Mac or Pc, What do you use?

**ampassasinbirmingham** · 05-01-2005, 04:10 PM

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** · 05-01-2005, 04:16 PM

You forgot an option.. both ;)

**Barely Human** · 05-01-2005, 04:19 PM

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** · 05-01-2005, 04:35 PM

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

**audioinjection** · 05-01-2005, 04:35 PM

mac:
nice looking
expensive
upgrading is a pain

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

**xfive** · 05-01-2005, 04:39 PM

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** · 05-01-2005, 04:47 PM

well, mainly the price of upgrading

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

**BRADLEE** · 05-01-2005, 05:12 PM

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** · 05-01-2005, 05:59 PM

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** · 05-01-2005, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by messanger

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** · 05-01-2005, 06:35 PM

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

PC IT IS :clap:

**tocsin** · 05-01-2005, 07:03 PM

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** · 05-01-2005, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by IQ

Originally Posted by messanger

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** · 05-01-2005, 09:51 PM

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

**Komplex** · 05-01-2005, 10:28 PM

Pc's

They are simply more flexible and better value for money.

And they run my sequencer MUCH more efficiently than Macs.

**tocsin** · 06-01-2005, 01:00 AM

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** · 06-01-2005, 01:27 AM

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** · 06-01-2005, 01:37 AM

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** · 07-01-2005, 01:28 AM

Originally Posted by tocsin

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 · 07-01-2005, 05:26 AM

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.

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