Studio Issues... So Many Options... WHAT TO DO??

[lkoreality]

This year, for Christmas, I'm looking into getting a studio for my room! I have TONS of options and I don't know what to do...

I have a brand new custom PC... reallly fast. I have an old version of sonar on it and ableton lite but for some reason my keyboard isn't working on it... but that's a different issue. it also has a great soundcard and then I have a Mac G4 with a couple hard drives my dads old recording computer... it hasn't been used for a while. It had an old version of mac OS and it was crammed with old logic stuff. I bought Tiger and tried to install it but it says one of the hard drives is messed up or something and I can't install it. When I try it freezes. I got rid of the old version, so now I can neither go on the computer or install the new OS.

I was thinking of fixing the Mac and then using the copied Logic Express I accidentally bought off of ebay for $120 about 2 months ago that I'm not even sure will work... stupid ebay but I don't know how much it will cost to fix the mac also having the guilt of using a pirated copy of Logic Express... thats my fault. I'm so stupid. So I thought of using my PC

I could use my PC and figure out my keyboard issue. I have maybe $400 that I could spend and then I was also thinking about selling my Mac G4... thats a little broken but since its broken I could spend some money to get it fixed and then sell it to get more money but I don't know if it's worth getting it fixed and then selling it ... how much money that will save me... or how much I will lose. I looked on ebay and found that a new working G4 is going for like $400 - $800. so that could bring me to $800 - $1200 to spend on my studio but since mines broken it would go for a lot less. So lets say I get $200 for it broken. (by the way i don't know how badly it is damaged... if it is damaged at all, I just know i can't install tiger and it says that a hard drive is messed up) So I might have around $600 to spend maybe $700.

Which brings me back to keeping the Mac and using Logic Express. Or selling the mac and buying Cubase and possibly an audio interface. Which is sort of necassary. I'm looking to be able to record electric guitar. And then vocals and acoustic at the same time. I don't know much about Cubase but I've heard it's good and works on both Mac and PC so it can keep my options open.

I really need help here... I don't know how to do this... whats a better choice. Please help me out here. I'm very desperate. Suggestions.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Luke

[brandondrury]

Ha!! This post sounds like what my brain does every 3 seconds until I fall asleep at 3am. What a damn mess!!


This also reminds me of the php programming where I have to go through 300 lines of code just to figure out what "X" is. In this case Budget = X.

So, I really can't help you until I figure out what X ( budget) is.

It sounds like you have quite a few options, but only you can make the decision as to what to sell and what to keep.

All of these are good solutions. Personally, I'd get on Newegg and buy a hard drive for $60 buck to put in the G4 and then go from there. Sell that thing and make your money.

I'm a PC guy and I'm content with PCs. I never saw a reason to switch to Mac.

Brandon

[richiebee]

Sounds like a new hard drive could fix your mac... Assuming it takes a standard IDE drive, you're talking $100 max. Probably a lot less.

Cubase in my experience (and I use both Macs and PCs) works better on PC's. I'm not the only one who thinks this either.

I reckon you could get your Mac working. I'm not sure whether it would be worth it.

How many songs do you have ready to record? If its less than 12, I'd say your purchase is not really desparately urgent. Take time. Do it right.

Cubase 4 studio is a good price, and you can pick up a decent audio/midi interface for a couple hundred bucks. Fix up your G4 and sell it. Fit out your PC and start recording. That's what I'd do.

R.