I bought a powerbook a few weeks ago, and returned it last night because i was annoyed that a lot of my software wasn't compatible with Macs, but I just looked into Virtual PC and am now thinking about getting one again...

1. Does Virtual PC work seemlessly with Windows programs? I have Sony's Acid and Spund Forge, as well as FL Studio and I just want to make sure that they will run as smoothly on a powerbook with Virtual PC as they do on a normal PC.

2. On my current PC setup, i have my mixer connected through the audio in on the back of my PC. i wasn't sure I could use the same connection on my Powerbook to record off my mixer, or would I need a special sound card for it?

3. I want to pick up the Full version of Ableton Live, and open up FL Studio in one of the channels and be able to re arrange my own percussion loops on the fly and have them play in time with Ableton. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that FL Studio can be used as a vst in other programs, I wasn't sure if i could use it that way with Ableton.


Thanks for any help guys.

___________________
www.facebook.com/zackrothmusic

When I plug my mixer into my line-in the signal is not so good. I don't mind having to spend the extra money for an interface, seeing as how Mac OS dominates Windows.

as a mac owner and lover, i can tell you that virtual pc runs like shit. on a g4 powerbook VPC runs about equivilant to a low end pentium 3. its the simple fact that you are running an operating system inside of an operating system. it is slow and not very stable. any system intensive apps like audio recording and soft synths will crash VPC very quickly. the problem with switching from mac to pc is the software. when i made the switch i had all the mac install discs for pro-tools, ableton, reason, and serato. so it wasnt a big deal, but virtual PC is not the answer you are looking for. you might just wanna stick with PC for now.

as for sound quality, if you want your recordings to sound good, you should ALWAYS use a recording interface instead of a soundcard.

Yeah Mac is amazing...but mostly if you haven't bought several $100's worth of Windows software.

are there any Apple Equivilant programs to Acid / Sound Forge and even a loop based sequencer like FL? I really need a program to record audio from my mixer, as well as a program to cut up and edit tracks.

___________________
www.facebook.com/zackrothmusic

quote:

Originally posted by zizack are there any Apple Equivilant programs to Acid / Sound Forge and even a loop based sequencer like FL? I really need a program to record audio from my mixer, as well as a program to cut up and edit tracks.

Ableton should be able to do everything FL and acid do, what exactly are you trying to do?

Peak is a good audio editor for osx

quote:

Originally posted by Nic Ableton should be able to do everything FL and acid do, what exactly are you trying to do? Peak is a good audio editor for osx

well, i usually edit my own tracks with Acid, cut and paste type of stuff, and I use Sound Forge only to record output of my mixer. The thing that i love about FL is the ability to manipulate percussion loops and stuff so easily. Does Live have similar capabilities?

___________________
www.facebook.com/zackrothmusic

quote:

Originally posted by zizack well, i usually edit my own tracks with Acid, cut and paste type of stuff, and I use Sound Forge only to record output of my mixer. The thing that i love about FL is the ability to manipulate percussion loops and stuff so easily. Does Live have similar capabilities?

you can manipulate percussion loops with impulse. The cut and paste stuff you talk about can be done with ableton. its a LOT easier if you have comeposed your tracks in ableton though.

I usually record my mixing in audacity, then cut it into pieces (so i get track marks) and burn it to cd.

quote:

Originally posted by Nic you can manipulate percussion loops with impulse. The cut and paste stuff you talk about can be done with ableton. its a LOT easier if you have comeposed your tracks in ableton though. I usually record my mixing in audacity, then cut it into pieces (so i get track marks) and burn it to cd.

thanks for the intput, how much do these programs cost?

___________________
www.facebook.com/zackrothmusic

quote:

Originally posted by zizack thanks for the intput, how much do these programs cost?

impulse is part of ableton live, audacity is free

quote:

Originally posted by Nic impulse is part of ableton live, audacity is free

cool. Huge help man.

___________________
www.facebook.com/zackrothmusic

quote:

Originally posted by zizack cool. Huge help man.

I use my ibook G3 with an M-Audio USB audio interface and Audacity to record my mixes and haven't had any problems. I recommend checking Audacity out if you already have a mac.