Just bought my first mac

[Nateflakes]

I've heard great things about Reaper. Personally I'm a ProTools guy, but if you are strapped for cash check out Reaper.

Use headphones.

I would suggest investing in a decent pair of monitors with a flat frequency response instead.

 

[FFTT]

If you just bought your machine, go to your local Apple Store and sign up for Apple One To One in store training.
Gives you a year of private or small group coaching sessions for $100.00
They had me up and running 1st trip.
I had already purchased Logic Studio 9 and was stumped by the learning curve.

Even if you've had your machine for a while, if you buy Logic, the store manager should
allow you to sign up, even though you are supposed to sign up when you buy your machine.

I took my interface, headphones, & mic with me and the trainer got me rolling on understanding the signal chain.
The program is also renewable.

They will train you on other applications too.

As far as general orientation also go to Macrumors.com and take advantage of their
beginners guides.
http://guides.macrumors.com/Mac_Beginner's_Guide

 

[VSUBass]

I'm on a PC but I'm getting a room set up in my place...to call it a "studio" would be a kind stretch but I WILL be recording in there with a Tascam DP-008. Would it be more cost-effective, well CHEAPER but still have the same functionality as what you guys reference with the basic Mac programs to do something with my PC or should get a Mac solely for recording? That's kind of where I'm leaning at the moment except I have no idea about the cost. What would be the lowest level Mac I could get on Craigslist that would do the trick? For the same $$ reason I probably wouldn't be getting Pro Tools. Well that and it's probably WAY more bells & whistles than I need or want and too much time required to learn the thing. I know next to nothing about Macs except that Windows stole a lot of their ideas in the early stages and that the 2 times I used them, despite being told they're way easier than PC's, I found them to be very counter-intuitive whenever I tried to do something/figure something out.

To reiterate the ??, what's the lowest level laptop or desktop that I could use to accomplish the recording thing with GarageBand probably but I might pony up for the next level, Logic I believe? (Though that's nearly as expensive as the Pro Tools unless I missed something?)

 

[adi77]

i have a new mac mini.. i use garageband. i record through an RME fireface 400 and moitoring is adam a7x.. works great, i'll probably get cubase at some point because i am used to their interface.. and change the internal hard drive to an SSD.