Making the PC to MAC switch - advice??

[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.

[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]

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.

[jmather]

Thanks Mazz and Andy for the input.I'm looking at all of this as a long term investment, and will save up until I have it. That said it seems like the ideal system would be to go:Mac Pro - I'm definitely not into tweaking the comp. or messing around with externals after dropping 1000s of dollars!And Logic - I like that it comes with loops and ancillary (love that word) software. I'm glad you mentioned Logic, I don't know anything about it but I'll look into it now. So as far as periferals - cheaper to buy the monitor and extra ram by a third party, Great, I wouldn't have thought of that. And for virtual drums - how are we skinning that cat?? Justin

[superjeezus]

Nov 18, 2008, 6:57pm, jmather wrote:And for virtual drums - how are we skinning that cat?? Superior Drummer, BFD, and there are others for sampled drums. Each program has its fans and foes. I can vouch for the two I listed above (as if that means something, ha ).Stylus RMX for loops...yeah, almost everybody's using it now, but it's pretty deep and I still consider it essential. You just have to dig deeper than using the preset loops.I'm sure there's much more out there, but that's what I use.--Andy.

[superjeezus]

Nov 19, 2008, 11:06am, nashvillean wrote:Nov 18, 2008, 4:32pm, superjeezus wrote: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.Bad advice... I have a Apple Cinema Monitor and unfortunately purchased a Dell Monitor...Dell is way cheaper but also in quality. Don't save money on the monitor... It's your health. (Eyes)With all due respect, if I would have recommended a Dell monitor, that may have been bad advice. But I didn't. Apple doesn't make the only eye-friendly display out there. Anne had a good suggestion with the Samsung Syncmaster, IMO. Synmaster 24" - about $700. Apple 23" - about $900. (By the way, did I mention that I have two 23" Apple cinema displays? )--Andy.

[jmather]

Andy, Anne, Bob, Nashvillian and Chisti - thanks so much for your advice!! There's a lot of great info here that I will use as a reference as I look around online and in the Mac store. It may be a while before I can afford all of this so if you don't hear back very soon, that's why! I just want to do the research now and learn about all of the different possible configurations so I can be ready when the fundage is there. I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to music production, so I really appreciate your help. I'll keep checking back if anyone else has anything to add. peaceJustin

[slideboardouts]

Nov 21, 2008, 11:31pm, trentoliphant wrote:I know that I was informed twice today at two different mac resellers that there was no upgrade path to Logic from Express. It is apparently a common belief. TrentWow Well, just to clear everything up for anybody reading this thread who might be confused regarding the Logic upgrade:http://store.apple.com/us/product/MA797LL/AUpgrade from Logic Express 6/7/8 to Logic Studio for $299.00Straight from the horses mouth so to speak -Steve