line-in or firewire

[brandondrury]

I'm with you. Until I hear some relatively objective evidence and not just unsubstantiated claims, I put the Mac / PC debate in the Ford vs Chevy category.

In case I've never defined the Ford vs Chevy argument, it's a whole bunch of people who feel really strongly one way or another. One person had a bad experience one time so he bought a Ford. Another person had a bad experience one time so he bought a Chevy. Both people fight to the death about it. Then there is 3% of the population who just wants a reliable truck and they drive either one.

The only difference in the Mac / PC thing is the PC costs dramatically less than the Mac. If Chevy was dramatically cheaper than Ford, I'd just buy a Chevy truck.

Brandon

[drago]

On a Mac I can turn on my computer, boot it up, launch a session and start recording withot ever touching the mouse. Pro Tools can automatically read my AMS settings and configure my MIDI for me. I can plug in just about any USB peripheral and it will work automatically. Pro Tools can use PCIe cards. On a Mac I will have much more screen space to use for my DAW. I can use the universal Mac quick keys to move more efficiently around the program. Since there wont be any programs running in the background, more CPU is going toward my DAW instead of whatever the hell is listed in a PC's ctrl+alt+delete window. I have four modifier keys instead of three. I can run Logic. Installing and uninstalling applications is a matter of dragging them into my Applications folder or into the Trash. Startup takes seconds instead of minutes. Shut down takes seconds instead of minutes. The list goes on buddy...

OH! And possibly the biggest advantage of all: the big studios use Macs.

[the.blode]

Originally Posted by drago

On a Mac I can turn on my computer, boot it up, launch a session and start recording withot ever touching the mouse. Pro Tools can automatically read my AMS settings and configure my MIDI for me. I can plug in just about any USB peripheral and it will work automatically. Pro Tools can use PCIe cards. On a Mac I will have much more screen space to use for my DAW. I can use the universal Mac quick keys to move more efficiently around the program. Since there wont be any programs running in the background, more CPU is going toward my DAW instead of whatever the hell is listed in a PC's ctrl+alt+delete window. I have four modifier keys instead of three. I can run Logic. Installing and uninstalling applications is a matter of dragging them into my Applications folder or into the Trash. Startup takes seconds instead of minutes. Shut down takes seconds instead of minutes. The list goes on buddy...

OH! And possibly the biggest advantage of all: the big studios use Macs.

Wow, so your computer is REALLY SIMPLE. I don't care! Do you think a non-mac can't be easy to use?.. everything you've said is hardly a huge revelation. and if you think your mac isn't running multiple services and operations whilst you're using your DAW you need to open your eyes; if it wasn't it wouldn't be running!

I don't want to argue with you about this crap. It's pointless and annoying. I don't care how YOU want to waste your money. If it makes you feel better, go and spend your money on a computer worth half.

However, if you state AS A FACT that a macintosh is a superior system than a PC, I will argue. Because people come here looking for help, and telling someone that what they need is a real expensive white box with the functionality of a calculator is not helpful. I would not want to find myself in a situation where, in looking for help, I was pointed in the wrong direction.

[MetalDave]

Here are the facts:
Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel system for PCIe. Designed for handling large I/O and track count. Includes: 1 Accel Core card and 1 HD Accel card (PCIe), ProTools HD 7 software, 50 processing plug-ins, 12-foot DigiLink cable, TDM FlexCable, iLok USB Smart Key, hardcopy manual set. Sold as ready for your existig CPU or can be pre-configured with Apple or PC.

I sell PC's and MAC's We did a bench test with both. I can do things on my PC that froze up the MAC! I ran the same bench test that used 100% of the MAC CPU running @ 3 Ghz I had to run the test in tandum (2 copies at once) to use 100% of my 2.2 GHZ AMD athlon 64 dual core processor. Each had 1 gig of RAM. Of course I don't know how to make a MAC run faster. I can make a PC scream! Also when running 2 copies of the bench test, My PC CPU was runnning @ 34 degrees celsius after 2 hours! The MAC was running at a solid 40 after 15 minutes running 1 copy! (It froze up when trying to run 2).


I have a PC with 3 PCIe slots. And I have one with 2 also. The drivers are available for PC from digidesign. I am using MOTU though as soon as I can aquire a 424 PCIe card. The drivers are available for this card even with Windows XP Pro X64. I have one PC that works with PCI, PCIX and PCIe. You can't do that with a MAC (that I know of)? If we are comparing... I like those Apples but I am going to stick with my Oranges!

Oh sorry.... and to answer the main question, Firewire is beter than line in. 2 reasons:
1. Multiple simultanious tracks.
2. better latency.

[Strangedogs]

I had 2 different interfaces - 1 was a USB FastTrack - I discovered I didn't need ANY interface on my G5 Imac - they have a small preamp built-in (the laptops don't). I run my Guitar Directly into LINE-IN and it sounds fantastic. I use Garageband, Logic Studio 8 - with Amplitube (all of em - AT2, AT Hendrix, AT Metal, X-Gear, etc) and Guitar Rig 3 - I get the same sound without the interface as I do with it so I sold mine... I use both an LP and a Strat with stock pickups too (passive) but I get FAT, FULL sound and ZERO latency problems. Course I'm just recording guitar.

[drago]

Why are PC owners so bitter? Cool, you can't afford a Mac. Doesn't mean you have to hate on everyone who can. If you actually owned a Mac you would enjoying it instead of rattling off all the reasons you think people shouldn't buy one.

[drago]

Originally Posted by MetalDave

Here are the facts:
Pro Tools|HD 2 Accel system for PCIe. Designed for handling large I/O and track count. Includes: 1 Accel Core card and 1 HD Accel card (PCIe), ProTools HD 7 software, 50 processing plug-ins, 12-foot DigiLink cable, TDM FlexCable, iLok USB Smart Key, hardcopy manual set. Sold as ready for your existig CPU or can be pre-configured with Apple or PC.

I sell PC's and MAC's We did a bench test with both. I can do things on my PC that froze up the MAC! I ran the same bench test that used 100% of the MAC CPU running @ 3 Ghz I had to run the test in tandum (2 copies at once) to use 100% of my 2.2 GHZ AMD athlon 64 dual core processor. Each had 1 gig of RAM. Of course I don't know how to make a MAC run faster. I can make a PC scream! Also when running 2 copies of the bench test, My PC CPU was runnning @ 34 degrees celsius after 2 hours! The MAC was running at a solid 40 after 15 minutes running 1 copy! (It froze up when trying to run 2).


I have a PC with 3 PCIe slots. And I have one with 2 also. The drivers are available for PC from digidesign. I am using MOTU though as soon as I can aquire a 424 PCIe card. The drivers are available for this card even with Windows XP Pro X64. I have one PC that works with PCI, PCIX and PCIe. You can't do that with a MAC (that I know of)? If we are comparing... I like those Apples but I am going to stick with my Oranges!

Oh sorry.... and to answer the main question, Firewire is beter than line in. 2 reasons:
1. Multiple simultanious tracks.
2. better latency.

So... the PC outperformed some mysterious Mac chip that you don't even know the specs of. Wow what a scientific and telling test!

[Strangedogs]

Originally Posted by drago

Why are PC owners so bitter? Cool, you can't afford a Mac. Doesn't mean you have to hate on everyone who can. If you actually owned a Mac you would enjoying it instead of rattling off all the reasons you think people shouldn't buy one.

I'll wager that ANYONE who tried a Mac G5 SYSTEM (desktop or Imac) for a week would never use any other computer... OS X is what Windows "should have been..." My PC's are collecting dust in the spare bedroom. Lotsa people switching to Mac - very few (if any) switching back as far as I know.

[the.blode]

Originally Posted by drago

Why are PC owners so bitter? Cool, you can't afford a Mac. Doesn't mean you have to hate on everyone who can. If you actually owned a Mac you would enjoying it instead of rattling off all the reasons you think people shouldn't buy one.

Macs are PCs, remember?

I can't vouch for anyone else, but Apple's whole business ethic makes them in my eyes one of the least worthy companies in the technology industry. I don't endorse microsoft. I think Vista is a pile of shit, and xp is only usable. BUT, you can buy a PC with YOUR own parts, put it together your own way, giving credit to the people who actually manufacture the parts (intel, gigabyte, OCZ, Kingston, whoever the fuck made your hardware) whereas Apple claim complete and total credit for their computers. When you buy a mac, you are buying from APPLE, not the people who actually put in the work. People buy macs based on a reputation that their systems are really solid and tightly integrated featuring specialised proprietary hardware; this was a reputation they deserved when that could actually describe their computers, but now they are just PCs with a different operating system. and an operating system is JUST an operating system! It doesn't do anything any other operating system can't do and it's certainly not worth the hefty price tag.

I use macs VERY often. I HAVE to. Because unluckily for anyone with a technological concious studying at my university, the only 'music' computers available to me are the Macs. Also, I have tracked in studios that used the unbelievably overpriced HD3 system.

I'm not too poor, I could easily afford a mac if I wanted to. but I don't. all that money could be used to buy something that is GENUINELY worth the money.

[drago]

Oh, okay. You can keep on choosing gear based on their ad campaigns then. I'll continue choosing gear based on functionality.