
 
I’m hoping to start on the next movie project in the next few days, so will hopefully be able to feedback on the hit a movie file has on the CPU.

I’ll keep you posted.

(For info - I do plan on adding an external graphics card via Thunderbolt at a later stage, but this project has come up so I’m going to have to go in with the onboard graphics for it and see how it goes!)
 
That
Chris Hurst said:
I managed to get it up to playing 92 tracks and Logic stopping playback on 93 (with an error message), using the same settings. The fans ramped up, but I wouldn't have said it was much noisier than other machines, in my experience. If I was tracking at that sort of strain though, you would need to be in a different room, as it was loud enough to be caught by microphones.

Mine's a 32GB version, 512GB SSD and extra storage hooked up by TB3.

Great machine so far!
Click to expand...

Very impressive!
I just tried tried it (@44.1 buffer 64) and my 5,1 6 core choked at 49.
Sounds like the 2019 MP will have to be a hell of a beast to get my cash (but I will wait).
 
ironbut said:
That


Very impressive!
I just tried tried it (@44.1 buffer 64) and my 5,1 6 core choked at 49.
Sounds like the 2019 MP will have to be a hell of a beast to get my cash (but I will wait).
Click to expand...

Try it at 128 buffer to compare, as that was what I was running it at.

It is a powerful little thing though!
 
Tried it at 128 with the same results.
It is a monster of a track!
It's actually kind of nice to have such a bad ass track IMHO.
Saves time and while maybe it isn't quite as detailed, I don't really care to get too granular about this stuff.
I remember running tests during one of my Pro Tools classes in college. I think we put an instance of synth that isn't too much of a pig on each track and no other dsp.
I was adding tracks for evah!

Edit;
Remembered that I had limited Logic to 10 virtual cores.
With all 12, it choked at 54.
 
Last edited:
ironbut said:
Tried it at 128 with the same results.
It is a monster of a track!
It's actually kind of nice to have such a bad ass track IMHO.
Saves time and while maybe it isn't quite as detailed, I don't really care to get too granular about this stuff.
I remember running tests during one of my Pro Tools classes in college. I think we put an instance of synth that isn't too much of a pig on each track and no other dsp.
I was adding tracks for evah!

Edit;
Remembered that I had limited Logic to 10 virtual cores.
With all 12, it choked at 54.
Click to expand...

Interesting results then! We’re you highlighting the audio track at the bottom each time on playback?
 
..Duh never mind.

Chris Hurst and Iron - you're both running the NewLogicBenchmarkTest project right?

My 2016 2.7GHz i7 MBP gets 15 tracks at 96K/128 buffer before overload.

The project comes up at 96K in AudioMidiSetup. If I try to set it to 44.1K it doesn't let me. Only when I close Logic it allows me, but looks like the project overrides it. So how are folks trying it out at 44.1K?
 
Last edited:
jtnyc said:
I'd be interested in how it performs with heavy VI, ram usage as well. Track count is important of coarse, but how it handles multiple instances of Kontakt, Omni, Play etc is key.
Click to expand...
Since most people don't have identical libraries that's no easy way to do this... Plus CPU use varies from Kontakt library to library, and Omnisphere's efficiency varies widely depending on what's going on in the patch too... (plus, some people run older versions of Kontakt...) Unfortunately there's no easy way to do a standardized 3rd-party library-based benchmark.
 
jcrosby said:
Unfortunately there's no easy way to do a standardized 3rd-party library-based benchmark.
Click to expand...

Indeed. But less formal 3rd party library based examples could still be of some use (as well as the benchmark), especially where the mini hits the limits.
 
Last edited:
@jcrosby If that was limited to just things like for example Kontakt player maybe using a standard patch from the NI factory library (i.e. things that are easily accessible/really common use) with or without VEPro for example, that might be a way forward .... focussing on very common (and in the case of Kontakt player free) libraries might also allow people to compare the performance of different DAW computer and operating system combinations ... this aspect is seriously OT, but it might be interesting...... beyond my ken to put that together, but happy to brainstorm ......
 
Last edited:
chris massa said:
The New Mac Mini from a different viewpoint, if you had not seen this. Of course Pro Tools related.
https://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=402002
Click to expand...

I've been following that thread as well but be aware, the OP is running an HDX system which may or may not present a different load on the system depending on the session.
In many cases, HDX is not as sensitive to the number of tracks as any other DAW.

It is however, very encouraging that the poster ended up selling his 6,1 cylinder.
 
ironbut said:
I've been following that thread as well but be aware, the OP is running an HDX system which may or may not present a different load on the system depending on the session. In many cases, HDX is not as sensitive to the number of tracks as any other DAW. It is however, very encouraging that the poster ended up selling his 6,1 cylinder.
Click to expand...

The HDX card should relieve the Avid plugin load as does the UAD card also reduces latency when recording. I myself would have kept the Trash Can and made it a slave :). Though the OP is more concerned with recording and mixing, it is quite encouraging. Hopefully that thread will reveal the OP track count.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom