Ok guys, I'm sorry for churning out another Mac vs PC debate here. It's just very confusing with all the jargon and terminology flying around. Currently, I plan to purchase a system whereby it will be devoted to only sound recording. I have a Line 6 UX1 Toneport as a starter and I need a system that's good to do recording. Should I just avoid the hassle and get a ready-made iMac or should I head down to Sim Lim and put together a PC that is tailored for this purpose ie. professional Creative soundcard, etc. Any input (pun intended) will be welcome here...thanks!
Mac vs PC for audio recording
- Thread starter pujangga
- Start date
Do consider the DAW you would want to be working with also.
If you get a Mac, you get the new Garageband '09 bundled along with the whole iLife suite for free. If you feel like you need something a step-up from GarageBand, there's always Logic.
Of course if you do choose the PC route, you would need to get hold of some software to work on. I'm guessing something like Cubase or Adobe Audition?
If you get a Mac, you get the new Garageband '09 bundled along with the whole iLife suite for free. If you feel like you need something a step-up from GarageBand, there's always Logic.
Of course if you do choose the PC route, you would need to get hold of some software to work on. I'm guessing something like Cubase or Adobe Audition?
Thanks for your inputs guys. Well, the Line 6 Toneport UX1 comes with Live Lite 4 for both Mac and Windows. I thought of using that at first. Audacity which I have used extensively before is another consideration. For the Adobe Audition, is that the software that was bought over by Adobe, formerly known as Cool Edit?
And if I go the Mac route, will it make much difference in terms of processing power and sound quality if I get a Macbook instead of an iMac?
And if I go the Mac route, will it make much difference in terms of processing power and sound quality if I get a Macbook instead of an iMac?
Yes, Adobe bought over Syntrillium Software and developed Audition from Cool Edit Pro.
Well pros and cons i guess, between getting a Macbook VS an iMac.
The iMac comes in 2.4Ghz, 2.66Ghz and 2.8Ghz models (I think there's a new one running at 3.06GHz) and all this is Intel Core 2 Duo so yeah, do the math.
The iMac also offers firewire ports which would come in handy if you want to record on an external firewire drive. The new Macbooks don't have firewire at all. Obviously Apple is steering professional users towards the Macbook Pro by taking away firewire from the Macbooks.
Unless you need the mobility of a laptop, I think an iMac would generally give you better performance for recording, not to mention a bigger LCD screen so you won't have to be squinting down the screen of a 13 inch Macbook.
Well pros and cons i guess, between getting a Macbook VS an iMac.
The iMac comes in 2.4Ghz, 2.66Ghz and 2.8Ghz models (I think there's a new one running at 3.06GHz) and all this is Intel Core 2 Duo so yeah, do the math.
The iMac also offers firewire ports which would come in handy if you want to record on an external firewire drive. The new Macbooks don't have firewire at all. Obviously Apple is steering professional users towards the Macbook Pro by taking away firewire from the Macbooks.
Unless you need the mobility of a laptop, I think an iMac would generally give you better performance for recording, not to mention a bigger LCD screen so you won't have to be squinting down the screen of a 13 inch Macbook.
umm sorry, but y do you need a "professional creative soundcard" when you already have ux1 toneport.
go for mac. its much more stable than pc.
Cheez
Moderator
Vista if tweaked and made dedicated to only DAW apps is stable and fast.
If you don't own a pro studio, I assume, like most of us hobbyists, you would be using your computer also for everyday applications. Unless, of course, you have lots of money to spare, of which then the choice is clear (ie. Mac).
If you are going to use it also for your other apps, then you'll most likely going to dual boot it, with one boot partition dedicated to DAW and the other to daily apps like word processing, internet etc. And if this is the case, your decision will be based on not only your DAW apps, but also your everyday apps. Most DAW apps come in both platforms; most plugins and VSTis are also cross platforms. But everyday apps may only run on one platform.
I would have migrated to Mac long ago. However, I also use specialised software for my work - which only runs on the PC (no Mac version). So for that purpose, I have to stick to the PC. My PC is dual booted, of course.
If you don't own a pro studio, I assume, like most of us hobbyists, you would be using your computer also for everyday applications. Unless, of course, you have lots of money to spare, of which then the choice is clear (ie. Mac).
If you are going to use it also for your other apps, then you'll most likely going to dual boot it, with one boot partition dedicated to DAW and the other to daily apps like word processing, internet etc. And if this is the case, your decision will be based on not only your DAW apps, but also your everyday apps. Most DAW apps come in both platforms; most plugins and VSTis are also cross platforms. But everyday apps may only run on one platform.
I would have migrated to Mac long ago. However, I also use specialised software for my work - which only runs on the PC (no Mac version). So for that purpose, I have to stick to the PC. My PC is dual booted, of course.
hecklerkoch
New member
Macintosh for anything and everything!
Open source FTW.
:mrgreen:
Open source FTW.
:mrgreen:
Enjaykayb
New member
Hiya:
Macbooks are cool, looks "pro" and so overpriced, for pple like me who only want to spend one-third the money, PC is the only way
Too bad we only get Vista (not XP) on every new lappy out there... and it's a little slower OS than Mac. :mrgreen:
Dude... by the time you calculate the cost of a PC with a spec that can record some decent quality audio, add Windows OS, add anti-virus software, etc. the cost difference then between a PC and Mac, is almost negligible. Keep in mind that with OS X Leopard on a mac, you get the full iLife suite: FREE. On a PC, basic apps like these, you would have to pay for extra.
Also in terms of overall stability, the mac is generally better. The Vista OS, even after tweaking quite honestly... sucks big time. I dont think there ever has been a time when the manufacturer lets you "upgrade" back to the old version of the software (XP in this case).
Check out a comparison of the two OS's here: http://www.laptopmag.com/review/software/leopard-vs-vista.aspx
Bottom line: Be a Mac... not a PC...
hecklerkoch
New member
Glad to know that we have quite a few Mac fans here. Hehe.
Better not appear too enthusiastic about our passion about Mac products.
Later accused of being smug Mac users.
I use my PC for online FPS gaming and use my iMac for everything else (almost).
If going Windows ,buy a Mac tof cos, buy right after Mac update. It will be most affordable PC configuration you could find.
Err... I dun quite get u, bootcamp? OsX update?
About being affordable, I'm not sure any Mac can beat a Centrino duo Nvidia 8000plus 17inch PC lappy that I got from the last PC show (probably a display piece) for under 1.2k!!! That's what got me back to audio la! But then, it's a Vista machine
Excellent input here...thanks guys! Ok, I already have a laptop that I use for normal everyday applications like word processor, spread sheets, etc that runs on Windows XP. So my intention is to get a PC/Mac solely for audio processing. So I'm not worried about compatibility with other applications as I have a laptop for that.
It seems that there is greater support for the Mac system, and those in favour of PC are not too keen on Vista as compared to XP. Why is that, may I ask?
It seems that there is greater support for the Mac system, and those in favour of PC are not too keen on Vista as compared to XP. Why is that, may I ask?
Being a fairly new operating system, driver support for Vista in general may not be as stable as with XP. A couple of bugs and operational glitches may still be present when running different software and hardware units on a Vista system.
Then again, all new PCs come packaged with Vista and not XP. So how would one get hold of XP if he wanted to?
Then again, all new PCs come packaged with Vista and not XP. So how would one get hold of XP if he wanted to?
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