cake or mac for guitar oriented music

[sack blabbith]

Pc or mac for guitar oriented music

I know this topic has probably come up many times before but I am new to all of this. I have an older pc and I'm maxed on drive space. I am looking at getting a newer pc. My main interest is making music. Acoustic/electric, vocals etc. Just straight forword stuff nothing to intricate. So I've also been thinking mac instead of Pc. And I was just wondering what peoples thoughts were on this. Which would be easier to use/learn Cakewalk or mac aps.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Porter]

I know this topic has probably come up many times before but I am new to all of this. I have an older pc and I'm maxed on drive space. I am looking at getting a newer pc. My main interest is making music. Acoustic/electric, vocals etc. Just straight forword stuff nothing to intricate. So I've also been thinking mac instead of Pc. And I was just wondering what peoples thoughts were on this. Which would be easier to use/learn Cakewalk or mac aps.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Just saw you other post and wondered what you were talking about, so I looked at all your posts and found this.

I don't think too many people in the Cakewalk forum will be able to answer your question as Cakewalk is a PC only application, and being that, not too many people would be using an Apple.

The best place to ask this question would be over in the Newbies forum, or over in the Computer Recording and Souncards.

Personally I hate Macs.. but that's just me. I think the base OS comes with Garage Band now.. I had a play with it at the store but the Mac interface felt very foreign.. but I'm a Windows boy through and through.

Hope that helps...

Daniel

BTW, there are a lot of guys here who know their stuff and are willing to help, just sometimes you have to ask the right question in the correct place.

 

[Paul881]

This is one of those questions that either gets no replies ...or hundreds

To take a balanced view, you either prefer Macs or PC's - its a matter of personal choice. Both are very capable of recording using suitable software apps with pro's and con's to be weighed accordingly. But most peeps use PC's. Whether that is because PC's are "better" is highly debateable - the arguements rage. Its reminisent of the Betamax vs VHS wars

Neither offer an easier route of learning recording (IMHO) and so are equel in that respect, unless you are versed already in one of them. But you will need to think about getting a machine that has an excellent spec because recording music is very hungry on CPU processing and hard disk storage space. And that goes for Macs as well as PC's. And to my knowledge, MAc's don't come with built in music apps any more than PC's do - you will still need to invest in software to get the job done. And even if they did, choosing a mac instead of a PC because of its bundled software is still not the best method of choosing which device to purchase. Again, IMHO.

All of Cakewalk's products are superb; they also offer a great upgrade program with discounted upgrades. I have been using their programs for almost 8 years and they just get better and better.

You will also need to invest in a decent soundcard plus decent monitors and headphones.

As ever, you need to do your own research and read up on the subject before parting with your $$$'s.

 

[sonnylarsen]

I love it when these questions come up

Either one is fine. If you aren't a Mac user now, I can assure you that the Mac UI is wonderful. It only took me a few minutes to get used to it. As far as whether you should use Cakewalk on a PC or some other app on a mac, I can honestly tell you (As someone who HAS Cakewalk SONAR on PC and Logic Express 7 on the Mac) that the biggest difference is going to be price. You will easily be able to obtain a powerful PC for about 50% less than an equivalent Mac. This savings will enable you to spend more money on the other components of your DAW (SOFTWARE, sound card, good mic's, good pre's, etc.).

 

[punkin]

Same here...I have a G5 MAC and a couple custom built PC's. I had to have the G5 just to run a single video editing program (long story). Weighing all the costs and the non-standard features the Mac doesn't come with, I could easily build two fire breathers of the PC variety. I'm not gonna say that the Mac isn't nice,...it performs very well and is suprisingly quiet however, the bang per buck simply isn't there.

 

[sack blabbith]

to Punked

Thanks for the feed back. Not sure what You ment by "the big house." I have been doing a bit more searching and so far I have more questions then answers but every little bit helps. Just the terminology alone is enough to make a map stand out on the forhead and then everyone uses anagrams which is fine for saving on typing, not so good when your not sure what most of them stand for. But I have always been a big fan of askind dumb questions and then just doing it. Thats usually what works best for me.

Well thanks again.

Sorry If you read my other post and I seemed pissed its just it seemed like an honest question and instead I get this locals only attitude like i'm at pipe line with a ironing board. I went to another sight and some guy was asking the same thing almost verbatim and everyone was like o well this and that and were really helpful.

Well thanks again
M

 

[hueseph]

Uh...I think the big house comment was just a big "don't drink and drive cause you'll get caught and get put in the slammer."

Now that that's settled. I think the bottom line is, if you don't intend to take your music further than the internet and some cd's you give to your friends, then you're fine using a PC and cakewalk. Even if you plan to produce your first couple of independant cd's, PC should be ok. If however you start to get really serious and you invest a lot of your time and money into your music, a Mac may be a better investment. They are more stable and often need less tweaking. The majority of major label supporting studios use Macs. That's not to say that there isn't a good portion of PC's out there but the music world, like many other media oriented industries, are Mac toting elitists . No offense intended toward anyone. PC's are getting better and even Windows is getting more stable but Macs still dominate the "Pro" market. That being said I own a PC but started with Macs. I think the ideal situation is to have both. For a starter home project studio PC is fine.

 

[punkin]

Uh...I think the big house comment was just a big "don't drink and drive cause you'll get caught and get put in the slammer." QUOTE]

Exactly!...Just wanting everyone to start the next year on good note. No harm no foul...it's all good. A tangle with Johnny Law on New Year's Eve will usually ruin the festivities.

And I agree, to each their own. I was raised on PC...built several and am very comfortable with the performance and for most of my uses and work, it's the best bang for the buck. Like I said, I do have a dual processor G5...it's nice but it cost me an arm and a leg, it's still not set up for multi-track recording meaning I would have to dump more money into it and if it weren't for the video editing software I'm forced to work with (which cost a fortune compared to other PC compatable products) I woudn't have bought it.

If you've got the money, by all means...go for it. I can't speak for any of the Mac compatable software packages out there but I can give you a full review of the Cakewalk/SONAR stuff...I'm wanting for nothing there and am a very happy camper.

Peace, love and all that happiness stuff (Steve Vai said something like that once I think).

 

[Paul881]

There are many pro musicians who are producing music using PC based DAW studios.

But not as many as MAC based, similar situation to graphic design houses - MAC's seem to have stormed to an early lead and stayed in front. What the marketing peeps call "early innovators"

Not for one nano second did I ever consider getting a MAC to start with - nor have I since For my circumstances, there was just no point. Its not that I am against MAC's; its just not an issue for me. And the same is true for most of the members here too.

As ever, ya pays yer money and takes yer pick