MacBook Pro 2012 any good for basic songs on GarageBand ?

hollywoodrox

Just mulling it over with Xmas in the impending future .

2012 MBP seem highly thought of  and are able to be upgraded in the ram and HD department .
would a  9,1 or 9,2 version  be capable of making basic songs in GarageBand  and also be suitable for simple youtube guitar cover videos with iMovie .

Most standard ones within my range come with 4gb ram. Would this be usable til more ram was purchased and an ssd .

would it be relatively simple to transfer the OS etc and files from the existing had to the new SSD.

i have a 2007 iMac at the moment but don’t use it for this much as it’s tied up with torrents and streaming tv series to my iPad and running stuff I use to practice with . Eg amazing slow downer .

 New one would just be used for music and doing the odd YouTube video etc 

cheers 

TheBigDipper

I'm running a mid-2012 MBP, 13in screen, 2xi7 processors, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD and the latest version of Catalina. Recently did my first complete wipe and reinstall to clear out 5 years of use. I don't need an SSD yet. 

I don't use Garageband on the MBP - I'm happier with the iOS version - but I do use Logic some of the time. My own projects are often several audio tracks (but with very few plugins), maybe one or two software instruments and a drummer track. Everything works fine with that sort of load.

When my synth-playing mate sends me a project with multiple Alchemy tracks, it can stutter the first time it tries to load them all and complain about resource overload. Restarting playback from the beginning fixes that. I'm lazy - the buffers are set up to be small for lower latency when recording. I sometimes wonder if making them bigger for playback would fix this, but it's not a frequent problem, so... 

The biggest problem with my machine when running Logic is screen size and resolution (it's not a retina screen). I've got a Dell monitor for those times I need a bigger screen. Usually I don't. 

iMovie also works fine. I've no experience of anything else, but I can record clips with sound from the camera (my iPhone) and use Logic at the same time for better control, then make a film from it all. The point where it seems to make the machine work hard is when I'm creating the final movie file. That can take some time, the fan comes on (which is rare) and the machine casing gets warm. 

Danny1969

What exact model is it ? 
If you look on the bottom there's a number like Axxx ..... A1398 is a Macbook Pro 15.4 Retina for example and was sold 2011 to 2015. Or look up the serial number here to see exactly what it is  

https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/

Retina's from 2012 have soldered ram and Apples own form of PCie harddrive ... with a slightly different cutout to a regular PCie so you can't just pick any third party one and change it. Having said that being it's SSD already it's fine. 

People often forget you can install an SDxc card in the SD slot and run your OS from that and your audio on the the SSD as I am doing on my Macbook Pro. Sadly they removed this slot on all the USB C modern piles of crap. 

Generally when Macbook Pro's struggle with audio it's because people are unware there's loads of stuff happening in the background, even the older models from the period we've discussing are capable of 30 odd tracks all with plugs and quite a few VI's. 

spooner248

Strangely enough, I did this a few weeks ago.
I bought a 2012 unibody Macbook Pro with a 500 GB HDD and 4 GB RAM.
First thing I did was throw the RAM away and replace it with 16 GB.
Then I bought an SSD and that's where the trouble started.
When you buy an SSD, make sure it is compatible with your computer. 
I followed someone's advice (on the internet) and it was a disaster.
I bought another one (Crucial MX 500), this one worked.
I used Carbon Copy Cloner to migrate the system from the HDD to the SSD (in an external enclosure).
Swapped the drives, threw away the HDD and good to go.
I have Logic Pro installed and it runs fine.
Don't expect miracles from a Core Duo CPU though, it has it's limits.

hollywoodrox

Thanks guys, that’s really good advice , yes I would be looking at the non retina one as they said that is the easiest to upgrade

JohnS37

spooner248 said:

Strangely enough, I did this a few weeks ago.
I bought a 2012 unibody Macbook Pro with a 500 GB HDD and 4 GB RAM.
First thing I did was throw the RAM away and replace it with 16 GB.
Then I bought an SSD and that's where the trouble started.
When you buy an SSD, make sure it is compatible with your computer. 
I followed someone's advice (on the internet) and it was a disaster.
I bought another one (Crucial MX 500), this one worked.
I used Carbon Copy Cloner to migrate the system from the HDD to the SSD (in an external enclosure).
Swapped the drives, threw away the HDD and good to go.
I have Logic Pro installed and it runs fine.
Don't expect miracles from a Core Duo CPU though, it has it's limits.

Agree with all this, Mr Spooner, except the bit about throwing away the HDD.  If you are running (and booting from) an external SSD, why not keep the HDD in place and use it as extra storage for those things you want to keep but rarely use?  I have done that on my main workhorse iMac and it works a treat.

hollywoodrox

Danny1969 said:

What exact model is it ? 
If you look on the bottom there's a number like Axxx ..... A1398 is a Macbook Pro 15.4 Retina for example and was sold 2011 to 2015. Or look up the serial number here to see exactly what it is  

https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/

Retina's from 2012 have soldered ram and Apples own form of PCie harddrive ... with a slightly different cutout to a regular PCie so you can't just pick any third party one and change it. Having said that being it's SSD already it's fine. 

People often forget you can install an SDxc card in the SD slot and run your OS from that and your audio on the the SSD as I am doing on my Macbook Pro. Sadly they removed this slot on all the USB C modern piles of crap. 

Generally when Macbook Pro's struggle with audio it's because people are unware there's loads of stuff happening in the background, even the older models from the period we've discussing are capable of 30 odd tracks all with plugs and quite a few VI's. 

Running the os from the SD card seems a brilliant idea , I,ll look into that

Danny1969

hollywoodrox said:

Danny1969 said:

What exact model is it ? 
If you look on the bottom there's a number like Axxx ..... A1398 is a Macbook Pro 15.4 Retina for example and was sold 2011 to 2015. Or look up the serial number here to see exactly what it is  

https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/

Retina's from 2012 have soldered ram and Apples own form of PCie harddrive ... with a slightly different cutout to a regular PCie so you can't just pick any third party one and change it. Having said that being it's SSD already it's fine. 

People often forget you can install an SDxc card in the SD slot and run your OS from that and your audio on the the SSD as I am doing on my Macbook Pro. Sadly they removed this slot on all the USB C modern piles of crap. 

Generally when Macbook Pro's struggle with audio it's because people are unware there's loads of stuff happening in the background, even the older models from the period we've discussing are capable of 30 odd tracks all with plugs and quite a few VI's. 

Running the os from the SD card seems a brilliant idea , I,ll look into that

If you do then you need a fast SDxc card and preferably one of these adapters ... otherwise the card will hang out the side. These are what I use, only £3 ish 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Micro-SD-Card-Adapter-for-Macbook-Air-Pro-Ultra-Small-Plug-and-Play-Silver/293562071773?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

vivalacoulter

I'd certainly say so!

I'm still using a 2013 MBP i7 and it runs flawlessly and recently sold a 2008 iMac that still worked like new.

A few years ago for a bit of fun, I tried recording a track on my retro iMac G4 with a 700mhz Power PC processor, I was actually amazed at how good the inbuilt microphone was on it.

hollywoodrox

I just watched a video on YouTube about replacing THR drive and ram, seems pretty simple when they do it. Fascinated at the sd card running the os as well, I have a couple raspberry pis I run with sd cards

hollywoodrox

Danny1969 said:

hollywoodrox said:

Danny1969 said:

What exact model is it ? 
If you look on the bottom there's a number like Axxx ..... A1398 is a Macbook Pro 15.4 Retina for example and was sold 2011 to 2015. Or look up the serial number here to see exactly what it is  

https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/

Retina's from 2012 have soldered ram and Apples own form of PCie harddrive ... with a slightly different cutout to a regular PCie so you can't just pick any third party one and change it. Having said that being it's SSD already it's fine. 

People often forget you can install an SDxc card in the SD slot and run your OS from that and your audio on the the SSD as I am doing on my Macbook Pro. Sadly they removed this slot on all the USB C modern piles of crap. 

Generally when Macbook Pro's struggle with audio it's because people are unware there's loads of stuff happening in the background, even the older models from the period we've discussing are capable of 30 odd tracks all with plugs and quite a few VI's. 

Running the os from the SD card seems a brilliant idea , I,ll look into that

If you do then you need a fast SDxc card and preferably one of these adapters ... otherwise the card will hang out the side. These are what I use, only £3 ish 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Micro-SD-Card-Adapter-for-Macbook-Air-Pro-Ultra-Small-Plug-and-Play-Silver/293562071773?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Wow ,that’s good, I watched a video just now where a guy cut down a regular sd card with a knife lol

hollywoodrox

Danny1969 said:

hollywoodrox said:

Danny1969 said:

What exact model is it ? 
If you look on the bottom there's a number like Axxx ..... A1398 is a Macbook Pro 15.4 Retina for example and was sold 2011 to 2015. Or look up the serial number here to see exactly what it is  

https://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/

Retina's from 2012 have soldered ram and Apples own form of PCie harddrive ... with a slightly different cutout to a regular PCie so you can't just pick any third party one and change it. Having said that being it's SSD already it's fine. 

People often forget you can install an SDxc card in the SD slot and run your OS from that and your audio on the the SSD as I am doing on my Macbook Pro. Sadly they removed this slot on all the USB C modern piles of crap. 

Generally when Macbook Pro's struggle with audio it's because people are unware there's loads of stuff happening in the background, even the older models from the period we've discussing are capable of 30 odd tracks all with plugs and quite a few VI's. 

Running the os from the SD card seems a brilliant idea , I,ll look into that

If you do then you need a fast SDxc card and preferably one of these adapters ... otherwise the card will hang out the side. These are what I use, only £3 ish 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Micro-SD-Card-Adapter-for-Macbook-Air-Pro-Ultra-Small-Plug-and-Play-Silver/293562071773?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Wow ,that’s good, I watched a video just now where a guy cut down a regular sd card with a knife lol

spooner248

JohnS37 said:

Agree with all this, Mr Spooner, except the bit about throwing away the HDD.  If you are running (and booting from) an external SSD, why not keep the HDD in place and use it as extra storage for those things you want to keep but rarely use?  I have done that on my main workhorse iMac and it works a treat.

I lied about that, it's sitting on a shelf in my studio. It just sounded cool ;-)

Kittyfrisk

spooner248 said:

Strangely enough, I did this a few weeks ago.
I bought a 2012 unibody Macbook Pro with a 500 GB HDD and 4 GB RAM.
First thing I did was throw the RAM away and replace it with 16 GB.
Then I bought an SSD and that's where the trouble started.
When you buy an SSD, make sure it is compatible with your computer. 
I followed someone's advice (on the internet) and it was a disaster.
I bought another one (Crucial MX 500), this one worked.
I used Carbon Copy Cloner to migrate the system from the HDD to the SSD (in an external enclosure).
Swapped the drives, threw away the HDD and good to go.
I have Logic Pro installed and it runs fine.
Don't expect miracles from a Core Duo CPU though, it has it's limits.

My A1286 Mid 2012 MBP 15"  has an i7 not a Core2Duo,16GB RAM, has a 250GB Samsung EVO boot disk & a 1TB Toshiba Hybrid drive for storage where the DVD used to live. Fast, stable, upgradeable & fixable. Not looking foward to the day when it eventually gives up the ghost, as like @Danny1969 observes, for the last 8 years Apple computers have been in decline.

Danny1969

My Macbook Pro mid 2012 is a quad core  i7 as well. These A1389 15.4" Retinas are the best Macbook pro they built in my opinion .... it's got the full sized HDMI, takes a SDxc card, has proper thunderbolt and 2 normal USB 3 ports. The screen is superb and the large body does a good job of dispersing the heat without being noisy. I think it's the best laptop I've ever owned and after 20 odd years in the laptop trade I've owned just about all the top line Thinkpads and Latitudes as well as a few Precisions and Toughbooks. 

I've also go a 2017 Macbook Pro now though, brought it cheap from a customer when it broke out of warranty. These are sadly now a bloated Macbook Air with almost no connectivity without dongles and terrible, terrible electronic design. 
I'm not convinced with USB C, it's basically putting all your system management  eggs in one basket ... literally one chip handling everything. 

hollywoodrox

Thanks for the info guys , it’s a brilliant idea to replace the optical disk with a HD , I’m betting lots of stuff would not need an optical disk now. 

My main thing would be to get GarageBand 10 on whatever one I get ,

From research I’ve seen that You can download it as an app but only the very latest version, so I suppose it might be handy to keep the optical drive so you could install an old iLife disc and get whichever ran on your machine . 

Kittyfrisk

hollywoodrox said:

Thanks for the info guys , it’s a brilliant idea to replace the optical disk with a HD , I’m betting lots of stuff would not need an optical disk now. 

My main thing would be to get GarageBand 10 on whatever one I get ,

From research I’ve seen that You can download it as an app but only the very latest version, so I suppose it might be handy to keep the optical drive so you could install an old iLife disc and get whichever ran on your machine . 

Sound thinking. I always keep the DVD writers & rehouse them in cheap external USB caddies, so I can reuse them for accessing old backups, archives & legacy stuff.
The cases don't look as pretty as genuine Apple Superdrives, but the guts are the same 
I'm sure I'll have a spare one lying about that you could have if needed.