How Can I Combine The "fleet" For Music?, I got like 4 computers Options

[slowintrepid]

Ok I just bought a Mac and I love it (been a pc user since windows 3.1)
anyways the two things with computers I know the least about are Networks and Mac in genral. this is my question:

Ok, I have two PC's
1. Old PIII 500mhz with 384MB ram and a 20 Gig HDD
2.(just built this) AMD 64 with 1GB ram 20GB 10000RPM eide drive and a 80 gig 7200RPM sata.
and I have two macs
1. Powermac G5 1.8 (you know the rest of the specs I think)
2.Powerbook G4 1.** Ghz with 1 GM Ram and a firewire drive

I had to buy the Powerbook for school (Music college) so I also had to buy some software.

Pro-Tools M-box
Oxygen 8
Every NI suite
Reason 2.5
Toast and Jam
Finale and a bunch of other little things.

ANYWAYS!

the AMD and the Powerbook go to school with me (I live on campus but not now)

the G5 and the P3 are at home but all 4 are together now and when I'm not at school. I was sitting here think'n "wow I spent a ridiculous ammount on computers there has to be somthing I can do with them all.
my dilema is this though. they're all on my home network the macs have Air ports and one PC's is hardwired and the other is also wireless.

how can use all of these computers on a single project (and can I send midi data over a network directly into a program) basically I wan't to make my 4 computers act as one.

I am totally in the dark when it comes to macs and networks so ANY info would be greatly appreciated

Thanks alot
SIntrepid

[jmax]

If each computer has SPDIF, you can link multiple computers and share processing using System Link Cubase. You can run sequencing on one and effects on another, virtual instruments on another, etc.

[slowintrepid]

nah no spdif. I was thinking more like through my home LAN

[Nels]

Hey there,

The first thing you have to do is get the computers to talk to one another and you do that by setting up a network. If you have a fast internet connection and Airport installed, you could even connect all with a wireless router. Then through the shared folders(SHARING in system preferences) you can check file sharing and such. You could call apple support or write to them for detailed instructions. They might know better than I. You could also talk to someone at a Best Buy, MicroCenter, Comp USA etc. Some of those guys actually know what they're talking about.

Now, I would imagine that your computrs are at some distance from one another, thus making it hard to work on a project using all computers at the same time. Could it be that you might just need to hook up an extra display for a larger visual working enviroment? Or if the computers are closely situated, you could disconnect your desk top display(temporally) and connect it to your laptop when in musical, recording project mode.

Hope I've been helpful and good luck.

[slowintrepid]

Nah my display is plenty big enough (23" HD cinema) the macs have air ports and the PC's have one ethernet and one wireless all into my belkin router. my comps are too far apart (just like different rooms) but each comp has it's own "thing" that makes me want to usitize all of em.