We’re starting to get lots of questions about the new Apple G4 machines and what they are or are not compatible with. As with every major processor upgrade Apple has ever done we expect to see “some” problems with existing versions of hardware, firmware, and software. However, many manufacturers of music equipment are already beginning to announce basic compatibility and some are already talking about future releases that will take full advantage of the G4’s velocity engine. Emagic, for example, is expecting the performance of their plug-ins to go up by several hundred percent once they do a maintenance upgrade to take advantage of the G4’s technology.
It is likely going to take a few weeks before most of the problems surface so we definitely are recommending against the G4 at this time. Once the problems become known most of the solutions are likely to come quickly. No matter what, we expect information to change on a daily or hourly basis for the next few weeks. If you need to make music today with a Mac we recommend a G3. If you really want to be on the bleeding edge of technology we suggest you stay in contact with your Sweetwater Sales Engineer for the latest updates on compatibility with various products. As always, advances in technology make us choose between making music today and speculating about tomorrow. Our opinion is these evolutionary advances in technology aren’t going to make the difference in the quality of your music overall, but waiting for the next big thing will immobilize you and consequently have a dramatic effect on your musical output. Until such time as someone releases the long awaited Talent plug-in we suggest you make music with the best tools you can rely upon today. Worry about tomorrow’s technology tomorrow.