Wednesday 25 December 2013

Apple MacBook Pro 13" Retina Review

Firstly, the box. 
The box is pretty much the same as any other Macbook pro, but it is still worth mentioning. you get the power adapter inside as well as the cleaning cloth, Apple stickers, manual and of course the Mac itself. Everything looks fantastic.     



 To the mac! It is a beautiful machine and compared to the older model, it is much lighter which is great because it was like carrying an anchor around in your bag. 

The first thing I think should be mentioned is the features which are; on the left there are 2 thunderbolt, 1 USB, magsafe power adapter and a headphone jack, all of which seem much more sturdy than the previous mac, on the right is another USB port, an HDMI port and a port for a camera memory card. 












The keyboard has always been a fantastic feature on all of the Mac range as it is so nice to type on. It is effortless and comfortable as well as having great build quality. The retina MacBooks are much thinner than previous macs yet they still feel as strong, if not more strong. The glass trackpad is also something that makes a Mac stand out more than any other PC, it is so smooth and easy to use, it seems that they are more responsive on the new series and you can still customise the gestures, for example you can change it so that swiping three fingers up can either open the mission control, check notifications, change pages etc. the same can be done for all kinds of gestures, or you can turn then off. 

I have the late 13" model with 2.4 GHz intel i5 processor and 4 GB of Ram. I haven't been able to test it properly yet as I haven't purchased Logic Pro X which is the software I use for music production, as well as not having Photoshop so will maybe do another short review when i have them to compare the speed and power of the machine. 
Some of the apps you get free with the mac is, Garageband, iMovie, Keynote, Photo Booth as the most important ones, which are all great, and are the most up to date version. 

So far it is the best piece of kit I have used and would definitely recommend to anyone in the creative industry.  

In my honest opinion, I don't think you should purchase it if you are not intending on using it for either music production, movie editing, voice over, engineering (CAD) or anything else that involves lots of CPU. It is too expensive for you to buy if you are only going to be using it for web search or typing. 

I hope this has been useful and has urged people to buy it because it is a fantastic machine and I really am excited to test it properly with Logic and Photoshop. 
I will do another short review when i have tested the new software on it, until then, decide on whether it is for you or not. 

Noctryne 
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Merry Christmas All!

I have finally gotten my hands on a new MacBook Pro with retina, after a month of constant slating it for a lack of a CD port however, I have ended up with one anyway as the kind people at the Apple store convinced me that they are such a better laptop. And they were right, I compared it side to side with an older model with the same specs and it just blew the older model away! I love it!

I am not just bragging about getting a new laptop here by the way. It means that now I can finally start blogging more and working on more tracks. My last computer pretty much exploded on me which was the final straw for windows, never again will I use them!

Speaking of tracks, I have just finished my debut EP ''Dystopia'' which ca be found here: https://soundcloud.com/noctrynemusic/sets/dystopia-ep 

It features new edits of my tracks 'Dystopia' and 'Echoes' which I was quite proud of and can't wait to start making more music and artwork. 

My girlfriend has also brought out her debut EP this week and it's fantastic! give it a listen here on sound cloud: https://soundcloud.com/triptocaine/sets/beyond-the-astral-plane-ep

I will do a review of the new mac in another post for all you techies that would like to know about it from my point of view and whether or not it's worth buying. I will also be blogging more on my life in Leeds with my girlfriend, my music, college/work and general thoughts. 

I hope you all had a great Christmas and got what you's wanted and had a great dinner! (Christmas dinner is the most important part for me). 

Until next time

Noctryne
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Thursday 26 September 2013



This is my latest track entitled 'Dystopia'. It took me a long time to realise where to go with this track but, I felt a sudden surge of inspiration when my girlfriend and I stayed at our new apartment in Leeds for the first time.


I had great fun recording this track.
It just came so fluidly! 
I can definitely feel the vibe in the new place. There were no distractions either as the place is very bare at the moment. 


My girlfriend and I are very excited to be moving in permanently next year. We have lots of work to do in the meantime so be ready for lots more music from both Triptocaine and myself, as well  as Capriquarius.


I am currently working on another chillout/ambient track, so listen up for more in the coming weeks.










Noctryne.
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Tuesday 20 August 2013

Solace.



This is the first track I made for Noctryne entitled 'Solace'. I have been fascinated by chillout music lately and I am working on composing more as I love experimenting with this style. 

I feel a much better creative vibe these days and I understand the software that I use more now too. 
For anyone who wants to know, I use Logic Pro 9, I can't wait to get my hands on Logic Pro X!

I am making all my future music available to download on BandCamp, I have made a link to your right if you wish to download any of my music.

Noctryne.
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Tuesday 13 August 2013

Deadwood Leather.

Deadwood Leather Biker Jacket
Gabriel Galiente
Deadwood Leather Vest


I have been obsessing over leather biker jackets lately and Deadwood Leather have really pulled it off. 


I am a sucker for old vintage western items and old bottles and things, so when I found that deadwood do beard wax, I instantly thought I need to grow a beard and start using this stuff!
Deadwood Beard Wax

Sunday 28 July 2013

Who am I?

Hi, My name is Nathan McGill, I am 18 years old and am a music producer based in the UK. 
In the past few months my music and I have been under the alias of 'Natgehurn' which I have never been impressed with. I have been thinking up new ideas for my new alias and here it is 'Noctryne', I am picky sometime and this is one of those things, it's pronounced ''Noctreen'', Suppose that's what I get for using a word that was made up.
If you have read my previous blog then you will know that I have been going through a bit of a rough spot which I could not have gotten through with the help and support of my girlfriend whom I have the greatest respect for. 
I am now back on track and working my hardest on my music and promotion as well as anything else I can work with along the way including my art and possibly writing. 

I will be blogging much more often than my previous blog and will carry on working with my music. For now please be patient and I will have the links up and running very soon! 

Thank you for reading,

Nathan. 
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