As a complete newbie, who has just bought a VCI-100 (and Numark DJ I/O), which would be recommended?
I had a quick chat with a Dj the other night whilst out, who was using a macbook (not sure which software he was running), and he said that software tends to run better and more reliably on a Mac than on a PC laptop running windows… Is this generally true or perhaps one of those myths that were more relevant with older laptops with limited computing power? And are Mac’s generally more suited to ‘musical applications’ than their equivalent PC? I see alot of professional Dj’s tend to use Macbooks over PC laptops (FWIW)..
Reason I ask is that I’m going to buy one or that other in the near future. I’d like a PC laptop, as I will use it for other things, and never had a Mac or even used one for sustained periods. There’s also the issue of cost, Macbook’s being that bit more expensive for an equivalent machine.
It might be six / half a dozen with regards to running Tracktor (although I’d like to run ‘Pro’ eventually), but of course stability and relabilty are major considerations if the laptop is the only music source available…
I’m having the same inner discussion now too, though mine is more in regards to Vista than anything else. Most people who use macs say that they are more reliable and stable, but I just don’t buy it, to a large extent. If you treat a PC well it will work well. If you get quality parts and keep it clean it will work like a tank.
I don’t know if the extra couple hundred to $1000 justify the Mac. shrug
Before I answer let me start by saying that I am Microsoft Certified.
If you are fairly tech savvy get a PC with windows XP on it, you can get a great deal out there.
If you are not great with the technical stuff or want a break from constantly tweaking your PC get a Mac.
I own a mac and also run windows xp on VMware Fusion. It’s like having two computers in one.
You have two choices of video cards, one with their own CrossfireX stuff, I don’t know waht that is. It isn’t necessary to the life of the system, but when the laptop costs the same as a souped up Dell with slightly better stuff… I dunno… seems like an interesting deal
But than again, I always had a sweet spot for Alienware. This started when I still was a gamer and bought my first Razer Boomslang.
But there also are some DJs/producers who swear by their Alienware laptops.
These guys don’t game, but use it for Ableton and Traktor Pro stuff.
(DJ Stryke is one for starters)
Alienware has got me hooked in the design and the hardware department.
before you blow a good chunk of money on that alienware, dont forget to check out lenovo, most stable laptop in the business world! im running from a T61p, 2.5 core duo 6mb L2, 160GB HDD, 3 GB ram, and mine came with the quadro 570M which is the same card as the 8600 gtx 512 ddr2. runs games and traktor like a charm! paid 1500 for this beast! Lenovo.com!
Peace!
Hey Rosssco, I own both a laptop pc (toshiba p4 ht 2.8 ghz) & a macbook (see tag below) I prefer the macbook over the pc, for one simple reason. Traktor runs very smooth on osx, it runs good on xp (haven’t tried vista) but you have to tweak alot of things. Out of the box the macbook is ready to rock and roll, the only thing you have to “tweak” is the screen saver. If your not ready to dump 2.5k on a macbook pro get a macbook the spec are almost mirror like but the screen is only 13" which is not bad.
i’m running an ASUS (2.24 Centrino 2, 2gb, 250hdd, 15.4" screen, dedicated graphics and 4 USB ports). I run a VCI + Nio Soundcard with traktor 3.4 and its solid as a rock no glitches or crashes. ever. I also use it for ableton work and its a great little workhorse.
I think PC’s can be as stable as macs (I know most Mac people are “its the Mac way or the highway”) you just have to look after them…keep them clean of crap you don’t use, always check for updates and latest drivers etc.
Really Traktor isn’t a very CPU intensive app, so long as you have enough ram and arn’t running 4 decks with effects on plus master effects on while analyzing your play list you should be right.
I’d have to agree.. the only thing I’m now concerned w/ is how Mac has been Fu(king their loyal customers over w/ thier own firewire issue (granted this wont be a big of a problem since I’m moving over to T-Pro but none the less I still LOVE my ScratchAmp and want good firewire support for not only that but my hard-drives.
I’m waiting to see how the dust settles w/ Mac’s recent changes (they keep changing Firewire & USB ports) + still don’t like the flaky USB ports on older MACs; and on the other side the lack of new XP machines and i REFUSE to go Vista (how in the hell did we as computer users allow this to happens to us I’ll never know)
but anywayz… (done ranting) I’m still on the fence between a decent Alienware Machine (nothing crazy) and a standard MacBook http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9107398&type=product&id=1218024601724
Thanks for the replys folks! And although I’m only slightly nearer to making a decision, at least I’m better informed..!
Being honest though, I think the way to go for me (at this stage at least), is a decent spec PC laptop, running XP Pro and not much else! Shouldn’t have a problem deactivating the various background programs etc. that may cause me problems, and I know a few people who should be able to help in this regard…
Maybe if and when I get to a reasonable standard, and gigs are on the horizon, it will be time to invest in the most stable platform I can find.
As a converted Mac user, I feel that Mac is a bit more reliable than XP. Prior to the purchase, I was lurking the Mac forums to see what they thought. Mac fanboys will always say that Mac is tonnes better than PC. I’ve had a Mac for the last three months and my Mac has had a few problems already. Programs still crash on Mac but thankfully there’s no BSOD.
Traktor 3 crashed a fair bit on XP but I think that was only after I installed the drivers to the Fast Track Pro. Prior to that, I had no problems. On Mac the only time music applications crashed was when I ran a cracked version of Ableton. Once I used a legit version, everything was okay.
I don’t particularly miss PC. With that being said, I don’t like Mac at times either. Crashes still occur. Macs do crash and finding PC equivalents is sometime a drag. After using it for three months though, I’ve found most PC equivalents and am quite happy. What sold me for a Mac was Apple Care. I’ve replaced the top case already and had gone to Apple Geniuses a few times. But then again, you’re sorta paying for it with the extra cash you put into a Mac compared to a PC.
But to answer your question. Yes I find Macs more reliable. No, I don’t find Macs being more suited for music application than PC.
Most of those items mentioned in that link are irrelevant for a Mac “out of the box”; there wont be any additional users, there wont be a need to defrag, the desktop will be static, the dock will be locked, the dashboard will be nearly empty, the hard drive wont spin down unless running on batter power (which you shouldnt be doing during production anyway), and sharing wont be enabled.
The article was also written a long while ago, as it references the grossly underpowered PowerBooks and iBooks, so arguably you wouldn’t need to optimise your system to the Nth degree if you are running a brand new MacBook with a Core 2 Duo.
I use both PC and Mac laptops for both work and play, XP SP3 on the PC and in Parallels/Boot Camp on my Mac (I have no Vista experience, although all the company’s machines will be “upgraded” soon). I much prefer OS X in terms of it being more intuitive, easy to configure and maintain, and generally pleasant to use. I also find the Apple hardware to be far superior to PC hardware I have used, but it cost more so you would hope that would be the case. I find it equally as stable as a well-kept XP install for most uses, however I have found it decidedly more stable for Traktor which I have used on both platforms. I find other audio apps such as Ableton and Soundbooth stable on Mac, but I cant comment on PC cos I havent used them on that platform.
im running from a T61p, 2.5 core duo 6mb L2, 160GB HDD, 3 GB ram, and mine came with the quadro 570M which is the same card as the 8600 gtx 512 ddr2. runs games and traktor like a charm! paid 1500 for this beast!