PC vs Mac

tlalis · Feb 15, 2006

Hello All,
My questions are to do with audio and video editing. I am relatively new to the audio and video editing world and would like to advance to the next level. I have been using a pc with a soundforge program to edit and clean up my old audio recordings. All my audio recordings are from the 1950's to the 70's, and I would just play them into my pc and clean them up to best that I could. For video editting, I have only used windows movie maker to make short movies. I would like to make DVD's that I could use to teach with.

I plan to do video and audio recordings of our language conferences and would like the best hardware and software for these projects

I have been told that if I want to advance in the audio and video editting world that I would have to switch to Mac. I am open to this, but I just don't know the reasons. Could someone tell me the reasons why I should switch.

Are there things Mac can do that a reguler PC couldn't do?

Is the editting programs for Mac user friendly?

Would I get a cleaner product using a Mac?

Is the Mac more reliable?

Are the newer Mac's faster?

Please Help!

kaidomac · Feb 15, 2006

First of all, know that PCs will always be faster than Macs. PC processors and parts come out much faster than Apple releases their hardware. Second, know that that's not necessarily a big deal. Speed isn't everything, although the new Macs are pretty quick (quad-core 2.5ghz G5's and 2ghz dual-core Intels, for example). In my experience, audio editing is about the same on both platforms, but video editing is where the difference lies. Video editing, imo, is SO much better on a Mac. I've used a number of packages for both PC and Mac, including Movie Maker, Pinnacle Studio, Movie Maker, Final Cut Express, and Final Cut Pro. OS X handles video editing way, way better than Windows machines. Admittedly, I haven't used anything really high-end on the PC, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, so that's something to keep in mind. I have found, however, the editing programs for Macs to be very user-friendly, much more so than their PC counterparts. My new motto is "If you want to work, get a Mac; if you want to play, get a PC."

D3v1L80Y · Feb 15, 2006

kaidomac said:
First of all, know that PCs will always be faster than Macs.

NOT true. It all depends on the task and application at hand.

kaidomac · Feb 15, 2006

D3v1L80Y said:
NOT true. It all depends on the task and application at hand.

That's probably closer to the truth. PC hardware is upgraded so quickly though...how about dual 3.8ghz Xeons vs. a Quad G5? Or maybe a Quad Opteron? Factor in the latest ram, like pc2-8000, and all the other goodies that Windows users get first (hopefully that Mac users will get first soon, too!), and it seems like the x86 Windows/Linux world will always have an edge over our Macs.

zap2 · Feb 15, 2006

kaidomac said:
First of all, know that PCs will always be faster than Macs.

Can there been any other better way to turn people away from Mac(and this statment is NO WERE NEAR TRUE)
AS far as PPC Mac vs Intel PC, well a quad G5 is smoken most PC

And Duel Xeon runs hot, and HardWare is not the main thing for a Computer(it only helps when ur Doing A COmputer running the same OS)

Example
-A 100,000 Corvet with a 8 year old driveris going to lose to a 20,000 Ford with a 30 year old driver.

Maxed out Duel Xeon is 21K, i think a PM is 16K

init6 · Feb 15, 2006

And Duel Xeon runs hot, and HardWare is not the main thing for a Computer

Um, most computer hardware runs hot. That's not an indicator of performance. And yes, hardware is the "main thing" for computers. Apples ran so much better on hardware that was, spec-wise, inferior to the latest and greatest PC offerings for the simple fact that Apple engineers wrote a superlative operating system. The Intel switch is a double-edged sword, but I think in the long run it will pan out. Furthermore it has proven incredibly difficult to get true "head-to-head" figures for Mac vs. PC benchmarks for the simple fact that the two systems are so different. But software is almost never the bottleneck unless it's incredibly badly written (and no, Windows isn't that bad) - it's almost always a hardware issue.

Back on topic: If you're going to be doing audio and/or video editing, a Mac is definitely the way to go. You'll find yourself using Exposé constantly (press F9 while using a Mac) which is something you simply won't find on Windows. There are attempts at substitution but they literally require $400 videocards for what an iBook G3 does without a hitch.

The main thing is to spend some time with one. Unless you're a gamer, I can't see much reason to stick with a PC - OSX is that much better (and this from an old PC guy who's currently running nothing more than his iBook G4). :mac:

Discerptor · Feb 15, 2006

tlalis said:
Are there things Mac can do that a reguler PC couldn't do?

Nothing outside of some OS features like Expose (which I can guarantee you'll use A LOT) and spring-loaded folders. The displays tend to actually show the color you'll get on a printout much better too.

tlalis said:
Is the editting programs for Mac user friendly?

Very.

Would I get a cleaner product using a Mac?

You could get a cleaner product much more easily with some of the mac apps out there. I wouldn't say that there is no Windows app that can't do the editing bit as well as Apple's pro apps, but none offer that level of quality and that level of user-friendliness at the same time.

tlalis said:
Is the Mac more reliable?

Yes, or at least more reliable with no effort. You can get a Windows machine to be very reliable if you know what you're doing and get all the right software.

tlalis said:
Are the newer Mac's faster?

Laptops are the same as the top-end Windows laptops now and the Dual Dual-Core G5 is the fastest Workstation desktop available unless you're willing to build a Dual Dual-Core Opteron machine yourself. In the past, macs have been updated less frequently than Windows machines because of the limitations of relying on Motorola/IBM for the PowerPC chips, but with the switch to Intel we might see a change there. Already Apple has updated the processor speeds in their MacBook Pros, a month after they were released, so who knows.

tlalis said:
Please Help!

This is why I decided to actually answer all your questions in a clear manner rather than veer this off into a PC vs. mac hardware debate.

zap2 · Feb 15, 2006

init6 said:
Um, most computer hardware runs hot. That's not an indicator of performance.

And yes, hardware is the "main thing" for computers.

Agree with ur 1st statment, i was just putting it out there

HardWare is not the main thing, i(assume many others) would rather have a Mac Mini running OS X then a Duel Xeon running Windows 95

tlalis · Feb 15, 2006

Thanks Guys! You have given me some good insight. Now, a few more question about what kind of Mac I should get. ( what Model)

The recording will be in a big room and I want to be able to capture people making their statements without wearing a mic. And put out a quality DVD.

1. What kind of mic or mics will give me a good clean recording? (I like that saying: garbage in, garbage out)

2. What will I need to run 6 to 10 mics?
3. Can I record straight into the Mac?

4. What will I need to put out a good quality DVD, (not high production, but good guality)

5. What kind of digital video cameras, that put out good quality, are compatable with Mac.

I ask these questions because I would like to cut down on the editing time i.e. for audio, I would like to have a good, clear recording so I don't have to spend alot of time editing the hiss and the hum out.

Thanks for your help guys,

Jabjabs · Feb 16, 2006

1. What kind of mic or mics will give me a good clean recording? (I like that saying: garbage in, garbage out)

It basically depends on the actual mic it's self not the mac, they should all be compatible though so just go for what does the job best.

2. What will I need to run 6 to 10 mics?

You will need a mixer for this as no Mac (or PC for that matter) come with 10 inputs.

3. Can I record straight into the Mac?

Yes you can, ever Mac comes with an audio in plug except the mini but even then you can use a USB mic to record.

4. What will I need to put out a good quality DVD, (not high production, but good guality)

Well that depends on what your standards are, I mean some people would be more than happy with iDVD, and if you are using programs like Windows movies maker then you should be happy with the quality of this, other wise there are other apps out there that do produce better resaults.

5. What kind of digital video cameras, that put out good quality, are compatable with Mac.

I have tried at least 3 dozen video cameras ranging in capabilities and quality and I have not found one that isn't compatible yet.

Discerptor · Feb 16, 2006

Also, to clarify the software question, if you're looking for absolute cream of the crop quality, you'll probably be investing in Final Cut Studio:

http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/

Otherwise, you could stick with Logic pro or Final Cut Express:

http://www.apple.com/logicpro

http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress

And of course there are iMovie, iDVD, and Garageband, which all come with Mac OS X if you're not looking for too huge of an upgrade from Windows Movie Maker:

http://www.apple.com/ilife

quanz · Feb 16, 2006

zoom mic's

i take it you dont know a whole lot about video production sound and outputting to dvd, so you will be more than happy with final cut express and idvd

tlalis · Feb 16, 2006

Thanks guys for your help! I will purchase an IMac, but I am not sure what items I should get. Based on your experiences, can you throw some specific models of mics, video cameras, mixers at me so I can decide?

kaidomac · Feb 16, 2006

zap2 said:
Can there been any other better way to turn people away from Mac(and this statment is NO WERE NEAR TRUE)
AS far as PPC Mac vs Intel PC, well a quad G5 is smoken most PC

And Duel Xeon runs hot, and HardWare is not the main thing for a Computer(it only helps when ur Doing A COmputer running the same OS)

Example
-A 100,000 Corvet with a 8 year old driveris going to lose to a 20,000 Ford with a 30 year old driver.

Maxed out Duel Xeon is 21K, i think a PM is 16K

I just I should have been more specific and said faster in terms of speeds (clock speed, ram speed, etc.). And ROFL at your Corvette vs. Ford statement, that's great! I definately think that OS X is a better-written operating system (compared to Windows) and it runs better with lesser hardware requirements. I'm running OS X Tiger on my 450mhz Cube and it runs just fine, very snappy and quick. Let's see Windows XP try to run well on a 450mhz machine

kaidomac · Feb 16, 2006

Discerptor said:
Nothing outside of some OS features like Expose (which I can guarantee you'll use A LOT) and spring-loaded folders. The displays tend to actually show the color you'll get on a printout much better too.

Nah, you can get Expose on PCs too. Check out TopDesk:

http://www.otakusoftware.com/topdesk/

Does it Expose-style, as well as grid-style and 3D flip-through style. The 3D flip-through is pretty slick; it's a lot like CoverFlow for OS X (nifty iTunes app). TopDesk costs ten bucks tho

Even Dock emulators are available (check out ObjectDock, MobyDock, and YZDock for starters). OS X just runs them better imo.

applepissue · Feb 17, 2006

I think you can use either PC or Mac i suppose it comes down to what programs you want to use?

I know that Apple were like the only option for serious sound production 5 years ago, but that has changed and i think it is a old saying to say "if you want to be serious about sound you need a apple" As i read may 2 years ago alot of sound studios switched to the 64bit Opteron solutions.
One of the most high profile users of the opterons solutions are George Lucas for the latest star wars movies everything from the CG to the THX certified sound

You can use cubase SX, Adobe Audition, Cakewalk, acid pro, Reason 3, sound forge and many others, thats on the PC side, im sure some of those work on the Mac too.
We are just learning Logic Pro 7 at Uni i think this is a option too.

As far as speed goes it looks like Macs are going to keep upto date with the intel PCs as i think it will hurt them if they don't.

You can get the fastest core duo available on the mac now when at first the mac book pro only had a 1.8Ghz.
So the Mac will be as fast as any intel solution out there.

You said you want the BEST HARDWARE you can get?
i think software is just your taste as both PC and Mac have the software to do what you want.
But as far as hardware goes if you have a unlimited budget, you would have to go PC because there is alot more high end hardware out there for the PC.
the Mac best is Quad 2.7Ghz G5's with 16Gig RAM. with the PC your virtually only limit is your wallet as far as hardware goes
I mean 4x Dual core opterons (thats 8 cores) with 40 odd gig RAM the best Quadro Video card + a 1Gig DDR dual 7800GTX (all on the same workstation (2x 16 PCI-E you can mix cards dont have to be SLI))
with the Best M-Audio sound card (or other high end sound card) and all the best Racks and so on> and thats not even the best PC set up you can get.

Well you said the best? even though the Specs are getting silly? when you say the best do you mean the best money can buy??

init6 · Feb 17, 2006

Just because PC hardware is expensive doesn't mean it's geared toward AV production or optimized for that. For example, a gamer could dump a bunch of money on a dual- (or more) proc Xeon system and it's not going to run games that well. Software has to optimized for SMP, anyway, and Apple's software is (since so many of their machines are dual-proc).

You're getting silly, yes, but you're basically trying to put together a server configuration and then add SLI videocards to it and very high end sound cards. That's not a realistic situation. SLI is not for video editing, it's for gaming - he doesn't need that.

BoingoBongo · Feb 17, 2006

In all honesty, I think it's simply personal preference. Of course, since we're on a Mac forum, I'm guessing most of us prefer Macs. I'm pretty new to the Mac universe myself, but so far I love OSX way more than windows and my Intel iMac is way faster than my 3.06ghz Windows computer. Editing audio and movies on an iMac DV 5 years ago was easier than it is on my current Windows machine too.

On the other hand, I can understand how some people are more comfortable with Windows. Personally, I think you'll be more than satisfied with a Mac, but you should probably test out different computers for yourself. Go play with some Windows computers that are set up for editing, and then play with some Macs and see which one you feel more comfortable with.

Of course, if I had to make the decision, I'd go Mac.

applepissue · Feb 17, 2006

init6 said:
Just because PC hardware is expensive doesn't mean it's geared toward AV production or optimized for that. For example, a gamer could dump a bunch of money on a dual- (or more) proc Xeon system and it's not going to run games that well. Software has to optimized for SMP, anyway, and Apple's software is (since so many of their machines are dual-proc).

You're getting silly, yes, but you're basically trying to put together a server configuration and then add SLI videocards to it and very high end sound cards. That's not a realistic situation. SLI is not for video editing, it's for gaming - he doesn't need that.

I dont want to get into a PC Vs Mac debate.

However i will correct you on a few things.
You can gear a PC workstation setup towards AV production and optimize it for that. All the programs I mentioned are mostly optimized for that (i know reason, Cakewalk and Audition certainly are) and so is the hardware using a high end sound card and 4x dual core Opterons is faster then anything Apple can offer, a opteron solution is well made for Video AV, or any kind of Multimedia proccesing, Opterons will stream, encode, decode multiple streams of Audio faster then anything on the planet.

AS for Dual Proccessor Machines on a SLI set up.
A Dual opteron( one CPU for Each PCI-E x16 Bus) with SLI is the only true way you can get the full bandwidth from a SLI Setup (2x Pci-e x16) A single CPU machine or even a Dual core single CPU machine can not get the full a bandwidth as both Pci-e x16 data buses have to bottle neck into the Same CPU and Memory Bus.
But of course there in no game in existance that can take full advantage of just the Single bus speed of just one PCI-E 16 Slot never mind two.

The 4x Dual core Opteron was not a server configuration(If he needs a server foe recording high volumes of high bit music, best otpion is opteron also) it was a workstation, Servers dont have PCI-E x16 single.
I never Added a SLI set up to the system I proposed i said 1x the best Quadro card ( for Cad) and 1x a Dual 1GB dual 7800GTX (you can buy a Dual CPU Video Cards. 2x 7800Gtx GPUs on the one card with 1 gig memory)
So if you really want to get silly you can have 2x 1GB dual 7800GtX In SLI.
So that 2 Gig of video RAM and 4 7800GTX GPUs.
This setup will much benifit from Dual Opteron CPUs and 1 CPU wont handle that kind of setup.

Yes i relise he did not need this for sound production but as he "was getting the Best" i just added it in to make up the whole Computer.

In one of the video's I seen, The guy that switched from Apple to AMD said he was not limited by the computer anymore.

Im not trying to start a bumfight, but the guy asked what would be better if he can get the BEST HARDWARE>>

Im not baggin Macs but its true that you have always been able to get more highend gear and faster PC's then Mac.

But i believe unless this guy is Making M&Ms next Album or sound engineering
George lucas's next movie, i think the Mac is a great option.

Discerptor · Feb 17, 2006

applepissue said:
I dont want to get into a PC Vs Mac debate.

However i will correct you on a few things.
You can gear a PC workstation setup towards AV production and optimize it for that. All the programs I mentioned are mostly optimized for that (i know reason, Cakewalk and Audition certainly are) and so is the hardware using a high end sound card and 4x dual core Opterons is faster then anything Apple can offer, a opteron solution is well made for Video AV, or any kind of Multimedia proccesing, Opterons will stream, encode, decode multiple streams of Audio faster then anything on the planet.

AS for Dual Proccessor Machines on a SLI set up.
A Dual opteron( one CPU for Each PCI-E x16 Bus) with SLI is the only true way you can get the full bandwidth from a SLI Setup (2x Pci-e x16) A single CPU machine or even a Dual core single CPU machine can not get the full a bandwidth as both Pci-e x16 data buses have to bottle neck into the Same CPU and Memory Bus.
But of course there in no game in existance that can take full advantage of just the Single bus speed of just one PCI-E 16 Slot never mind two.

The 4x Dual core Opteron was not a server configuration(If he needs a server foe recording high volumes of high bit music, best otpion is opteron also) it was a workstation, Servers dont have PCI-E x16 single.
I never Added a SLI set up to the system I proposed i said 1x the best Quadro card ( for Cad) and 1x a Dual 1GB dual 7800GTX (you can buy a Dual CPU Video Cards. 2x 7800Gtx GPUs on the one card with 1 gig memory)
So if you really want to get silly you can have 2x 1GB dual 7800GtX In SLI.
So that 2 Gig of video RAM and 4 7800GTX GPUs.
This setup will much benifit from Dual Opteron CPUs and 1 CPU wont handle that kind of setup.

Yes i relise he did not need this for sound production but as he "was getting the Best" i just added it in to make up the whole Computer.

In one of the video's I seen, The guy that switched from Apple to AMD said he was not limited by the computer anymore.

Im not trying to start a bumfight, but the guy asked what would be better if he can get the BEST HARDWARE>>

Im not baggin Macs but its true that you have always been able to get more highend gear and faster PC's then Mac.

But i believe unless this guy is Making M&Ms next Album or sound engineering
George lucas's next movie, i think the Mac is a great option.

You'd have to BUILD that stuff yourself or have it custom-made, you realize, and getting that kind of gear will actually make the Mac a far more cost-effective option (as odd as that usually sounds) that gives much more bang for the buck (and you could link up multiple Power Macs an give a whole other meaning to multitasking if you want to go into the price range you're talking about like most hardcore professional studios do, which is already overkill). In addition, there is no software for Windows that comes close to touching the combination of both usability and power offered by Final Cut Pro. And seeing as how the good majority of creative professionals use Macs for video editing and so forth, I don't see how you're treating the Mac as merely a good second option. I'd suggest you actually learn more about this stuff before you call the Mac a poor man's video editing machine. Finally, no, he was not asking how he could get the best hardware alone. In fact that was only one of his questions if you'll actually read what he said.

PC vs Mac

tlalis

Guest

kaidomac

D3v1L80Y

kaidomac

zap2

Guest

init6

Guest

Discerptor

zap2

Guest

tlalis

Guest

Jabjabs

Discerptor

quanz

Guest

tlalis

Guest

kaidomac

kaidomac

applepissue

init6

Guest

BoingoBongo

Guest

applepissue

Discerptor

Shop Amazon