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The Mac is an obvious candidate if you're looking for a computer to make music with. The choice can be overwhelming, though, with devices ranging from a few hundred pounds or dollars to thousands. See full list on producerspot.com.

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.

Free Music Software For Mac

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.

Install Mac Software On Pc

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!

Should I use Mac vs. PC for music production? Which operating system and type of computer is better for recording and making music? Does it even matter? Not only had we asked ourselves this questions for years, but it’s also one of the most popular questions we receive from our readers. Can we give you a literal answer to save you time from reading this relatively long article? Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be fair. So today we wade into the deep end on the Mac vs. PC debate, joining a battle that has been raging for 30 plus years. This time however, we will discuss only the music production end of the spectrum. Before we begin though, we want to mention that this is simply an overview of the debate between PC vs. Mac in terms of capabilities and the pros and cons of each platform. Production has many facets when it comes to music making equipment with instruments, controllers, mixers and software, so be sure to read our other guides when you’re done if you need further help. While some software will only work on some systems and not others, the hardware of music production is multi-platform, so we won’t get too far into that today.

Everyone talks about the pros and cons of this debate, but they all end up the same way. Some people are Mac fans and others are PC fans. You could literally use either one of them and be happy, and that is a true statement. The fact that this fight has been going on for a generation should tell you just how close the two are to each other in capabilities. Both can deliver a level of performance that any audiophile, musician or producer would want. It really boils down to what you are comfortable with. Some kids grew up on a Mac, others grew up on a PC. Tribalism is an ugly business, but since it makes both sides money it will most likely never end, neither will the debate of PC vs. Mac.

Before our feet can’t touch the bottom anymore, we should talk about production desktop computer vs. music making laptop. When talking about which one is the right one for you, we must first decide how you are going to use it. Is it going to be for a home recording studio? Or is this going to be your mobile laboratory? This is a tougher question than you might think. Maybe you want to go to a friend’s house to work on something together. It’s not very practical to pack up a desktop and haul it across town every time you want to collaborate. Perhaps the best method would be to go dual platform, have both a desktop and a laptop, using the desktop for the bulk of the work and storage and the laptop for mobile work. Since you will already have the software, and with the compact nature of some of the hardware these days, logistics shouldn’t be a problem.

Do I choose Mac or PC for music making?

In the beginning, it’s going to be all about budget. If you have the means, then go ahead and spend away! If you don’t, then there are some things to consider when comparing the PC vs. Mac. First off, the PC is and expandable device. This means that as long as you have a huge power supply and a large enough box to put it in, you can literally upgrade from time to time forever. This approach favors the lower end budget because you may only need a few hundred dollars at a time, allowing you to stretch the cost over a very long period of time after the initial purchase. This is also a forgiving route because the speed at which technology races forward is going to render your machine obsolete in just a few years, what’s hot tomorrow may not exist yet but with a PC you can be pretty sure it will simply be a matter of plug and play.

For the Mac however, it’s a bit tougher on the budget initially but you get a very powerful and capable machine right out of the box. The way Apple has progressed in recent years has been nothing short of impressive, with technologies and software compatibility the PC is going to be hard pressed to match in the future. Apple has made it a strong point that they want to own the cell phone market and it’s clear that’s what they’ve invested most of their R&D into, but that may be about to change. The Mac Pro Tower back in 2012 was the closest Apple ever got to the PC in terms of hardware upgrade compatibility, and with the rumors of a new Mac Pro on the horizon later in 2018 it may very well be game on in the battle between Mac vs. PC for music production. The software for Apple products is easily transferred from one device to another, making it simple to run audio software on say an iPad and send it straight to the iMac in just a few moments.

Although the PC and Mac look very similar these days, the cost of components inside them is a very real difference. If you have the ability to build your own PC, this may be the cheaper way to go. Make sure you buy with quality in mind though. Very often a newly built PC can suffer from compatibility issues right out of the gate. That’s not to say that Apple doesn’t have their fair share of problems (cooking an egg on the back of your MacBook for example), but a well-built PC with quality components inside can be a very effective tool for your music production. Combine this with a hard drive array and watch your workflow will blossom. Some of the best array’s work with both PC and Mac, and utilize the new Thunderbolt technology. While you may have to pony up some money for dongles and cables, because the iMac only has 4 slots for USB, it also comes with 2 additional Thunderbolt 3 ports making it a bit more worth the money considering buying just one Thunderbolt 3 dock for a PC can cost $250 to $300 US. RAM is also a very big consideration when looking at the PC vs. Mac for music production. 16 GB of RAM should be more than enough to run your software, but if you’re using sample-based instruments with plug-ins and a large library you should consider about 32GB of RAM. The iMac offers a 32 GB version, which will completely serve this purpose.

So, as we swim back towards the safety of the shallow end, let’s discuss some of the drawbacks to both systems.

Music production with a PC

The PC for music production suffers from a few things like sound bleed from the fans and compatibility issues, but those are all relatively simple to fix. The biggest problem for the PC is upgrade. Now we know what you’re going to say here “but the PC can be upgraded countless times!” which is true, but think about the cost of upgrading your system every year. On average, to replace memory sticks, you’re looking at about $100 to $800, to replace an SSD hard drive it can cost between $110 to $700 US. Upgrading to a motherboard with the new Thunderbolt 3 and an Intel i9 CPU is going to run well over $2000. Also not to be out done is the video card. Those have come down in price in recent years, but for a good quality card these days, you can pick one up for about $100. However, the wrong card can bottleneck your system and destroy your workflow. Expect to spend a few hundred dollars on a decent card. At those price points, you can see that the upgrade tree for the PC can be an expensive endeavor. All of that is also before you begin to get into any compatibility issue you might end up with.

Music producing with a Mac

Mac Or Pc For Music

The Mac has obvious drawbacks in terms of out of the box cost, but its’ biggest problem is being able to upgrade. The iMac is really just a thin computer strapped to the back of a monitor and although this is great for keeping your workspace tidy, it’s not so great for adding components like a new video card or hard drive. You’re pretty much stuck with what you have until you decide to go out and get some add-on devices for storage, but that will take up another USB slot on your already scant computer. Of course we can’t forget that should anything ever go wrong with your monitor your entire computer is pretty much useless. One would be forgiven for thinking that kind of design flaw would’ve surely been removed with the combo TV-DVD players that now sit in the dustbin of history.

In conclusion of the debate

Mac Or Pc For Music Software Free

In the end, the range of software available for music production is both large and well-defined. Most companies today make them compatible with both PC and Mac. We have tried to be impartial in this discussion without going too far into the deep end with specs, drivers and hardware devices that will be connected to these computers for music production, but simply give you an overview of their capabilities and flaws. Both platforms are very powerful when it comes to music production and with the exciting new technologies on the horizon for both the PC and the Mac the debate between PC vs. Mac will continue long after these technologies become obsolete. One thing is for certain, however — the future of music production on both platforms is very bright.

Pc For Music Production