New Mac User?, Newbie questions Options

[Kaumbo]

Hello there. I'm new here I'm considering to get a Mac (I think it works better for making music - and this is a question I'd like you to answer).
I am new in music production either.
Should I get a Mac? Is it better?
thanks

[Mac Daddy]

Kaumbo

{Frankly, I am very enthusiastic about making music and also to say I have lots of good (and really good) ideas.}

Grasshopper, "Chillax"... let your music speak for itself. What you hear in your "Head" may indeed be REALLY GOOD, hearing it in the Real World can be a humbling experience.

Why not wait until you actually get your gear and hear before saying: "Lots of good and REALLY GOOD ideas you have". When making such statements your music better be "REALLY GOOD".

Such words get an Ummmmmmmmmmmmm. Not a Om.

This post has been edited by Mac Daddy: Sat 1 Mar 2008, 10:25

[deaconblue]

Kaumbo,

I use a G5 DP2.0Ghz machine (as mortalengines stated, 'old by current standards') and it handles Logic 8 very well. If you can find one used (ebay or craigslist or Mac Music classifieds, etc.) it'd be a great first Mac for music production.

If you end up buying new, a Mac Pro will be your best choice for long term. Expandability being the primary concern.

For soundcards, qusp74 is correct, the Macs use a 'built in' sound card (audio interface) that is a part of the Main Logic Board, but I would recommend a USB or FireWire interface to get your audio in and out instead of relying on the AD converters on the Mac's audio interface.

MOTU, M-Audio (pre- Leopard drivers), Alesis, ... There are a lot of great choices. You can scan these very forums for a wealth of information on various interfaces and their pros and cons. I personally use a MOTU 828, an Alesis io|26 and an M-Audio USB Pre depending on the task at hand (the io|26 and USB Pre are my portable devices so I can capture in the field/live recordings).

If you buy a new Mac, it should come with iLife (GarageBand is the audio app in that suite) and will get you making music quickly. If you get a used Mac, iLife is ~ $79 and you get a lot for that price. Plus, if you are really going to be using Logic eventually, this gives you the ability to open up ANY GarageBand project in either Logic Express or Logic Pro/Studio by simply opening Logic and then selecting that existing project. All your loops, patches, etc. will transfer over.

You can get some decent monitors for around $350 from Musician's Friend. Powered is recommended since you won't need an external amplifier. Get a good set of closed back headphones if you plan on recording anything live (vocals, acoustic instruments, etc.) or you can get bleed into the mic from monitoring with open back headphones. If everything is going direct, then it doesn't really matter, but open backed phones will relive some of the SPL from your eardrums. (IMHO)

Good luck! Looking forward to checking out your Mac produced trax.

peace.

This post has been edited by deaconblue: Sat 1 Mar 2008, 16:32