time for new computer; which one?

[StuH]

Originally Posted by stratology

+1. That's the way all pros (that I know) work with audio on Windows boxes - and it's another good point to advertise the Mac


Mac advantages for audio:
- you can have 1 machine for everything (including internet)
- you do not get any performance hit by running antivirus software
- you do not have to tweak the system - you can easily have 400-500 apps installed
- centralised plug-in management: you install a plug once, it's available for all audio apps
- core audio and core midi - some interfaces don't even require to install a single driver..
- OS X defrags automatically in the background - don't have to buy defrag utilities, you don't have to run any maintenance
- you do not have to buy 2 computers with 2 different operating systems to run 32 bit and 64 bit apps side by side
- you do not have to reinstall the OS once or twice a year
- you have a modern, sophisticated, metadata based search engine: you can search for files by composer, bit rate, channel count, GM sequence, instrument, loop file type, sample rate, tempo, streamability, etc. - system wide
- you have Automator - you can use that for cross application batch processing, for example, like automatically searching for all .wav files created last week, then encoding them as .mp3, then backing them up to an external drive, etc.
- you can listen to any audio file without opening an app - select it and hit space bar, hit the arrow key to move to the next one without closing the first one etc.
- you can use Time Machine - plug in an external drive, activate it with 1 click, and you always have backups of your files - and you can easily roll back to an earlier version of an audio file, without rolling back the whole OS
- you don't have to back up manually, then wipe your disk, then install the OS, then move files back manually, if you skip one point release of the OS

If you want a great machine for audio recording, build your own pc with expandability in mind. I will guarentee you that your mac freinds will be onto their second or third machine by the time your pc is ready for the trash heap.

Don't fall for the hype.

[stratology]

Originally Posted by StuH

If you want a great machine for audio recording, build your own pc with expandability in mind. I will guarentee you that your mac freinds will be onto their second or third machine by the time your pc is ready for the trash heap.

Don't fall for the hype.

The original post was written on a PowerBook G4, built in 2003, running Mac OS X 10.5. Never had to reinstall a system on it. Still runs as fast as on day 1.

Technical expertise, knowledge of advanced technologies (fsevents, dtrace, extended attributes, etc) is not hype. Anyone running boxes with an OS from 2001 (XP) and antiquated technologies (like BIOS, or the '90s era indexed based search in Vista and 7) should be careful about calling advances in technology hype.

[StuH]

Can you fit a whack of UAD dsp cards in it? Creamware cards?
How bout a few extra firewire ports, and some more usb ports to hook up additional external external gear.
Can you go light on the cpu to save some money, and swap it for a faster one when you have the extra quid.
Can you pick and choose the components that are right for you?

You basically have a pc in which you had a limited say concerning its components, and you own a machine with limited upgrade options. Couple that with an operating system that represents half the cost of the machine and justtify the horrendous price because it comes with a free copy of Garage Band and doesn't catch a cold.

That glowing apple logo magically emerses you in a false sense of security that you will never have compatability problems with your studio mac. Take a look at the software compatability issues that have cropped up with the release of macs latest os. Very much like the teething problems pc studio users suffered with the release of Vista.

[Tim Armstrong]

Can we PLEASE lay off the "my platform is bigger than your platform" stuff?

The truth of the matter is that it's a matter of PERSONAL preference. It's quite possible make amazing (or awful) recordings with any of the above.

Tim