Another PowerBook question...

[bizack]

Oh man, another PowerBook question. So I've got a 500 MHz Titanium as my current laptop. This obviously isn't cutting it with Live (although it does work pretty well). I've been thinking about buying the latest 1.67 GHz 15.2" PowerBook. Yeah, I know the Yonah-based PowerBooks (or iBooks) are rumored to be launched as early as January or February. But I'm probably not going to buy a first rev. Intel-based PowerBook. So, for all you 1.67 GHz PowerBook owners, how well does Live perform? Is it worth the extra $$$? I'm forced to use Windows at work (for general use, and for code development) and I, ummm, can't stand it.

From what I gathered from a brief email with Ableton, the G3-G4 version of Live won't be supported (or at least updated) once the IntelBooks start shipping and the Live port is finished. Which is a bummer, because all Ableton has to do is choose 'compile for PPC' under XCode, and you have a PPC version (which should have altivec optimization if Ableton uses the Intel/PPC optimization Library).

Thanks.

[smutek]

Ya know, and I am sure you know this, that in terms of raw performance windows outperforms the powerbooks when it comes to live.

But if you are like me, which I assume you may be (I use windows here at work and can not stand it either) than this boost in Ableton Live performance is not nearly enough to make you consider a windows box for live, or anything for that matter. (I mean absolutely no disrespect to my windows using brothers)

I have been using live on a 1.25 ghz powerbook for the last two years, and still use the powerbook for live situations, and I have no complaints. It is a good, solid, stabile machine and it has yet to let me down. It runs live to my satisfaction and I have not yet been dissapointed. And if you do run into limitations there are work arounds.

So really, the question is, what are you waiting for? Buy your powerbook. get applecare with it and when the noahs or macintels or whatever they are called come out sell it and cop a new one if you feel so inclined.

[Sales Dude McBoob]

My PB specs are in my sig... Live works well for me on that machine. What kind of sets to you want to run on it?

The set I run on stage is pretty slimmed down (6 backing tracks, Simpler, FM7, MX4, Pro 53 all running and played blended together) with maybe 3 effects in aux sends and stuff, with a half dozen samples loaded and ready to trigger in the session view.

So my set isn't super dense. I could push it a lot harder but that's all that I needed it to do and it did it just fine.

Glad I have that machine! Sure, it'd be cool to have the Intel one, but I agree, I wouldn't buy the first incarnation or two down the pike. I bought a refurbished G5 tower which was like the 2nd genreation. Next thing you know they changed the PCI slots on them and now my older G5 is the more sought after generation.

[subterFUSE]

What about a G5 iMac 17" ??

That would be better performance for the price.

They make carry cases for them, so you can still use it Live.
Only drawback is the weight, really.

[RobertX]

I bought the 15" PowerBook a few months ago... works really great. I use it with the M-Audio Firewire Audiophile.

Good idea to hold off on the Yonah-based laptops for now, as you'd be running Live in Rosetta emulation.

Better to wait until the Intel-based Powerbooks come out, as they'll esentially be G2 technology. By then, Ableton should have an Intel-native build of Live for OSX with all the bugs worked out. Should be sweet.

[studio615]

I just purchased Live last week, and i haven'e even recieved it yet, i'm using the demo. It seems to really work well on my powerbook. I am happy with it. I have the second to latest revision of the 1.67g4 powerbook, running with 1.5 gigs of ram. I ran the demo on my thinkpad at work, and it crashed twice. I am an IT guy, this machine is 100% healthy. Windows just won't cut it for music in my opinion. I've tried many windows based machines and software titles, it always crashes in the worst possible moment of creativity. The problem is windows, not the hardware. Once i can save my work and build up a big project I'll really know what this thing can do. The g5 imac is a real powerhouse, and I bet that it would be a great machine to run this software on, I havn't been able to sit down on one to see though. There are ways to work around the slight horsepower difference, but onstage, there is no way to work around a crash. Just my.02.

[smutek]

Hey studio, you know you can register your serial number online here and you have access to the full version here (under free updates), minus the live clips (which you can install from the cd when your package arrives).

PS, you probably should do that anyway, since your package most likely will not have the latest build of live, and you will have to download and install it anyway. Save your self the time and all.

[studio615]

I wish I could, I work for a school district and bought it from one of our vendors at an educational discount. They had to order it from Ableton, and then ship it to me. I can wait, the savings make it easier. The educational price is 50% off. I just bought an EMU 49 key controller, and it came with a copy of Live lite 4, but it is for windows. I might load it on my thinkpad and use it to learn on until the big one shows up.

[smutek]

Right on, congratulations on your purchase and welcome to the forums!

Check this thread. One of the guys on the forum has put together an event for Live users in the DC/Baltimore/Virginia area at the Black Cat in DC at the end of January.

Maybe you can cruise down.

Peace

[/threadjack]

[Nonz]

Oh man, another PowerBook question. So I've got a 500 MHz Titanium as my current laptop. This obviously isn't cutting it with Live (although it does work pretty well). I've been thinking about buying the latest 1.67 GHz 15.2" PowerBook. Yeah, I know the Yonah-based PowerBooks (or iBooks) are rumored to be launched as early as January or February. But I'm probably not going to buy a first rev. Intel-based PowerBook. So, for all you 1.67 GHz PowerBook owners, how well does Live perform? Is it worth the extra $$$?...

I need a new PowerBook too. I'm still on the final rev. TiBook (1GHz) which is now over 3 yrs old. It has been a workhorse for me. It has gone everywhere with me everyday and I have never had one problem with it. I'm going to buy the current 1.67GHz as well since it is the final rev. of the current AlBooks. But I'm going to wait until after the announcement to see if the prices drop a little.

[bizack]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm going to wait until Jobs makes the announcement in January, and then see if prices drop a bit. But I think I'll end up buying the latest 15" PowerBook. I like the iMac (my Mother has one actually), but it's not overly portable. I'm not planning on creating sets so massive that it will peak my CPU. Another thing I have to consider is other software written for the PPC. I still tinker with SuperCollider, and the OS X port is the native port, and still the most stable (the Linux and MS Windows versions work but are still very rough around the edges). And Jack for OS X is a very nice tool for routing signals around. There's also a ton of other PPC software that _is_ optimized for the G4 (I think Ableton is full of crap about the Altivec not providing any performance gains... sounds more like lazy programming or a lack of staff. Why does every other piece of sound synthesis software make good use of the Altivec?). I do realize that the MS Windows version of Live performs better. But what can I say, I really can't stand Windows. Those Toshiba laptops have pretty sweet specs though.

I will be checking out the Live! night at the Black Cat. I don't think I'll have anything ready to perform, but it will be cool to meet some of you guys (or girls?). I'm hoping to have some tunes ready for the next go around of this event.