Synchron Pianos System Requirements

[mat123]

Hi folks,

while planning the purchase of a laptop capable of running synchron Bösendorfer Imperial and upright, I realized that this is going to be expensive, at least if I buy a macbook (2750,-€).

I understand the high demand for RAM since the amount of sample data is impressive.

What I do not understand is the need for a processor this fast. Recommended is i7, which is nothing less than the high-end version of the latest Intel-MacBook Pro.

Why is that so? I am just curious. Other libraries demand much less CPU power. What are synchron pianos doing that other libraries don't?

[bbelius]

Hi Mat,

It's really hard to give straight forward hardware recommendations, because there are multiple parts that will influence performance.
For example a HDD is too slow for Synchron and BBO products, a SSD is great, but with an NVMe SSD you can lower RAM and CPU usage.
Also it really depends on how many mics you want to use at the same time.

I have a desktop i5 with 6 cores and I can use these pianos perfectly. My notebook has a pretty limited i5 with 4 cores, but I'm still able to use 2, maybe 3 mic positions at the same time, if I'm not doing anything else.

"Why is it so? [...] What are Synchron Pianos doing that other libraries don't?"
- Immense amount of velocity layers (up to ~80)
- simulating half-pedaling
- advanced note-release technology, which selects the correct release sample depending on the initial velocity and the time until the key is released. It's like magic, but better - it's real! ;-)
- the notes are recorded playing to the end, no early note-cutoff

Best, Ben

[mat123]

Thanks, Ben!

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. From what I can tell with my limited experience with a desktop machine, the two Synchron Bösendorfer libraries are WAY better than the "other, less demanding" libraries, I was comparing them to.

The question now is: do they run perfectly on a 16GB MacBook Pro, if the samples are stored on a fast external SSD (provided the processor is powerful enough)? I need only the standard version of the libraries. For about 300€, one can get a 1TB Harddrive from Samsung with 2800 MB/s read speed (NVMe SSD with thunderbolt 3), would that be enough?

It is much easier/cheaper to get a 16GB MacBook Pro than a 32 GB one. The most expensive MBP, however, is the one that doesn't work properly.

Any hint is greatly appreciated since I cannot test the configuration without buying the harddrive...

Mat

[Paul]

Hi mat123, 

That sounds like a good system. Performance will also depend on the kind of music you are playing, and the number of streamed voices. The more demanding the music, the heavier the workload. 

The 16 GB MB Pro with external Thunderbolt 3 NVME sounds like a good setup. 

I didn't get why the most expensive MB Pro wouldn't work properly... 

Best, 
Paul

[mat123]

Thanks, Paul! I'll give it a try then.

> I didn't get why the most expensive MB Pro wouldn't work properly...

Sorry, that wasn't clear. I wanted to say: if you buy something cheaper (MacBook with less RAM), then it might turn out to be more expensive if it doesn't work properly (sell it, buy the bigger one).

[Paul]

Hi mat123, 

Thanks for the explanation!

Let us know how it goes!

Best, 
Paul

[mat123]

OK, back again.

unfortunately, Synchron Bösendorfer does not run smoothly on my system (configuration below).

It seems to be a rather particular problem: most of the time, while I am playing (standard version, player perspective preset), the CPU meter shows that I am well below the maximum power and everything seems to be fine. However, after I stop playing, while keeping the sustain pedal pressed and while the notes are slowly dying away, suddenly (while the CPU usage is even lower), the whole window of the CPU meter gets red and the sound drops out.

I have tried many different settings and latencies, but the problem still occurs albeit irregularly. I have no other apps running in the background.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

---

My system:

MacBook Pro with 2,6 GHz Quad-Core i7
RAM 16 GB
HD: Samsung SSD X5, thunderbolt 3,
Read speed 2800 MB/s according to Samsung but ~330 MB/s according to Synchron Player, Settings => Database

[Paul]

Hi mat123, 

How did you format that drive?

Best, 
Paul

[mat123]

Hi Paul,

the drive uses ExFAT. To be honest, I didn't format the drive at all, I just used it out of the box.

Do you think that might be the problem?

Thanks

Mat

[Paul]

Hi mat123, 

That IS the problem (and you should have seen a warning message upon installation).

Format your drive as macOS or APFS and you will be fine!!

Best, 
Paul

[mat123]

Thanks, Paul!

Formatted to HFS+ everything works fine!

A wonderful library!

BTW: I didn't receive a warning because I just copied all my samples from the older drive to the new one instead of installing them again.

Best,
Mat

[Paul]

Hi Mat, 

Thanks for the update, that's good to hear (and makes sense)!

Best, 
Paul