Purchasing new iMac - How much RAM?

[Cam.Dutch]

Hey everybody! I'm purchasing one of the new quad core 3.4 GHz i7 iMacs and wanted to get some opinions on my RAM situation. I'm buying this machine primarily because my 2007 Macbook Pro just can't handle all of my tasks anymore.

I have a small home studio setup, complete with DAWs like Logic, Pro Tools, Reason, Ableton Live, etc..., and at any one point, I could have multiple virtual instruments and various effects plugins running in a single session. Also, I work a lot in Adobe's Master Collection with Photoshop, After Effects and Illustrator, as well as video editing work in Final Cut and 3D work in Maya (I'm a film major). Add gaming to that list, and we have a bunch of RAM intensive programs.

So, my question to yall is how much ram do you think I need for a system capable of running all of this without a hiccup? Obviously, the stock is 4GB, and I was planning on maybe buying two more 4GB sticks to make it 12 total. But, would this be an overkill? I'm no expert on RAM so I really have no idea if 8 GB would be just fine for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[makingmusic]

I've run Logic with 8 MB but have never done a major project. Was going to get 16 for my new iMac but trying to find out if that is overkill. Hoping someone responds to your original post with more information.