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mac or pc help

Indiana Mike

Indiana Mike

Nov 18, 2005
3,049
3,883
#1
I have always used windows , PC, and am thinking about getting started doing some home recording in the next year . My current PC is used by the entire family and is full of junk and is located away from my space.

I am going to have to buy a new computer . I am wondering the advantages , if any , a mac will have over a PC

I am assuming more software is available for PC and is cheaper .

mac software is limited and costlier.

PC will have lots of driver and software issues and require lots hair pulling valuable time which will discourage me.

mac , as they claim , just works and will not have as much as a frustration factor involved.


I am looking mainly for ease of use . I can use a home PC but am no programmer or trouble shooter. I do not want to be discouraged by getting into something that takes an enormous amount of time and effort to start , work on and finalize projects.

I am considering mac because I hear it just works without all of the PC problems , is it a myth or truth ?
 
#2
I use both and PC is less expenisve hardware and more free/share-ware software available. Mac's cost more but don't need as much to add on they have a lot of audio capability out of the box. Software some of same free/share-ware soft is available just not as much. But Logic Apples recording software is one of the best, but not cheap. Apples GarageBand free with a Mac can do a lot. NIN released one of their tunes for download in GarageBand format so can see how a lot be done. There is other recording tools that can work with Mac too. Mac most things work driver wise because it is a closed system.

So I think Mac makes things a little easier, but you pay for it in price and less choice in software. PC is less expensive and lots of software, but as you note driver issues can be a major pain in the ass. It a coin toss to me.
 
#3
The Mac vs. PC ads are a big lie, plain and simple. I use a Mac-based Pro Tools rig at the studio I work in, and it has issues only slightly less regularly than most PCs. My own home studio's PC doesn't have any, past the initial phase of installing any new software and setting it up. I'm pretty good about my maintaining my rig, though.

Just getting a separate computer that your family isn't using for internet or games will make life much easier. That cuts down on most of the driver/software/hair loss problem you're worried about. I'm not saying that Macs are a bad machine, either, just that they don't always "just work." They're computers, too, and they occasionally get confused.


My opinion? Learning to use that Mac took time away from mixing projects, and troubleshooting it when there's a problem is twice as difficult as on a PC. Macs aren't very forthcoming on what's going on inside them.
Personally, I would, and have, stick with what I'm familiar with in an OS, because learning to use whatever music software you select is going to be pain in the butt enough ;)
 
#5
I completely switched over to the mac-side almost a year ago and it has been absolutely wonderful.

I am not an audio pro. I like easy and simple programs.

When I was on PC I often used Audacity, it's free and simple. Now that I have a mac, as it turns out, I still use Audacity a lot. All the saved files work PC and Mac so I can take them to anywhere with me.

Does my macbook have problems? Rarely.
Would I switch to mac all over VS buying a high pc? Absolutely.

My .02

EDIT: And let us not forget. MACS RUN WINDOWS NOW. You can run windows XP and OS X at the same time if you want!
 
#6
jabberwock777 said:
The Mac vs. PC ads are a big lie, plain and simple. I use a Mac-based Pro Tools rig at the studio I work in, and it has issues only slightly less regularly than most PCs. My own home studio's PC doesn't have any, past the initial phase of installing any new software and setting it up. I'm pretty good about my maintaining my rig, though.

Just getting a separate computer that your family isn't using for internet or games will make life much easier. That cuts down on most of the driver/software/hair loss problem you're worried about. I'm not saying that Macs are a bad machine, either, just that they don't always "just work." They're computers, too, and they occasionally get confused.


My opinion? Learning to use that Mac took time away from mixing projects, and troubleshooting it when there's a problem is twice as difficult as on a PC. Macs aren't very forthcoming on what's going on inside them.
Personally, I would, and have, stick with what I'm familiar with in an OS, because learning to use whatever music software you select is going to be pain in the butt enough ;)
Click to expand...



that's what I plan to do , "dads computer", hands off!!!!. I know this will make it a lot better to insure it stays up running as far as speed and problems are concerned. I just know nothing about mac and have heard they are easier as afr as the number of issues and problems are concerned . I realize I'll have to learn a new operating system and that will take time no doubt.

Thanks for the input so far , gives something more to chew on.
 
#8
This question is rehashed monthly on several Usenet groups and web boards devoted to recording. It's easily more hotly contested than the "why should I get a five string" and "maple vs rosewood" debates we see on here and is just as pointless a waste of time to argue about. The fact that it's so widely asked and debated is a good indication that at this point in the game, it really doesn't matter what you get. There are major and minor studios using both all over the world, despite Apple's former stranglehold on the industry.

My experience is that it comes down to how computer savvy you are and what your software choice is. In my case, I made the switch over to OSX almost a year ago and there was no downtime at all learning how to use a new OS. But I am a Sonar fanatic so I still do all of my DAW work in PC land.

One thing that is nice about Apples is that they don't take a lot of tweaking to boot off of an entirely different hard drive. This can be very nice if you want to have an install devoted entirely to audio recording and another one which is just a general use install. Someone suggested an Apple running XP, and that can be a great solution.
 
#9
I use both a Mac (1.4GHz G4 running OSX Panther) and a PC (Athlon 3000 running Win2kPro), networked together side by side. They work so happily together, I think of them almost as one machine!

From my own experience, I would say that for audio work there's very little to choose between the two platforms. The Mac is much better at Video and Graphics IMO, but for audio there's no great advantage.

Whatever machine you eventually use, if you're doing something as resource-intensive as multitrack recording, the main thing is to have plenty of drive space, plenty of memory and to keep the machine free of other crap. Also, get the very best soundcard you can afford - which doesn't necessarily mean the latest, most expensive thing, but something tried and trusted that will work faultlessly and cost a lot less!

If you do get a Mac and you want some good, FREE recording software, try Audacity. It's one of the many open-source wonders that have been ported over to OSX from the Linux community. Gawd bless 'em.
 
#10
Im a bit biased here because my former life was that of a graphic designer and I have used a Mac since the 80's. I love them, and will own one until the day I die. I also use PC's and I must say that they give me tantrums from time to time. Here's some pro's and cons:

PC:
More prone to viruses and spyware (use a firewall).
Hardware: Cheaper, more selection.
Software: More to choose from and redily available.
Windows: Sucks! But you are stuck with it unless you know Linux.

MAC:
Sexy industrial design. These things are beautiful.
Cost: basically 10-25% higher
Ease of use: Plug and play baby. Very simple.
Less virus potential.
OS: Simple and elegant... also powerful.
Software: Less choices... but most of what you need is available.
Snob appeal: very high... users tend to be elitists :)

IF you choose MAC, which I suggest you seriously give some thought, make sure you get a new machine that has the Intel Core Duo chip. This new machine has software called "Bootcamp" which allows you to start up in Windows and use all windows programs. It does not, however, allow you to run Mac OSX at the same time though.

But on that note there is software called Parrallels http://www.parallels.com/ that allows you to run them both at the same time (I have not used it, but it is inexpensive and I've heard good reviews).

If you are looking for a laptop please consider purchasing the AppleCare warranty! This is one warranty I actually say YES to.

So, to sum it up... just like as with a new bass or amp... try them out. Because of the iPod many people are making the SWITCH to Macs and never looking back. I think anyone would be very happy with a Mac machine on their desk. Good luck to you!
 
#11
^ nice explanation!

i am biased towards mac but i'm not going to rant. if you have a lot of time invested in learning about pcs it will likely be easier for you to stick with pcs. on the other hand if you are a very novice pc user with little tech knowledge than switching won't be a big deal. i find the mac interface more intuitive and elegant, ie easier to use.

the cost difference is not as high as you'd think, if at all. total cost of ownership for a pc will likely be higher due to some "hidden" costs like severe security holes that need to be patched using service packs, possible downtimes, and it going obsolete sooner than a mac. for a mac, don't underestimate garageband as a recording medium. it comes free and is flexible and easy to use. it won't compete with logic or pro tools but many features of those programs go unused by all but the most experienced recordists.
 
#12
WalterBush said:
The Mac vs. PC ads are a big lie, plain and simple. I use a Mac-based Pro Tools rig at the studio I work in, and it has issues only slightly less regularly than most PCs.
Click to expand...
True. When I sit down in one of Webster's studios the odds are good that there will be some sort of problem to fix before I'm done. The bottom line is that computing is just about most dodgy thing you could do, and any time you add hardware to a computer your chances of complications are good. Macintoshes generally work right out of the box since Apple can control the hardware. Ditto for PCs though. Once you add third party stuff, all bets are off.

I haven't been favorably impressed by OS X or Windows. Linux, of course, has its own share of problems. Whichever way you go, prepare to tear your hair out.
 
#16
go to an apple store and play around with garageband. they tend to be very cool and let folks mess around with macs. especially if you tell them you are a musician and are thinking of making a switch to mac they probably let you play around with garageband for hours! :) go to apple.com and get a list of their stores. if you live in or near a big city chances are you'll have one close by.
 
#17
LOL I know pc doesnt have garageband, my bro would kill me if I thought that ( hes a mac fanboy ). I was just wondering how garageband was and what it had to see if it would be the deciding factor between a mac and a pc for me, and even though those links I got were not very informative ( very vague ) It seems I will probably get a Mac Mini.
 
#18
Mac all the way man. I own both and I have nothing but frustration with trying to record on my PC. Mac OS X has way less latency when it comes to audio, and you don't have to deal with new hardware wizard BS.

This is not to say you can't record on a PC, it's just not as friendly of an experience. Software availablity isn't really an issue, cause while there might be less to choose from on the Mac, my excperience is that it's higher quality software. Also Garage Band is actually pretty useful, and comes installed on a new Mac.
 
#19
I've been using Windows based PC's for recording for over 10 years without significant problems. At worst, I've had to switch driver types (e.g. WDM to ASIO). I've found that with WinXP, it's pretty painless. I've used M-Audio, Aardvark and MOTU audio interfaces all without problems. In fact, I've recorded simultaneously with M-Audio and Aardvark interfaces.

I do know that a friend of mine couldn't get his MOTU 828mkII to work with his Mac properly so I picked it (the MOTU) up from him for $500. I've tested recording up to 20 channels at 24/96(daisy chained to my other MOTU) on a 2 year old Sony VAIO laptop running WinXP and Sonar and it appears to work fine (I used an external hard drive to record to). I've only tested it so far. I will be replacing my old recording setup with a more portable setup.

Driver problems with recording on a Windows PC are pretty much a thing of the ancient past (Win95/3.1). Everybody has a driver for WinXP. I've used Win2000 in my studio for 4 years. I have hundreds of hours of recordings and I've only lost one recording due to file corruption in a really old version of Cakewalk Pro Audio.

As far as latency goes, it's really only an issue if you're doing monitoring through your computer. I never do that because most decent audio interfaces have latency free monitoring built in. The MOTU 828mkII lets you do 4 stereo monitor mixes with no latency (I think the latency is actually on the order of a few samples).

- Dave
 
#20
integrus said:
This is not to say you can't record on a PC, it's just not as friendly of an experience. Software availablity isn't really an issue, cause while there might be less to choose from on the Mac, my excperience is that it's higher quality software. Also Garage Band is actually pretty useful, and comes installed on a new Mac.
Click to expand...
You're overgeneralizing based on a lack of experience. Many people, including me, have been recording on PCs for years and find it quite a pleasant experience.

And I don't know what you're talking about with different quality levels. Protools and Cubase are available for both platforms. Macs get Digital Performer but PCs get Sonar. Waves offers plugins for both platforms. What can I do on a Mac that I can't do on a PC?
 

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