rackmount g4 server, perfect for musicians? Options

[Francois Déchery]

i had the chance to see a xserve IRL, and i must say its so pretty

BUT the fans make an awfull loud (really loud) noise.
it woud just be impossible to make music near that machine.

Another surprise was the size: It's flat, yes, but it's so deep!!!! : Depth: 28 inches (71.1 cm)
I've never seen any deeper rack before xServe
(you would have to buy special-deep racks to fit it in.)
this photo shows the depth:
http://www.apple.com/xserve/specs.html

BTW I still don't konw if it works with OS9.

Here is my dream machine if used for music...
http://www.apple.com/xserve/
(right picture)

[lepetitmartien]

i had the chance to see a xserve IRL, and i must say its so pretty  :rolleyes:  :)  :)

you… you… YOU… (frantic madness)

BUT the fans make an awfull loud (really loud) noise.
it woud just be impossible to make music near that machine.

Quite normal, it's for old timers rock'n roll, it's written in the ads (Rack'n ROLL

In heavy metal, nobody hear you scream

BTW I still don't konw if it works with OS9.

Maybe, buit the most important feature needs X, the cluster!

Here is my dream machine if used for music...
http://www.apple.com/xserve/
(right picture)

I don't know where to put it, it won't pass thru the door room BUT I DON't CARE I WANT ONE

BTW, the screen is soooooooo tiny you can't see it

more seriously, the noise issue can maybe be cured (different speed modulate fan, plenty of air around it…) but the cluster thing doesn't need to be where you work behind you Neumann (ooops I've said the N word

[BTW Steve, change my basket from 10 G5 2 AGP 6 PCI to 10 2G5 Xserve that'll do ]

[damann]

lepetitmartien, sometimes i think you should be a professional comedian.
what? a monitor smaller than the one that comes free with g4's?
soifs' comments were very sensible, and welcome, this machine is looking worse by the minute, too "deep" for me!
"fan noise" has ceased to be an issue for a long time now (monitor/keyboard extenders), 1u rackmounting remains, on paper, a "perfect solution for musicians".
"clustering" remains something steinberg want us to get excited about.
i'll listen to apple before steinberg anyday!
oh yes, and in MANY years to come, neumann vintage valve mics will remain "iconic", to forever be "modelled" and "referenced", indeed, "revered".
peace to all, keep it coming, here's to a rackmounting future...

[lepetitmartien]

lepetitmartien, sometimes i think you should be a professional comedian.

Actually (I know it's baaaaaaaaaad english) I work on little analog gizmos for torture audio out of synths… soon to be available, but I'm a graphic designer… really too shy (yes I'm shy! Believe it or not) to be a comedian.

what? a monitor smaller than the one that comes free with g4's?

There's no screen on these racks… that's what I was having fun of, for once, we won't have rants upon "you can't edit on the LCD of this rack, just too small etc etc"

too "deep" for me!

not really an issue… a big deep rack… away (noise, the issue!)

"clustering" remains something steinberg want us to get excited about.
i'll listen to apple before steinberg anyday!

Me too, just because as it's system level (hope I'm not saying something to be killed spot on by psychic developers it'll be just NEAT.

oh yes, and in MANY years to come, neumann vintage valve mics will remain "iconic", to forever be "modelled" and "referenced", indeed, "revered".

I've given yesterday a link to héral to drool on… with… studio porn (Neumanns naked!

More seriously (can I?) I talked a bit with guys for F…E that makes mostly pro racks (pre, processing…) in Frankfürt. Their belief was that all studio stuff save pre are going to be DSP soon (a few years). Imagine clusters iin studios ? That's their use.

But I still think we'll miss the big knobs/build like a tank (or not)/check that oldy that can't be serviced anymore but is f… great. And it'll be too easy… with presets…

But on computer side. great!

And there will be some place for Schoeps and co FAR from the evil fans.

well enough analogue ranting I'm OT partly (Moderation Day today

[Synthetik]

The Rack Mount server really interests me. Besides for the rack mountedness. It runns OS X Server. I have 4 Macs networked in my studio and with the improvments with OS 10.2 a netwrkers dream. I can't want for OS 10.2 Server.

[lepetitmartien]

I think the server version is already here (2-3 weeks already in fact…)

Check it…

[damann]

hi lepetitmartien and everybody else!!!
LPM, your humour is always a great reason to keep returning to these forums.
this post is really to let everybody know that the new SOS has a very interesting article on the g4 rack beasty. this can be read on their site by non-subscribers (how very kind), and they promise to be following this through over the next few issues.
they seem extremely confident about its useability re the macmusic community, and say they're going to be reviewing it v.soon.
oh yeah, and LPM (do you mind this abbreviation?), the comments by your chums in frankfurt are music to my ears. i sold all the "heavy metal" in my studio.
all i've kept is my neumann and akg mics, my neve mic pre's and my 1176 compressors. these collectively are my "front end", everything else is DSP. logic is my desk, tape machine, outboard fx, and instruments!!!
f^*k "big knobs", i read my "studio porn" on LCD.
cheers everybody, i'll be back soon...

[lepetitmartien]

SOS arrived this very morning I saw the article but haven't found the time to devour it.

BTW the central heating bill of your studio will rise getting that virtual

[damann]

i'm thinking of replacing my central heating with a rack of akai samplers.
i can cook my food on them as well!
summers will never be the same again, slaving over a hot sampler...

[rickenbacker]

For a first-hand user's impressions of the new rackmount server, see the UK MacUser magazine letters page this issue (vol 18, no 15). Key quote: "It was finally switched on. What a noise! It sounded like a Boeing 737 on idle...it's so loud we can't work".