Newbie Needs Advice!, software/hardware setup can't decide Options

[mook noodler]

First of all, Hello! I've been looking around in here for about 3 hours now and I'm really impressed. This is one of the best forums I've been to and seems to be the most helpful. Now that my nose is well browned...

here's my situation: (and I don't mean to repeat other topics but there's so many that I'm overwhelmed!!!) I've been recording music for the past 3 years or so on a PC with Cakewalk and Cakewalk Sonar. I like Sonar, but I got so sick of PCs that I went and got myself a PowerMac dual1.25 G4 with OSX. Now I needs a new setup. I record guitar, bass, vocals, and keyboard and drum machine. I have a Midisport 4x4 for midi, but I'm definitely not a midi whiz. I also have several outboard effects (delay, compression, etc) that I like to use.

At first I leaned toward the Digi 001 cuz of all the I/O's, but this forum has me thinking Logic or Cubase, which leaves me pretty confused about a hardware interface. I don't think I need a mixer type thing (already have a mixer), but I'd like something with several I/O's for sending tracks to outboard effects, and I'd really like a breakout box. I just need basic plug-ins but would like to be able to add more later. Softsynths would be cool too.

Hope I didn't go over the top w/ details. Any advice/input would be greatly appreciated, and I thank you all in advance! PS: my price range is about $1200.

[manexmachina]

If you're interested mostly in audio editing the stuff you've recorded, consider protools very seriously.

As far as Logic or Cubase or DP. This is what I've found for myself and what I've found from research with other people who know the apps much better than I.

Logic - Logic is the end all tool - but I find that the peple who like it often are people who are nuts about the details and like or must work with the nitty gritty to customize something for their own studio or someone elses. It is more limitless, but with that comes a much reduced ease of use. It tends to be a tool for the people who really like tools. If I were a studio midi-tech, I'd be a logic fanatic.

Cubase - With the SX version, the interface no longer bothers me and I think the making of music in it to be much more simple compared to logic. I think they rush out the product at the expense of the details sometimes and being rough on the edges - but it's not the tool for the midi-tech God... The personality of the people who use it tend to be the garage musician - but the people who get a lot done too. Now, I was a ProTools user early on (version 1) and the attitude back then ("Screw all the big expensive equipment, we'll do it cheap!") is now the attitude of the cubase/nuendo users and no longer that of protools which has become the establishment, not the rebels.

DP - Very Mac. The interface is beautiful, but despite having a reputation for being protools like, I find cubase a lot more protools like mostly because DP has so many multiple windows. Now, the users of DP tend to be true musicians (not djs or midi techs) - Ironically, it has the least implemented score features. I'm not sure if the musicians like the pretty interface or the midi tools or the ease of use. I'm not sure I'd gamble on DP as being the most likely to be a surviving program in 5 years either. (Though you could argue that about any of these programs.) You rarely hear about people hating DP or frustrated with it - unless you're talkinga bout their slow upgrade process and taking a few versions to get it right. They have the new Mach5 which is very exciting - but that will work with any sequencer. They are rumored to have the best built in effects. But they're also rumored to have the most latency issues.

So, that's my collective impression of the different applications. I'd love to hear any further opinions. (No need to flame, just state your case - this is all in the name of research.)

For me? If I were choosing one platform? I think I'd probably go Cubase/Nuendo... but I still might change my mind and go DP... Logic I tried to warm up to, because I know it is probably the best program on many levels... but it just takes too much time to make things happen. Apple may change this and I may switch then... but for now, I want to make some music happen, not some programming. why not protools eventhough I'm an expert in that already? I'm too tired of upgrading every 2 years... nubus system 1 to nubus system 2 to pci 1 to pci version 2 etc... and it's always so expensive, I think Steinberg is doing what digidesign was doing in the early 90s. (BTW, digidesign was really unstable back then compared to now... the nature of a cheaper system.)

hope this helps.