When you're right, you're right!

[SammyJames]

Hey guys:

I saw the thread below this one, which said something about "Mac Vs. Customized PC." I am going to agree with Artemio on this one -- I'm going to sell my PC (if anyone will BUY it) and buy a Mac.

After having played on three iMacs, I am sold. I played GarageBand VST-style instruments on each one, and each time, I was increasingly impressed. The last one really did it for me -- I played Bach and I found NO latency -- and the silly thing was playing through the damned "Stereo Out" jack on the back of the computer. It wasn't even using an external audio interface.

That is it. I'm going with a Mac. And I'm not looking back. And I'm hoping to purchase a MacBook Pro, which is the same thing as the iMac 20". I will probably try to get the extra Gig of RAM and a 7200 RPM drive, which will also improve the overall performance.

- Sammy

Sammy James has been approved for use by people who need approval.

http://www.sammyjames.com/music.htm

[Igglethorpe]

Oooh, another switcher. Glad you found the MACs. Not only do I appreciate the MAC on a musical level, but the ability to work with unix commands helps a great deal in other areas for me. I'm currently using my SH-201 as my audio interface and it is pretty smooth.

Regarding the 7200 drive, it may be a bit small for audio applications depending on what you are doing as they only offer a 100gb version. I currently have a Macbook (non pro) with 160gb hdd and 2 gigs of RAM. I'm real happy with it.

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Fantom X8 (2.10) 512MB
Fantom XR (2.02) 512MB
V-Synth XT (2.02)
SH-201

[Artemiy]

Sammy, congratulations on stepping on the right track! I am no Apple advertiser, but it's like with other things in your life... when you become happy you want to share it with everyone else, so why not.

And yes I still use only the built-in card and even with heavyweight synths I can barely notice any latency. This is just one other +1 point just as 2 clicks vs. 5 clicks. And you will notice such differences every day. BTW my sister got herself a Mac Mini two months ago, and this was a total revolution for her. She couldn't have believed everything could be so elegant in every way. E.g. when I dragged an image off Safari into a text document just like that I think she went crazy.

As for which one for you: MacBook Pro is not quite the same as iMac, the main difference is in screen size. The 15" MBP has the same amount of pixels as 17" iMac, and same goes for 17" MBP and 20" iMac (so the picture is smaller on the laptops but has the same amount of pixels, note this if you mind smaller text and buttons etc.). 17" MBP is quite costy if you add up an iMac-size hard drive. Plus you get a mouse and a full-size keyboard on the iMac, though no FireWire 800 and no PCI-E slot. But as to me 20" iMac with 2.16 GHz, 2 GB RAM and 250 GB HDD is quite a perfect machine.

Good luck!


Artemiy.

[riddimski]

Art

How about MacBooks?
Are they alright without audio interface too?
I'm curious as I'm thinkin about gettin one...
Great if I don't have to shell out another money to get an audio interface just to connect my Fantom.

But then how is it possible to connect?
I see there is only one audio input on the side of a MacBook. (another one is output)
There should be 2 audio ins to connect stereo signals directly, so...


nuff respect

[Artemiy]

riddimski:

MacBooks are great, the only difference compared to Pro models is mainly their thickness and screen size and quality, as well as stock video card, memory and hard drive size. For usual mortals MacBook is more than enough, heck, I am thinking to get one for my wife so she can finally leave my iMac alone when I need to work and she wants to browse the web

As for audio, you will be amazed. All Macs come with optical inputs and outputs (Fantom-S has optical/coaxial out, Fantom-X only has coaxial...), they are combined with stereo mini jack analog input and outputs. You will need a dual mono 1/4" jack to stereo mini jack cable to record your Fantom. The quality is more than decent, at least on par with a $100-200 interface.

[riddimski]

Thanx for the clear up !!


nuff respect

[SammyJames]

Yeah. And the MacBook Pro lets you connect an Apogee Symphony. I'm going to go either with that or with the MacBook black 2.0 GHz dual-core (really quad-core, I guess, since it is the Core 2 Duo or whatever). But whether I go with that one or with the Pro, I won't be able to afford the Apogee stuff yet.

Even if I COULD afford it, I would think long and hard before shelling out thousands of dollars for a system like that. It may have a 1.6 ms latency and all of that, but I get concerned when I think about the resale value on equipment like that. As soon as something better, bigger, and faster, you will have difficulty recouping your losses. I pity those who have invested in serious Pro Tools rigs, for instance, because these days I think that they have begun to get slaughtered by other companies.

A lot of guys out there have discovered that you can work without PT. That is a good thing, because I was seriously concerned about the Digi monopoly. This is a discussion for another thread, but the point is that there are WAY more options with Macs. This has changed only recently, because of the incredible depth and processing power afforded to Intel-Mac owners.

Sammy James has been approved for use by people who need approval.

http://www.sammyjames.com/music.htm

[thunderkyss]

Sammy, I hope you're happy with your decision.

Now you that you've got that out of the way, shut up, and make some music.

FantomX8
FantomS
AW4416
Now all I need is talent.
Anyone selling any talent??
member # 55
registered 21 May 2003

tundrkys98@yahoo.com Yahoo messenger: tundrkys98

[Igglethorpe]

I can attest that the MacBook (not pro) works just fine as an audio interface on its own. I downloaded the "Massive" synth that Art plays with and I pretty much had the same performance that he is seeing.

The specs for my Mac are listed above.

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Fantom X8 (2.10) 512MB
Fantom XR (2.02) 512MB
V-Synth XT (2.02)
SH-201

[Rodan]

Sammy,
Congratulations. One more moves over from the dark side. Here's a suggestion, if you go with the MacBook, get a second display to position right over the keyboard. It gives you a lot more screen for just a little more money.

-Rodan

[GregC]

what took you so long ?


GregC

[Artemiy]

what took you so long ?

Argh, love this phrase

[SammyJames]

Yeah. I know. It took me forever. It isn't like I didn't have my reasons...