My MacBook Pro Docking Setup, Surrounded by Cool LED’s After sharing a photo of my MacBook Pro Docking setup on Instagram and Facebook, I received quite a few requests to post some information on the products in the photo. I wasn’t even expecting to get so many responses from the photo, but I was frequently complimented for the lighting and layout. Hopefully this post outlines what you’re wanting to know, for those that have asked. I also greatly appreciated your comments and feedback from when I shared the photo online! I tend to re-arrange or reconfigure my desk every few months for my home office, and I am liking this one the best so far.
Spdif/USB converter vs DAC upgrade. This setup is only used during parties when people want to play you-tube/spotify stuff. However I am thinking about buying a NAS and use DBpoweramp to rip my CD collection. I gather the direct I/O access on A+ may conflict with other OS I/O commands but on my dedicated for music Mac Mini, it has not. The SPDIF SYNCH red LED actually does light up. As soon as i switch it to that setting, the input display on the MAC's audio settings pane starts to Clip. And keeps oscillating between near-clipping and clipping levels.
Especially with the addition of the new MacBook Pro 15 with the 4 USB-C ports. Currently, I am running the New MacBook Pro 15″ with Touch Bar. Incase you are curious, I am listing out the specs below. You can actually, and depending on where you are living, might save from paying tax at your local Apple Store.
Variant: MLH42LL/A Model: MacBook Pro w/ Touch Bar (15″) Processor:2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz GPU: Intel HD Graphics 530 + Radeon Pro 460 w/ 4GB Color: Space Grey Ram: 16GB Storage: 1TB The Best MacBoook Pro Docking Solution for USB-C One of the reasons that inspired this new “Setup” for me was because of the introduction of USB-C into the new MacBook Pro’s from Apple. They have finally given us a way to dock to an external display, split out USB peripherals, and charge the laptop all within a single (USB-C) port. The new MacBook Pro 15, comes with 4 USB-C ports – 2 on the left, and 2 on the right side.
I didn’t appreciate the hidden feature this provides for docking until I ran into the need, but you can “dock” from either side of the laptop. For me, this has been a long time coming. I was following the, ever since the news broke in 2014 about the new USB plug and interfacing possibilities.
I realized along time ago, that this could really simplify and cut back on all of the charging cables I typically carry around. So naturally, when I picked up the new MacBook Pro, I began to streamline my desk. After researching all of the different USB-C docks out there, I landed on the best solution. The. There are plenty of MacBoook Pro Docking alternatives out there. Some that have multiple USB-C Power-In ports, display ports, ethernet ports and more. For me, this was just perfect.
The Apple USB-C AV Multiport Adapter (long-name it seems?) isn’t really a dock, but it serves the same purpose as a dock. It’s very small or discreet, and is something you could easily tote around in your bag. It’s larger portion, while thinner, isn’t any larger than about 2 matchboxes. Does anyone ever compare matchboxes to anything anymore? Hmm For charging the laptop, I connect the, into the USB-C AV Multiport Adapter, as well as a that plugs into my Monitor for video.
From the Monitor, I also have a USB cable running into the adapter, which then allows the Monitor to act as a Hub (since it has 5 USB Ports within it) – 1 On the back of the monitor and 4 within the back panel. The Dell UltraSharp U2715H 27-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitor As for the Monitor, it’s one of my favorites from Dell. A thin-bezel, 27″ Display, capable of outputting 2560×1440 (QHD) lines of resolution. It supports DisplayPort 1.2, IN and OUT, HDMI IN, has a built-in USB Hub and an allows for audio line in and speaker out.
On a side note – you could always run a, and plug it into one of the extra MacBook Ports if you ever needed to use the HDMI port for another purpose. Additionally, if you wanted to daisy chain multiple monitors (2+ external displays connected together,) then that’s your best bet while using the USB-C AV Adapter from Apple. My Customized Razer BlackWidow Chroma Stealth They keyboard I am running is one of the best mechanical keyboards around. No doubt about it. I tried the, (the Smaller version without the 10-Key or Macro Keys) and ended up sending it back. However, that’s not to say the compact is a bad keyboard. I had just tried it and ordered the “clicky” version, not knowing any better.
The “clicky” version, isn’t the “quite” version by the way I decided that I preferred the 10-Keys instead. So I went with the larger keyboard (as pictured above) and configured it with the Stealth (Orange) keys option inside instead. The Orange Mechanical Switches, found inside of the “Stealth” keyboard, lack the “Clicky Noise” you hear while pressing down on any key. Unlike the non-stealth version (which include the Razer “Green” keys) have the tactile and audible “click” inside of them. The click, is appreciated by many, but for me, it was too distracting.
Therefor the Stealth option was what I went for. I took it a step further by installing O-Ring Dampeners under every key.
You just need a, the, and about 35-45 spare minutes to complete the task. The dampeners, actually soften or dampen the sound from the key “crashing” noise when the key-press bottoms out on the keyboard. So now, I have a pretty sweet mechanical keyboard, with next to zero lag, and it’s not all that noisy. It may not be as quite as an Apple Keyboard, or the (my only other favorite keyboard ever) but it’s quite enough for me. Without going into too much further detail, the keyboard has full RGB color spectrum customization options for EVERY key. You can customize the color themes or macro functions via the bundled Razer Synapse software. Razer Mamba Chroma Wireless Gaming Mouse The 2nd Razer product in the RGB matching theme that I have going is the.
The Razer Mamba Chroma which also has the full RGB color customization options, and can run in wired or wireless mode. Wired mice, are wired mice. They will likely always have the fastest response times, but the cable, get’s in the way, too often. That’s where wireless has the leg up. I also really like how it lights up to match the keyboard and mousepad. What’s great about this one, is that if your battery runs low while you are using the mouse, you can always plug it in and keep going. The included charging dock, holds the Razer Mamba while not in use.
The same semi-proprietary Micro-USB cable that powers the dock, can be removed and can plug right into the mouse itself. Luckily, you won’t need to run two separate cables to pull this off – it’s just a well thought out feature from Razer. Razer FireFly Chroma Gaming Mousepad The 3rd and final product I am currently running in the theme, is the. It’s a really tricked out mousepad that comes in both soft-touch, and hard-touch plastic variants. They give you two choices to choose from. If you want the tighter mouse movement “control,” then go for the soft variant over the “hard.” The hard surface variant will give you faster and looser movement on the mousepad. I feel as if the softer option, puts less wear or strain on your wrists for whatever reason.
Logically it makes sense, but they are both firm surfaces, so I am not exactly sure if I can back that up, but either way. I am more comfortable using and really enjoy the “Soft” version. The Rest of the Gadgets & Accessories As you can see, it’s quite a minimal setup. It doesn’t take much to get a look like what is pictured at the beginning of this post.
Before finishing up here, I wanted to mention a few more products that you may have noticed in the photo. For the ambient lighting coming from behind the Dell U2715H monitor, I have a. It’s not dimmable, but is one of the cheapest and easiest-to-apply options out there.
It plugs right into the 1 extra USB Port, found on the back of the monitor. So, when I turn my monitor on, the LED Strip illuminates, and vice-versa for when I turn the monitor, “off.” You may have spotted a, which is the latest Tab S2 refresh (SM-T713) currently available from Samsung. Next to it, you will see an Unlocked iPhone 7 32GB (in Black) connected up to the world via T-Mobile.
What you actually do not see in the photo, (I just put it back into place under the monitor after taking the shot,) was my. I use that wireless charger to keep my and the iPhone 7 charged up.
Lastly, you might have spotted something dangling from the top left cabinets in the photo. If you’ve enjoyed this post or have found it to be helpful, I would greatly appreciate you sharing this write-up online with friends! Let me know if you have any questions or comments below!
Just buy some optical cables. Then plug the outs and ins into each other from the macbook to the spdif device you want to send/receive audio to/from. That's pretty much all there is to it. You may have to switch your audio in/out to digital in the sound control panel if you want to hear the system sound out of the digital btw.
As an example, i've connected to a presonus central station this way, and it just works as advertised. The difference in sound when you compare to the analog output of a mac is quite startling. First, let me say that I'm new to Mac, and I don't quite 'get it' yet, but I've really struggled with this Optical I/O. This is too bad, since the only reason that I bought it was to record music. Here is what I've learned. You have to configure the Audio devices from a control panel that is in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder on the Hard Drive.
Within this Control Panel you can configure the use of this device, along with the Microphone input and the Built in Speaker Outputs. This Panel lets you select something called an Aggregate Device, which as best I can surmise is an integrated view of I/O for this port, but I can't quite master its use. After a few weeks I was able to get the input working. I take a Digitial COAX S/PDIF signal out of a Behringer Digital mixing board using a Digital COAX cable (has RCA type plugs) that I bought a a local Best Buy.
You have to convert S/PDIF into optical by a conversion box. When I bought the Mac, they told me that I could find these converters at any Radio Shack. This has NOT proven to be true. I tried local Radio Shacks, Best Buys, Comp USAs, etc.
And I even had some of them tell me that no such device existed. Fortunately, there are many web sites where you can find this, and I used a place Called RAM Electronics from New Jersey. I bought a converter and a cable that had the standard square TOSLINK cable out put. I bought a cable that had the square connecter on one end and the mini TOSLINK connecter on the other. The Mini connector is what you need to input into your Mac. After another week or two of figuring out how to get Logic Express to recognize the input, I was able to play guitar and record into the MBP by this path.
I'd rate that figuring all this out was about on par with learning how to use a new expansion card and application on and Windows machine. However, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY NOT ANY EASIER, and this was a big disappointment for me. I was looking forward to the mythical easy of use of the Mac, and did not find it. Regarding the use of this port for output, I have not been able to figure that out yet. I discovered too late that the adapter I bought from RAM was a uni-directional converter, which didn't convert back from the optical signal to the S/PDIF digital. I went back to the web site and got a device which is bi-directional, and it just showed up this week.
I've tried it, but I am not getting a signal out of the Mac, at all. I guess I have another week ahead of me to try and figure this out. The sound, when listened to via headphones is clean. The plug ins and effects work well. I just need to figure out how to drive the output, and then I'll be a happy camper. If anyone can help with that, I'd be much obliged.
Simple Spdif I/o Setup For Mac
Hope that helps. If somebody tell me it work,i would love to know where and what i bought(adapter,optical converter etc) to make it work, thx The Fostex COP-1 (about 85USD from Sam Ash) has long been the most cost effective black box around for bidirectional conversion of optical/coaxial. Supports 24 bit and high sample rates, and even AC3 streams. You'll still need to purchase the appropriate cables though. Once hooked up bidirectionally, set the properties for built-in audio in Audio-MIDI Setup for 'digital' in and out, and clock externally. Be careful as some older cheap DAT machines only transmit clock when actually playing and not while idling. Also, avoid using built-in audio in an aggregated device with anything else.
It can be problematic. I have gotten the optical in AND out working on my MacBook Pro C2D laptop.
What you said above about the need to create an 'aggregate device' in the Audio MIDI utility above is true. I also found the process counter-intutive, but followed the instructions from a previous post on the forum that was great! I think the salespeople were speaking of the 1/8'in jack adapters for the TOSLINK cables. I got my cables and adapters at the Apple Store here is San Francisco. I was connecting optically using the RME FireFace 800 using the TOS connectors on the back of the RME. I also found it a little confusing to get everything working. For me, getting the input from the mic/RME into Logic took some time, but I got it worked out.
It is definitely possible to go optical in and optical out. I did not hear any difference between the optical or firewire in terms of sound quality or latency. They both sound great with unnoticable latency to me. I do have the I/O set at 64 samples and it works great on this machine.
I never have more than one mono mic input at a time. I avoid latency causing plug-ins during recording. I actually went switched back to putting the RME FF800 on a FIreWire800 bus once my Nitro PC ExpressCard firewire 800 card came off backorder. Seemed much more robust than the very delicate optical connections. I had already broken and replaced one optical cable in just two weeks of work. There are several posts on the board about how fragile the 1/8' optical connector is.
Simple Spdif I/o Setup For Macbook Pro
I would be curious if anyone thinks the optical is superior in some way over fire wire, or if once the signal is digital it really makes no difference. I can say my brand new set up if FABULOUS. Fast, rock-solid stable and sounds amazing. John Dee MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo 2.33 - 2 GB RAM - 160 GB HD - 30' Cinema Display Mac OS X (10.4.8) Logic Pro 7.2.3 - RME FireFace 800 - LaCie 'Rugged' 100 GB 7200 RPM FW Drive. I'd rate that figuring all this out was about on par with learning how to use a new expansion card and application on and Windows machine. However, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY NOT ANY EASIER, and this was a big disappointment for me. I was looking forward to the mythical easy of use of the Mac, and did not find it.
The reason that you have not found this easy is because you have chosen (unknowingly of course) to do the most difficult way of getting sound into your Mac. The optical input sounds like it would be a great way to go. It really is not since you are using the Macs A/D and D/A converters which are not as good as, well, as, anybody's. What you should do is get a dedicated audio interface, preferably firewire. The RME Fireface 400 sounds like it would be good for you.
They are a company that makes high quality audio electonics. Regarding the use of this port for output, I have not been able to figure that out yet. I discovered too late that the adapter I bought from RAM was a uni-directional converter, which didn't convert back from the optical signal to the S/PDIF digital.
I went back to the web site and got a device which is bi-directional, and it just showed up this week. I've tried it, but I am not getting a signal out of the Mac, at all.
This would not even be an issue if you had a dedicated interface. I guess I have another week ahead of me to try and figure this out. How much is your time worth. This week could be turned into a few minutes.
The Mac is easier to work with, you just have to know a few things ahead of time. The sound, when listened to via headphones is clean. The plug ins and effects work well. I just need to figure out how to drive the output, and then I'll be a happy camper. If anyone can help with that, I'd be much obliged. That is what an interface is for, It has preamps for boosting the incoming signal and at the least has a headphone amp so you can listen with headphones. You will want to get some kind of power amp eventually to listen to your output, in the meantime you can always bounce your material to an AIFF or MP3 and listen to it in iTunes.
I have gotten the optical in AND out working on my MacBook Pro C2D laptop. What you said above about the need to create an 'aggregate device' in the Audio MIDI utility above is true. I also found the process counter-intutive, but followed the instructions from a previous post on the forum that was great! This feature was designed for when using more than one external device to make them appear in Logic as one device, which is what Logic will only work with. As you found out it can be used with internal audio as one of the devices but that is not the best way to go. I would be curious if anyone thinks the optical is superior in some way over fire wire, or if once the signal is digital it really makes no difference. Digital is digital.
Well, I've solved my problem, and this one can't be laid to blame on the Mac, but only on me. I picked up the instructions for the bi-birectional converter and found out that there is a hard to notice slider switch that allows you to turn off the bi-birectional function. Sure enough, it was turned off on mine. I won't bother to speculate why they added this feature. Nonetheless, when I switched to bi-directional the signal meters on my board came to life and the monitors were filled with sound. So for now, I'm all set, able to both record and play through the optical device, and I'm looking forward to figuring out how to use Logic Express.
Thanks for responding, each answer gave me something to think about, which is never a bad thing. Apple Footer. This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only. Apple may provide or recommend responses as a possible solution based on the information provided; every potential issue may involve several factors not detailed in the conversations captured in an electronic forum and Apple can therefore provide no guarantee as to the efficacy of any proposed solutions on the community forums. Apple disclaims any and all liability for the acts, omissions and conduct of any third parties in connection with or related to your use of the site.
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