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  3. Vienna Instruments Libraries (legacy)
  4. Enough Spec?

  • Enough Spec?

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    G
    I'm thinking about getting this, would it be enough to run Vienna Instruments in Logic Pro or Sibelius? I plan to write for a reasonably sized orchestra. (Presuming that every instrument used is a Vienna one) Any help would be great!

    15'' MacBook Pro
    2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
    2GB/120GB/SuperDrive

    * 1440 x 900 resolution
    * 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
    * 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
    * 120GB SATA hard drive
    * 6x double-layer SuperDrive
    * ATI Mobility Radeon X1600
    * 256MB GDDR3 video memory
    * Built-in iSight video camera
    * Built-in Airport Extreme
    * Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
    * Gigabit Ethernet
    * Optical and Analog audio in/out
    * DVI or VGA video output
    * Built-in Dual Link DVI Support
    * ExpressCard/34 expansion slot
    * 3 USB 2.0, 1 Firewire 400 Port, and 1 Firewire 800 Port
    * Includes infrared remote with Front Row
    * Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger
  • P
    P
    "I plan to write for a reasonably sized orchestra."

    Research is good, and you are right to do it. But as you enter into VI, you will soon realize that, within the parameters of the most common orchestra size, one may have enough room with 2GB or leave 16GB over multiple computers splitting at the seams.

    It's not the size of the orchestra that matters; it's the DEPTH. As in depths of articulations, legato vs. standard sustain, perf-rep vs. short standard, pfp's vs. modwheel crescendo. The options are too numbered to list.

    So the short answer is, you could get a reasonable if shallow representation of standard (non-legato) instruments in 2 GB, but you would have very little elbow room. I strongly suggest a bump to 4GB of RAM. If you plan to run EXS and VI together, you could go up to 6 or even 8GB.

    Do you truly need a laptop? These stats may be do-able, but they are not optimal. I assume that you're willing to take a performance hit (relative to price vs. desktops) in the name of portability.

    Also, an external drive is virtually required with these stats.

    Personally, I would find it hard to tolerate a 15 inch screen in either program. But with dual-link DVI, another monitor would be easy to add.

    MacBooks look so cool, I'd love to have one, and I don't want to rain on the sunshine of a new purchase. This just strikes me as a computer you buy for other reasons, and as a convenience, you can get some composing done on it too.

    Now I will yield to the pro composers who write feature film scores on their Blackberries.