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Mac vs. PC
The age-old debate: Mac vs.
PC. A subject that has been debated as long and
hard (and usually by the same people) that also
debate whether Captain Kirk or Captain Piccard was
the best captain on Star Trek. Most of us in the
real world really don't care as long as the tool
gets the job done.
The short answer is this: both
systems have advantages and disadvantages. So get
what ever you are most comfortable or familiar with.
Read more about specific Mac and PC systems here:
Processor
The first thing that people
look at speed in terms of Megahertz (MHz), which
gives you some indication of how fast a processor
when you compare the same processor (i.e. Pentium
II 400 MHz vs. Pentium II 500 MHz). But using MHz
to compare different processors (Pentium II vs.
Pentium III) is like comparing Apples to Motorcycles.
The problem is compounded when you are comparing
Apple processors with Intel's. Megahertz just simply
doesn't mean much in terms of speed.
Some basic Windows Processor
Considerations
- Most audio programs have
been written to take specific advantage of the
Pentium processor. This will give you much better
performance than a Celeron or AMD chip.
- Although most products are
usually tested on AMD chips, many manufacturers
will only guarantee compatibility with Intel processors.
Although Athlon processors will give you the most
for your money, check with the manufacturer of
your hardware and software before making a purchase.
Some Basic Macintosh Processor
Considerations
- Programs
must be rewritten in order
to take advantage of the
dual processor G4. While
the major sequencing and
audio programs have been
(or will by the time you
read this), other programs
such as Notation programs
have not. In this case, a
faster single processor machine
is a better deal.
- Programs
also must be rewritten to
take advantage of the speed
increase of the G4 processor.
Again, many programs have,
but others have not. If the
program has not, you will
not see much of a speed increase
over using a G3 processor.
- For
more about the different
processors, see Which
Macintosh Should I Buy?
Memory
Short answer: you never have
enough.
The long answer is, the more
memory you have the more simultaneous tracks and
programs you can have open. When you are looking
at software that you would like to run, usually
they say things like "requires 64 MB of RAM." This
does not mean that the program will run on a computer
that has 64 MB of RAM installed. That system requirement
means the amount of free RAM. The Operating system
itself will take up a huge chunk of RAM, and if
you want to run more than one program, you need
free RAM for each.
Also, keep in mind that the
system requirements listed on most programs are
Minimums and often times written by the marketing
departments of companies, rather than the technical
people. Yes a program will run on what they state,
but for real-world use, as a general rule double
what they say for RAM.
Virtual Memory is something
that many people use on their computers to extend
the amount of RAM that a computer thinks it has.
For audio however, virtual memory simply isn't fast
enough,
At present look at getting
at least 128 MB of RAM just to get started, and
256 MB for a good basic system.
Hard drive
Short answer: you never have
enough (Sound familiar?)
The long answer: It depends
on what you are going to do. Certain music programs
do not take a lot of hard drive space for files.
If you are working with MIDI only, or notation,
then hard drive space is not necessarily an issue
for you.
Recording audio or working
with video however, takes much larger amounts of
storage space. For example, if you are recording
a 3 minute song with 10 mono tracks of CD quality
audio (16 bit/44.1 kHz), you would need approximately
150 MB of storage space. If you increase that to
high quality audio (24bit/96kHz), that same song
would take 510 MB of space. An album of 10 songs
at this high rate would take 5.1 GB of storage space.
Many people find the best
results by using multiple hard drives. The first
drive is used for the operating system and the programs.
The second hard drive is dedicated for audio files.
A good back up system is also
a good idea. Look into getting a Jaz drive, CD-RW,
tape, or other backup system.
Connectivity
At some point, if you are doing
music in any way with your computer, you are going
to need to connect something to it.
Things to look for are:
- PCI
card slots - For adding audio,
video, network or other cards,
the more PCI slots means
the more cards you can install.
- USB
- Most computers have it
now and it is a good choice
for MIDI.
- FireWire
- Although it promises to
be an important technology
in the future, only a handful
of music devices exist for
FireWire at this time.
- Serial
Ports - With USB and FireWire
becoming the standard for
most things on computers,
serial ports are finding
less and less importance.
Other Considerations
Laptop vs. Desktop
Unless you really need portability,
go with a desktop computer for doing music. Typical
desktop computers offer more expansion options at
a reduced price from their Laptop counterpoints.
However, the allure of taking
your computer on the road for music is great. Just
be aware that you will have a higher initial cost
for the computer and fewer connection options.
Pre-made or build your own
(PC Only)
There was a time when building
your own PC could save
you a lot of money. These
days, the cost differences
are not as great, but
you can still save some
money by buying components
and building it yourself.
Just be prepared to spend
some time downloading
drivers and configuring
system software.
However, building your own
PC does give you the opportunity to build a system
that conforms to your exacting specifications. So
if you want a system that is personalized for you,
this is a good way to go.
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