Ableton Forum

Hey guys,
I'm trying to choose a 15" or 17" Macbook Pro, will 8 Tracks fit comfortably on the 15" screen?

What are your experiences with 15" or 17" ? Is 17" too big or is 15" too small?

I have the APC40 so I need to be able to scroll comfortably.

Also, if you can provide some feedback on speed.. is 2.16 fast enough? or do I need at least 2.4ghz?

Thanks for your feedback!


I'm a PC user for 13 years and the only reason why I'm switching to a MAC is because it sounds better. I'm getting the Apogee Ensemble so it should sound good w/ my Motif XS8 & KRK VXT8s

regardless of platform, 8 tracks will fit fine on a 15" screen, and you can also "squoosh" them together by resizing if you need more or more returns without overly sacrificing readability.

no one else has comments on screen size and speed?

17" is too big if you are traveling with it alot, and only doing music production.

it would probably be worth it if you were traveling and doing video editing.

15" is fine, and if you want extra screen real estate, you get an extra monitor.

am wrote:17" is too big if you are traveling with it alot, and only doing music production.

it would probably be worth it if you were traveling and doing video editing.

15" is fine, and if you want extra screen real estate, you get an extra monitor.

this is the kind of advice i'm looking for.. i was about to commit to a 17" but your advice makes perfect sense.. i have extra 22" monitor laying around.. and would it be perfect for music editing along w/ a 15" laptop..

i haven't made a damn song yet and i'm planning to travel already lol

really, i had a 17" and it was not worth it. the only thing you get from it is an extra usb port (i think it's still like that, right?). It's just too big and the 15" can well handle anything you throw at the 17". plus, you can also zoom out in live to fit everything on the screen. I have live on my 15" constantly zoomed out at 88% and it's perfect for me. then, if I need more, i hook it up to a monitor. I'm still using a macbook pro from 2006 and running shitloads of tracks and live instruments and it never gives up on me.

Im really in love with the 13inch size. The 15inch is 900pixels horizontal and the 13 is 800pixels. Not that big of a lost. You gain in weight and space.

Earwax69 wrote:Im really in love with the 13inch size. The 15inch is 900pixels horizontal and the 13 is 800pixels. Not that big of a lost. You gain in weight and space.

Hmm.. now you're starting to make me think.. can you fit 8 tracks comfortably w/ the 13"?

Go for the 15 man. The 17 is certainly king and is huge, but just a bit too big for pulling out anywhere like couche, cafe, trains, planes etc. The 13 is nice and compact but you don't save enough roon over the 15 for the loss of screen to be worth it. You really miss the extra space the 15 gives you. It's the right in between. I hd a 13 once and it didn't last long.

can you fit 8 tracks comfortably w/ the 13"?

you can fit at least 12 tracks comforty w/the 13".

if you got the money, go with the 15", that's a cool deal. for the specs, take the best you can afford.

but you've got to know that 8 TRACKS will PERFECTLY RUN on a mono-core with only 1gig ram. (if you don't overload each track with a series of ultra powerful FXs, reverbs...)

handling 8 "normal" tracks (2-3 devices on each track, + 2-3 returns), while playing audio AND midi doesn't need a macpro octocore 8x3.6ghz... you'll be REALLY FINE with, say, a 13" 2ghz 2Gbram macbook...

but it is a matter of $$$. If you can afford it, buy the mercedes or the ferrari. If you can't, you can travel very far with a hyundai or a peugeot

good luck
cheers

Get the 15.

17" with the UAD2 Solo card.

13" = super cute
15" = not as cute
17" = ugly

Function > fashion

Thanks for all your inputs.. 17" is definitely a no, but 13 & 15 is still being considered..

The only place my 17" feels too big is flying coach. When buying a Windows laptop for music I went with an 18" screen. IMHO, For two inches more desk space the extra screen space is worth it. Take note of USB and firewire jack placement. I think they are different on 15" and 17" MacBookPro's. That can make a difference in a "neat" setup. I hate wires coming out of both sides of a laptop.

Rabid wrote:The only place my 17" feels too big is flying coach.

Okay... I can understand it feeling big, but you can still use it while flying coach, right?