Mac or PC?

[Bjazzman]

Ok i know i want to run Abelton Live and Reason on my gig. I want to record with it and use the plug-ins. I could probably get twice as much Ram with a PC than a Mac, but then again a Mac will probably not crash(as much) I would want to get the Macbook Pro if i went Mac since you can upgrade to 4 gig ram. But i would have to wait a while to save up for that. What have you guys done in this situation?

[bluestarbass]

oh man youve opened up a can of worms.

If it were me, id go with a muse receptor. It basically processes your plugins and vst's. You can use is live or for recording. They are kinda pricey but much more stable than a laptop and more durable. You could probably pick up a used one cheaper.

[iplaybassguitar]

oh god.

[markjazzbassist]

Mac.

[joelb79]

Ableton live on a Mac is the defactor standard for Live usage. I would suggest you go with a Mac if the following situations apply to you:

1. You require a highly stable enviroment and don't want/need to spend a lot of time troubleshooting anything. Mac's just seem to work.
2. You own the software or are intending to purchase the software rather than pirate it.
3. You can deal without a right click and the small quarks that make the Mac OS less intuitive than Windows.

I've been a windows guy all my life and the only reason I have not crossed over from the dark side is the fact that Mac OS has little quarks that us window guys fail to understand.. like, how to copy files and NOT make shortcuts everytime you drag/drop; missing right click/context menus; ect..

I'm switching myself because no matter how hard i've tried, I always end up with some form of spyware and I want a more reliable PC. Im done reloading my OS two times per year.

that and Mac machines run windows too, which just is icing on the cake for me.

[seamonkey]

When you're talking "Mac vs. PC" you're really just talking OS's.
The hardware is the same. Dual booting a Mac to windows isn't convenient and virtual machines don't support all the hardware drivers. Better to have one good OS.
Mac OS 10 is based on Unix (BSD). Macs will boot Linux.
I'm hoping that SW manufacturers wise up and port to Linux it's only a step away from Mac.

[JeffSki]

Originally Posted by joelb79

3. You can deal without a right click and the small quarks that make the Mac OS less intuitive than Windows.

I had to setup some new macs for my company's advertising department and was surprized to find that Mac's have the right click feature.

I've always been a PC/MS fan building my own systems, but the next time I look to upgrade, I will seriously consider a Mac.

[Rick_no7]

but then again a Mac will probably not crash

Myth. Decade old Myth. Myth is outdated.

[Infernal Affair]

Originally Posted by joelb79

1. You require a highly stable enviroment and don't want/need to spend a lot of time troubleshooting anything. Mac's just seem to work.
2. You own the software or are intending to purchase the software rather than pirate it.
3. You can deal without a right click and the small quarks that make the Mac OS less intuitive than Windows.

Just wanted to add my 2 cents to the points brought up.

1. Macs are generally more stable because of it being built on Linux, but no OS is 100% problem free. Problem with Macs is that when things go wrong don't expect to be able to fix it on your own. They are made to be "idiot proof," but in a lot of ways that idiot proofing makes it much harder for guys like me who can build and fix most computers on their own. Tech support is just a phone call away though.

2. Is this implying that Macs don't have pirate software? Well it's not as huge as the Windows pirating communities, but it's still quite prevalent and just as easy to do on a Mac as a Windows machine. Either way just buy the software.

3. Macs have been able to right click (meaning having right click context menus) since OS8 or 9 I believe. It's just Apple didn't like to market that aspect of it, and now they do with the Mighty Mouse. However, I would suggest getting a reliable optical wheel mouse if you buy a Mac. It's much more efficient. Right click is a must, especially if you use Adobe products.

I'm like joel in that I'm a PC guy. I use Macs extensively enough at work to know them pretty well, however I still use PCs because I of lots of little quirks (being able to drag/drop items from program open dialog boxes is soooo efficient and I wish Mac OSX had that built in) plus I like to play games every once in awhile. I do plan on getting a Macbook one day since I could use a laptop, since it's a good product and reasonably comparable in price (plus it can dual boot both OSes).

[bluestarbass]

i agree, macs crash. Its just when windows crash you can just reboot it, problem solved 99% of the time. WHen a mac crashes something is wrong and it wont work until you fix it.

Macs also are almost always terrible when they first come out. I was looking at getting a macbook pro a year and a half ago, and to this day i think they are still having problems with the MBP's.

[alexofc69]

Mac - got 4 at home. Used to work at Apple. I still get evaluation gear to use all of the time. nice perk.
Use windows at work - makes me want to blow my brain out everyday with all of the lost productivity due to crashes and other miserable windows issues.

Macs do crash to. But... RARELY.
Then you need to think budget. Apple stuff is always expensive. But, then that because it lasts so long. I had a 7500/100 (upgraded processor - memory etc) that last 10 years before I gave it away. And my workhorse is a 5 year old iMac (snowball - w /goosneck)
Currently I have a quad processor G5 with a 30in cinema at our guitarists house(studio) running ProTools. I couldnt answer any of the software stuff since I dont mess with it - I just play bass!
But, he loves it!

[stedtale]

I use Mac, but whatever you get, pump it to the brim with RAM and HD space. Dual/Quad processors are great too. I do lots of graphic design, and know from experience that you need to have your RAM maxed out and dual/quad processors for the best results in RAM intensive things....like graphic design and audio stuff.

[MKS]

Use both. Bootcamp it.

[AdlerAugen]

PC and cubase or sonar. garageband on mac = nono. It sucks compared to every other software I've tried. Reason I don't get too well. Haven't had much experience with it. Haven't noticed much in the way of midi EDITTING for it....sure recording but I mean quantizing exact rhythms.

[Dave Muscato]

It's true that Macs crash a lot less often than PCs, but it's not true that they never crash.

It's very true that Macs last longer than PCs. My main computer is a nearly-4-year-old iMac (G5, the older kind with the thicker frame & no built-in "iSight" video camera). One doesn't generally see PCs that last longer than 2 years, IME. So, even if a Mac costs twice as much, consider that they are really about the same price overall.

I disagree that PCs are more intuitive. That might be true if you are used to PCs. Macs are generally regarded as being easier to learn. I used PCs for many years before switching to Mac. It took me a good 30 minutes to become proficient on OSX.

Anyway, if you're looking to record, consider that pretty much all studios & music schools use Macs. There's a good reason for this.

Oh, by the way, Garageband is decent, but it's not the same as Cubase or Sonar (or ProTools) and wasn't intended to replace them.

Hope this helps,

Dave

[Cactusgrant]

Personal experiance with both, I gotta say I've had a way easier time using macs, esp. with music and video editing programs, no idea why, things appear to run smoother, I never have any real problems with my mac and Ive been using for a 3 years every day.

[OrionManMatt]

Aside from the fact that I have been running on 256MB of RAM since my VAIO laptop was handed down to me (about fourteen months now), I don't really have the spyware/internet issues that some people do. I use Firefox and run TrendMicro. I also disable my internet connection (cable modem) before I hibernate and change my sensitive passwords every couple of months.

Alas, I too am considering converting but am still not decided. I'm going to stuff the laptop with RAM and re-image it this week or next and see if I can stand it.

[Bjazzman]

i basically don't know jack about computers and im not set on one or the other. I have the opportunity to pick up a g4 powerbook titanium for $500. i think they can only get 1 gig of ram but im not sure. i might want more in the future

[fokof]

The titanium is not a very powerfull computer by todays standards.
I think the fastest was 800Mhz , you'll be in need of more HP very soon.

Consider investing a little more in an actual one.
The minis are $700 , brand new , and you can boot in both OS....

[Lefty Geek]

Originally Posted by Infernal Affair

1. Macs are generally more stable because of it being built on Linux, but no OS is 100% problem free.

OS X is built on top of BSD, not Linux. But thanks for playing!