Conversion ??? From PC to Mac

B

Bonz

New member
Hi ~ I currently use a PC PA/P4 which I built strictly for music applications ..not connected to net. I desperately need to upgrade my Processor/Memory.

Before I get advice on what I should look into .. I wonder if running a Mac would be a better way to go. I have never used a Mac before however I'm reading that Mac is far better for Midi/Analog recordings.

Keep in mind that I have Cubase PC SX3 PC ver. so if I convert to Mac, I suppose I will need to obtain a copy for Mac (???) or since I have a PC version, what gig processor should I get to be comfortable right now?

I do lots of vocals & guitar work.... occassionally, I will get flutter while recording or skipping or whatever this program is doing...
 
What is the problem your having now with your PC? Are you runnign a lot of plugin's?

I've said this a thousand times...computers are like hammers, they make no difference in your sound. If you already have all the gear you desire and you have a great sounding room and monitoring then perhaps you might like the feel of the Mac hammer over the PC one. But most of us are always in need of more gear or building a room etc..

I'm not up on the latest prices but Macs have always been overpriced. Figure out the difference you can save by going PC and then you can spend that money on more gear. :cool: just my opinion
 
I'd love to know where this myth about Macs being somehow better for multimedia applications started.

It's about time it was squashed though as it's entirely without basis in fact!
 
Codmate said:
I'd love to know where this myth about Macs being somehow better for multimedia applications started.

It's about time it was squashed though as it's entirely without basis in fact!
Click to expand...

It goes back quite a few years. Macs jumped out on the whole desktop publishing thing and had more built in "multimedia" capabilities than PC's had. There seem to be some idiots that hold on to that for some reason. If I were starting from scratch I might consider a Mac to run DP or Pro Tools with but I think it would be hard to do unless the price came down.
 
Codmate said:
I'd love to know where this myth about Macs being somehow better for multimedia applications started.

It's about time it was squashed though as it's entirely without basis in fact!
Click to expand...

1. Probably from the same place that PC users get all of their inaccurate information about Macs. My Lord do PC users have some stupid misconceptions about Macs.

2. Probably because for many years every publishing house, newspaper, graphics firm, music studio, and movie production company used Macs. That's not a myth. That's a fact.
 
Seems like it makes sense to add memory to your PC rather than buying an expensive Mac.

If I had it all to do over again, I would have gone w Mac, but that was then. At this point I have rebuilt my PC* a couple of times over: it has the latest DVD and CD burners and recording software, and it's perfectly stable w 2GHz processing, 1G of RAM, and the TOTAL cost over 5 years is less than a new G5 would cost.
_________
*The only thing left of the original is the case and the AC cord.
 
As far as Mac v Windows goes, I can't tell you. When I first started doing sequencing, I started on an Atari w/ Notator Creator software. That didn't do analog recordings but for midi applications there was nothing better then or since. I believe the producers of that program were a couple of guys from Germany named Steinberg/Adams (could be wrong about the names) anyway, the Atari machines were perfect for midi. They had midi ports built right in them and my sequences were fantastic.

I hear all the time that if you're doing Graphic Art work or Music Applicationd, Mac is the machine you want to buy. Well that fact is I have WinXP and that's what I have to work with.

Occassionally, I'l get hesitation or flutter during a record and I'm thinking it's got to be my Processor. My machine is a Pentium III w/ 933 Mhz & 512 Ram.

You'd think that should be plenty but I have this problem .... :confused:
 
Codmate said:
I'd love to know where this myth about Macs being somehow better for multimedia applications started.

It's about time it was squashed though as it's entirely without basis in fact!
Click to expand...

And while we're at it, we need to squash the rumor that PC users are, as they said in Fargo, "kinda funny lookin." I know many PC users and they share nothing in common with civil war reenactors or model railroad enthusiasts. Many are just as cool and hip as their Mac counterparts--even if their machines don't look cool and hip. So what if they build their own computers at home in their wood-paneled basements while Mac users are downloading subtitled French films and planning a quiet get-together with friends over dim sum. I don't care what those hipsters at the Apple store say, PC users are allright with me!
 
Codmate said:
I'd love to know where this myth about Macs being somehow better for multimedia applications started.

It's about time it was squashed though as it's entirely without basis in fact!
Click to expand...

Oh jeez come on....that's a bold and brash statement for something so incredibly wrong.

There was a time when production solutions were exclusively Mac. That is the guys and gals who wrote the code, wrote the code for Mac only. It WAS NOT a matter of choice. It was not a matter of opinion. The industry was Mac from top to bottom.

From there that foothold provided an advantage to software writers in that the Mac OS remained like and similar over the course of several years. It was as much as anything in the industry..predictable. Microsoft (and others) continually changed their software(95,98,ME,2000) and in doing so made it extremely difficult for the likes of Digidesign and Motu to keep up with those changes.

It's important to note that it had very little to do with any company's preferred platform although you may get some argument from early Digi folk.

Since then both Microsoft and the third party writers have found a way to stay on top of the curve and the PC has become a viable production machine.

For those in production it is simple a matter of what affords the quickest most elegant best sounding solution so I can go home and get some rest.

I find it ridiculous that PC people think they're just a bit more savvy than Mac people (and of course vice-versa) because THEY have chosen a platform. The choice of Mac vs PC has very little to do with one's IQ.
 
This is all very enlightning but thus far no one has helped me with my dilema.
So Shall I ask if there is yet another forum which can?
 
Bonz said:
This is all very enlightning but thus far no one has helped me with my dilema.
So Shall I ask if there is yet another forum which can?
Click to expand...

Sorry...let me be more responsive.

I might be wrong but I only see one post that describes why you might be thinking of upgrading (Occassionally, I'l get hesitation or flutter during a record and I'm thinking it's got to be my Processor. My machine is a Pentium III w/ 933 Mhz & 512 Ram.)

Is that the only problem or did I miss something??
 
BostonPops said:
1. Probably from the same place that PC users get all of their inaccurate information about Macs. My Lord do PC users have some stupid misconceptions about Macs.

2. Probably because for many years every publishing house, newspaper, graphics firm, music studio, and movie production company used Macs. That's not a myth. That's a fact.
Click to expand...

1 - I've used both for many years.

2 - Those industries have used MACs for some things at some times, but certainly not exclusivly. Much of the first CGI work was done with Amiga4000s equipped with the famous Video Toaster card. SGI workstations and AVID machines are still more common than MACs for heavy duty rendering and video editing.
 
Joseph Hanna said:
Oh jeez come on....that's a bold and brash statement for something so incredibly wrong.

There was a time when production solutions were exclusively Mac. That is the guys and gals who wrote the code, wrote the code for Mac only. It WAS NOT a matter of choice. It was not a matter of opinion. The industry was Mac from top to bottom.
Click to expand...
What industry?

I was talking about multimedia applications in general - not one specific industry.

As far as I'm concerned x86 is x86. They're all basically the same with a few minor architectural differences here and there. There is nothing today that cripples PCs for multimedia use.

MACs *are* PCs - they're just more prescriptive and more expensive.
 
Bonz said:
This is all very enlightning but thus far no one has helped me with my dilema.
So Shall I ask if there is yet another forum which can?
Click to expand...

Firstly make sure you have no programs running in the background when you're running you music software.

You don't give a full system spec so it's hard to diagnose the problem.

I would recommend having 1GB of RAM and at least 2GHz (or equivalent) of CPU power.

I get away with an AMD AthlonXP2400+ and 512MB RAM.
This is running on a 133 FSB mainboard too!

I don't run any unnessecary software in the background and never have any problems recording at 24/96.

Make sure you have shut down all the XP services you don't need such as Messanger and the Indexing Service.

Screensavers can also cause problems - disable the screensaver and just have the monitor switch off.

Turn all of the 'pretty' features of XP off. You would be amazed how much bloat there is.

The fastest way of doing this is to right-click on 'My Computer', got to 'properties', go to 'advanced' then 'performance'. Choose the radio button 'best performance'.

Have a look at this guide on tweaking XP for most efficient performance:
http://www.tweak3d.net/tweak/xpresources/
 
To CodMate & J. Hanna ~

Now you're talkin ... Ok when I put this box together, I tried to strip it down to just the necessary programs required to BOOT and Load WinXP. All other stuff like that is normally packaged in Windows is outta there. I don't even have the system clock and date program installed. There's probably other stuff that I can take out and I wish I knew who could give me a list of non-essential applications if music software is all I do this computer.
 
Bonz said:
I wish I knew who could give me a list of non-essential applications if music software is all I do this computer.
Click to expand...

I think Sweetwater has a fairly comprehensive PC config guide on their on line tech support page. As someone said earlier a little more specifics particularly what applications you're running might help as well.
 
The best I can do is say, aside from Cubase, I have installed M-Audio Delta-66 for my soundcard and that's about it. Nothing else comes to mind.

When I say this is a stripped down system, I mean it.

WinXP w/933 Mhz P-III processor & 512 Ram 60g HD which stores my files and a 4g HD for my system.
 
Okay I was thinking perhaps you might be running some softsynths behind the scenes. I don't know tech support for Cubase all that well but assuming that this (I will get flutter while recording or skipping or whatever this program is doing...) is your primary problem I think a move to a Mac (while a fun thing to do) might be excessive.

First I'd check to see if all your primary components OS, drives, ect, ect are on the Steinberg supported list. Video cards, SCSI cards, USB and Firewire cards can all be a problem

If your "audio drive" gets fragmented and access is slowed down I could see where that might cause a stutter. Defrag and maintain.

I don't know where in Cubase preferences are but have you tried testing your buffer size?

By process of elimination you could copy a session onto your application drive and see if the problem persisted there if not you'd a least know that the the "audio drive" is the source of the problem and whittle from there.
 
Your POST did bring a thought to mind ... I use a Korg M1 keyboard synth for my main controller and it's loaded with onboard effects because the patches I use are generally the layered ones. I wonder if Cubase is having trouble with the effects processing ??? As I recall, I don't have any problems until I'm doing audio tracks. Which is why I leaning towards a bigger Processor ...

As for moving to Mac, I'd really not want to go there because then I'd have to buy a whole new Cubase package ( I think )

I'm going to play around with disabling the effects on my keyboards and see if I get any results .. I hope that's not the problem because the layered sounds can not be duplicated thru Cubase intigrated effects patches and the groove would be lost.
 
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