Imac G5 For Audio, question about conveniet mac hardware Options

[paideia]

Hello,

I canot get a Power Mac G5 dual, but I can buy an Imac G5, but, is it good for compose with virtual instruments? Has it the sufficient power?.

Other question, I will not recording, only works with virtual instruments: will an audio interface give me more power in a mix situation in my computer? In other words: I dont know if an audio interface like Mbox or Tascam us 122 or Motu 828mkII will help me to get more power to run plugins, mix, etc with an imac g5 running dp 4 or logic express. Thanks, sorry for my english and wait yours comments.

[dangt]

An Imac G5 with 1Ghz of ram is doing me fine. I run protools and other programs, And have no problem running big seesions with many edits and 10 + plugins.

An audio interface will not give you anymore computer power, but will give you better audio quality IN and OUT.

hope this helps.

Note: it pays to make sure your computer is running smooth and uncluttered when running pro audio applications. things like active virus software and background apps and configs can be set so they wont slow your main apps down.

[Narayan]

Hi,
I have a Powerbook G4 1.6GH and it is running fine with software instruments. I do not record music. For running virutal instruments, Logic Express or Logic pro is a beter choice, as it has a built in sampler, which can accommodate external sound samples in Akai, sound fonts format etc. The apple loop facility is also a very good tool especially for ready made bass and rythm patterns. Other plug ins also work fine.
If you are a trained musician, you also can feed notes with the score editor, if you cannot play a very fast passage, or if you do not have a synthesizer. Have fun.
Narayanan

[tai Meierhans]

iMac works good, but you will find plugIns to get problems with even a fast running machine. The only possibiliity to save cpu power is an external dsp based hardwarebox like t.c. powercore.

ciao

[bubbles]

the new iMac G5s aslo have a faster hd (7200) than in the past which will help dramatically with latency issues.

[dixiechicken]

There's a difference between plug-ins and virtual instruments.

Plug-ins like filters, reverbs compressors and the like are used inside lets- say Digital Performer or Cubase - they will in most cases work just fine - even with my iMac G4.
(convolution reverbs is not an option of course)

However triggering the sounds from Motus virtual synth MX-4 -- that can be used either
as a standalone application triggered from my midi keyboard or as
a plug-in inside Digital Performer
consumes hugh amounts of cpu-cycles from you computer.

On my iMac G4-800 I can ONLY trigger the simplest sounds from MX-4 via
my midi-keyboard. Any complex sound vill overload my CPU.

At that I'm NOT even runing anything else on my computer.
Much less usding DP-4 and using MX-4 inside that as a plug-in.

In short to run virtual instruments like Motu:s MX-4 you'll need a really powerful computer.
I personally got the advice from "Big Daddy" (moderator at OS-X Audio)
to go for at least a dual G5-2.3

My advice would definitely be - try BEFORE you buy.

Cheers: Dixiechicken

This post has been edited by dixiechicken: Sun 30 Oct 2005, 18:11

[chmara]

I rammed my iMac G5 up to 2 Gig -- and got the bigger screen for work area. Run 4 FW external drive for various osunds, loops, saves and back-ups.

I find it handy to work out some presets in the free standing instrument and then bring them in with the plug-in in Logic -- a two step process that is part of my creative means. Others use the plug-in for every tweek imaginable until they are in post.

[lepetitmartien]

RAM is the important thing first then power, not enough RAM = first wall, not enough power = second wall. For a homestudio use, an iMac G5 with lots of ram, external HD can be enough

RAM minimum 1 GB, if you like virtual instruments/samplers the more the better. and MORE than 1GB definitely.

[Bluemover9999]

If you're going for an imac definitely max out the RAM to 2GB. Since I did that I hardly have to do any freezing at all. I have two external FW drives one to run all my samples from and one to store my other related data and I run Logic from the imacs hard drive.

The only minor issues are in the mix and mastering stage when I'm piling the dsp's on, but usually freezing works.

I will probably upgrade to a dual soon, and I'm eyeing a QUAD!!!!!

Sometimes limits can improve your music making, as your less likely to pile everything on to a track. when it becomes frustrating. ..it's time to upgrade!

[edge100]

My advice: eat instant noodles for a few weeks and save the money for a Dual Core 2.0. Run it on a cheap 17" or 19" CRT monitor for a while if you have to.

You will get a lot moe milage out of a Powermac than an iMac. MUCH greater expandibility, MUCH better performance on Dual Processor aware programs (like Logic, DP, PT).

Ask yourself: in 3-4 years, when software requires twice the CPU to run than it does now, will you be more happy you paid for a pretty 20" LCDand iSight you dont use, or that you spent a little extra for a computer that you can upgrade, and that, owing to the dual cores, is still able to handle most of what you throw at it.

I was considering the iMac. Now I'm going with the PM.

[rickenbacker]

Although saying that, in 3-4 years you'll probably be ready for a new computer anyway. Bluemover mentions the new Quad PowerMacs - imagine what Macs will be like in 2009!

Dual processor PowerMacs are always the most flexible and powerful option, but the iMac is a terrific all-round machine and the built-in iSight is a pretty cool extra, so I wouldn't knock it as a music-making/all-round home computing bundle. It can do both. Remember: RAM, RAM, RAM!

Having external audio interfaces won't help with processing power for plug-ins, though. For that, you might like to look at TC PowerCore's FireWire FX box (I can't remember its name), which has its own processor. The UAD-1 from Universal Audio is even better (IMHO), but it's a PCI card, which is another area where PowerMacs score highly. You can't install PCI cards in an iMac.

[Bloot]

I'm just reading an article about Waves, bringing out a new hardware "accelerator for plug-ins" to connect to the host computer by ethernet - it looks to be promising and quite a few £££'s
(Waves fan)

[ngreen]

I have had a wonderful experience with my 1.8 GHz G5 iMac. I run Logic Express and use a lot of effects and software instruments. I have on RARE occasions ran into a few glitches when I have too many tracks--like 30-40.

[johnnyboy]

i was reading through the posts here and just had a question. I just purchased the new imac G5 20", with 2.1 Ghz, 512 Mb, I have had some experience of error messages when up to about 4 tracks using the software instruments with Garageband. The tips suggested all kinds of things to save on power, since the message I was getting was that I had too much going on to play the song in real time. i exhausted all the tips except mixing down to a song and then importing back to the tracks as a real instrument. Finally I did this and still had some problems. I am using the presonus Firebox, can anyone tell me if this is the normal fare for what I am using. Or is there something I can do to eliminate this problem. This might help the guy too that is wanting to get the imac g5, I kind of wished I would had gone with the PM if this is the case. (I was using some of the newer software instruments in Jam pack 4, the really great sounding orchestral instruments, steinway piano, etc.)

[Bluemover9999]

1. Upgrade your 512MB RAM in you imac to the Maximum of 2GB

2. I'm a logic Pro user but I just had a look at someones Garageband, and if you go to PREFERENCES - Audio/midi and select the Maximum tracks...option you should be able to play back.
Obviously this will impact on recording quality, but playback should be fine.

Hope that helps...

[fastlanephil]

The new iMac G5s hold 2.5 GB of ram now.

Johnnyboy, go to your energy saver pane in system preferences and make sure you have it set to highest in options.

[rickenbacker]

GarageBand is not the world's most efficient music app, so that won't help, plus you're running virtual instruments. Max out the RAM. It's the simplest and most effective speed-up tip. I don't know if you can freeze tracks in GarageBand, but that would also help - rendering them to audio and reimporting them is a similar fix, only less flexible. Whatever, you should be able to get a ton more tracks out of that iMac, so let us know what happens.