mac equivalents of cool edit, etc.

[x86isslow]

my friend is looking at switching to a powerbook. he just bought a 2500$ dell computer and hates it

however, he is concerned about software.

he is a lighting designer (for play/musical sets) and also does music work- editing.

he currently uses cool edit for music and vector works cad for plots.

woo! i have 4 almost-converted friends. this would be my fifth. the other four are now saving up to buy apple laptops!

 

[frank5050]

Switch away!

Vectorworks + Spotlight is available for Mac just like it is for Windows. This is arguably the standard for theatrical lighting plots these days. Also, Lightwright (lighting paperwork program) is readily available for Mac.

There are plenty of audio editing apps for OSX, it really depends on what he needs to do. Peak by Bias Software is a good basic 2-track editor that is somewhat similar to CoolEdit. Another simple editor that is free is called Spark (the LE version) from TC Electronics.

In addition to those there are a bunch of high-end, multi-track editors including offerings from Apple (Logic), Digidesign (Pro Tools), and Mark of the Unicorn (Digital Perfromer). These might be more than what he needs. There are plenty of other posters at MacRumors that I'm sure can fill in with more about the audio apps.

Also check out a relatively new program called "Cricket" that is designed specifically for sound playback in performances (http://www.soundcrack.net/cricket/). It's only been in development for a short time but I've heard some good feedback from people who have used it.

For a good reference on all things audio for OSX goto: OSXaudio.com

PS: I'm from a theatre production background so I'm somewhat familar with these issues.

Good luck!

 

[krimson]

so THAT's what MOTU stands for..

 

[x86isslow]

update:
showed said friend the software on the mac-side for theatre, and got him to agree: macs are more stable, and are probably a better computer.

however, the guy (who plunked down a cool 2500 for a dell) still thinks macs are expensive. dell is sending him a replacement hard drive after his computer refused to boot.. he's had the laptop for less than 2 weeks, and its already kaput.

well this friend is the hardest to convert so far..