Mac vs PC for audio recording

Mac has improved to be a greater Vista machine than other competing brand. Wanna get Vista, get Mac!. I already witness my friends buying basic Macbook just to run Vista(Boot camp or Parallel).
 
It has come to a point where both machines are quite similar in their capabilities.

The difference is maybe in the price.

I have a MBP, do Internet/email on Mac but switch over to XP(bootcamp) to do my video editing(sony vegas).

So far, it has be good.

I have used many versions of Apple(Qudra, PowerMac) and the problem is cost when compared to similar system in the Windows-base world.

Life would be good if Apple does fall from trees.
 
Talking about the DAW, I have seem people passing Garageband made demo for music publication studio. Some people I know do sold a few out of tens they made.
 
Life would be good if Apple does fall from trees.

Nice quote .. James..:p

This is a never ending debate and can run for generations...

The bottom line is $$$$. If you can afford.. go for a mac.. else Pc isnt a bad choice ?

I built a machine for a friend in KL with a quadcore PC with windows 64 bit on Cubase 4 with gigabyte MB which can take 16GB RAM which I filled with 8 GB RAM. I am quite happy with it's performance and can load asmuch VSTi's as .. Also tried to stream 32 audio tracks flawlessly.. for all these setup with 2 x 19" LCD displays, spent only S$1500 excluding sound card...he uses a Behringer FCA 202 which is Ok for him..
 
Exactly Joel68 and James - same sentiments. I built my own Quad core PC based on Vista 64bit with 8GB of RAM at a reasonable price - definitely cheaper than Mac. Perhaps the most costly thing on my machine is the soundcard (RME). Those who has hardware compatibility issues with Vista are those who use it for other stuff other than DAW. Most DAW hardware supports Vista without problems. With a PC dedicated to DAW, you should have a fast and stable machine. It's the gamers that complain. And as I don't play games, I don't have much to complain.
 
When Apple had their proprietary processors like G4, G5 and so on, the machines were reliable and worthy..

Now apple also use the same shit what PCs use (intel stuffs) so high pricing of apple makes no sense..as they are pricing it like what they had priced for their own line of processors.. this is a daylight robbery from apple...when pcs using same processors can be sold at a lower price...:)

At this stage, It's always preferred to build a decent PC as cheez said above with less than half pricing of an equivalent mac..

If Akira TV can do the job why buy sony??...........:))
 
it's a PC thing... mac users wouldn't understand...
It's a Mac thing... pc users wouldn't understand...


actually my definition of mac-only users are ppl who suck at PC maintenance. thats why they'd fork out cash to pay more for stability. but still i've seen mac's fail... when they do it's ugly.(cos you take their stability for granted) ...
 
actually my definition of mac-only users are ppl who suck at PC maintenance. thats why they'd fork out cash to pay more for stability. but still i've seen mac's fail... when they do it's ugly.(cos you take their stability for granted) ...

Then, obviously it is a question of how often do PCs fail and how often does it happen to Apple machines... right?

The PC in my living room (in fact I remember my siblings had a change of PCs three times now) has had to be sent for repairs countless of times but I never had a single (big) problem with my Macbook (sold away:() and my iMac.

So, I guess you pay for the peace of mind, and of course for the aesthetics and all that.

:-D
 
actually my definition of mac-only users are ppl who suck at PC maintenance.

HEH. ok sorry i actually found that quite funny, and partially true. pls don't flame me. I've had my PC for the last 8 years and it has never screwed up. i bought my wife an iMac and it hung on her after 6 months. She had endless problems with it after that. I sold it off and bought her a laptop running Vista. All's well again at home...

granted i've got tons of friends who are Mac users who've never had a problem with theirs. So perhaps, ultimately, the real problem with Macs and PCs... exists between keyboard and chair. :)
 
In general, only a few people who are skillful enough to make Wintel PC stable. I used to be in the league, but I don't have time to do rituals for Wintel PC.

But often, I find that those are PC guru do not understand normal user knowledge about the PC.

I used to solve PC problem for my friend. Now I arrow them to use Apple Mac since they are picking up market share.

However, I don't really understand why you want a standalone PC for DAW?
Just don't use cheap part to bulid a PC. You still need to DIY $2500 worth of PC part. You can do everything under sun only with a single machine.

Those who dunno how to maintain a PC throw that $2500 to Apple.
 
even you buy a mac, you need to invest on sound card and monitors.. like in PC if you can choose your parts (motherboard, HDD, RAM, Graphics etc), you will have a flawless, trouble free system for a deal price. I owned 2 G5's earlier and you need to spend like hell if you are upgrading a mac right from RAM to Harddisk. PC allows for more flexibility. If you buy a cheap motherboard, you endup in trouble. Dont use DAW pc for other unwanted purposes intended....

I can agree on Apple's properitary processors against stability, blah, blah... not on intel macs.. again they suck...PC rules..against intel macs...

Apple has limited choice on DAW softwares.. for PC sky is the limit...:)

this is a never ending topic...like straightening the dog's tail....:) :)
 
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Huh? Two PC? Buy other harddisk for DAW only lor, the Windows primary drive lock can bypass one lah.

UP TO YOU to do what ever you like.... sky is the limit for windows and money is your limit...:)

I dont like to mix up the issues like gaming or DAW. Both purposes are different. Gaming needs good graphics and HiFi sound where DAW needs good system and pro-soundcard with decent studio monitors...Gaming systems can be cheaper than DAW....but not as strong as DAW builds.. That's why Protools suggest MB's and HDD for their DAW..You need to read lot's of reviews and techie articles from different forums and ask for advise from pro's like Craig Anderton and others who frequently write in mags like SOS, Comp. Music and so on...I use to listen and take suggesstions from these people before I build or suggest systems for friends and myself..Now you understand where my base and reference come from. I know most of the members in these forum are youngsters surviving on parent's money and yet to make good income.. mostly hobbyists.... That's why people like us try to suggest for a cheaper solution if one want to do music at low cost... you can even build a super computer for 100k if you have $$$ there is no limit to spending and it is never ending.

I suggest only what I know or learnt in the past.. you can do any permutation combination or record on a flash drive or anything..

You can do anyway you like installing Apple OS on PC, Win XP on MAC or any experiment you like to do...I am not here to argue or involve in any discussion. I just suggest what I do for my own case. It is up to the reader/thread starter to consider depending on his financial capability and needs.. rest I dont care..:)

My intention was against apple's pricing policy even after they moved to intel based products.. why should price high when the same intel based PC's are not sold at high price..

Bottom line is MAC is MAC and PC is PC. I am comfortable with PC and its options.... than a MAC. It is up to individuals to make their own decision....on these issues which are never ending debates....

Alternatively, you may advise and suggest the thread starter the way you like by posting your own views...He Pm'd me and I responded to him what I could do if it is for me....:)
 
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Haha, anyway good luck to him. But base on Protools suggestion?? Pulling further away from topic.
 
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Ok...it's starting to boggle my mind here. Here's where I'm starting to get lost...

So let me get this straight: as it is now, there is no clear-cut advantage between the PC and Mac. Both camps have their detractors and supporters. Each has advantages and disadvantages so it's up to me to decide which disadvantage I can live with. But a good point was brought up here...with Mac going the Intel way, why are the prices still higher than a PC. And it IS easier to customise a PC and change the specifications along the way. But how can I build a system and request for an XP OS instead of a Vista?

I do intend to make this system for my audio recordings. Nothing else cos I do not want to clog it up with games, music and other such distractions. Only dedicated to audio processing. My wife got herself a PC system solely for the purpose of photo editing and processing and it shows how fast it works when it's not filled with games and such.
 
I think which DAW will decide which computer. I use logic studio as I need to do arrangement demo(30 gig worth of sound library). Later on, if can do mixing,mastering and film scoring under the same DAW. If I have another laptop, I can use the same license on this laptop or as background processiing to compliment my main DAW. Neat...

If you want to do external project or service service you need protools. You can use cheap PC.

Sonar only PC. Case close.

Cubase is more stable on Mac.Cheap PC can do also. Best platform for soft synth and hardware synth intergation.

Freebies on Mac or linus base PC. unix base have the most freebies.
 

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