New to Me Late 2007 17" HighRes 2.4GHz MacBook Pro w/7200RPM HDD

Buying the Lexicon I-ONIX FW810S recording interface forced me into the Mac Intel Age, since the drivers for it, and therefore the mixer software, will not work with the old Power PC units I have (Four, actually). Since I'm still a cheapskate musician conditioned by decades of low income combined with extreme gear lust, I bought a refurb, naturally, and saved just a ton of money.

Here's my late '07 17" HighRes (1920x1200) MacBook Pro running my I-ONIX at the beginning of this morning's practice session.



The camera flash just about blacked the screen out, but you can just barely see the full mixer console. Without the 1920x1200 screen - the same resolution as those 23" Cinema HD Displays (!) - I wouldn't be able to get all of it on the screen. I've also gotten the FW810S working with both Cubase LE 4 and GarageBand, so I'm just about ready to start some test recordings. The regular 4,500RPM drives found in most notebooks are buggy to record audio with - lots of dropouts because they are so slow - so the 7,200RPM drive in this little hotrod ought to be just the ticket.

Yes, yes; having the computer on the edge of the desk is not exactly ideal - or perfectly safe - so I'm going to get an Anthro Rolling Laptop Stand - Finally! Internet in the bathroom!

Alas, the battery that the MacBook came with went bad within just a couple of days.



Not sure what causes this kind of swelling/deformation, but high performance batteries are definitely the weakest link in portable computing. A new one is on the way, though, which is why I prefer to buy from Apple Authorized Refurbishers instead of individual sellers. This computer was well over $3K new, and I didn't even pay half that... plus the 30 day free warranty.

Ultimately, I'm going to have to replace my late '05 Power Mac G5 with an Intel Mac Pro, but like I say, I'm cheap and they haven't come down enough yet. The MacBook is awesome, but I do prefer the larger screens for working at home. At least I won't need new monitors. ;^)

My manager sent me a few pics from my gig out in Las Vegas. This was the view from where I was playing on the back patio of the Lowes LV.



That's Lake Powell in the background.

And, in what has to be the least flattering photo ever taken of me, she managed to catch me getting ready to lower the spare tire so I could change the flat I arrived at the gig with.



Managers are supposed to make the talent look good! LOL. I guess she doesn't have much to work with, though.