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recording music, word processor, etc.

LillieDesigns

LillieDesigns

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 18, 2005
323
56
Los Angeles
im planning on buying a mac in the very near future but i am not sure which one to get

i want to record music...it doesnt have to be a professional perfect sound but i wouldnt mind some decent recording

is the base price macbook effeciant enough for this? what about for upgrading to better music software in the future?

is the imac a better pick?

i'm going to need a good word processor, photoshop, and any recording software

so basically what im asking for is a list of exactly what i need to make this computer do everything i want it to...at the lowest proce possible of course


thnx in advance
 
If that is all you need at the lowest price possible. Just get a Single Core Mini. Recording music isn't that processor intensive, but adding filters is. Word processing is basic stuff, so not a worry. As for what I think you should get, a Mac Mini Dual core, or a Macbook (base).
 
LillieDesigns said:
the one thing im worried about is the thing moving like molasses when i open photoshop
Click to expand...
Not much you can do about that until PS becomes Universal. Does your job require PS? If it doesn't, I say deal with it. If it does then I say get a G5.
 
Photoshop will run like it did on a 1.5GHz G4 PowerBook, which to me isn't "slow." I ran PS on a 1GHz G4 until I got my MacBook, and it wasn't unusable. I think "slow" is relative anyway.

Get a base MacBook 1.83Ghz system (it's not noticeably slower than a 2GHz Core Duo), an extra 1GB stick of RAM from Newegg (so that you have a total of 1.25 GB), or two 1 GB if possible; an 80GB HD upgrade from Apple; and when it's released, get the Photoshop CS3 upgrade. CS2 is still usable on Intel systems despite being emulated, but CS3 will take advantage of the new Intel power. :)

Funny how people ask questions about performance when the Core Duo we're using is almost as fast as a Dual G5 2GHz, which was top of the line not too long ago. ;) Lots of the things you're talking about doing is basic.
 
LillieDesigns said:
is PS hurrendous to use on macs?
Click to expand...
???
No, Photoshop runs wonderfully on a Mac. If you are not familiar with Intel Macs needing Rosetta to run Photohshop CS2 (or any version) then yes it won't run as fast as it could. But there is not reason to get an older Mac (Powerbook, or G5). You should be fine with a Core Duo (anything). Overall I'd say wait until word is out about the new Macs (WWDC in August). And then make a decision.
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
Recording music isn't that processor intensive, but adding filters is.
Click to expand...

Just recording audio requires lots of RAM and a fast hard drive. If you want to start using synthesized instruments and effects on the channels (which you will, believe me) then you will definitely want a Duo. Synthesis and effect processing is hugely processor intesive! :)
 
Why not get a macbook pro? You got the powerhouse of a computer that you can take anywhere. I will be getting so me and my buds can record. It's easier to bring the laptop and I/O to my bud's house than it is to move drums and a lot of his equipment.
 
Setting this straight

So you want a mac for...photoshop and recording. Photoshop CS2 and garageband are the two main applications that I use. Both require a great deal of RAM(to run smoothly), garageband not so much for extremely basic recordings(as in one track..but lets get real), once you start adding more tracks and overlays/filters....as mentioned in earlier posts- things get a bit hairy even with 512 MB RAM. Also, once you finish up and send it off to iTunes/publish the song, extra RAM definitly comes in handy. I use a 1.83 MBP, with 1.5 GB ram which is probably more than enough. If I were you, I'd go for a macBook with 1 GB RAM. (assuming they fixed the discoloration issue and whatever else went wrong with the 1G books.) Hard drive size and all the details are up to you, the more the better, though. Anyway, I hope that helps a little.
 
LillieDesigns said:
the one thing im worried about is the thing moving like molasses when i open photoshop
Click to expand...

Actually my experience with running PS on an Intel Mac is that it can actually get a bit slow. It is not slow as molasses, but it is significantly more sluggish than it should be.

Performance of PS on a G4 1.67Ghz PB seems to be > a dual core 1.66Ghz Mac Mini.

For Microsoft Office on the other hand it is surprisingly usable, but that too leaves something to be desired.
 
I use the OSS (free) app Audacity for recording duties on my powerbook (using the standard sound in, a macbook or mini should suffice for this).

Most disks are fast enough to record, even the 4200rpm in my old 867 pbook works ok, a 5400rpm drive is easily enough.
 
so what do i need to use PS on a mac? i have cs2 installed on my PC can i just send a compressed folder to the mac? im a noob when it comes to this kind of stuff? do i need some kind of windows emulator to run PS?
 
If you had a Windows install disk and Parallels, you could transfer your version of CS2 to it - PS is CPU bound so the lack of 3D graphics in Parallels isn't an issue. It's apparently only slightly slower than running in Boot Camp and a good deal faster than under Rosetta, with enough RAM (you need plenty of RAM)

If you want to wait for the Universal binary, Parallels + XP OEM Disk would cost $80 + $90 = $170. That's a good deal less expensive than buying CS2 for the Mac now and upgrading to CS3 in six months. Or you could save $80 on Parallels and install XP in Boot Camp but that would require you to reboot.

Of course, I'm not sure if you can transfer a CS2 license from a PC to a Mac, in which case I'm talking bull and you can just go ahead and install the Mac version and save yourself a lot of hassle.
 
Yeah good luck transferring the license, but about the recording music i have a friend who uses the G5 20" from last year to do semi pro recording and it works great, so I would say a MB would work perfect for basics!
 
LillieDesigns said:
so what do i need to use PS on a mac? i have cs2 installed on my PC can i just send a compressed folder to the mac? im a noob when it comes to this kind of stuff? do i need some kind of windows emulator to run PS?
Click to expand...
Wow you are a noob. No offense of course.
For running PS on a Mac you need a Mac version of PS. Otherwise install XP on the machine via BootCamp (free from Apple) and you'd be using your Mac to run Windows natively (no emulation required).
 
ok so how do i get book camp, how do i get parallels?

and im looking for the cheapest way to record decent sounding music and running photoshop as smoothly and inexpensively as possible...am i better of with a windows machine?
 
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