Pro Tools LE, use a PC or a Mac?

October 25, 2005 8:22 PM

Home Studio Recording - My friend is looking into building a home studio and basing it around the ProTools LE Digi002 control surface. Should he go PC or Mac?

I've worked with both PCs and Macs, but when it comes to audio recording I don't know which way is better. For those of you who have experiance, could you fill me in on the pros and cons of each system when dealing specifically with audio recording? Are what audio interface is best for each platform?

posted by monsta coty scott to computers & internet (13 comments total)

I couldn't tell you specifics, but all of the professionals I've worked with prefer Macs.
posted by ludwig_van at 8:23 PM on October 25, 2005

I know plenty of people in the film music business in Hollywood: ALL are on Macs. No contest.
posted by Edward King at 8:43 PM on October 25, 2005

Mac. No question.

Is this friend set on ProTools?

I use Cubase SX3 with the MOTU 896 Firewire audio interface and the mic preamps on the MOTU kick all kinds of butt over the pres on the Digi.

I was considering switching from a PC-based Cubase system to a Mac based ProTools setup but then I read some in depth reviews and decided to stick with Cubase.

But then, if your friend wants to learn ProTools because 'everyone else' uses it, then more power to him. In this case, I advise him to investigate better mic pres.

Also, if he wants to take advantage of all the nifty plug ins, he'll be wanting to get a screaming fast machine. There are those nifty new quad-processor G5's out on the market. I'm pining for one of those real bad. :)
posted by Rubber Soul at 10:38 PM on October 25, 2005

Just to offer the other side of the coin, I use Nuendo on a PC and I compose music for my living. If anyone says "Mac, no question" then they're wrong - there is a question.

In fact, there's more of a question now than there was a couple of years ago. Macs and PCs are becoming more similar in terms of price/performance and configurability. In terms of being able to do what you want, both a Mac and a PC setup will fulfill your requirements.

But while Macs are proportionately better represented for music and visual arts software and hardware than they (still) are in other fields, it is still undeniable that some products are still released (at least initially) in for PCs.

If the cutting edge isn't so important to you, and you want what the majority of studios use, then yes, get a Mac and ProTools. But don't be fooled any more - ProTools, with its proprietary hardware, isn't the leap ahead of all the other DAWs it once was - native processing has improved so much recently that the difference in power between my Nuendo system running on an overclocked P4 and some of my colleagues ProTools systems from a couple of years back on G4s is negligible - but I can follow any upgrade path I choose whereas they're still tied into ProTools/RTAS/TDM.
posted by benzo8 at 11:04 PM on October 25, 2005

Mac. Then get the fuck off of Pro Tools to Logic Audio.

Handles everything I throw at it, optomized for Mac, Logic is sweetness. I use it with an outdated Roland Control Surface, so I don't "mix by mouse." Tactile control ( with some envelope drawing) is very desirable.

Full discaimer: I use the last version of Logic for PC with the same control surface.

It just rocks much harder on the Mac.
posted by sourwookie at 12:24 AM on October 26, 2005

If your friend already knows ProTools cold, he'll probably be quite happy with the 002. It's a solid product that does what it claims it will do with reasonable aplomb.

Personally I'd rather a JL Sweetwater or Mackie control surface, MOTU I/O and Logic, but that's just me.

I wouldn't consider using anything other than Mac for audio (though I admit it is possible). CoreAudio is vastly superior to the Windows native audio infrastructure in XP, and there's not exactly a lack of applications or hardware support. The PC is the secondary platform, when it comes to pro audio.
posted by I Love Tacos at 12:39 AM on October 26, 2005

Disenginuity abounds:

1. sourwookie writes "Full discaimer: I use the last version of Logic for PC with the same control surface. ... It just rocks much harder on the Mac."

The last version of Logic for PC was three versions ago, before EMagic was bought by Apple. Comparing the last PC Logic and Apple's Logic is like comparing oranges and, oh, um, Apples...

2. I Love Tacos writes "CoreAudio is vastly superior to the Windows native audio infrastructure in XP, and there's not exactly a lack of applications or hardware support."

I'm not 100% sure what ILT is referring to when he says Windows native audio infrastructure, but by using the word "native" I can only imagine he's talking about WDM, which is inferior to CoreAudio, most certainly. But both CoreAudio on the Mac and WDM in XP are inferior to ASIO, which ILT failed to mention at all. ASIO isn't "native" (as in part of XP) but is a standard developed by Steinberg, is rock-solid (in my experience) and allows exceptionally low latencies while supporting (and being supported by) an exceedingly large array of hardware and software.

Any question that asks "Mac or PC?" is going to get the zealots out, and Mac zealots tend to be more vociferous than PC ones - it's a shame they're also less honest when they make their comparisons...
posted by benzo8 at 1:47 AM on October 26, 2005

Yay benzo8.
posted by dydecker at 4:15 AM on October 26, 2005

Use which ever platform you're most comfortable trouble shooting on. Once you hook up a boat load of external gear you will inevitably have problems.
I use a Mac, but it's never been exactly "trouble free". OS9 had lots of problems. OSX 10.1-10.2, sucked for external gear support. Now it's great, but I'm sure ther'll be more trouble down the road somewhere
posted by doctor_negative at 6:25 AM on October 26, 2005

ah, the Mac's VS. PC question.

It's a non question now. They are so similar in terms of price to performance ratio that it shouldn't even be an issue to musicians anymore other then comfort level. Tell your friend to pick whatever platform they are most comfortable with. Audio software is maddening enough without having to learn an entire new OS.


That said, I've had more trouble with apples in a studio environment then with my home studio PC's.

Now, music is soo not about the tools anymore, it's about learning how to use the tools. So pick your tools and run with them, stay off the upgrade path -- most of the time it's not really worth it.
posted by bigmusic at 6:47 AM on October 26, 2005

i've been considering mac vs pc for a while, and the fact that PC boosters will actually explain why they like PCs while Mac people will just say "Mac is Mac because Mac Mac Mac" makes me lean more and more toward PCs because it confirms my suspicion that Mac is actually a flippin' cult. A cult of people who love their computers and love doing stuff on them, and have no clue how they actually work.

Notice that monsta said "fill me in on the pros and cons of each system," not "whoever repeats the name of their favoured system with no explanation the most wins."

Ima get a PC just so I don't have to deal with Mac people. Jeezus.
posted by poweredbybeard at 10:21 AM on October 26, 2005

I have a mac and PC, both of which I use to compose and record music on an amateur level. It was music that actually made me "switch" to mac (I wanted to be able to run MAX/MSP, which wasn't out at the time, and also have a solid portable platform for playing live). The G4 powerbook hooks up seamlessly to my MOTU 828 (which has problems consistently getting initialized on my PC) and I've had it crash on me very rarely (mostly when using booty plugins).

That said, i get WAAAAAY more work done on a PC, particularly when I'm running multiple programs (say a sequencer and a wave editor). This is because I'm used to PCs, and so my workflow is much, much faster. When I bought a mac, new audio programs/plugins seemed to come out for the mac first, and then get released to the PC -- now, for at least some applications, that seems reversed (I'm thinking of Ableton in particular here).

Your friend should buy whatever platform he is most comfortable with. If money is no object and he isn't familar with computers, I'd go macintosh -- if he needs to save some cash, or buy piecemeal rather than all at once, I'd go PC.

PC:

Pros:
Probably cheaper (TCO may vary depending on your skill level, where you buy it, Mac folks claiming that your computer speed isn't equivalent, etc etc).
Bigger market in general (leads to more software releases, though not necessarily professional/specialty releases)
Cheap to upgrade incrementally

Cons:
PCs are getting better at this, but they don't always "just work" with hardware sorts of things like mac does. This is mostly because they are often built out of all sorts of crazy patched together hardware. If you buy a pre-built (with firewire! you'll want firewire!) this probably will be less of a problem
Some high end pro stuff probably won't come out, due to the concentration of high-end type pros in the mac market
Supposedly, harder to learn how to use.

Mac:

Pros:
Usually you can just plug in stuff and it works
Seem generally more stable than most PCs.
Big audio community
Supposedly, easier to learn how to use.

Cons:
Often real hard to troubleshoot if something fails hard. Usually if that happens you'll have people tell you "oh, rebuild the desktop", or "oh, uh, hold down ctrl and click on the pi symbol". If something goes wrong on the mac, it goes wrong pretty bad.
Expense (again, TCO might be less, who knows?).

That's my half-assed, indefensible* list.

* it's all IMO -- i'm not gonna get in a dick-swinging contest with someone over mac vs pc, cause i'm not particularly interested in comparing the two beyond what my experience has been with them.
posted by fishfucker at 11:32 AM on October 26, 2005

Back in the tape days, if you cut your teeth on one system your skills would work on pretty much any system out there. With DAW's your skills will be specific to the system on which your working, that goes for OS's and software packages. If you switch either, you face a new learning curve. Keep that in mind when interpreting advice, especially mine. Get a mac and use Digital Performer.
posted by Eothele at 12:45 PM on October 26, 2005