PC or Mac for recording?

Do you use PC or Mac for recording

  • PC

    Votes: 343 51.9%
  • Mac

    Votes: 217 32.8%
  • Both

    Votes: 80 12.1%
  • Other

    Votes: 21 3.2%

  • Total voters
    661
I've used both. I sold the G4/001 system and just do PC now. The PC just does the same thing cheaper and works just as well. Neither is "better" when it gets down to it. They'll both store, edit and playback a boatload of tracks.
 
I have worked with Mac (not my own, never owned one) earlier and made some albums with it. Usually you hear from the Mac guys that you need to tweek a PC to work....Well, I didn't have anything else than trouble with Mac....But the albums were made....

Guess it isn't an issue anymore with OSX and WinXP and the power available today.

happy PC owner!

Hans
 
Yeah i've use(d) both. It really depends what programs your using to. In my experience i've liked ProTools on the Macs better (atleast on the G5's) than on the PC. And yes, macs seem more stable to me than the PCs too. But macs cost alot of money in comparison to a PC.
 
Stealthtech said:
I think PC's are a little less stable.
PC's are only less stable if you use the wrong components. A home built computer with good processor/ram/mobo will outperform a Mac for way cheaper.
Built my computer 6 months ago and it hasn't crashed yet!
 
Matt123 said:
PC's are only less stable if you use the wrong components. A home built computer with good processor/ram/mobo will outperform a Mac for way cheaper.
Built my computer 6 months ago and it hasn't crashed yet!

i beg to differ on the outperforming...
the numbers don't line up, ie, 2.0ghz g5 is not equal to a 2.0ghz say pentium IV or whatever.

2.0ghz g5 is more like the equivalent of a 3.0 P4.

cheaper, yes PC is cheaper... but you get what you pay for. i use a PC for this, web browsing, email etc.

no virus/spyware/tojan on a mac. and if you say you dont have anything on your PC, download a free copy of Lavasoft Ad Aware and run it. guarantee you find a ton of spyware (if the computer uses the internet). you'll find atleast 10 files/processes each week, minimum.

build a computer-top notch, P4/amd 64, with a 3.4ghz processor, 250gig HD, optical drives, etc. it will cost ATLEAST $1000, leaning higher to 1500, if you are using good amount of ram.

this computer here- DELL something, pentium4 2.8ghz, 7200rpm drive, 1 gig of ram, is like using my Ibook G4 1.42 ghz. ok so the ibook cost $1300 and this cost maybe $600, but i got a used Imac G5 for $1000 used and it kills this machine and every other i've used, including my boss's 3.2ghz p4 with 2gig ram, 2x160gig 7200 rpm drives that he uses for recording, and that computer cost him $1200, plus monitors ($450). my imac is built into the monitor hehe, and its widescreen!

but i've used PC for simple recording, using a little soundcard and Sonar 2, and that was ok.

PC or Mac- i guess neither is better. Its opinion, and eventually there will be no difference because there will only be one OS- Mac's with Intel CHips, Which i dont think i would buy, can support Windows OS now...

The future is bleak- it's all going to be the same one day. linux is going to take over the world!
 
I own both PC and MAC, and consider them equals. Anyone that says one is better than the other is full of shit. Anyone who says one is more stable than the other is full of shit. It ALL depends on the user.

"download "adaware and you will find 10 processes each week, minimum"

TragicRemix, you cannot make blanket statements and expect people to take you seriously. It just isnt true.


THEY ARE EQUALS. End of story.
 
BigRay said:
TragicRemix, you cannot make blanket statements and expect people to take you seriously. It just isnt true.
QUOTE]

my point there is that any PC connected to the internet, which some people choose not to do with there dedicated recording machines, is bound to recieve some spyware, whether the internet is used, or the link is active.

yes it does depend on the user whether or not the computer is stable. when i got my mac, it was just so simple and PC's were a pain from that point on.

i guess it's a personal preference. people shouldnt ask questions about which is better anymore... they do it with evrything too.
 
Actually, there are ways to get around being a spyware/malware magnet, even for a PC.

Having a firewall and spyware/virus scanner should be standards, though far too many people figure they can do without, especially if they use a dial-up. Big mistake, of course, but that's another discussion.

The main point to consider is that your internet connection only has, at most, the authority over your machine that YOU have. With that in mind, many are beginning to run their PCs in USER mode, in contrast to the ubiquitous and default ADMINISTRATOR mode.

This takes a bit of finesse, because many of the powers a person takes for granted on their computer are only granted by virtue of running in ADMINISTRATOR mode, and so there will be things you will have to switch to ADMINISTRATOR mode to do - like install programs. In fact, I have literally gone to sites and had the browser tell me that this (virus/malware/spyware) cannot be installed because you do not have the proper priviledges!

Stops them cold. In their tracks.

This is precisely what many people are doing for browsing the internet, saving ADMINISTRATOR mode for offline working or just when it is needed. In conjunction with all the other safeguards, it really does keep all the baddies away. :cool:
 
I used to use a PC for recording but I got tired of the Windows crashing and loosing my data. I twas espacially bad in the middle of a session when I had people on the clock. We had to wait for the PC to reboot and find out what was still goo in the recording. Yes I did save once in a while, but not after every take. I switched over to the HD24 for the recording/mix side of the process. I still use the PC for editing, but at least I am not in the middle of a take if something goes wrong with the OS..
 
Fishmed_Returns said:
I used to use a PC for recording but I got tired of the Windows crashing and loosing my data. I twas espacially bad in the middle of a session when I had people on the clock. We had to wait for the PC to reboot and find out what was still goo in the recording. Yes I did save once in a while, but not after every take. I switched over to the HD24 for the recording/mix side of the process. I still use the PC for editing, but at least I am not in the middle of a take if something goes wrong with the OS..
And I've been recording audio for over 10 years on a PC and have YET to have this happen.

In fact, on my main pc I have never had a virus or adware/spyware installed behind my back. granted, I have a seperate pc in front of my other pcs that acts as my router/firewall/gateway, but I wouldn't have it any other way, even if I was running macs.

You can avoid virus' and the like by just using common sense and a good firewall.
 
fraserhutch said:
And I've been recording audio for over 10 years on a PC and have YET to have this happen.

In fact, on my main pc I have never had a virus or adware/spyware installed behind my back. granted, I have a seperate pc in front of my other pcs that acts as my router/firewall/gateway, but I wouldn't have it any other way, even if I was running macs.

You can avoid virus' and the like by just using common sense and a good firewall.
During the time I used a PC for recording, I did not have the PC connected to the internet, and the only software I put on the machine were for recording, so adware/sypware and viruses never made it to my PC.
 
Kiauma said:
Actually, there are ways to get around being a spyware/malware magnet, even for a PC.

Having a firewall and spyware/virus scanner should be standards, though far too many people figure they can do without, especially if they use a dial-up. Big mistake, of course, but that's another discussion.

The main point to consider is that your internet connection only has, at most, the authority over your machine that YOU have. With that in mind, many are beginning to run their PCs in USER mode, in contrast to the ubiquitous and default ADMINISTRATOR mode.

This takes a bit of finesse, because many of the powers a person takes for granted on their computer are only granted by virtue of running in ADMINISTRATOR mode, and so there will be things you will have to switch to ADMINISTRATOR mode to do - like install programs. In fact, I have literally gone to sites and had the browser tell me that this (virus/malware/spyware) cannot be installed because you do not have the proper priviledges!

Stops them cold. In their tracks.

This is precisely what many people are doing for browsing the internet, saving ADMINISTRATOR mode for offline working or just when it is needed. In conjunction with all the other safeguards, it really does keep all the baddies away. :cool:

theres a trick! i never thought of that. usually i have to format the drive once a year..
 
Just switched to an Intel-Mac, and I find it slightly more stable. Sonar on PC was just terrible and Cubase was fine far as reliability goes, might have been just badluck. I don't think it makes such a difference though when considering all factors (price, softwares), what I mean is that you can get satisfactory results with either platform, though I'm very happy with the switch because now I plan on getting Logic Pro 7.2 which sounds just awsome !

By the way, thumbs up on the MOTU Ultralite, I really love it.
 
I've used and still own both. (shrug) They both work very well.

PC's take a bit more care to set up- particularly if you also use the same machine for emial and web-surfing. Macs are generally less work to set up but do require SOME care and feeding. Macs are generally more expensive but not much more than a similarly spec'd PC- unless you are able to build your own PC from parts. Nothing beats that for price AND power.

Most of the arguements against PC's are nullified if you never use the machine to surf and don't need the overhead sucking anti-virus programs. Since Windows XP and OS X I haven't noticed a huge difference in the abililities of the OS's....

So you're pretty much good to go no matter which way you go.

-Chris
 
Now, I will try to put this in as least of technical jargon as I can.

See, with the mixture of creaminess and crunchiness, some may enjoy Almond Joy. Other's consider this mixture of textures a technical nightmare.

These user's tend to run in 'safe' mode, and buy Mound. It's really up to what are you using it for. If you want a 24 bit piece of 96 kHz food, go with Almond Joy. If it will be used for anything else, and just 44.1 kHz satisfies you, go with Mounds. Either way, it depends on the user.

Lastly, this is all because, Almond Joys have nuts, Mounds don't.
 
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