Members nerol1st Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 Basically here is the situation. With my current setup I run out of CPU headroom faster than I like. Especially running pro tools (I would buy a wrapper if I went with the Duende). So I have some options since I really only need to run multiple instances of certain plugs (EQ and compression). Buy a liquidmixBuy a DuendeBuy a new macBuy a APA 32 (not really into this option) So what are your thoughts? Are the Duende and liquidmix plugs pretty good as general go to plugs? I know they wont work for everything I am mainly looking for drums and vocals as far as eq and compression goes. I already have some decent plugs, the wavearts collection and a few PSP plugs as well as Izotopes Ozone 3 (thats it beyond stock and freebees). There is one more issue: I only have 1 firewire port and have 2 devices daisy chained already on that. I only mention this because I heard that the Duende and Liquidmix need their own port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alndln2 Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 There is one more issue:I only have 1 firewire port and have 2 devices daisy chained already on that. I only mention this because I heard that the Duende and Liquidmix need their own port. There's your road block as fas as Liquid Mix or Duende is concerned. In yor sig you mentioned you also use Cubase, so why don't you just use that and freeze for the time being? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I've never tried Duende on a Mac, but on PC, and with a separate firewire port (it really does need that, and I don't even want to think about the potential hassles / problems when trying to chain THREE firewire devices), it's very cool - the sound of the plug-ins is excellent IMO. SSL announced a new Duende Mini at NAMM; you might want to check that out too. 1/3rd rack space, comes with the SSL channel strip plug in, offers up to 16 channels of processing for $799. It can be expanded to 32 channels, (IIRC, $399 extra) and the other Duende compatible plugs will work with it (buss compressor, drum strip, new EQ), but are all extra cost options. BTW, SSL bundles a version of the FXPansion VST -> RTAS wrapper for use with Duende plug-ins. However, you'd need the "full"version ($99) from FXPansion if you wanted to use it with third-party VST plug-ins. However, your Mac, and that single firewire port, are still major issues IMHO. I have not tried the Liquid Mix, although I have heard the Liquid Channel, and wasn't totally knocked out by it - YMMV. In your shoes, I'd probably look to a new Mac first, and maybe a Duende Mini to go with it, budget permitting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marshall Jeffer Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 Buy a new Mac. The new Mac Pros never run out of headroom. Standard specs now is 8 core Xeon @ 2.8ghx and 2gb ram. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nerol1st Posted January 24, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 I have not tried the Liquid Mix, although I have heard the Liquid Channel, and wasn't totally knocked out by it - YMMV. I'm sure the liquid channel is awesome. All right a new mac it is. Dual screens sounds yummy anyhow. Thanks for the help guys. Oh and I knew I needed the full version (FX wrapper) to run the Duende. I would love to have both a new mac and a Duende mini but thats just not in the budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Oh and I knew I needed the full version (FX wrapper) to run the Duende. Actually you do NOT need the full version of the wrapper - a Duende-specific "lite" version comes bundled / included with Duende - you only need the "full" version if you want to run third-party VST's from other companies. But I think you're making the best choice by going with the new Mac first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nerol1st Posted January 24, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 New mac (well not "new") it is: Powermac G5 dual 2.02 gig RAM250 gig HD22" display The new intel would be to expensive in software upgrades. That and being out of budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Sounds nice. What are the specs on your current Powerbook? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 A new Mac is always a preferable choice if you have the money and inclination. I upgraded my Mac with a new CPU, and the good part is that it runs really really well now, and everything that was on it before just runs much faster. The not-so-good part is that I now have an old computer with old stuff on it. I don't really care so much because I don't need anything else and am getting amazing sound, but for someone else, they could be painting themselves into a corner in terms of their DAW, plug-ins, and compatibility. I have, however, saved a lot of money and bypassed a whole generation of purchases, including upgrading a ton of plug-ins and fiddling and such, so it was a great choice for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nerol1st Posted January 25, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 This is a huge upgrade my current (maxed out) powerbook is a: 12"1.5 ghz (single)1.25 gigs of RAMSuperdrive80 gig HD Hence the reason I want a powermac, I need it to be compatible with my current software. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gdoubleyou Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 New mac (well not "new") it is: Powermac G5 dual 2.0 2 gig RAM 250 gig HD 22" display The new intel would be to expensive in software upgrades. That and being out of budget. Be aware that all of the current macs even the mini, have more cpu performance that the dual G5 Powermacs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nerol1st Posted January 25, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 I know, and I would have upgraded to intel if it wasn't for 2 reasons: 1: Money2: Software (so again money) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 Yeah, we'd all have ridiculous octo-core machines and the software and hardware we wanted if it weren't for that pesky thing called money. Or lack of it. All I care about is the audio, and I'm getting amazing audio out of my rig. If the software is old, who cares? I've got nice mics, preamps, and converters for the sound quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 26, 2008 Share Posted January 26, 2008 12" Don't get me wrong; I tend to use computers for a long time - I just upgrade them, or when I do build a new PC, everything else gets bumped down a step - from DAW to softsynth / Gigastudio PC, from there to the office, and from there to Internet duties. So even though I'm either building or upgrading my main DAW every two years or so, machines see use for far longer overall... But a 12" screen? Heck, even my 500 Mhz Ti Powerbook has a 15" screen - I'm not sure I'd even be able to read a 12" screen at this point, and I can't even remember the last 12" screen I used... You're gonna love having some screen real estate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nerol1st Posted January 26, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 26, 2008 Yeah I'm sure I am. I will probably add another monitor as well soon. 12" isn't that bad however and I usually can see everything I need to (except for the plug in KT drum trigger because it was made really long). But I just came up with another delema: The mac I bought only has PCI slots (instead of the newer PCIe) how concerned should I be with this? I have seven days to back out and send it back as of Tuesday. It has enough exspansion for RAM and PCI cards but I was wondering if I should be worried about the technology? Oh and the the greatest thing about having a 12" laptop is the battery life. I did a 2 hour on location recording using the battery and a mbox 2 no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nerol1st Posted January 27, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 27, 2008 Bump for new question, but not new thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphajerk Posted January 27, 2008 Members Share Posted January 27, 2008 intel mac is the only worthy mac.... i wouldnt buy DSP {censored}. its a waste of money. a new intel mac will run it into the ground. 8 cores of Xeon, you got to be kidding, i have 2 cores of intel i cant run into the ground with audio.... well with a load of VSTIs i can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 The mac I bought only has PCI slots (instead of the newer PCIe) how concerned should I be with this? I have seven days to back out and send it back as of Tuesday. It has enough exspansion for RAM and PCI cards but I was wondering if I should be worried about the technology? A very good question! I recently had to give some consideration to this very question; or at least a variation on the theme. My current mobo has PCI and PCI-e slots. However, Pro Tools HD is only compatible with PCI slots on the PC as of this date, so I had to get PCI cards when I went to HD. I was concerned about future availability of PCI Accel cards if I want to expand later, because my understanding is that you can't mix & match PCI and PCI-e cards on a single HD system... If PCI cards disappear from motherboards, I would imagine Digidesign will either offer a crossgrade to PCI-e cards, or I'll be able to find used HD Accel PCI cards; but chances are a new mobo with both PCI and PCI-e slots will still be available when the time comes to upgrade my current system. The PCI slot's days are numbered. As far as what that number is, I'm not sure... but I imagine they will eventually go the way of 5.25" floppy drives and Syquest drives. Will that happen in the next two years? Possibly. But for at least the next four years or so you should still be able to get PCI DSP cards; even if only on the used market. And maybe even new... I think you'll probably be okay for the next four, maybe five years. After that, all bets are off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphajerk Posted January 27, 2008 Members Share Posted January 27, 2008 thats an old mac... G4. its a "useless" machine now. that was one of the quickest dead breeds of mac to date. now with intel they have lifespans again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members modul8 Posted January 27, 2008 Members Share Posted January 27, 2008 I have to disagree that DSP expansion is {censored}. Firewire DSP I know nothing about. However, I have yet to come across anything that would keep me from using UAD-1 plug-ins. The trick is to not fool yourself into thinking they will replace native processing. Forgive me for stating the obvious as I don't mean to come across as an ass, but, PCIe is the present where Macs are concerned. Most cards have been or are being developed accordingly or will simply die with PCI/x. I would have to say, depending what your needs are, it might be worth considering a more modern machine w/o PCI slots. My questions: Is there a new Mac available in the price range of the the G5 you are buying? Do you now use expansion slots or are you looking to in the future? If you could get a MacBook Pro or well configured iMac for the same price as the G5, it might be worth considering assuming you don't need expansion slots (although, the MBP has an express card slot). Either way... you can always use your 12" as a processing node if your host allows it. Logic Studio does and is a bargain to boot. That being said, I'm still rock'n a 12" PB and 1Ghz DP G4. I certainly wouldn't kick a G5 out of the studio. I, myself, am holding out for a new Mac Pro because I do need expansion slots ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nerol1st Posted January 27, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 27, 2008 Yeah the mac is going back the seller is cool with it. Decided to go with something with PCIe slots. And yes there are machines that fit the criteria price wise. The G4 laptop is not that old. There never was a G5 powerbook intel came after. As far as the processing power it holds it's own surprisingly (like I said 10 tracks recording at the same time with the confidence I could do more). modul8: There is not a new macpro even close to the price range of a dual or even a quad core G5. There is however dual core G5 macs with PCIe slots and faster ram than the one that I bought (and am sending back). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marshall Jeffer Posted January 27, 2008 Members Share Posted January 27, 2008 Try an imac then, still more power than a dual G5...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members seclusion Posted January 27, 2008 Members Share Posted January 27, 2008 Not that I can say anything different that what's already been said. But since getting my 2007 2.66 Quad with 5 gigs Mac Pro, I've never looked back. I had a PCI Uad-1 card that was the only thing that wasn't supported in it. Other the that, it's been the easiest computer system I've ever used for DAW. I haven't got the CPU above 40% ever in my projects, Ram does get up around 2 gigs, I have 5 so that's fine. I'm running Leopard now as all my plugs work in it now. I can't say enough that it just works. Having all the room for 4 or 5 hard drives if you want is sooo nice. The machine is very quiet (again quieter then any PC I added sound isolation too). Hopefully soon Leo, Logic 8 and my Mac Pro will be able to use lot's of Ram. Up to 32 gigs if I want . we'll never need that right? But ram prices are way down ($150 for 2x2 gig sticks for mine). As well I have heard of some of the bigger G5's with liquid cooling springing a leak and totally wrecking it. Some users have gotten a Mac Pro replacement, others haven't! personally I'd just cough up the $$ for a machine that you will not have to think about being able to handle what you throw at it and just get to work! I dumped my Uad-1 ( yes some say dumb) for the Waves SSL, Ir and Synthogy Ivory and I haven't thought about running out of plugs that can be used in a tune. I can just work! Later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nerol1st Posted January 27, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 27, 2008 Try an imac then, still more power than a dual G5...... Still more than a used G5 for more reasons than 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nerol1st Posted January 27, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 27, 2008 Telling me to buy an macpro is literally telling me to spend over 2 times as much on a new machine. I have plug ins and software that would need to be upgraded as well. Not everyone can pull 2.6 grand out of their ass for a new mac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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