Mac Mini good for studio?

[bass264]

Hey mates I'm planning to buy a Mac mini with a Intel Core i5, 2GB of ram(I'll upgrade it to 8GB most likely) and a 500GB HDD. Are mac mini's good for recording? I'm planning to hook it up to a FireWire recording interface and produce music and run Adobe Premiere to edit HD videos. Doesn't it record without lag and will it be good for video editing?

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

For audio recording, it should do. You will need raw processing power for studio stuff. For recording, it should do the job, no sweat. For producing and using synths, it should do too. The 8GB RAM would be nice too, you will see a good benefit from that. I do not know about video editing, I am assuning the GPU is garbage though, since it is a Mac Mini.

 

[bass264]

For audio recording, it should do. You will need raw processing power for studio stuff. For recording, it should do the job, no sweat. For producing and using synths, it should do too. The 8GB RAM would be nice too, you will see a good benefit from that. I do not know about video editing, I am assuning the GPU is garbage though, since it is a Mac Mini.

It comes with a Intel HD 3000, 288MB(shared)DDR3 video ram, It might take a long time to render files. Here's the link to it. http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/product/detail.jsp?skuId=2658068&pid=1218343212620#product-overview

 

[axletramp]

It would be adequate. We have used them for video and audio editing (mainly TV ads and corp work), but you won't find an advantage over something like a MacBook Pro. We now run Adobe Premier etc. on 27" iMacs as they're a complete bargain for what you get and are easily powerful enough for the most demanding HD video recording/editing.

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

Oh! An Intel 3000 eh? Well then, it might not be as bad as I thought. I'm assuming there is no way to overclock that thing however. (PC's can OC the Intel Sandy Bridge GPU).

Why not buy a PC?

 

[bass264]

Oh! An Intel 3000 eh? Well then, it might not be as bad as I thought. I'm assuming there is no way to overclock that thing however. (PC's can OC the Intel Sandy Bridge GPU).

Why not buy a PC?

Because I'm in love with the Mac OSX operating system, and I must have a Apple computer.

 

[bass264]

It would be adequate. We have used them for video and audio editing (mainly TV ads and corp work), but you won't find an advantage over something like a MacBook Pro. We now run Adobe Premier etc. on 27" iMacs as they're a complete bargain for what you get and are easily powerful enough for the most demanding HD video recording/editing.

Thanks, this gives me some level of confidence that it'll work alright for HD video editing, but when my partner starts the business then with the money I get from working I'm going to buy a MacBook Pro.

 

[axletramp]

Stick a minimum of 16Gb of RAM in an iMac then you won't have any problems. If you think you could have one of those on your desk and ready to go for around £1500 including an incredible screen, it really is a no-brainer. We've been in the business for years and previously used G5 and MacPro towers. We are increasingly replacing those with iMacs as and when we need to.

 

[12thgear]

The Mac mini is a great machine, and will do a fine job for audio recording, though you definitely want a fast FireWire 800 drive for your project files. For rendering HD video, it's not the best choice unless you go with the quad-core server version of the mini, and at that point you gain much more by stepping up to the iMac line, which are all quad-core and all have discrete GPUs, and all include decent displays.

 

[bass264]

Stick a minimum of 16Gb of RAM in an iMac then you won't have any problems. If you think you could have one of those on your desk and ready to go for around £1500 including an incredible screen, it really is a no-brainer. We've been in the business for years and previously used G5 and MacPro towers. We are increasingly replacing those with iMacs as and when we need to.

When I make the money, I will definitely go for a iMac, but meanwhile the Mac mini should do alright.

The Mac mini is a great machine, and will do a fine job for audio recording, though you definitely want a fast FireWire 800 drive for your project files. For rendering HD video, it's not the best choice unless you go with the quad-core server version of the mini, and at that point you gain much more by stepping up to the iMac line, which are all quad-core and all have discrete GPUs, and all include decent displays.

One of my rich friends uses a iMac with a Intel i3 processor, it's display is amazing!

 

[NissanSkylineN1]

If you are doing audio stuff, ask MistaX. He works in a studio. Just PM him and ask him about the Mac Mini.

 

[bass264]

If you are doing audio stuff, ask MistaX. He works in a studio. Just PM him and ask him about the Mac Mini.

Thanks!