Adding external monitor to macbook is it worth it?

fishmonkey · Post by **fishmonkey** » Tue May 06, 2008 12:01 am

willdahbe wrote:
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.

if you really wanna run with the lid closed you can also do it with a bluetooth mouse or keyboard if you set the system prefs to allow bluetooth devices to wake the mac...

btw, the computer may run hotter with the lid shut...

willdahbe · Post by **willdahbe** » Tue May 06, 2008 2:04 am

Poster wrote:
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..

What the hell are you talking about. I have my external hooked up right now with two different backgrounds on them with shit flying all over both screens independently.

Poster · Post by **Poster** » Tue May 06, 2008 9:10 am

willdahbe wrote:
Poster wrote:
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..
What the hell are you talking about. I have my external hooked up right now with two different backgrounds on them with shit flying all over both screens independently.

last time I looked at a Macbook it was still named iBook and could not do split view..
didn't know Apple changed that..

fishmonkey · Post by **fishmonkey** » Tue May 06, 2008 10:33 am

uhuh... like 2 years ago...

swishniak · Post by **swishniak** » Tue May 06, 2008 11:03 am

i just spent a month working in a studio with an 19" external hooked up to my "12 powerbook - it made a huge difference to my workflow (and my eyes!).

now im back home and keep trying to drag plugins to a monitor that isnt there.. like an amputee who has an itch on his missing leg. . .

ok, i guess its not that bad.

Pasha · Post by **Pasha** » Tue May 06, 2008 12:06 pm

Poster wrote:
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..

My MB has extended view....

evanb · Post by **evanb** » Wed May 07, 2008 1:24 am

So I hooked up my dell tonight using DVI, it looks like crap!!!

the text is blurry and the images do not look sharp. i am not running in mirror mode its running in its native res. Anyone know how to fix this?

fishmonkey · Post by **fishmonkey** » Wed May 07, 2008 6:06 am

what version of OS X are you running?

bartvd · Post by **bartvd** » Wed May 07, 2008 7:10 am

ive got a macbook and a samsung 20inch.
works great.. sharp as hell.
you can set your settings for both monitors seperately. look into that.

evanb · Post by **evanb** » Wed May 07, 2008 11:54 am

I am runnin 10.5.2 each monitor has its own resolution but its still jaggedy text

fishmonkey · Post by **fishmonkey** » Wed May 07, 2008 2:47 pm

there is a fairly major thread somewhere on the Apple support forum about 10.5.2 and the corresponding Leopard graphics update which has caused a shitload of problems with external monitors...

btw, some cheapshit monitors do look crap! i've got a coupla different 22" Samsungs and they're both very good... i had a generic 22" AOC for a few days (before it died that is) and it was terrible compared to the Samsungs...

evanb · Post by **evanb** » Wed May 07, 2008 3:56 pm

Its a dell monitor so shouldnt be crap. So it could be a leopard issue

josswilkie · Post by **josswilkie** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 11:16 am

Hey guys, I have recently added a monitor to my mac which is great! The only issue am having is when ableton is opened on the monitor and I open my vst's they open on the mac rather than the monitor, any ideas how to resolve this?

Shift Gorden · Post by **Shift Gorden** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 1:02 pm

In Mac display preferences, try changing your monitor to the main monitor (drag the little red bar on the top of the MacBook display over to the monitor display).

That might work. I think my VSTs typically open in the last screen I had three open on.

Adding external monitor to macbook is it worth it?

Re: Adding external monitor to macbook

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