I currently have a sony vaio laptop
512 RAM
Intel Pentium-M Centrino 740 Processor 1.73GHz
100GB Hard Drive
15.4'' Widescreen
I know the old mac vd pc is an old debate but can't find much on this forum. I am aware that most in the music industry opt for mac to dj/produce with, my question is why? By superficial conparison it seems that you can get twice/similar the spec of laptop for a fraction of the price, is it really worth spendong an extra £1000 on something like a macbook pro?I am considering upgrading my laptop at some point in the future, maybe the best time will be when quad-core processors are readily available since I don't trust that my laptop has enough power to be reliable enough for using Ableton live or tractor/serato scratch, am I correct in thinking this? I also want the computer as the main component of my studio for reason, cubase ect. Thanks...
Djing/Producing with Mac or PC?
Re: Djing/Producing with Mac or PC?
Ugh, I know you had honest intentions starting this thread, but you know what's going to happen to it....petetweq wrote: I know the old mac vd pc is an old debate but can't find much on this forum. I am aware that most in the music industry opt for mac to dj/produce with, my question is why?
Anyways, in the interest of an straight answer before the flaming begins, I'd like to chime in with the following bits:
- The music industry is not predominantly mac. Numerous informal surveys of producers show a roughly 50/50 split between mac/pc. If anything, it's probably closer to a 60/40 split towards pc, due to cheaper hardware costs.
- It all boils down to which OS you're more comfortable working with. This is the reason that so many musicians seem to prefer mac, IMO... it's a bit more "hands-free" OS. But the bottom line is, you should go with the system that you feel most comfortable working with.
And now.... queue the apple fanbois, the anti-apple fanbois, the trolls, and a few sock puppets thrown in for good measure.
-
chrysalis33rpm
- Posts: 1020
- Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2004 9:56 pm
- Location: San Francisco
You get more hardware for your money with PCs.
I think there is a shift towards PCs in the pro media industry, while Apple is making gains in the "home user" market.
I use a mac, and I'm willing to take a hit on hardware performance in order to use osx, which is my preferred operating system.
If you buy a macbook, you are getting pretty good value for money. You can always install XP/Vista on a partition if you like.
I think there is a shift towards PCs in the pro media industry, while Apple is making gains in the "home user" market.
I use a mac, and I'm willing to take a hit on hardware performance in order to use osx, which is my preferred operating system.
If you buy a macbook, you are getting pretty good value for money. You can always install XP/Vista on a partition if you like.
I have watched this debate since 1993 or so, where I began my PC based studio. I have never participated because I never tried a mac. A few months ago I bought a macbook (the cheapest one), and now I have seen both sides.
For the same money I paid for my macbook I could have gotten a noisy, butt-ugly pc laptop with about half the battery life and blablablabla. I really did not think that the difference would be so big, but my oh my god, there is difference. Particularly the macbook hardware is just soooo much like one would expect any laptop to be like. Example: We put laptos anyware: In the bed, on the sofa, in your lap, so where should we NOT put the vents? Right not on the bottom side as they will be blocked. Now look at the bottom of any pc, - yes, vents (and ugly stickers). Mac: Off course no vents. Or look at how mac did the power supply, and compare it to any pc laptop.
I have worked my way through 4 pc laptops and a bunch of non-laptop pc´s, and I can just say that my new macbook is truly like comming home.
For the same money I paid for my macbook I could have gotten a noisy, butt-ugly pc laptop with about half the battery life and blablablabla. I really did not think that the difference would be so big, but my oh my god, there is difference. Particularly the macbook hardware is just soooo much like one would expect any laptop to be like. Example: We put laptos anyware: In the bed, on the sofa, in your lap, so where should we NOT put the vents? Right not on the bottom side as they will be blocked. Now look at the bottom of any pc, - yes, vents (and ugly stickers). Mac: Off course no vents. Or look at how mac did the power supply, and compare it to any pc laptop.
I have worked my way through 4 pc laptops and a bunch of non-laptop pc´s, and I can just say that my new macbook is truly like comming home.
-
robbmasters
- Posts: 1107
- Joined: Tue Feb 10, 2004 7:37 pm
- Location: London, UK.
There is no answer to this question.
Best value for money for who doing what?
The last time I bought a laptop, a Mac was the best for for money for me as it gave me the specification I wanted (e.g. 6-pin Firewire and DVI - which I could hardly find on any PCs) and access to both OS X and XP on one machine (great value for money for cross-platform testing). I can't compare the price to an equivalent PC as I couldn't find one! But it was more expensive than the Dell laptop I had considered, and less expensive than the Sony laptop I had considered.
But the time before that, a PC laptop was the best value for money for me as I wanted a cheap machine I could use for gigs and not worry too much if it got damaged.
Maybe you don't want 6-pin Firewire, DVI, or to be able to test across multiple platforms. Or maybe you do want to be able to try out Logic or Final Cut Pro. Maybe you're on a tight budget. Or maybe you've prepared to pay for the best. Only you can really tell what's going to be best value for money for you...
Best value for money for who doing what?
The last time I bought a laptop, a Mac was the best for for money for me as it gave me the specification I wanted (e.g. 6-pin Firewire and DVI - which I could hardly find on any PCs) and access to both OS X and XP on one machine (great value for money for cross-platform testing). I can't compare the price to an equivalent PC as I couldn't find one! But it was more expensive than the Dell laptop I had considered, and less expensive than the Sony laptop I had considered.
But the time before that, a PC laptop was the best value for money for me as I wanted a cheap machine I could use for gigs and not worry too much if it got damaged.
Maybe you don't want 6-pin Firewire, DVI, or to be able to test across multiple platforms. Or maybe you do want to be able to try out Logic or Final Cut Pro. Maybe you're on a tight budget. Or maybe you've prepared to pay for the best. Only you can really tell what's going to be best value for money for you...
OS X, Live 9, Microbook II
robbmasters wrote:There is no answer to this question.
Best value for money for who doing what?
The last time I bought a laptop, a Mac was the best for for money for me as it gave me the specification I wanted (e.g. 6-pin Firewire and DVI - which I could hardly find on any PCs) and access to both OS X and XP on one machine (great value for money for cross-platform testing). I can't compare the price to an equivalent PC as I couldn't find one! But it was more expensive than the Dell laptop I had considered, and less expensive than the Sony laptop I had considered.
But the time before that, a PC laptop was the best value for money for me as I wanted a cheap machine I could use for gigs and not worry too much if it got damaged.
Maybe you don't want 6-pin Firewire, DVI, or to be able to test across multiple platforms. Or maybe you do want to be able to try out Logic or Final Cut Pro. Maybe you're on a tight budget. Or maybe you've prepared to pay for the best. Only you can really tell what's going to be best value for money for you...
YEAHH!