Mac???

I'm sorry but I cannot get by this statement. Most 'Pro Audio' enthusiats (including those that get paid) that I know use a PC based DAW. What digital audio software is there that makes the MAC so special?

 

protools

 

Isn't there a PC version of this now?

 

i dunno. but there certainly are PC versions of the Adobe products (Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.) But graphic artists seem to prefer Macs.

 

Some really serious Video/Graphic artists use Amiga as their operating system of choice. This was a big surprise to me but on further checking it's true.

I just think that the Creative People + MAC routine is BS...based on what, I'm not sure.

 

the software truly seems to be superior on the MAC... personally can't stand them... oh and BTW there IS a version of Pro Tools on PC... don't know too much about the comparison there.

 

I suspect it's based on the real world. And by "really serious Video/Graphic artists" who do you mean? I know of no serious graphic artists that use Amigas, but I guess it depends on your definition of serious.

 

Think Different!

PC's are cool, really, I like them. If it's high-end, and all setup with everything you need, yea, they work.

What I like about the Mac better is the way you move around in applications and between applications. They are more stable. If I'm on a Mac for a while, then go to a PC, I'm quickly reminded to "save as you go". It's very very rare I lose any work in progress.

Yes, Apple makes the hardware and the software, but a lot of companies make software for both, and the Mac version always comes with more features and more buttons. There might only be 5-10 programs to choose from instead of 20-30 to accomplish the same thing, but so what. 50% of PC software is trash anyway because everybody tries to make it and a lot of it isn't compatible with each other. Most of what is made for Mac though is good, stable, and compatible with the other programs you install, and they often work together. Microsoft Office for Mac even runs better, has more features, and creates PDF files more accurately.

I like the extensions manager. I like the control panels better. I like the ram allocation better. Installations are quicker and less complicated, and you almost never have to boot after an install or network configuration change. Besides, Macs can read PC disks, but until XP, PC's couldn't read Mac disks with special software. Hell, NT Server even talks to Macs better, especially when your dealing with printers on a network. And I like just the overall desktop and folder structure, transferring files, alias and the whole organization of it all. I like the shortcut keys better and you also generally press less buttons to accomplish the same thing. I even like the mouse better, not that puck, the optical one. (another Mac first btw) Plus you don't need those silly.extentions. You can hide them on the PC, but they're still there and so is you 8 digit DOS file names.

Now with OS X, there's so much more Mac has to offer. iPhoto works with almost every digital camera right out of the box. It's an awesome digital photo album that organizes, creates HTML, burns to CD, exports tif, png, JPEG, or original format to any size you want. You can easily crop photos in an instant, get rid of redeye, tweak the photo's contrast or brightness, or export to QuickTime or screen saver slide shows with any music you choose. And it's free.

iTunes, iCal, and iMovie are also free. Also very cool programs that I won't go into details, but you can read more about it at the web site (nobody will know you did either). Also little perks like screen shots are PDF files, not something you have to go paste somewhere (standard) and Previewer can open PDF and tif, JPEG, etc., formats, and if you've ever brought home a picture CD from Kodak and you want to look at pictures and thumbnails really fast, very cool. Final Cut Pro is not free, but very cool.

Also, new PC's are catching up, but USB, Firewire, and EtherNet have been standard equipment for a while now, and now gigabit is in the newer models, as well as Apple has been setting the standard in DVD-RAM & DVD-RW.

Other programs I have used on both platforms and like the Mac versions better are photoshop, pagemaker, illustrator, dreamweaver, flash, acrobat (full version w/pitstop), ATM Deluxe, Suitcase, Freehand, Toast over Nero & CD Creator, InDesign, AOL, Chess, FlighCheck, Fetch (ftp tool), Norton's, Internet Explorer, Stuffit over WinZip, QuickTime over Windows Media Player, Preps (imposition program), QuickenDeluxe & Tax, Real Player, and even the calculator is better, especially the OS X version. Now I don't play too many computer games, and I understand PC's are great for games, but I'd rather sit on the couch than an office chair anyway.


I haven't seen some of the program for audio as mentioned, but I understand Pixar, Disney, and other animation and digital editing companies for movies like Star Wars, Toy Story, Shrek, etc., use mostly, if not all, Macs.

 

Re: Think Different!

not really. when you get into animation, you're getting into the realm of PCs, SGIs and Suns. It used to be only SGI, but PCs have really made a dent. there aren't really any major animation packages available for the Mac. I think Maya and Houdini are maybe just making it to OS X, so it could change, but it'll take a while.

Mac bought a major player in the image compositing world -- shake. they also bought some other companies with competing products to kill them. hmm.. sounds like bill gates. anyway, shake is available for different platforms but costs 2x as much as it does for the Mac version.

now as for design, editing and 2d production, the Mac is a winner. After effects gets you seemlessly from design to tape. that seems to be the mainstay for many places.

 

I've personally worked with 3 art/publishing houses that are exclusively PC. In many cases, the reviews of Adobe/Aldus/etc. software has the PC versions have the advanced features before the Mac versions. The volume is simply higher, makes sense to do the advanced dev work where you get the fastest and largest return on your investment...

Most of your comments are personal preference, which is great. On hard data points, I know Mac's are no more secure than Windows and Windows is a MORE reliable system going by the industry ratings (mean time between failure of OS). And combined with definite lower cost and definite increased performance (for the dollar), along with huge application support, it's a pretty compelling argument.

However, my comments are speaking to the general. There are always specific exceptions. Office XP for the PC vs. Office 10 or whatever for the Mac, the Mac version is better. It also came out significantly later, and Office 2003 is right around the corner for the PC now... Even Internet Explorer is better on the Mac in some ways...

As long as your machine does what you want for a price you're willing to pay, who cares which direction you go?