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mac or pc?
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View this Thread in Original format
| phoooo |
| which one do you use for producing...? |
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| Zombie0729 |
| awesome thread! |
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| Ray_Chappell |
| quote: | Originally posted by Zombie0729
awesome thread! |
Since the "i" button on my PC is hypersensitive and my "h" button my MacBook Pro is under-sensitive, my typing is kinda like...
"i. I'm a Mac."
"And Iiiiiiii'm a PC."
Anyway, what is better... vinyl or cd for spinning? |
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| [Ocean]State |
| Pepsi or Coke? |
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| jupiterone |
mac for music.
pc for gaming. |
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| Eric J |
| quote: | Originally posted by phoooo
which one do you use for producing...? |
OK, I'll bite....
I used to use Cubase on a PC, I recently switched to Logic on a Mac. I use Ableton Live for mixed CD's, laptop DJing and more recently as an outboard sampler on a second computer MIDI slaved to Logic. I'm a huge fan of Apple computers and have used them for making music for quite a few years now. However, I also used a PC for a couple of years with Cubase with great results. I've produced tracks on both platforms using a variety of DAW software and they all have their strengths and weaknesses.
Hardware differences are negligible in the modern era, as Macs are built with the exact same hardware components as higher end PC's. The only difference is that Macs in general use more expensive hardware by default in their standard offerings, but you also pay a premium for that. Trust me, I have done the research and if you build a PC out of the EXACT same components as you would find in a Mac, you would find that the cost is about the same.
Windows XP on a PC is fast and reliable operating system when properly tuned and taken care of. Mac OS X is stable, easy to use and offers tight integration with the hardware. Tey are about equivalent for the purposes of a DAW host OS.
Logic is an outstanding sequencer with INCLUDED instruments and effects that are second to none. The tight integration with the Mac OS X operating system and things like Core Audio and Audio Units are quite stable and extremely efficient. A weakness of Logic is the audio editing facilities are a generation behind some of the competing platforms. Audio editing and manipulation have always been a bit behind the curve in Logic. The workflow in Logic is extremely quick and the software itself is very intuitive once you get past the initial learning curve. One of Logics great strengths is its customization. Using the Environment in Logic you can create a near perfect model of your physical hardware and tailor it any way you want. No other DAW software offers this level of complexity in this respect.
Cubase on the PC platform is also an outstanding DAW package. Version 4 has really upped the quality of both the included instruments and effects plugins and they have added a ton of new features that addresses many of the common complaints from long-time Cubase users. The new included instruments in Version 4 are almost as good as the ones included with Logic and certainly much better than they were in Version 3. VST 3 is an outstanding plugin format with the addition of native sidechaining and it only uses up resources when their is audio passing through one if its plugins. The new Control Room feature of Cubase 4 is a really cool and useful feature that is not present in any other DAW package.
Ableton Live has got absolutely outstanding audio editing. IMO, the best audio editing facilities of all equivalent DAW packages. Live's versatility as both a tool for production and DJing make it an excellent choice for EDM producers in particular. In addition, Live functions identically on both the Mac and PC platforms. Those coming from either the Cubase or Logic world may find the workflow a little fiddly as first use, but once you get used it, most appreciate how well thought out it is an how it offers a fresh approach. Ableton allows you to get ideas down very quickly with a minimum of fuss, and that can be extremely important when inspiration strikes.
The point being, they all have their strengths and weaknesses.
If you want to use Logic, then obviously you'll have to spring for a Mac, since it is only offered on that platform, but do not think for one second that having one platform vs another or one DAW package vs another will make one bit of difference in how you make your music. Work with what you like and try everything out if you are not sure. There are Demo or Limited Edition versions of most software out there. The results will be worth it and you'll save yourself a lot of headache.
P.S. Not to dismiss you Sonar or Pro Tools users out there, but I have never really used either package, so I couldn't really comment on it. I have a couple of friends who use Sonar and they love it, so I'm certain its an outstanding package as well. :) |
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| DJ Robby Rox |
| I don't know a lot about MACs but I do like Macdonalds. =] |
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| Cetra³ |
| quote: | Originally posted by Eric J
Trust me, I have done the research and if you build a PC out of the EXACT same components as you would find in a Mac, you would find that the cost is about the same.
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Your post was good except for this part :nervous:
I use ableton for producing. I have a PC. I have OS X installed (hackintosh all the way!) but haven't tried logic. I enjoyed cubase but it was e for beatmatching loops etc.. so I made the switch to ableton since I was pretty comfortable with that.
My only beef over Cubase is the 128 parameter limit which has sparked enough publicity to get changed pretty soon.
As far as I'm concerned though. I don't think one is capable of making music better than the other.
This is another one of those personal preference arguments. |
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| Eric J |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cetra³
Your post was good except for this part :nervous:
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OK, here is the breakdown:
Mac Pro Dual Quad-Core 3.0 with 2 GB RAM.
Here are the tech specs on this machine:
- CPU: Two 3.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon 5400 series processor, 12MB Cache
- Motherboard: 1600MHz, 64-bit dual independent FSB
- RAM: 2 x 800MHz DDR2 ECC fully buffered DIMM (FB-DIMM) memory
- Video: ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT with 256MB of GDDR3 memory and two dual-link DVI ports
- Storage: 320GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s, 7200 rpm, 8MB cache
- CD: 16x SuperDrive with double-layer support
- Wireless: Bluetooth 2.0 + 802.11n
- Expansion: 3 PC!e, 1 16x PCI-X
- Peripherals: 2 FW800, 2 FW400, 5 USB 2.0
- Power Supply: 500W
- Fans: 4 120mm fans
- Operating System: Included - $0
Total Cost: $3,599.99
Here is an equivalent Home built PC:
- CPU: 2 Intel Xeon X5472 Processor EU80574KL080NT - 3.0GHz, 12MB Cache - $1,009 x 2 = $2,018
- Motherboard: Intel 5400, Dual Xeon, SSI EEB, Max 64GB DDR2, Dual CPU - $571.25
- RAM: 2 TP AP28K72S8BHE7S3 PC2-6400/800MHZ 1028MB/1GB FB-800 FB-DIMM - 119.95 x 2 = $239.90
- Video: HIS H260XTFZ256DDN-R ATI Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB Video - $107.99
- Storage: WESTERN DIGITAL 320 GIGABYTE SATA 3G DESKTOP STORAGE 7200 RPM 8MB - $123.48
- CD: SuperDrive 108, DVR 16X Dual - $109.00
- Wireless: WiFi 802.11b/g bluetooth Wireless PCI 32 Bit Card - $29.00
- Case: Antec Atlas 550 Black Server Case - $139.99
- Power Supply: Antec Sonata III 500W - $100.00
- Fans: 4 Antec PRO 120mm DBB - Case fan - $10 x 4 = $40
- Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium - $99
Total Cost: $3,576.61
So the PC is a whopping $20 cheaper, and that doesn't even take into account the fact that some of the components are not directly comparable. The motherboard I speced out isn't exactly comparable to the Apple board because Apples boards are custom designed (from Intel). The motherboard I speced also does not include the same peripherals. It does not include the 2 FW800 2 FW400, 5 USB or the TOSLINK audio ports, where the Mac Pro does. By the time you buy PCI cards to add these features, not only have you taken up a few extra PCI slots, but the cost is going to certainly go above the standard configuration price of the Mac Pro. A 2 FW800 + 1 FW400 PCI card is $37, so with that addition of that you are now at $3,613.61 which actually makes it a bit MORE expensive than the Mac Pro and you still do not have the same number of peripheral ports.
Now, you can finagle with some of these specs. You can buy a bit cheaper case, maybe a lower power supply, maybe eliminate the wireless card and save a few bucks, but the point of this post is not to say one is better than the other. The core components (CPU, Motherboard, etc.) are not going to have a huge price variation, and that's where most of your money is going. I'm simply showing that from a hardware standpoint, the cost of a Mac vs. an EQUIVALENT PC is approxamately the same. Mac Pro's are essentially server-class machines, so you have to build a server-class PC to compare the two, and that's going to cost a bit more. |
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| Cetra³ |
| quote: | Originally posted by Eric J
Mac Pro's are essentially server-class machines, so you have to build a server-class PC to compare the two, and that's going to cost a bit more. |
:nervous: Maybe...
Where do you get your prices? They're a bit expensive.. |
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| Kevy Kev |
I'm running Logic on my Hackintosh, spent a whopping $800 building it.
How many hacks do we have out there? I thought I was the only one on here!! |
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