How can I keep my Macbook Pro cool and avoid fan noise? I use my MacBook pro for audio recording. With the summer coming up, the fans tend to come on more often, which can be a problem. Recording audio is fairly processor-intensive (especially when using plug-ins for monitoring), making this problem worse. This was actually less of an issue with my iMac G5 than it is with the Macbook Pro that's replacing it. 

The obvious solution is to record in an air-conditioned room with good ventilation. However, that's not always possible. 

It would at least be nice if I had some warning so this doesn't happen without warning in the middle of a take. How would I monitor this situation? Do the fans come on when the temperature gets to a certain point? Is it strictly related to CPU and hard drive load? Is it possible for me to install something that will let me know how long I have until the fan noise starts? 



I'm using a Macbook Pro 13" 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5, with conventional hard drives (i.e., not SSDs), 8MB RAM, OSX 10.6.7
Fan speeds are related to the temperature of your laptop.  If you're just interested in monitoring the temps, iStat Menus ($16) has an excellent temperature monitor that sits in your menu bar and can track any of the dozen temperature sensors built into your MBP.



There are a few apps which purport to allow you to control your Apple laptop fan speeds.

EDIT: Updated Aug 2018


Macs Fan Control -- $15, last updated Mar 2018
smcFanControl -- Free, last updated Oct 2016, many users report that they can set fan speeds high, but not low


I've found that the best solution to keeping my computer cool and the fans off, even when really tasking the processor, is to put it on a little stand to allow plenty of airflow underneath.  The one I swear by is a Podium Pad from 2004 which was discontinued long ago -- but there are many alternatives.  If you keep your laptop on your lap, almost any simple lap desk can help a lot, keeping the computer on a firm surface to let the fans do their work without smothering them with fabric/skin.  There are also active cooling pads with fans in them, some of which are very well-reviewed.

Finally, I'm not sure what you're recording, but you could try using a directional USB microphone to eliminate extraneous noise from your recording environment.  There are many excellent options on Amazon for under $100 (be sure it is Mac-compatible before purchasing).