Mac or Windows?

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Emptyspacez

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I am a long time musician and want to start home-recording. What kind of computer works best for recording and editing, a Macintosh or a Windows? And as far as software goes, I want something that is easy to use with good quality. Suggestions?
 
My findings!!!

Hello! I too had the very same debate when I endeavored to build a home studio. The answer became VERY EVIDENT after I started to PRICE components and software to do so.

1) LOOK AT YOUR BUDGET!!!

If you have lots of $$$ GO MAC!!! It is a bit less user friendly, but you'll figure it out eventually. It is VERY WORTH it.

If you have a budget go PC. WHY do I say this? To get the SIZE computer you need to RUN home recording software glitch free...you're gonna need more than an iMAC...people will probably fuss with me over this...but I have many friends who do 'college budget' recording and have had nothing but 'issues' trying to record with the lil' guyz. The ones were successful using them...bought external Fire Wire hard drives and a whole lotta other upgrades which...by the time all was said and done...cost as much as purchasing a G4!!!

Mac software is MORE EXPENSIVE than PC software and harder to find.

2) If you are not a computer genius. PC's are definitely more user friendly than MAC. I've worked on both platforms as a graphic designer and truthfully...i think they kick butt. I just can't afford them. And don't get me wrong...it's not confusing...just a bit harder.

That's my 2 cents worth. Good Luck.

MShea

Note: I do believe there is a thread in somewhere that addresses this question more in depth. I'll try and dig it up.
 
OH YEAH!!!

My software suggestion. CAKEWALK!!!

Why...it's a no-brainer...and gets the job done. Nothing glorious...but definitely gets the job done. I've since upgraded to SONAR (by Cakewalk) and it's basically the same with a bit more bells and whistles. It was pretty easy to learn...and came with a very understandable tutorial!!! (And also came bundled with my Aardvark Direct Pro 24/96 which I use to connect my Synth, Mics, Bass, etc. to the computer...KICK BUTT SOUND CARD and breakout box for the $$$$. Very worth it!!!
 
If you're not planning on doing lots on MIDI then there is only one way to go. DIGI001. Get yourself a PC Athlon system and a DIGI001 and you'll be a very happy little camper! The Athlons kick butt! There are no Macs that can get anywhere near it for power or price, and the stability issues are almost a thing of the past.
The best way to go is to check out someone like DAWBOX who specialise in computer recording systems and will sell you the complete package ready to use and guarranteed to work.
Good luck
Mark
 
DIGI oo1

Hey mark just how much midi will the oo1 handle? Atleast a midi key board I hope. Long as it will sync with my keyboard I'll be alright my keyboard(K2500X)will record and store 16 of its own tracks which I can get some pretty descent piano, bass,drums and rythm guitar.Anyway are you talking about saving midi files on the computer so it will inturn control a sound module or a keyboard?
 
Randall
The 001 will handle the midi functions you are talking about. I'm a midi novice so I can't really tell you what the main problems are. I hear people complaining about things like "no patch names" (you just get a bank of numbers) and things like that. The only thing we use it for is to program drum rhythms from a Zoom RT123 via a cheap Yamaha keyboard and it works great. You can do all the quantizing and editing you need to. Digidesign claim that ProTools LE will run 128 midi tracks simaltaneously. I think the main problem is that the "user friendlyness" is not that great. As opposed to the audio side where the graphics and "user friendliness" is second to none (IMHO). I'm sure if you popped into the midi forum and asked what Pro Tools' midi problems are you'll get some better information.
Good luck,
Mark
 
I agree!!!

You will have issues with patches...but it's NOT A BIG DEAL!!! Unless you want to trigger the sound changes on ONE track...then...there's a problem. I just make a separate track...works just fine. I think you should be OK. Good luck.
 
Mark knows whatsup...

The digi001/protools is awesome. That with a very affordable athlon system will spin circles around just about any mac. If you don't know about computers, DEFINITELY go with a builder.

I've used a midi keyboard on it before....it works just fine. It will probably do a lot more than you're looking for. The digi001 also works with logic so you can use that for SERIOUS midi stuff as well if you needed it down the road.
 
Keep in Touch!!!

Hey. Make sure you let us know what you finally come up with for your set up and how it works out for you. It's always nice to hear what people put together. I did the same thing you are when I started to put my home recording dreams into reality. Great place to start. Good luck and happy recording.
 
Re: Keep in Touch!!!

Yeah!!! Defineitely. Hey do I have to have my own web page to post music on the mp-3 site here at recording .com? Thats something else I don't know beans about infact I' m just two years into computers.
 
you can use mp3.com. Its free and it works pretty well...
 
To be sure yeah!!

This site is awsome man. Looks like right know I've hocked everything I own to buy an 867Mhz Mac g-4 w/512 megsa Ram and digi-oo1. I don't have the computer yet it should be here Friday. I used a Tascam 4 tracker for years and then I got a boss br-8 which is pretty cool. I just want to learn how to do it on computer though.I'll be able to view my kurzweils entire working system on screen via download from kurzweil.com which they said is only available for Mac-I don't know-but thats one of the reasons I went with a Mac it sure wasn't the price ten-fo.
 
Mac's are cool if you've got the money. You won't get as high a plugin count as you will with an Athlon, but there are way more plugins available for the Mac platform.
Enjoy
Mark
 
Rowdy country song!!

I've got a rowdy country song I could throw on there that I wrote myself.What do I do just register with Mp-3?
 
I understand the wanting for that feature only on mac, but you might want to look at the althlon again

When it comes to protools and mac vs pc....A user in the pc digi001 bbs developed a test to compare hardware configurations vs performance. Basically what happens is you open a track and add 5 specific plugins to it. The you hit record and let it go for 1 minute while watching the cpu load meter. If it doesn't go into the red, then you add another track and start over. Each track has 5 plugins on it, so when you get up to 10 tracks for example, thats 50 plugins. Since the digi 001 allows only 24 tracks, when you get there then you start adding aux channels (pretty much the same thing).. You keep adding tracks until your system goes into red and maxes out...You can then compare your score and configuration to others.

Most people complain "I wouldn't use that many plugins" or "I don't use 3 delay plugins on one track". That is not the point. The digidesign plugins don't take up much cpu power, but the good ones like waves, bombfactory and others DO...They sound awesome...I have an 800 mhz p3 and I can never put as many waves c4s as I'd like to. trust me, this IS an issue.

A pc with a 1 ghz p3 cpu usually gets right around 23-24 tracks..thats 120 plugins running at the same time, while recording, not mixing (you'd get more if you weren't recording)

Most athlons at somewhere around 1.2 Ghz or so (which are cheaper then intel cpus) have been getting somewhere around All 24 tracks and 10-15 Aux tracks. Math geniuses that is 195 plugins at once. The best I've seen was 24 tracks and 18 auxs...


Now some people realized, hey why not send this over to the mac forum and compare pc to mac once and for all.

So we did. There weren't many replys with results...most of them complained..."oh I don't need that many plugins" or "this is not a realistic test" I think most of them did the test and just didn't want to post their results because they were so bad.

Of the systems that did run the test, Most of them topped out at something like 12 tracks total. Many of them got much less.

These are systems that can cost thousands more than athlons. If you need that feature, then you gotta get a mac. But REALISTICALLY, when you're almost done with a mix and you know you just need one or two more c4's on a track and it's giving you a too many plugins error, it's a BIG bummer.

Anyway, going the digi001 route is a great choice regardless. It's a blast to use.
 
oh sorry...yeah register with mp3.com the problem is you have to upload it and then they listen to it and approve it before you can get to it. It usually takes about a week for them to approve it.
 
GOOD DEAL!!!

Hey, being able to get a visual with your Kurzweil KICKS A$$!!!

Yeah. Sounds like you've made a pretty good move. That was my BIGGEST issue, was finding out what was 'compatible' with my Alesis QS7.1. Turns out it's GLITCHY no matter what you do and I've still yet to figure out how the hell to get the RIGHT patches into Cakewalk. You've got a huge added bonus. I am reduced to having to save actual User Banks for EVERY SONG I MAKE!!! UG! But it works and it doesn't take too much thought...until I run out of memory.

Yeah. MP3.com ROCKS!!! Executivos is correct. They do listen to your stuff, then approve it before you can hear it. And yes, it does take about a week. It sucks at times, but for the most part has been NO PROBLEM!!! And hey, what do you expect. It's FREE!!!

I did have ONE issue with a song I wrote, I used a sample of Arsenio Hall from the movie Coming to America...it's under the 3 second rule, but it was booted by MP3.com because they DON'T use the 3 second rule. My only other option is to filter the HELL out of the clip so that the voice is unrecognizable but that TOTALLY KILLS the vibe of the song. It's a vent about Bin Laden and Arsenio says 'Now let's see you defend yourself you sweat from a babboon's balls'. OH WELL!!!
 
Thanks!!

Executivos said:
I understand the wanting for that feature only on mac, but you might want to look at the althlon again

When it comes to protools and mac vs pc....A user in the pc digi001 bbs developed a test to compare hardware configurations vs performance. Basically what happens is you open a track and add 5 specific plugins to it. The you hit record and let it go for 1 minute while watching the cpu load meter. If it doesn't go into the red, then you add another track and start over. Each track has 5 plugins on it, so when you get up to 10 tracks for example, thats 50 plugins. Since the digi 001 allows only 24 tracks, when you get there then you start adding aux channels (pretty much the same thing).. You keep adding tracks until your system goes into red and maxes out...You can then compare your score and configuration to others.

Most people complain "I wouldn't use that many plugins" or "I don't use 3 delay plugins on one track". That is not the point. The digidesign plugins don't take up much cpu power, but the good ones like waves, bombfactory and others DO...They sound awesome...I have an 800 mhz p3 and I can never put as many waves c4s as I'd like to. trust me, this IS an issue.

A pc with a 1 ghz p3 cpu usually gets right around 23-24 tracks..thats 120 plugins running at the same time, while recording, not mixing (you'd get more if you weren't recording)

Most athlons at somewhere around 1.2 Ghz or so (which are cheaper then intel cpus) have been getting somewhere around All 24 tracks and 10-15 Aux tracks. Math geniuses that is 195 plugins at once. The best I've seen was 24 tracks and 18 auxs...


Now some people realized, hey why not send this over to the mac forum and compare pc to mac once and for all.

So we did. There weren't many replys with results...most of them complained..."oh I don't need that many plugins" or "this is not a realistic test" I think most of them did the test and just didn't want to post their results because they were so bad.

Of the systems that did run the test, Most of them topped out at something like 12 tracks total. Many of them got much less.

These are systems that can cost thousands more than athlons. If you need that feature, then you gotta get a mac. But REALISTICALLY, when you're almost done with a mix and you know you just need one or two more c4's on a track and it's giving you a too many plugins error, it's a BIG bummer.

Anyway, going the digi001 route is a great choice regardless. It's a blast to use.
Click to expand...
I'll make a note of those issues and see how it does .Randall
 
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