Audiobus: Use your music apps together.

What is Audiobus?Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.

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Audiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.

MacBook Black Friday Deals.. Who's Got the Best Bang for the Buck...What Do You Recommend... ?

edited November 2019 in Other

if you had to get one today which one would you get and where would you get it?

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Comments

  • I’ve got a 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and it’s the worst Apple computer I’ve ever owned. The keyboard is the worst keyboard of any computer I’ve ever had. Ever. And now I’m getting awful graphics Glitches that I can’t get fixed as it’s outside of the 1 year warranty and I bought it with my work credit card so it’s not covered under the European consumer rights bill.

    The new ones with the scissor keyboard seem to have fixed most of the flaws but why don’t Apple make a plastic MacBook again? (Rhetorical question)

    I’m sick of paying £2k for a useable laptop.

    Bring back the old white plastic MacBooks. Please. They were great!

    I’ve been a Mac user since 1988. This is the first time I’ve started resenting Apple.

    Sorry. Rant over.

  • Thinking about it. I saw one:
    Apple MacBook Air MQD32Y/A 13.3", Intel® Core™ i5-5350U, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD, Intel® HD Graphics 6000
    Going for 850€ (A Spanish store). Please tell me if thats a good deal cause I’m really not sure

  • @klownshed said:
    I’ve got a 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and it’s the worst Apple computer I’ve ever owned. The keyboard is the worst keyboard of any computer I’ve ever had. Ever. And now I’m getting awful graphics Glitches that I can’t get fixed as it’s outside of the 1 year warranty and I bought it with my work credit card so it’s not covered under the European consumer rights bill.

    The new ones with the scissor keyboard seem to have fixed most of the flaws but why don’t Apple make a plastic MacBook again? (Rhetorical question)

    I’m sick of paying £2k for a useable laptop.

    Bring back the old white plastic MacBooks. Please. They were great!

    I’ve been a Mac user since 1988. This is the first time I’ve started resenting Apple.

    Sorry. Rant over.

    did you also post on amazon about it, I think I read it?

  • @kobamoto said:

    @klownshed said:
    I’ve got a 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and it’s the worst Apple computer I’ve ever owned. The keyboard is the worst keyboard of any computer I’ve ever had. Ever. And now I’m getting awful graphics Glitches that I can’t get fixed as it’s outside of the 1 year warranty and I bought it with my work credit card so it’s not covered under the European consumer rights bill.

    The new ones with the scissor keyboard seem to have fixed most of the flaws but why don’t Apple make a plastic MacBook again? (Rhetorical question)

    I’m sick of paying £2k for a useable laptop.

    Bring back the old white plastic MacBooks. Please. They were great!

    I’ve been a Mac user since 1988. This is the first time I’ve started resenting Apple.

    Sorry. Rant over.

    did you also post on amazon about it, I think I read it?

    No!

    But I’m not surprised. The butterfly keyboards in particular are frickin awful. If you read the Mac blogosphere you will hear almost nothing but keyboard complaints. If you look at them wrong you will get stuck keys or the keyboard will duplicate key presses

    They’re really, really bad keyboards

    The keyboard in a £2500 laptop should be the best keyboard available in a laptop.

    They are not.

  • edited November 2019

    @kobamoto said:
    is this the best deal going right now?

    is this the model with the poor keyboard or the good one?

    https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MacBook-13-inch-128GB-Storage/dp/B07S1YPSGT?tag=georiot-us-default-20&ascsubtag=tomsguide-8234234517883111891-20&th=1

    Butterfly keyboard.

    Butterfly = fekkin awful.

    Edit. I speak from experience. IfI was typing this on my MacBook id have to avoid any word with the letter ‘a’ in it

    unfortunately that’s a true story.

    I have. >£2.5k laptop that can’t type an ‘A’ and the screen has vertical red or green lines over any area of grey background.

    I’m very. Very. Very. Disappointed in my purchase.

    The first time in 30 years of buying Macs thAt if fee this way.

  • @kobamoto said:
    is this the best deal going right now?

    is this the model with the poor keyboard or the good one?

    https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MacBook-13-inch-128GB-Storage/dp/B07S1YPSGT?tag=georiot-us-default-20&ascsubtag=tomsguide-8234234517883111891-20&th=1

    only 8gigs of ram though :(

    who's got the best deals

  • @klownshed hmm thanks for the heads up on that I'm going to have to look into this butterfly issue...

  • @kobamoto said:
    @klownshed hmm thanks for the heads up on that I'm going to have to look into this butterfly issue...

    https://www.wsj.com/graphics/apple-still-hasnt-fixed-its-macbook-keyboard-problem/

  • I cant comment on the 2016 model, but I have a 2018 Macbook Pro 15 and it really is a superb laptop. The keyboard is fine for what I need, though the new version is supposed to be pretty good. If you do any serious work live or work in the media field, there's little competition. Its the laptop you will see the pro's use out and about for a reason. Expensive yes, but pretty much essential for most pro musicians.

  • running through the amazon reviews it's a mixed bag, some folks don't have the keyboard issues and others do :(

  • edited November 2019

    Right now you have to get the new 2019 16” to get the updated keyboard. I’ve been waiting for these and upgraded my mid-2014 the day these were announced. I love it. I have a 2016 with the butterfly keyboard and it’s crap.

  • edited November 2019

    @kobamoto said:
    running through the amazon reviews it's a mixed bag, some folks don't have the keyboard issues and others do :(

    I didn’t have the keyboard issues for at least a year.

    Then I did.

    Some context.

    My first Apple laptop was a DuoBook. It was frickin awesome. It was a laptop that docked into a desktop with a motorised enclosure like a huge VHS (ask your dad)

    My first Mac was a Mac Ii. It had 1 Mb RAM. IT WAS AWESOME! I have owned a LOT of Macs over the years. I love Macs.

    I’ve owned multiple Macs and Mac laptops including a TiBook (my all time fave) and I still have functional 2008 17” MacBook Pro and white Plastic MacBook.

    I’ve loved them all.

    Except my current MacBook Pro 2016 15” with Touch Bar. 16Gb RAM 512 gb ssd. In other words the top of the range stock configuration and hideously expensive.

    It’s the only Mac I have ever complained about. Ever. In 30 years.

  • edited November 2019

    @klownshed said:
    I’ve got a 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and it’s the worst Apple computer I’ve ever owned. The keyboard is the worst keyboard of any computer I’ve ever had. Ever. And now I’m getting awful graphics Glitches that I can’t get fixed as it’s outside of the 1 year warranty and I bought it with my work credit card so it’s not covered under the European consumer rights bill.

    The new ones with the scissor keyboard seem to have fixed most of the flaws but why don’t Apple make a plastic MacBook again? (Rhetorical question)

    I’m sick of paying £2k for a useable laptop.

    Bring back the old white plastic MacBooks. Please. They were great!

    I’ve been a Mac user since 1988. This is the first time I’ve started resenting Apple.

    Sorry. Rant over.

    Unfortunately I have to confirm your experience.
    Even if you're lucky and the keyboard doesn't break, it feels and sounds bad when typing on it.
    I hope Apple will soon go back to producing quality notebooks with connectivity made for humans.

  • I’m after an iMac deal. Apple store down for ‘maintenance’ at the moment, so no doubt some deals on there tomorrow.

  • @MonzoPro said:
    I’m after an iMac deal. Apple store down for ‘maintenance’ at the moment, so no doubt some deals on there tomorrow.

    To offer a counter experience to my MacBook woes, my main work Mac is a 2015 (I think?) 27” iMac 5K.

    I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s a wonderful computer and hasn’t given me a single issue in nearly 5 years of constant and hard office use.

    I wish my MBP was half as good.

    My only advice when it comes to an iMac is to avoid spinning HDs like the plague. SSD or nothing. Seriously.

  • @klownshed said:

    @kobamoto said:
    running through the amazon reviews it's a mixed bag, some folks don't have the keyboard issues and others do :(

    I didn’t have the keyboard issues for at least a year.

    Then I did.

    Some context.

    My first Apple laptop was a DuoBook. It was frickin awesome. It was a laptop that docked into a desktop with a motorised enclosure like a huge VHS (ask your dad)

    My first Mac was a Mac Ii. It had 1 Mb RAM. IT WAS AWESOME! I have owned a LOT of Macs over the years. I love Macs.

    I’ve owned multiple Macs and Mac laptops including a TiBook (my all time fave) and I still have functional 2008 17” MacBook Pro and white Plastic MacBook.

    I’ve loved them all.

    Except my current MacBook Pro 2016 15” with Touch Bar. 16Gb RAM 512 gb ssd. In other words the top of the range stock configuration and hideously expensive.

    It’s the only Mac I have ever complained about. Ever. In 30 years.

    how can you tell if the model you're looking at has the butterfly style.. only descriptions I see are " Latest Apple-designed keyboard"

  • edited November 2019

    @kobamoto said:

    @klownshed said:

    @kobamoto said:
    running through the amazon reviews it's a mixed bag, some folks don't have the keyboard issues and others do :(

    I didn’t have the keyboard issues for at least a year.

    Then I did.

    Some context.

    My first Apple laptop was a DuoBook. It was frickin awesome. It was a laptop that docked into a desktop with a motorised enclosure like a huge VHS (ask your dad)

    My first Mac was a Mac Ii. It had 1 Mb RAM. IT WAS AWESOME! I have owned a LOT of Macs over the years. I love Macs.

    I’ve owned multiple Macs and Mac laptops including a TiBook (my all time fave) and I still have functional 2008 17” MacBook Pro and white Plastic MacBook.

    I’ve loved them all.

    Except my current MacBook Pro 2016 15” with Touch Bar. 16Gb RAM 512 gb ssd. In other words the top of the range stock configuration and hideously expensive.

    It’s the only Mac I have ever complained about. Ever. In 30 years.

    how can you tell if the model you're looking at has the butterfly style.. only descriptions I see are " Latest Apple-designed keyboard"

    Every Mac laptop since about 2015 except the very latest 2019 15” MacBook Pro has the bad keyboard.

    Here is Apple’s own list of the affected models:
    MacBook (Retina, 12-­inch, Early 2015)
    MacBook (Retina, 12­-inch, Early 2016)
    MacBook (Retina, 12-­inch, 2017)
    MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
    MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
    MacBook Pro (13­-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
    MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
    MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
    MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
    MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
    MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2016)
    MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2017)
    MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
    MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2018)
    MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
    MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2019)

    The only current MacBook with a good keyboard is the brand new 15”. All the others have the very flawed butterfly keyboards.

    Apple have a repair/recall programme for these laptops. They say ‘a small percentage’ of laptops are affected. I’m willing to bet a packet of Walkers Cheese and Onion that ‘small’ is Apple speak for ‘most’ ;-)

    https://support.apple.com/keyboard-service-program-for-mac-notebooks

  • I've got an early 2015 13" 2.9 i5 myself , was I one of the lucky ones or did the issues just start right after that cause that thing has never faulted once, never had a second thought about the key-bed?

  • edited November 2019

    is it possible to update the ram off of amazon MacBook pros?

    apparently (from amazon) it's not

  • any of you good folks running on 8gigs of ram, how is that working out for you?

  • i’d look at refurb macbook pro. they are just like new.
    i just bought a mid 2015 2.5ghz 16gm ram 500gb ssd hardrive it’s super fast for $1050
    i bought an external ssd drive for my sample libraries and instruments it works perfect. i also bought a refurbished one back in 2011 and never had any issues with it. refurbs are great !

  • @eross said:
    i’d look at refurb macbook pro. they are just like new.
    i just bought a mid 2015 2.5ghz 16gm ram 500gb ssd hardrive it’s super fast for $1050
    i bought an external ssd drive for my sample libraries and instruments it works perfect. i also bought a refurbished one back in 2011 and never had any issues with it. refurbs are great !

    how does it compare to the quad cores/ current 13" models out now in terms of what you can get out of it?

  • 8GB is too small imo, especially for a music making laptop. 16 should be fine, 32 would be ideal but can add a lot to the cost. Refurb is definitely a good option.

    I can't wait to get the new 16" MBP in a couple weeks, I always hated the keys on my 2017 MBP. I'm a hard typer and it's soooo loud to use. To contrast that though, my wife absolutely loves typing on the keys of her MBP with butterfly keys. A couple coworkers of mine thought the same now that I think of it.

    Anyway, mine never had any reliability issues FWIW. I would definitely see if you can try one before you buy, for a lot of people it's not a big issue and shouldn't necessarily keep you from getting an otherwise amazing laptop.

  • @klownshed said:

    @MonzoPro said:
    I’m after an iMac deal. Apple store down for ‘maintenance’ at the moment, so no doubt some deals on there tomorrow.

    To offer a counter experience to my MacBook woes, my main work Mac is a 2015 (I think?) 27” iMac 5K.

    I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s a wonderful computer and hasn’t given me a single issue in nearly 5 years of constant and hard office use.

    I wish my MBP was half as good.

    My only advice when it comes to an iMac is to avoid spinning HDs like the plague. SSD or nothing. Seriously.

    Yeah I’m planning to get the base model and hook up an external drive.

    No new deals from Amazon, but Apple are offering a £160 voucher on it, and £40 for the iPad Air 3, which puts them in line with Amazon.

    Talking about MacBook Pro’s, my mid 2012 is still going strong. I think with Apple kit some years are better than others.

  • edited November 2019

    @MonzoPro said:

    Talking about MacBook Pro’s, my mid 2012 is still going strong. I think with Apple kit some years are better than others.

    Yes, my 2008/2009 MacBook Pro 17" is still working too... I should get a new battery for it (fancy that, a laptop you can replace the battery in!).

    My 2016 MacBook Pro is amazing in many ways, but I'm struggling to type this as too many words have 'A's and my A key is sticky.

    It's a beautiful thing. incredible design but my screen is dodgy (and the glitches are getting much worse). I bought it nearly two years ago when it had just been replaced by the newer gen MBP but I expect more than 2 years life from a top of the range Mac as every Mac I've ever owned before has been great.

    In hindsight it also feels like the first Mac I've owned where it feels over-designed. Little things like prioritising keyboard symmetry over usability feel like Apple crossed a line, where before Steve Jobs famously said that "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."

    It does seem that with the newest 16" MBP that Apple have reversed this trend and the latest iPads and iPhones also feel 'course corrected' so I am far more optimistic for the future of Macs than I have been.

    I do like the Touch Bar though. a lot of Apple bloggers complain about it, but I use it all the time in Logic. Not so much in other apps, but for Logic it's cool.

  • @kobamoto said:
    I've got an early 2015 13" 2.9 i5 myself , was I one of the lucky ones or did the issues just start right after that cause that thing has never faulted once, never had a second thought about the key-bed?

    @kobamoto

    Yes I have the same MBP no issues at all with the keyboard. It’s a pleasure to use to be honest after my Microsoft surface pro model. I Picked up the MBP for £500 secondhand in good condition. Big thing is it doesn’t require dongles to work with my midi devices like the later models has 2 usb3 and Thunderbolt 2.

  • edited November 2019

    @kobamoto said:
    I've got an early 2015 13" 2.9 i5 myself , was I one of the lucky ones or did the issues just start right after that cause that thing has never faulted once, never had a second thought about the key-bed?

    Yours is the last 13” MBP model before the butterfly keyboards I think.

    If your MacBook has only USB-C ports it’s the newer, butterfly keyboard infested model.

  • edited November 2019

    @klownshed said:

    @MonzoPro said:

    Talking about MacBook Pro’s, my mid 2012 is still going strong. I think with Apple kit some years are better than others.

    Yes, my 2008/2009 MacBook Pro 17" is still working too... I should get a new battery for it (fancy that, a laptop you can replace the battery in!).

    My 2016 MacBook Pro is amazing in many ways, but I'm struggling to type this as too many words have 'A's and my A key is sticky.

    It's a beautiful thing. incredible design but my screen is dodgy (and the glitches are getting much worse). I bought it nearly two years ago when it had just been replaced by the newer gen MBP but I expect more than 2 years life from a top of the range Mac as every Mac I've ever owned before has been great.

    In hindsight it also feels like the first Mac I've owned where it feels over-designed. Little things like prioritising keyboard symmetry over usability feel like Apple crossed a line, where before Steve Jobs famously said that "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."

    It does seem that with the newest 16" MBP that Apple have reversed this trend and the latest iPads and iPhones also feel 'course corrected' so I am far more optimistic for the future of Macs than I have been.

    I do like the Touch Bar though. a lot of Apple bloggers complain about it, but I use it all the time in Logic. Not so much in other apps, but for Logic it's cool.

    I think the battery is replacable in mine as well, it also has separate headphone and mic slots, which is nice.

    Funny, I never thought it'd be going this long - but adding an external bootable USB has given it a completely new life. I hook up an old Dell monitor to it as well, £7 USB hub, another external SSD for storage, and use my Maschine Mk3 as an audio interface. So long as the internals hold up, I can see me getting another year or two out of it. When they get it right, Apple make very good stuff.

    In the same amount of time Mrs Monzo has got through two 'cheap' Dell laptops, and an HP.

  • If the new 16” is anything to go by save your cash and plop it down when the 13” gets a refresh, spec’d to your liking, unless you see a bargain, if you wait, you might be able to get a better secondhand or refurbished deal, as the prices for mbp’s are usually the best when the new gen is out, especially when the new gen mbp fixes issues from the previous one or has a leap in features.

    Got an absolute bargain on my 2011 15” mbp when the 2012 15” retina made its debut, secondhand, fully loaded, keyboard cover and case, mint condition, less then half the price of the same model, double the ram, from amazon. Got apple care and had the main board replaced when it crapped out on me, due to overheating. Personally tho the new direction for mbp, apart from everything being glued or soldered down still, makes me think there is life in the old dog, seems like a better investment.

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