If I were to go Mac...

The Crane · Post by **The Crane** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:08 am

I got myself a Macbook last October (lowest end model plus another gig of ram from crucial) and it took me a couple of days to get used to OSX... I had originally planned to install XP, but I just never got round to it!

arafel · Post by **arafel** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:07 am

I concure with Tarekith & Leanardrock. (Mac works out of the box, and you will save tons of time no longer doing constant system maintenance).

Once your used to the system & install your apps (Live & Plugs), you will be ready for studio or stage.

It will prob take you longer to install XP than to learn OSX!

Unless your stuck on using a windows only app (dbglitch, soundforge, etc) and just cannot migrate to a dif program, there will be no reason to regress into XP land.

My GF started using my G4 lappy after her Dell imploded and I refused to fix the POS. She hasnt looked back, and has no computer literacy at all.

BTW- I'm typing this on the G4, using the Dell to raise up the keyboard to a comfy hand height.... best paperweight ever!

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 7:07 am

Mac + Parallels + XP = best of both worlds.

Use Spaces on Leopard to instantly switch between OSX + XP with a keystroke, even copy/paste between both.

And two-finger scrolling is the best thing since sliced bread!

leonardrock · Post by **leonardrock** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:06 am

arafel wrote: My GF started using my G4 lappy after her Dell imploded and I refused to fix the POS. She hasnt looked back, and has no computer literacy at all.

BTW- I'm typing this on the G4, using the Dell to raise up the keyboard to a comfy hand height.... best paperweight ever!

- hilarious, my wife is using my old HP laptop and I just told her the same thing about a week ago!

And your PC Paperweight/Ergonomic Aid is an excellent idea. I'll raise you one...take 2 old PC laptops, drill tight rows and columns of holes in the displays, stick them back-to-back and enjoy your very own DIY version of Battleship.

forge · Post by **forge** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 8:51 am

leonardrock wrote:
arafel wrote: My GF started using my G4 lappy after her Dell imploded and I refused to fix the POS. She hasnt looked back, and has no computer literacy at all.

BTW- I'm typing this on the G4, using the Dell to raise up the keyboard to a comfy hand height.... best paperweight ever!

- hilarious, my wife is using my old HP laptop and I just told her the same thing about a week ago!

And your PC Paperweight/Ergonomic Aid is an excellent idea. I'll raise you one...take 2 old PC laptops, drill tight rows and columns of holes in the displays, stick them back-to-back and enjoy your very own DIY version of Battleship.

ha ha - my old laptop is propping up my LCD - but that actually served me well before it died

leedsquietman · Post by **leedsquietman** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:18 am

I like Macs too (use them at work), I am seriously thinking about getting a mac Pro tower soon, but as usual we couldn't go one thread where some inbred Apple fanboy didn't put down Dell. PC's work fine for Live too, most people don't have to do all the tweaking that is mentioned here, you spend a few minutes doing this once to optimize your system and it;s done.

As for viruses and malware - get a good firewall and anti-virus.anti-spyware (some free stuff like AVG and AVAST is excellent) and avoid surfing porn sites or clicking on pop up ads and you\re fine. No spyware or viruses on my PC for 4 years since I started using common sense on how I use my PC.

I think everybody would buy Apple more if a) they cut their price by 15-20% and b) they stopped putting out the most arrogant, smarmy ad campaigns going and lost this blinkered fanboy attitude.

This is my 2cents. BTW - i have owned 5 Dell computers over 12 years, all of them still work and 4 of them have had no problems at all, the only one that did had the mothernboard die while in warranty which was painlessly and quickly replaced. XP SP2 is a very stable o/s for music, it does not require 'kicking about'. That's Vista

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 11:39 am

Why should Apple's marketing techniques affect whether or not you buy Mac? Are you that influenced by it?

IMO, it's just a box that does a job.

leedsquietman · Post by **leedsquietman** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:05 pm

I'd like to say yes, it doesn't affect me, but we are all subconscious drones to mass marketing unfortunately, although I try hard to resist it.

I just wish Apple would sell themselves on their strengths - they have so many positive things to sell themselves upon rather than bashing Microsoft.

I think with the emphasis Steve Jobs puts on design elements and 'look' that there are quite a few Apple afficionados who don't just see their Mac as a functional box, but actually do see it as a 'fashion statement'.

Thanks though Hambone, you're a good salt and if more Mac (and PC users) thought like you, this forum would be a much better place ...

hambone1 · Post by **hambone1** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:13 pm

I prefer OSX, but I get plenty of use out of XP, too. IMO, they've each got their strengths and weaknesses.

The Microsoft bashing IS unnecessary.

Like you said, I'd rather Apple marketed on their strengths rather than adopting the embarrassing put-down-the-opponent nastiness of American politics.

Yhtomit · Post by **Yhtomit** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 12:38 pm

I wanted OSX purely to get rid of clicks, pops and latency. So far (six months) I never heard a click or drop out and Im working with low latency all the time. Either with the onboard system soundcard or the apogee interface. You can't get this glitch-free sound from a Windows machine. Even if the machine is setup correctly with fi the (by far the best) Hammerfall driver..
Also, OSX makes better use of memory. I don't know how to explain it but it does do wonders.
As for workflow preferences, that's up to the user but I also prefer osx. Especially with neath things like Expose, Audio Units, etc

leedsquietman · Post by **leedsquietman** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 1:59 pm

It's a question of hardware - there are plenty of PC users who can use (RME especially) cards at very low latencies that match up.

It's just that finding the right combination of hardware and software is more difficult to achieve. This is an area where Mac has the advantage, although a nice configured PC works equally as well. Custom build or make sure you buy a machine with quality parts - then again, this extra outlay puts the cost into Mac territory so it's probably as easy to resign yourself to the Mac.

misteron · Post by **misteron** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:56 pm

thanks for all the replies, this is all great news.

Couple questions re licensing:

I have Live runing on my desktop and laptop pcs, so I've already used my 2 licenses.
Will I be able to get the necessary licenses to run Live on the Mac in both XP and OSX via Boot camp?
How does Live's licensing work re: Bootcamp...
Do I need a license for each OS?

Can I use my current XP license for the installating XP on bootcamp?

forge · Post by **forge** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 3:04 pm

misteron wrote:thanks for all the replies, this is all great news.

Couple questions re licensing:

I have Live runing on my desktop and laptop pcs, so I've already used my 2 licenses.
Will I be able to get the necessary licenses to run Live on the Mac in both XP and OSX via Boot camp?
How does Live's licensing work re: Bootcamp...
Do I need a license for each OS?

Can I use my current XP license for the installating XP on bootcamp?

dont worry- just be totally clear when you explain to Ableton tht you have bought a new computer and you should be fine

misteron · Post by **misteron** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:40 pm

nice.
Does anyone know if I can use my current XP license for the installing XP on bootcamp?

doc holiday · Post by **doc holiday** » Sat Apr 12, 2008 6:35 pm

misteron wrote: Does anyone know if I can use my current XP license for the installing XP on bootcamp?

you use the same SN, it is just a matter of getting more unlocks for it.