Is it worth moving to MAC ?...

  • Thread starter Thread starter gilwe
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At least it is nice you have the 2 alternatives ... We don't HAVE TO use any of these machine. We can choose what ever is good for us and this is great.

Just to add, I think the biggest advantage of the PC, besides the versatile softwares, is the variety of hardware avaliable for it.

I really don't know MAC at all, and quite didn't think the PC was so great when I used 98 and ME, but after using XP for a few months, I must say I really enjoy working on it and I think Microsoft had a big step forward choosing to build their new home OS on Win2K. If I had to keep on using 98 I don't think I would say this; installing it over again and again just wasn't it !
 
so uh... now that the imacs, powerbooks, and emacs are using the G4s, isn't it about time apple stepped up their PowerMacs?? everything is kinda level now on their products with them all sporting the G4... seems like its past time for the PowerMac to move onto the G5 or whatever is next...

seems apple's kinda falling behind in the "pro" products and focusing on bettering the "consumer" products.
 
Downside Studio said:


What money????? I didn't mention it did I. I'm just stating thatr I hate microsoft for being such UNuserFRIENDLY. I could really kill somebody right now. What a worthless peace of softwareprogramming.

Oh, sorry. Too much of a blanket statement. Most of the Mac users I know haven't even given PCs a shot though. Most have just had a few minutes experience here and there, then say that Macs are the only way and PCs are a flaming bag of crap. But I must say that I do know people who have worked with windoze enough to judge weather or not it is in fact a buggy flaming bag of crap. You seem like one of them...
 
cordura21 said:
Apple is just one company


That is a HUGE advantage!!! You know how many different w/x networks we've tried out to get one that is compatable with everything on our server PC? We've been going for about a month with NO LUCK!!! Nothing seems to be compatable. Why? Of course! Any one could figure this out! It's because not all the companies convene to figure out compatability issues. And then they'd have to make sure it would be compatable with a thousand combinations of differen't developers and manufacturer's stuff. So they don't. They pick the majors, such as being compatable with Windows 9x-XP, X Modem, X, ISP, X router, and IE. Anything else can kiss it's rubber feet. I was using z/x networks as an example BTW.

Apple has everything worked out. It all comes from one building. And everything outsourced will work with all the Apple computers because Apple asks them to do so.
 
I don't know if that's so. I agree that in the network world it's wasy to use appletalk, althought it's very slow (and appletalk over ip is unusable). On the other side, using tcp/ip the mac runs pretty well, and that's a standard.

Having just one company is a bottleneck, first because it has to take all the research & development costs (that's why the pc grew so fast, cause it was developed by many and sharing the costs). The second is that two (or more) heads are better than one, usually. They might have a starters advantage but that was at the beginning.
A similar thing is happening with Digidesign, in my point of view.
 
Digidesign is the company that made the greatest piece of software for recording. But since they don't collaborate with anybody and they do all the R&D by themselves, they move much slower than the rest. There are other technologies like vst that are more open and thus there are hundreds of guys developing, so they go faster. Kind of what happened to the PC platform.
 
oh, okay, so that's why I see so many people on the DUC complaining about how slow Digi is on new developments.

I'm just getting started so I don't have much to complain about with it.
 
it's not that you have anything to complain. But take for instance, the Steinberg collaboration with the guys of Propellerheads. That makes the integration of Cubase with Reason very easy, and reason is a hell of a software. Same thing with Motu and Rewire.
Being much open than Digi technologies (like the fairly new RTAS), VST has a lot of freeware. As far as I know, there's only one freeware for RTAS (a bandpass filter). The same thing goes to that great loop thing also by Propellerheads (don't remember the name).

But for me it's the same thing as the Apple vs. PC deal, Digidesign stuff is still better cause it's easier to use, and that'll be their main advantage as long as the others don't improve their interfaces. Digi capitalized in the good work that Apple made with their user interface, and made a program that was transparent to you if you already had some mac experience.
Of course with that comment I line up myself with the guys that like simple interfaces, but I find that complex ones are not only a consequence of bad design, but also user tastes. Seems that there are people who actually like complex interfaces. There are some programs, like Logic, which I find pretty intimidating. Cubase is a little confusing to me. And Digital Performer has a loop thing that you can stare 100 hours to it and you don't get if it's a game, a debugging window, or what. Also, PC users are more prone to accept complex interfaces, since they did that all of their lives. Mac users are used to simple things, cause that's the philosophy of the mac: once you learn how to use it, it's the same in every piece of software.

Another good example is the Firewire devices. Digi has no Firewire card yet, and Motu has. That's a great advantage for doing live recording. And OSX support is another plus that Digi doesn't have yet, albeit I have to say that it maybe Apple's fault.

Cheers, Andrés
 
m-tyler.jpg
 
Cordura, in your opinion, do you think an expansion of DIGIdesign would result in a reduction of quality products?
 
It's not that Digidesign has bad quality. Contrary of that, it has the BEST quailty of them all. Just as Apple had the best quality compared to Windows.
The thing is that Windows has more features, just because there are thousands of heads thinking new ways of getting the juice of the machine, while mac programmers and developers are few.
The same happens with Digi, but I have to say that in a much smaller way, since Digi became the standard at the studio.
Anyways, you won't go wrong using an MBox or a Digi 001 (I own this one).
With Digi you have the best quality in terms that the iterface is so good, you don't waste your time an hence you've the best productivity.
What may upset you is that you'll see all the guys using loops and you can't, using Reason and you can't, using GigaStudio and you can't, or using hundreds of free plugins while you can't.
So it's a tradeoff. There are lots of people that come from many years of using a PC, so they don't care about ease of use (after all they've been staring at black screens with blinking cursors for years).

Digidesign, as Apple, has the philosophy of not obstructing(sp?) the creative process. That's a great thing. Today they don't have such a huge useability advantage as in the past. The other day I read that Robert Smith from the Cure is using Cubase, so you see there are lots of users with different tastes.

If I have to buy again, MAYBE I'll buy a MOTU Firewire thing. That's because I could take it with a laptop and do 8 channels recodings live. But bear in mind that those cards come without the software, while Digi stuff comes with Protools LE bundled, which is a hell of a program.

But no, Digidesign has the best quality on the features they carry. The other guys just carry more features.

Cheers, Andrés
 
cordura21 said:

It's right:) , Useability was wrong,:D if you worry sometimes, what I do sometimes is check the spelling in outlook or word.

Back to the topic...
I think I experienced what you're talking about, I tried to install the Mic modeler and realized it was not RTAS compatible... after the fact.

But I think there is enough compatible software out there to keep me happy. At least until Digi gets support for more stuff.

Thanks
 
I am more than sure that there's enough to keep you happy. Follow my advice and use your time to make songs, not to select and use gear.

As an excercise use just the plugins that Digi bundles in (which are a lot) and mix with those. You'll develop your skills in a better way than using the new Pentafuzz XLR optimized for Altivec blah blah blah thing.

As I said in another thread, usually the bottleneck in the chain are the songs.

Enjoy, Andrés
 
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