Thinking about Mac for my studio..What to buy???

Scott Henderson · Post by **Scott Henderson** » 13 Nov 2009 1:29 pm

I use a PC for programming drums. I also have tracks done by other people that send it to me via CD or web. I am thinkning about going to Mac but don't have a clue other than the fact I will need a DVD drive. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 13 Nov 2009 7:02 pm

Hey Scott,

I just got an iMac, and I like it. I use a Presonus Studio Mobile interface, and Presonus Studio One DAW software. I also got a 500GB external hard drive to keep all the music on and it also backs up the iMac. If you call Brad Lyons at Sweetwater he can tell you what you need. The prices on Mac's are about the same everywhere. The iMac 20in was $1200 complete. Let me know if I can help in anyway.

www.sweetwater.com

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 13 Nov 2009 9:04 pm

Hi, Scott, I ran ProTools on a PC for some time with good results, but recently went to an iMac with ProTools 8 LE. I'm pretty happy. Just had my very first crash, actually a lock-up, and when I rebooted, everything was just fine. Elegant OS, nice hardware.

Bill Terry · Post by **Bill Terry** » 15 Nov 2009 8:28 am

I made the leap to a Mac earlier this year, albeit 'last years model'. Since I wasn't sure, I watched ebay and found a nice used Dual 2.0GHz G5 for less than 500 bucks shipped.

I've been using Logic 8 and I've really warmed to the whole Mac/OSX thing. I've yet to actually lock the computer, even though I've had Logic crash a time or two. I'm about to decide DAWs are just gonna crash, no matter which one.. As for performance, I've got projects with 20+ tracks and multiple plugs on every one that hardly tax the CPU at all. Installing software and hardware has been a real eye-opener. It's amazing that in some cases you just plug something in, and with no muss or fuss (or user effort) It's 'just there' when you look. The Firewire interface I bought was that way. Plugged it in, launched Logic, and bingo... there it was.

All that to say the G5 is working fine for me, but not very portable of course. Anyway, Macs get a big thumbs up from me.. I'll work every day on a PC since that's largely the way of the business world, but for Music/Audio I think I'll stick to the Mac.

Scott Henderson · Post by **Scott Henderson** » 15 Nov 2009 9:55 pm

Thanks guys I mainly want it for easieruse ofmy drum loops and maybe some submastering. I have also thought of the Ebay thing and will probably go that way. Teresa and I haveoften thought of going completely to Mac but want to try it out first.
Thanks again

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 15 Nov 2009 11:13 pm

Scott,

Check out the Presonus Studio One software. It does everything from recording to mastering, unlimited tracks, bunchs of effects, loops, etc....and you can just drag/drop loops, etc... right in the tracks. They have a demo available at Presonus.com. I'm really liking it. It will run on PC or Mac.

John McClung · Post by **John McClung** » 16 Nov 2009 1:17 am

Scott, I'm a Mac snob, mostly use it for graphics.

For audio processing, if you want portability, the MacBook Pro would be the best way to go. The 15-inch screen model is just about the right size, the bigger 17-inch seems huge to many users. The 13.3-inch is OK, but a little cramped. I have a 13-inch older MacBook, does the simple jobs I ask of it, but the 15-inch MacBook Pro at work was more pleasant to use overall.

The problem with the new MacBook (only one model now) is it's lost its Firewire port, which is very desirable for the clean, big, unstressed and more stable place to record your tracks to, and back them up, too.

If portability isn't an issue, I think the iMacs would be great. My only gripe is they have glossy screens, so glare and reflections can be a problem (this is mostly an issue for graphics and photography).

Don't forget, all Macs can also run Windows, if that's a desired thing.

Macs are extremely stable, and to this point virtually virus free.

If you buy a new one, do get AppleCare warranty, it's very worthwhile and Apple service is the best.

Clete Ritta · Post by **Clete Ritta** » 16 Nov 2009 9:56 am

MacBook Pro w Logic Studio. You can't go wrong.
Clete

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 16 Nov 2009 10:09 am

The Mac in my studio has me wanting to go to Mac on all my computers. I love the way Mac just runs and doesn't install all the junk to run in the background like windows does. Seems like everytime I turn the Vista computer on in my office, it wants to update something. Glossy screen is not an issue for me with the studio and audio work. After a couple of months, I can't find any reason not to go Mac.

Edward Efira · Post by **Edward Efira** » 17 Nov 2009 10:10 am

All macs can be ordered with non-glossy screens, also check out the new iMac with the the quad I7 processor,
it's the fastest you can get: http://www.apple.com/imac/performance.html
I read some tests in PC Magazine and it's really impressive

Ed

John McClung · Post by **John McClung** » 17 Nov 2009 12:42 pm

Edward, I just double checked and to my knowledge, the only Mac for which you can still special order the matte display is the MacBook Pro laptop.

Matte option is not available for the MacBook, or the iMacs, unfortunately.

I've always preferred matte, lot less problems with reflections which, when you're at seminars and other remote places, you have little to zero control over.

But you're absolutely right about the amazing speed of the new i7 quad core iMac; it's really making me reconsider how crucial a matte screen is, since the iMac stays put at home. The benchmarks of that high end iMac make it virtually equal in performance to the low end desktop Mac Pro's, for about half the price. And that 27-inch screen would be fabulous. Very tempting for me because I dabble so much in photography.

Edward Efira · Post by **Edward Efira** » 18 Nov 2009 10:18 am

John,
sorry, my bad. I have a 17' PB and thought this (matte) was available for all models. I am like you, seriously considering the IMAC i7 quad core as our home based computer for music, graphic design and photos.
Ed

John McClung · Post by **John McClung** » 18 Nov 2009 12:50 pm

Hey Ed, the specs are amazing...BUT...

As I was doing some retouching on photos today, viewing on an old matte screen Apple Cinema LCD display, and even then still having to wiggle around to get glare and reflections off the areas I was retouching, I had to wonder how much more difficult and annoying that would be on a giant 27-inch shiny glass monitor!

For the sake of budget and computing power, guess I could build a little black curtain shroud around my workstation for retouching, hmmm...know of any good after-market way to add matte to a glossy screen?

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 18 Nov 2009 2:11 pm

Rick Campbell wrote:The Mac in my studio has me wanting to go to Mac on all my computers. I love the way Mac just runs and doesn't install all the junk to run in the background like windows does.

There's a lot of stuff running in the background on Macs. They just don't tell you about it. You have to know Unix to even see it.

As for updates, all are listed together in one Update application. It's pretty simple and not nearly so intrusive as Windows, where each application has its own non-standardized updater program.

My question for you folks who record on the iMac: how loud is it? Can you have it in the same room as your live mikes? My Mac Mini has a really loud fan.

Jonathan Cullifer · Post by **Jonathan Cullifer** » 18 Nov 2009 2:30 pm

I occasionally see a Mac in a room, but it's rare. Some are louder than others. Most of the time, they are in a separate room from the tracking room or the control room. If they are in the control room, they usually mount them in a soundproofed enclosure.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 18 Nov 2009 4:23 pm

The iMac is the most quiet Mac I've EVER owned ....VERY quiet !!...Shhhhh !!!...Jim

I will be upgrading to a Mac Pro though ...Not enough connectivity for me ....Jim

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 18 Nov 2009 6:48 pm

The iMac is quite as a mouse. The Glyph external HD is louder but not a problem. I like gates.

Jesse Leite · Post by **Jesse Leite** » 18 Nov 2009 6:49 pm

I have a MacBook Pro (the model with the silver keyboard from about 2 years ago) and switched from Cubase to Garageband for the ease of use (I found Cubase too confusing for my brain). Now that I am getting more into music recording, I am starting to find Garageband limiting so I've been trying out Logic Express. What a great program! I've found it a bit easier to figure out than Cubase; the layout seems more logical to me. It's very powerful compared to Garageband, and it's cheaper than Cubase too... a good bang for your buck I think.

I'd like to note that I used to use a PC (running Windows XP) and Cubase for my recording. When I had my PC I found that I got more lockups (although I STILL get lockups with my Mac, but not as often). I also got little "artifacts" and "blips" in my recordings ...although this might not have been a windows problem, but maybe a problem with the laptop brand, or even a software driver problem? I don't know. Anyway, since switching to the MacBook Pro, I don't get these artifacts and blips in my recordings anymore, and I do find it a bit (although not much) more stable than Windows XP. So for these reasons, I definitely would recommend a MacBook or MacBook pro, and Garageband (which is free with any mac now) or Logic for recording. It's been a very positive experience for me.

Bob, to answer your question. My MacBook Pro is super super quiet. Quieter than any machine I've had. I think the reason is because the body is aluminum rather than plastic, and they have made the case more like a heat sink to keep the components cool. I don't think I've ever heard the fans they are so quiet, and even with a sensitive condenser microphone I cannot hear the fans. I should note the following though: The bottom of the laptop can get pretty hot if you don't let it breathe (ie. if you set it on a blanket for an hour while running it will get very hot underneath!). Also it can get noisy when the CD or DVD is running. When I do my recording, I always make sure there is no CD or DVD present in the drive and it runs quiet as a mouse. Hope it helps!

PS. Just for the record, I have not tried any pedal steel recording yet. I'm still too much of a beginner. I do have experience recording guitar, bass, drums, and vocals though. Once I can play a few songs without so many mistakes, then maybe I will be making steel recordings as well

Jesse

Greg Cutshaw · Post by **Greg Cutshaw** » 18 Nov 2009 7:46 pm

Ambient room noise, including computer fan noise, is often solved by just cranking up the amps to get a good signal to noise ratio into the mics. Most any amp hum or computer fan noise or even A/C's can be drowned out this way. I can't imagine ever having a dead quiet room at home to record in. Even with a sensitive condenser mic and an accoustic guitar, you can play close enough to the mic to drown out any ambient noise. You can then erase and part of the track where the instrument is not actually playing.

Greg

Jesse Leite · Post by **Jesse Leite** » 18 Nov 2009 8:47 pm

Greg Cutshaw wrote:Ambient room noise, including computer fan noise, is often solved by just cranking up the amps to get a good signal to noise ratio into the mics...

I agree, but what about for an acoustic instrument, like micing an acoustic guitar? Vocals too. You can't turn them up like you can turn up an amp

One thing you can do to help the fan noise problem is EQ the fan frequencies out. If you have a graphical EQ plugin in your recording software, then after you have tracked your instrument set it to loop playback while you fiddle with the EQ. Create a frequency boost that has a skinny Q (width) and make sure you boost the heck out of it. Then sweep that curve from left to right across the spectrum until the fan noise becomes really loud and annoying. Once you have found the spot where the fan noise is the most annoying, you can now cut these frequencies. Leave it at that spot and drop the curve into the minus range so it is actually cutting those frequencies right out. it is very important to have a skiiny Q (width) to the EQ curve because if it has a wide Q, you will start sucking the tone out of your recording. This technique has worked for my raspy vocals (again, I create a boost curve to find the frequency of the raspy-ness, then cut those frequencies to get smoother sounding vocals), but you should be careful to use this technique in moderation. Of course, IF you can eliminate the fan noise BEFORE recording, you will make your life a lot easier

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 18 Nov 2009 11:38 pm

Sometimes you can EQ them out with a notch filter, but I like to use noise gates too. Unless it's a really distracting noise, having it present while the music is going on will probably not be noticeable. Just let the gate keep things quite when there's not any playing/singing going on. You can also edit out the noise only parts of the tracks.

A totally clean room is not realistic anyway. When you listen to the recorded music, you have these noises going on. Unless it's really loud and offensive, I wouldn't worry a lot about it.

Bill Terry · Post by **Bill Terry** » 19 Nov 2009 2:55 pm

My G5 can get a bit noisy, and the fans are two-stage so that they kick in at a higher speed at some temperature. That said, I've recorded guitar amps literally 4 feet from the Mac without any problems, just pointed the amp at the Mac so the mic was 180 degrees relative to the noise source. No problems at all. Most dynamics reject pretty well that far off-axis.

I usually move vocal mics or acoustic mics to a different part of the room, a bit farther away, and haven't had any problems I couldn't deal with. Logic (and I'm sure most DAWs) has a gate plug that works pretty well. It sorta depends on the source material, but I've found it easier to use automation and mute/unmute or ride the gain to get rid of ambient stuff.

Tony Glassman · Post by **Tony Glassman** » 19 Nov 2009 4:05 pm

John McClung wrote:Hey Ed, the specs are amazing...BUT...

As I was doing some retouching on photos today, viewing on an old matte screen Apple Cinema LCD display, and even then still having to wiggle around to get glare and reflections off the areas I was retouching, I had to wonder how much more difficult and annoying that would be on a giant 27-inch shiny glass monitor!

For the sake of budget and computing power, guess I could build a little black curtain shroud around my workstation for retouching, hmmm...know of any good after-market way to add matte to a glossy screen?

http://www.techrestore.com/xcart/produc ... t=0&page=1

Edward Efira · Post by **Edward Efira** » 20 Nov 2009 10:04 am

First review in Macworld:
http://www.macworld.com/article/143970/ ... ss_reviews
Ed

Scott Henderson · Post by **Scott Henderson** » 29 Nov 2009 1:49 pm

So if I bought a G4 or G5 would I be ok?
I'm computer poor. Home, office, studio, road, etc