Recording PC or Mac

[Jwl9brla]

Ok, I know this question is on here somewhere but I have not found the answer I am looking for yet. I have a HP laptop and I found in another forum website that HP laptops are one of the worst laptops to have for recording. I just bought a Tascam US 1800 for $300.00 and was rather satisfied with that purchase until some breakup started occurring in the audio signal (I believe it's somewhere where the interface and computer are not communicating properly) I read another post online somewhere that said he was having the same problem with his HP and his US 1800 but all the other reviews of the US 1800 on other PC's and Mac's seem to be fine. Anyway, so now I'm thinking about upgrading my computer to a more solid recording computer. I was wondering if the audio specific computers like the Rain or PC Audio Labs would be a good investment or would a Mac be the way to go. I would like an educated answer with someone who has maybe used one or all of these computers.

 

[Jwl9brla]

I have compared the Rok Box 64 with a Mac with similar specs (I think) to see what the difference in price would be and it seems like for a Mac with similar specs would be about 1300 more. Here are some links of what I compared. $2.099.00 vs. $3424.00

Rok Box 64 - PCAudioLabs

Cart - Apple Store (U.S.)

If there is something I'm missing please help understand so I can make an educated decision when I actually do spend the money on a computer that I will be using for the next five to six years.

The thing I like the most about PC audio labs is the sound dimming material inside the computer. My laptop is very noisy. What I like the most about Rain is that it's configured to run best for audio production. And Macs have a lot of processing power but for a lot more money and they seem to be very stable.

 

[Bobbsy]

Frankly, before I spent a lot of money on a dedicated computer, I'd go through the setup on what I own, making sure that, for recording and mixing, I switch off all extraneous background software: no network/bluetooth, no anti-virus and none of the host of rubbish computers load up for you at boot. Something like "Enditall" can help but, even better, is to set up a partition and a dual boot--one boot opening all the usual general stuff and the other doing just the bare bones needed for recording.

As for the Mac vs. PC debate, that's never ending. I've used both, both can work. Personally, I use a PC because my software of choice is Adobe Audition which, until the next release, is PC only. My usual advice is to choose your software THEN pick a computer to run it well.

Bob

 

[Jwl9brla]

Frankly, before I spent a lot of money on a dedicated computer, I'd go through the setup on what I own, making sure that, for recording and mixing, I switch off all extraneous background software: no network/bluetooth, no anti-virus and none of the host of rubbish computers load up for you at boot. Something like "Enditall" can help but, even better, is to set up a partition and a dual boot--one boot opening all the usual general stuff and the other doing just the bare bones needed for recording.

As for the Mac vs. PC debate, that's never ending. I've used both, both can work. Personally, I use a PC because my software of choice is Adobe Audition which, until the next release, is PC only. My usual advice is to choose your software THEN pick a computer to run it well.

Bob

Well, I would like to not have to think that much about having my computer set at an optimal level when my initial problem is how my computer and interface don't seem to be communicating properly in the first place. I read somewhere that I can't find the link to at the moment that said HP computers don't ground their motherboard or something like that that make it difficult to use it effectively for recording. I will still have this computer for a while so your thoughts may help me in the near future until I'm comfortable enough to spend a small fortune on a computer. But I may end up selling my laptop anyway or using it for general computing needs when I do get a better computer. Also I have been thinking about this for months so I have gone through some of the passes with general recording on a standard computer.