PC or MAC ??

[icodon]

Hi everyone...
I´m wondering to be a producer, I would love to play my onw tracks. But for me it´s a dream quite far from reality.

Anyway, I got both computers - PC and MAC (OS X) and I´d like to know which one is better to begginers producers.

I have to buy the rigth softwares as well. Which one could be the best choice??

:lmao:

Thanks

Icodon

 

[Flanny]

ooooh, I've seen this subject come up in discussion forums before, its one of those subjects that ought to be banned really.

I'm a pc user with reason from propellerheads. When you buy reason u get the pc and the mac version. If you want to use logic, go the mac way. If you wanna use sonar go the pc way. Otherwise macs are a bit cooler i guess as a nice posession to have. If you shop around the pc route will probably cost you less. Its hard to choose between the two of them really. (diplomatic and unhelpful i know but it isn't easy to say that one is better than the other cos there is always a counter argument).

 

[TranceVisuals]

Most of the music makers I know use PC's for the simple
reason it is easier to get cracked software for them, all the
latest plugins (just wait till you get into the software staus game!!)
etc.
I know very few if none in reality who can afford to actually pay
for their software. And at the end of the day like most things with
computers, to make professional products you need professional
software. Saying that most of them have brought bits and pieces
along the way, but after a year or two the upgrade game snatches you.

 

[icodon]

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (TheEmbalmer @ Mar 4 2004, 06:43 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> ooooh, I've seen this subject come up in discussion forums before, its one of those subjects that ought to be banned really.

[/quote:e7b6098c1a]
No fight please.......

I just want to hear some suggestion

Cheers

 

[soliptic]

copy + paste from my post all of 1 or 2 days ago on dnbscene.com

What shall I get?
Laptop, Desktop, PC or Mac????
What's best, bare in mind that I don't have strictly legit copies of hardware...how easy is it to get versions of logic etc for a mac that I can get for free and 'evaluate' before 'buying'??
I havent used a mac in years, are they easy to use for a pc user, or is it too much hassle?
Ive heard macs are better for producing...would my usb midiman stuff work with a mac? I assume my USB soundcard wouldnt.
If I get a PC what brands would you recommend? Is it worth getting one specifically designed for music production??

PC

Macs and PCs are ultimately both as good and bad as each other. Both can be just as powerful and professional, both can be unstable and gay ("Macs dont crash" = a big myth). But for roughly equivalent power, the PC solution will be about half the price. (I spent £2k on my PC+delta1010+etc, Jon £4k on his mac+motu+etc, they're functionally very similar). And much easier to upgrade. And much easier to find 'demo' software for.

 

[Continuum]

I got a PC, and I'm really happy with it, but having had a fiddle with Logic6 on a mac G5 I must say I was drooling...however my pockets are far too shallow to stretch to the three or four grand that would cost

Like the other guy said Reason is fab and is supplied in mac and pc versions, so either way is good. Later, when you start to outgrow it then it will still be valuable because it will integrate with whatever sequencer you choose next (logic/cubase/tracktion/whatever)

Certainly in bangs per buck the PC wins over the mac, and like Soliptic said, they both crash and act all crappy sometimes You can't ignore the wide availability of cracked software for the pc

 

[JPsychodelicacy]

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (soliptic @ Mar 4 2004, 07:11 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> ("Macs dont crash" = a big myth). [/quote:d4d8174819]
I just want to repeat that - bold it, and underline it five or six times.

They can be great when they're working for you, but when they screw up they're pretty tricky to fathom (OS X does make it a bit easier tho).

http://www-edlab.cs.umass.edu/~ahelblin/misc/mac.html

OR

http://bangstar.com/media/mac_stream.mov

I got a PC, and I'm really happy with it, but having had a fiddle with Logic6 on a mac G5 I must say I was drooling...

You'd hope so, for that kind of money! I have to say you're probably right, but then moving up to my current system (AMD/NForce PC) the other week brought on much the same effect.

J.

 

[Warwick Bassmonkey]

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (icodon @ Mar 4 2004, 06:35 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Anyway, I got both computers - PC and MAC (OS X) and I´d like to know which one is better to begginers producers.
[/quote:06b7f2fba6]
Err... something's missing from this question.

I mean, it rather depends what you've got there, doesn't it?

If your PC is a 486 with 32MB of RAM, I'll wager that you're better off with the Mac.

Know what I'm sayin' ?

 

[djchoppa]

I've got both a PC and a Mac, and I definately think the PC is a lot better for making music, although I'd never thought of making music on the mac until I read your post. I have, however, just been trying to make music on my mac and it sounds sh*t.

However, the mac is a lot better at keeping me dry when it's raining.


:P

 

[Drat Mafia]

get a mac if youre, a) very rich or
B) a very successful musician
c) incredibly poncy, and want "something to go with my i-pod"

get a pc if youre a) unscrupulous enough to consider using cracked software
B) not rich enough to afford a mac
c) wanting do other stuff on computers (besides video editing)
d) sure a new mac would make your bedroom look even dirtier

 

[eMpTy-1]

I just got into music production. I already had a pc but got a mac g4 laptop as a music related only machine, I use it to dj with Traktor using a m-audio fw410 and was using a doepfer pocket dial but just got a evolution x-session. At home I have a 23" cini hd monitor which is sooo sweet and run logic 6 plat soon to be pro (which is hands down the best sequencer and if one doesn't think so then one either hasn't used it or understood it, not that I have used digital performer mind you), it works great but the 877mhz processor gets a bit swamped at times during heavy processing but I am holding on getting a g5 till the next generation arrives. I really wanted to get away from cracked programs and have a clean machine with manuals, updates and tech support, which I have needed.

I hated macs before I tried osx, there are still a few things I don't like but it is so easy. Like installing programs like Live is just a case of draging a folder from the cd to anywhere on your comp and that is it and you can move it around anytime. In my experience the os is a rock and has only ever crashed when there was some issue with the old m-audio drivers.

Then there are PC/mac only programs, like sonar or the killer soft synth z3ta+ (come on Rene port it over to AU) or wavelab with that brilliant compare audio function but the mac has logic, pluggo, radial and the very inovative numerology to mention a few.

Personally if I were you (but then who would be me?) and I had the cash which you probably have considering this is an option for you. I'd go to audiomidi.com and buy logic pro for $999 which in quids isn't much, a month ago this package would have cost you $2500 maybe more. If you need to run a soft synth off the pc just have the mac control it via midi and route the audio from the pc to mac and record it, you could even just have reason running on the pc and control it with logic if I am not mistaken. Use both machines.

Like I said I am really new to this and have done more research than composing at this point but I am loving the mac.

Windows 98: n.
useless extension to a minor patch release for 32-bit extensions and
a graphical shell for a 16-bit patch to an 8-bit operating system
originally coded for a 4-bit microprocessor, written by a 2-bit
company that can't stand 1 bit of competition.

 

[JPsychodelicacy]

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (eMpTy-1 @ Mar 5 2004, 01:09 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> Like I said I am really new to this and have done more research than composing at this point but I am loving the mac. [/quote:9bd2576eb6]
Give it 6 months - that's all I'm saying...

And as for the M$ bashing (which to be fair I do a lot of), Steve Jobs would be just as bad as Bill Gates is were he in that position - which is why I'm a little disappointed that there hasn't been much in the way of OSS audio development...

J.

 

[Will Dogon]

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (JPsychodelicacy @ Mar 5 2004, 09:49 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
And as for the M$ bashing (which to be fair I do a lot of), Steve Jobs would be just as bad as Bill Gates is were he in that position - which is why I'm a little disappointed that there hasn't been much in the way of OSS audio development...

J. [/quote:e78fa95b48]
I was told that in actual fact, both macintosh and microsoft were now both owned by Billy Gates...is this true? :blink:

 

[JPsychodelicacy]

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Will Dogon @ Mar 5 2004, 12:24 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> I was told that in actual fact, both macintosh and microsoft were now both owned by Billy Gates...is this true? :blink: [/quote:b9f73fca83]
Categorically *not true*.

J.

 

[Lazytom]

I used to use a PC, now I use a Mac. Macs are more expensive and look cooler. I think that's the only difference really. Its also true about cracked software being slightly easier to get hold of for the PC, most of my software is legit now, so it doesn't matter.

2 things about Macs tho - first, VST Plugins don't work in my Logic6/OSX setup (not sure if they work in OSX at all...) and at the moment, most plugins are still in VST/DXI format. OSX uses AudioUnits and at the moment there aren't that many available, but that won't be the case for much longer...

Secondly, Mac OSX requires at least 256Mb Ram to run. So if your trying to do anything serious in Logic, you really can't get away with anything less that 512Mb. I mention this because my mates 1Ghz Athlon PC with 128 Mb Ram, WinXP and Logic 5.5 actually out-performs my 256Mb 1 Ghz G4 Powerbook... which pisses me off :wacko: . I'm gonna invest in another 512Mb as soon as I get the cash...

but at the end of the day, computers, software and hardware are only tools for making music, so as long as your set up works properly (hmmmm....) it doesn't matter. DON'T FALL FOR THE MARKETING HYPE IN THE INDUSTRY MAGAZINES!!!

 

[JPsychodelicacy]

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Lazytom @ Mar 5 2004, 03:37 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>Secondly, Mac OSX requires at least 256Mb Ram to run.[/quote:4e15e52eb3]
Which is funny, because the BSD code on which it was based runs happy as larry on far less poewrful machines. Although it could be said that OS X is a MacOS built on top of BSD...

</geek>

The rest of what you say is true as well - I've just been up to my eyeballs in people who've bought into the hype thinking that a Mac is faster than a PC clock-for-clock, and will magically make their lives better.

They think this because it is more expensive.

The truth is that both platforms have relative strengths and weaknesses, which cancel each other out with similarly-specced machines. However, my beef with Apple is the
premium they charge for their machines, so you're getting about three-quarters the power for one and a half times as much.

J.

 

[soliptic]

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (eMpTy-1 @ Mar 5 2004, 01:09 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Windows 98: n.
useless extension to a minor patch release for 32-bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16-bit patch to an 8-bit operating system originally coded for a 4-bit microprocessor, written by a 2-bit company that can't stand 1 bit of competition. [/quote:a5ab7f8937]
Its funny cos its true....

But OS9 was BLACK AND WHITE for heavens sake. An OS so stone-age it didnt even have preemptive multitasking. In short: a joke.

OSX was a quantum leap for Macs (as you rightly point out), so its only fair to point out that 2K/XP was a quantum leap for Windows. My stability is infinitely better than 98 - configurability and features are improved also.

 

[eMpTy-1]

After re-reading the initial question to this thread and seeing as it related to which computer to use for a beginner, I will have to change my position.

What you should probably do is buy a copy of Computer Music Magazine and they have a completley free studio solution that will be plenty enough to get you familiar with the basics. So for however much the magazine costs you can get started with what you have already.

The PC is all you are going to need to get started.

But briefly back to the mac/pc thing :no: he did ask which is best for music and seeing that the new OS for mac has been specifically designed for audio. With core audio, audio units and killer functions like being able to listen to audio and midi files directly from the finder/explorer I don't see how a pc can be better for audio but hey what do I know.

I'm gone :wizard1:

 

[kodomo]

I used the pcs since one of the first ibm ps2 s and was a computer geek for some time. I loved everybit of it, formatting it, making it anything you say... Now I own a mac and I am very very happy with it. I am majorly doing graphics and ideo work (photoshop, final cut that kinda stuff) but my friends used it in their music studio and the great thing is it runs very smooth. It makes you give up on learning the computer and starts making you u actually use it. I spent more time on my actual projects rather than upgrading or uploading the newest stuff so that my pc would work better.
The speed and the price range question is something else but what I ve seen from my own experience is its not the speed that counts. Actual execution of a job takes much less time in a mac. Also on rendering things my mac is faster then the similar pcs I m seeing.
I think according to your needs you may decide but Macs are easier and more human friendly machines that make me leave my computer geek days and make me start using the actual programs.
One note I hardly shut down my computer every once or twice a month and nothing happens, no slow downs or crashes adn because its an imac which has a domeshape with the fan on the upper side of the dome, it is never overheated and it is also very very silent according to a pc.
One negative side is the third party hardware which is limited high quality but expensive.

Still my choice would be a Mac.

 

[JPsychodelicacy]

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (eMpTy-1 @ Mar 6 2004, 06:56 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> and killer functions like being able to listen to audio and midi files directly from the finder/explorer I don't see how a pc can be better for audio [/quote:5edb7700bf]
Never said 'better' - said 'as capable'.

And it plays audio/MIDI files from the Finder using Quicktime - which you can also do on the PC if you want (Using QT or WMP).

Digital media creation has exploded as a market in the last 5 years or so, so both companies had to take that into account when designing their new OS. The Mac has AU, Windows machines have DXi - again, read between the lines and don't buy the hype.

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (soliptic)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>An OS so stone-age it didnt even have preemptive multitasking[/quote:5edb7700bf]

Windows 9x had a 'fall-back to co-operative multi-tasking' mode when things got too heavy for it (which happened quite a lot in the days of Win95).

<fanboy>Yet the Amiga had fully-functioning pre-emptive multi-tasking since 1985! How is this so?</fanboy>

Oh, and MacOS 9 (and 8) had that ill-advised 'Chrome' look to them - System 7 (lol) was the last one to look B&W.

</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (kodomo)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>I think according to your needs you may decide but Macs are easier and more human friendly machines that make me leave my computer geek days and make me start using the actual programs. [/quote:5edb7700bf]

I never thought I'd find myself saying this, but XP narrows the gap *considerably*. And as I've said before, when a Mac does go wrong it can be a real pain in the arse.
Also, Adobe Photoshop for Mac was specifically written with the PowerPC 'AltiVec' unit in mind - so Photoshop will appear faster with an equivalently specced machine. Run the same benchmarks with an equivalently priced machine, however, and the PC will utterly smoke the Mac. The equivalently specced PC will outrun the Mac at most other applications.

J.