Opinion from Mac users appreciated

  • Thread starter Thread starter RHGraham
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RHGraham

New member
Hi, new guy, well, old guy, but new to the idea of using a puter for recording.

I'd like to run something by you Mac users for some thoughts if you'd be willing.

I have an IMAC G5, I've had it since early 04, and I've liked it a great deal.
AS it turns out, I'm in a position where I could possibly set it aside as a stand-alone recording computer, no internet conection or other uses, just as the home studio base rig. It's still stock as I bought it presently;
G5 1.8Ghz power PC processor,
256mb DDR SDRAM
USB 2.0
Firewire 400
80 GB ATA hard-drive
600 Mhz bus
My thoughts are to upgrade to 2 GB ram, update the operating system, and use logic Express 8 to start with.

After much reading is seems firewire I/O gear has been more reliable/easier to use and maintain than USB 2.0, so I'm looking at what is available in firewire... I find the Onyx 1200F tempting, but in any case, I'd like to have at least 8 XLR inputs, and 12 would be cake.

But, I'm wondering mainly if fellow mac users think this computer would be worth holding onto and utilizing as a my DAW, after the ram upgrade especially, or if I'd be better off looking at something newer.
I've loved this computer, it's served me well, and I'd be happy to keep it for recording if it looked like it would fill the bill.

My personal requirements would be to record at least 8 tracks at once, if not 12, and playback/edit a min of 24, 24 bit/96Khz.

thoughts, opinions, and comments would be most welcome...

THANKS

Randal

Old blues guy
 
Hard to comment without having the same exact machine. Here's my scenario: I've got a dual 2.7ghz G5 w/4 gig of RAM. It's my DAW but not just my DAW--it's my bread and butter. I do web development, video production, and graphic design/advertising--all with tons of robust software. And yes, it's the play machine too--email, internet, some games, etc.

Even with all that it doesn't balk at recording. I record 8 at a time regularly, and I've gone up to 16 w/no problems.

My primary interface is a TASCAM 1804 w/8 channels connected via Firewire. (4 channels are XLR/TRS combos, the other 4 are just TRS; that's not a problem for me since I use other pres into the TRS--but you said you were looking for at least 8 XLR, so I thought I'd mention it).

Then I have an M-Audio Octane with ADAT out. That ADAT out goes into the TASCAM. The Octane is 8 channels too (all XLR or TRS) for a total of 16 ins to the Mac--all via the same Firewire connection. So if I had no other outboard pres, just the TASCAM & the Octane would give me 12 XLR and 4 TRS ins.

I know this doesn't compare exactly to what you have, but maybe it gives you some ideas...
 
Before upgrading, you might just check around. A couple of weeks ago my son called me from the U of O bookstore to tell me they had the new imacs for $799. Granted you have to be a college student to get that deal, but we all know at least one college student, right? That machine would probably be hard to beat at that price for an equal upgrade of your machine. You definitely need the 2gig RAM. Also the 80 gig hard drive will fill up fast, so you're going to need an external drive.
 
By the way, I'd still keep your old machine and use it for email, finances, games, web browsing, etc..
 
guitar zero said:
Before upgrading, you might just check around. A couple of weeks ago my son called me from the U of O bookstore to tell me they had the new imacs for $799. Granted you have to be a college student to get that deal, but we all know at least one college student, right? That machine would probably be hard to beat at that price for an equal upgrade of your machine. You definitely need the 2gig RAM. Also the 80 gig hard drive will fill up fast, so you're going to need an external drive.
Click to expand...

Great point on the hard drive, zero. I didn't even catch that. My G5 has a Terabyte (1000 gigs). FWIW--video eats hard drives more than audio, and I do a fair amount of video. But still, when I'm recording 8-12 tracks, multiple takes--the audio chews up the HD too!
 
Thanks guys

I'm not too worried about the drive, if I end up using this computer then it will be strictly for audio recording, and an external drive for storage was something I figured on in any case... I wouldn't store anything on the machine except projects being worked on.
My big concern was wether the processor had the jam for 16 or 24 tracks at a time, and if the upgrade to 2 gig ram would be enough.

I'm in a situation where I'm moving back home after an extended period of working abroad, and I have studio space, but the recording gear is long gone, and I'd like to get back into it. I have another computer for all my other stuff, internet/email, so that's covered.
This machine could be used as a stand-alone DAW and if it would meet the requirements, would bridge the gap from now till a few years down the road at which point I hope to be able to gain enough skill with the puter technology to justify a bigger rebuild of the studio. And maybe an X-48 or something similar.
My previous gear was 16 tracks on 2 inch and 1/2 inch mastering, and a trident board... pretty old school stuff.
So I know the routine, just need to get up to date on the technology.
I feel old some days talking to the young guys who are completely comfortable with all this new-fangled gear.
:)

Randal
 
You're not old until you quit! And you don't sound like you've quit yet! Keep pushin' on.
 
My friend uses a similar iMac to record using Pro Tools LE. So i have a little second hand experience.

Recording won't be a problem. You can record tons of tracks at the same time without eating up too much processor.

Where you'll run into issues during playback and mixing. 24 channels without any plugins should be doable, although my buddy doesn't record in HD, so I'm not positive. But once you start using plug-ins that processor is gonna get eaten up quick! He tends to use a lot of plug-ins and I seem to recall that around about 10 tracks his computer starts getting overloaded. And he has to start flattening tracks (or whatever it's called when you permanently add the plug-in effect to the track so it doesn't have to calculate it live).

If you treat the computer just as a recording device, and use all outboard effects (or just a few plug-ins), it should be able to meet your needs.

As for RAM, might as well upgrade to 2GB since ram is soooo cheap these days. But Logic doesn't use much RAM. I was editing a ~20 track song last night and I was using less than 1 GB of ram. Make sure to get a decent firewire HDD though as it's writing and reading like crazy to that.

Final words... I love my MOTU for recording on my MacBook Pro. MOTU plays very well with Logic, and I've never had even the slightest hint of problems. I use an 828mkII, but I've heard good things about the 8pre and it'll give you 8 preamps to use (plus ADAT in to add more later if desired).
 
guitar zero said:
they had the new imacs for $799
Click to expand...

If you can find that pick it up! I work at a university lab and get access to student prices, and the new iMacs start at $1150 for us.

But, if you've got the cash for a new computer, anyone can grab a refurb 20-inch 2.16GHz Duo (the old white style) from apple's website for $950. Of you can get a refurbed 2.0Ghz Duo of the new style for the same price. Not sure which would be faster at the task since the newer one has a faster bus. But I suspect that either of those should give your ample power for your needs. PS, refubs from apple rock if you don't need the absolute newest fastest machine.
 
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