pc? mac?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 07, 2004 11:58 am

now i know that the pc is able to handle ableton more effectively, but how do the two match up with other software?

I am looking to be running reason 2.5, native instruments reaktor session, pro tools 6.4, ableton live 3.0.2 etc on a laptop-

either an apple g4 1.5 ghz 17" powerbook w/ 2 gig ram or a sager 4870 17" with 3.2 ghz 2 gig ram

ill prob end up upgrading my digi 001 to a digi 002 or digi 002 rack so i'll be using firewire to my audio interface

i will be using this system at school this year in my appt

i know that the powerbook will cost me about an extra $700- $1000... but aside from that which is a better machine?

i also am aware that this is a heated debate, but i'm just looking for a general consensus-- preferably from anyone who owns both pc and mac for music production use

thanks alot,
ryan

fliquid · Post by **fliquid** » Fri May 07, 2004 12:30 pm

I say pc because its easier, and there is more software/updates whatever around for pc's.

Just only install the stuff you need on the laptop, to prevent is from crashing.

A 2.4 GHz with 256 or 512 MB DDR should be sufficiant enough.

spiderprod · Post by **spiderprod** » Fri May 07, 2004 2:01 pm

you are entering the eternal argument of mac vs pc,honnestly what i have learned over the years is :
mac is good if you know nothing about computers ,it works without massive driver or hardwares conflics,but most sofwares or upgrades are not always out at the same time as pc.
pc is good as well,more powerfull,less reliable but once you get a hand on your machine it can become a superintergalactic monster & cheapper

i ended up using a pc cos mac was for the higher society & everytime i wanted to upgrade it was a pain to get the money to make it work,now that my finances are going better i still stick with pc as i think that mac is a rip off ,less power for more money,haha.
pc has proved to handle as much effect as on a mac ,& at the end of the day this question is about how much software & effect it can handle.

when you overload your cpu ,to have a mac or a pc is the same it crashes anyway.

forge · Post by **forge** » Fri May 07, 2004 2:13 pm

yep - if you're buying a laptop then all the software and configurations will be done at the factory for that machine so it will be solid as a rock and if you're installing all legit software you shouldn't have any stability problems
but you'll get alot more power

Macs are nice but I'd wait untill the G5 laptops are coming out before I'd get a laptop as you really can't argue with the benefites ofd having a more powerful machine

I just recently got an upgrade back of a pismo powerbook (the last black model before the aluminium so now it's a 1 gHz G3 with 1gb ram - it's not G4 I know so no altivec etc but I was still very impressed by how quick it is. I love it, I really enjoyed using it, but I just got the native instruments Komplete bundle and was sequencing it in Tracktion and I was enjoying myself, getting a groove going, but it hit a wall. I transfered accross to my PC laptop which is a superstore cheap athlon 2200 with 1 gb ram and I was shocked. It really meant the difference between working with as many plug-ins - waves, native instruments, reason and tracks as I wanted.

but then the Mac feels like more of a musical instrument - but I guess I'm wanting a musical instrument and recording studio combined, and the PC is much more powerful

I know it's an unfair comparison, but I've read alot about mac laptops hitting a wall and it is a simple unfortunate fact that powerbooks don't even compete when it comes to power

especially when you consider my Laptop is almost dated in the PC universe as it's about a year old and the new ones are much faster.

I really like OSX and would much prefer to use the mac if I could, I like the way they handle audio, If I could afford to spend the money I'd get a G5 desktop, but for a laptop I'll have to stick to the PC any day, you might not miss the power on the mac if you don't know any better, but to be able to basically do what you want with no limitations to me cant be beaten and when I got across to the PC again I thought 'can't argue with that' it's not even in the same league.

If you can hold off till the G5 PBs it might be worth thinking about, but then Apple do seem to be quite a way behind in the laptop respects so I don't know - you'll probably always be a step ahead on the PC.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 07, 2004 3:20 pm

yea, right now i run a pc desktop-- the only reason that i was even considering switching over to the mac is because next year i will be in nyc, enrolled at the sonic arts program at ccny-- which is a completely mac environment... obviously almost everything is cross platform these days... i was just thinking that it might make sense to become ultra comfortable on the mac if that's what ill be using for the next four years, and possibly in the future in a professional environment... but the higher price and lower functionality makes me tend to sway towards the pc realm. would anyone say that pc's are becoming more common in the professional community? for example-- is peak used more for basic mastering rather than something like wavelab? that might be the only reason for me to go to the mac side

to address a previous statement that 512 ram should be sufficient, i highly doubt that if i am running pro tools 6.4 w/ plugins and rewire reason and/or ableton-- and with reaktor session soon to become rtas compatible, i forsee myself working with that in the pro tools environment rather regularly

any other thoughts?

thanks, ryan

tjwett · Post by **tjwett** » Fri May 07, 2004 4:32 pm

fuck PC. fuck Mac.

Amiga, bitch!

drush · Post by **drush** » Fri May 07, 2004 6:46 pm

i fully acknowledge that a pc would be a better choice in many regards, Live being at or near the top of the list. But the fact of the matter is i love my powerbook, i LOVE osx, and working around it's marginal Live limitations really doesn't bother me.

that being said, i still shop pc laps all the time...

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 07, 2004 7:25 pm

Spriderpod wrote:

i think that mac is a rip off ,less power for more money,haha.
pc has proved to handle as much effect as on a mac ,& at the end of the day this question is about how much software & effect it can handle.

So you have a fast PC and you can handle a lot software and effects
WOW you must be making very good music!

forge · Post by **forge** » Fri May 07, 2004 7:34 pm

drush wrote:i fully acknowledge that a pc would be a better choice in many regards, Live being at or near the top of the list. But the fact of the matter is i love my powerbook, i LOVE osx, and working around it's marginal Live limitations really doesn't bother me.

that being said, i still shop pc laps all the time...

that's it, I can't understand why apple can't just bring out a decent laptop - christ even if they stuck a pentium chip in it, at least we'd have some kind of choice, as it is if we want any power we have to go with this microsoft shite.

claudek · Post by **claudek** » Fri May 07, 2004 7:36 pm

Here we go again...the never ending drama.
I own a Mac G4 1000 OSX & PC P4 2.8 Asnus. I have to say by far the PC is faster..If I had a G5 not so..Anyway, to me, Mac OSX is a awesome OS..Mac componenets and the way it is all assemebled is quality. My Mac has run over 4 years almost now (one CPU upgrade) and never a problem. Macs come loaded with everything you need to get going..out of the box..Firewire, USB 2, Video ports, Dig In/Out ,audio in out.Some PC's do as well but not the best of parts..
For me Mac OSX works with me and makes tasks easy and not against me. On a PC this is not quite the case. Windows is a bit picky and moody.
I think the PC is the boss..Mac ..you are the boss..
I like to be the boss and in control when writing music and nothing in my way..

Another thing to think about is all these worms and viruses that float a round week by week on the internet..All geared towards Windows XP.
Once you get one of them in your PC, things can get really sluggish and nasty..Good luck cleaning it out..
My Mac never had one virus..

Anyway, this is my personal opinion..
If I could afford a dual G5, my PC would be in the closet.
if you are on a budget, I 'd say go for a PC to run Live, as it works very well on PC.

One more thing..OSX is beauty and so is the Mac.. I personally like nice looking things in my place..My PC is a ugly huge black tower and XP looks like OSX but really tuned for the business man.

OK Mac's are not cheap..but you are buying top quality..Like comparing a Porcshe to a Ford..They both run, but one is slick, sharp, and sexy.

If you are just thinking of buying a computer for Ableton Live, I'd say probabaly a PC, as it runs well and fast ..But for a all around computer and music machine..Go Mac!

rajcoont · Post by **rajcoont** » Fri May 07, 2004 8:24 pm

drush wrote:i fully acknowledge that a pc would be a better choice in many regards, Live being at or near the top of the list. But the fact of the matter is i love my powerbook, i LOVE osx, and working around it's marginal Live limitations really doesn't bother me.

that being said, i still shop pc laps all the time...

thats pretty much it in a nutshell. I love everything about running OS X, with the exception of being woefully underpowered for live (and most audio apps i use). I get very annoyed with this, and always look at pc laptops prices and specs and consider going cross platform, but i just cant make the jump and doubt i ever will.....just waiting on a bloody G5 PB to come along and make the last 3 years of underpowered computing a distant reality....outside of audio work, i think you will find the apple laptops to be better performers in most areas including price/performance, the pb12" is a real winner and the ibooks are hard to beat in the pc world....audio has always been a second class citizen on the mac (which is a shame as we are some of the last remaining loyalists to the company)

spiderprod · Post by **spiderprod** » Fri May 07, 2004 8:53 pm

guest what's your point,we are talking about pc vs mac :
as for music, i don't give a fuck what you think or if your music is good or bad i don't need your help on that side,it surely does not making me as frustrated as you.

claudek · Post by **claudek** » Fri May 07, 2004 9:08 pm

If you run Reason on a PC, it has this ugly shell that Reason sits in..This kinda white background box it lays in..Really annoying and ugly..Not so on the Mac.

forge · Post by **forge** » Fri May 07, 2004 9:50 pm

man, this is bollox, I'm really not in the slightest bit interesed in debates over coke vs pepsi, Reality is, I'd love to mac it, but I just aint interested in being one of steve jobs numbers on his piece of paper he shows the bank manager, reality is, idealistic as he was back in the day going 'hardware, hardware, hardware' he fucked up and got it wrong.

sad reality is in this enduring capitalist system it's money that rules the world and money came to bill gates for going the software route. Well he was right. Beacuse he left hardware up for negotiation PC ended up winning the day. So in the end the PC universe has the power and you really cant argue with that. I'm sure if I met steve jobs and bill gates personally i'd like steve jobs, but fact is the logic of bill gates was sounder, so his system is the one. I like OSX, would rather use it, but I'd like to do what i want on a laptop more.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 07, 2004 10:03 pm

thanks for all the great responses-- to clarify, i am currently running ableton on my pc desktop ( as well as pro tools reason, reaktor absynth etc) the only reason what i am considering the powerbook is to become more comfortable with it (i currently only use them for music at my high school) my college is mac only, but one of the things that i am fuzzy about is the mac vs pc thing in the professional world-- i know that pc is better for ableton, but if every job that i have is based arouda mac, then i think it makes good sense to go the mac route now rather than later... almost everything i read in Remix, Mix, and Electronic Musician is about the mac (in the hardware profiles of artists)
macs look better and are more reliable, pc's are faster and cheaper (and morecomfortable for me at this point)

thanks again,
ryan