Help! What to buy iBook/Wlaptop?

[leyoculta]

Hi everyone,

I want to buy a laptop but I need some help. I want to record, mix and edit my music. Still, I want to be mobile.

I like it that there's tons of stuff out there done for Windows (like Acid /Fruty Loops). Some of it you can even get for free. And it's a platform that I already know. On top of it I think it's easier to get someone to help me in the learning process.

On the other hand I have always heard that Macs are superior when it comes to music and image editing. I thought about getting a Mac as an investment. Pay some more right now so that I'll get a decent studio for some years.

Also, if I get an iBook/PowerBook what software and hardware would I need? I want to record guitars, bass, vocals, and keyboards.

What would I need to do drums? Are there any Acid like applications out there? Any goodies for free?

I thought this was the best place to ask info, I found it hard to get benchmarks about Macs and music.

Your answers would really help me,
thanx in advanced,
jaime

[pooprobot]

I use both a PC (for Acid and Fruityloops as well) and a Mac, and without starting a boring & redundant PC vs Mac war, I have to say that I definitely prefer working on the Mac. At the same time, I hold on to my PC because I really like Acid and Fruityloops. Acid's closest Mac equivalent would be Bitheadz's Phrazer, which I have heard bad things about. Fruityloops' closest Mac equivalent would be possibly Native Instrument's Battery, or maybe even Propellerheadz's Reason to a certain extent? But right now, I don't think anything can beat Acid as a loop composition tool. So I guess the decision of whether you should buy a PC or Mac laptop would be based on what software you want to run. Even though Acid is not available for the Mac, I still recommend that you get a Mac Powerbook, and a sequencer/recording package such as Logic or Digital Performer with an Echoaudio or MOTU audio interface.

[Justin]

Whichever you choose, consider firewire, it's going to really help you in the long run when you start to look at external storage or higher track counts.

[MichaelS]

I use PC's exclusively, never used a mac, but have actually seen a few. All I use them for however is just mixing down to so I can run some soundforge and cooledit goodies on the mix. I've used the pc to track stuff out with cooledit (anyone know if Soundforge can do this?) and it works fine but you really need to get a good soundcard for whatever laptop you buy.

Soundblaster stuff is NOT the way to go if you're serious about the sound, I learned that the hard way!! I just got an audiophile 24/96 and love it. Makes a HUGE difference on the mix when it hits the pc. One thing I did notice about your post is that you said you wanted to get some kind of laptop for an investment. You can squash that idea pretty quickly. As soon as you take it out of its box it depreciates a few hundred dollars! Hopefully you meant as a musical investment...

Take care and good luck.

[leyoculta]

Thanx a bunch for your replies!!

Yes, indeed I ment a musical investment. I just don't want to get stuck with hundreds of dollars of equipment that isn't right for me.

I just want to do good quality demos, for my own pleasure. I move from one city to another from time to time, so I would like that whatever I buy I can take with me.

Right now I'm thinking about getting an 600MHz iBook along with a MOTU 828 (no need for any preamps for the mics).

Do you think that would do it?
jaime

[Scott Gould]

That set-up will get you going, but get a firewire drive just for audio, and defragment it after every session - you'll get better performance & reliability that way. If you absolutely can't afford an external drive, then partition the internal one. One of the first upgrades you'll probably want will be a good outboard mic pre-amp. The ones in the 828 are usable, but not very impressive. (IMHO)

Scott