Almost Ready To Buy First Interface And Software, newbie questions Options

[Rodrigo Ramos]

Hello everybody,

Alright here is where i am at, i have a Mac G4 powerbook and a 1000 dollars to invest in my first interface and software (aaah!) Like several other writers i have been contemplating between:
digidesign mbox with PTLE vs. MOTU ultralite with logic express.

I want to record mostly acoustic instruments (saxophone, elec and acoustic guitars etc.) but i also want to do field recordings (animals and machines) and i am certain that at some point i will work with midi. I am inspired by the work of brian eno, nigel goodrich (radiohead, beck) jim orourke and john mcentire.

Although i am looking towards doing mainly audio recordings i feel like MOTU/logic is more advantageous - 1) both are particularly MAC oriented, 2)both seem to be more flexible in working with other programs 3) tech support for both sounds more favorable- interestingly i have only found one complaint against Logic/MAC (hahaworld from last november) but i have seen much more complaints about digidesign and PTLE tech support. . . me being a newbie this is important. 4) reviews seem more positive about MOTU preamps than the digi mbox 5) MOTU has more analog i/o than the digi mbox.
Does my reasoning make sense?

question #1 can my MAC G4(OSX) handle logic express? i only have 512 MB and i read Lepetitmartien saying that 768 MB is not enough ( LPM, if you are reading this what were you refering to?)

question #2 i am living in spain (canary islands) and retailers/ distributors in the US dont ship overseas, does anyone know any reliable retailers in Europe ( U.K. will be too expensive!)

question #3 if i buy the MOTU interface in europe, will it be rated to work only with european voltage? or can it function in the states also?

thank you,

rodrigo ramos

[hahaworld]

Hello, Mr. Ramos!

HaHaWorld here. Yes, you heard me complain about Logic on my desktop computer, but you haven't heard me sing its praises on my laptop. I have a 2003 G4 Powerbook that absolutely screams with Logic, and leaves my worthless 2006 G5 Quad desktop in the dust. I gave up on ProTools about 4 years ago when I started learning Logic, and I've never looked back. I use a PreSonus Firebox and a PreSonus Firepod on the road for an audio/MIDI interface, and they are both great. I have had troubles with the Firebox, but PreSonus has the best customer support of just about any company I've dealt with. So, I swear by PreSonus, and I haven't had any serious problems since they replaced my defective Firebox.

Logic is wonderful for recording live instruments once you get used to the interface. Now, there is definitely a steeper learning curve with Logic than with ProTools, but in the long run I predict you'll find that Logic plays well with others while ProTools always threatens to quit the game and take his ball home with him. I have not had very many good things to say about DigiDesign tech support in the past, but you know, a lot of times it's just about who you talk to. Sometimes you get a real pain in the ______ on the tech support line who doesn't really represent the whole company. Maybe they just had a bad slice of bacon for breakfast or something. Who knows?

Anyway, I have no experience with the MOTU interfaces, but I read good things. I think your G4 will definitely handle Logic Express, as I run Logic Pro on mine without a hitch. As a matter of fact, I scored a whole movie on my laptop last year, and it kept up with me. Sure, I had to freeze a track here and there to lighten the CPU load, but doesn't everyone?

I do agree that you need as much RAM as that puppy will hold, however. RAM is not that expensive these days, and you should definitely max out your G4 to 2G. And don't fall for Apple's line that you have to buy Apple-approved RAM. That's a crock. Apple-approved RAM is more expensive, and that's the only difference. I've been using generic RAM in my Macs since 1998, and everything seems to be okay (except on my crappy new G5 desktop Quad which is still slower than Christmas).

You go with your G4 laptop and find out how much like Christmas Logic can be when it's working great.

HaHaWorld