my new setup

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Last Alternative
Posts: 1343
Joined: 20 Jan 2015
Location: the lost desert

13 Apr 2017

COMPUTER:
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-27" iMac with Retina 5k display (late 2015 - custom built by Apple last week)
-Intel i7 quad core Skylake @ 4GHz, turbo boost to 4.2GHz
-32 gigs of Crucial DDR3L RAM
-1TB SSD
-AMD Radeon R9 M395X with 4GB video memory
-Magic keyboard
-Magic Mouse 2
-AppleCare (stupid not to get it!)

*Apple gave me 10% off ($340)

AUDIO INTERFACE:
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-Universal Audio Apollo Twin solo mkii

MICROPHONE:
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-Neumann tlm102 with shock mount (haven't hooked it up yet but I'm in for a treat)
-Aston Microphones Halo Shadow (black reflection filter)

======================================================================
Still getting everything figured out. I think the hardest part is typing on this tiny keyboard but I'm going faster than I thought I would already without looking at the keys. This interface is pretty complicated and I need to call tech support to sort out the buffer size settings and ask a few questions because right now the lowest I can go without glitches is 256 but that's with 19ms of latency!

This screen is incredible and I'm used to the Logitech Trackman trackball but this iMouse thing is pretty cool with the touch features. Oh and the internet is tiny on this big screen, leaving half of the screen unused on the borders. I messed with settings but it makes everything bigger including the dock so I'm still looking into that. Otherwise, it's a breath of fresh air coming from my PC which is still very current and has no issues other than not playing nice with external audio cards. It's in the other room and I might sell it. Keeping it for now. My girlfriend wants it.

Anyway, Almost 5 grand later it's like Christmas and I'm a happy camper =)
Now I can finally get back to my album after almost 5 months of issues and downtime.

By the way, all those plugins UA advertises with the interface are just demos... superlame!!!
Last edited by Last Alternative on 13 Apr 2017, edited 1 time in total.
https://lastalternative.bandcamp.com
:reason: 12.7.4 | MacBook Pro (16”, 2021), OS Sonoma, M1 Max, 4TB SSD, 64GB RAM | quality instruments & gear

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gak
Posts: 2840
Joined: 05 Feb 2015

13 Apr 2017

3k for a computer and you STILL have dropout issues?

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Last Alternative
Posts: 1343
Joined: 20 Jan 2015
Location: the lost desert

13 Apr 2017

No it's just from going too low on the buffer settings which is normal for any computer. The Apollo twin does all that stuff internally and in its software so there's zero latency going into Reason! I talked to tech support today and I'm good to go once the PH authorizer decides to work.
Computer alone was over $3600. The discount took off tax at least. Haha
https://lastalternative.bandcamp.com
:reason: 12.7.4 | MacBook Pro (16”, 2021), OS Sonoma, M1 Max, 4TB SSD, 64GB RAM | quality instruments & gear

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gak
Posts: 2840
Joined: 05 Feb 2015

14 Apr 2017

Well, good luck. I just remember the last one with you having dropouts.

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Rook
Posts: 152
Joined: 16 Jan 2015

14 Apr 2017

Congrats, man; that's a great setup! I've got the same iMac, just with smaller SSD and M395, and I absolutely love it. My only complaint is that Reason doesn't seem to be very optimized on Sierra. Encountering unusually high CPU usage. But Props has told me that they are aware of the issue and are working with Apple to resolve it.

Do you plan on picking up Logic? It's a pretty incredible deal, especially now that it comes with Alchemy. I'm starting to use it more and more.

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jfrichards
Posts: 1306
Joined: 15 Jan 2015
Location: Sunnyvale, CA

14 Apr 2017

Nice one Jace. Don't forget a 1TB external drive for Time Machine backups.

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Last Alternative
Posts: 1343
Joined: 20 Jan 2015
Location: the lost desert

14 Apr 2017

I have a 2TB external and a 500 gig. Gotta format them to exFAT so they work between Windows and Mac.

The authorizer finally worked so I got my computer set. That authorizer has always been buggy and works when it wants. I haven't noticed any CPU issues on Reason but we can trust PH will resolve it.
I'm starting to learn what the Apollo twin has to offer and I'm blown away.. the software and plugins with amps and fx you can use either just for your headphones or commit to tape, before your DAW.. plus it has a mono button and other advanced features.... freakin awesome.
https://lastalternative.bandcamp.com
:reason: 12.7.4 | MacBook Pro (16”, 2021), OS Sonoma, M1 Max, 4TB SSD, 64GB RAM | quality instruments & gear

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FlowerSoldier
Posts: 470
Joined: 03 Jun 2016

14 Apr 2017

That LA-2A plugin is legit. Really legit. Pre compressing the vocals helps them really come to life.

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Last Alternative
Posts: 1343
Joined: 20 Jan 2015
Location: the lost desert

14 Apr 2017

UPDATE: tech support educated me about the plugins and I was mistaken - there are 14 included with the interface which is awesome and I can't wait to experiment. The rest are super expensive though.
Got my mic all setup just now and will be recording tomorrow.
https://lastalternative.bandcamp.com
:reason: 12.7.4 | MacBook Pro (16”, 2021), OS Sonoma, M1 Max, 4TB SSD, 64GB RAM | quality instruments & gear

User avatar
FlowerSoldier
Posts: 470
Joined: 03 Jun 2016

15 Apr 2017

Oh yeah. You're gonna love it. That 610-B preamp is awesome too. The SHARC processor on that thing is a beast. You can run multiple plugins on multiple instances. It's pretty cash.

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