Don't want to start a product war but

[sgs4u]

Nick, should JH consider himself slapped silly upside the head, by THE 5 blue star general of music computers? I have a hard time understanding sarcasm sometimes...

[nickbatzdorf]

[slideboardouts]

It really kind of depends on what you are doing and what software you are using. I would by the most powerful machine you can afford in order to get the most mileage possible.In regards to the Mac vs PC thing, it really boils down to which operating system you like more: OSX or Windows. I use both and personally like OSX better. A Windows PC can do a fine job, just make sure you clean your registry and be careful with your internet surfing. In my experience, its best to keep your windows machines off the internet if at all possible.Right now my Windows box is a 3 ghz P4 with 1 gig of ram. I use Cubase on it and can have well over 20 tracks both midi and audio all loaded with Waves plugins and it doesn't give me any problems (though it is due for some standard upkeep right now). My mac is a 2.2 ghz core 2 duo mac book pro and no problems with it either. I do mostly urban and some pop-rock if that helps you out any. -Steve

[andreh]

Somebody pee'd in Nick's eggnog...

[trentoliphant]

If you are planning on still doing some stuff in the studio you may want to factor in what system the studio uses. Not that it is a big deal, just a factor.

[jh]

Quote:Gee, I've always known I was an idiot, but I never thought of myself as a total flipping moron as well.Thanks for your post, JH. And thanks for letting me know that if I just delete some software so I don't have "too much" on my Windows machines, XP will - to mention just one example - let me start up from a CD and just replace a corrupted registry file without trying to overwrite my entire fricking system drive with a new installation...wiping out all the programs I have installed. I never realized that was a hardware problem caused by different drivers - and "too much" software.After all, the fact that you can do music and surf on your computer at the same time is total proof that the very real problems leading me to make the statement I made are due only to operator stupidity. Thanks a lot for your kind words... Ok, but seriously... Sorry Nick, I was just commenting on your post, and talking in general.I really didn´t mean it like that. I wasn´t talking about any specific individual or event. What I was trying to say was that hardware conflicts may seem like windows iscausing the problem. Then people are usually installing different drivers, andif it´s still not working, they´ll install some more. - JH

[nickbatzdorf]

Note the . I'm not bent out of shape.The point is just that my comments about Windows aren't religious or knee-jerk, nor are they only because I'm a total putz (which I am, but I manage to keep that hidden well); they're based on solid experience - and the problem I mentioned is just one example. Notice that I've stayed away from the arguments about whether there's "more software available" or "Windows is less expensive." Those are separate questions.Of course lots of people get work done on Windows machines all over the world every day. And we cover software that runs on both in Virtual Instruments in every issue. But if someone is going to ask for a recommendation, I'm going to say what my experience with both has been. And I've found that Windows is considerably more difficult to deal with when something goes wrong; moreover, I can give you a list of Windows software problems I've encountered that neither experts - genuine ones - nor fellow musicians in a hornet's next of experienced professional Windows DAW users have been able to solve.That has not been the case with any Mac OS problem I've ever had, and I've been working on Macs all day long for the past 22 years.Does that automatically mean I believe everyone should buy a Mac? Of course not. if you want to run Sonar or Wavelab, for example, you can't run them on Mac OS, and I've heard reliable reports that Nuendo and Cubase are better under Windows (although you can use Boot Camp and install Windows on an Intel Mac). And Windows machines are very good as sample-streaming slaves, because you can custom tailor he hardware to do just what you need it to do.But it's not just "whatever works for you"; there's also objective reality that you can't just write off by saying the problems are caused by hardware or user ignorance.

[jh]

I have a strong feeling that we´re not talking about the same thing(s) here.When you wrote:Quote:It's when something goes wrong that I've found a notable difference: Windows is an absolute NIGHTMARE to troubleshoot! I've had problems that total PC experts couldn't figure out, and that's not the case with Macs.I got the impression that you were saying "Windows is causing the problems". I read it fast and didn´t pay much attention to the word "troubleshoot". So I thought to mention that the problems MIGHT BE caused by hardware, malware, etc. I thought I was helping someone who could be reading this, that they would check other things too. Quote:I can give you a list of Windows software problems I've encountered that neither experts - genuine ones - nor fellow musicians in a hornet's next of experienced professional Windows DAW users have been able to solve.Yes, softwares have bugs that can´t be solved (by a user), no matter what you do, I´m aware of that. However, I wasn´t talking about the software. I tried to say that it´s a good idea to check the compatibility of the hardware before you(="someone who could be reading this", not you Nick) buy anything. Quote:But it's not just "whatever works for you"; there's also objective reality that you can't just write off by saying the problems are caused by hardware or user ignorance.When did I say that the problems ARE caused by hardware or user ignorance?? I said that they could be. There are far more variables involved. For example if there are bugs in the software, there´s nothing you can do about it (other than uninstalling it). Anyway, by saying "whatever works for you" I meant that if you like PC, get a PC, if you like Mac, get a Mac... and btw. Nick, I was assuming that your setups are/were complicated and that´s not (usually) the case with the "average user".So I guess there has been some misunderstandings here

[ddusty]

PC vs MAC - politics in a micro system.Most everyone has their favorites, so we are more forgiving when "ours" does something wrong, yet quick to point out when one of "theirs" messes up.Truth be told, they are all flawed. Just pick the lesser of two evils (the one that works for you) and be happy.The odds of you getting someone to change parties is pretty low.Rob(BTW, vote MAC!!!!!)--- this message is brought to you from a work PC, so you may or may not get it ---

[nickbatzdorf]

Again, I have to differ with that, Rob. You're assuming that it's like choosing a religion - you find one that works for you, or you're brought up with one.I'm trying to explain that there are objective differences between the platforms to weigh - starting with what software you plan to run. You can't run Logic or Digital Performer on Windows and you can't run Sonar on Mac, for example.I have...let's see...four PCs and two Macs running, networked together with the PCs and one of the Macs coming up over Windows Remote Desktop and Apple Remote Desktop in live windows on my Mac screen. If something I have ran better on PC - Pro Tools LE, for instance - I'd run it on one of those machines. Functionally it makes little difference to me which machine a program is running on, in other words, because everything behaves as if it's just running on the same one.So it's not like I have any axe to grind. And I'm saying that yes, things go wrong with computers, and when they do I'd rather be using a Mac when I have to straighten it out.