Need new computer for home recording (Mac vs PC)

rob2966 · #1 03-26-2008, 02:06 PM

Hey all,

My current home recording computer is getting a bit "long in the tooth" (P4 2.4GHz, ATA drives, dual 17" LCD, 1GB DDR). Have starting looking into a replacement and am wondering if it is advantageous to migrate to a Mac.

Was kind of looking at the iMac (Intel) 24" with 4GB. Then add a Firewire (400, 800?) external audio drive. The Mac Pro with 30" would be killer but at about $5K a bit too steep.

I use ProTools LE 7.4 w/ an Mbox 2.

Has anyone made the switch from PC to Mac, thoughts?

Later
Rob

**Basschair** · #2 03-26-2008, 05:56 PM

Just some thoughts:

the new standard macbook has FW 400 and 800 (I believe)...however, there still isn't a compatible version of PTLE with OSX 10.5.

rob2966 · #3 03-26-2008, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basschair

Just some thoughts:

the new standard macbook has FW 400 and 800 (I believe)...however, there still isn't a compatible version of PTLE with OSX 10.5.

I expect that once I am ready to drop the cash OSX 10.5 will be PTLE ready. Sounds like they are busy working on that as we type.

I already have a laptop and want the bigger monitor so I don't think I would go the Macbook route, unless there is a serious reason not to go with the iMac (Intel).

Later
Rob

UncleBalsamic · #4 03-26-2008, 09:11 PM

I'm not generally a fan of Macs, but for things like this I've heard they are quite good.

bradjonesbass · #5 03-26-2008, 09:59 PM

my macbook which is only a month old only has the FW400... I almost went with the imac except I like the portability of the macbook for location recording. Pair it with a motu 828 and logic and I've got a sweet little rig. I suspect PT will have the kinks worked out with the new OS in fairly short order.

Aughn · #6 03-26-2008, 10:11 PM

you may also wanna look into the Mac Mini... it packs quite a punch with a relatively low price... you will have to get a keyboard mouse and monitor.

**Basschair** · #7 03-26-2008, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob2966

I expect that once I am ready to drop the cash OSX 10.5 will be PTLE ready. Sounds like they are busy working on that as we type.

I already have a laptop and want the bigger monitor so I don't think I would go the Macbook route, unless there is a serious reason not to go with the iMac (Intel).

Later
Rob

Hey, I totally understand the screen size issue: I use a 24" iMac at work and love it, so the 30" would be sweet. As far as the OSX issue goes, 10.5 has been out for quite a while and still there isn't a compatible version of PTLE. Believe me, I've been waiting: I've got four MBoxes waiting to be set up with four brand new iMacs at work, purchased under the same assumption that you made: Digidesign couldn't possibly take that long to put out a new version. Sadly, I was wrong. I love Pro Tools and will continue to love it. It's just a bummer to wait, and I figured I'd mention it to perhaps save you some frustrations

.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bradjonesbass

my macbook which is only a month old only has the FW400...

I just double-checked and you're absolutely right. I got an email from Apple recently about the updated MacBook and clicked the link. I'm thinking that it took me to the Pro page and I didn't notice. At any rate, it's still 400 for now.

DocBop · #8 03-27-2008, 12:41 AM

Mac's are expensive, but for recording they are worth it things just work. Fewer issues with drivers and Logic Express gives you a whole lot of tools cheap. I would say get a iMac 24". They can hold up to 4GB of RAM (don't buy RAM from Apple too expensive) and up to a 1TB hard drive. They also have all the ports you need.

hunta · #9 03-27-2008, 08:38 AM

I think if you're a Pro Tools user the best choice is a Mac for sure. For other things it's debatable but PT just works better on a Mac. That's what it's written for.

The new iMac's are pretty nice. Something about paying that much for an all-in-one kind of hurts me, but it's probably the best bang for the buck if you get a Mac. Any idea what speed the hard drives are in those things? I just noticed they don't list an rpm on any of the hard drive options for the iMac, just says Serial ATA.

CapnSev · #10 03-27-2008, 08:49 AM

I bought a new PC a month ago for recording, and for my wife's design work, and Vista was a total disaster. Neither of our programs would run properly, we constantly had error messages and freeze-ups, and it even crashed once.

We took it back a few days later and got a new 20" 2.4 GHz iMac. Our programs FLY. It is absolutely flawless, and with the Applecare warranty, if this computer decides to crash on us, we get a brand new one free.

EDIT: I didn't know that the new Protools was having compatibility problems on the Mac (I'm using an older Sonic Foundry). I'm actually looking into Logic because I like the Garageband setup so much.

rob2966 · #11 03-27-2008, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hunta

I think if you're a Pro Tools user the best choice is a Mac for sure. For other things it's debatable but PT just works better on a Mac. That's what it's written for.

The new iMac's are pretty nice. Something about paying that much for an all-in-one kind of hurts me, but it's probably the best bang for the buck if you get a Mac. Any idea what speed the hard drives are in those things? I just noticed they don't list an rpm on any of the hard drive options for the iMac, just says Serial ATA.

Not sure of the internal drive speed; however, I would get a FW800 external 7200 drive to use as my audio drive anyway, I would just use the internal one for...everything else

I think the smallest internal size is 320GB, which should be plenty.

Later
Rob

**Basschair** · #12 03-27-2008, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob2966

Not sure of the internal drive speed; however, I would get a FW800 external 7200 drive to use as my audio drive anyway, I would just use the internal one for...everything else

I think the smallest internal size is 320GB, which should be plenty.

Later
Rob

7200 internal drive speed.

Balkan · #13 03-27-2008, 10:16 AM

I've always used Mac exclusively, so I can't help on the comparison except to say:

1. I'd be suprised if you really ever needed a PC program that didn't have a mac substitute.

2. Even if that does happen, the Intel Macs can run windows, and there are even programs now that will let you alternate between the two systems without a restart

DocBop · #14 03-27-2008, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hunta

I think if you're a Pro Tools user the best choice is a Mac for sure. For other things it's debatable but PT just works better on a Mac. That's what it's written for.

The new iMac's are pretty nice. Something about paying that much for an all-in-one kind of hurts me, but it's probably the best bang for the buck if you get a Mac. Any idea what speed the hard drives are in those things? I just noticed they don't list an rpm on any of the hard drive options for the iMac, just says Serial ATA.

Mac's in general use 7200 RPM ESATA hard drives. The Mac Mini and laptops use the slower 5400 RPM drives, but one of the laptops has an option for a 7200 RPM drive.

The reason PT and other stuff works good on Mac is because it is easier for software companies to write and more important do QA testing on. With Mac's there are only a few models and only one OS. All the models except the Mac Pro are basically closed design so no surprises in what cards or other thing that will be in the the system. So when a software companies has to put together a test matrix for Apple it is small and easy to cover all the main configurations. In the PC world there are millions of combinations of motherboards, video cards, BIOS, drivers, and on and on. A test matrix for that is so big there is no way to even come close. So software companies have to pick what they feel is a common subset of the matrix and test that. Needless to say they are missing probably 98% of the possible combinations. So that means PC can be are real crap shoot when it comes to compatibility issues. I can vouch for all this because I spend years in the computer business and did a lot of QA testing for both Mac and PC companies. These days at home I just run Mac.

makaky · #15 03-27-2008, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Balkan

I've always used Mac exclusively, so I can't help on the comparison except to say:

1. I'd be suprised if you really ever needed a PC program that didn't have a mac substitute.

2. Even if that does happen, the Intel Macs can run windows, and there are even programs now that will let you alternate between the two systems without a restart

Theres BootCamp but you have to restart to switch OS, im pretty sure...

Im getting a Macbook pro this summer just because of this. No more problems

Balkan · #16 03-27-2008, 02:56 PM

Bootcamp requires you to restart.

However, Parallels will let you do it without a restart:
http://www.macworld.com/article/5163...parallels.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by makaky

Theres BootCamp but you have to restart to switch OS, im pretty sure...

Im getting a Macbook pro this summer just because of this. No more problems

corinpills · #17 03-27-2008, 08:52 PM

When I first got into home recording, I literally spent 11 months completely unable to track anything. I lived in a world of error messages and hated it. Then I got rid of my PC, bought a MAC and started recording instantly.

Brim · #18 03-27-2008, 09:08 PM

Buy ram from your mac from Crucial. It's like 1/4 the price what Apple wants. It's crazy loco.

I just bought an iMac 20", 1 gig, 320g hdd. I immediately bought 4 gigs from Crucial. They are the exact same freaking sticks...same stickers even.

warnergt · #19 03-28-2008, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Balkan

Bootcamp requires you to restart.

However, Parallels will let you do it without a restart:
http://www.macworld.com/article/5163...parallels.html

Yes, and there is also VMWare Fusion which is very similar to Parallels with one notable advantage. VMWare Fusion allows using two processor cores if your Mac has a multicore processor; Parallels only uses one. If you want to take fuller advantage of the Mac's horsepower for Windows, VMWare Fusion is better.

Then, if you're a power user and you want to take full advantage of your Mac for running Windows, boot with Bootcamp. You will get all the cores. I do this on my 8-core Mac Pro. Man, I love that machine. It has tons of horsepower and does it all (Windows or OS X).

fokof · #20 03-28-2008, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rob2966

I use ProTools LE 7.4 w/ an Mbox 2.

Has anyone made the switch from PC to Mac, thoughts?

Go for a iMac.Great Value. All included.
My GF has a Mini wich is a pretty darn good CPU for the price , but you can't ask that machine big tasks. Not made for this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnSev

EDIT: I didn't know that the new Protools was having compatibility problems on the Mac (I'm using an older Sonic Foundry). I'm actually looking into Logic because I like the Garageband setup so much.

Logic is not like Garage Band at all. They both are compatible and made by Apple but not alike.
If you like the ease of Garage Band , choose any software except Logic.

Logic being the most complicated an "un-Logic" software around.

IMHO , IME , bla bla