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voicejones · Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 9:03 pm Post subject: Is an I Mac quiet enough?

Is an I Mac quiet enough to have in the studio with your mic? I want one but not if it's too noisy.

Bruce · Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 7:20 am Post subject:

We have lots of answers for you. Go to Search here on the site, enter the following phrase:

imac AND quiet

and it will take you to a number of threads where people give you their experiences and opinions.

B
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bransom · DC Joined: 06 Nov 2008 Posts: 650 Location: St. Louis, MO

The iMac might be too noisy, at least at times. I'm assuming you'd like to have it in place so you can read copy off of it, meaning it's pretty close to the mic. If the fan kicks on, you'll have a problem. If you do decide to get one, get a solid state drive: runs cooler and quieter, and is WAY faster. Matter of fact, whatever you buy, get a solid state drive.

If you're still in "shopping" mode, look at getting a Mac Mini. That way you can move it further away from the mic while still reading copy off of the monitor. Me, I use an old Macbook Pro to record on. It sits outside my booth. A long DVI cable runs to a monitor inside, and I have a bluetooth keyboard and mouse inside as well. Works like a champ!
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Jason Huggins · Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 3:51 pm Post subject:

I have an iMac 3' from my mic, and can maintain a noise floor at around -70db. Never been an issue for me, even when processing large chunks of audio, 15 browser windows, dropbox running, FTP running, crashplan running (though dormant), Word and Excel open with files, Skype running, all while recording with AA CS6 (which is a known system hog). YMMV, but it works for me just fine.

The fan is UBER quiet, and the hard drive (I don't have an SSD yet) hasn't been an issue.

All that said, I would much rather have a mac mini, multiple monitors and the unit under the desk. I have had to travel with the computer, and taking an iMac is much harder than taking a mac mini.

Quicksilver · Been Here Awhile Joined: 29 Oct 2012 Posts: 217

I started using a MacAir about 3 months ago and it's as quite as my old PC in a different room. The MacAir fan only comes on if you have a ton of programs open. I usually have Adobe Audition and 5-17 browser tabs open and it's still silent. Noise floor is <-65db with a 416 and DBX286/Grace M101

I was in a pinch when I moved my studio so I started using it temporally and it worked so good I never stopped. I did boot camp it so it runs Windows 7 but I doubt that makes a difference.