iBook or G4 Powerbook, Which one to get? Options

[damann]

i regularly use about 30 vst plugins.
i certainly don't consider this to be a "crazy amount".
to me a crazy amount would be a small number, these things seriously enhance
your music!
on your budget the 700mhz ibook looks like the best purchase.
fundamentally, the point i'm making is that a year or two down the line you're likely to
want to get more complex and use the system for what it is, a virtual studio!
for the record, i don't use a desk, outboard fx or midi modules, logic is literally my studio!

[Catmixer]

I'm actually more concerned about VST instruments (don't know if you meant affects, etc or Like virtual MIDI controled inst, ESX24, ES1, etc)...I mean don't get me wrong, as I said I would like to put EQ/Comps/effects on every ch, but hi- I guese everything has a limit...Especially my budget!!!
I do appriciate your concern, though, and know exactly what you're talking about..You get a new macine, and find how much more it can do then your previouse one...and then, a couple of months and loads of experiment down the line, your processor can''t handle your experiments any more...but its like you said-you've got a prety much maximized G4 setup, and still you need more....its never gonna end!!!
But in any case-could you recomentd a light and cheap MIDI+Audio interface to suit this setup?
Peace

[Login]

I thought it was about the bus speed that determined which was better, does a refurbished titanium have a faster bus speed than a 600mhz ibook?

[mummy]

I think even the slowest of the current TiBooks or even 550 would be a much better option than an iBook for many reasons - mainly because Logic is optimized for Altivec, and also because the screen is bigger... Just add RAM so you have at least 512Mb.

The fact is you can't assign each track its own PlatinumVerb unless there's only a few running, but you can still run A LOT of plug-ins even with 24 tracks and quite a few VSTi's... Just remember to pptimize the system.

[damann]

the altivec and bus speed issues were two of my original points.
according to a macworld review, a 600mhz g4 will be 20% faster than a
600mhz g3. according to the same article ibooks are aimed at...
"most consumers' main activities of web browsing, email, word processing and light digital photography. those applications that require super-fast performance-pro-level video editing, music and multimedia-are better suited to the powerbook."
the system buss on a g4 powerbook is 133mhz on the latest machines, 100mhz on the older models.
the system buss on the new ibooks is 100mhz, 66mhz on the older models.
regarding interfaces. the emagic emi 2/6 for audio and mt4 for midi would be the smart choice if you're using logic.
if you want something combined, i've heard good things about swissonic.
hey mummy! the idea with reverbs is that you put one or two of them onto returns and buss tracks that you want reverb on to them, no need to put reverbs on track channels.
finally, in my count of 30 plugins, between 6 to 10 of these will be vsti's.
happy hunting.

[Catmixer]

Hi Dammann
Could you recomend a specific model of the swissonic? Will it still work well with Logic? I think one of my mates got one of those...
Dammit, you got me all hot on the Tbook again, I'm trying to find a refurbished one for cheaper, but the lowest price I found is $2100...still too much for my budjet...could you recomend a good website for refurbished Macs in the US?
Peace...

[damann]

hi Catmixer!
s^*t, i got it wrong with the swissonic stuff. no midi support!
the problem with the interfaces that handle audio and midi is that the midi implementation is only basic(1 in 1 out typical).
it seems that the m-audio(midiman) quattro is probably the best choice if you're counting the pennies!
the marian marc8 for pc users doubles the i/o of the quattro for the same price but in m-audios' favour, they've responded to criticism by updating all their drivers and generally tightening ship!
the reason i reccomended emi2/6 and mt4 is that these are obviously emagic products. considering recent apple/emagic developements and the fact that these devices are cheap AND offer great driver compatibility, it makes sense to "future proof" your investment.
on the subjct of g4. os10.2 is just around the corner, it will be the way forward for the macmusic community and to quote macworld again...
"promises to deliver a performance boost for all mac g4 users".
no mention of g3 of course.
i'm based in london but spend a lot of time in the states, how about recycler for your "refurbed" tibook?
refurbed as a term is misleading, 2nd hand is 2nd hand and a deal can be cut with an individual looking for quick cash much more succesfully than with a salesman working for a profit based organisation.
finally, i'm sorry to say, i just purchased a brand new 667mhz tibook.
it ROCKS.
osx and classic are way cool and g4 altivec is as good as it gets for now!
having said all this, i have friends who still make music on atari and mpc
kit. whatever works for you WORKS!
peace, catch you later, good luck(luck= labour under correct knowledge)...

[rikibacardi]

have a powerbook 667 titanium - most unreliable mac i ever bought.
had enough of it - considering selling up and going back to MPC's. imagine-sequencers that work ! no more error messages.

buy a desktop unless you have very specific needs - my other G4's (all desktops) are very reliable.

[evesapple]

I'm in the same boat. Trying to decide between 667 Powerbook, Superdrive iMac or the iBook.

I've pretty much ruled out the iBook. If the classic iMacs are discontinued as expected at Macworld, the iBook will be the only G3 in the Apple range. Heck, you might as well say it ALREADY is the only G3 in the range since the classic iMacs are not being updated anymore. I don't think you want to be in that minotiry.

I have a few beefs with the FP iMac too like it's loud, so I think I'm going to go for the Powerbook.

[filarion]

Superdrive iMac probably is the best bet. I own the 800 Mhz TiPb and it´s great for running a bunch of VSTi´s and effects, but only useful in an audio production environment if you get an external hd (which set me back an extra 450€ for a 120 gig LaCie).