Hi all,
I'm a semi-professional dance music producer who's been writing & releasing music for 7 years.
Up until now I've always been PC-based using Logic 5.5 and more recently Cubase 5.
Cubase isn't really working for me as I'd hoped & Logic 5.5 is too dated to revert back to continue using, so it's time to invest in a Mac to gain access to the elusive Logic Pro 9.
I'm completely new to Apple computers & not amazingly technology-savvy, so am pretty daunted by the various options available, however online research has proven that it isn't worth me investing in anything other than a Mac Pro.
I don't need portability & the MacMini, Macbook series, iMac seem pretty limiting in terms of power & scalability.
I will be mainly using Logic Studio (Logic Pro 9, Mainstage 2, Soundtrack Pro 3, etc) and potentially Ableton Live 8 as my core DAWs.
In addition I will be using a whole bunch of 3rd party VSTs & synths - some can be very CPU-hungry including Spektrasonics Trilogy, Native Instruments Massive & so on.
Typically a single song file could include up to 40-50 individual tracks; a mixture of audio files & VST synths and each track may have anywhere between 1-8 VST effects as part of the processing.
The Mac is purely for music production only. I will retain my PC for general day-to-day activities.
Anyhow, onto the actual query; What is the best Mac Pro configuation for my needs?
For example, is it better to have a single 3.33Ghz 6-core CPU, or a dual 2.66Ghz quad-core CPU.
Will 6GB of memory be adequate?
Will I need a 2nd hard drive to split systems/applications from my music sample library?
SATA or SSD?
Can I use my existing PC monitor before investing in a 27" Apple display?
My budget is roughly £3k (not including screen or software) and I'm looking to make a purchase in the next couple of months.
Thanks in advance.
I'm a semi-professional dance music producer who's been writing & releasing music for 7 years.
Up until now I've always been PC-based using Logic 5.5 and more recently Cubase 5.
Cubase isn't really working for me as I'd hoped & Logic 5.5 is too dated to revert back to continue using, so it's time to invest in a Mac to gain access to the elusive Logic Pro 9.
I'm completely new to Apple computers & not amazingly technology-savvy, so am pretty daunted by the various options available, however online research has proven that it isn't worth me investing in anything other than a Mac Pro.
I don't need portability & the MacMini, Macbook series, iMac seem pretty limiting in terms of power & scalability.
I will be mainly using Logic Studio (Logic Pro 9, Mainstage 2, Soundtrack Pro 3, etc) and potentially Ableton Live 8 as my core DAWs.
In addition I will be using a whole bunch of 3rd party VSTs & synths - some can be very CPU-hungry including Spektrasonics Trilogy, Native Instruments Massive & so on.
Typically a single song file could include up to 40-50 individual tracks; a mixture of audio files & VST synths and each track may have anywhere between 1-8 VST effects as part of the processing.
The Mac is purely for music production only. I will retain my PC for general day-to-day activities.
Anyhow, onto the actual query; What is the best Mac Pro configuation for my needs?
For example, is it better to have a single 3.33Ghz 6-core CPU, or a dual 2.66Ghz quad-core CPU.
Will 6GB of memory be adequate?
Will I need a 2nd hard drive to split systems/applications from my music sample library?
SATA or SSD?
Can I use my existing PC monitor before investing in a 27" Apple display?
My budget is roughly £3k (not including screen or software) and I'm looking to make a purchase in the next couple of months.
Thanks in advance.