System Spec Roll Call

For those that don't mind contributing, can you share a quick rundown of your Ren/Stuio setup and how well its working, in YOUR humble opinion? I see some have specs in their sig but how well does that config work for you?

This may help give people working sytems or ballpark configs that may offer them decent performance options for what they are trying to do, or if what they already have can work.

Ren or Studio, software version
Mac or PC, Desktop or laptop, OS, CPU, Ram
External hardware connected optional

These are examples only!

Ren 1.3 hit and miss performance
Acer Aspire laptop, Vista, celeron 1.9Ghz, 4GB Ram
Behringer UCA202 Audio Interface


Mpc Studio 1.4 decent performance
imac, core i5 2.5Ghz 4gb Ram
M-Audio Firewire solo


Studio 1.4 Some crashes at closing
HP Envy laptop, Win7, intel core i5 2.5Ghz, 8GB ram
maudio mtrack


Ren 1.4 Fairly stable
Custom build desktop, Win8, AMD FX 8350 4GHz 8core, 16GB ram
maudio fast track ultra

MPC Ren OS G14 classified (Very nice)
Mac Mini, OSX 10.8.4
2.3 Ghz Intel Core i5
16 GB

Thx Jah. I cannot wait to get home Thursday night so i can unbox and start playing with my studio and loading up some of my 5k songs on it and such...

Then again it may be Friday as i am contemplating building a new system to install software on and connect to. I am still uncertain how using multiple PCs as I do at home and on the road may affect licensing. I am often upgrading or replacing or building something new and do not like to have to go thru it being locked to a couple systems. Should be null and void since you have to have the controller connected to use the software anyway, but oh well...

I am setting aside my monthly allowance to splurge/invest in a computer that should last me for awhile.....the new Mac Pro's reportedly coming out this year.

early 2011 mac book pro 13 i7 2.7 dual core osx 10.7.5

ren on 128 samples buffer... version 1.4

very stable performance running no plugins at alll.. And using only as sampler.
Live response it very good.. (done some live pad bashing sets.. With no funny business.. super stable)

Only issues are known undo issue.. and some wierd crashes with long mp3 song imports(which i suspect is mp3 specific issue)

HAven't stressed it all as i use mostly hardware gear for instrument like pgms ... and the ren as only drums and sample chops...

dazastah wrote:early 2011 mac book pro 13 i7 2.7 dual core osx 10.7.5

ren on 128 samples buffer... version 1.4

very stable performance running no plugins at alll.. And using only as sampler.
Live response it very good.. (done some live pad bashing sets.. With no funny business.. super stable)

Only issues are known undo issue.. and some wierd crashes with long mp3 song imports(which i suspect is mp3 specific issue)

HAven't stressed it all as i use mostly hardware gear for instrument like pgms ... and the ren as only drums and sample chops...

That doesn't sound bad to get stable performance from 3 yr old technology. Like to see how it goes as you push it harder and do more then lay drums and chop samples. Still tho, I could imagine the potential with twice the ram and quad core CPU...

mac pro 2.1
two 3 GHz quad core xeon, 16gb ram, 600gb hd, osx 10.6

Ren v1.4
Mac Mini Server i7 Quad-core. SSD HD. 8GB RAM
Motif ES8, Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
Kontact Player w/ Abbey Road 60's Drums, 70's Drums, and 80's Drums.

Crashes upon quitting the app (stand alone) most of the time. Though recording has been mostly trouble free.

turnstile wrote:Ren v1.4
Mac Mini Server i7 Quad-core. SSD HD. 8GB RAM
Motif ES8, Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
Kontact Player w/ Abbey Road 60's Drums, 70's Drums, and 80's Drums.

Crashes upon quitting the app (stand alone) most of the time. Though recording has been mostly trouble free.

The mostly trouble free recording is a good look

MPCTNT wrote:That doesn't sound bad to get stable performance from 3 yr old technology. Like to see how it goes as you push it harder and do more then lay drums and chop samples. Still tho, I could imagine the potential with twice the ram and quad core CPU...

Yep.. I just had a run with it again....

This time as a plugin through reaper...

Had 2 long streaming files stereo mix and a click track in reaper...

The stereo mix had a volume plugin which was sidechain from the mpc au plugin track... Get some phat sidchaining effect so the drums duck the stereo mix....

reaper on 64 buffer samples at 24 bit 44k..

No glitches....
Mighty impressive for live show....

Mite see if it can handle two microphones with some automated effects....

dazastah wrote:

MPCTNT wrote:That doesn't sound bad to get stable performance from 3 yr old technology. Like to see how it goes as you push it harder and do more then lay drums and chop samples. Still tho, I could imagine the potential with twice the ram and quad core CPU...

Yep.. I just had a run with it again....

This time as a plugin through reaper...

Had 2 long streaming files stereo mix and a click track in reaper...

The stereo mix had a volume plugin which was sidechain from the mpc au plugin track... Get some phat sidchaining effect so the drums duck the stereo mix....

reaper on 64 buffer samples at 24 bit 44k..

No glitches....
Mighty impressive for live show....

Mite see if it can handle two microphones with some automated effects....

Nice... How much ram in that box, 4GB?

Ren V1.4 (crashes sometimes on closing)
Mid 2012 15" MacBook Pro quad core, 2.6GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB ram, OSX 10.7.5
Kontakt 9 pretty much fully loaded (usually run at least 3 instances) Usually stable, a few crashes here & there. Gotta learn to save, save, save!
Maschine 1.8 No issues as VST inside Ren (usually for sound library)
EWQL Symphonic Choirs w/ Wordbuilder (tricky as a VST but worth it)

GedaBlaq wrote:Ren V1.4 (crashes sometimes on closing)
Mid 2012 15" MacBook Pro quad core, 2.6GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB ram, OSX 10.7.5
Kontakt 9 pretty much fully loaded (usually run at least 3 instances) Usually stable, a few crashes here & there. Gotta learn to save, save, save!
Maschine 1.8 No issues as VST inside Ren (usually for sound library)
EWQL Symphonic Choirs w/ Wordbuilder (tricky as a VST but worth it)

I keep hearing about 1.4 crashing on closing. I am out of town for work, as I am every week but returning to ATL tonight, and my Studio is there waiting for some testing. If one of the things I have to look forward to is crashing when I close it, I can deal with that. Hey I am finished doing what I was doing.

I question how many just 'leave it open' extended periods and only close when nessesary? (Just lock sytem, hibernate, etc... and walk away.) I never shutdown my desktop unless forced to do so, and always leave apps running on laptop, but hibernate it and resume with whatever apps I had going. (About to get a new laptop after work or tomorrow cause I am far overdue for one)

specs are in my sig! Only issue ive had were incompatible plug-ins but besides that,pretty stable.Used the Ren last night with reaper 4.5 using my RME interface to record samples and had the MPC software open as well to record the samples back in the Ren,No probs at all.

optik415 wrote:specs are in my sig! Only issue ive had were incompatible plug-ins but besides that,pretty stable.Used the Ren last night with reaper 4.5 using my RME interface to record samples and had the MPC software open as well to record the samples back in the Ren,No probs at all.

Thx Opt!

One thing I wonder and I don't need fact as "USER" opinion will do for me... in the Windoze realm, do most prefer the more stable win7 over win8 for MPC software. We know Micro$oft often has application compatibility issues upon new reelases of OSes and the app vendors are forced to make updates and patches that work with whatever M$ decides to change from version to version...

(Ohhh let me hack a way to get this software to work on one of my linux systems... lol)

My studio home waiting for me so I will be up late tonight giving it a test drive