#646696 - 01/30/07 02:31 AM
Mac Powerbook G4/Midi/recorded tracks
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kwlusa
Planeteer/Artist # 168
Planeteer
Registered: 08/24/01
Posts: 3605
Loc: Fairfield, CT, USA
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I've posted about this before and have gotten some good advise, especially from Marty..Not sure what I'll do with this down the road..but I'm hell bent on digging deeper.
I'm hearing the Mac is ideal for this application..anyone using a Mac G4? pros? cons?
also midi triggers? software? hardware?
Lastly Sonar ..anyone using it? Friendly?
Thanks,
Keith
_________________________
 Yes..I know I'm a wank whore..and your point is? KeithLebo.com [url=http://www.keithlebo.com/coldshot.mov[/URL] LeboandLaas.com
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#646697 - 01/30/07 05:31 AM
Re: Mac Powerbook G4/Midi/recorded tracks
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Arthur
WaffleMan
Planeteer
Registered: 04/22/99
Posts: 9878
Loc: a Mac of some kind
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Keith,
I would pass on the G4. It is a great machine, don't get me wrong, and I used one myself for 6 years in a row as heart of my ProTools setup, but honestly, get at least a G5 or one of the newer Intel Macs.
G4 is simply not powerful enough for modern applications.
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#646698 - 01/30/07 05:35 AM
Re: Mac Powerbook G4/Midi/recorded tracks
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kwlusa
Planeteer/Artist # 168
Planeteer
Registered: 08/24/01
Posts: 3605
Loc: Fairfield, CT, USA
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Appeciate the input Arthur..Point taken..
How you feelin?
Take care,
Keith
_________________________
Yes..I know I'm a wank whore..and your point is? KeithLebo.com [url=http://www.keithlebo.com/coldshot.mov[/URL] LeboandLaas.com
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#646699 - 01/30/07 02:53 PM
Re: Mac Powerbook G4/Midi/recorded tracks
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avetter11
Planeteer
Registered: 10/13/04
Posts: 3418
Loc: Illinois
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I've been researching notebooks as well. I just got the V-Fire and want to record on the 2480, and edit on the notebook and am still uncertain as to which one to get.... I don't know Macs and noticed the Dells and gateways etc. only have one firewire port. Is it the same with Macs?
BTW, thinking of going with Sonar. Is the Pro edition worth the extra $200.00 over Home Studio edition? I have a small demo studio.
_________________________
Brian
Truth exists, only falsehood has to be invented.-Georges Braque
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#646700 - 01/30/07 03:41 PM
Re: Mac Powerbook G4/Midi/recorded tracks
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Hano
Mr.
Planeteer
Registered: 09/24/99
Posts: 17330
Loc: Belgium - E.U.
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#646701 - 01/30/07 04:03 PM
Re: Mac Powerbook G4/Midi/recorded tracks
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Duckhead
Planeteer
Registered: 02/05/00
Posts: 13524
Loc: n Load!
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G4s can have more than one firewire port depending on the model. Including both 400 and 800 ports.
A firewire 400 device will not run any faster than 400 on an 800 port. The firewire 800 is 50% faster than 400.
A slower firewire 400 will work with a firewire 800 port but will need a gender changer.
FireWire 800 uses a different connector and is only found on 15" and 17" aluminum PowerBooks.
Unless things have changed, if it has FireWire 800, it won't boot OS 9.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/powerbook_g4/index-powerbook-g4.html
The V-fire is a firewire 800 device.
_________________________
Want Really High Speed Internet? Go to Hong Kong! What I know,I know!Its What I dont Know Thats a Problem!Never let an electrical engineer near a telescope or an astronomy book. They may end up correcting the astronomy book! 
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#646702 - 01/30/07 05:37 PM
Re: Mac Powerbook G4/Midi/recorded tracks
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Popmann
Loquacious Planeteer
Registered: 05/23/02
Posts: 33617
Loc: Twangville, TN
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Sonar? On a Mac? Doesn't exist. You honestly need to pick the software you want to run FIRST...then pick the platform.
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#646703 - 01/30/07 06:12 PM
Re: Mac Powerbook G4/Midi/recorded tracks
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Arthur
WaffleMan
Planeteer
Registered: 04/22/99
Posts: 9878
Loc: a Mac of some kind
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Well, you can run Sonar on a Mac, just not under OSX, but under Windows XP.
The thing one ,must remember now is that Mac no longer automatically means just OSX. Since going to Intel processors, a Mac runs both operating systems natively.
E.G. I have on my MacBook Pro a OSX partition with PT LE for editing on the road and a Windows partition that I use for testing soft, running office and other soft like WaveLabs, a demo of SAW etc...
About Firewire, while in theory, FW 800 is 50% faster, in reality I found that to be not true. It is about the same. And if you attach a FW 400 to the same mac, it IS exactly the same. Because the Mac has only 1 Firewire bus that automatically takes the speed of the slowest device. So if you connect 1 800 and 1 400 device, the whole bus will switch to FW 400,
The newer macs have several FireWire ports, except the Mini and the MacBook, that have only 1. But that is solved with a simple hub. Actually the multiple FW ports on the mac are nothing but internal hubs. Remember, there is only 1 FW bus on the motherboard.
I stopped using FW disks last year in favour of my own drive product that I developped. It is a solution based on SATA 3Gb/s and it creams every firewire device. I only use FW to pump video data from my HD cam to the mac.
Cheers
Arthur
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#646704 - 01/31/07 04:42 PM
Re: Mac Powerbook G4/Midi/recorded tracks
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Kaszper
Planeteer
Registered: 03/13/03
Posts: 3362
Loc: Southeast England
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If you're only running MIDI tracks (ie not audio), a G4 would be fine. But try and get a later model with fast processor and plenty or RAM.
Software: Logic (Express version cheap), Digital Performer, Pro Tools. Logic and DP are superb for MIDI - far superior to Pro Tools in this respect.
Interfaces: Plenty of choice here, although Pro Tools will only run with Digidesign hardware. Motu's hardware is excellent. I use a Microlite - five ins and outs, simple plug and play, totally reliable.
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