What computer is best for future recording?

[Musichead]

Greetings all,

 

I have been recording with analog gear in my basement for some time and wanted to venture out into the digital age. I have been looking at the MacBook Pro 15" 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with 4 GB Ram, 500GB Hard drive, with 3 years of warranty and support. I talked with a tech at apple online and he wanted me to go up to 8GB Ram and some other stuff making the price at around $2,800.00. I would be starting out using GarageBand to get a feel for this type of recording and then move on to ProTools in the future. Do I really need a Mac this intense to record, seach the web, and do the regular computer stuff? I do not game but will probably be doing some video stuff in the future. I don't know if the guy was up selling me or what but I am almost 60 years old and just want to mess with digital and try and grasp some knowledge about it's applications. Anyone's input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

Markus

[blue2blue]

If you want a Mac, you want a Mac. -- or if you want to use software like Garage Band or Logic that's only available for the Mac. But you don't necessarily need a Mac for good, efficient recording. And, if one looks at pertinent benchmarks, it appears that might not even always be as competitive as a Windows-based solution: http://www.dawbench.com/win7-v-osx-1.htm

 

Salesman do what they do: sell.

 

Now... my 5+ year old ~$500 computer would not be an appropriate choice moving forward, as it's a 32 bit system and, so, offers limited memory access -- a maximum of 2GB per application -- but, with some efficiency oriented compromises (I do a fair amount of track 'freezing' -- basically pre-rendering vitual synth or CPU-guzzling plug-in tracks), it's capable of quite large projects and can record as many as 10 tracks at once (and playback many score).

 

 

A lot of folks do fairly complex projects on regular Macbooks in both GB and Logic, as well as other DAWs. Also, if portability isn't a requirement, you might consider an iMac. (I'm not conversant in the tradeoffs there but I know I'd rather work on a nice big 27" monitor than a typical notebook monitor.)

 

And, as noted, you may well find better performance, depending on the DAW and other circumstances, on a Windows machine -- quite possibly/likely for less money.

[Goobers]

 

Greetings all, I have been recording with analog gear in my basement for some time and wanted to venture out into the digital age. I have been looking at the MacBook Pro 15" 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with 4 GB Ram, 500GB Hard drive, with 3 years of warranty and support. I talked with a tech at apple online and he wanted me to go up to 8GB Ram and some other stuff making the price at around $2,800.00. I would be starting out using GarageBand to get a feel for this type of recording and then move on to ProTools in the future. Do I really need a Mac this intense to record, seach the web, and do the regular computer stuff? I do not game but will probably be doing some video stuff in the future. I don't know if the guy was up selling me or what but I am almost 60 years old and just want to mess with digital and try and grasp some knowledge about it's applications. Anyone's input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Markus

 

 

Hi Markus,

 

By way of warning, people often approach responding to questions like this on the internet as way to justify their own purchases or approach, so you might want to watch out for that. ("Do like me, make your own out of BUFFALO SKIN!!!")

 

It sounds like a Mac is the best choice, I agree with Blue that an iMac might be better if you don't need to bring it around with you (which you might?), and that you'd likely be satisfied with less high power Macs although I would avoid the Macbook Airs. The warranty does make sense.

 

Best,

 

Goob

[WRGKMC]

A dual or quad core, Mac or PC is fine for recording.

part of it is going to depend on the interface and software you want to use.

Pro tools works with PC's now so you dont have to use a mac just for that.

If you havent done recording before, chances are your box will be completely obsolite and needing

upgrade by the time you start to get the hang of getting good recording and need more power so

it really doesnt really matter what you use untill you actually need that extra power.

 

i used a 1/2G Dell for a good 6 years and could record 16 track recordings all day long.

It sucked for speed mixing down and could only run win ME with the interface I had but who cares. it worked fine.

 

Garage band works bit its limited from what I understand. With a PC you can download alot of Free plugins and even DAW plugins.

Apples are limited in what you can run and the hardware you can use so beware. The cost of using an apple

will be much more expensive initially.

 

Also a good DAW setup is usually a stripped down hot rod with nothing but your operating system and audio programs running.

The difference between and Apple or PC doesnt amount to a hill of beans with a stripped down system and you'll get allot more power

for the cost on the PC side and use that leftover cash on all the other things you'll need like mics, preamps, interface, and software.

[angstwulf]

Greetings all, Do I really need a Mac this intense to record, seach the web, and do the regular computer stuff?

 

No. Get a cheaper computer and a good audio interface.

 

Okay, the more nuanced answer:

 

This computer's specs are way beyond what is needed for searching the web and the regular computer stuff. You will have to go far below the quality and price if this MacBook before you start running into real performance issues.

 

For music and video? That's a harder question to answer.

 

I'm a pure hobbiest and a lot of people here are highly advanced professionals. I can say as someone who makes bone simple multi-track recordings that the lower priced MacBooks and iMacs are more than sufficient for Garageband. An advanced user who uses ProTools and a lot of software instruments will find limits but then someone using a high end MacBook or Mac Pro may also eventually find limits. So it becomes more a matter of want than a matter of need.

 

If you can put off your decision then spend some time thinking of what softsynths/samplers/effects you really intend to use and ask here about their performance values.

 

I'm not trying to turn you off of the 15 inch MacBook Pro. There are a lot of fine reasons for choosing one. I'm getting at that age where I'm starting to understand why grandpa needed those glasses to read and the 15 inch screen would be a lot more comfortable for me. Plus, 15 inch MacBook Pro's are really frikken' cool. But, yeah, the sales guy is overselling you an unnecessary product. That's his job, no worries.

 

My suggestion: if you like the 15 inch MacBook Pro, get it but with the smaller drive and basic memory. That's a lot of computer and if you ever feel the need to upgrade you can do it for cheaper than what Mac charges without violating your warrantee. I'd also say that the lower end 15 inch will be just fine for pretty much anything other than hi-end games and heavy video editing.

 

Use whatever money you saved towards a good quality audio interface and mic's if you need them.

 

But otherwise, anything in the MacBook line is worth getting. My personal choice was the 13 inch i5 with the standard memory/harddrive. I'm glad I went cheaper because I found it to be perfectly fine for my needs. It even plays some fairly recent games. I chose it because I was able to get it at $1000.00 which was the same price as the regular MacBook.

 

My other suggestion is if you don't get the 15 inch MacBook, stay with a Mac. I truly do not prefer Mac over Windows or otherwise. I am, however, convinced that Mac's are better for beginners who don't want to deal with fine tuning a computer.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Laters,

Tommy

 

PS: iTunes sucks.

[Goobers]

 

Apples are limited in what you can run and the hardware you can use so beware. The cost of using an apple will be much more expensive initially. Also a good DAW setup is usually a stripped down hot rod with nothing but your operating system and audio programs running. The difference between and Apple or PC doesnt amount to a hill of beans with a stripped down system and you'll get allot more power for the cost on the PC side and use that leftover cash on all the other things you'll need like mics, preamps, interface, and software.

 

 

I don't think this is true anymore.

[YeahDoIt]

 

Do I really need a Mac this intense to record, seach the web, and do the regular computer stuff?

 

 

No. I use Audacity, search the web and edit videos using a three year old Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop computer that cost about $ 600. Higher priced computers might perform better, but my system works.

 

I do not believe that throwing money at something is the solution to every problem. I'm doing quite well with less expensive equipment.

[Philter]

When you talk about future-proofing your system Apple products do not come to mind, for me anyway. Apple drops product support at the drop of a hat and it's always a chase with them for the latest and greatest. If you wanted to build a great DAW that would be stable for years and years I WOULD suggest an Apple, and I use a Mac tower for just that purpose. But for something that will continue to be compatible with new software in the future, you're better going off with something running Windows. Microsoft is much better about maintaining backwards compatibility.

 

Yeah, and you don't need to spend a fortune like the salesman is telling you, especially not if you go with a Windows machine. The only other advice I have is, don't do a laptop unless you actually need the portability. If the computer will stay in the basement, you get more bang for your buck with a tower, and it's a lot easier to add components like hard drives, interfaces, etc. With laptops you pay for miniaturization, both in price and performance relative to a tower.

[Geoff Grace]

A word about Garage Band: it's a great introductory tool in that it's more simple and straightforward to use than most recording software. However, much of the terminology you learn with Garage Band will not translate when you move up to normal, more advanced software of this type. (Apple calls "delay" an "echo," for example.)

 

If that doesn't bother you, then Garage Band may provide the best start for you as a beginner; and it doesn't hurt that it comes free with every Mac.

 

Otherwise, today's Macs may actually be better for future recording than current recording. Their new Thunderbolt interfaces haven't been widely adopted yet, and their new Lion version of Mac OS X isn't yet supported by a lot of software manufacturers. That said, both Thunderbolt and the iOS flavored version of Mac OS are very forward looking and probably are the future of computing.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[Geoff Grace]

As for 4 GB vs. 8 GB of RAM, a lot depends on what you plan to do with your software. Some of today's applications, like Pro Tools (and perhaps even Garage Band), are 32-bit programs which can't access any more than 4 GB of RAM. But not far down the road, most music programs will be able to access all the RAM you have. Will you need all that RAM? That depends on how many effects and virtual instruments you plan on running. If you're a keyboard player who likes sample-based instruments, then you may wind up needing even more than 8 GB of RAM. If not, then maybe (probably?) 4 GB will be fine.

 

Apple charges an unusually high price for RAM, and a lot of people opt for buying their RAM from a third-party vendor. While you can save a lot of money this way, the disadvantages of going this route are that Apple won't test third-party RAM if you're having problems with your Mac, and RAM can be difficult to install in Mac laptops and iMacs--you'd most likely have to install it yourself, if you were to buy it from a third-party.

 

Best,

 

Geoff

[CME]

Lots of good points here. I'll admit I'm an apple fanboy, before I say anything else. If you can afford a new MacBook Pro, and it's what you want, you should be happy with that purchase for a long time. IMO right now is a perfect time to get one. The quad-core processors will give you plenty of power for a long time, they are expandable to 16GB of ram, they have 6G Sata ports, and then thunderbolt. While there is no guarantee that thunderbolt will take off, it has a lot of potential.

 

If you decide to go that route, I'd really suggest you look elsewhere for any add-ons you might want, like SSD's and RAM. OWC, MacMall, Crucial, ect will have better prices for often as good or better quality products.

 

Another point people tend to forget is you can run Windows on intel macs. So if you have something that is Windows only you can still use it.

 

Finally if price is a concern, you most certainly can build a windows DAW for less than a similarly spec'd mac. No shame in doing that either. However I will mention that resale on macs is better than most pc's. It may not be as good as it once was, but they do hold their value quite well. Something that isn't really the case with most pc's. However if you plan on using your system for 5-10 years neither will have great value, but either a Mac or PC should last that long for most people as DAW.

 

Just some food for thought.

[the stranger]

The only other advice I have is, don't do a laptop unless you actually need the portability. If the computer will stay in the basement, you get more bang for your buck with a tower, and it's a lot easier to add components like hard drives, interfaces, etc. With laptops you pay for miniaturization, both in price and performance relative to a tower.

 

And laptops run hotter than hell. Causing everything from glitching, freezing, and total crashes of hardware are possible.

[gdoubleyou]

And laptops run hotter than hell. Causing everything from glitching, freezing, and total crashes of hardware are possible.

 

Not my newish MBP, fans rarely come on mostly when viewing DVDs.

 

The quad i7 IS a desktop replacement.

 

The current issue, is transitioning to the new Lion OSX 10.7, growing pains, some apps and plugs need updating.

[angstwulf]

And laptops run hotter than hell. Causing everything from glitching, freezing, and total crashes of hardware are possible.

 

No glitches/freezes/crashes yet. It's actually a very stable computer on both Snow Leopard and Win7 (other than that Win7/MOTU/firewire issue I keep bitching about but never taking the time to sort out).

 

But it does run hot. It could be because of the aluminum body but the bottom side gets bad enough to make it unpleasant for true lap use. The top side is okay and I've had far worse heat issues on the palmrests and side ports of other computers.

[Ernest Buckley]

Greetings all, I have been recording with analog gear in my basement for some time and wanted to venture out into the digital age. I have been looking at the MacBook Pro 15" 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 with 4 GB Ram, 500GB Hard drive, with 3 years of warranty and support. I talked with a tech at apple online and he wanted me to go up to 8GB Ram and some other stuff making the price at around $2,800.00. I would be starting out using GarageBand to get a feel for this type of recording and then move on to ProTools in the future. Do I really need a Mac this intense to record, seach the web, and do the regular computer stuff? I do not game but will probably be doing some video stuff in the future. I don't know if the guy was up selling me or what but I am almost 60 years old and just want to mess with digital and try and grasp some knowledge about it's applications. Anyone's input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Markus

 

To Blues dismay, I`m not going to tell you that Apple is better... (even though we know it is).

 

With that said, you can go with either platform for good audio. However, I spent 10 years making music with a PC, then switched to an Apple because everyone else I was working with or wanted to work with, used Apple. Simple as that.

 

I purchased a (27") 2.7GHz iMac just last week. I maxed out the RAM with 16GBs. Considering most of my projects consists of 40 - 50 tracks (most of them being bkg vocals) and I use lots of Waves plugs and the MAS plugs within Digital Performer while running REASON in REWIRE mode...) I figured this should get me by. So far, so good. Everything is running without a flaw. As for an audio interface, I`m using the new Duet 2. Again, everything is running fine.

 

I`m telling you this because you really should know what each system can handle compared to what you`re going to be doing. I don`t know about PCs so maybe someone can chime in about that. If you`re definitely getting an Apple, and doing the DAW thing for the first time, I think a laptop is going to be very frustrating. Dealing with a small screen, fidgeting around with the mouse pad on a laptop is extremely frustrating if you`re not used to it, not to mention you`re learning a new DAW at the same time all = :mad::mad:.

 

So if you`re definitely getting an Apple and don`t need a laptop, get an iMac. Put the $$$ you saved towards the RAM. And now, just not to let Blue down, I really love Apple computers. After all my time on a PC, once I switched over to Apple, I was kicking myself that I didn`t do it sooner. Its intuitive and the user interface feels like an extension of myself. Look around, what are most people using that you work with or want to work with? That could also help make your decision easier.

[Jon Chappell]

 

No glitches/freezes/crashes yet. It's actually a very stable computer on both Snow Leopard and Win7 ... But it does run hot. It could be because of the aluminum body but the bottom side gets bad enough to make it unpleasant for true lap use.

 

 

My MBP (with the i5 processor) runs uncomfortably hot too. I try to elevate it (I keep four plastic bottle caps in my computer bag) and get airflow between it and the surface it rests on when I can, but it's still dang hot. I don't know how that could be good for longevity and reliability over the long term.

[nice keetee]

 

My MBP (with the i5 processor) runs uncomfortably hot too. I try to elevate it (I keep four plastic bottle caps in my computer bag) and get airflow between it and the surface it rests on when I can, but it's still dang hot. I don't know how that could be good for longevity and reliability over the long term.

 

 

Use a multi muffin tin for a low cost cooler.

[Dingoist]

I've been eye-ing the new mac mini's with the I5, to add to my setup. The big "BUT" for me, has been on the new I5 mini's, they've dropped the optical drive... Just wondering about how why would I buy a mac mini, just to CIFS mount my Win7 CDRom drive (or share an ISO), just to install cubase....

 

I dunno, seems like a bonehead move by apple.

 

I do like apple products, but Win7 is a vast improvement over vista, and frankly when I fire up the DAW that I'm familiar with either Win7 or Mac OS will do (I say that without having used macs in the past 10 years on a regular basis...).

 

I got a good deal on a I7 Win7 machine, and I already own at 27" widescreen monitor, which gives plenty of working space.

 

Whether mac or pc, my current choice is getting either, a good audio interface and a great big freak'n monitor (or two).

 

For "future proofing" you really can't do that, except get something that is decent today -- 64 bit, up-gradable ram, etc. I wouldn't do a laptop, except for something you'd take on the road as a secondary device when working away from home.

[Lee Flier]

Hmm... if you want to record the future, it seems to me you're going to need a time machine, not just a computer.

 

(sorry, couldn't resist )

 

My new DAW is an i7 based Windoze machine that I built from individual parts (though you can certainly buy an off the shelf one similarly configured for not much more $$, if any), running Windows 7/64 bit, with 8GB of RAM, etc. and it cost less than $1000, including a gaming-quality graphics card. Even then it is really overkill for most of what I do. I don't run a ton of tracks or plugins simultaneously, and my CPU meter barely even yawns during a typical recording or mixing session.

 

Video definitely requires a powerful computer, so if you do want to get into that, it's good to get a pretty powerful machine. But you certainly could save a lot of money getting a PC based computer vs. Apple (not that I have anything against Apple's stuff in general), and like others here I would recommend getting a desktop system over a laptop, unless you plan on doing a lot of remote recording and video where portability is important - in which case I'd go ahead and spring for the MBP.