Today Apple computers announced the new MacBook and MacBook Pro notebook computers. They took the best features from the MacBook Air, made dramatic changes to the graphics engine, gave the machine a new case, keyboard, and touchpad, and a very shiny new screen.

http://www.apple.com

The primary difference between the previous generation of the MacBook and MacBook Pro was the graphics engine. The MacBook used the Intel GMA with shared memory, the Pro had a dedicated ATI engine. The new models use the NVidea engine, which is supposed to offer substantial performace over the Intel GMA, even with shared memory.

But perhaps the most startling change with these new models is the Firewire ports. The new MacBook has two USB 2.0 ports but no Firewire ports. The new MacBook also has the USB ports and a Firewire 800 port. While this might not affect most users, it presents some problems for us audio recording and producing folks.

All my audio interfaces are Firewire. Using Firewire offers more channels, lower latency, and better performance. I can also connect an external Firewire drive to the audio interface and have a very powerful portable studio. I use the black MacBook and have recorded sessions with no problems. However, if I were to acquire a new MacBook, my Firewire devices would be useless.

The MacBook Pro offers a Firewire 800, which is wonderful for connecting extremely fast external drives. But to connect my audio interface, which uses Firewire 400, I will need to use an adapter cable. While there should be no problems using the adapter, it does create the potential for problems. This model does offer an Express Card slot to add Firewire 400 ports, but these ports are not powered which means I will need use a power adapter for my audio interface. The MacBook offers no slots, so adding Firewire is not an option.

Why Apple would choose to eliminate the Firewire 400 ports which have been around since the first G4 Powerbooks arrived is a mystery. There are countless of users out there with Firewire audio interfaces so we will probably stick with our current MacBooks and wait for the next generation and hope that Apple brings back the Firewire connections.

 Digidesign announced the other day that Pro Tools 8 is coming.

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?langid=100&navid=399&ref=pt8-hpf

Upon first look, I was instantly reminded of Apple’s Logic Studio. The colors and toolbars are very similar, the MIDI features look familiar, and they even added a series of virtual synths and a guitar amp simulator. In other words, it looks and feels like every other major music production software package. So for once, perhaps Digidesign is following the curve instead of setting it.

Personally, Pro Tools finally looks like something that I would seriously considering using as my primary audio software. I have been using Pro Tools since version 7, but mostly for mixing. I have only recorded tracks in it a few times  and did some extensive editing after that. However, I always found it a bit difficult to use and sometimes even awkward. I’ve also used it for some remote recording sessions only to dump the audio files to Sonar (http://www.cakewalk.com) where the editing is easier in my opinion.

However, version 8 could change my mind. The added virtual instruments is a good thing, and something they should have done some time ago. They also raised the audio track limit for the LE and M-Powered users from 32 up to 48. Plus, they finally updated the look and feel to match what others are doing. Hopefully, they have made better use of the right-click on the mouse.

The final issue is cost. The upgrade from 7.0 to 7.3 free. I paid $75 to upgrade to 7.4. If they are smart, they will price this upgrade between $125 - $175.

And while most people will tell you not to immediately buy a new release and a new version, I probably will not wait. Pro Tools is not my main audio software, but it is always fun to try new things.