Advice on running Ableton and Protools on mac mini

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zwolf
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Joined: Fri May 24, 2013 7:30 pm

Advice on running Ableton and Protools on mac mini

Post by zwolf » Tue Sep 22, 2015 6:33 pm

This isn't really a question precisely aimed at the Ableton forum, but I thought I'd take a shot at getting some general computer advice from the knowledge base here...

So I just picked up a late 2012 mac mini (i7 2.3 quad) to replace my rapidly aging late 2009 mac mini. I do 90% of my DAW work in ableton and it's been running just fine for me on Yosemite. The other 10% I do in Pro Tools 10, which is no longer supported past OS 10.8. It had been running rock solid for me in 10.7.5; as warned/advertised, it sucks big time since the upgrade to Yosemite. I will not upgrade any further in PT, but I'd like to able to continue to use PT 10 as I had been. There's just something I like much better about it than ableton for certain tracking and editing situations.

I'm wondering what is the best way to go about having both of these DAWs. Here are my questions:

1) is it possible, and if so, advisable, for me to partition my new mac to run both OSes and therefore use PT in 10.7.5 and Ableton and everything else on Yosemite?

2) If the answer to question 1 is no, I do always have the option of using both mac minis - the new one for ableton, and return to 10.7 on the older one to run PT. But if I do that...what would be the best workflow for switching between the two computers - usb and monitor splitters? And how would I approach transferring files b/w the two computers - just a thumb drive?

As you can see from these questions, I'm pretty computer naive. I don't even expect any answers, but thanks much in advance to anyone more savvy than I who might take the time to shed a little light :)

beats me
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Re: Advice on running Ableton and Protools on mac mini

Post by beats me » Tue Sep 22, 2015 7:38 pm

3) Try out some other DAWs that aren't PT. You might also like the way they do some things differently than Live.

hacktheplanet
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Re: Advice on running Ableton and Protools on mac mini

Post by hacktheplanet » Wed Sep 23, 2015 1:23 am

Make the 2012 your main machine. When you want to run PT, wake up the 2009. Use a cheap KVM switch.
To transfer files back and forth, share folders over your network: https://support.apple.com/kb/PH18697?locale=en_US
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zwolf
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri May 24, 2013 7:30 pm

Re: Advice on running Ableton and Protools on mac mini

Post by zwolf » Wed Sep 23, 2015 7:29 pm

Solid advice, Hacktheplanet - thank you! I just read up on KVM switches and this indeed seems like the easiest way forward.

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