Mac Vs. PC for your DAW??

Hello all, I was at a "Pro" studio a few days ago speaking with the studio owner. He's been in the business for many years, so I spent some time picking his brain about gear and techniques, etc, etc... When I started talking about the rig that I use at home, a PC, Sonar based rig, he told me that I should get rid of my current setup, and buy a Mac based Pro tools system. While I understand that he's been using that particular setup for years, and he's very familiar and comfortable with it, it made me question how I chose the gear I did. I went with a PC because I've built many PC's, they're cheap compared to a Mac, easy to upgrade, and maybe it's just me, but I can't hear a difference between music made on a PC vs. a Mac. So, why is a Mac "better"? As for the DAW, I have Pro Tools 8, and 9. My opinion is that unless you have a $10,000+ Pro Tools HD rig, (which I don't) Sonar is a much better, more flexible, and easier to use DAW. I tried to like Pro Tools as I wanted to be familiar with the "industry standard" but I just don't like it. So, I didn't by PT 10. Also, AVID strikes me as somewhat money grubbing.... So I'm wondering what people think when it comes to Mac Vs. PC in the recording world. Which is better? Why? Same with their DAWs. What do you think of PT as the industry standard? Would Sonar make a better industry standard? Ryan

Macs and PT both go to 11

Go Atari

People make the mistake of thinking they need to choose the platform first but this is not the case. You choose the software program you want to use first. Then choose the patform to go with it. If it is a program that runs on both, then you have a choice. But some programs eg Logic dictate the platform so you have to go with that. eg If it's Sonar then you have to go PC etc...

VAX/VMS FTW!!!!!

To me both are just as good as each other. They do things differently, yes, but that is just it...difference does not equal better than/worse than....

strikinglyhandsome1


If Mozart was alive today he'd be using a Mac and be wearing a USB wig.

LOL

My PC Audio Labe DAW never gets in the way of my creativity. Ever. I turn it on and inside of 20-30 seconds I'm on the desktop, launching SONAR, and setting up a project.

The idea that PCs, 'get in the way', or, 'are not creative' is outdated, IMHO. A well built and well tuned (which is not hard to do) Win7 x64 PC is a rock solid DAW, IMHO.

SP

Mac Pro has NOT been updated since July 2010.

The Windows PC" not as good" rubbish is OLD NEWS since W7 x64 SP1 and Sandy Bridge.

Just a slight off-topic, if you don't mind. Seth, how quiet are the HP Z800 machines? I'm talking about fan and HDD noise. One of the things I like to do with a PC is mod it with quieter components but anything with custom components makes it more difficult.

Seth Perlstein [Cakewalk
]

bobguitkillerleft


Mac Pro has NOT been updated since July 2010.

The Windows PC" not as good" rubbish is OLD NEWS since W7 x64 SP1 and Sandy Bridge.

Dual-socket Sandy Bridge is a revelation for music making. I did a demo on NAMM on an HP Z800 with that inside and my project was 25 tracks, 12 busses, 12 soft synths, 67 ProChannel modules, and 17 additional VST plugins. The system was using an OctaCapture at 44.1khz with a 64 sample/ 1.1ms Input Latency and the 24 cores sat at 10-12%.


Pretty awesome, IMHO.


SP

So Seth,that would have been a "Dual 6 core" Xeon [24 virtual cores]?

Just wait until Daw builders go for the Dual 8 core Xeons[32 virtual cores],Scott from ADK tested ONE on a single socket board,and it was able to use DOUBLE the amount of plugins than a stock i7 2600k[which is already more than powerfull enough]

My Cooler Master "Silenco 550" case is super quiet as it has foam "silencing" on both sides, front,and underneath,it also runs under 35c at 70 -90% load overclocked,with just a 30 dollar cpu cooler.

My question is if you can only make music on a mac with pro tools and or logic why does Sonar still exist? Why does Cubase, Samplitude, Studio One and various others still exist. Companies are in business to make money and I am sure if no one was buying Sonar it would have went away by now. Even Digital Performer is coming to windows. Personally I have written tons of songs on my windows computers. I have mastered hundreds of projects and never have I felt the need to "go mac" or "go pro tools". These topics really get under my skin. 

The most stable system I have earned honestly is an iMac with OS 10.6.8 and Bootcamp with Sonar X1 expanded latest update installed. I believe I have found the Holy Grail. No kidding.

The most stable system I have earned honestly is an iMac with OS 10.6.8 and Bootcamp with Sonar X1 expanded latest update installed. I believe I have found the Holy Grail. No kidding.

Cooler Master Silenco 550 i7 2600K @ 4.5 GHz Zalman CNPS5X cooler GA-Z68XP-UD3[rev.1]  Powercolor 6770[two24"mon.] 16GB RAM,W7Prox64,2x1TB Seagate Barracuda

Facepalm. I use a computer. A Mac.

I play a Les Paul not a custom two-piece maple top attached with ultra-strong Franklin Titebond 50 glue to a non-chambered mahogany body equipped with vintage Kluson-style tuners with pearloid tulip buttons. 

It's not my job to worry about the merits of Titebond 50 - I'll leave that to the factory employees, me I have music to write. They do their job, I do mine, and as long as the glue works and the guitar sounds good, I'll not argue about its merits over those of the new Titebond 50 HV, even if the HV is 3 to 5 times thicker.


Agreed that the PT on Mac paradigm is becoming a thing of the past - there's many alternatives. 

As for Apple dropping the Mac Pro... I don't get this. People really think that Apple will give up on professional computers? 

I think Jeff nailed it really; the question should start with what you actually want to do and how you want to do it, and then make your decision. Neither one is inherently better than the other.