You're clearly not a pro, the pros put their Mac Pro on the desk so everyone can see it, even if its the rack version, showing it while vlogging is the highest priority.
Ha! Yeah, IRL Macs used in professional settings are as tucked away as any computer. People who have real work to do and aren't vloggers enjoy the durability of Apple products, but don't treat them like art pieces.
@@NeilParfittMusic seems like wireless is a nice thing to have :D I was kinda waiting for you to drill a hole in your desk for the detachable cable. Then again, getting a right angle lightning cable would be the true nightmare.
I remember when people who couldn't afford an iPod would buy white headphones so it looked like you had one. Meanwhile, people in NYC were using non Apple headphones so criminals wouldn't know they had an iPod.
It's been really cool to see an actual audio professional's views and experiences in getting up and running with the new Mac Pro. You did a great job explaining why this is the setup you needed and how you came to making the decision to invest in the new Mac Pro. It, honestly, makes sense for your use case and your setup looks awesome. Can't wait to see your experience using the new setup!
Neil, You might want a higher capacity UPS. All the battery lights flashing means it has a very low runtime. Either the batteries are old/failing or it has too high of a load. A very low runtime is certainly better than nothing, but it might not last long enough to save and properly shut down
@@NeilParfittMusic Be sure they don't heat up as well, We had two of those APC (SURT3000RT if memory serve) that overheated to ~40°C when one A/C group crashed. the battery started swelling up, and one of them actually ruptured. Fortunately it was below the $100ks of gear
@@amahashadow years ago, i had this thing running close to capacity. It was a bitttttch to get the batteris out as they did bulge slightly preventing the tray from sliding. Bad design on APC's part. Since the new machine, and the eliminate of 1/2 the outboard equipment to run everything, it's now hovering around 1/2 capacity. That's awesome for battery time and hydro bills :)
As someone who is studying Audio Engineering & Production (film & music) I would love to see the workflow videos, I think they would be great entertainment and education. Though from my experience it always ends up being "whatever workflow gets you the work done" rather than one particular standardised workflow. Always want to know what parts are "Industry Standard" Really appreciate these vids. Loved this series, cheers.
@@NeilParfittMusic Yes, and... ouch? As a former third-party developer for Digidesign, I both love and hate what ProTools has become after the Avid acquisition. Still, can't live without it. And... ouch?
The McDonald's professional reverse trolling made me laugh. 😂 I really enjoyed following along on this journey, Neil. Thanks for the fun and the experience.
Neil, the magic keyboard and magic go into a low power mode when they're not being used, I tend to get 2 months of life during regular use and 3 months during light use before I need to charge, no need to turn off!!
@@warpigs330 Logitech has always prided themselves on really good battery life in their keyboards and mice I have yet to really have to charge my trackball and I only recently had to change out the original battery that came with the prior model.
And it's not even like it's even remotely a hardship to, ya know, just grab a lead and plug it in - it's not stopping the keyboard being used. Null argument.
This has been an aspirational and highly entertaining and informative journey to watch from afar. I admire your no holds barred deep dive into acquiring all the pro gear you need to work seamlessly. Plus the cat stuff. Cheers, mate
@@NeilParfittMusic I especially dig the Aurora Audio EQ. Geoff Tanner is a kind and sweet brit who makes sublime gear. Didn't see any UnderTone Audio gear but it's also worth checking out if you haven't already. I love this trend of audio geeks making the gear they need. Cheers
Had to revisit this video again, because I knew you spoke about the Amfeltec Carrier PCI Board and removing the fans, I ironically, I am looking at the exact same Samsung EVO+ Drives... but I think I am going to go with the Sonnet Card for the M.2's... they now make a new version that is fanless. I think you may have mentioned that in another video somewhere... I appreciate the videos Neil, greatly helps me move so much faster on getting my build done so I can also contribute... Cheers!
Hey Neil, a UPS usually has large transformers, which means big magnets. So placing hard drives in a drawer right underneath may not be the best idea. The Apple keyboard goes to sleep automatically when you shut down the Mac, no need to switch it off to preserve battery life. Beautiful set up.
Decent UPS units are isolated, so no electromagnetics that would damage anything next to it would escape. If that was the case, the UPS would destroy itself.
Kudos Neil. You Rock! Thanks for sharing so much. (side note: it cracks me up when folks feel compelled to tell you why their tech recommendations will be better for your personal work flow). Oh well, that tends to happen when their own grinding wheels wear out and they have to go looking for someone elses to grind their axe on. Thanks again for being so generous with your time and info! -Alex Jenkins (composer sound designer and surround engineer for 3D/4D motion ride film)
I was so excited to tell you the startup chime can be turned back on, but then you already knew how to do it... I turned it on as soon as I got my new Mac. I don't know why it isn't on by default given that built-in speaker.
Niel, I used to have the same trackball - do yourself a huge favor and upgrade to an L-Trac. I've been using them since they were owned by Clearly Superior Technologies, but now they are being made by X-Keys, a very reputable company. The ball sits on three steel rollers and the build quality is just in general amazing. Can't recommend it enough to a trackball lover.
Hey Neil! I’m super grateful for these videos, the owner of the recording studio I work at wants the new Mac Pro and before this it was an absolute pain to find practical information about it. Thanks a bunch, and good looking out!
Great video series! Loved seeing this process. In addition to the workflow videos, I'd love to see a more complete studio tour where you go over all of your gear and how it fits into your setup.
My bluetooth keyboard runs for months without needing a charge. I never turn it off. You get a warning when it needs a charge and you can charge it from a wall wart. I like them.
Love your videos Neil! Keep it up! Also I have that same keyboard and I never turn it off and it takes 3 months or so before I need to charge it. So you might not need the sticky note reminder 😂
You could maybe tear down an iPhone dock to get a small right-angle Lightning plug that could hide away behind the keyboard. Just an idea, but it could work.
Very nice setup! Thanks for the overview. Again, it's great to see other people's setups. I agree with you on the keyboards - wireless just sucks for desktop use. "Let's make it more complicated and less reliable - brilliant!" Ugh. The keyboard will sleep, no need to turn on/off - but in another vid you replaced it so good call :) For the TV, if you haven't considered it already you might want to wall mount it. Get it floating and out of the way - that stand is also a bit scary. Good arms with lots of adjustment have really come down in price - monoprice.com is one place that has a good selection. Might be a bit of a hit since you are in Canada, not sure if they ship there or not and how that affects the costs. You can also get Monoprice stuff through Amazon so that might be a way to deal with the boarder issues. Originally I only wall mounted the TV in my living room but I liked the look and convenience of them being out of the way so much all the TVs in my house are now wall mounted, and put my 32 Dell monitor on my main PC on a wall mount arm too and really, really like it. I had to get longer cables to clean up stuff but again, monoprice has excellent pricing on high quality cables (their lightning cables are FAR superior to Apples). Monoprice also has great HDMI/AV cable wall plate kit to add power and the way the kit works I can still provide my TV/Monitors UPS power. The Monoprice product ID for the kit is 4652 - other companies make similar kits if it's easier for you in Canada. really
Thank you very much for your videos. Very detailed. Just one recommendation. you should use some cable managers so the cables are not hanging pulling out on the port. I am not a sound designer or musician but I've seen hardware fail because of this
10:08 you could just get a cheap right angle lightning to USB cord and have it always charging but always connected through Bluetooth or if you want it to just be wired to the computer, you can use it wired by just plugging that cord into the mac pro. If you do that, you'll still be able to see the cord, but not much of it.
For your sign out, you need a little sting.... re-arranged those five notes that Maccas use in commercials... (Here in Oz, And the Toyota Ad's.. bizarrely.. ).. And congrats on the Upgrades .. And the juxtapose , Im relocating, so pulling the studio down... arrghghh.... Oh the pain , the pain.......
Hey Neil, nice one. For future videos, one of the things I'm most interested in is how you get the routing and sync of all the DAWs on a single computer. Keep it up!
My thought on the keyboard. Maybe try getting one of those wireless charging receiver pads to install on the keyboard (hopefully one that has thin enough right angle connector), and integrate a wireless charger on the desk. That way it's always charged and whenever you need to move it you don't have to unplug anything.
I have been using a magic keyboard and trackpad for years. I have a work one and a home one. I find the keyboard lasts what seems like forever and the trackpad lasts like a month or so. I just charge them together. I only turn it off when I put it in a backpack or a case. Don’t bother turning it off. Just set a reminder to charge it once a month.
Thanks for sharing all this journey! for being real and humble and specially for your sence of humor dealing with trolls. I've learned a lot and also saw awesome hardware that I would love to have :D Looking forward for workflow videos! take care and thanks again.
Interesting little series about the new computer. Now I'm interested in the process of making music tracks for shows, maybe we can see more of that. Neil needs to be recruited for some Rick and Morty episodes.
In case you haven't done this already and just didn't mention it: Stick some little heatsinks on your m.2 drives, that should help as well! To my knowledge there are even cheap heatsinks built for that specific usecase.
idk if you ever looked into it but according to apple you can go into settings and under sounds there is an option to play sound on startup, i dont know if they removed that after mac os ventura but if anything it might be there
You should do a runtime calibration on your UPS, looks like your unit is complaining (blinking lights). Otherwise cool install, glad you finally got to finish your new setup!
Concerning the center speaker: is it worth investing in a symetrical solution from Genelec? I also I really like the short snippets of your work you let us hear in the video. Where can I listen to you work? Is there any chance you upload it on Tidal or something?
Getting pissed off by the background hiss from the speakers after getting everything else to shut up - I totally get you. I have a nice old Onkyo A-8840 at home that I don't use for my primary setup anymore because with it my speakers have an audible hiss while with the much cheaper Lepai LP-2020A+ I get total silence. Luckily my Canton CT 800 are very easy to drive, so the Lepai's power limitations are not an issue for me.
They make a ribbon cable style 90 degree USB -C type 3 cable so you could connect the KB and mostly not see the cable. It looks like it sticks out out maybe 1/8 of an inch and would go straight down from there.
Glad to see the set up all worked out how you hoped in the end! Would love to see you working on some music next! Workflow, routing, templates, composing, all that good stuff would be sweeeeet
Glad you mentioned the Avid Video issue. I send out a LOT of Quictkime previews. Having to buy Video Slave to have the same functionality in a Catalina-based PT system that we had in Mojave is a bit surprising, but it is a doable workaround. But wait... you are running both logic, PT, (Vienna?), and VS all on this single system?! If so, no one can complain about the capability of the MacPro.
I really like your 12v power supply. I’ve always wanted one in a rack supplying power to external hard drives instead of having 15 power transformers. I’ve seen one guy build his own online but wasn’t aware of the one you have. Not many people make them. I’d love to find one with barrel connectors and up to 6amps per port but yeah. Not much demand. I work in film and tv and often productions will buy a ton of cheap external usb3 drives for a additional archival copy. Or sometimes as raw media drives (arg) and so when I online I’ll literally have 15-20 12TB drives on my desk with a web of wires and power supplies. This despite me telling them to get a NAS as it would be so much faster more secure and cheaper. 🤦♂️ Would be cool to Sheetrock in the space behind the desk. Hang the tv on a wall. Isolate all the equipment in a separate wire closet. Mount the speakers in the wall so they’re flush. Angle the sides of the walls out for them. Could control cooling better. Hide wires. Cover the walls of the new closet with thick foam or cellulose insulation. Or. Ohhh a raised floor like in server rooms. There are tons of used raised floor tiles on eBay. That’d isolate vibration. And give you a great place for wires and to pull or push air into. www.ebay.com/itm/162534979499 Imagine if your whole room was a raised floor. Like 3’’. They make wood tiles too. All the wires ran below. Could change something easily. And raised floors are anti static. Which is perfect for that type of equipment.
loved all the vids in the series man! Also really dig your workflow as well. Im a logic pro guy and cool to peek at the way u route everything. subscribed!
A great series, and I can't wait for the workflow videos! I'd really love a full your of your studio, all the outboard gear you use, etc. I hope to someday be a McDonalds Professional like you!
-"I writing music for cartoons, technical assist for film composers, preparation for soundtracks recording for orchestra, work for movies and television" - "MEEEEOW" (translate: don't forget, you working for me dumb-ass) - "And also I have a cat" Thanks for all those videos, you help me realize who actually need that kind of monster and what for. Good luck! :D
I'm wondering, did you ever shut down your mac? When I had a mac, I will NEVER shut it down, even if I was sleeping or anything, it was working 24/24. I didn't had any phone so it was my only way to put an alarm, and see the time, but even if I had a phone, i'll just let it run forever
I'd be very tempted to rig some of those very small Noctua fans to help exhaust the hot air, either pulling it through the PCIe slots or out of sight inside the case. I know you just got rid of small fans, but as you say they were designed for server rooms, while the Noctuas are extremely quiet. The ones I'm thinking of will run off USB power - I have one on an SBC which lives on my desk next to my keyboard, and I can't hear it 18" away, so tucked away in a rack you could probably run quite a few inaudibly. I only suggest it because you say removing the PCIe slots made such a difference, and not having ANY exhaust fans on a case as crammed with cards as yours makes little sense. I mean only Apple could end up deciding that there was something aesthetically wrong about having a fan or two to push hot air out of a case . . .
Apple's wireless keyboards and mice are very good at going into auto-sleep. The battery should last you months, work fully all the way down to 0%, and charge to 10-15% in 15 minutes, and up to 100% in about 4 hours. Just embrace Bluetooth Low Energy- Apple's done things the way they should work here by eliminating battery anxiety, rather than half-*ssing it like most accessory manufacturers. Seriously, the battery on these things is fantastical, and the power drain when not using it (sleep, not manually off) is really good. Just shed the fear-uncertainty-doubt and trust the keyboard.
The moment you organize your cables will reveal itself later when you discover one of the cables was made short enough that you can't do something you could when the cables were like that.
Have you ever considered pulling in cold air from outside during winter? Through an isolated pipe/tube and straight into the MacPro's intake. Or does that just mess up the consistensy of the Mac's cards's performance? I know that CPUs like being very cold, but how about the soundcards? / A curious layman
Hey Neil - really appreciated the journey. It was really great to get a look at the NP Starship Enterprise . - now let’s see what’s out there:-) A few questions: when everything is on, how much power are you pushing? Doe you use generators or something? Your power bill must be high;-) Those ‘vents’ at the back of the computer.. I had a home-made PC where’re the PCI covers kept coming loose. The machine gathered so much dust.... knowing the Apple tech is designed to the Nth degree, having those two removed/open, is that going to affect the machine? I’m thinking of 6 months down the road... good thing your cat doesn’t like cars; I bet after 6 months those two holes would be full of cat hairs otherwise... How much is your insurance bill btw?/ Waiting for those workflow videos. Congrats Neil.
Did you ever get a decent UPS or at least throw your old one at the bottom of the rack and replace it’s bad battery? Brown outs must be hard for you. Cyber power makes a great online UPS series now. Priced well. You’d always have perfect power. Super clean. I’d be scared to death of getting a power surge with all that vintage equipment. You fry some of that stuff it’s gone for good. I’d baby the hell out of it. Type 1 SPD on the meter. Type 2 at the panel. And an online UPS that fed power into the conditioners in the rack/room. And make damn sure the racks are grounded to a grounding bus bar that’s connected to an isolated ground back at the panel. As well as installing isolated grounded outlets as this is standard op for sound studios. The orange ones. They just have an additional ground wire ran separately back to the panels ground. Same ground that’s connected to the grounding bus bar for the racks. Technically called a telecommunications grounding bus bar. And in the winter you can wrap a grounding wrist band around your ankle and attach it to the bus bar and you won’t shock yourself when touching metal equipment. Just remember to take it off when petting the cat so you will shock it. Whahahahaha
An original Korg Wavestation AD - none of that EX rubish! You're a man after me own heart. I parted with one thousand eighteen hundred and ninety five of my dollars in 1990 for one them. One of the best sounding boxes of all time. Still in my rack to this day and they will probably tip it in my grave. But I should replace the LCD.
VoxRobot yeessss!! I’ve bought and sold the A/D 4 times in my life. This time, I’m keeping it forever. Yes re: led lcd. I’ve changed every screen in my synth rack with either oled or led and they look fabulous!
So Neil, how much more productive you think you are now? Do you feel the difference other than streamlining the setup and visual appeal? Great job by the way and great videos.
GUIGU32 I’ll be able to give you more hard info after a few months of writing, but so far the underbelly of their rig is simplified as a ton of peripheral and rack gear has been Eliminated. Immediate productivity - the triple ram ad before has allowed me to load up everything I’ve ever needed, and the threads available have made a huge different with general speed etc etc
GUIGU32 hey dude - so I’m 6 months in, and it’s been night and day great, aside from a few straggling things with avid I can easily work around. I have no regrets.
Congratulations, Neil! You are light years beyond my level of knowledge (iMac Pro heading toward Mac Pro, Pro Tools, PreSonus thunderbolt interface, EW Composer Cloud)...I really appreciate learning from you. And, there's always a LOL moment. If you're ever in a mood to travel through Atlanta, let me know!
You're clearly not a pro, the pros put their Mac Pro on the desk so everyone can see it, even if its the rack version, showing it while vlogging is the highest priority.
Lolz! Well, I did put the black keyboard on my desk!! *STATUS*
Ha! Yeah, IRL Macs used in professional settings are as tucked away as any computer. People who have real work to do and aren't vloggers enjoy the durability of Apple products, but don't treat them like art pieces.
@@NeilParfittMusic seems like wireless is a nice thing to have :D I was kinda waiting for you to drill a hole in your desk for the detachable cable. Then again, getting a right angle lightning cable would be the true nightmare.
I remember when people who couldn't afford an iPod would buy white headphones so it looked like you had one. Meanwhile, people in NYC were using non Apple headphones so criminals wouldn't know they had an iPod.
It's been really cool to see an actual audio professional's views and experiences in getting up and running with the new Mac Pro. You did a great job explaining why this is the setup you needed and how you came to making the decision to invest in the new Mac Pro. It, honestly, makes sense for your use case and your setup looks awesome. Can't wait to see your experience using the new setup!
Thanks Sera!
yeah so much better than the million video editing "takes" on it.
Looks awesome Neil! It’s been fascinating to see a real pro setting one of these up - thanks buddy.
Neil,
You might want a higher capacity UPS. All the battery lights flashing means it has a very low runtime. Either the batteries are old/failing or it has too high of a load.
A very low runtime is certainly better than nothing, but it might not last long enough to save and properly shut down
Jelthi yeah these batteries are due for a swap
@@NeilParfittMusic Be sure they don't heat up as well, We had two of those APC (SURT3000RT if memory serve) that overheated to ~40°C when one A/C group crashed. the battery started swelling up, and one of them actually ruptured. Fortunately it was below the $100ks of gear
@@NeilParfittMusic Maybe look at a Tesla power wall or similar LG offering. Can you say whole house/studio UPS?
@@amahashadow years ago, i had this thing running close to capacity. It was a bitttttch to get the batteris out as they did bulge slightly preventing the tray from sliding. Bad design on APC's part. Since the new machine, and the eliminate of 1/2 the outboard equipment to run everything, it's now hovering around 1/2 capacity. That's awesome for battery time and hydro bills :)
Neil - it has been an awesome to follow you on this journey. One of the few real mac pro reviews in my opinion. Awesome studio. Awesome cat. Cheers
As someone who is studying Audio Engineering & Production (film & music) I would love to see the workflow videos, I think they would be great entertainment and education. Though from my experience it always ends up being "whatever workflow gets you the work done" rather than one particular standardised workflow. Always want to know what parts are "Industry Standard"
Really appreciate these vids. Loved this series, cheers.
Liam Dunne exactly - there’s no silver bullet that worlds for everyone
Pro Tools though - love it or hate... that's the industry standard for deliverables.
@@NeilParfittMusic Yes, and... ouch? As a former third-party developer for Digidesign, I both love and hate what ProTools has become after the Avid acquisition. Still, can't live without it. And... ouch?
Bro u got the gnarliest studio on RUclips 🏆
Realist (realest?) puppet in the game!
The McDonald's professional reverse trolling made me laugh. 😂 I really enjoyed following along on this journey, Neil. Thanks for the fun and the experience.
I'd like some more Mac Pro content. You're one of the few guys with one racked on RUclips. Even a video just looking at it
What about the unboxing? It's even Naked at that point.. :D
@@NeilParfittMusic I paused the video during the unboxing just to look at it in all it's glory.
Neil, the magic keyboard and magic go into a low power mode when they're not being used, I tend to get 2 months of life during regular use and 3 months during light use before I need to charge, no need to turn off!!
That seems bad compared to the 2 years or so I got out of a couple AA batteries in a Logitech keyboard.
@@warpigs330 Logitech has always prided themselves on really good battery life in their keyboards and mice I have yet to really have to charge my trackball and I only recently had to change out the original battery that came with the prior model.
And it's not even like it's even remotely a hardship to, ya know, just grab a lead and plug it in - it's not stopping the keyboard being used.
Null argument.
Love your videos; you seem like such a nice, down-to-earth dude and explain everything in a clear way without talking down.
thanks Dan!
Get a 90° usb c cable going straight down into a hole for the keyboard.
This has been an aspirational and highly entertaining and informative journey to watch from afar. I admire your no holds barred deep dive into acquiring all the pro gear you need to work seamlessly. Plus the cat stuff. Cheers, mate
Thanks!
@@NeilParfittMusic I especially dig the Aurora Audio EQ. Geoff Tanner is a kind and sweet brit who makes sublime gear. Didn't see any UnderTone Audio gear but it's also worth checking out if you haven't already. I love this trend of audio geeks making the gear they need. Cheers
I miss these type of videos Neil. I loved the humour mixed with the geek. Underrated, unadulterated class act.
Had to revisit this video again, because I knew you spoke about the Amfeltec Carrier PCI Board and removing the fans, I ironically, I am looking at the exact same Samsung EVO+ Drives... but I think I am going to go with the Sonnet Card for the M.2's... they now make a new version that is fanless. I think you may have mentioned that in another video somewhere... I appreciate the videos Neil, greatly helps me move so much faster on getting my build done so I can also contribute... Cheers!
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing. Also damn your evil Apple executive voice was amazing! Voice act as well as compose?!
I did a minior voice for ONE kid's audio book. Otherwise, this is all just in house hahah
@@NeilParfittMusic we want sauce 😂
Hey Neil, a UPS usually has large transformers, which means big magnets. So placing hard drives in a drawer right underneath may not be the best idea. The Apple keyboard goes to sleep automatically when you shut down the Mac, no need to switch it off to preserve battery life. Beautiful set up.
Also its battery lasts for weeks -- I keep an old Anker PowerBank around my desk if it ever goes flat
Most hard drives are shielded well enough nowadays that magnets like the ones in transformers dont really bother them
Frank Zimmermann there no spinner drives, just some ssds in antistatic
Anker 10.000 unit. For the keyboard that’s an extra 10 months :p. or one iPad charge.
Decent UPS units are isolated, so no electromagnetics that would damage anything next to it would escape. If that was the case, the UPS would destroy itself.
Kudos Neil. You Rock! Thanks for sharing so much. (side note: it cracks me up when folks feel compelled to tell you why their tech recommendations will be better for your personal work flow). Oh well, that tends to happen when their own grinding wheels wear out and they have to go looking for someone elses to grind their axe on. Thanks again for being so generous with your time and info! -Alex Jenkins (composer sound designer and surround engineer for 3D/4D motion ride film)
I was so excited to tell you the startup chime can be turned back on, but then you already knew how to do it... I turned it on as soon as I got my new Mac. I don't know why it isn't on by default given that built-in speaker.
Nice man cave....I would have a smile ear to ear myself with those toys lol....much luck and hope to see you put this room into action.
Niel, I used to have the same trackball - do yourself a huge favor and upgrade to an L-Trac. I've been using them since they were owned by Clearly Superior Technologies, but now they are being made by X-Keys, a very reputable company.
The ball sits on three steel rollers and the build quality is just in general amazing. Can't recommend it enough to a trackball lover.
Jim Pudar I’ll look into it!
obh cool i didn't realize it was P.I. Engineering!! I use their Xkeys with my laptop.
Hey Neil! I’m super grateful for these videos, the owner of the recording studio I work at wants the new Mac Pro and before this it was an absolute pain to find practical information about it.
Thanks a bunch, and good looking out!
Hi Neil, thank you for your videos! They are great. I was wondering what model is the 32inch Dell. Thanks!
it's older now but.. P4317Q
Great video series! Loved seeing this process. In addition to the workflow videos, I'd love to see a more complete studio tour where you go over all of your gear and how it fits into your setup.
Get a Furman CE 3600 sequencer that will do the start-up/ shut down job for your rack mounted gear.
dude i like ur personality, i would literally watch any video u make. its so cool
Never a dull moment in your videos, simply love them. I'm very exited to see what you come with next time!
My bluetooth keyboard runs for months without needing a charge. I never turn it off. You get a warning when it needs a charge and you can charge it from a wall wart. I like them.
Brilliant to see this come together, wish you all the best Neil, you're my favoriet McDonalds Professional. Bless!!
Good luck with the new system & looking forward to hearing your music & watching your behind the scenes of the different kind of works you do.
This series was an epic intro to your workflow videos! Can not wait for more!
This has been a fantastik series to follow! Great to see a perspecitve that applies to this technology! Cheers!
Love your videos Neil! Keep it up! Also I have that same keyboard and I never turn it off and it takes 3 months or so before I need to charge it. So you might not need the sticky note reminder 😂
Fab ending to your Mac Pro setup series - Many congrats bro ! Now, let’s see more of that 90’s synth rack !
I've loved following this story. Thanks for sharing man!
Thanks for taking us along on the journey, it's been fun. Your studio is really nice. Take care.
Great video series. Thanks for taking us on the journey with you.
Awesome setup!!! To fix the keyboard cable situation you could maybe get an angle cable i guess
You could maybe tear down an iPhone dock to get a small right-angle Lightning plug that could hide away behind the keyboard. Just an idea, but it could work.
Neil, @ 3:31 what is that adorable screensaver? Love it!
Oh I found it somewhere randomly. Search for “catbug”
could you please make a video on how you use the outboard gear during composing and in the final mix?
Thank you for posting your journey w/ the new Mac Pro.
Great end result! Thanks for sharing the journey :)
Very nice setup! Thanks for the overview. Again, it's great to see other people's setups. I agree with you on the keyboards - wireless just sucks for desktop use. "Let's make it more complicated and less reliable - brilliant!" Ugh. The keyboard will sleep, no need to turn on/off - but in another vid you replaced it so good call :)
For the TV, if you haven't considered it already you might want to wall mount it. Get it floating and out of the way - that stand is also a bit scary. Good arms with lots of adjustment have really come down in price - monoprice.com is one place that has a good selection. Might be a bit of a hit since you are in Canada, not sure if they ship there or not and how that affects the costs. You can also get Monoprice stuff through Amazon so that might be a way to deal with the boarder issues.
Originally I only wall mounted the TV in my living room but I liked the look and convenience of them being out of the way so much all the TVs in my house are now wall mounted, and put my 32 Dell monitor on my main PC on a wall mount arm too and really, really like it. I had to get longer cables to clean up stuff but again, monoprice has excellent pricing on high quality cables (their lightning cables are FAR superior to Apples). Monoprice also has great HDMI/AV cable wall plate kit to add power and the way the kit works I can still provide my TV/Monitors UPS power. The Monoprice product ID for the kit is 4652 - other companies make similar kits if it's easier for you in Canada.
really
Thank you very much for your videos. Very detailed. Just one recommendation. you should use some cable managers so the cables are not hanging pulling out on the port. I am not a sound designer or musician but I've seen hardware fail because of this
Oh totally, I put strain relief on the rear rails once everything was setup and happy
how did you set up logic to work with pro tools ??
could you please make a video explaining how you made them talk to each other thank you
10:08 you could just get a cheap right angle lightning to USB cord and have it always charging but always connected through Bluetooth or if you want it to just be wired to the computer, you can use it wired by just plugging that cord into the mac pro. If you do that, you'll still be able to see the cord, but not much of it.
Ended up going with a Matias aluminum backlit keyboard
Thanks for making these videos. I don't really understand what your work involves but it seams quite cool.
For your sign out, you need a little sting.... re-arranged those five notes that Maccas use in commercials... (Here in Oz, And the Toyota Ad's.. bizarrely.. )..
And congrats on the Upgrades ..
And the juxtapose , Im relocating, so pulling the studio down... arrghghh....
Oh the pain , the pain.......
I was about to post the terminal command for re-enabling the startup chime just before you revealed that you'd already re-enabled it 👍
Hey Neil, nice one. For future videos, one of the things I'm most interested in is how you get the routing and sync of all the DAWs on a single computer. Keep it up!
My thought on the keyboard. Maybe try getting one of those wireless charging receiver pads to install on the keyboard (hopefully one that has thin enough right angle connector), and integrate a wireless charger on the desk. That way it's always charged and whenever you need to move it you don't have to unplug anything.
I have been using a magic keyboard and trackpad for years. I have a work one and a home one. I find the keyboard lasts what seems like forever and the trackpad lasts like a month or so. I just charge them together. I only turn it off when I put it in a backpack or a case. Don’t bother turning it off. Just set a reminder to charge it once a month.
Thank you for sharing your Mac upgrade journey with us.
Thanks for sharing all this journey! for being real and humble and specially for your sence of humor dealing with trolls. I've learned a lot and also saw awesome hardware that I would love to have :D Looking forward for workflow videos! take care and thanks again.
Interesting little series about the new computer. Now I'm interested in the process of making music tracks for shows, maybe we can see more of that. Neil needs to be recruited for some Rick and Morty episodes.
In case you haven't done this already and just didn't mention it: Stick some little heatsinks on your m.2 drives, that should help as well! To my knowledge there are even cheap heatsinks built for that specific usecase.
Flo Herzog the amfeltec included 6 in the package. So far in my testing, the temperature is lower with them off 🤯
@@NeilParfittMusic interesting! Maybe the included thermally conductive adhesive isn't that thermally conductive?
@@fona24 hrmm it's supposed to be. I'll do another test but I have to admit, I was puzzled by the result!
Beautiful and smart setup, very professional! Keep up with these great videos!
idk if you ever looked into it but according to apple you can go into settings and under sounds there is an option to play sound on startup, i dont know if they removed that after mac os ventura but if anything it might be there
yeah it wasn't there when this video was done (Catalina)
You should do a runtime calibration on your UPS, looks like your unit is complaining (blinking lights). Otherwise cool install, glad you finally got to finish your new setup!
I noticed that too. Good call.
If you have the apc nmc card in the UPS it also has a spot to update the date when the battery was last changed...
Concerning the center speaker: is it worth investing in a symetrical solution from Genelec? I also I really like the short snippets of your work you let us hear in the video. Where can I listen to you work? Is there any chance you upload it on Tidal or something?
Bokaj Llensch I’ve seen symmetrical Genelec speakers - but they’re HUGE. Thankfully it’s usually just dialogue
Cool stuff very interesting! Looking forward to the workflow vids!
Very cool, thanks for sharing your journey Neil. LIKED!!!!
Great video Neil! Could we maybe expect a video on the entire studio setup between analog and the three different digital ecosystems?
Getting pissed off by the background hiss from the speakers after getting everything else to shut up - I totally get you. I have a nice old Onkyo A-8840 at home that I don't use for my primary setup anymore because with it my speakers have an audible hiss while with the much cheaper Lepai LP-2020A+ I get total silence. Luckily my Canton CT 800 are very easy to drive, so the Lepai's power limitations are not an issue for me.
Steamrick I mean it’s not BAD, it’s more just amazing because the studio extremely quiet now :)
From one McDonalds pro to another, I've LOVED this series of yours! Keep on uploading my dude!
They make a ribbon cable style 90 degree USB -C type 3 cable so you could connect the KB and mostly not see the cable. It looks like it sticks out out maybe 1/8 of an inch and would go straight down from there.
The keyboard isn’t usb-c
i have enjoyed these videos. looking forward to more content in the near future
Thanks for the great content. I'm not an audio professional but I got some really good ideas for setting up a home office space
Glad to see the set up all worked out how you hoped in the end! Would love to see you working on some music next! Workflow, routing, templates, composing, all that good stuff would be sweeeeet
i would love to see more about your special routing with logic/protools and vienna
Very interesting!
That setup is crazy Neil! Awesome job bro!
I'm not a Mac Guy but I get it you have to use the tools that work best for you. Good Job love the setup. Thanks for the content
Glad you mentioned the Avid Video issue. I send out a LOT of Quictkime previews. Having to buy Video Slave to have the same functionality in a Catalina-based PT system that we had in Mojave is a bit surprising, but it is a doable workaround.
But wait... you are running both logic, PT, (Vienna?), and VS all on this single system?! If so, no one can complain about the capability of the MacPro.
Eddie Pons all of it at once! Yeaaaaaaaah
Job well done Neil! Great system. I'm really curious about your setup, specially how you route Logic into Protools. Tks
Seconded. I'm especially curious on how you have got the two timecode synced.
Exciting-do you have an equipment list you have?
I really like your 12v power supply. I’ve always wanted one in a rack supplying power to external hard drives instead of having 15 power transformers. I’ve seen one guy build his own online but wasn’t aware of the one you have. Not many people make them. I’d love to find one with barrel connectors and up to 6amps per port but yeah. Not much demand. I work in film and tv and often productions will buy a ton of cheap external usb3 drives for a additional archival copy. Or sometimes as raw media drives (arg) and so when I online I’ll literally have 15-20 12TB drives on my desk with a web of wires and power supplies. This despite me telling them to get a NAS as it would be so much faster more secure and cheaper. 🤦♂️
Would be cool to Sheetrock in the space behind the desk. Hang the tv on a wall. Isolate all the equipment in a separate wire closet. Mount the speakers in the wall so they’re flush. Angle the sides of the walls out for them. Could control cooling better. Hide wires. Cover the walls of the new closet with thick foam or cellulose insulation. Or. Ohhh a raised floor like in server rooms. There are tons of used raised floor tiles on eBay. That’d isolate vibration. And give you a great place for wires and to pull or push air into.
www.ebay.com/itm/162534979499
Imagine if your whole room was a raised floor. Like 3’’. They make wood tiles too. All the wires ran below. Could change something easily. And raised floors are anti static. Which is perfect for that type of equipment.
loved all the vids in the series man! Also really dig your workflow as well. Im a logic pro guy and cool to peek at the way u route everything. subscribed!
A great series, and I can't wait for the workflow videos! I'd really love a full your of your studio, all the outboard gear you use, etc. I hope to someday be a McDonalds Professional like you!
Your cat.. is just aaawesome! So are you, your videos and your attitude.
Boy ....this was dope tech journey .. Thanks Man
-"I writing music for cartoons, technical assist for film composers, preparation for soundtracks recording for orchestra, work for movies and television"
- "MEEEEOW" (translate: don't forget, you working for me dumb-ass)
- "And also I have a cat"
Thanks for all those videos, you help me realize who actually need that kind of monster and what for. Good luck! :D
I'm wondering, did you ever shut down your mac? When I had a mac, I will NEVER shut it down, even if I was sleeping or anything, it was working 24/24. I didn't had any phone so it was my only way to put an alarm, and see the time, but even if I had a phone, i'll just let it run forever
Abeille Magique Dans Coquelicot rarely ever
@@NeilParfittMusic phew, I was afraid I was the only one, great 😂
I'd be very tempted to rig some of those very small Noctua fans to help exhaust the hot air, either pulling it through the PCIe slots or out of sight inside the case. I know you just got rid of small fans, but as you say they were designed for server rooms, while the Noctuas are extremely quiet. The ones I'm thinking of will run off USB power - I have one on an SBC which lives on my desk next to my keyboard, and I can't hear it 18" away, so tucked away in a rack you could probably run quite a few inaudibly. I only suggest it because you say removing the PCIe slots made such a difference, and not having ANY exhaust fans on a case as crammed with cards as yours makes little sense. I mean only Apple could end up deciding that there was something aesthetically wrong about having a fan or two to push hot air out of a case . . .
Julian Morgan keep in mind there’s air pushing through all the little holes everywhere. You can really feel it everywhere
@@NeilParfittMusic Fair enough - so you just had to remove the obstruction that would let it out the back. Understood. Cheers Neil
Julian Morgan yeah - just to get more air pushing past both sides of the ssd card
Please show us how you make the wires pretty. I struggle with that part of my setup 🙏
Love seeing the progress updates! :)
To get the chime back. From Rocket Yard . In the terminal type : sudo nvram StartupMute=%00 Thanks for sharing your journey.
Apple's wireless keyboards and mice are very good at going into auto-sleep. The battery should last you months, work fully all the way down to 0%, and charge to 10-15% in 15 minutes, and up to 100% in about 4 hours. Just embrace Bluetooth Low Energy- Apple's done things the way they should work here by eliminating battery anxiety, rather than half-*ssing it like most accessory manufacturers.
Seriously, the battery on these things is fantastical, and the power drain when not using it (sleep, not manually off) is really good. Just shed the fear-uncertainty-doubt and trust the keyboard.
fascinating!! Awesome work in the progress!!
hope people will now understand what it takes to invest in your work set up.
The moment you organize your cables will reveal itself later when you discover one of the cables was made short enough that you can't do something you could when the cables were like that.
Have you ever considered pulling in cold air from outside during winter? Through an isolated pipe/tube and straight into the MacPro's intake. Or does that just mess up the consistensy of the Mac's cards's performance? I know that CPUs like being very cold, but how about the soundcards? / A curious layman
Hey Neil - really appreciated the journey.
It was really great to get a look at the NP Starship Enterprise . - now let’s see what’s out there:-)
A few questions: when everything is on, how much power are you pushing? Doe you use generators or something? Your power bill must be high;-)
Those ‘vents’ at the back of the computer.. I had a home-made PC where’re the PCI covers kept coming loose. The machine gathered so much dust.... knowing the Apple tech is designed to the Nth degree, having those two removed/open, is that going to affect the machine? I’m thinking of 6 months down the road... good thing your cat doesn’t like cars; I bet after 6 months those two holes would be full of cat hairs otherwise...
How much is your insurance bill btw?/
Waiting for those workflow videos.
Congrats Neil.
John Wade power is maybe $110 a month? (CAD). The studio has up to 30Amps on the breakers.. honestly it’s probably around 20 tops. I’ll check.
I’ll keep an eye on the dusk and my insurance is up for renewal.. so it’s prob going up hahah
Did you ever get a decent UPS or at least throw your old one at the bottom of the rack and replace it’s bad battery? Brown outs must be hard for you. Cyber power makes a great online UPS series now. Priced well. You’d always have perfect power. Super clean. I’d be scared to death of getting a power surge with all that vintage equipment. You fry some of that stuff it’s gone for good. I’d baby the hell out of it.
Type 1 SPD on the meter. Type 2 at the panel. And an online UPS that fed power into the conditioners in the rack/room.
And make damn sure the racks are grounded to a grounding bus bar that’s connected to an isolated ground back at the panel. As well as installing isolated grounded outlets as this is standard op for sound studios. The orange ones. They just have an additional ground wire ran separately back to the panels ground. Same ground that’s connected to the grounding bus bar for the racks. Technically called a telecommunications grounding bus bar.
And in the winter you can wrap a grounding wrist band around your ankle and attach it to the bus bar and you won’t shock yourself when touching metal equipment. Just remember to take it off when petting the cat so you will shock it. Whahahahaha
An original Korg Wavestation AD - none of that EX rubish! You're a man after me own heart. I parted with one thousand eighteen hundred and ninety five of my dollars in 1990 for one them. One of the best sounding boxes of all time. Still in my rack to this day and they will probably tip it in my grave. But I should replace the LCD.
VoxRobot yeessss!! I’ve bought and sold the A/D 4 times in my life. This time, I’m keeping it forever.
Yes re: led lcd. I’ve changed every screen in my synth rack with either oled or led and they look fabulous!
Also you need a good online UPS. Been really liking cyber powers new ones. That will get rid of the hum in the amps.
Jonathan my speakers don’t hum? The speakers are regulated, but not on UPS battery
what an awesome set up you.. I can dream.. I bet all that little lot cost a pretty penny!
Star Trek's main bridge. Is weird that you don't have a "Fairlight CMI" over there.
I'll have to do the William Riker Stance on the next video :)
So Neil, how much more productive you think you are now? Do you feel the difference other than streamlining the setup and visual appeal? Great job by the way and great videos.
GUIGU32 I’ll be able to give you more hard info after a few months of writing, but so far the underbelly of their rig is simplified as a ton of peripheral and rack gear has been Eliminated. Immediate productivity - the triple ram ad before has allowed me to load up everything I’ve ever needed, and the threads available have made a huge different with general speed etc etc
Sweet, congrats! Love the setup... and your cat is adorable !
GUIGU32 hey dude - so I’m 6 months in, and it’s been night and day great, aside from a few straggling things with avid I can easily work around. I have no regrets.
Congratulations, Neil! You are light years beyond my level of knowledge (iMac Pro heading toward Mac Pro, Pro Tools, PreSonus thunderbolt interface, EW Composer Cloud)...I really appreciate learning from you. And, there's always a LOL moment. If you're ever in a mood to travel through Atlanta, let me know!
So whats Crackalackin' "Big Mac" Daddy-O McD's Pro. Any secret menu items you can share? Since your the pro at such a fine fancy establishment.