Mac vs. PC for dedicated DAW box, and how much horsepower needed for 8-16 tracks?

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coloradojay

coloradojay

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I want to move from my roland 880ex, to computer based recording. I've decided to have a dedicated recording computer that won't be subject to all of the crashes and rebuilds that my current one goes through. For that matter, I've heard from a couple of people that if I am going to have a dedicated box for audio, that I should definitly go Mac. I used to be a really big fan of Mac, but my last 3 jobs have all been WinTel based work, so I've totally crossed over at this point, but am willing to go back if it's worth it.


The Questions:

-If I want to be able to mix 8-16 tracks, and do some effects, and midi sequencing simultaniously, what is the minimum CPU/RAM I'll need (will a G3 cut the mustard, or should I really get a G4, will an Athlon 1.7gHz with 512MB do?). So basically what are my CPU and RAM requirements?

-Are the UDMA IDE hard drives adiquate to multitrack, so long as I use defragged, dedicated drives (I remember that all the A/V heads used to use SCSI exclusively, but IDE seems pretty freakin fast nowadays)? Anything special to get as far as HDs go?

-How much difference is there on the Macs with a built in SCSI bus, or just buying a superfast SCSI card and pluggin it in?

and lastly

-Mac vs. PC nitty-gritty- What is the reason you've chosen the platform you have (more reliable? more software? cheaper? maybe doesn't really matter anymore PCs have finally cought up? -naahh I know in my heart of hearts that Macs must have an advantage- what is it?)


Oh yeah, for an interface I'm thinking about a 1010 or a Tascam 428. I think either solution should work OK on either platform.

Thanks in advance for advice, and shared experiences.

<(c:

-J
 
The fact is that Windows based machines are much faster at about half the price.

But some people like Mac and some people like windows. Mostly the people who like mac are the super loyal customers who will defend macs to the death regardless of the agruement. I don't know why it is like this with macs, but people get super defensive. So don't expect many good arguements from either side other than "Macs are way better and way more stable", or "Pc's are way better they're just as stable, faster and cheaper".

Aside from specs and prices it's all bullshit. If you want to use logic audio, get a mac cause they don't mac it for PC anymore. If you're going to go for a pro tools setup i hear they are ideal to use with a Mac. But they can be used for a PC just as well...
 
Thanks Ambi.

Yeah, I know the PC/Mac arguement can get a little religious. Maybe we should take it to The Cave :D

Software available is definitly an issue. Logic seems popular, and supports the major plugins, so that's tempting.

PC hardware is cheaper for sure, and I've already got tons of it, so if I can get by with like an AMD Athlon 1.7 and a half gig of RAM, that would be really easy for me to put together cheaply.

Come on Mac Evangelists, where are you, and what are the merits of the Macintosh?
 
Ditto with Ambi. PCs and Macs are both nice, but for what you want to do a PC will be just fine, cost less, and have a far bigger software libarary. An Athlon 1700 would handle what you want without even breathing hard. The biggest pro-Mac arguement - that they are easier to use - is moot in your case since you already know Windows.

Unless you want to run Mac-specific software, go PC.
 
Yea and a 7200 rpm IDE drive is great. For the price/performance ratio i would say SCSI is definatly not worth it, not by a long shot. Also you can get a couple hard drives a do a dual boot, and you could use one drive for regular use, or other work you do on computers, and use the other drive for audio. So if you already work with PC's you could have a new pc for that AND for audio.
 
Sweetnubs word is bond.

Personally i'd go PC, and i went PC and i wouldn't look back. You won't miss anything but you'll gain a lot more gear with the money you'll save.
 
Look at it this way....

The end result is the same. You have recorded music. You can drive a Ford to work or you can drive a Checy, end result is the same. Nail it down to how much money you can save by going with a PC and put that money into a better preamp to go with that 1010. Don't know much about the 428 but the 1010 is great and at $600 is a bargain.
 
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

If you've got the dough and dont mind throwin' it around, go hard buy a mac...personally I'd love to have my hands on a nice mac with the protools digi thingy, that is the shit. Well, maybe not for everyone, but hell I was impressed!!
 
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