Anyone Using Cubase Sx3 Happily On Mac? Options

[cruelc]

Hi there,

I'm thinking of moving from PC to MAC. I've been with PC since ATARI days, but always with accompanying frustration.

I currently use a Dell laptop with Cubase SX, Reason, Ableton Live, Midiman Ozone and Midisport 8x8 USB MIDI interface. I also have a Yamaha Motif ES6 synth and an AKAI DPS 24 HD recorder.

Anyhoo, each time I turn the computer on, it either does or does not recognise the USB interfaces so I realise that something needs to change.

Also, the ES6 is supposed to talk to the PC through USB and that's flaky too.

What I want to avoid is buying a Mac just to find I have the same problems.

Relatively few people on this forum talk fondly of Cubase, and some also talk badly of USB.

Does anyone have experience of any of the above equipment on the Mac platform, positive or negative?

I dont need huge processing muscle (maybe 8 audio and 10 midi tracks), and was contemplating a Mac mini to start with to see how I find it, or a laptop for portability.

But I also like the look of the imacs. Does anyone know if Cubase SX3 works OK on the new intel Imacs, even if it's not yet optimised?

From reading through many posts, performance and pricewise I might be best off with a second hand dual G5 tower. Would this accept a yamaha SW1000xg soundcard?

Appologies if I've asked too many questions, but I hope someone might have a system which has something in common with the above components, and can advise if it's satisfactory.

If you think it's the USB, can you recommend a Midi/Audio firewire alternative? I have a PCMCIA port on the laptop so could presumably get a PCMCIA to Firewire converter.

Many thanks in advance

Best Regards

Chris

[kabie]

Hi,
I've been using SX3 for a year now running on a G4 Quicksilver 933MHz with 10.4.8. Use Inspire 1394 audio and Midisport USB midi linked to a Roland KR570 piano. Lots of problems with the Roland interface - instruments not remembered or some on the KR570 not available. Have worked though most of the problems but hit serious problems with audio processing on an 11 track recording. Screen freezes, glitchy playback and lack of response to controls/ compression/ eq etc. Finding the whole business a serious block to what I laughingly call creativity, have just bitten the bullet and ordered a 24" Intel Core Duo 2 iMac with 2.13 GHz proc, 2GB Ram and faster Graphics card. Arbiter tell me that SX3 won't run at all on the Intel machines so am also waiting for a Cubase4 upgrade. Can't wait to try the new system but will be EXCEEDINGLY p'd off if it doesn't solve my problems.
Anyone any experience with this gear?