Adding external monitor to macbook is it worth it?

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
evanb
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Adding external monitor to macbook is it worth it?

Post by evanb » Sun May 04, 2008 6:01 pm

I would love to have 2 screens so i could have vst on one and ableton on the other but thats not really possible so I am wondering if its going to make that much of a difference if I add a bigger monitor?

Would it make sense to just run the MBP with the top shut since there is no use having the screen show the same thing the larger screen is showing?

Any pics of your setup or examples of what the best way to run this ?

carlv
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Post by carlv » Sun May 04, 2008 7:53 pm

I think it's worth it. When I'm at home I just run it in clamshell mode hooked to a 22" LCD, much nicer and easier to work with than the 13" built in.

martin808
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Re: Adding external monitor to macbook is it worth it?

Post by martin808 » Sun May 04, 2008 7:57 pm

evanb wrote:I would love to have 2 screens so i could have vst on one and ableton on the other but thats not really possible
can you not do that on mac? thats exactly how i have my pc laptop setup

nicka
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Post by nicka » Sun May 04, 2008 9:12 pm

DO IT !!

best decision i made
Macbook 2.16 C2D - Ozonic - BCF 2000 - Allen & Heath xone 32 - Technics 1210's mk3 - and a badger

Damon_Chambers
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Post by Damon_Chambers » Sun May 04, 2008 9:32 pm

most def. i have a 24in monitor i use with the macbook.

evanb
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Post by evanb » Sun May 04, 2008 11:27 pm

so when u have an external connected is the macbook screen just bank?

hambone1
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Post by hambone1 » Sun May 04, 2008 11:35 pm

Use Extended Desktop (untick Mirror Displays in Preferences/Displays/Arrangement).

I put the menus on my MBP screen, and everything else on the Cinema Display.

evanb
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Post by evanb » Sun May 04, 2008 11:38 pm

Ok great so i could run ableton on the macbooks display and run all my vsts on the external monitor?

Dr Dub
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Post by Dr Dub » Mon May 05, 2008 12:06 am

Yes you can - and you will love it!

jesso
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Post by jesso » Mon May 05, 2008 2:26 pm

The main benefit is the bigger screen. I thought I would love to be using 2 screens, but only ever use the big main one now.... i hardly use my macbook screen at all. Which leads me to my question. How in hells teeth do I run my macbook in clamshell mode? I have tried before and failed. (Carlv)

evanb
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Post by evanb » Mon May 05, 2008 8:12 pm

Ok its done...Dell is having a sale so just picked up a silver 22" for 299 shipped 2 day

willdahbe
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Post by willdahbe » Mon May 05, 2008 9:50 pm

I don't know what people are saying that you can't run ableton on external and vst's on macbook screen. you can drag anything freely from either screen.

I have a macbook and a external monitor and I can run any configuration i want. I have ableton open on the external and vst's on the macbook screen. It's very nice for having eq's, compressors, and other little nick nacks and do dads, whatever.

But you can place anything on either screen. What's really cool about the macbooks when hooking up an external display, it has a virtual screen setup where you can arrange where your external is actually at in the physical world. So if you have your monitor above your mac you can move your mouse upwards and it goes into that screen. You can place it anywhere.

willdahbe
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Post by willdahbe » Mon May 05, 2008 9:57 pm

jesso wrote:The main benefit is the bigger screen. I thought I would love to be using 2 screens, but only ever use the big main one now.... i hardly use my macbook screen at all. Which leads me to my question. How in hells teeth do I run my macbook in clamshell mode? I have tried before and failed. (Carlv)
This is in the help finder in the macbook.

To operate your portable computer with an external monitor attached and the display closed:
Connect a USB keyboard and mouse to your portable.
Connect the power adapter to the portable and a power outlet.
Close the portable display to put the computer to sleep.
Connect your portable to an external display.
Wait a few seconds and then press any key on the external keyboard to wake the portable.

beats me
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Post by beats me » Mon May 05, 2008 11:10 pm

Once I got my second monitor running off my Macbook Pro I don't know how I got anything done without it. This goes beyond Ableton use. Internet, email, music, word douments, spreadsheets, photo editing, movie editing, VJing, etc. Once you have a second monitor you'll be annoyed to no end trying to work on something that doesn't have one. all day long at work I try dragging things to a second monitor that doesn't exist.

Poster
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Post by Poster » Mon May 05, 2008 11:58 pm

willdahbe wrote:I don't know what people are saying that you can't run ableton on external and vst's on macbook screen. you can drag anything freely from either screen.
MB: only mirror view
MBP: mirror and split view

thats why..

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