Need Help from those who use windows system to mix and stuff

[Cuntcoreee]

does it really matter whether between using windows or a mac system to do the sounds?
is the rumours true that using windows on protools is quite a bad thing?

 

[squarehero]

Well, it really depends on what you define as bad and whether you can actually even hear this "badness" at the current resolution of your system.

Pro tools on Windows or Mac should sound pretty similar. Barring any differences in computer components or audio interfaces. I have a pro tools on windows rig and it works just fine.

 

[blueprintstudios]

yes it matters, if you use windows, you cannot use Logic or Garage Band or any audio interfaces by Apogee

rumours based on what you said,were started by people whose rec/mixing skills are shit and just blame it on the DAW or OS.

 

[Cuntcoreee]

@squarehero i see i see.. but does it crash often on windows or u encountered any problem? lets say compared it with mac?

@blueprintstudios hahaa i get your point..actually my main concern is whether will protools on windows encounter more problems than on mac? just curious, u use daw on windows pc for song mixing too?

 

[blueprintstudios]

to answer your question > yes.

but I've seen my fairshare of mac's giving epic fails. I'm a freelance computer technician 14 years experience so maybe that's why my windows PC performs flawlessly except now I'm operating with a faulty ram slot (there's 2 slots so i'll be using until it fully blows up then send in for free replacement) after abusing the mainboard nonstop for gaming/videography/audio/office/movie viewing on 40" TV/ work and leisure.

I'm using cubase, my audio interfaces are echo audiofire 4 (known for stable drivers) and zoom r16 (the drivers are stable also because they're backed by Centrance)

so comes down to doing proper research on what audio interface you're using/ your computer specs (i'm only on a 2.4ghz core2duo 2gb ram 500gb sata hdd)/ your MAINTENANCE (read : http://soft.com.sg/forum/showthread.php/38326-DIY-Recording-FAQ) etc. i wrote that 5 years ago and it still applies without fail.

 

[kongwee]

For protools, basically you have to follow the spec on their website.
I don't use a lot of protools, but do check on their downloads.
They have verified release and beta release on Win and Mac.
The trick is to match the OS verson to stable release of the protools.

Personally, the advantage of Protools is to able to build around Protools HD or HDX system.
Low Latency and DSP are their advantage.
One HDX accel card can hold 128 track at 32 sample buffer( you follow their PC/Mac spec).
Apogee and RME can do that.
But HDX and HD can add plug-in on top of that which help to relieve load from CPU.

There are more material on Protools than any other DAWs.
So you could learn easily without translating some technique to other DAWs.

 

[blueprintstudios]

cuntcoree : heh, for someone who cut'n'paste loads of theory to recommend you something he doesn't use is a salesman with a good narrative memory, just remember the DAW is a tool. the sound is the focus of your result. if you spend $XXXX (4 digits) on a mac, and $XXXX on high end audio interfaces like apogee, or $XXXX on protools HD/X system just so you can "learn easily" due to the manual of protools having more pages. I truly hope your income is close to 6 digit per year. because your mics/preamps/room treatments/etc has not been included.

 

[kongwee]

That right man, there are someone who is desperately wanna make some sale there.

cuntcoree : My advise do check around Protools forums. Protools has just move to version 10, I only setup Protools 9.

 

[blueprintstudios]

Cuntcoree : my advice is to listen to the one who walks the talk for the last decade, stick around here to have a better balanced mixture of mac/pc , logic,protools/cubase,sonar etc users to get your questions answered , unless you're gonna change your thread topic to "need help from protools users"

 

[kongwee]

Cuntcoree : What have you use?

 

[Cuntcoreee]

lol chill pill to you guys!

@blueprint yea i get it.. good sound mix is all dependent on the skill of individual yea? cos i've been practicing and using protools for some time at my friend's place on his mac but i wanna get my own PC to make things more convinient.. from your comment i decide to choose the cheaper route which is using windows and brush up my daw skills but one last thing, i know that a desktop is more preferred to do sound mixing and stuff but i'm considering between a desktop and a laptop (both windows) cos i might need to do my stuff over at some other places. your recommendations? can a stronger specs laptop be an option too?


@kongwee yea i get your point too. currently using protools on mac. i wanna get a PC desktop/laptop for myself to do sound mixing using protools also so basically my main concern would be whether protools in windows will work as well as in a mac..

 

[blueprintstudios]

no dramas, can't help it if someone wants to embarrass themselves really heh.

just to fortify my statement if I only work in 44.1khz 16bit quality on a low end windows xp $400-$500 desktop pc with cubase + zoom r16 etc with my experience and ears which I take very well care of as compared to a full fledge studio with 24bit 48khz/88.2khz/96khz/or even 192khz with killer latencies counts and high end preamps etc but a case of "gear better than user" and engineer is also a musician who jams and performs without earplugs eventually resulting hearing damage.So a case of a good result mix which I assume is what you're trying to achieve is general hands on practise on your mixing (eq/compression/reverbs) , your recording (mike techniques etc) , a good budget gauge which you realistically can justify your spending on so you don't splurge what is considered overkill.

2 more factors you'll need to take note

1a) desktop minuses will be bulky , non portable, may even be noisy due to the fan if you're recording vocals near it. takes up more power for electric bills i guess. desktop pluses will be the interferences from hard disk writing is lesser (that digital Transformers kinda sound), better individual part warranty if you're buying DIY (my usual shop is www.fuwell.com.sg) if you're getting self proprietary brands, avoid acer. asus is good. better upgradability (2gb ram / 4gb ram or addon more hard disks) . mainboards with firewire will buspower your audio interface that has bus power support. depends on what audio interface you get. remember for hard disk get one that spins 7200rpm , don't go "green". it doesn't destroy the ozone as much as if you were to crank a 5400rpm speed hard disk.

1b) laptop minuses is (I don't know if it's the same for most laptops) the hard disk writing sound interferences may get into your recording. maybe some grounding problems once in a while. not as powerful as desktop to cost ratio. usually 1 year warranty. (one part down all down problem) , limited hard disk space but easily can get one usb drive I guess. no buspower for firewire.
pluses is the portability/slick layout (if your room is small) definitely. hard disk speeds 5400rpm only.remember to avoid acer. asus is better.

2) 32bit operating system can support up to 4gb ram but compatibility with drivers is safe, 64bit operating system can support up to 8gb onwards but there's still cases of incompatibility. I'd recommend staying with 4gb32bit.

so to answer your question yes stronger laptops can be an option. I recall seeing like a quad core asus laptop at $1K a few months back. just remember to maintain your laptop well and don't install unnecessary trash.

if you're gonna travel often then I do recommend a higher powered laptop.

remember to read the DIY recording FAQ and plan your purchase well with audio interface/mics/cables etc.

 

[blueprintstudios]

http://www.google.com.sg/search?q=protools+on+windows+pc+unstable
no guarantees here based on your situation. it doesn't seem so ideal.

a few users here are using www.reaper.fm which you can experiment.

 

[kongwee]

cuntcoree : Well, are you comfortable with Windows? No point talking if you are not comfortable. I do use windows to record some simple task. For some case, I do mix in windows with other DAW. Don't get the result you want? So I assume you know basic like EQ, Reverb, compressor....etc. Mix is actually big topic, cos different genre they have different perceptive toward the finishing sound. If you doing stuffs and still stuck then do buy some video. If you don't wanna spend money, then youtube FutureMusicMagazine. Tons of info but mainly on Urban,Trance, Hip hop. The best part those paid plug-in you get to see how they use. If you taking project, it is best to communicate with you client about the result. You should try to get good takes, cos it will make your mixing a lot more easier.

 

[blueprintstudios]

No point reading if someone doesn't make any sense and just ask you to buy and pay when you can google,kvraudio.com,library, and self learn hands on read up while wallet friendly.heh,again with claims only on "some" reference experience when I have used windows for 16 years and Mac for 1 yr (that kept crashing) when I was to run another studio in 2008 that crumbled after I left anyway.

That right mix is actually a big topic and I can say that cos different genres is what I've done over the last decade from trance/dance/electronica/rock/punk/metal/hardcore/funk/pop/rap/film/orchestral and I can't help when someone feeds my ego enough to say this : it came from the same person who's average functioning brain is capable of multiple perspectives and common sense. It's easy to blame the musician for poor takes but it's easier to blame if you don't know basic methods like quantizing and pitch correction but of course getting good takes is to first relying on your ears to validate what's good and what's bad. A.k.a "comping". What's that? Did someone PAY to learn basic crap for that? Supply meets demand for stupidity and the lack of common sense.heh. Don't get dragged down into shit now

 

[kongwee]

I wonder why someone have to agree with me and at the same time make some counter remark.

Anyway, I am out of this thread let someone make money here.

Bye Bye.

 

[blueprintstudios]

I wonder why someone thinks anyone would agree with him just because he only narrates the experience required when I speak from real deal experience. better keep your 2¢ sparechange for yourself.heh.

 

[kongwee]

Becos that somebody just said. XD

 

[blueprintstudios]

http://www.soft.com.sg/forum/subscription.php?do=viewsubscription&folderid=all <-- you need help ? hahahaha

 

[squarehero]

@Cuntcoreee,
Windows laptops are usually not as good as macbooks when running a DAW. There have been instances where people have used windows laptops and ran into noise problems when having their laptop plugged in and this is while using an external audio interface.

As to whether pro tools crashes more often on a Mac or PC, I wouldn't be able to tell because I use it on the PC only. You can search the internet for more information.

Here's some extra advice on choosing DAWs. Personally, I don't like to mix on Pro Tools as I use a lot of plugins while mixing due to speed and easy recall. Pro Tools' inability to freeze tracks easily and do offline bounces are real turn offs for my workflow. It is more useful as a tracking tool. Like Blueprint said, you can try using Reaper first.