Ableton Forum

Hi All,

Probably a stupid question but couldn't find the answer even after searching though the forum.

Is there a performance difference when using ableton on a Apple and on a PC, on similar hardware?

I always hear that Apple is more pro and they code their apps differently than in windows, making them more stable and blablabla... but I have a hard time believing that.

So, if someone could compare or simply knows, please tell what u think, I'm really curious.

I also heard that Logic, since made by apple to only run on apple, needs much less CPU power and stuff todo the "same" thing that if you had to do in ableton. Hard to test, I agree... but in case you guys have something to say on that, I'd be very grateful.

Reason of those question is that I plan on buying a new comp, asap, but I don't know if I 'll switch to Mac or not.
I've been using pc's for 20+years now, and honestly switching to Mac is not easy for me, I just don't want to waste time learning all the basics again (although VISTA doesn't really attract me at the moment... but I haven't really tried it either).
Also, i don't want a machine only for music, I need to play a game once in a while and do some other stuff as well, but priority #1 is music, for sure.
And last but not least, I'm afraid if I go for another PC, I won't have the chance to try Logic (sorry, not appropriate forum lol. Just saying this because I would love to try it because I'm pretty sure that I could combine it with my ableton knowledge and that could be useful. But getting rid of ableton, never!)
So, tough call.

input welcome

thanks guyz

foxgonz wrote:please tell what u think

Oh Christ...

foxgonz wrote:Hi All,

Probably a stupid question but couldn't find the answer even after searching though the forum.

Yes, your suspicions are correct; the topic has been covered here extensively. However, since phpBB's search function sucks humongous cock, you wouldn't know it, so we can't blame you for asking again.

Is there a performance difference when using ableton on a Apple and on a PC, on similar hardware?

I always hear that Apple is more pro and they code their apps differently than in windows, making them more stable and blablabla... but I have a hard time believing that.

Many tests have been done on mac hardware running windows bootcamp'd... by far the most reliable test of pure software performance. The results seem to be that ableton on windows performs slightly better than mac, but windows usually runs into problems with lower CPU load -- that is, you can push a mac to higher CPU levels before running into dropouts or crackling.

Regardless, the actual difference between the two is virtually impossible to tell in normal studio work.

I also heard that Logic, since made by apple to only run on apple, needs much less CPU power and stuff todo the "same" thing that if you had to do in ableton. Hard to test, I agree... but in case you guys have something to say on that, I'd be very grateful.

Logic is damn CPU intensive, and it got a lot more so with logic 8. The UI elements of Logic 8 use up a lot more CPU than live does, but I would expect these to be better optimized in software updates within the next half year. However, I've found that I can push logic really hard, especially on older mac hardware. My poor little g4 powerbook can barely run logic 8, but it can keep it going without dropping a beat for a good hour or so with sustained 70-90% CPU usage.

Reason of those question is that I plan on buying a new comp, asap, but I don't know if I 'll switch to Mac or not.
I've been using pc's for 20+years now, and honestly switching to Mac is not easy for me, I just don't want to waste time learning all the basics again (although VISTA doesn't really attract me at the moment... but I haven't really tried it either).
Also, i don't want a machine only for music, I need to play a game once in a while and do some other stuff as well, but priority #1 is music, for sure.
And last but not least, I'm afraid if I go for another PC, I won't have the chance to try Logic (sorry, not appropriate forum lol. Just saying this because I would love to try it because I'm pretty sure that I could combine it with my ableton knowledge and that could be useful. But getting rid of ableton, never!)
So, tough call.

IMO, I prefer macs for audio processing work, because CoreAudio and CoreMIDI are much more fluid and easier to work with than windows' Audio/MIDI drivers. Having the bulit-in IAC drivers and network transport is a plus, too. However, I'm also a programmer by trade, and my biases are deeply rooted, as are yours, probably.

That being said, if I were you, I wouldn't switch just yet. You've got a working setup, and you know what you're doing.... so why waste a bunch of time and money on new hardware and software? Granted, you're going to buy new hardware anyways, but with PC's, you can at least recycle a bunch of your old components, whereas with a mac, you're looking at a much higher upfront investment. If I were you, find a pal who's got a mac setup and logic, and mess around with it. If it lives up to the hype, then start saving your pennies... otherwise, why change a winning team?

Before Apple switched to Intel processors, there was a major performance advantage to the PC. The old G4 & G5 processors were simply not up to the task of running a resource-hungry app like Ableton.

However, now that Apple has switched to Intel cpus, they have achieved parity again.


Should you switch? I can't answer that for you. But it sounds like you need to run apps that might only be on PC. (ie games, work stuff) Yes, you can always dual-boot a Mac... but you'll need a license for Windows which would be an extra cost. (if you don't have one you can use)

Stay away from Vista for now. It's horrible. You can always upgrade later. They need a service pack badly.

Yes, Ableton runs better on Windows (XP anyways). Noticeably better. And I would actually disagree that there's any difference in where the max cpu usage is on either. I run a mac, and I wouldn't go past 70%, because of crackles. Windows I believe is the same.

I also have Logic 8, and don't think it's very cpu intensive at all. In fact it's very light on cpu with a couple exceptions(sculpture mainly - but it's amazing). And yes, Logic you can literally push to 100% quite crackle free.

I barely use Logic anymore though because Live is so fun. If you plan on sticking with just Live, might as well run it on a PC, since you're used to it. Good performance, and should run fine. I'm still glad I use the mac, because I'm used to it, and it's very easy to use audio equipment with it, but really either one is fine for ableton.

I'm so glad this weekly topic has not lost steam. Really, I'm just so so glad.

Do bear in mind known issues with sound quality, particularly when running MIDI files through Apple circuitry. Just my 3 cents worth.

My Toshiba Microsoft laptop has run glitch-free apart from the crashing, and came with a game where you have to knock the pins over with a polar bear, by sliding it across the ice.

You don't get this ace game on your fancy schmancy mac...

+1

fuck the games, check out this seriously sexy gui



Way more "minimal" than a mac could ever be

nebulae wrote:fuck the games, check out this seriously sexy gui



Way more "minimal" than a mac could ever be

That is minimal!

Don't make me break out the terminal!

You don't have the balls to go terminal

hey thanks for the replies guys, certainly for the serious ones

sorry again to come back on a topic that some of you are fed up reading, but trust me I use the search functions and I try to avoid redundancy as much as I can, but anyway, so be it.
So yeah, thanks again for those taking the time to write the same things once again, but this time for me


so, yes, I need to buy a new comp, that's a given. I'm on a P4 2.5ghz with 512kb of RIMM. It's very good RAM but I trust you understand that with 512MB and a single core CPU you don't go very far nowadays.

I'm glad to read that there's not a big difference between using ableton on apple or on pc and even if there's one, it slightly goes in favor of pc's.
Hope Vista doesn't make that irrelevant though.

So, only the Logic question remains then. True, no one can decide for me, each to his own obviously. I've just always wondered if the logic workflow would not suit me better.... or at least help me do some things I feel hard in ableton (actually I don't find anything really difficult in ableton, but I find myself often having problems structuring a song from start to end... so sometimes I wonder if for the actual mixing/sequencing I shouldn't use another host).

I think I plan on sticking with LIVE, I love that app and will defo love it even more when I get the new machine, now I'm quickly frustrated because when I reach a point where my creation sounds good, I have no more CPU/RAM resources lol.
Plus, Live 7 looks very promising I have to say


wish there was some "Mac Parralel" software to run Logic on Windows (noooo don't kill me for saying this, you know you want it too! )


ps: i don't think I can even run that "monkey bowling" game on my current pc, my gfx card died 2 months ago, I'm now stuck with a riva tnt2 32mb, works fine with sound though, although when I have 15 channels with instruments playing at the same time, it can't even display all the volume leds properly



I don't have the balls to go terminal, I'm a DOS king, no clue about terminal and I don't want to spend another 10 years in that. I want to make music and have fun with my new machin, not learn the whole thing again.
Ahhh Win31, hated it! I'm sure it would run quite fast now though