New To Mac What's Better?, Cubase sx or logic pro Options

[swilder]

Stress test update.

Started the stress test today:

15" powerbook
867 MHz powerPC G4
512 MB RAM

OS X 10.2.8

ADCOM Firewire Drive

Cubase SX 2

24 simultaneous audio tracks so far without breaking a sweat.

Also used two TC Reverbs as send effects

and a handful of Compressors and Limiters as inserts

Hear it here: http://homepage.mac.com/scott_h_wilder/world2.mp3

This post has been edited by swilder: Wed 1 Sep 2004, 01:27

[swilder]

I'll add more tracks tomorrow to try to max out the drive

Maybe even a few soft synths. (Those will max out the cpu fast)

[gdoubleyou]

1GHz 12inch Powerbook Logic Audio

32 audio tracks channel eq, 10 tracks with compression,16 frozen audio instruments CPU=40% HD=20%

SX2 10 tracks sx dynamics, pops, clicks at all buffer settings CPU=80%

[swilder]

gdoubleyou,

Are you using an external drive or the internal hard drive?

[professorpious]

hey thanks for all the opinions much appreciated. So all this talk from swilder about external hard drives makes me have to ask.
My Pbook only has the 1 firewire port being that its the 12" model. I'm useing it now for my audio interface. If an external harddrive is on the same bus (via a firewire hub i guess) will I see improvement in performance? Not that I'm anywhere near needing an external drive yet. Just thought I'd ask , since you all brought it up
JS

[Presto]

I recorded audio on my G3 ibook before getting an external fw drive. I didn't go over 16 tracks (often just 8) in protools LE on OS9, used few plugins and parcimoniously. The problems I encountered were: learning how to get things done, my slowness, getting lost due to not giving names to all the bits and bats, and particularly accepting how far I was from being a musical genius. If there were any problems due to using the internal drive, I didn't notice.

Alot of people on here try for technical perfection, but I don't think it's worth getting worried about that too much until I'm satisfied with some of the music I try to compose. I did listen to advice here when I started out and knew, when I got a usb interface, that the single FW would be available for the external drive. I discovered MacMusic just in time.

When you start doing good stuff, then you should get an external drive. If you want to use 32 tracks and bulldoze with plugins right from the start, you'll probably need it very soon and will have to either change the PB or get a usb sound interface. But if you don't demand too much of your set-up while you're learning and you're as slow as me, the problem shouldn't worry you for quite a while.

[swilder]

Having the audio card and hard drive on the same firewire port is of no consequence.

In a session I usually only record a few tracks at a time which is nowher near the full bandwith of the firewire pipe. Even is you record 8 to 16 tracks at a time, you should have any problems.

Scott

[gdoubleyou]

gdoubleyou,

Are you using an external drive or the internal hard drive?

I'm using a Pro Tools certified 80Gb hard drive from Pacific Pro Audio.
http://www.pacificproaudio.com/drives.asp



My pain is over, now i sold my SX licence this weekend.


This post has been edited by gdoubleyou: Wed 8 Sep 2004, 18:18

[landlox]

I have read this thread with interest - I am a MIDI beginner and would like software to build up some simple amateur arrangements of my little attempts at songs.

Any reccomendations appreciated -
I have a B&W G3 Mac that has a G4 500mhz upgrade chip. OX X 10.2.8, 512 ram.

I have a consumer Casio (WK-1300) MIDI keyboard sitting here for noodling on. I'm not up on all the jargon etc.

It seems that the choice for my needs is either Cubase SE ($99 at Sam Ash) or Logic Express ($133 with student ID at college stores). IF I understand, they have similar features and would work with such a keyboard

I would say I need 4 - 6 tracks each of audio and the same for Midi (at least for now).

I could use audio pitch shifting (given my limitations as a player) and if i understand right, they both have this.

That aside, all I need is for these things to work with my Mac and keyboard.

Are there any serious differencs - i don't really understand all the 'effects' the web sites mention - or if they're important (I assume its simple things like audio 'echo' or 'reverb' kind of stuff my voice could use).

Finally 2 tech questions -
in the CUBASE SE 'system requirements' it says:
"Sound Card: CoreAudio compatible audio hardware"

Is that something beyond whats in a B&W Powermac?? (what IS it?)

for Logic express the requirements say:
"Low latency audio hardware recommended"

Same question - what is this? is my equipment up to this? Do I NEED to buy things to make it work?

Thanks - Landlox

[xingu]

Landlox - no need to post the same question(s) twice - someone will find you and answer if possible. See my answer in the other thread.