Oh What to buy

[AnthonyCostandius]

Kevin

Thanks for the input.

I use Finale in the preliminary stages - because I do not play very accurately, I prefer to write out the full socre and from there create a midi file which I import into Cubase. From there I do the final mix, levels and further embellishments. I may also then improvise over the tracks to create a more real result.

I have just come home from work and my wife has informed me that SARS (our equivalent to the IRS) has just hit us with a tax payment of close to $5000. So there goes my Mac for now.

Life sucks

Anthony

[fusilierb]

Thanks to all

What I am getting out of this is to look at the Mac Pro. In South Africa this costs (without customization) appr $5000 which is equivalent to ZAR 35,000.

So if I go this route, I would like some guidance of how I should spec the machine for the local reseller. I have read that I would require 3 super fast hard drives, but have also read about 4 core and 8 core, as well as audio accelerator cards. I am not that clued up as to the technical issues, so I would welcome some input as to the ideal set-up for a machine that will be used to write and record sound tracks, using full orchestras and decent sound banks. I would also like to know if I would still require an external sound card and, if so, what is recommended.

Not being Mr Rockefeller, and given the depressed financial situation, I have to make every dime count.

I assume that if I go across to Mac, I will have to go to Logic as well (Finale and Native Instruments Komplete 4 & 6 are hybrids). Alternatively I will have to consider running Cubase in a windows environment, but I am not sure how stable that will be.

Thanks again for all the help.

Anthony

Holy Smokes, 5000 for a computer?! I take everything I said back. That's crazy. I thought 2,200 for mine was high. Is that really how much a mac costs there?? Ridiculous. Not sure what to tell you.

But if you can find a reasonable deal somehow I can tell you that I don't use Logic, I'm Cubase, Sibelius, Kontact, Finale and Live all on my mac.

[jdhogg]

Mac ZAR 35,000 or Pc with same power R13800?

Plus thats the unexpanded mac.

Ask how much for an extra drive, 12g mem and upgraded graphics card?

Then get a quote on the expanded mecer gaming machine and realize how the difference is even more.

Oh and if and when something breaks or you want to upgrade a component on a pc its cheap. No time wasted fiddling with ebay auctions.

I need to add I do like macs and I am hoping to get one in 6 months to a year because I want logic9.

[jdhogg]

If you know cubase stick with it.

[mazz]

I need to add I do like macs and I am hoping to get one in 6 months to a year because I want logic9.

If they build a great DAW, you will buy a mac to run it. Apple's doing something right!!

[jdhogg]

I need to add I do like macs and I am hoping to get one in 6 months to a year because I want logic9.

If they build a great DAW, you will buy a mac to run it. Apple's doing something right!!

Emagic did everything right...then sold out
Apple bought it for its music tech for all its apps.

Apple should hang its head in shame re logic.
Logic 9 is still buggy with snow leopard hence I will wait till they get it rock solid.

Apple is a $B corporate yet reaper which is essentially a 1 or 2 man team write better DAW code.

If emagic had not sold out or the reaper team developed logic it would be a protools killer by now.

Logic is not important for apple and it shows.
If reaper had an integrated score solution and better midi data manipulation I would not have buy a mac.

For pure audio and simple midi tracks I will still use reaper because its core utilization is so efficient.

I am sure I will enjoy the mac experience .....I am equally sure my wallet wont.