New Home Studio - Please help!!!

[FunkTownBrother]

Hi all,
It has been discussed before but here I am.
I'm really torn between 2 controllers the and I can’t make up my mind.
TASCAM FW 1884 vs. M-Audio Project Mix.
I'll be using for small/fun projects and without any “pro” pretensions.
The idea is to play with my daughter and friends during weekends.
I’m also buying a new computer for this project.

Being very new to this whole thing I do not have a clue in terms of learning curve capabilities and etc…

Regarding the computers, does an iMac really perform better?
Today, I saw a HP PC for less $ then the Mac with 2G RAN, 320 GB hard drive and duo processor 1.8 Ghz. The iMAC is the 20” monitor.

Due to my lack of experience I also would like to ask about sequencers.
What sequencer is the easiest, more reliable and offer better features?

I’m not too sure if style of music matters but we will be playing mostly Steely Dan, Beatles, Motown and The Smiths. Yes I’m old…

Thank you all,
FunkTownBrother :confused:

[evan_ccs]

It sounds like you're not going to be using a lot of MIDI or complex routing, in which case I would suggest using ProTools. It can be very basic and very complicated if and when you need it to be, and, even if you're clueless when you start up ProTools, there are ten times the resources for learning it.

That said, the TASCAM is instantly ruled out, because the The ProjectMix has compatibility with ProTools M-Powered, good faders (from my brief and limited experience), and 8 channels of phantom power (which is good unless you have a picky ear and want only the best-quality pres).

About the Mac thing, here's the simplest answer: OS X (Mac's operating system) is lower-impact (meaning it takes less CPU processing) than Windows, therefore you get more of your processor's power dedicated to the recording. Also, Macs are built to be workhorses; minor tweaks and hardware choices help them to streamline the kind of information that is typical to audio recording, digital imaging, video editing, etc. While HP makes great home computers, they are loaded down with special features for gaming, watching movies and other crap that you don't want on your DAW, also they are often pre-loaded with Windows XP Media Center Edition, which takes even MORE processing power than Windows. If you're going to get a PC, get Sweetwater's Creation Station.

[FunkTownBrother]

Thank you,
Your suggestions are very helpfull.
On this past coming weekend a vendor from my local shop told me he had his TASCAM 1082 returned because the drivers were very unrealiable!!!?
M-Audio Project Mix seems to be the route I'll take.
Once again,
thankyoufor answering.
Cheers,
FunkBrother

[D-TRAIN]

evan, I have to correct you on that Tascam 1082 and 1084 can be used with protools but just as a control surface.(HUI protocall) you would need a seperate interface or sound card. some good advice (project mix for protools) if your a beginer, youll save money since your not doing any pro work. And get Tascam the tascam for like cubase,sonar,logic ect. Trust me take it from a pro