The new MOTU Ultralite looks quite inviting because of the "swiss-army knife" configuration of the inputs and outputs. It's also current.

The price seems pretty good.

Thinking of that and a good MAC.
But which MAC? I would prefer a Laptop with a LACIE drive as backup.

iBook?
G4 Powerbook? Probably ...

Still researching, but very open to any and all comments ... my budget is limited, but I welcome anyone wanting to help spend my money!

Hm. For "laptop" I'd suggest the 15" 1.67 Powerbook. I have 1.5 gig ram in mine. 2 would be ideal. I think this is the last highest end PB before the Intel MacPro. While the Intel Mac is great and far surppasses previous PBs performances levels, from accounts, software is not yet universally accepted and it may be a while. So if you don't have a lot of things you want to run and can wait for MOTU to get their drivers together. They probably have an Intel driver, I don't know. I'd go with the 1.67.

Starting from scratch?

Pick your software.

Then find out what hardware (both computer and audio/midi IO) work best with it.

Doing it the opposite way is silly, IMO.

I thought that ....

but then I have heard some REALLY interesting comments from an old friend in the tech side of the computer recording industry.

so .... his comments got me to start thinking from the flip side. My research is taking me in a weird sidebar thingy dealio sdr.

I also like the Mackie Oynx 400F .... that looks like as close a competitor to the MOTU Ultralite.

And these days, the computer and I/O boxes will run any software (to a point). But do come bundled with their own, as a starting point.

- I/O box (prefer 8 or 10 ins/outs)
- Computer
- Lacie (or something like it) external drive
- Speakers, thinking Mackie HR624s
- 88 Note keyboard controller (Yamaha MO-8?)

And that would be about it I think.
Maybe some synth plugins.
Then done. Modernized.


I am on a budget ... really really tight budget.
But I think I am getting there.

Then again, I could be totally, 100% off the mark. So I am thus babbling here. Thinking out loud in the round.

quote:

Hm. For "laptop" I'd suggest the 15" 1.67 Powerbook. I have 1.5 gig ram in mine.

My only experience recording on a MAC, where I wasn't the 2nd, was on a G4 1.67 Laptop with 17" screen,1gb of ram and f/w to an external drive.The guy has a MOTU Traveler and we tracked to Logic Pro.

I didn't have to track more than 3 ch's at a time but found this little rig to be the bees knees..Give me this rig loaded with Nuendo instead of Logic, and I'd be very happy with it..I'd love it

I'd think about saving up some extra cash and getting the Traveler over the Ultralite.