Members claypool420 Posted April 24, 2009 Members Share Posted April 24, 2009 I am getting ready to start an audio engineering apprenticeship and need a home studio to practice in... I have a decent total budget (around $2500) and want some suggestions... I def need to get a computer, monitor, audio interface w/ pro tools, and keyboard w/ sounds and midi capable... If i was buying right now i would buy G5 dual core on ebay (900)23" Monitor (200)MBOX w/ protools (400)used roland fantom G6 on ebay (600)decent monitors [pair] (200) or maybe 003 w/ pro tools (1000) on ebay... I can't make up my mind... any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alndln2 Posted April 24, 2009 Members Share Posted April 24, 2009 If i was buying right now i would buyG5 dual core on ebay (900) I'd steer clear of that straight away. More and more software is being optomized for the Intel Macs and you'll be left in the cold in no time, especially with PT. I'd save money by getting a keyboard controller instead of the Roland and use the plethora of VI's out there and get an iMac instead of an old PPC based Mac. Apart from the software angle, computers slow down and evetually die as caps start going on old boards. Doesn't matter that it's Apple. The rest sounds good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alcohol Posted April 24, 2009 Members Share Posted April 24, 2009 I'd go for a used Intel Mac instead of the G5. Or get a Mac Intel laptop. Look for the used bargain on Craigslist. I got a dual G5 to run Pro Tools HD for $500 last year. You should be able to find a great deal on a relatively new Intel Mac. Get a controller, unless your a good keyboard player and like the option of an easy and secure set up for jamming and playing live. Personally, I think my Motif sounds better than the VIs I've heard and I bet the Fantom sounds better too. I'd also get a set of great headphones. I got a lot of different headphones, but I've found only my pair of Sennheiser HD 650 to be a great compliment to my Focal6 Twins, especially for clearly hearing what's happening in the bass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claypool420 Posted April 24, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 24, 2009 yea i need the roland instead of a midi controller because I will be playing live shows and am tired of depending on computers to provide sounds for my keyboards... its a pain in the ass. whats the diff between intel and g5? I know very little about macs this will be my first one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alcohol Posted April 24, 2009 Members Share Posted April 24, 2009 The newer Intel based Macs have more power and will give you more instances of RTAS plugins, with which you will be limited to with a mBox. The MBos cannot run TDM plugins, so host power will be important. More and more new plugins are limited to RTAS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted April 24, 2009 Moderators Share Posted April 24, 2009 The iMacs are a steal and very powerful. I'm working a 20", 2.4 dual core with 4 gig of RAM, everyday and it is working a charm. Full band recording. 18 simultaneous record tracks. Plugins stacked at will without issue. 12 to 16 tracks of extensive and unrendered Elastic Audio edits pushing things further, without issue. Under 1200 with the monitor. Factor in the RAM and external HD and it's a steal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claypool420 Posted April 24, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 24, 2009 where did you buy that imac? ebay? or something else? Is there any interface that will let me run 4-6 mic inputs that doesnt cost 3000 and can run pro tools? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted April 24, 2009 Members Share Posted April 24, 2009 I'd steer clear of that straight away. More and more software is being optomized for the Intel Macs and you'll be left in the cold in no time, especially with PT. That's probably sound advice. I have a G5 dual-core, and it works great and everything runs fine on it. But I was given this for free. I cannot upgrade the processor, and if new software can't run on it, there's not a thing I can do (well, I won't upgrade! ). I'd go Intel-based, either the tower or the iMac, which, as Lee pointed out, is a good deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CME Posted April 24, 2009 Members Share Posted April 24, 2009 I'll reiterate the G5 warnings. They may or may not be supported with Apple's next version of OSX. I've read some compelling things about it that make me think it will be Intel only, but that hasn't been confirmed or denied. Also look at the Mac Mini. You'll need an external hard drive to record to, but you will with anything this side of a Mac Pro. Other than that I'd consider an interface with more I/O. You may only need a few channels now, but I'm willing to bet you'll want more in the future. Just a thought. Oh and also check out the refurbs on Apple's site. I bought my PowerMac G5 and 15" MacBook Pro from there. I had great timing with the MacBook Pro though. I got it for about the same price of an equivalent 13" MacBook when this latest generation came out. Also the latest generation of 13" Macbooks don't have a firewire port. You'll need this for your external HD as USB HD's and Pro Tools don't mix well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members samtrips Posted April 24, 2009 Members Share Posted April 24, 2009 where did you buy that imac? ebay? or something else? Is there any interface that will let me run 4-6 mic inputs that doesnt cost 3000 and can run pro tools? I use the M-Audio profire 2626 interface, running protools on either my iMac or my Macbook Pro - it has 8 simultaneous mic inputs and loads of digital ones I don;t know how to use yet. It's been cool for me. Cost me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted April 24, 2009 Members Share Posted April 24, 2009 I've heard about people running stuff on Mac Minis without a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claypool420 Posted April 25, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 25, 2009 for cost effectiveness, should I purchase on ebay or some other site? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claypool420 Posted April 25, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 25, 2009 if I am only using this for recording (no internet, games or anything else) could i get a mini a be fine? Also, if I bought a mac book could I run a larger monitor from the laptop, maybe even dual screen so that the laptop screen was always a mixer or something and my main monitor was the normal view? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claypool420 Posted April 25, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 25, 2009 could i upgrade the mac mini to like 4gb and 4 ghz? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claypool420 Posted April 25, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 25, 2009 or even more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alcohol Posted April 25, 2009 Members Share Posted April 25, 2009 Yes to the above three posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted April 25, 2009 Moderators Share Posted April 25, 2009 Check and see if a used 002 will run PT 8. Then score an 002 off eBay. It's a great time to buy one as the 003 is out so everyone is moving on. But an 002 is plenty to do great work. And you can upgrade in lots of ways down the road. Or just get an 003 if you can swing it. And the M Box Pro2 will get you 2 pres, 2 line ins for using any pres you may have already, and a SPDIF to facilitate that API A2D you'll want later! Used, you can score some great deals, new... is easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claypool420 Posted April 25, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 25, 2009 im looking at getting a used fantom g6 for about 1000 off of ebay... is there anything comparable to the fantom or is it the best? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CME Posted April 25, 2009 Members Share Posted April 25, 2009 Check and see if a used 002 will run PT 8. Then score an 002 off eBay. It's a great time to buy one as the 003 is out so everyone is moving on......... Yeah the 002 and 003 are about the same unit. The 003 is compliant with the new European regulations (something to do with lead content I think), has a second que mix available, and BNC word clock connectors. The contol surface version has a few one ups over the 002 counterpart also. Supposedly like the Mbox and Mbox 2 the 002 will be supported as long as the 003 is supported. That's how similar they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gdoubleyou Posted April 27, 2009 Members Share Posted April 27, 2009 I've heard about people running stuff on Mac Minis without a problem. I'm running an old Core Duo mini, sessions of 32-48 tracks with Logic Studio, and a MOTU 828 mkI with no problems. Any of the newer Core 2 Duo machines (Macbook, mini, imac,or Macbook pro) have more CPU power than the last dual G5's released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scud133 Posted April 28, 2009 Members Share Posted April 28, 2009 Apple refurbished. Comes with same warranty as new PCs: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=MTE3NjY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claypool420 Posted April 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2009 ok thanks for all your input. here is my final question. So it the mini going to be enough power to only record and occasional video editing? Or should I just get an Imac? I will run a decent amount of plugins and record 4-6 tracks at once somewhat often so I need to make sure I make the right choice... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted April 28, 2009 Members Share Posted April 28, 2009 4-6 tracks simultaneously should be easily doable by any computer. I think the Mac Mini would be fine. If you need more horsepower, an iMac would be a better choice. But for what you are describing, I think that little tiny white cube will do the job just fine. Don't forget to get an external HD, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claypool420 Posted April 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2009 I would def be getting an external HD! With only one firewire port will I be able to use both an interface and an external hd? or will I have to get an additional firewire port? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claypool420 Posted April 28, 2009 Author Members Share Posted April 28, 2009 cuz im prolly getting the 002 for my interface which is def a firewire device and i ve heard that you need to get a firewire external hd if you are using pro tools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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