PC or Mac for recording?

[episg]

I use PC cos ive got one. I would LOVE a mac, because i love them, and i love logic. And they dont bugger up half as easily as a PC does. But the Windows/Mac/Intel chipset thing is gonna take over i reckon. I heard rumours that Bill Gates owns apple, and the increasing Windows/Mac support shows that these might be true.

I think that one day, this argument won't exist because there wont be Windows. There wont be Mac.
There will be the all conquering virus free WINMAC! which will hopefully have logic with VST's.
Hmmmmm.........

[Poigan]

i'm surprised i didn't see more pro Mac responses. most cats i come across steadfastly claim Macs. i am fortunate enough to be a tech and have enough computer knowledge to know basically what most have said here. both are computers. there are fewer and fewer differences now than what may have been at one time.

i was just thinking about this today and have come to the conclusion that Macs are for cats who don't really futz with computers. i like both, but i prefer PCs because i can build one to my exact specification. i can dig in it and not void any warranties. i don't like not knowing what brand components are in my system and not being able to fix hardware issues. add to this the cost of a Mac and i'm cool until i get some major influx of income on a regular basis...

stability is a non-issue for me. it depends on the configuration and usage of the system. i have extensive unfortunate experience with Macs crashing while trying to complete projects for classes. these Macs were solely for audio recording and were G5s.

besides, it has been proven to me time and again, it isn't so much the tools that are used as it is the user and what is created.

[Boomersrec]

PC all the way home.

[mrT]

besides, it has been proven to me time and again, it isn't so much the tools that are used as it is the user and what is created.

Took the words out of my mouth. PC's and Mac's are pretty much the same things... COMPUTERS. They work on the same principals with very similar parts. And here's the real shocker Macs are NOT more reliable. Mac's are well built computers, not all pc's can make that claim. but a well built pc and a well built mac will run just dandy. Unless you fuck it up. Which %90 will do. Mac's are just fortunate enough because nobody really cares about writing mac spyware.

As far as being user friendly... If you use PC's mac's are not easier to use. If you have never used a computer Mac's are little more firendly. I love those new Mac comercials with the guy using the pie chart to describe a vacation. Like PC's can't use pictures. They act like they're all comadores or something. so I guess the message of the add is "If you are stupid... buy a Mac!"


That being said... I use them both and to tell you the real truth. It just depends on the individual computer being used and the ability of the user.

[LeeRosario]

man to be honest, if you can tweak out a PC for your purpose, then it's just as good as a Mac. A mac crashes just as hard as a PC. The whole point is that it *works*.

Especially if a business relies on it. (Ex. A recording studio). If the computer is down, then the entire studio is down.

However, jumping from to studio to studio, I see where apple put thier advertising money. For those studios that are DAW based, in my opinion, it feels like 60-80% of studios today (project and commercial) favor macs. Not really because they are the end all be all of production computers, but for the same reasons you buy a brand name without really knowing how it works.

That may always change tommorow.

But to be fair to Mac, a company can give you a better guarantee if they know exactly what specs the general consumer will have (a pre built mac).

So for example, I wouldn't be too sure how Digidesign, or Steinberg can advertise "a really stable software layout" on a computer stuffed with assorted parts (privately built as opposed to licensed). Which is why digidesign has the disclaimer on thier website.

So of course, Digidesign can establish that relationship with Apple and then offer its clientel a good spec for Mac users.

I suppose when you're spending that much on a studio anyway, it's easier to get a decked out G5 from a brand name, rather than making a PC for less, but also in potentially dangerous waters. You get a warranty on the parts, but not the whole package. There's really no way a company can guarantee that.

I've always crossed platforms (G4, G5 to PC) and to me, both seem about equal.

The determining factor for me is customer support and software licensing. Some great software will be strictly Mac only and vice versa. Mac receives certain software fixes/updates earlier than PC and vice versa. You would just have to know that trend based on track record. Then you can make a better desicion for your purpose for the now, but also in the future.

So what I've gathered over the years is that if you are flawless (at least good) at building computers, go PC. But if you have no idea what specs do to your production software and how to make the most of it, save some serious cash and go Mac.

[TragikRemix]

And here's the real shocker Macs are NOT more reliable. Mac's are well built computers, not all pc's can make that claim.

Mac's are just fortunate enough because nobody really cares about writing mac spyware.

As far as being user friendly... If you use PC's mac's are not easier to use.


"If you are stupid... buy a Mac!"

there are many contradictions in this.
macs arent more reliable? yet it is a well built computer versus the PC's? so what exactly is more reliable?

nobody cares about writing spyware for mac because the average person uses a PC ie, 95% of the population.

i agree-PC users have a hard time switching to mac.

so if your stupid, buy a mac, but your going to have a hard time with it, meaning that you were stupid to begin with. its not mac users that are stupid, its the people that think they can use them the first time the hit the power button because they are a PC expert or whatever...

i am really good with PC's, ive been using them since 1995, breaking them and fixing them out of terror that my dad would kill me. in 11 years ive developed extensive PC knowledge. i switched to a mac last year and, well, i havent had a problem yet that i had to fix. you cant mess anything up on a mac, like delete system files or something stupid like that. i am not an expert at fixing macs, and i will never be one because there are no problems to fix.

the bottom line is; macs arent cheap and most people cant use them because they dont have the budget..

[mrT]

there are many contradictions in this.
macs arent more reliable? yet it is a well built computer versus the PC's? so what exactly is more reliable?

nobody cares about writing spyware for mac because the average person uses a PC ie, 95% of the population.

i agree-PC users have a hard time switching to mac.

so if your stupid, buy a mac, but your going to have a hard time with it, meaning that you were stupid to begin with. its not mac users that are stupid, its the people that think they can use them the first time the hit the power button because they are a PC expert or whatever...

i am really good with PC's, ive been using them since 1995, breaking them and fixing them out of terror that my dad would kill me. in 11 years ive developed extensive PC knowledge. i switched to a mac last year and, well, i havent had a problem yet that i had to fix. you cant mess anything up on a mac, like delete system files or something stupid like that. i am not an expert at fixing macs, and i will never be one because there are no problems to fix.

the bottom line is; macs arent cheap and most people cant use them because they dont have the budget..

I didn't say that I thought Mac users were stupid... that's just the impression I got from the commercial. And in general Mac's are not more reliable than PC's. but They are more reliable than CHEAP Pc's... Sorry for the confusion.

[TragikRemix]

ok, i gotcha. i think its interesting that apple is having commercials at all. thats a new thing for the computer world. windows or mac havent really had commercials on TV in the past. it just goes to show you that mac is really stepping up the competition.

[mrT]

ok, i gotcha. i think its interesting that apple is having commercials at all. thats a new thing for the computer world. windows or mac havent really had commercials on TV in the past. it just goes to show you that mac is really stepping up the competition.

I think they're just trying to keep up with it... Almost all of the "Mac" people I know are those who use them in their industry anyhow (music, graphic design, photography). And anymore the same software can be run in XP. I think they just stick with them because of the aestetics. How un-arty would it be to have an ugly old PC?

[cephus]

Oh, please. Can I chime in on the PC vs Mac debate? We can do ford vs chevy and coke vs pepsi later.

PCs are my tool of choice because I am 100% screwdrver guy and I can fix them and break them and fix them again. That's me.

I do data recovery on the side and it seems to me that XP will only run for about a year because it is so wadded up with spyware and shit that it has to be reloaded. Also, everyone buys the cheapo dell that has the shittiest hard disks manufactured in them. So, in my opinion, the garden variety PC in the wild is a shit-piece.

I run windows 2k on all my computers at home. i buy expensive memory and use seagate hard drives. Maxtor and western digital are crap. Unfortunately, seagate bought maxtor and now they all are going to be shitty, I assume.

There certainly are exploits and virii that target macs, so don't count on your security through obscurity forever.

I always thought Macs were girlie computers. A few years ago, I worked with this hacker guy. His name is Mudge and at the time he was one of the most dangerous guys in the world to microsoft as he'd written l0phtcrack, this bitchin' app that would bruteforce the encryption on the windows SAM file. When I first met him, he got this sissy MAC laptop out of his bag and I started teasing him about it. It turns out that the MAC has a unix command line and is a kick ass hacker platform.

So, Macs aren't completely gay. Almost, but not completely. A PC laptop is a huge waste of money, so if I were getting a laptop, I'd get the mac. Hopefully I can get my warez to work on it. I'm just a script kiddie, so if I can't use my tools, I'm pretty lost.