MAC V.S CUSTOMIZED COMPUTER

I suggest you go for a Mac no matter what. There is nothing to set up to get low latency audio, the whole system is much more responsive and stable. The best choice for you over building a custom PC is an iMac (http://www.apple.com/imac/). Remember that a custom-built system will never be better than a highly-tuned set of hardware which works seamlessly with the operating system. Go for 20" model with 2.16 GHz dual-core processor, this is a dream machine for music creation.

BTW, just read your profile - glad you liked my book

Part of what you need to consider is cost. Windows PCs have come a long way and are very reliable to build on. They also allow you a LOT more options from various manufacturer's down the road. The reliability of USB2.x has made Wintel PCs much easier to work with 3rd party hardware. Also, as far as recording software is concerned, should you want to really stretch your wings, Cakewalk's Sonar is nearly impossible to beat (not even ProTools can compare, in spite of it's larger presence in pro studios). In the end, a PC based solution will be less expensive, reliable, and give you many more options than a Mac.

BTW, don't believe the Apple commercials that they're rock solid reliable. We have both PCs and Macs at the college I work for. The Macs, when they want to act up, can be some of the biggest pains to configure with non-Apple hardware and OS'es. Windows based P4's are very reliable. About the only thing I have noticed that Macs have over Windows units is lack of virus attacks.

Craig

There are no useful things on Windows that Macs can't do. Reverse is not true. Plus, Mac is quite a bit more than this.

In more detail...

User experience of OS X vs. Windows is simply incomparable. There is a lot of simply idiotic things in Windows that make you waste time, which is a simple drag-and-drop operation in OS X. There will be only about 5-10 apps you'll need to get for your Mac, there is a vast number of high-quality software out of the box, whereas on Windows you get a very cheap selection of stuff you'll be replacing anyway... You can also see many software now is being made using Apple's guidelines for GUIs they made 5 years ago.

There is only one type of people which can say PC + Windows is better than Mac + OS X - those who just do not "dig this". I was one of them just a year ago, in fact! But once you learn the Mac, you will never go back. This statement doesn't apply to a reverse situation.

Also, you can make a truck which will be very powerful and all made to your wishes, but you can't make a Laborghini!

Hey thanks bro, I apreciate for the info, I guess I have to break my piggy bank, cause macs are not cheap...Yeh I read the book ,, there's alot of useful info on TVA, filters,and oscillators.. I enjoy exploring my fantom in depth there is so much you can do is incredible, If it can only load my samples alot fasters and have at least 32 channel,with each channel having at least a compressor, dynamics, 3 band equalizer, and 3 different effects with much more audio editing tools, i can kiss protools goodbye(but then again not really)
Another question I have is that I have a drum pattern loop of 20 bars(I have about 9 samples into one audio track)i.exported this loop from reason 2.5, now when I dump it into my fantom x's audio track, after the 3 bar it seems to be out of sync.. My question is how do I put it into sync...Do I use time strech ?? If so what would be the equivalent time of a 20 bar loop???


Keep doing your number playa....(I'm going call you Shevshenko of the sound design game)

ROCCOTO:

1. Macs are not more expensive, here's why:

- They have select best components which justifies the price (e.g. Daewoo vs. Toyota...). You can buy a cheap PC indeed, but if you select the same parts Apple put in there and consider the casing and form factor it'll cost more than a Mac.

- You will not have to spend on extra software, there is a lot of stuff bundled with it. You can make pro movies, compose music, have some real fun with it. OS X is where work meets play. Period.

So in reality a PC + Windows route is more expensive.

2. Please post this question as a new thread at Fantomized.

Well I don't have no budget I just wanted to check prices

ROCOTTO:

Depending on who's aswering, you'll get a different response (just as Artemio and I have already proven). As a computer support technician, though I largely do PC support, I have also played around with and configured a few Mac's. To be honest I haven't seen enough to sway me from a PC. The OS is different, but I didn't like what I saw. I also use Cakewalk's SONAR for nearly everything I do. There's nothing comparable in the Mac world, so a PC is pretty much a no-brainer for me and I'm very content with that. I also like having been able to build my system to be exactly what I want it to be. In many ways, my system is an expression of who I am. I'm proud of it. I haven't had problems with it and it performs beautifully.

Artemio has raised some good points and shared some worthy facts, though we're both clearly biased. Personally, given the choice, I'll take my $1,200 "customized truck" over the $2,000 "Lamborghini." My PC may look more like a Star Wars weapon than a kitchen appliance, but I'll still have money to take my wife and kids to dinner. I'm also confident my truck will keep up just fine.

Good luck in your research. Again, neither platform is bad. Both are better than they were a few years ago; that's just the way technology goes. They both have strengths and weaknesses. What matters in the end is that you have a system that does what YOU want and need it to do.

Craig

Artemio and Craig, I'm very appreciated for your feedbacks and so much for your knowledge, Both of you guys definetly raised some very good points about P.C and Macs...... I will think this throught of course keeping in mind with both of you's opinions.....I will let you guys know what was my purchase......Again I want thank you guys for taking your time...

Yes, CraigG is correct, I am *very* biased

And all is right - just choose what works best for you.

Mac has been the king of audio music production for over a decade

This is equivalent to winning the Super Bowl ( or pick your favorite sport) for 10 years straight

GregC

Thats primarily been because of ProTools, if I'm not mistaken. ProTools, while it is well entrenched in pro studios, is lagging behind the competition feature for feature (and for quite a bit less). And, as one would imagine, once a studio has invested tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars into a particular platform for their system, the last thing they want to undertake is a complete platform switch.

I recently recorded with my band in a private Mac based studio that the owner actually spec'ed into his basement when his house was being built (complete with floating floor - this is no weekend warrior home studio and he has invested a lot into his studio). He, too, is a Mac fanatic, so I was anxious to see how his studio performed. Surprisingly, his Mac choked several times during our session and had to be rebooted. And I heard rumors through the years that Macs don't do that sort of thing. Even recent Apple ad campaigns make PC look like that is the kind of thing only PCs do. Needless to say, the truth became a little clearer.

Again, it's all a matter of taste. Both Mac and PC have their strengths and weaknesses. But once a winner does not imply always a winner and you can't live on your laurels. 20 years ago Apple dominated the educational market and could be found in thousands of school systems. These days the school market is primarily dominated by PCs. Don't underestimate where PCs can and are going. They have gotten considerably better, more reliable, more affordable and the vast array of software - especially music software - being written for them can't be denied. I'm not interested in arguing which is better. Again, both have strengths, both have weaknesses. Choose for yourself what works best with your budget and vision, don't let someone else choose for you.

Craig

Well I can't say anything about ProTools, but there is also Cubase, Logic and Digital Performer, also Sonar on Windows - but frankly it's way too subjective to compare them.

I and many people think that GarageBand that's included with all Macs or free is the best DAW out there. It is very basic and can't do MIDI sequencing, but it can do up to 256 tracks of audio and software instruments and also the whole workflow is like a snap.

Also, CraigG, you cannot deny that in general Windows interface is very poorly designed. In Mac most things are much more logical and simple. E.g. you click a single icon to eject a USB drive on OS X, but what a terribly idiotic procedure this is on Windows. Same applies to many things you do every minute. This in whole adds up to many time spent clicking instead of working and having fun.

Windows v.s OS X - these systems are so different in the internal design and architecture... But any computer specialist will tell you that UNIX is UNIX, Windows can't beat it's flexibility and transparency. I work with OS X at home and professionally, but also use Windows sometimes at my PhD lab, plus I've been using Linux at home before switching to Mac. Believe me, there is nothing like UNIX out there (I used to build my own system from parts and I know how robust it can be).

And once more - when you install Windows, you need to spend hours and hours for tuning it, installing loads of additional software, including some software to improve system performance. On Mac you do not need this (on Linux too by the way). In addition to this, the more software you install, the slower Windows will get to boot. And after a few months you'll need to re-install it... This is the scenario on 90% of Windows machines I have ever seen or told about.

I know you may like Windows more, you're used to it. Maybe it's not that bad if you install good software on it. But I can't stand having to treat Windows like a little cyber baby who keeps to poo and pee in it's pents every 30 minutes...

Can't understand why there's a tendency for Mac people tend to put down Windows. Windows is different, true. That doesn't make it a bad choice.

My point all along has been both[/i] platforms have their good points and bad points (unlike what Apple wants everyone to believe through their ad campaigns). Windows can be a very good choice for professional audio production.

The bottom line is a PC based audio system can keep up with a Mac system. A few years ago, that was not necessarily true. Today things are different and PC recording systems are becoming more common-place. Many pro-music resellers are doing all the work for you ahead of time, kind of like Apple has been doing all along. Hey, Apple doesn't have to corner the market on spoon feeding customers. Windows is a good platform, it can be very reliable, there are lots of choices in both hardware and software available to you and it is possible to do it for less.

Craig

No, I did not tell Windows is bad for audio! Provided that you have the software, you can have virtually same setups on Windows and Mac. And it's totally true, here these systems are barely different.

What I told you is that in real world Windows needs more care and maintenance, and also has much inferior user interface and usability... The system internals are to different, and OS X being a unique blend of UNIX and Apple technologies, wins over Windows hands down. That's my main point