Some utilities I found useful while migrating...

[Luke]

This seemed to fit best here for public access, in case others will find themselves in a similar situation. Links to all apps are below.

I just completed moving from an old (but cherished) MacPro to a newer MacBook Pro and like all initial plans, mine was repeatedly foiled. Along the way I found some replacements and new ideas, so I'm listing them here.

The goal was to keep the MP around as a sound server and stem printer, especially when working on long-format projects. The new MBP is limited to 64Gb of RAM vs the 96Gb in the MP, so I wanted to give myself enough headroom for additional sounds not used often, but crucial for work on the next doc.

My setup is built around two screens - a monitor and above it a TV where I like to position the visual media/metering software/notation/what-have-you. With the addition of the MBP, I needed a method to use the same set of input devices (one bluetooth keyboard, bluetooth trackpad, Kensington Trackball and ShuttlePro) on both Macs. After trying the built-in screen sharing app, I instead opted to go with Synergy:

https://symless.com/synergy

Trial available. For the basic $29 version the user can set up 3 machines and it's compatible with Windows, macOS and Linux. Setting up my 3 screens was quick and easy. It also allows for sharing of the clipboard. Some rudimentary dragging option is included but only as a beta so I have not played around with it, especially now that it's so easy to just load another Mac's drive onto the working desktop over the local network. Recommended.
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With that accomplished, I started thinking about the sound server scenario. Obvious choice: Vienna Ensemble Pro 7. Yep, I agree. But, doesn't work on my system. Don't ask me why, it just doesn't want to play nice and besides, I don't get along with the style of the app.

Anyway, enter Audio Gridder. Since the last time I had tried it several years ago, it has matured into a genuinely good, stable and very useful piece of software. I find its use much more immediate and fuss-less than VEP. Can be used on the same machine to offload even just one plugin or instrument, or it can be used over LAN. Very nifty. And free. Highly recommended for my scenario, or to alleviate the stress of a high-impact plugin on your master bus' chain:

https://audiogridder.com
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The next step was to get system sound from the MP into the MBP/RME combo of the main workstation so that I could monitor sound. For this I attached my old Apogee Duet 2 to the MP and ran its outputs into the RME on the MBP. But that ate up two inputs I'd like to use for synths, so instead I went with Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil. This lets the user connect to anything running its companion app Airfoil Satellite in a Transmit/Receive relationship, similar to AirPlay (which on my MP for reasons connected to the type of non-supported upgrades I made over the years, doesn't work = Open Core Legacy).

This, like all other software from the company, works exceedingly well and is highly recommended. $35, trial available.

https://rogueamoeba.com/airfoil/mac/
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So now that I could monitor all system sound, and therefore Logic's output via the system audio driver, I needed a way to get multitrack audio from the MBP, where I would do the writing/production, into the MP, where I would print the stems for delivery and archival.

For this I turned to Dante. A few years prior, I had bought both Dante Virtual Soundcard and Dante Via. So I upgraded my license to a transferable one and added it to the new Mac. I installed Dante Virtual Sound Card on the MacPro, and Dante Via on the MacBook Pro. This way I could configure Dante (using the Dante Controller Software [I know, lots of Dante software to keep track of!]) to send/receive up to 64 channels of audio over my local network, though for my purposes 16 was just fine for stems.

Setting up Dante isn't for the faint of heart; I still find it somewhat confusing here and there, so there was a bit of trial and error involved, but it all works just fine. Cost for newcomers is $100 for a transferable license for DVS; and $59 for a Dante Via transferable license. On the expensive side, but not if I compare it to the audio interface I was about to purchase. My upgrade price was $30, I believe. Trial available.

https://www.getdante.com/products/softw ... soundcard/

Now, do I really need to absolutely record live multitracks from my main workstation to the stem machine? Maybe, sometimes. But if I'm using outboard gear, which I sometimes am, that's a problem. So when that is the case, I instead export the stems on the main workstation, copy them over local network to the MP and the stamped audio files line up in the Master Film (Stems) Session exactly where they belong. To make this procedure as quick as possible, I am going to create a Keyboard Maestro Macro that (semi) automatically copies the bounced stems into the Master Session audio folder on the other Mac. Keyboard Maestro is also highly recommended if you want to do away with repetitive tasks or automate anything on your Mac, and one can go as deeply as one likes.

https://www.keyboardmaestro.com/main/
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Finally, syncing two versions of Logic Pro is done via MMC, the two Macs connected over the network via the Audio/MIDI app in macOS. This works well enough with PLAY/STOP, but not so much with frame-by-frame scrolling or even just REW/FF. I don't see this as a necessity though, as by then all the minutiae will have been completed.

That's it, for now? If anything new comes up to foil my plans again, I will post it here as an addendum. There is a lot of information about this stuff out there, but some is outdated, and the sheer number of possibilities creates a dynamic where the user has to read and read or watch tutorials to even rule out a candidate for a specific task. These tools listed above all work, at least so far. So I hope this helps someone in the future.

[Guy Rowland]

Fascinating, Luke!

It sounds horrendously complicated to me. As soon as I read the word "Dante" I felt a pit in my stomach! But I know that with these things it's all about building something that - in the end - should be pretty seamless. Although only one machine, my disabled VE Pro template with all the automation was horrendous to get going and a painful learning curve. But it's a delight to use forevermore, so I wish for similar rewards for you in the end.

Out of interest do you ever envisage MBP-solo projects?

[Luke]

Thank you, Guy, for giving me hope!

I totally hear you on the horrors of setting this stuff up. I'm glad it's now all a breeze with VEP. I could never get there and stopped trying. Much like I did with SPAT Revolution yesterday. What a bloody convoluted workflow. I'm just masochistic enough to try for a 4th time in the future, however.

Yes on the MBP solo. I have an extended trip coming up at the end of the year and wanted to be ready with a well-oiled system by the time that came around. The setup will be very minimal, consisting of just MBP, Duet2, Headphones, input devices and if I can squeeze it in there, the Panorama CS12. That and the 64Gb of RAM will have to do for a couple of months, so I'm trying to progressively get used to it.

I reckon I'll never be the dude who makes music on a laptop in the park. Seems I'm too high-maintenance for that!

[Guy Rowland]

I reckon I'll never be the dude who makes music on a laptop in the park.

I won't be seeing you in any Apple promos then.

[Luke]

Hardly! Although... back in College, mid 90s, I was profiled by a long-since defunct hardcopy Apple Newsletter for using what I guess back then was considered (wrongly, I hasten to add) sophisticated sequencing equipment. Pretty silly stuff, but I remember having to meet the author and photographer.

[Luke]

Update 1:

Turns out my solution (Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil) for getting sound from the Stem Printing Mac into the main DAW/Speakers for monitoring doesn't sync audio to video. This makes it impossible to properly watch any video, never mind something that is supposed to be frame-accurate. Should have thought of that.

After spending another day on it trying to find a better software solution, I finally admitted defeat. The SSL Alpha 8 is on its way and will allow me to connect all the synths (freeing up important mic pres on the UFX+) and somewhat uniquely for an ADAT expander, connect to my older Mac via USB as an audio interface and therefore pull double-duty (compatibility might be an issue, though I don't think so and am willing to take the punt).
https://solidstatelogic.com/products/alpha8

Airfoil is still a cool piece of software that worked in every other respect with the exception of the latency/sync issue. Still recommended.