Apple Mac Pro released.

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octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
edited December 2019 in Studio & Recording
... and I bought one with this spec.


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  • ThorpyFXThorpyFX Frets: 6090
    tFB Trader
    Didn't fancy the £48,000 specced one?
    Adrian Thorpe MBE | Owner of ThorpyFx Ltd | Email: thorpy@thorpyfx.com | Twitter: @ThorpyFx | Facebook: ThorpyFx Ltd | Website: www.thorpyfx.com
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    ThorpyFX said:
    Didn't fancy the £48,000 specced one?
    LOL.
    If you are buying. :)

    This is the computer for the next 7-10 years for me, at least.
    I got 6 from the previous Mac Pro.
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    Wonderful I'm sure, although I hate the magic mouse and keyboard. The mouse is a Poncy slick design but a fail in terms of usability. My mouse and keyboard are chucked in a box at work, I have a wired in keyboard with the extra numerical pad and a cheap wired PC mouse with proper clicks, a useful scrolling wheel and no stupid recharging port ON THE UNDERSIDE!!
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    edited December 2019
    I'm actually buying the Magic Mouse, Trackpad and Keyboard to sell.
    You won't be able to buy them in that colour unless you buy a Mac Pro and they go for decent money on the used market, at least the black ones did before you could buy them individually.

    I use a Logitech Craft keyboard and MX Master mouse- I can switch them between 3 computers.
    The Mac lives in a server rack so actually the Apple devices won't even work for me, too far away.
    The Logitech stuff has a USB receiver that is plugged into my monitors side USB port.
    Much better solution.
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  • octatonic said:
    ThorpyFX said:
    Didn't fancy the £48,000 specced one?
    LOL.
    If you are buying. :)

    This is the computer for the next 7-10 years for me, at least.
    I got 6 from the previous Mac Pro.
    I'd be cautious about that, if I were you - it's already confirmed that Apple are transitioning to ARM next year for most of their product line, and I honestly can't see them actively supporting both architectures for the next decade.

    Genuinely not trying to shit on your purchase - in your position, though, I'd rather eke out a bit more from what I've got until I can see the lie of the land.
    <space for hire>
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    edited December 2019
    octatonic said:
    ThorpyFX said:
    Didn't fancy the £48,000 specced one?
    LOL.
    If you are buying.

    This is the computer for the next 7-10 years for me, at least.
    I got 6 from the previous Mac Pro.
    I'd be cautious about that, if I were you - it's already confirmed that Apple are transitioning to ARM next year for most of their product line, and I honestly can't see them actively supporting both architectures for the next decade.

    Genuinely not trying to shit on your purchase - in your position, though, I'd rather eke out a bit more from what I've got until I can see the lie of the land.

    I'm aware of the move to ARM- I've not made this decision without considering all the options.

    Pro studio folks generally have a different use case to a lot of other pro users.
    Once I have a stable system I'll keep it on whatever OS supports Pro Tools HDX plus Logic.
    If that means I buy this, keep it on Catalina for the next 7 years then that is fine.

    The cost of the machine is actually £3k less than the PCI cards that it houses, so if they release a monster ARM pro machine in a few years time and there is a justification to upgrade then I will.
    I doubt it would support HDX anyway.

    Actually Apple don't make another machine suitable for a pro studio right now, so it was the right way to go.
    Cap-ex over 5 years makes it worthwhile.

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  • KittyfriskKittyfrisk Frets: 18385
    As a (very, very) long term Mac supporter  I'm afraid my enthusiasm for the platform & hardware has waned slightly over the last few years, YMMV
    So, stating   "If that means I buy this, keep it on Catalina for the next 7 years then that is fine" 
    should actually read  " 
    If that means I buy this, I'll try to keep it & my non native supported hardware/software working on Catalina for as long as I'm allowed to"
    I'm sure you'll be fine, Apple hardware has almost always been pretty well supported, but 7 years of software updates?
    Sent from my 2012 MBP, sticking to 32 bit in order to save a bloody fortune in getting full 64 bit replacement software :-D

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  • Yeah but can it play mine sweeper? 
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    As a (very, very) long term Mac supporter  I'm afraid my enthusiasm for the platform & hardware has waned slightly over the last few years, YMMV
    So, stating   "If that means I buy this, keep it on Catalina for the next 7 years then that is fine" 
    should actually read  " If that means I buy this, I'll try to keep it & my non native supported hardware/software working on Catalina for as long as I'm allowed to"
    I'm sure you'll be fine, Apple hardware has almost always been pretty well supported, but 7 years of software updates?
    Sent from my 2012 MBP, sticking to 32 bit in order to save a bloody fortune in getting full 64 bit replacement software :-D

    I came close to moving over to a PC workstation and just using Pro Tools HDX.
    A proper pro level workstation would be about £6k though- less than the Mac Pro- but not that much less.
    It would also mean not using Logic, which I use more than Pro Tools.

    There isn't that much that is essential for my studio- Pro Tools, Logic, Max MSP and a few plugins and I am mostly happy- but I use a lot of outboard via TT patchbays and Dante.
    The main thing is it is stable and decently fast.
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  • octatonic said:
    As a (very, very) long term Mac supporter  I'm afraid my enthusiasm for the platform & hardware has waned slightly over the last few years, YMMV
    So, stating   "If that means I buy this, keep it on Catalina for the next 7 years then that is fine" 
    should actually read  " If that means I buy this, I'll try to keep it & my non native supported hardware/software working on Catalina for as long as I'm allowed to"
    I'm sure you'll be fine, Apple hardware has almost always been pretty well supported, but 7 years of software updates?
    Sent from my 2012 MBP, sticking to 32 bit in order to save a bloody fortune in getting full 64 bit replacement software :-D

    I came close to moving over to a PC workstation and just using Pro Tools HDX.
    A proper pro level workstation would be about £6k though- less than the Mac Pro- but not that much less.
    It would also mean not using Logic, which I use more than Pro Tools.

    There isn't that much that is essential for my studio- Pro Tools, Logic, Max MSP and a few plugins and I am mostly happy- but I use a lot of outboard via TT patchbays and Dante.
    The main thing is it is stable and decently fast.
    There is an alternative, without doing all of that, if you needed to keep it up to date with modern software in 5-10 years' time but without full Apple support - you'd be able to install Windows on it and go down that road.

    For what it's worth - and out of curiosity more than anything else - I specced out a machine that would perform identically to that Mac Pro (but with more RAM and faster SSDs) at around £2800. Admittedly, that's a self-build job, but I was thinking more of "What would I do here...".
    <space for hire>
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    octatonic said:
    As a (very, very) long term Mac supporter  I'm afraid my enthusiasm for the platform & hardware has waned slightly over the last few years, YMMV
    So, stating   "If that means I buy this, keep it on Catalina for the next 7 years then that is fine" 
    should actually read  " If that means I buy this, I'll try to keep it & my non native supported hardware/software working on Catalina for as long as I'm allowed to"
    I'm sure you'll be fine, Apple hardware has almost always been pretty well supported, but 7 years of software updates?
    Sent from my 2012 MBP, sticking to 32 bit in order to save a bloody fortune in getting full 64 bit replacement software :-D

    I came close to moving over to a PC workstation and just using Pro Tools HDX.
    A proper pro level workstation would be about £6k though- less than the Mac Pro- but not that much less.
    It would also mean not using Logic, which I use more than Pro Tools.

    There isn't that much that is essential for my studio- Pro Tools, Logic, Max MSP and a few plugins and I am mostly happy- but I use a lot of outboard via TT patchbays and Dante.
    The main thing is it is stable and decently fast.
    There is an alternative, without doing all of that, if you needed to keep it up to date with modern software in 5-10 years' time but without full Apple support - you'd be able to install Windows on it and go down that road.

    For what it's worth - and out of curiosity more than anything else - I specced out a machine that would perform identically to that Mac Pro (but with more RAM and faster SSDs) at around £2800. Admittedly, that's a self-build job, but I was thinking more of "What would I do here...".
    You can always build a PC cheaper than a certified Mac but try buying a Xeon workstation class machine that is supported by Avid of comparable speed and feature set.
    That isn’t cheap.

    For lots of reasons that doesn’t work for me.
    The main one being Logic, but there are a host of others.

    I’d have to move to a completely different audio interface, which involves more expense than the Mac itself.
    Hackintosh doesn’t work either, 

    Macsales have released the aftermarket ram https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/owc/apple-mac-pro/2019

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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10357
    I think for Pro studio use an Apple machine is still essential ..... Pro Tools runs fine on a PC, I'm still using an old Dell workstation with an HD core card and 2 Accel cards but some projects will come in on Logic so your kinda got to have it even if (like me) you prefer PT
    I'm not a huge fan of their OS but as an engineer I can't help but admire the thought and design flair that goes into the hardware and how long the hardware is capable of lasting. I still have a G4 running Protools mix which we use for no latency tracking and in 20 years it's had one cmos battery change. I can't remember what I paid for the G4 but it's definitely earned it's keep.
    The resale value of Apple kit constantly surprises me too, yesterday the shop I do all the electronic repairs for sold a 2012 Imac for £450 and the guy was more than happy to pay it.
    www.2020studios.co.uk 
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  • oafoaf Frets: 300
    octatonic said:
    As a (very, very) long term Mac supporter  I'm afraid my enthusiasm for the platform & hardware has waned slightly over the last few years, YMMV
    So, stating   "If that means I buy this, keep it on Catalina for the next 7 years then that is fine" 
    should actually read  " If that means I buy this, I'll try to keep it & my non native supported hardware/software working on Catalina for as long as I'm allowed to"
    I'm sure you'll be fine, Apple hardware has almost always been pretty well supported, but 7 years of software updates?
    Sent from my 2012 MBP, sticking to 32 bit in order to save a bloody fortune in getting full 64 bit replacement software :-D

    I came close to moving over to a PC workstation and just using Pro Tools HDX.
    A proper pro level workstation would be about £6k though- less than the Mac Pro- but not that much less.
    It would also mean not using Logic, which I use more than Pro Tools.

    There isn't that much that is essential for my studio- Pro Tools, Logic, Max MSP and a few plugins and I am mostly happy- but I use a lot of outboard via TT patchbays and Dante.
    The main thing is it is stable and decently fast.
    There is an alternative, without doing all of that, if you needed to keep it up to date with modern software in 5-10 years' time but without full Apple support - you'd be able to install Windows on it and go down that road.

    For what it's worth - and out of curiosity more than anything else - I specced out a machine that would perform identically to that Mac Pro (but with more RAM and faster SSDs) at around £2800. Admittedly, that's a self-build job, but I was thinking more of "What would I do here...".

    Yes that's right @digitalscream ;I got a 16 core machine over a year ago with 64GB RAM, NVMe storage and a 2080Ti GPU for a bit over £3000+VAT IIRC. No doubt prices will have dropped now. When I looked at Apple at the time I think something comparable was over 2x the price and it had less RAM and the GPU was inferior.

    Apple continue to make some nice machines, and market them very well, but their stuff appears rather overpriced. I think Logic has become their equivalent to MS Office in Windowsland and seems to keep a lot of users onboard (for now!) The ARM move will probably not be helpful in the short term as others have pointed out.

    However people that like Apple gear tend to REALLY like Apple gear, and if they're happy and it does what they want... :) :+1: 
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  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6378
    For iPad, iPhones, MacBook Airs - ARM are a no brainer. 

    Not sure about ARM to displace Core i9 & Xeon processors in any short term view, AMD yes, but not ARM
    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

    Feedback
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  • Danny1969 said:

    The resale value of Apple kit constantly surprises me too, yesterday the shop I do all the electronic repairs for sold a 2012 Imac for £450 and the guy was more than happy to pay it.
    Interestingly enough I've done something similar recently - £550 for a 2013 27" SSD iMac.  I've previously used self-build PCs but I find Macs so much more productive once they're set up, the hardware has top-notch Wife Acceptance Factor, and you could spend half of that just on a similar monitor for the PC.  New ones aren't very much changed in specs.  I've always treated PC hardware as effectively obsolete as soon as you've bought it but in Mac world it's a little different.
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4159
    Danny1969 said:

    The resale value of Apple kit constantly surprises me too, yesterday the shop I do all the electronic repairs for sold a 2012 Imac for £450 and the guy was more than happy to pay it.
    Interestingly enough I've done something similar recently - £550 for a 2013 27" SSD iMac.  I've previously used self-build PCs but I find Macs so much more productive once they're set up, the hardware has top-notch Wife Acceptance Factor, and you could spend half of that just on a similar monitor for the PC.  New ones aren't very much changed in specs.  I've always treated PC hardware as effectively obsolete as soon as you've bought it but in Mac world it's a little different.
    Pretty much the reason I went Mac years ago. I used to spend more time configuring the PC, Soundcard, latency, disabling services etc and still things would play up’ Bought my first old Mac Pro, Digidesign 003r snd it just worked !
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    Soooooooooon.



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  • octatonic said:
    Soooooooooon.



    That window makes the Sky Engineers seem concise. 

    Just out of curiousity what kind of PCI cards do you use?  

    RE Hackintosh, I found it an absolute nightmare to get things like Firewire etc up and running.  

    Danny1969 said:
     I still have a G4 running Protools mix which we use for no latency tracking and in 20 years it's had one cmos battery change. I can't remember what I paid for the G4 but it's definitely earned it's keep.
    Bloody hell, that's impressive. 
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    octatonic said:
    Soooooooooon.



    That window makes the Sky Engineers seem concise. 

    Just out of curiousity what kind of PCI cards do you use?  

    RE Hackintosh, I found it an absolute nightmare to get things like Firewire etc up and running.  

    It narrows when they actually ship it.

    PCIe cards are Pro Tools HDX x3, a Focusrite Rednet card and I will probably add a faster graphics card and afterburner card once I understand the workflow for video.

    I'll also be wanting to put more storage in there- I'm using a TB3 array at the moment, which is fine, but would prefer to have the SSD's internal.
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    FUUUUCK!

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