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Sep 29, 2020 Get a trusted software to transfer and save your music, messages, files and data. Safely back up any iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Powerful and user-friendly, iMazing is simply the best iOS device manager for Mac and PC. Get full control over your iOS device. A well-built PC can be as reliable as a Mac but a PC is only as strong as its weakest link or its weakest component. For the newbie, I think you are better off with a Mac. A Mac has fewer possibilities in the software, but if you want to buy a Mac, there are fewer options to choose from. If you just want a computer that works choose a Mac. Looking for the best Mac music-production software? We compare the best alternatives to Apple's free music-making app GarageBand, including Logic Pro X, Ableton, Cubase, Audacity and more.
At the heart and soul of every recording studio is of course the computer. Some people may argue that we rely too much on computers these days but the way technology has developed and is constantly developing it is hard to shy away from the need to keep on top of computer changes and upgrades, it is in the best interest for you as a music producer. The brainchild of everything in the studio, your computer is one if not, the most important pieces of equipment you will purchase for recording. With that in mind we have decided to try and guide you in the right direction to help you get the best bang for your buck depending on what it is you are looking to achieve. This guide is is for everyone, whether it's for the hobbyist bedroom producer or for the seasoned musician who is aspiring to become a professional record producer. If you don't know what a 3.0 GHz i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, and a 1 TB Solid state drive means, then this guide is the guide for you!
First off you should have an idea of what you are going to be producing, are you going to be focusing on electronic music that is all software based? Do you want to record rock or pop bands and solo artists? Do you want to produce music that you can perform live yourself or as a solo artist or live act? This should give you a rough indication of what Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) you are going to choose. Of course there is no right or wrong way to go about this and everyone has their own personal preference, but we will guide you the best we can. The following list gives an overview of the main aspects you will be looking at when deciding on what is right for you and the options you have available to you.
Computer
- Laptop or Desktop
- Mac or PC
Processor
- Intel i3
- Intel i5
- Intel i7
RAM
- 4 GB
- 8 GB
- 16 GB
- 32 GB
Hard Drive
- HDD or SSD
- Size – 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB etc.
Software
- Pro Tools
- Logic Pro (OS X only)
- Cubase
- Ableton Live
- FL Studio
- Cakewalk Sonar (Windows Only, Free Version available for OSX)
So first off, you must decide which computer fits your needs, if you are planning on performing your music live and producing music with the same computer, a laptop would probably be the best idea for convenience and portability. On the other hand if you are looking at recording bands and clients from a studio based set-up, then a desktop computer would potentially suit you better, again it's all relative.
Next, you're looking at the age old question of Mac Vs. PC, Windows or Os X, Apple Vs. Microsoft. Now, this is down to personal preference but sometimes it can help if you know what DAW you are going to use. For instance Logic Pro will not run on Windows so if that happens to be your DAW of choice then you'll have to use a Mac. But the majority of the other programs available today are cross – compatible. You can get an insight into which software could be for you with this guide. Most DAWs will require your computer to have minimum requirements so this is another thing to check up on before you take the plunge.
Once you have your DAW selected sorting out the processor and RAM are next. For those of you who don't know, the Processor component of the computer is essentially the computers control centre. It carries out the computations that the computer needs to function, pretty much like a brain, for use of a better word! Processors can come in Dual-Core and Quad-Core versions. Quad-Core offers us four separate cores of processing power where Dual-Core is that exactly that, two cores. Quad-Core will cost you more but can be very beneficial when recording music because we have more processing power. RAM stands for Random Access Memory, this means that whenever you run a program on your computer e.g. iTunes, Google Chrome, Microsoft Word, the RAM is used so it can run each of these programs. Obviously the more programs you have running at once the more Random Access Memory (RAM) is used.
When it comes down to it, if you are serious about making music you will need to have a system that you can rely on and if there's anything I could tell myself before I bought my last computer was to max out all the components instead of taking it for what it was off the shelf. But again, in saying that it did last me the guts of 7 years and it was only an Intel Core Duo 2 and 2 GB of RAM which I upgraded to 4 GB and then 8 GB, before the motherboard fried! Everything is relatable with processing power and RAM, for instance, if you're computer has an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, having 2 or 4 GB of RAM will be sufficient. For an Intel i5 processor you would want at least 4 or 8 GB RAM and for an i7 processor you will want to be running at least 8 or 16 GB RAM for the best performance. My laptop was running an Intel Core 2 Duo with 8 GB RAM and to be honest, there was no difference at all in relation to speed. The processor simply wasn't on the same level as the RAM so it was pointless.
Fitting your computer out with an i7 processor and 16 GB of RAM will give you the ability to run a huge number of audio tracks say in Pro Tools or Logic Pro without any issues. Again this will cost you, upgrading a brand new Macbook Pro from an i5 processor to an i7 will set you back €360 just for the processor and then the RAM upgrade from 8 GB to 16 GB will set you back another €240. If you have the money and can afford to do this then go for it, but there is some cost effective ways or getting around this. Upgrading older machines can be very beneficial to you and your wallet! For instance if you can locate a second hand Mac Mini from 2012, these are the final model that are upgradeable, and with plenty of online tutorials of how to do it yourself it could be exactly what you're looking for. You could pick up one of them for around €300/€400 then you can upgrade the RAM and the hard drive from a third party company such as Crucial or OWC. Same if you are working with Windows there are plenty of options out there for desktops and laptops that are upgradable, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 for instance is customizable so you can upgrade it from i5 2.8 GHz to an i7 3.40 GHz processor, which is it maxed out, again doing this to a brand new machine will set you back a few pretty pennies.
Next thing to consider is your hard drive. Most high-end laptops these days come standard with SATA HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or Solid State Drives (SSD). Having an SSD in your computer speeds everything up, they have no moving parts and are lightning quick but again, more expensive than the standard SATA HDD which are made up of magnetic tape and have mechanical parts moving inside, they also are bigger in size and slower to read and write to than a SSD is. What many people do these days is use external hard drives for their productions and run everything that is music based off these externals. This is highly recommended as it helps free up space on the computers hard drive so you aren't pushing the computer to it's max. Both SSD and HDD can come in different sizes usually ranging from 500 GB up to 1 or 2 TB and obviously it is better to have more but again the cost of say a 1 TB SSD will be upwards of €200. Again if you are running an external hard drive for you music then you can pick up a 1 or 2 TB external for a lot less than the internal ones!
Moving on, you probably already know which software you are going to want to use, because there is so many DAWs out there these days that everyone has their preference but I will give you a quick overview of a few main ones (Check out our other blog post on digital audio workstations for a more in-depth review.
- Many consider this the industry standard
- Great for multi-track recording
- Can be daunting to learn
- Is fairly expensive
- Only supports AAX & RTAS
- Great audio and MIDI capabilities
- Relatively cheap
- Lots of included instruments
- Mac OS X Only & No VST Support (Only Au)
- Straightforward to use
- Fantastic for live performance
- Expensive
- “Lite” versions leaves a lot to be desired
- Good audio capabilities
- Many users complain the Mixer window is too messy
- Window management in general is inferior to other programs
Of course there are many other DAWs out there but we don't really have the time to go through all of them and for more information you can check out our other post about DAWs here.
So that's it! Hopefully you found this guide helpful and you can use it as a basis of purchasing a computer for music production, check back soon for more tips, tricks and articles!
Once you decide on what computer to buy, why not put it to good use at Sound Training College, with plenty of courses in Sound Engineering & Music Production, Live Sound, Lighting & Stage Production, Intro to DJ and loads more!
The debate over which type of computer reigns supreme has raged on for decades now. As with sports teams and political parties, people began to huddle into distinct camps, devout in their allegiances. In the computing world, these camps became Mac vs PC. And this battle has also bled into the world of music. For producers and musicians, the question of Mac vs PC goes beyond computing alone, but Mac vs PC for music production, specifically.
Today, people still tend to cling to one or the other. However, years of competition and exponential technological breakthroughs have shrunk the gap between Macs and PCs even further. This bodes especially well for music producers. More processing power means shorter export times, more plugins, faster workflow, higher quality sound, and so much more. But even with this overall improvement in computing power, most producers want to work within a single system. And Macs and PCs remain the two most viable options. So when it comes to Mac vs PC for music production, which is better?
What do we mean by Mac vs PC?
Before we go further with the specifics of Mac vs PC for music production, let’s briefly describe what we mean by Mac and PC. These labels get thrown around as general markers for Apple and Microsoft products, but this isn’t exactly right. Apple alone produces Macintosh computers and its operating system, macOS. Microsoft also manufactures computers and its operating system, Windows. However, several other companies such as Dell and Lenovo make computers that run Windows as well. To make matters more complicated, Windows can run on a Mac, and some people hack macOS onto their PC.
So in short, we’re really referring to the unaltered package here. If you buy a Mac, you’re likely running macOS, and if you buy a PC you’re probably using Windows.
What are we looking for?
![Best free music software mac Best free music software mac](/uploads/1/1/8/5/118560939/531130017.jpg)
We should first outline the parameters which will inform our decision when duking it out between Mac vs PC for music production. Which hardware or operating system does a particular thing better than the other? What are these particular things? They might be numerous, depending on how technical we want to get. We’re mostly concerned with music production, of course. So to keep things simple, let’s break it down into four categories: ease of use, compatibility, functionality/power, and cost.
Compatibility
Aside from ease of use, compatibility plays the biggest role in the Mac vs PC for music production debate. This includes both hardware and software. Both Apple and Microsoft have to walk a tightrope to keep up with advancing technology while not leaving average users in the dust.
Hardware
When we say hardware, we’re talking about the physical components of the computer. Depending on the model and year of Mac or PC, the hardware can vary. The most recent MacBook Pro, for instance, abandoned the standard USB 2.0/3.0 port entirely and strictly adopted USB C. Yes, the latter is much faster, but most products still rely on USB 2.0 or 3.0. So if your interface is a standard USB model, you’ll have to dish out for an adaptor, which Apple is happy to sell you.
New MacBooks also lack a CD/DVD drive. Because most files are shared and stored digitally now, there isn’t much of a use for this drive, but it can still frustrate some users who enjoy using their physical collections or uploading/downloading data to and from discs. Likewise, you’ll need a special lightning cable adapter to hook up an HDMI cable to your Mac.
On the hardware side, PCs might win the day here. Because PCs are made from parts that can come from more than one manufacturer, they’re highly customizable. More customization means more compatibility. But even without purchasing add-ons, PCs generally come equipped with more universal hardware out of the box. You won’t need special adaptors for USB, HDMI, or disc drives. Even beneath the hood, swapping out parts like graphics chips and processors tends to be a lot easier and cheaper for PC owners.
Software
This isn’t to say Apple completely fails the compatibility test, however. Several music production companies design products with Apple in mind, since they understand their audience often uses Apple products. Apple’s iPhone has even found a niche in the mobile DAW market (check out these great iOS DAWs). In this way, Macs and other Apple products push the industry forward, but some fallout is inevitable.
As for add-ons, plugins, and software, you’ll generally find way more plugins available for Windows than for Mac (but check out these 25 free Mac plugins). When it comes to free plugins and VST instruments, PCs fare better as well. It takes a lot of research and time to find the best plugins for Mac, and even more time to find freebies. As for DAWs, if Logic is your program of choice, it will only run on Mac. Conversely, Sonar can only run on Windows. PCs can run more DAWs natively than Macs as well. You really have your pick on a PC: Cubase, Reaper, Ableton, FL Studio, Pro Tools, etc. While many of these top-tier DAWs also run on Mac now, they tend to work a bit better on PC.
Functionality and power
This factor stems right from the previous one. Out of the box, Macs are typically more functional and stable than PCs. They even come pre-loaded with GarageBand, a good stepping stone for the amateur producer without a professional DAW. Macs are designed with optimization in mind already. PCs, which have a more general audience, vary a bit more in their functionality and processing power. If you only use your PC for light web browsing and emails, you don’t need the bells and whistles. But for music producers, artists, designers, and gamers, the more power and functionality the better.
For some, even a high-end Mac doesn’t offer enough speed to handle everything, even if it’s generally more stable. And, as we mentioned, since PCs offer more customization, some creative types simply modify or enhance their PC to handle their work and play. Of course, not everyone has the money, skill, or knowledge to transform their PC into a powerhouse. So it’s really a draw here. Do you want more right away, or the potential to add more down the road?
Ease of use
Your ability to navigate your computer matters more than just about anything. You won’t get very far if you can’t get a grip on the design philosophy of your computer. Macs have dominated this space with intuitive design both inside and out. They’ve become known as the “creative person’s computer” in part for this reason. The applications of the MacBook touchpad alone make navigation and precision control incredibly simple. In Logic Pro, for instance, the touchpad acts as a multi-purpose mixing board, and it feels great.
Cost
Mac Or Pc For Music Software Windows 10
Macs cost more, sometimes by a lot. This is partially due to fantastic branding by Apple, which drives up demand regardless of the product itself. But the product usually backs up the price. Macs run well, crash infrequently, offer a lot of power out of the gate, feature an intuitive interface and design, and live a long time. With fewer maintenance costs, the price of admission is usually worth it. These machines really are perfect for music production and creative endeavours in general. If that’s the experience you want, just be prepared to dish out a grand or two.
PCs typically cost less to start with. But, again, if you plan on modifying your hardware or software, the dollars begin to add up. Still, you’d have to modify your PC quite a bit to reach the cost of the highest-end Mac. In that case, your PC would likely perform better anyway. PCs might require more maintenance than Macs, but that gap is narrowing as well. So in the end, you could end up shelling out as much for a PC as you would have for a Mac, but it’s unlikely. And if you did, your PC would take the cake by a long shot.
Mac vs PC for music production: and the winner is…
Truth be told, you can’t really go wrong either way. Both Macs and PCs get better every year, and they’ll continue to improve so long as people continue using them. If you want a computer strictly for music production, maybe consider a Mac for its ease of use and built-in features. But if you plan on using your computer for several purposes in addition to music production, get a PC and upgrade it to your liking. The Mac vs PC for music production war rages on, and we all benefit from the competition. In the end, the winner is us.
![Mac or pc for music Mac or pc for music](https://1zvq3i19qvj53cofb61oncb1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/reason.jpg)
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