Mac or Pc, What do you use?

[ampassasinbirmingham]

I'm not asking for advice here. I just need research into who uses pcs, and who uses macs for music production and why????

Tell me your rants, pro's and cons for both machines?

[xfive]

You forgot an option.. both ;)

[Barely Human]

Macs

Pros - Supports Logic and Protools.

Cons - Expensive, no software support, expensive to upgrade...

PC

Pros - Cheap, fast, tons of software, easilly upgradable...

Cons - Runs on windows. People wrongly belive they are unstable...

[TechMouse]

I use a PC because I have one, know how to use it, and can't afford a Mac.

[audioinjection]

mac:
nice looking
expensive
upgrading is a pain

pc:
cheap and reliable (imo)
upgrades are easy
tons of software

[xfive]

What exactly are you guys referring to when you speak of "upgrading is a pain" when it comes to mac?

They use the same AGP and PCI devices, hard drive technology, memory and display interfaces as PCs.

The only thing that's difficult is the CPU... and we all know that 90% of the people who upgrade their computers get the whole shebang.. not just a new processor.

So really now... maybe 5+ years ago this argument was valid.. but not now.

[audioinjection]

well, mainly the price of upgrading

but im not bad mouthing mac at all, i like both platforms

[BRADLEE]

Well I use a PC, but I've heard that MAcs are more reliable. I don't know though because I only use a PC.

[Kevin Gorman]

I use a PC because its affordable, plus all the plugin support that comes along with a PC is great! Plus I get to use my favourite sequencer, Cubase SX

[Barely Human]

Well I use a PC, but I've heard that MAcs are more reliable.

Its a myth told by mac owners to justify the money they spent on thier mac...

[slavestudios]

ive always used pc. after i eventually made the jump from hardware..

i honestly believe Macs are overated. and trying to get busted s/ware is a real fight :lol:

the biggest pain for me about Macs is.... Mac Users. who think they are the be all & end all.. just cos it cost more, dont mean shit..


but anyhoo, thats well off topic :oops:


PC IT IS :clap:

[tocsin]

For awhile, the guys I work with ere using both. Now, that Mac is largely being used as an overpriced DVD player. Many years ago, there may have been an audio advatnage with a Mac. Nowadays, I don't see how one really presents any true advantage over the other outside of price. Price, in my opinion, is a big consideration especially since I am not one of those people that buys a whole new computer when I upgrade. I just upgraded my motherboard and processor for roughly $300. Upgrading to the same specs through dell would be roughly $1000. For a Mac, even more. I have not seen anything music software wise on a Mac that I cannot do with a PC. Since, myself and the people I work with are more PC comfortable, the Mac stopped getting used for any audio and, instead, was used strictly for visual aspects of performances. The same stability problems and bugs that I have with video software on the PC were present in the same video software on the Mac. And, what's disappointing is that some of this
software was written for the Mac. I'm not implying that that makes the PC better or anything. But, the "stability" arguments are largely bogus in my experience once you begin using a host of different tools. You're going to run into quirky experiences on both platforms once that happens. Basically, I really think it just comes down to what you are more comfortable using. Some people know the Mac and the software for it inside and out while others are the same for the PC. I fall on the PC side in that sense so that's pretty much what I use consistently. Though, on a side note, I've used more graphic rendering programs available for the Mac than the PC.

[Basil Rush]

Well I use a PC, but I've heard that MAcs are more reliable.

Its a myth told by mac owners to justify the money they spent on thier mac...

yeah mine blew up on christmas morning, power supply failure or something, it's off being repaired now :(

only really got a mac because the protools stuff wasn't available for pc when i bought it. but on the up side because software is harder to find and because it doesn't get viruses and internet related problems it's normally very reliable and really only has one application installed on it.

It's got bloody noisy fans too. The G5s look wicked though and you can wack a ton of memory in them, will have to see how much this power supply will cost, maybe i should have a word with the bank and upgrade for blissful silence in the studio.

[tocsin]

Have you looked into water cooling units? I used one on my last PC and it was really quiet. Definitely an added incentive.

[Komplex]

Pc's

They are simply more flexible and better value for money.

And they run my sequencer MUCH more efficiently than Macs.

[tocsin]

What sequencer do you use, if you don't mind me asking. The only one I really ****ed with was Cubase and I didn't notice any difference between Mac or PC. That, and some other program that was like the Mac equivalent of Acid for the PC but I forget the name. Honestly, the main reason I stuck withthe PC is because I'm a Cakewalk user and am much more comfortable using that than Cubase for audio.

[MARKEG]

i run both.. and although for the first few years i got really p'ed witht eh mac cause of the software prob (i do love to fiddle with ahhhemmm cracks), recently i've been using my mac more and more. i feel the the mac is more minimal and at first that was a prob. but now, i'm seeing how it keeps everything simple. i have my internet running on it, my office shit and my music making stuff. i could never do this with my pc. but then again i only have the basic shit on my mac. perhaps this is why. arrghh i dunno. for me i love my mac. you feel pro when you use it, like you're doing things the right way. osx runs beautifully. the features in it are amazing. but then, if i didn't have a pc i would be lost.

TBH i really don't know which is best, but if you're neat, tidy and maticulous i would say mac. if you're an untidy mofo, i'd say pc. that's why i'm 1/2 and 1/2 hahahhhahah

[tocsin]

LOL, Mark! I feel the same way about a PC. I connect to te net with it but I keep the installs very minimal. For the computer I use most net heavy, I have another PC. Seriously, in todays day and age, considering the competition between Mac and PC, I really don't think there is much of a difference. It really just comes down to personal preference which is largely based on luck with what you got.

My girl and I would still use the Mac for visuals more but, unfortunately, the program on there which is supposedly great is just a bit over our heads learning curve wise since neither of us are schooled in computer graphics production.

[Komplex]

What sequencer do you use, if you don't mind me asking. The only one I really **** with was Cubase and I didn't notice any difference between Mac or PC.

I used Cubase and didn't really know of any differences but when I switched to Live4 there was a big difference in performance between Macs and Pc's. If you want to know more jump on the Ableton forums. Theres a post where AJay got all the users to download and load up the same track on their computers and report the performance/processor usage. In the end the Macs seemed to be struggling compared to the Pc's in the same price ange.


http://www.ableton.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12375

[g]

i have a 2 macs and a pc and pretty much only use Live. i get 4x the performance out of the pc when compared to the mac using ableton. but i still strongly prefer the mac.

[Mindful]

I love my PC its as batterd as my 1210s but still does the biz(err like my 1210s)and its rammed with a huge random mess of wavefiles and hasnt blown up yet.
Never tried a Mac but am under the assumpsion that its more professinal for buissnes and media related things.

[tocsin]

I wonder how much the Mac performance is degraded by OSX. I've yet to find a way to turn off a lot of the flashy GUI features in OSX which I imagine use up some unnecesary CPU time. However, I haven't looked that hard. Shame though. Considering it's based on FreeBSD, processor usage should be tight as hell. Perhaps that's just a prob unique to Abelton? Was Ablton originally coded for PC or Mac?

[The Divide]

Well I use a PC, but I've heard that MAcs are more reliable.

Its a myth told by mac owners to justify the money they spent on thier mac...

:lol:

[The Divide]

I use a pc and I havnt had any serious problems. My advice is to research into it before you buy and learn how to format it. Once you get it sweet you'll be happy. Oh and keep it off the internet :nono:

Used mac's at coll, wasnt too impressed to be honest but I am clearly biased because I am used to pc's. It seemed to take me 9 years to do basic things on it

It had a single button mouse!!!!! arrrrghh

[Milesy]

pc

1. you dont need to keep it off the internet.. just keep it clean from
spyware, trojans, virii etc...

2. watch your background tasks (use startup list msconfig to keep this low)

3. watch your services. start > run > services.msc -- learn how to disable
what you dont need.

4. keep drive space clean and defragment constantly.

4. partition drives. have your c: drive for installation files
but keep all your projects files, audio files etc on a seperate
independantly defragmented partition

5. keep your page file large and unfragmented.

macs are for people who cant be bothered to learn how to use
and look after a pc

[Internal Error Records]

i agree with tocsin. the differences between the two from prior years just doesnt materialise anymore.

both platforms have plusses and minuses depending on the situation.


it appears the largest differences now are cosmetic. like how we interface with the gui.


(this is of course not including the upgrade challenges on the mac)

[Craig McW]

Anyone who owns a PC will say PCs are better, anyone who owns a Mac will say Macs are better..... same ol'....

Much of a muchness. The only reason I have a mac is because I'm a designer.... we use macs at work so I get all my software free (graphics software) and I can do work at home.

For music I'm using Reason & Cubase which is cool and easy. Looking into Lobic and Digital Performer.....

But yeah, get what suits you. I'd suggest a PC because of price.

[fresh_an_funky_design]

I used to only use PC's, but converted to MAC bout 2 years ago, an i wouldnt go back. However thats not to say there's anything wrong with PC's, i just prefer MAC's to me there more effecient & simpler.

The main pro's for me are:

no virus's
you can use logic 7
they never crash (my mac has never crashed in 2 years)
os x is wicked
its not made my microsoft

just use what you prefer though

[decoherance]

http://pages.infinit.net/bluefire/Images/macvpc.gif

i run a mac btw

[Debroglie]

can't really complain about price anymore ;) just through in some extra ram and your on your way , especially if you are into sequencing hardware, you won't need much more than this and it's stable.

http://www.apple.com/macmini/

[SlavikSvensk]

i used to use a pc (6 years for music, 16 since i got my 286), now i use a mac...AND a pc. my opinion?

pc has a garbage OS, crappy processors that don't stack up in performance to the G5 (unless you're talking integers, which i'm not), an army of hackers and other a**holes constantly trying to f*** pc users, the need to rely on bloated microsoft (unless you're a linux person) for mostly worthless security updates for their flawed products, an amazing array of compatability issues with the simplest of things, but, yes, tons of cool free software.

that last bit is exactly why i won't retire my pc, but the constant maintenance and my frustration with microsoft made me go over to the dark side...maybe if they brought back DOS, i'd reconsider...

;)

[scrivs]

I use a pc but im gona get the new mini mac you can get one now for about £380 and does any one know if fl works on a mac

[Greg Dee]

FL wont work on a mac.

even with Virtual PC running, its useless for audio apps.

ever since i started using macs at school to make music, ive come to the conclusion that i'd like to do a vast majority of my intricate work on the PC, and do all the point-click stuff on a mac notebook.

osx is a WONDERFUL, EASY TO USE, AND STABLE OS...altho i have yet to have any real stability issues with my PC. The shite part of being a PC user is having such a dodgy OS that faces virii and corrupted drivers every 3 months. backing everything up and formatting every few months is a pain. and mind you i baby my pc...firewalls, anti-virus, spyware deleters, etc. if it aint a bug then its a corrupt driver.

once, my CD burner and peripheral drivers ate it, and i had to send 50 gigs of shite to my friends computer thru AIM. down with microsoft OS's!

[SlavikSvensk]

i agree with almost everything you said there greg...my solution has been to wipe my dell laptop and use it in tandem with my imac...so i can still use all my favorite plugins and vsts but on a computer now removed from the internet and all its nasty infected files...