• A very good deal - but it's not entirely "plug-n-play" for computer "newbies"

  
  As reviewed by Robert Silverstein on 12/10/2012

  This is a great deal, and I want to start off by emphasizing that. I had been battling an older PC with Cakewalk software for years, and finally decided to upgrade to a new system. Sales person at GC recommended this, and I did some research and decided to give it a go. I'll tell you the positives and the negatives... Positives: * This version of ProTools (9 MP) is quite complete. The only restriction is that, if you decide later that you want to upgrade to a fancier audio interface, it will need to be an M-Audio interface. There are some good options out there. * The Mac Mini system is *mostly* equipped appropriately to do home recording projects. The shortcoming is that it only has 2GB of RAM, and that *IS* an issue. I was unable to get Steven Slate Drums (one of the included software packages) to work well until I added more RAM. Fortunately, you can get the maximum RAM for this system (8GB) online for about $40 (much more expensive via Apple Store, FYI). * It comes with a lot of plug-in software bundled, and much of it appears to be quite useful. The Xpand bundle of midi sounds made by DigiDesign seems great, and there were two other bundles (Analog Factory and Structure Free) that had an array of tones as well. The Scarlett Compressor seems really good, and I use it on most of my tracks. The DigiDesign multiband EQs also seem really good. The Lexicon reverb they give you is very nice, BUT you can only use the free version on ONE insert! So you'll want to put it on a reverb bus, and send stuff to it. * The audio interface itself, the MobilePre, is decent quality. We did a head-to-head comparison between it, and my older M-Audio DMP3 preamplifier, and preferred the MobilePre sound quality. So they're building good gear into this system. * The price is definitely good, when you break it down. There's no way you are *not* getting a deal here. Negatives: * The 2GB RAM is definitely anemic, and you'll run into issues pretty fast if you're using virtual instruments. Better to just upgrade the RAM from square one. * Installing all of the plug-ins, upgrading to latest drivers, and registering all of these with the iLok security system requires a lot of patience, a fair bit of time, some trial-and-error, and more than zero computer knowledge. Some of these things installed quite easily, but in other cases, I had to do a little back and forth. I still haven't got everything in the Analog Factory plug-in working 100% correctly, but it's not really that important to me right now. * Avid *and* M-Audio's websites are not fantastic. If you try to find literature on this system, or on the key components, the MobilePre (nominally made by M-Audio, but they shove the "ownership off to Avid) and Pro Tools MP 9, you'll find a lot of info buried on their sites, you'll find info missing, and you'll even find *dead* links on websites. It's as if neither of these companies really wants to assume full ownership of the bundle. That said, I was able to work around it, and I actually got pretty good customer support from Avid - they sent me the info from links I couldn't get to work online, pretty quickly. * Mac Mini only has 4 USB ports. That's actually an annoyance. One of these is *always* taken by the iLok. One is always taken by the MobilePre, one is taken by the Keyboard/Mouse combo. So then, you have 1 USB remaining. If you use the Korg Nano Controller, there goes your last USB. If you need to connect an external USB drive, you need to unplug something. If you want to connect a USB midi keyboard to record, ditto. If you want to use your own mouse/keyboard because you prefer it, and it has separate USB, you can't. So you might need to invest in a USB hub to extend that flexibility. Not a dealbreaker, but something to consider. * The Tascam headphones are useless. Don't bother with them. I compared them to my Sennheisers, my Klipsch earbuds, and my KRK monitors, and they're not good for mixing. They're fine for letting someone use while they are tracking, but don't mix with them because they're inaccurate. Definitely lacking in mids and high-mids. * Haven't tried the microphone, but I wouldn't hold out high hopes for it :) Recommendations (i.e. what I did): * Buy the 8GB of RAM before you even plug in your power cable. You might as well start with it. You'll want it. * I decided to upgrade and purchase an M-Audio Profire 610 interface, and I'll sell the MobilePre. This wasn't so much around quality as flexibility. The Profire 610 has 2 headphone inputs, can record 6 channels simultaneously (if you want to record a live drummer, you'll want that), and it also uses Firewire output, which means you get back one of your USB ports. * Google search for all the free plug-ins you can find. There are some good ones out there. Focus on RTAS plug-ins, and find yourself some extra EQs and Compressors, just to have the options. All-in-all, it's an entry point into a good recording setup. If you were to start from scratch and just buy the individual components, you'd spend more money than this, for sure (go ahead and price it out). I highly recommend it!

  9 of 9 people found this review helpful.
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• Affordable Studio

  
  As reviewed by Jerry Myers on 11/13/2012

  This is this greatest deal of all time, it comes just once a year. I was looking to upgrade my home studio and was about to spend 1000s of dollars of it until an associate told me about this product. It has everything i needed but this 1 is an upgrade from when i bought it. Mines come with the basic edition or limited edition software. Mainly for beginners to get the hang of the industry programs. Cant go wrong with ProTools MP is a grade up from SE. In my opinion its the best way to go to start up a beginners home studio, i'm even thinking about buying this 1 for the upgrades....

  7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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• Everything You Need In One

  
  As reviewed by Joseph Muniz on 12/31/2012

  I recently purchased this....I never had, owned, or ever used a studio. After watching a lot of youtube videos on Pro Tools, I can honestly say this is a great investment. It also come with a stack load of serial numbers for plug-ins.

  1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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