Making the PC to MAC switch - advice??

[jmather]

Hey everyone!Pretty soon I'll be making the switch from PC to MAC to use for recording. Any advice on which MAC to go with? I've heard good things about mac pro...but $2500 seems really high, No?I know this is a very general question, so general answers will be just fine (i'm in the beginning stages of looking...)thanks!Justin

[superjeezus]

Hey Justin, A little more information would help me help you. What will you be recording, and what Digital Audio Workstation will you be using? What will be your audio card? Also, are you planning on using virtual instruments? If so, how many and which ones? All of these questions (and probably more) are important to know before deciding.Of course, you'll be able to do almost whatever you want with a speedy 8-core Mac Pro with tons of RAM....--Andy.

[jmather]

Hey Andy, thanks for replying. I want a system that will be compatible with some professional studios. Right now I'm using Sonar on a PC, and can't work with sessions that I recorded at a studio where they used Mac based programs. I'm a singer/guitarist and I play Americana, folk rock type music. As far as work stations, I'm not sure what I'll be going with - I've heard good things about Cubase, Protools of course. Any advice?As far as virtual instruments, I'm looking into Groove Agent for the drums. I haven't gotten into Midi - in fact have never used it, but I'd like to have a system that could support it if I decide to use midi in the future.

[mazz]

If I were just now switching to Mac, I'd seriously consider Logic above anything else, ProTools included. Logic comes with all the tools necessary to do a full production plus tons of extra loops and ancillary software.The initial investment in a Mac seems high but look into a turnkey audio PC built by professionals and compare prices at that level. The Mac comes out of the box at a level of performance and "turn it on and use it immediately" that, in my experience, is rare with out of the box PCs unless they've been built from the ground up with audio in mind. As a musician, you want to spend your time making music, not tweaking drivers and .dll files. If someone insists on staying in the PC world and isn't ultra computer savvy or doesn't want to spend a lot of time tweaking, then I recommend a purpose built DAW PC from someone like VisionDAW or ADK or the like. IMO, the Macs come stock ready to rock, just like these custom PCs and the cost/performance comes out just about a wash. And you can run Windows on it if you want.Every new Mac I've ever bought, I was up and running immediately after installing my cards and software. I've tried that with off-the-shelf PCs and ended up doing a lot of hair pulling, with the exception of the purpose built machines I have. How much is your time worth?OK, off my soap box I'd look hard at Logic.Mazz

[superjeezus]

As far as the computer goes, I think the best way to go is with a Mac Pro and as much RAM and hard drive space as you can afford. If you buy a MacBook Pro or an iMac, you will be forced into using firewire and USB for extra hard drives, sound cards, and other peripherals, which can contribute to some performance snags. You are also more limited with maximum RAM on those systems. For your DAW, it depends what your goals are. If your number one goal is quick compatibility between your sessions and other studios, ProTools is probably the way to go. you can get an M-box setup relatively cheap. On the other hand, Logic is probably better to work with and gives you more bang-for-buck, like Mazz said.Having said all that, if you're really on a tight budget, here is a possibility: go for an iMac and max out the RAM. Get a good external firewire hard drive for audio. Then maybe an M-box, which would have Pro-tools M-powered included. Then you're pretty good to go.But if you go with the iMac, you may find yourself wanting to upgrade sooner. So going with the MacPro first could actually be cheaper in the long run.Good luck,--Andy.

[mazz]

While it's nice to be able to export a ProTools session, if you bounce your tracks individually starting at the beginning, you can send them to the ProTools studio and they can import them and do the mix or overdubs or whatever using them. I've done this many times.I've yet to be asked to provide ProTools sessions. If it does happen, I'll get ProTools M-powered and use my M-Audio interface as the dongle, just to import the tracks and save the ProTools session. Many ways to skin that ProTools cat.Mazz

[superjeezus]

Nov 18, 2008, 12:05pm, mazz wrote:While it's nice to be able to export a ProTools session, if you bounce your tracks individually starting at the beginning, you can send them to the ProTools studio and they can import them and do the mix or overdubs or whatever using them. I've done this many times.MazzThis is true, you can export individual tracks from any DAW. Or, you can export your session as an OMF file and as long as the studio's ProTools system has the OMF option (it costs extra), you are good to go. However, if you are working lots in other studios and need to hop on their gear to work, it is good to know how to get around in ProTools. I have an M-powered like Mazz describes, just for that purpose. But I agree, if you can avoid ProTools and it's not essential to how you will be working--do something else. It's a much less elegant (and usually more expensive for what you get) solution. Unfortunately, it's still considered by many to be industry standard.--Andy.

[trentoliphant]

I was just going to ask a similar question. So I will add on to these questions if that's OK.Based on the responses I think I will go with the Mac Pro. I like the fact that it is expandable with memory and such. I was worried about that with the iMac and MacBook.These questions have to do with bang for the buck.The memory on it is the more expensive kind (currently $500 for 2Gig from Apple) will 2G be sufficient to start with or should I really get the 4G?I want to get 2 displays - should I go with the Apple display or just get 2 other matching monitors?I currently have an MBox and ProTools LE (7.3). I am considering moving to Logic but was thinking of doing Logic Express preinstalled - any thoughts on that? If I wanted to use my current PC as an instrument computer would I need to get another interface?I mostly do MIDI and I find that my VI's are maxing out my current system (Pentium 4 with 3G RAM - running most samples off an external HD).Would you suggest purchasing directly from Apple or a retailer?ThanksTrent

[mazz]

Trent,Don't buy your RAM from Apple. You'll be able to find much better deals with third party vendors. It's really easy to install RAM in a Mac so just shop around.As far as Logic Express, I think that's a good place to start if you don't want to jump in to full blown Logic right away.As far as buying from Apple or a retailer, there's no difference because Apple doesn't allow discounts. They're pretty tight that way.Good luck!!Mazz

[superjeezus]

Nov 18, 2008, 3:56pm, trentoliphant wrote:I was just going to ask a similar question. So I will add on to these questions if that's OK.RAM - don't buy Apple peripherals.Monitors - don't buy Apple peripherals. Ok, the cinema displays are nice, but unless you have money to burn, you'll do fine with any good brand monitor.If you have a local shop that sells and services Macs, they should be able to hook you up with the RAM and suggest good monitors. Or, search around a little on the web, you'll find what you need.Usually, Apple stuff will cost just about the same whether you get it online or from a local shop. Every once in a blue moon, you can find an online deal to save you $100 on a MacPro, but you'd probably pay close to that in shipping.You would need audio and MIDI interfaces on both your computers. There's a few ways to skin that cat. It all depends how big your network might get. For a two computer setup that will not grow any bigger, you may want to go with a couple of audio interfaces that include built-in MIDI ports (like your Mbox). That's if you're not using much in the way of outboard MIDI gear.I'll defer to someone else on the Logic questions. I'm primarily a Digital Performer user. However, I am like Mazz--if I were starting out today, I would probably go with Logic.Good luck!--Andy.