computer choice

i would like to purchase a mac to do some VERY serious music recording. my guess is to attack the new Mac Pro G-5 Quad. i know a producer, he told me he can float me programs: ProTools & Logic, but he runs a G-4, i'm not very familiar with macs, will that software work on the G5 Quad?, is there a license per machine? can i get around it?

obviously, the tower is much faster, has anyone purchases a new machine from apple.com? w/ a few more bells and whistles than the 1GB that it comes with? i'm thinking, i'm def going to need at least 2 to 3 GB right? base is $2499, but i'm sure with all the cute fun that mac can throw in there, we're talking about $3K right?

is all this power really needed, could i get away with a MacBook? portability isn't really needed, as i would be setting up a studio in my house.

don't mean to rant, but there are so many questions, i really just need some good solid advice on what i'm up against. if you can, PLEASE HELP!!! thank you.

For most who really think that they need extreme power (they did in the Windows world) a mid-of-the-line Mac would work fine. Perhaps you should take a look at the 24 inch iMac. The Mac Pro is made for professionals, and if you plan on using this machine as your job and you depend on it for speed, then I would of course recommend the Mac Pro. All Mac Pros are Intel-based, and every model is quad core. I'd recommend 2gb of RAM, once you go past that level it becomes less noticeable for applications today. RAM-wise, just make sure your sticks are paired.

pierre, thx for the response, maybe you can help me further. i checked out the 24" iMac like you said, but i think i'm looking for what the MacPro has to offer. i'm a serious musician, and i'm looking to record atleast 4 albums, the price difference from the iMac is only a few hundred bucks, and i'd hate to sit there and deal with it for that sake.

do you currently record music on your MacBook? if so, what kind of recording are you doing on it? i'm looking to go full spectrum here, wanna do it right ya know? any info on software compatibility between different Macs that you might have some knowledge of? thx man.

Currently, I do not do any editing on my Mac. I do graphic design. The Mac Pro will be great for any high-end Apple applications, like Final Cut Pro and Logic. I did, however, find a list of music-editing/recording software here. I'm not sure what you mean about software compatibility between different Macs, but like I said, the Mac Pro will run any of these Mac (or Windows) applications.

pierre, wow. that link is great. thx a lot.

aonello3 said:

pierre, wow. that link is great. thx a lot.

Click to expand...

No problem. Thank Google.

the biggest question is what kind of music will you be recording? full band, electronic, singer song writer stuff?

with those questions in mind, id be picking a program to be working with. typically, pro tools is the way to go with a full band, logic or reason with the electronic stuff, etc.

also, keep in mind, you are going to need an interface. with a pro tools setup, you are restricted to pro tools interfaces, with logic/reason you can work with many third party interfaces. if you are serious about getting a studio going, a $3K computer is one of the cheaper things you are gonna have to invest in. preamps, mics, and plugins can be terriblyyyyyyy expensive when you are wanting a professional sound.

im doing recording on both my 17 inch intel imac and 13 inch macbook. both work well with my pro tools and logic setup. im using a m audio 1814 interface, and an 8 channel preamp. i havent pumped a ton of money into this setup, and im getting a great sound.

I dont but my friend borrows my MacBook Pro to record sometimes with garage band and another progam I cant remember the name of. The pro does it fine and produces a good sound. But he uses all these majic boxes I dont really understand. He normally does it with a windows machine. But for the final product he uses my mac as he says the sound and programs are soo much smoother.