#390811 - 02/08/00 04:39 PM
New Studio: PC, Mac or both?
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Dan Chiasson
Member
Registered: 02/08/00
Posts: 1
Loc: Moncton, NB, Canada
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I'm just starting to build a small project studio. I currently have both a PC and a Mac and I can't decide which should be used for digital recording and which for my very small MIDI rig.
On the recording side, I need a good sound card with flexible I/O to get me started (Korg 1212, Event Gina, etc.). On the MIDI side, I need a card or interface (MOTU - FastLane, SoundBlaster Live! Platinum, etc.). Should I dedicate one machine to 'MIDI only' and the other to recording? Or is it easier to have it all on one machine (for sync'ing, etc)?
------------- Here are some specs: --------
PC:
Pentium III 333Mhz
Windows 98
64 MB RAM (need more!)
6GB drive
USB
Mac (it's a clone):
PowerComputing PowerTowerPro 250Mhz (PowerPC 604e, 5 avail. PCI slots; this non-Apple Mac rivals the original G3's in terms of speed)
Mac OS9
64MB RAM (need more!)
2GB 7200rpm fast SCSI drive
SCSI jaz 1GB drive
SCSI zip drive
SCSI Yamaha CDR/RW
no USB
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My initial thinking was that the Mac would be better for recording because of its SCSI devices; however, a good SCSI card could be easily added to the PC. Above all, versatility and lower cost are important factors.
Thanks in advance for your advice. Any advice is much appreciated.
Dan Chiasson (dan@ciii.net)
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#390812 - 02/08/00 11:09 PM
Re: New Studio: PC, Mac or both?
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Roger Nichols
Platinum Member
Registered: 12/13/99
Posts: 1249
Loc: Miami, Florida
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Dan
Well, I prefer the Mac for audio recording, but it depends on what you want to do. The Mac is better at doing two things at once. With OMS (Opcode's Open Music System) you can sync multiple programs rumming on the same Mac at the same time. Opcode is having some problems right now, but so many programs use OMS that I bet someone will keep it going.
I have received a lot of questions from guys who have sync problems running multiple programs on PC.
You could run a program like Logic audio or Cakewalk or Vision or.... that do both audio recording and MIDI at the same time in one program. This is the best for small systems because you don't have to worry about sync.
If you are later going to sync to external devices then you will need a sync box like the MOTU MTP-AV, or the Opcode 64XTC (or whatever it is called).
The external syn box will allow transfer in and out of ADATs or DA-88s or other recording machines that one of your friends might have.
If budget is a big factor, then maybe some used gear will help you decide on hich platform to use.
A setup like the MOTU 2448 or Yamaha's eight track card that includes hardware EQ and dynamics are a couple of choices that I would look at.
Good Luck
Roger
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