I am just beginning to setup my gear for Djing and also wanna go for production in the near future. Why do I not see so many MacBook Air’s out htere but a lot MacBook Pro’s?
I do have a MacBook Air today but more for daily business e.g. I personally like the small size (11"), less weight but it seems I am missing some significant points.
I understand that a MacBook pro is naturally with more power and options for USB, Thunderbolt connection etc, but is that all about?
Ill be following this thread as well… I too am just starting out and already have a 13in. Air. Seems to perform screwing around with Ableton, but Ive never used any midi controllers or anything.
It’s definitely got the power. Screen size isn’t a huge issue IMO. As long as you can see the font to select tracks, you’re golden. You listen to music, not watch it.
This is what I was thinking… Ive never had a power issue with the Air as Ive ran multiple processor heavy graphics programs at the same time and still seems to have some decent life in it. I dont have any real world experience trying to use Ableton at a standing height as its always right in front of me.
Glad to know I can keep running this computer and focus my money and efforts on other aspects.
Thanks OP for making this thread. Learned something on my first day here.
I’ve been DJing and producing with a 13" for quite a few years now, totally possible. Wether it will work for you or not it’s just a matter of personal preference.
I’ve been using a 13inch Macbook Air to DJ with for years. It’s more than plausible. They are easily fast enough. Screen size doesn’t take long to get used to if you go with the 13 inch, it only becomes a bit cramped with more then 2 decks running. 11inch though might be a different story.
I just up/down graded to an 11" and will watch this discussion and post here as I use it. Haven’t used Traktor much lately though to be honest as I’ve been getting way back into vinyl, but I have a gig in a couple weeks where I plan to use the 11", we’ll see how it goes.
The 13’ Regular pro is starting to show its age with its 1280x800 display.
Resolution is higher on a macbook air (11 and 13) than a Regular 13’ Pro so you can actually fit more on the screen
Speed between the two is almost the same these days (since they got rid of core processors), theres a better graphics card in the Air now too, and the SSD speeds things up alot.
No Reason the Air is not a viable performance machine, however for production (rendering etc..) a lil more grunt is always nice.
If I needed portability I’d go with a 13’ Air for sure, if I want a lil extra ooomph I reckon the 13’ Retina is worth the price.
While the 11’ is capable in every way, screen is just a wee bit teeny tiny to be comfortable IMHO.
I absolutely do not see the point in constricting yourself with an Air when a Pro is , in real terms cheaper.
If you are using it for Traktor (as someone said production requires “more grunt”) then why bother cus the SSD ill be faster but, with Traktor how much are you gonna notice
And if someone says “its lighter” oh please.
I know, there will be Air users that will defend them to the hilt but, if you are buying new, now why buy something that you may regret down the line.
13" MBP FTW everytime. I would never buy a 15" MBP again (and I’ve got 2). The 13 setup correctly is perfect for Traktor.
[QUOTE]I absolutely do not see the point in constricting yourself with an Air when a Pro is , in real terms cheaper.
[/QUOTE]
Actually its not, the pro is $100 more expensive for the non-retina 13’/8gb, where the retina is $300 more expensive with the same 256/8gb configuration.
Both the retina and non-retina have a lower spec graphics card than the current Air Lineup, however the pro’s can surpass them in processing power.
Just saying …
** there is something freakishly satisfying as a user about being able to run heavy duty apps on a laptop as light and small as an Air - even on a 13’ macbook I used to get some funny looks from clients when I would run virtual networks of 4 or 6 clients / servers in Parallels to demo software.
For me to spec an Air to the equivalent of my 13" MBP it would cost something like £500 more that what I paid for it. I would need to biggest SSD at a minimum.
Its ok for the likes of Carl Craig to be using one, he probably has multiple machines for different usage scenarios.
Users on this forum may need to do more on one machine, more tasks, more applications, different usages.
Just don’t think that an Air can be your one and only go-to machine, especially if you are just starting out and need it for other uses.
I can’t stand using any computer that has an outdated spinning mechanical disk as its primary hard drive. Everything happens so slowly, and Traktor takes long enough to load already with several thousand tracks in its collection.
The only benefit of the Pro now is the cheap storage options. The Air gives you much faster performance with the stock drive, higher screen resolution, longer battery life, and being just over half the weight of the Pro isn’t something to sneer at.
Buying a brand new £1000 computer with a 1280x800 screen is something I know I’d regret.
This would be my primary concern with considering the current crop of Macbook Pro’s, so here’s hoping for an updated “something” in the fall. I desperately need to replace my aging 2009 MBP (which I use for every conceivable task)
