scottytown

Tips/advice For First Steps In Osx?

Hello,

My new powerbook will be arriving very soon(!) and I'm new to OSX. I'm looking for insight and advice regarding first steps in setting up my machine for audio + midi. I know what software and hardware I will be using for recording and sequencing so no need to help me with those. I will most likely buy a MOTU micro-lite for midi purposes. Regarding audio, I hope to buy a 828mkII (or a QUATA-fire) and a firewire drive but I will have to wait several months before I can buy them. Software-wise I own and will need to install Live, Logic Audio, Absynth 2.0, some downlaoded vst and AU plugs, and I assume a driver for the MOTU interface.

Sooooooo... given a brand new virginal powerbook (15.2" 1 ghz 768 megs ram) and the hardware (just the midi interface for now) and software I mentioned... where do I begin? Tips or advice you can offer? Anything you learned later that would have made your life easier when you started out in OSX? Any special order I should follow in installing the things I mentioned? Any OSX apps that are useful for the OSX newbie? Partition or not to partition? (from what I gathered there's no big need to partition)? And what's this about different "users"? I'll be the only user of this laptop so should I not worry about creating different users? (I read somewhere people creating a user for themselves and one for "audio"... useful? or just asking for trouble?)

I'm TOTALLY new to OSX so I'm very nervous about making a wrong first step. Your wisdom and insight would be greatly appreciated! Please help me avoid the pitfalls.

many many thanks,
scotty