Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz enough?

Grahambo! · Post by **Grahambo!** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:03 pm

Yeah... see my above post:

I GOT a mac alright. But what I got was a mac that won't work for music applications at all!!!

I have a firestudio project and all I get are random pops and clicks all the time... BAH!!! Looks like I may try and return this sucker tomorrow unless I find some kind of fix.

dcease · Post by **dcease** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:05 pm

told you about that firewire chip. wasn't lyin.

Akshara · Post by **Akshara** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:08 pm

Sheesh... you've got to be kidding. Sorry to hear that.

A quick google search for "firestudio project macbook" pulls up articles suggesting that the Firestudio Project may not be compatible with the new Macbooks, including this thread here. In the following thread, a Presonus support rep states, "we cannot yet directly support or deny most of the claims against the Agere chipset, since we have machines running on it just fine." So while it's unclear as to whether it's the Macbook or the Firestudio, one thing that is clear is that Presonus is not going to do anything to fix the problem.

Personally, I'd dump the Presonus in a heartbeat before taking the Macbook back. However you could call and talk to the rep you bought it from at the Apple Store, explain the situation and see if they have an older model in store which has the Texas Instrument firewire chipset, and maybe he'll swap it out for you.

wilxon · Post by **wilxon** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:08 pm

Grahambo! wrote:Yeah... see my above post:

I GOT a mac alright. But what I got was a mac that won't work for music applications at all!!!

I have a firestudio project and all I get are random pops and clicks all the time... BAH!!! Looks like I may try and return this sucker tomorrow unless I find some kind of fix.

Yea, seee the edit at the bottom.

wilxon · Post by **wilxon** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:10 pm

whoa, busy thread

Grahambo! · Post by **Grahambo!** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:14 pm

well, i just called the apple store guy. he gave me a run-around about calling presonus about it, no matter HOW MANY TIMES I TOLD HIM that I do not believe it to be ANY audio interface manufacturer's fault, but instead Apple's....

god damnit. why don't I take sound advice when it's offered? this is so f'd up now.

wilxon · Post by **wilxon** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:15 pm

i use the Echo Audiofire 2, small and buss powered, great for gigs and i can get 4 channels in at any one time in my studio, but ill probably upgrade to a Motu Traveller or Ultralite in the near future when i want to intergrate my mixer (01v) with the lappie a bit more.

wilxon · Post by **wilxon** » Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:19 pm

Grahambo! wrote:well, i just called the apple store guy. he gave me a run-around about calling presonus about it, no matter HOW MANY TIMES I TOLD HIM that I do not believe it to be ANY audio interface manufacturer's fault, but instead Apple's....

god damnit. why don't I take sound advice when it's offered? this is so f'd up now.

Take my word for it - KEEP YOUR MAC. GET A DECENT SOUNDCARD.

Motu, Rme, Echo, Digidesign, M-Audio (some of) to name a few

IN ADDITION: the onboard soundcard is OK for stuff, i use mine all the time, much better than the REALTEK's you get with most winows machines.

Akshara · Post by **Akshara** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 12:05 am

I GOT a mac alright. But what I got was a mac that won't work for music applications at all!!!

I do not believe it to be ANY audio interface manufacturer's fault, but instead Apple's....

That Macbook will work great for music applications, and there are more devices compatible with it than there are not. The confirmed agere incompatible devices out there are relatively few, and from my understanding at this time are limited to specific models offered by Presonus, Motu, and RME; with each of those companies also reporting positive agere test results with many of their models or under specific conditions: RME works with a FW800 connection, FW800 adapter or a hub; several Presonus models are tested to work fine; and Motu actually recommends Lucent/Agere chips in their support documentation.

why don't I take sound advice when it's offered? this is so f'd up now.

I recognize that's it must be frustrating. I'd be frustrated. It sounds like you're pretty worked up, and might have been so when talking with the Apple Store rep. Just try to calm down and relax a bit. It's not the end of the world, and it might be happening for a reason. You seemed pretty drawn to the Macbook, even before getting all of the advice in this thread and others. Maybe the Presonus should get sold with the desktop? Maybe the Macbook isn't for you after all, but you had to find out first hand so you wouldn't forever wonder.

The Apple Store reps are rarely schooled in issues like this unless they've encountered them before. Try to keep a cool head and educate them on the situation; that it's not their fault but that you've got to find a solution that works. At least try to be cool enough to get them to forego a restocking fee.

Admittedly, the chances that with all the research you were reportedly doing, and with all of the comments posted here and in other threads on this board, that you would actually end up having an incompatible device, were pretty low.

However, I am sincerely sorry to hear that this ended up being the case in your situation, and hope that you find a solution that works for you.

The Macbook is a much more powerful tool than the Presonus interface; but you gotta do what you gotta do.

the onboard soundcard is OK for stuff, i use mine all the time, much better than the REALTEK's you get with most winows machines.

On my wife's Macbook, we're running a 2-ch mic preamp with a TOSLink digital output straight into the built-in audio input at 24-bit and it works flawlessly.

wilxon · Post by **wilxon** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 12:17 am

Akshara wrote:
the onboard soundcard is OK for stuff, i use mine all the time, much better than the REALTEK's you get with most winows machines.
On my wife's Macbook, we're running a 2-ch mic preamp with a TOSLink digital output straight into the built-in audio input at 24-bit and it works flawlessly.

Well said mate, well said.

Grahambo! · Post by **Grahambo!** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 12:37 am

Ok. Well, then I guess I won't get rid of the Macbook, but I don't wanna sell off my presonus either... I love this thing. I need something w/ at least 6-8 inputs, such as this one.

Someone said earlier that if I get an external hub or something I may be able to bypass this problem... can anyone explain?

Akshara · Post by **Akshara** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 2:13 am

The idea is that one could use an external firewire drive, or an actual multi-port firewire hub, and connect their interface to it instead of directly to the Macbook, potentially bypassing the problem. It might or might not work though.

http://forums.presonus.com/showthread.p ... rewire+hub

http://forums.presonus.com/showthread.p ... rewire+hub

PookyNMR · Post by **PookyNMR** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 4:19 am

If you're looking for a quality FW interface, I'd highly suggest the Metric Halo products.

I have a MBP with a Metric Halo interface and it works fantastic.

mhlabs.com

wilxon · Post by **wilxon** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 8:21 am

PookyNMR wrote:If you're looking for a quality FW interface, I'd highly suggest the Metric Halo products.

I have a MBP with a Metric Halo interface and it works fantastic.

mhlabs.com

seems very expensive, especially when you can buy a MOTU ultralite for less than 1/2 the price

Grahambo! · Post by **Grahambo!** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 12:39 pm

haha yeah, those halo things are like $1200... definitely not what I need right now. what I need is a quick fix. I really like my presonus, and I just got it a month or so ago. It's got the perfect # of inputs for my band.

Anyway, the Mac seems to be getting better. I don't know how, but it hasn't done that crackle in a little while. I'll still go invest in a firewire hub this week though and see if that helps.

I'd get an external harddrive, but like I said, this is all already too expensive.