Mac or PC?

swnt

Hello,

For recording, would you recommend a PC or mac, given budget constraints, value for money, etc as well as actual performance.

I am a pc person and I can get a really powerful machine for a lot less than the MAC equivalent.

What are the real benefits of using a MAC? is Logic that much better than Protools, cubase, sony and adobe products that would justify spending more?

If possible, please provide links and substantiated claims, I know many people that just use Apple's marketing spins to try backup what they say which is rubbish. :?

Thanks for any help you can provide ?

AlanRatcliffe

In this country, PC almost always makes more sense. They are just more commonly available, cheaper, more powerful and easier to upgrade.

Macs used to rule the audio world, because they were designed from the ground up as multimedia workstations for working with audio, video and graphics, while PCs were more general purpose. Unfortunately in recent years, the architecture of the Mac is the same as the PC (You can load Windows on a Mac or the Mac OS on a PC now), and PCs/Windows have caught up performance and stability wise, so there are fewer advantages to owning a Mac.

Protools rules the pro studio market these days. That's just the way it is. So if you want compatibility with most pro studios that's the way to go. However, Protools is cross platform and there are versions to use on Mac or PC.

aubs1

Alan has a point, in fact a good point.........however..........(I am clearly a Mac-Fanatic........)
I just love these ads and could not resist.......

http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/

?

PeteM

Aubs1 wrote Alan has a point, in fact a good point.........however..........(I am clearly a Mac-Fanatic........)
I just love these ads and could not resist.......

http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/

?

I've never liked advertising that knocks the opposition - it kinda tells me that you've got something to hide.

My experience with the Mac representatives here in Durbs was diabolical. The guy in charge here was the epitome of the PC guy that they portray in their ads - a middle-aged conservative guy with suit and tie and all. Not clued up on both the hardware and software applications - promises made and never kept. Eventually, the head honcho in JHB took him off our account and asked us to deal with him direct, but we still had the same problems with him being out of the country all the time and his underlings referring us back to the guy in Durban.

Why was I needing their help when Macs are so "reliable", you might ask? Yea, well Macs have their problems too and the Final Cut Pro editing software had not been installed properly in the system.

In the advertising world, which I come from, Macs were the benchmark, particularly since the software programmes were far superior to the PCs'. It also became a status symbol to be operating a Mac. But If I could count the number of times the Macs bombed out on our designers and DTP operators it would be in the millions. But things have changed since then.

I'm not saying that PCs are the end all and be all, I'm just saying that both have their problems and, Aubs, those ads don't ring true.

I now have a PC at home, which is much more powerful than the Macs at my old place of work and the Sony Vegas Pro editing software is comparable with Final Cut Pro - better in some instances. The audio side of this software programme is sophisticated and has been used on many a professional album.

I run with Vista and, to date, I've had very little problems. It sometimes bombs out when I'm editing HD stuff - but very seldom.

PC v Mac? It's up to you - just make sure that you get the right backup.

needleshy

i would go for a mac, but thats just to give the finger to gates cause he's a douchebag.

apple has been very supportive of the music industry since they started. i have seen that mac laptops run audio software much better than many of the high speced laptops you get.

i have a 2.2ghz laptop and a mac of the same specs has better processing and performance. in protools than mine. i tested it against a friends mac. so laptop wise i would definately get a mac, which i'm planning at the moment.

aubs1

No argument there Pete, I agree each has it's specific application. And a lot of what you say is quite true. My post was purely tongue -in-cheek. But I do like the ads, I think they are quite funny. It was definitely not meant as "Mac is better"...... even though I have yet to learn of any major studio or production house who use PC... (I may be wrong, but I doubt it)...... but the gentleman here was clearly only probably asking about home recording, I think........and he mentions budget restaints, benefits of using Mac, etc, so clearly the way to go would be PC, nothing wrong with that.

I do believe though that you have Mac people and you have PC people, just like BMW and MB, etc etc etc........

PeteM

Aubs, I also think they are funny. But I don't think it is effective advertising. All it does is stroke the egos of the Mac users and pisses off the PC users - hardly an intelligent way to try to convert them to Mac.

inflames

If you are going to be doing graphic design, then MAC would be the one.
For music and general use I prefer PC. If you don't want to spend tons of money on software have a look at MediaBuntu.
It is a side project of Ubuntu Linux.

swnt

Ah thanks guys.

I have been trolling the internet for a clear solution, like "OSX has some nifty feature that causes studio professionals to use them". but that doesn't seem to be the case. It seems like most pro studios (yes they do mostly use them) use them because they have large budgets and want the smug of knowing that they own one. :?

WRT compatability: have you guys had any terrible experiences with either a Mac or PC?

swnt

Aubs1 wrote Alan has a point, in fact a good point.........however..........(I am clearly a Mac-Fanatic........)
I just love these ads and could not resist.......

http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/

?

hahaha. that failed so bad... "quicktime required". LOL

Thanks alan, you provided some really useful feedback.

guitarboy2828

Aubs1 wrote
I do believe though that you have Mac people and you have PC people, just like BMW and MB, etc etc etc........

Aubs, your argument breaks down right there... Who would pick an MB over a BMW?? ? haha..

Bob-Dubery

I would think that one issue in all of this is that a Mac is a Mac, but PCs are not all equal. PCs are generic, all built to different levels of quality and often built down to a price. Cheap, no-name PCs may well give you reliability concerns or be short of backup.

I have, in my time, seen people selling "PCs" effectively out of a car boot. They are usually assembled from low cost components by people know little more than "plug card A into slot Q", and you can imagine the level of backup you will get.

DonovanB

Alan Ratcliffe wrote Protools rules the pro studio market these days. That's just the way it is. So if you want compatibility with most pro studios that's the way to go. However, Protools is cross platform and there are versions to use on Mac or PC.

I was amazed that you could get pro-tools for as little as R2500. It strikes me as expensive software but thats good. although I believe the plugins start costing you big time.

PeteM

X-rated Bob wrote I would think that one issue in all of this is that a Mac is a Mac, but PCs are not all equal. PCs are generic, all built to different levels of quality and often built down to a price. Cheap, no-name PCs may well give you reliability concerns or be short of backup.

I have, in my time, seen people selling "PCs" effectively out of a car boot. They are usually assembled from low cost components by people know little more than "plug card A into slot Q", and you can imagine the level of backup you will get.

All very true Bob.
On the other hand, my PC was made/assembled to my spec by two young enthusiastic techies. I now have a powerful computer at a fraction of the price of a branded PC or a Mac. (BTW, I have also encountered bad service from the branded PC companies - afterall, they too are just putting together components sourced from different suppliers and branding the box. Their only differentiating selling point is that they can offer good backup, which I'm afraid I have not yet experienced - and this comes at a price).

I've had no problems with my PC over the last 18 months of extensive use - save for the replacement of a DVD drive. In my game, where it is prudent to update hardware every 2 years due to technological advances, I will definitely follow the same route. I'd rather spend what available money I have on acquiring the latest software and plugins. For me, it is a cost-effective way to ensure that I am up to date with the rapidly advancing technological advancements.

aubs1

guitarboy2828 wrote Aubs, your argument breaks down right there... Who would pick an MB over a BMW?? ? haha..

Hahahaha.......who would???.......I would!!! ? ?

Check out the McLaren boys!!!! hahahahaha.........

Graeme

Mac or PC? That question is akin to opening up a religious debate!

Personally I've happily used PCs for over 15 years. I have recorded many albums, radio/TV commercials etc.
I've considered buying a Mac, but I'm very comfortable with the software that I use (Sonar 8.5) and I couldn't imagine learning a new program at this point.

If you have the budget, a Mac may be the way to go. I believe they are much simpler to use? But the hardware and the software cost a lot more.

PC is definitely a cheaper option & the fact that there are so many stores selling/repairing PCs is also a benefit. If something goes wrong with a PC it's fairly easy to find someone to fix it. I know a lot of people hate Microsoft, but I'm finding Win 7 to be a very stable OS

Jack-Flash-Jr

Use a new macbook pro but honestly not sure I would purchase one over a pc other than for the ergonomic/design issues... as far as usability goes, if you're recording music you're advanced enough to work a pc ?
PC's are cheaper and do the same (the new macs are intel anyway) with higher upgrade/mod capability. It's what you do not what you do it on I'd say. So as a daily mac user, which i do enjoy, i vote pc.

TomCat

Donovan Banks wrote
Alan Ratcliffe wrote Protools rules the pro studio market these days. That's just the way it is. So if you want compatibility with most pro studios that's the way to go. However, Protools is cross platform and there are versions to use on Mac or PC.
I was amazed that you could get pro-tools for as little as R2500. It strikes me as expensive software but thats good. although I believe the plugins start costing you big time.

You got it for R 2500.00 where?????????

My last Protools HD-2 setup cost the client in excess of R 120K with 32 channels of I/O..... ?....and that's excluding the digital mixer....

Warren

I use both Windows and Mac machines for work.

Ultimately, a lot of your choice is driven by the software you prefer. Many packages are available on both platforms, as well as open source platforms, so you have more choice than ever really.

Cost is an interesting debate ? People still have this idea that Macs are monstrously more expensive than equivalent spec PCs, but when you really look into it (including the excellent Mac software bundle) the costs are pretty comparable. This is largely because, as Alan said, the actual components are very much the same as what you'll find in an equivalent PC.

The Macbook and iMac ranges are very price competitive, but are not as upgradeable as their PC counterparts. However, for me, a nice new iMac would be a great choice for music / multimedia stuff.

It's worth mentioning again (as PeteM stated) that there is vastly less support out there for the Mac platform, especially if you're trying to do something a little out of the ordinary with your machine. Linux / Unix users would actually be quite comfortable on the platform, since the Darwin kernel is Unix-like. Windows users might find the shift a bit jarring initially.

One thing I must mention, is the excellent bundled copy of Garageband that you get with every new Mac. It's an awesome entry-level DAW with a very friendly, easy to use interface, and I've used it for most of my dabbling so far while I come to grips with the likes of Reaper.

For the casual recording enthusiast, it's a brilliant platform to get started, and you can always upgrade to something like Logic or Protools later on.

DonovanB

TomCat wrote You got it for R 2500.00 where?????????

Protools LE with the MBox Mini or something like that. I don't have it cos I need bigger. A mate of mine has a bigger setup he paid R13k for.