Mac vs. PC: Can We Talk?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jack Russell
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Jack Russell

Jack Russell

I smell home cookin!
I will be using a PC-based DAW. I want to collaborate with my drummer who records on a Mac DAW. So, he is a Mac-head and I am a PC-head. (We also live 60 miles apart.)

Is there any way in hell that we can send files to each other or share programs?
 
Adobe Audition for PC supports AIFF (Apple's version of .wav files), so I suspect it will work in the other direction as well. It all depends on which software each person is running.
 
Thanks much.

The drummer is using Delta44. I have not purchased any programs yet. I hope to in the near future, but I don't want to 'cave in' and buy a Mac. (I use my PC for making a living, so I can't change platforms.)
 
heres an idea to ponder. i'm a puter engr. prefer pc.
i assume you want the drummer of course to do drum tracks
after you have fleshed out a song.
so why not just set up a free site somewhere on the internet
you both share. upload a stereo mix to the site for him to add drums.
and then you download to your pc.
 
yes, you can burn wave file on cd with a pc and transfer to mac and vice versa.
 
Thanks for the ideas!
So, a WAV file is a WAV file on either. That makes sense. Setting up a site and might be too much for me to figure out though.
 
Not to be overly critical, but you might not want to name the title Mac vs. PC, especially when it's really not a "Mac vs. PC" question.

Many people will avoid these threads like the plague.

Manning's site idea is cool, and you can get hosting from 1and1.com that is like 500MB for 4.99, and they even have secure password protected directories as well. Very cool.
 
Just thought I'd chime in here regarding hosting. I used to host with 1&1 and never had any major problems with the products but their customer service for me was appalling. It got to a point where it took a week to get any answers and it ended with up me completely disproving their "tech support people" by doing something they said wasn't possible.

I currently using www.hometownhosting.com and the customer support is incredible, there's almost always someone on the live support so you can even get support on weekends which isn't possible with 1&1 (in the UK anyway).

At the end of the day 1&1 are fine if everything is running okay but when you need support it can be unreliable and the advice is generally provided by someone who's not that knowledgeable about their products or their capabilities.
 
OMF - Open Media Framework

When you do an OMF file, it can put togheter audio files and sessions files in a kind of a zip file or stuffit file (the principle I mean). That OMF can be read by differents programs (Protools, DigitalPerformer, Nuendo etc...). It might be a solution for both of you, chossing a program that can export as OMF file.
You will need some ajustment in the firsts exchanges, but here, we are doing fine now.
 
I must have been out of touch for too long. In the 90s there were some real problems with compatibility between Macs and PCs, but that seems to be no longer the case (??), which is great.

I'm one of those people who would rather mail a disc using the good old US Post Office than try to navigate the complex maze of technical pitfalls and traps that are inherent with sending stuff via a hosting site or service. It takes 10 minutes to send a disc; it would take me too long to understand what you all are talking about. Hahaha! :eek:

But the point is well taken: if I needed to correspond a lot, a hosting site would be the way to go.

BTW: I do think the question of use of Macs versus PCs for music production, in and of itself, is still a relevent issue. For instance, lots of people will say "Macs are great for the arts!" Well, why is it always just Mac users who say that? It seems like they are less complicated, but I also hear that Macs break down more often. But that boils down to one's own experience.

Thanks.
 
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I work in Pro Tools, and move sessions all the time between Mac and PC, and between sessions created in Pro Tools TDM and Pro Tools LE. I have had no problems. I use a firewire drive formatted for the PC as the "session transfer" drive, because all the computers can read it. There's a little checkbox that says "enforce Mac/PC compatibility" when you make a new session, that little box is a godsend.

I assume if you use the same program on both platforms, it should be no problem. Be aware that you should also standardize on a set of plugins that you both have.
 
Mac vs PC?

I do a lot of recording on PC and a lot of graphic work on another PC, with which I interact with several outfits (print shop, tshirt silk-screener) who have Macs and there are no problems. I like PCs because I can work on them myself and I use Adobe Audition (nee Cool Edit Pro) which until recently was PC only. The Mac users I deal with are convinced that I'm trying to use a hammer to thread a needle but there's gear snobbery everywhere....
 
lpdeluxe said:
I like PCs because I can work on them myself and I use Adobe Audition (nee Cool Edit Pro) which until recently was PC only.
Click to expand...

Still is PC only.
 
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