#989517 - 04/13/04 03:53 PM
PC vs Mac
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silverrain1
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Registered: 04/13/04
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I am looking to buy a laptop ($1500-$1700) that can record music,but still indecisive between PC or Mac.
I heard different opions:
- PC can run many recording programs fater than Mac (?)
- Mac support picture and sound better, more user-friendly, encouraging creativity (?)
Anybody who is experienced with both Mac and PC in recording business, please help me out with some advice, analysis, or quote some website address
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#989518 - 04/13/04 05:59 PM
Re: PC vs Mac
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doug osborne
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Registered: 08/15/00
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Loc: Culver City, CA, US
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I use both in music and business, and I disagree with both of the stated opinions.
Choose the software and hardware you want to record with, and let that dictate your platform choice.
Windows XP and Mac OSX are both very stable OSs, and hardware can be very reliable on both.
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#989519 - 04/13/04 06:42 PM
Re: PC vs Mac
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Bill@Welcome Home Studios
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You spend your time in the software, so you should be looking at the software, finding the one that you are most comfortable with, then buying the hardware/OS to support that choice.
Bill
_________________________
"...it's easier than hitting the kids, and almost as much fun..."
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#989520 - 04/21/04 06:35 PM
Re: PC vs Mac
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karambos
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Registered: 01/01/04
Posts: 63
Loc: Munich
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How handy are you with computers? If you know what you're doing and how to get things fixed when they go wrong get Cubase and a PC. It's not faster, necessarily (have you seen the specs for a Mac G5?) but you get more bang for your buck (i.e. it's cheaper).
If you want reliability and you want to use what most people use - get Logic and a Mac. It's more expensive, but more comfortable to use.
My advice is - either way - get a mac.
_________________________
mac dual 1GHz MDD, 1,25GB RAM OS10.3.5
Logic Audio Platinum 6
Opcode Studio 4
Audiowerk 2
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#989521 - 04/22/04 01:16 AM
Re: PC vs Mac
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Sean Eldon
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Registered: 04/19/04
Posts: 462
Loc: Long Island
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It was never even a toss up for me. Here:
PCs and Windows-based machines were created and are sold primely based on their ease-of-use. This "ease-of-use" stuff is nice if you don't know how to write an email, but it also creates limits on everything that the OS can do.
Macs were created and are sold primely based on their capabilities, especially in the categories of sound and graphics. The specs on the hardware can't even be reckoned with when it comes to this stuff. All major movies are edited on Macs. Most platinum selling records (that aren't analog) are done on Mac-based computer studios. It's worth it to save up the extra money and go for one of these.
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#989522 - 04/22/04 01:49 AM
Re: PC vs Mac
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Bill@Welcome Home Studios
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Both of you guys are wrong. Way wrong.
The BIG selling point the the Mac originally was ease of use, via the GUI.
There is little difference among machine capabilities, the real difference is in the software... how well it is written and how well it uses the hardware.
Bill
_________________________
"...it's easier than hitting the kids, and almost as much fun..."
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#989523 - 04/30/04 11:11 PM
Re: PC vs Mac
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artnoiser
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Registered: 12/02/00
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Loc: Asuncion, PARAGUAY
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I myself am a Mac-person. I love Macs and I always will (me thinks now). I (along with 2 buddies) am a proud owner of a DP 1Ghz, on which I love to work with Logic. OSX rules, etc. We also got 2 PCs.
Over the past 2 years, I have seen how you can do exactly the same things on the PC that you can with a Mac. With a bit of effort and time, informing/teaching yourself to be a bit of a comp geek. To me, Macs are simple. To my PC bud however, Macs are sorta complicated ("everything is in weird places").
I have been hankering for some nice preamps, and it turns out someone wants to buy my Mac at a great price. I have considered selling it, getting used to Windows again, and choosing a diff piece of software (there's Logic 5.5 for PC, no new versions). All so I can focus on making my shite sounding better.
So I guess it is a matter of perspective that you agree to adopt. Sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of pure pleasure - you need great gear more than having the choice in what platform you work with vs. you buy great gear and you choose what platform you want to work with because you can afford it, respectively.
One thing I've become increasingly aware of, is that sound - not my favorite platform - is the reason why I do what I do.
juergen
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#989524 - 05/28/04 12:40 AM
Re: PC vs Mac
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ernest828
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Registered: 10/31/00
Posts: 728
Loc: Brooklyn,NY,UNITED STATES
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Was a PC user.
Purchased a MAC.
I`m staying MAC.
Go MAC.
Ernest
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#989525 - 05/28/04 12:58 AM
Re: PC vs Mac
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ViLo
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Registered: 04/24/01
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Loc: Dallas, TX. Estado De Mexico!
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MAC expensive, PC for me 
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#989526 - 06/06/04 11:14 PM
Re: PC vs Mac
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advid
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Registered: 04/08/01
Posts: 61
Loc: Taipei City,,TAIWAN, PROVINCE ...
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For your reference, here're my experiences with both PC & Mac.
Condition.1 : A lot of Plug Ins to be installed and used, MIDI arranging, Recording, Editing....
I use G5 1.5Gig Ram, Powerbook 867 1G ram both running :
Reason, Match 5, Atmosphere, Stylus. The Powerbook will have slow down and noise problem if you plan to run Stylus and Atmosphere. I think even the fastest Apple Powerbook can't provide you the speed you need. Unless it's G5 CPU one of which will not be available any time soon.
The fastest PC seems can run everything more smoothly and with more efficiency on CPU. Still more ram will have better results. An 1 Gig Ram is a must.
The interface : anything Firewire based with ADAT digital interface will be fine. Be that MOTU or Digi 002 rack. You can then use other AD/DA, Mic-Pres like we do. We use Prism, Mytek and Genex for different projects.
Conditions.2 :
If you don't need a lot of plug Ins and soft synth and samplers, the only purpose is for recording and some slight editing works. Then, it doesn't matter for you to choose PC latops or Apple ones. Just follow the software you choose, be that Apple based or more PC side, it's up to you. The learning curve is a lot shortened than ever. Your interface however, would be the most important thing. That includes : AD/DA, Firewire or PCMCIA card ... according to the specs and models you plan to use. Another issue on the quality of AD/DA and interfaces though.
Hope that this helps.
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#989527 - 06/06/04 11:17 PM
Re: PC vs Mac
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advid
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Registered: 04/08/01
Posts: 61
Loc: Taipei City,,TAIWAN, PROVINCE ...
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For your reference, here're my experiences with both PC & Mac.
Condition.1 : A lot of Plug Ins to be installed and used, MIDI arranging, Recording, Editing....
I use G5 1.5Gig Ram, Powerbook 867 1G ram both running :
Reason, Match 5, Atmosphere, Stylus. The Powerbook will have slow down and noise problem if you plan to run Stylus and Atmosphere. I think even the fastest Apple Powerbook can't provide you the speed you need. Unless it's G5 CPU one of which will not be available any time soon.
The fastest PC seems can run everything more smoothly and with more efficiency on CPU. Still more ram will have better results. An 1 Gig Ram is a must.
The interface : anything Firewire based with ADAT digital interface will be fine. Be that MOTU or Digi 002 rack. You can then use other AD/DA, Mic-Pres like we do. We use Prism, Mytek and Genex for different projects.
Conditions.2 :
If you don't need a lot of plug Ins and soft synth and samplers, the only purpose is for recording and some slight editing works. Then, it doesn't matter for you to choose PC latops or Apple ones. Just follow the software you choose, be that Apple based or more PC side, it's up to you. The learning curve is a lot shortened than ever. Your interface however, would be the most important thing. That includes : AD/DA, Firewire or PCMCIA card ... according to the specs and models you plan to use. Another issue on the quality of AD/DA and interfaces though.
Hope that this helps.
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#989528 - 06/25/04 03:43 AM
Re: PC vs Mac
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soundthinker
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Registered: 06/24/04
Posts: 222
Loc: Chicago, IL
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silverrain1-
advid is right, think through the different situations in which you'll be using this computer. Track count/recording/editing ease/synths/etc. are all good things to look at.
But you want a laptop. This gives you another set of conditions that will help you zero in on the right (not perfect) choice. Will you be using it for other non-music tasks elsewhere, while recording in just one place? Do you ever want to record/edit without wall power? If so, can you edit without an interface? (monitoring through the OS audio) Can your interface be powered from the firewire buss for field recording? And for how long? Intensive drive access drastically reduces battery times. Think about size and weight - go to a store and pick up some of the laptops you're looking at. Do LOTS of homework and thinking through your needs. After all this you should have a 'short list' of software-interface-platform combinations that meet your criteria. From there, it will still be a tough choice, but there won't be a 'wrong' choice among them.
My personal preference for audio laptops is Apple-the power per pound per cubic inch fits MY needs and tastes best. But I still have an old Toshiba Satellite laptop with Cool Edit Pro for its FFT filters and other odds and ends when I need to reach for them. I was writing BASIC programs to play monophonic melody lines on a Zenith EasyPC in 85. But now I use Macs almost exclusively for my paid audio work(99% recording/1% composing) When it comes to my total computer usage, I love/hate/use both platforms everyday.
Both platforms have great audio products for them-it is all about what you need.
/jim
_________________________
"...it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lacking patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It is the same in any country."
-Hermann Goering, second in command of the Third Reich
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#989529 - 06/25/04 06:57 AM
Re: PC vs Mac
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bdbklyn
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Registered: 04/04/01
Posts: 1035
Loc: Los Angeles,CA,UNITED STATES
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Originally posted by soundthinker:
I love/hate/use both platforms everyday.
/jim
I had the day from hell trying to redo the mastering room advertisement. The publisher won't accept Microsoft Publisher which I can't get to look good converting to .jpg.
The new studio pics needed to be cropped and you can't do that in Illustrator for Mac at least the version I have, but the picture won't open full size in Photoshop for some strange reason (like I really know what I'm doing with computer graphics anyway.....).
So while I can crop it there....it looks like crap when it gets exported to Illustrator.
So I decided to go see my 22 month old grandaughter...who gave me a hug anyway. She doesn't care about any of that stuff.
_________________________
Studio Guru
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#989530 - 06/26/04 12:22 PM
Re: PC vs Mac
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soundthinker
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Registered: 06/24/04
Posts: 222
Loc: Chicago, IL
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Originally posted by bdbklyn:
So I decided to go see my 22 month old grandaughter...who gave me a hug anyway. She doesn't care about any of that stuff.
/jim
_________________________
"...it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lacking patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It is the same in any country."
-Hermann Goering, second in command of the Third Reich
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#989532 - 06/30/04 02:39 PM
Re: PC vs Mac
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ViLo
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Registered: 04/24/01
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I tink this one will work great:
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#989533 - 06/30/04 02:41 PM
Re: PC vs Mac
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ViLo
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This one is cool too!
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#989534 - 07/07/04 01:41 AM
Re: PC vs Mac
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theblue1
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Registered: 02/06/04
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Loc: Long Beach, CA
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4 or 5 years ago, if you were on the cusp, I would have strongly urged you consider a Windows-based machine. But the adoption of Unix as the core operating system under an Apple designed GUI brought a greater level of stability than the old pre-X Mac OS, mired in an 80's codebase, could ever have offered. With the addition of the audio and MIDI layers and a plug-in API (CoreAudio, CoreMIDI, and AudioUnits, respectively), Apple brought the Mac OS up to speed with Windows, in terms of OS-level support for audio and MIDI app development. (While the Mac audio and MIDI layers really only came together with Jaguar and Panther versions, Windows laid the foundation for its own multichannel audio and MIDI layers way back in '96.)
With those key features in place, the Mac OS was once again positioned to allow developers to come up with state-of-the-art apps for audio and music.
So I don't have any qualms about recommending either platform for music production at this point.
You may be tired of hearing it, but the suggestion that you pick a recording app you can live and grow with is probably a very good one. I got on the Cakewalk train way back in '96 when they offered their first real multichannel audio sequencer (I had a pair of ADATs hooked into the computer by lightpipe and was able to jump into 8/8 channel recording with both feet. Some of my Mac friends though I was confused when I told them about my rig. 'You mean you have a MIDI recording setup.' I had to remind them that I'd trained and worked as a recording engineer and I knew the diff. At that time none of them were even recording 2/2 audio on their Macs.)
I've been saying for years that top speed is not the reason to buy a computer... who cares if some $5000 Alienware or dual-G5 is fastest if you're spending $1500 on your computer? And trust me, someone who really wants a Mac (for whatever reason) is not going to be happy with a PC just because it completes a Gaussian blur faster. And vice versa. (Yeah, yeah, I know some of you Mac guys think anyone would be won over in 20 minutes on a nice G5. Great machines, but think again. Everyone's different. And vive that.)
Hopefully there's no rush. Take a look at apps like Pro Tools and Cubase (both platforms), Cakewalk/Sonar (PC), Logic, Digital Performer, Peak (Mac), and the rest. Spend some time and do some work or, better yet, watch an expert do some work in them.
Chances are, you'll be with the app you choose for a long time (I've been using Cakewalk for 8 years now and changing ships would be pretty much unthinkable to me at this point). Put in some time now, do your homework, and make the choice that's right for you, not a bunch of guys on the internet...
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#989536 - 07/07/04 01:39 PM
Re: PC vs Mac
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soundthinker
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Registered: 06/24/04
Posts: 222
Loc: Chicago, IL
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Originally posted by theblue1:
I had this great tune programmed... but then the rubber band holding my punch cards broke while I was on my way from the keypunch room to the computer building and a big wind came up all of a sudden and blew half the middle section away... 
/jim
_________________________
"...it is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lacking patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It is the same in any country."
-Hermann Goering, second in command of the Third Reich
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#989537 - 07/08/04 02:13 AM
Re: PC vs Mac
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theblue1
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Registered: 02/06/04
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Loc: Long Beach, CA
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I think I bumped into him in the line to submit jobs to the computing center. He had this huge stack of cards with no holes punched at all. I think he said it was an electronic music transcription of one of his best known pieces...
PS... remind me to tell you a bout how I helped Cristo put up shower curtains at his city place, some time.
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