PreSonus Forums

I use a mid 2014 MacBook Pro with a quad core Intel 2.5 GHz and a really basic BOSS Interface. It doesn’t seem to support very low block sizes and my CPU gets taxed pretty heavily that low anyway. I’d love to use lower buffers in general for lower latency when playing and recording virtual instruments since I dislike going into my menu to switch buffers and Low Latency Monitoring for Instruments has a lot of annoying kinks.

At the risk of asking too general a question, would I be better served by getting a Quantum and hooking it up over Thunderbolt or should I wait until I assemble a better computer? Guess I’m wondering if that CPU could get me low latency if I plugged in a Quantum. I know some guys here use MacBook Pros so was hoping someone had a similar computer and could tell me how it fares with a higher end interface.

Quantums are real fast.
1-2 ms RTL
But why are you not using drop out protections?

I use Max dropout protection and it helps the CPU load, should have mentioned that.

But from my testing my BOSS interface just doesn’t support low block sizes.

Sounds like an interface upgrade would be good.

You should list your latency and use case.
Input device type of recording etc.
There are many less expensive options.

I’d say the interface is what needs to be upgraded in your case. Your CPU should be good, but obviously the faster the clock cycles, the better your performance will be in terms of latency. So eventually a computer upgrade would get you all the way there. But the interface upgrade should give you the most bang for your buck, especially if you go with thunderbolt or a USB interface from a company such as RME. In my experience RME drivers are second to none. Not only are they super stable, but they give amazing latency especially when considering the types of low latency achievable with their USB interfaces.

You’ll need to provide more info regarding what you need in an interface, as well as a budget, in order to get targeted recommendations that will be helpful.