Help convince me to go Mac...

[AdamWathan]

So I was thinking about switching to a Mac + Logic because until now I've just been using my laptop for recording which is my general multi-purpose machine, not just for music production.

I was looking at maybe a new 20" 2.66ghz iMac or the 24" 2.8ghz iMac but not sure if it's really worth the $300. Do the iMac's support dual displays? I can't find any specifications on the connectivity options or any detailed pictures on the Apple website. If so, I think I'd rather spend $300 on a dedicated second display than an extra 4" and a negligible increase in processor speed.

Aside from that, since I'm a n00b to the whole Mac thing I have a few other general questions...

Are there enough decent free plugins compatible with Logic to get by? I am told the stock plugins are great and see a lot of use, but what about stuff like transient designers? Is there anything Mac-compatible to compete with Dominion, Bittersweet, etc.?

Is Logic my best non-ProTools option or should I look at Digital Performer or Cubase? I'm a Reaper user on PC if that helps guide anyone's opinion.

Is it worth the $150 to get the 4gb of ram instead of 2gb on the iMacs or should I have no issues with 2gb? I never had any problems with 2gb of ram with my old XP laptop recording 10 tracks at a time and Macs in general are supposed to be more resource efficient than PCs, no?

Logic Express vs Logic Studio? I don't know what the limitations are so if anyone has any insight that would be appreciated...

Keep in mind I'm basically going in blind here guys so don't feel like you're insulting me by pointing out anything that you think should be obvious because I really have no clue

 

[Metaltastic]

Why aren't you happy with Reaper? I know I am

 

[AdamWathan]

Why aren't you happy with Reaper? I know I am

Totally happy with Reaper but the Mac version is still in the beta stages so if I switch from PC I'm gonna have to switch from Reaper for now as well...

 

[Metaltastic]

Ok, then to rephrase, why aren't you happy with a PC? I know I am

 

[AdamWathan]

No issues with PC either, just thought I'd consider all my options... And I sorta just want a Mac, for nothing but superficial, shallow and meaningless reasons

 

[006]

BitterSweetII is free for Mac as well. As are the StillWell plugs, compression, EQ, great limiter and a transient plug offered by them. Logic has a built-in impulse plug. You would need an ampsim plug, if you wanted, since I have yet to find any free ones for Mac. But I bought ReValver and couldn't be any happier.

2GB of ram is actually plenty so far in my experience. Not going to try and convince you to switch though, there are tons of reasons, most of which will start a debate so I'll not list them

~006

 

[Metaltastic]

Stillwell doesn't offer a "regular" eq and compressor though, do they? Everything seems to be all funky and colored, which is probably cool on a lot of stuff, but still...

 

[Let it burn...]

because I love them too

/thread

 

[Let it burn...]

seriously now.

I went from PC to Mac a couple of months ago and i couldn't be happier. My workflow is faster, very nice core audio drivers and low resource usage are all +++ imo. I use Logic Express and there isn't that much of a difference with Pro. Yeah, you won't be able to use TDM plugins and there's no multipressor or space designer but those thing can all be replaced and I think the upgrade from Express to Pro will make the total package (Express + update) cost equally as much as Pro standalone

 

[aramism]

it's not even a choice. switched my whole life to mac about 2 years ago and it's the best tech move i ever made. the whole world makes more sense now. way to many problems and too much work to do for simple shit on pc. too many drivers settings preferences. the mac just.... works.


plus all the cool people use it

 

[::XeS::]

I did the switch 2 months ago.....better choice of my life. I didn't start my pc since that day
I was a little in fear too but you have everything you need with a mac (programs, support, etc...)

 

[NickL]

Amplitube 2 and omnisphere have just started floating around for mac on various torrent sites (not that I do or would ever consider condoning such an atrocity as using torrent files)

 

[Metaltastic]

Alls I can say is, if you wanna pay more for a Mac than a comparably-spec'ed PC, and if you wanna pay $200 instead of $50 for your DAW, and if you wanna sacrifice having a decent ampsim for free rather than paying $80 for Revalver HP (since I would never use any ampsim on anything besides scratch tracks), then be my guest...

 

[Metaltastic]

Also, does Logic Express come with Space Designer? (that's the logic convolution plugin, right?) If not, budget another $190 for SiR2 if you wanna use impulses... (same goes for Cubase)

 

[smy1]

I'd stay away from Macs. My properly set up audio PC regularly makes all my Mac-using friends go green with envy when it comes to speed/performance.

I do have a 13" MacBook laptop and I am consistenly underwhelmed by its performance. Let's not talk about the performance-to-price ratio ...

 

[Let it burn...]

yeah, macs just "work". No shit setting up prefs or stuff like that. Installing an interface is just plug n play.

Sure, you can probably get the same results by using a pc but it will take more time and because every pc is spec'ed differently, you'll be doing a decent amount of driver installations and updates/tweaking. I just love the way my mac just works out of the box and that i don't have to worry about anything and that it's really resource friendly. If you feel like this about your PC and you totally love it, I suggest keeping it. Whatever does the job well for you is the best.

 

[ahjteam]

Lets put it this way: I have used PC for over 17 years now and I was just pretty much forced to start using macs when I started the audio engineering at uni this fall and learning the osx was just really awfully painful at first because you really had no clue what to do when things go wrong. And I still don't. Also the fact that learning the new keycommands (cmd+s is save instead of ctrl+s) is just a hassle and then I wonder "wtf did I just press".

In addition if I wanted to save money and stay legit, I would stay away from mac. I have accumulated quite a lot of small programs and plugins that I use everyday and most of them don't have equivalents for mac. Atleast for free. In DAW surroundings alone with exception of little under 30 plugins, you have to pay for everything. And A LOT MORE if you go the protools way. The only free ampsim for mac I've found is Studio Devil BVC. It's not half bad, but it only has that one Marshallish sound. What if I want variety?

And btw; After I started my studies, I've just grown to hate protools even more that I did before I had even touched it once. I never thought it was _that_ bad for anything else than recording and routing, but that it does really well. You can record 96 tracks simultaneously if you really need to and you have enough digidesign hardware. We got this remix assignment and we are doing the Lamb of God song "Redneck" and the editing is just super stiff. I would've propably done the editing already with Cubase, Logic or Sonar by now. And the "mac is more stable than pc" is just a bull. I usually boot my pc once a month when I install updates, but I have to boot the imacs at uni almost every time I use them because they crash a lot. and I see the "beachball of death" quite often too.

So if you don't REALLY have any good reason why you should change, don't.

 

[smy1]

I agree with ahjteam. The first 4 weeks of owning my MacBook were a huge pain in the ass. Everyday I was on the verge of bringing it back, simply because everything was the other way around if you are used to PC/Windows.

I especially agree with the performance/stability statements. My record label partner's 8core mac running Cubase 4 is considerably slower than my Core2Duo PC running Cubase SX3, he can run more VSTis and plugins, but I am still amazed at the waiting time I always have at his place. Same with the Quadcore another friend has. This is the case with EVERY software from MS Office to Audio Apps - for some reason stuff just takes longer on Mac. I don't know why.

Now people might ask why I even have a MacBook when I dont like their performance ... and it's only because it is very light and small and the DVCpro Codec for HD video only exists for Mac ...

 

[spioraid]

As a side note, my entire life I've used Macs for all home based use so naturally my opinion swings that way, but let me give an unbiased view here.

Seeing as you are upgrading, an upgrade in EITHER direction will work. Specs are specs dude. Neither are cursed machines. Certainly if you'll be switching OSs you'll have to get used to a new workflow, but that's true of any upgrade. For my video work I stay with Native NLEs, other Mac users I know use Adobe.

Yes, there is a price difference. If you're willing, look into building your own "Hackintosh." Google that up and jump on it. Makes me wish I had made my own.

However, just because some Windows based software won't play on a stock Mac doesn't mean you can never use it. You can buy many different versions of Windows Environment emulators and whatnot, or my recent favorite CrossOver Application which allows me to run any and all Windows programs NATIVELY on my Mac. So there are ways around the market-software bias.

Do the iMac's support dual displays?

You know it. I got my second monitor up and running as we speak.

Are there enough decent free plugins compatible with Logic to get by? I am told the stock plugins are great and see a lot of use, but what about stuff like transient designers?

I've seen some cool stuff around, haven't had the chance to use much yet though. If haven't broken your Google yet, search for free stuff. It's there, just buried.

Is Logic my best non-ProTools option or should I look at Digital Performer or Cubase? I'm a Reaper user on PC if that helps guide anyone's opinion.

Are TS808s better than TS-9s?

Is it worth the $150 to get the 4gb of ram instead of 2gb on the iMacs or should I have no issues with 2gb?

2 gigs is fine. If you feel compelled to get more, that's fine, but obviously shop around and find something cheap (i.e. not Apple store)

Logic Express vs Logic Studio?

Same program, less add ons and extras. Not a problem if you want to make your own add on library, also softer on the pocket book. But if you want to pull out all the stops the full suite is great. There is also an upgrade feature if you do decide to get the Express version, which is cheaper than buying the full suite wholesale.

 

[colynomial]

I have a friend who works for Apple. I pinned him down a few days ago and forced him to explain to me what makes Macs the better machines. His answer? "Nothing". They look better, apparently they offer better customer support and they come complete with all the drivers and hardware ready to rock out of the box, but that's it. As far as the machine itself goes, if you know what you're doing with a PC, you can get build one yourself running 64-bit XP that will outperform a Mac for a fraction of the cost. In the arts and entertainment industry it's really just an association thing. Traditionally the "artsy" programs (like all the Adobe stuff) were developed for Macs, but nowadays you can get all the same software for PCs. It's like Coke or Pepsi, Hockey or Baseball, PC or Mac. If anything you should buy a PC just to spite that obnoxiously smug kid from their TV commercials.