Mac vs PC when it comes to Music and Editing. Trying to understand why...

[ApfelKuchen]

you have to emulate windows on a Mac. It's not exactly Windows/Linux multi boot config. Emulating windows should cause problems when it comes to hardware and drives because you are using Apple hardware.




oh i saw something about FCPX on windows but i guess that's a scam then.

"Emulation" means a simulation of the OS. This is not an emulation. Windows runs native on Macs, as it does on a Linux/Windows multi-boot. The common denominator here is that all three operating systems run on Intel microprocessors.

Macs run actual Windows (gotta buy it from Microsoft). The drivers are needed for the same reason nearly every Windows machine has to come with manufacturer/hardware-specific drivers - the manufacturer is responsible for making Windows work with its hardware. The differences are greater in Mac, because Apple dances to its own tune with other aspects of the hardware configuration (such as i/o ports).

As a word of advice from someone who's been advising customers on computing matters for over 30 years... Plan to give your advice based on your own experience, not on the basis of a few message board posts. If you know you'll have to support both Windows and Mac, then aim to know Mac as well as you know Windows. "Well, I haven't used Mac since elementary school, but based on what other people tell me about Mac, I think Windows will be the best choice for you," will not impress your customers.

It's human nature; your advice will always be biased in favor of your own experience. You'll want your customers to have PCs, because you wouldn't be able to help them if they were having problems with their Macs. You'll be doing what's best for you, not what's best for your customer. (And this has nothing to do with Windows vs. Mac - I'd say the same thing to a Mac fanboy who said similar). If you know you'll have to support both, do the hard work and learn both.

Others have tried to say it already, but I'll give it another go... You're focusing on components, but it's the integration of the working environment (like audio/video control room design, kitchen layout, automotive repair bay) that makes the difference in overall efficiency. Now, two different craftsmen will have different preferences for their work areas. This is not a one-size-fits-all world. But the skill of the architect is not in making his customers conform to the design of his buildings, but in designing buildings that meet the needs of his customers.

 

[fuchsdh]

Why have you spent years on a Mac rumors site if you're a PC fanboy? And how have you not figured out why some people prefer Mac OS X and Macintosh hardware in that time?

 

[crjackson2134]

you have to emulate windows on a Mac. It's not exactly Windows/Linux multi boot config. Emulating windows should cause problems when it comes to hardware and drives because you are using Apple hardware.




oh i saw something about FCPX on windows but i guess that's a scam then.

You really don't need to be recommending anything at this point. You need to do a lot more reading as well as using multiple platforms.

Windows runs natively on a Mac as does Linux. No emulation or VM's required. Many Mac users dual boot, triple boot and more.

 

[avkdm]

To make it easy on you,
Windows for gaming
Mac for everything else.
I switched from a desktop PC at work quite a few years ago to a MacBook Pro
I dual booted Mac and Windows the first couple of years then switched to Parallels as everything I needed to do work wise could be done on the Mac from OSX.
FWIW I have been an Audio Visual and Videoconferencing technician at a University for 18 years.
All of our senior technical PC networking guys also have Mac Book Pros.
I would like to take credit for everyone jumping on board Macs at work, but the truth is every tech worth his salt saw the light when OSX came out.

 

[scottsjack]

Windows runs natively on a Mac as does Linux. No emulation or VM's required. Many Mac users dual boot, triple boot and more.

In fact my 2012 mini 2.3 quad doesn't even have OS X on it. It's just a Windows 8.1 machine and a fine one at that. Windows 10 dual boots on my MBP and runs pretty good for a pre-beta try-out thingy.

 

[DPUser]

"I know what I like and I like what I know" can explain a lot.

Use what you like, but if you start your business, as you indicate you hope to, make sure you can help each one of your customers work in the manner he or she feels most comfortable. Your chances of success will thus be enhanced greatly. After you have gained their trust, you can gently coax them toward the best solution for their needs. Along the way, you will learn a lot.

I know OSX much better than Windows. I am very happy with my seriously upgraded Mac Pro for audio, but will consider a PC next time I need a new "heart" for my recording studio because Digital Performer, the blood that runs thru that heart, was recently ported to Windows.

 

[Condeavor1]

The drivers are needed for the same reason nearly every Windows machine has to come with manufacturer/hardware-specific drivers - the manufacturer is responsible for making Windows work with its hardware. The differences are greater in Mac, because Apple dances to its own tune with other aspects of the hardware configuration (such as i/o ports).

This is where the PC users get the "emulation" confused with Bootcamp. Bootcamp is just a drivers package.

Plan to give your advice based on your own experience, not on the basis of a few message board posts.

Couldn't have said it better myself! I've used PC's since I learned my first DOS commands at five and couldn't be happier with my change to Mac 2 1/2 years ago after 22 years of frustration. Ease of use goes a Long way!

PC's are cheaper because you can cut cost when you build it. You can do the same with a Mac, if you get the part numbers. BTW, My Mac Pro w/ GTX 770 games at 1440p/Ultra/~55FPS no prob (in Windows/Sniper Elite 3-most recent game), so to say PC's win hands down at gaming... Apple to Apples if you want to get real.

 

[wilmer007]

Why have you spent years on a Mac rumors site if you're a PC fanboy? And how have you not figured out why some people prefer Mac OS X and Macintosh hardware in that time?

i had the first generation iphone back in 2008 so i signed up for help. i had that iphone for about 4.5 years (i still have it but it doesn't work like it use to). Then i got my first android phone in 2013 (after i was able to test android with my cousin's android phone) and have never been happier. iphone had to many restrictions and all that crap with having to sync to my PC just to sync my music and some movies wouldn't even work on iphone. and you can only sync to one pc, like seriously wtf is that... android is so much easier to manage music and videos and never going back to iphone ever again.


now i don't know how OS X compares to an iphone but i hope if the day comes where i test out OS X that i don't get frustrated from all the restrictions that Apple puts that upsets me and i lose the freedom i currently enjoy.

 

[lowendlinux]

Everyone is sort of glossing over that any product will be created faster on the users chosen platform because we are the slowest part of the operation. I can't use Windows for anything nor do I really want to learn, my work computers are Mac's and home computers are Linux because I like to futz. If I tried to do what I do at work on Windows it'd take significantly longer because I don't use the system. At the end of the day the end product is what we're judged by no one cares how the product was made.

In my world

Linux>OSX>Windows

 

[Condeavor1]

now i don't know how OS X compares to an iphone but i hope if the day comes where i test out OS X that i don't get frustrated from all the restrictions that Apple puts that upsets me and i lose the freedom i currently enjoy.

System settings, Startup Disk, Windows, Reboot. Or if you have Parallels, it's even faster!

You aren't listening, Windows runs native and FAR superior to the majority of manufactures machines. Dell? HP? They put the cheapest hardware in them from the cheapest bidder to sell to the uneducated consumer. Even Alienware is crap now compared to 10 years ago.

You know why the saying was "When it's time to upgrade your mac, just toss it out and get a new one"? Because they Still work 10 yrs later, just like they did day one. That was BS 10 years ago, and it's BS now; you can always upgrade to newer Apple hardware (to an extent). There are bad seeds in every batch, but no machine has earned the name of migraine more than the PC, and Apple shines in the customer service department. Don't even get me started on Windows OS... Windows 95, 2000, ME, Vista, 8... 10 shows promise, I will concede. PC users see a OS as one in the same with the hardware it runs on, but in fact the bulk of the hardware is contributing less and less in todays Intel dominated market (i.e. multicores are not accessed to run basic Finder/Explorer functions). There is virtually no difference between the Xeon processors of the Mac Pro's and the Oracle systems of similar chipsets. Apples shifting towards mobile GPU chipsets is not the way I would go and they are trying the patience of additionally higher-end users, but the interaction with the OS is a far pleasant experience. Research and surfing are not a chore, but more of an adventure for knowledge. The discussion based on the title of your thread is "Mac vs PC" which would imply you were comparing the hardware and not the OS though.

Apples are for more bang for less energy bucks too. A PC tower adds $15-$25 a month to a users electrical bill, a newer iMac is closer to $2-$3. That seems to be the major reason they are going to mobile GPU chipsets in all their devices.

 

[nigelbb]

Since Apple make everything : the hardware, the OS, the particular software and even the sales (at the Apple Store), it is very easy for them to provide support. If you buy a Mac for video editing with Final Cut Pro X, if you have some sort of problem, you know that somehow Apple will be responsible for it and fixing it. In fact, one of the thing that Apple does very well overall is customer service.

If you are doing a living from the work you do on your computer, having a fast and reliable costumer service is a very very important thing.

For a Windows PC it's literally impossible to get at any price the level of support that Apple gives particularly with AppleCare. Have a problem? Go to an Apple Store & have a Genius sort it out for free.

 

[David58117]

i had the first generation iphone back in 2008 so i signed up for help. i had that iphone for about 4.5 years (i still have it but it doesn't work like it use to). Then i got my first android phone in 2013 (after i was able to test android with my cousin's android phone) and have never been happier. iphone had to many restrictions and all that crap with having to sync to my PC just to sync my music and some movies wouldn't even work on iphone. and you can only sync to one pc, like seriously wtf is that... android is so much easier to manage music and videos and never going back to iphone ever again.


now i don't know how OS X compares to an iphone but i hope if the day comes where i test out OS X that i don't get frustrated from all the restrictions that Apple puts that upsets me and i lose the freedom i currently enjoy.

2008? Seriously?

Hmm, what was going on with windows in 2008 - Vista!

I actually had Vista.

Let me do what you're doing and make my opinion on something today, based off my experience 7 years ago:

"Windows is soooo bloated and slow! None of the games work because the stupid new release (Vista) broke drivers - AND it's a RAM hog!!! My 2014 retina 15" is SOOOO much faster!"

...do you see how dumb that line of thinking is?

 

[roadbloc]

There was a day when using a PC (ie, Windows) would cause unmanageable amounts of latency between DAW Software and the Hardware that it used. Because of the modular mature of Windows PCs and the inconsistencies in the drivers (sometimes badly written by hardware manufacturers), it was simply easier to get a Mac and not have to worry about any of it.

Nowadays however, it's much less of a concern. Windows has improved dramatically on the digital audio front, as have hardware drivers. Nowadays, it all boils down to what software you wish to use.

 

[fuchsdh]

There was a day when using a PC (ie, Windows) would cause unmanageable amounts of latency between DAW Software and the Hardware that it used. Because of the modular mature of Windows PCs and the inconsistencies in the drivers (sometimes badly written by hardware manufacturers), it was simply easier to get a Mac and not have to worry about any of it.

Nowadays however, it's much less of a concern. Windows has improved dramatically on the digital audio front, as have hardware drivers. Nowadays, it all boils down to what software you wish to use.

Which I think most people would agree is A Good Thing.

Everyone is sort of glossing over that any product will be created faster on the users chosen platform because we are the slowest part of the operation. I can't use Windows for anything nor do I really want to learn, my work computers are Mac's and home computers are Linux because I like to futz. If I tried to do what I do at work on Windows it'd take significantly longer because I don't use the system. At the end of the day the end product is what we're judged by no one cares how the product was made.

In my world

Linux>OSX>Windows

This is also true. I'm always going to be slightly slower in AE for Windows because of the difference in keys (and in my personal stance, using Alt or Control for primary modifier keys is inferior to command.)

While I won't even go so far as to say I have to troubleshoot Windows more (although that's certainly my feeling due to the problems we've had at work) there is no doubt that *fixing* those problems takes far longer for me on a PC because of my Mac-first background. Diagnose and try to fix a problem on a platform you’re not native to and you realize how much troubleshooting becomes instinct after a while.

 

[Designer Dale]

well if that was me i would still fix windows pc and look at windows in my free time.


but that's just the user preference.



i haven't used macs in over 15 years. the last mac i used was the very first iMac back in 1996-1997 and that was playing games in the school library.


so being a lifetime windows user it's not easy to get someone like me to switch to mac. would i try it if i had the chance to get a few hours into it. sure i would love to try it so i can compare myself and see which i would like for everyday use. but in the end i would still stay with windows because it's what i know how to use best and that if i had to spend money to get a mac desktop i would honestly rather use that cash and upgrade my CPU, RAM and video card for my windows PC instead. hell with the cost of an iMac i can upgrade these parts at least 2-3 times over.

(My emphasis)

This dude last used an Apple computer with a CRT screen, 266 Mhz processor and 32MB of ram running OS 8.5 and he is criticizing current Macs as compared to the PC he has been using? Uneducated trolling.

Beyond build quality, the Mac/PC debate isn't about hardware inside the box anymore. It's the user experience through the OS. Mac OS 10 is a preferred environment for many over Windows.

I have an 08 MacBook Pro running Mavericks and an HP laptop on Win 7. Every time I turn the HP on it insists on running 20 minutes of updates and restarts. It's off now and tends to stay that way. I find Windows a pain to navigate.

Dale

 

[PhiLLoW]

I once made a Video in Sony Vegas on my PC. Spend around 20-30 hours editing everything.


Program crashed ALWAYS while rendering.

This was the very moment I decided to edit on another platform.

I also got a lot of crashes with Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects. I always hated that.

Some PC may have more power etc. but a Mac is reliable. And this is what really counts.

 

[TheStork]

Your questions are strange and troll like.

You ask about music & editing but talk about PC's being better because of Photoshop.

Photoshop also runs fine on a Mac and has forever.

Most people like the Mac because of the quality build, and preference for OS X.

I've been using computers much longer than Microsoft has been in existence. I've used nearly every operating system one can think of (mainframe / desktop).

I prefer Mac/OS X over any other OS (including Linux, and other Unix variants).

It's a personal experience and preference. Since you love Win/PC so much, why not forget about Mac/OS X and just enjoy your personal preference as most of us here do?

Concur. I, too, have been using computers since my engineering undergraduate days in the late 1960's, back when Moses was a child. Skipping to the 80's, I've used both PCs (DOS) and Mac's (OS 6.06 was the first) and had one of each on my desk to get work done. I like the way the Mac OS and the programs just work - easy of use to get something done.

I can go on, but I won't (Yeaaa!) because this debate is decades old - even back in the days of mainframes and minicomputers (remember the DEC VAX?). Bottom line, IMO, you go with the system on which you first accomplish something great, and the system is what you're told to buy/use by your college and/or employer.

 

[koyoot]

like seriously wtf is that... android is so much easier to manage music and videos and never going back to iphone ever again.

Never say: never

 

[Keter]

To the OP.

The reason why music, graphic and film editors gravitate towards the Mac is because the platform is consistent.

When you build out a DAW what you want is a workspace that is going to be the most compatible and consistent experience for the artist, engineer and producer. Studio time is not cheap, so the last thing you want to be doing is burning up time to configure and troubleshoot the DAW because of some kind of driver issue or incompatibility. As an example, If someone comes into my studio with a NI Maschine MKII or MKI and they plug it in and import work, we can begin production in about 5 to 10 minutes. I already have KOMPLETE and if they have a special VST it takes a couple of seconds to add it in and begin working. Where as on the PC side, we have to start installing drivers and configuring ASIO to output the sends from the controller to the sound card. That is just one example. Another would be that music content creators use tools like ProTools, Ableton Live, or Cuebase that are multiplatform, and I know quite a number of artists that like to finalize their work in Logic before sending to be mastered or have their work mastered in IK Media.

The same applies to video editing. I was the Sys Admin for Invisible Children for the prior 3 years. I supported a team of about 20 creatives that were on iMac and Mac Pro machines, they edit in Premiere Pro CC, and each machine is connected to a 250TB SAN over 4Gbps Fibre Channel. I let the team do whatever the hell they liked to their workspace and machine but if they messed it up, I was able to reimage the machine in about 15 to 20 minutes with a fresh OS, the entire Adobe CC suite, Office 2011, Cinema 4D, a library of plug-ins and a host of tools they like, I did this with DeployStudio.

If there was any type of issues to troubleshoot with the FC connections or any kind of permission issues I could remotely send a script to reconfigure XSAN, message the user to reboot and they were back to work. Being that there was close to 3000 hours of video footage on SAN, I found it necessary to introduce a digital asset management tool, ended up choosing CatDV.

It really comes down to time and consistency.

Do you want to mainly get hung up on specs of your hardware or would you rather push out some amazing work because you were able to polish your creation with the extra time you had, because you were not troubleshooting your machine?

 

[wilmer007]

For a Windows PC it's literally impossible to get at any price the level of support that Apple gives particularly with AppleCare. Have a problem? Go to an Apple Store & have a Genius sort it out for free.

i've had a windows laptop that lasted me 6.5 years (died last year around this time) from 24/7 use. now granted it did need alot of TLC from me as i had to open it and do some repairs but it still lasted 6.5 years. you don't hear people telling you their laptops last that long because a laptop usually has 2-3 years of life if used 24/7 and a regular person would just toss it out and get a new one instead of trying to repair it but when ur an IT Tech you save alot of money fixing it yourself.


as for software i've never had many issues with Windows software when it comes to crashes. if windows is not working like it should i simply grab the disc or USB and install windows again. All my stuff is on a seperate partition so i lose nothing other than a few minutes reinstalling windows. problem solved....

anyone that has been around windows for the last 15+ years can easily fix any windows problems without needing Microsoft support. Till this day i can't remember the last time i had to contact microsoft for support and if i ever did it was probably once or twice over these last 15 years.


so this crap about Apple vs Windows Customer Service is irreverent. Sure the general consumer that isn't an IT Tech would benefit more from Apple and their customer service since they handle both the hardware and software but any IT Tech can fix it himself without needing Microsoft or Apple.

 

[F1Mac]

now granted it did need alot of TLC from me as i had to open it and do some repairs but it still lasted 6.5 years.

While you were doing your repairs I was probably making music on my 8 years old Mac Pro, which never required any repair whatsoever. I just replaced the graphic card and I add/replace an internal drive every once in a while (I have 4).

 

[NT1440]

so this crap about Apple vs Windows Customer Service is irreverent. Sure the general consumer that isn't an IT Tech would benefit more from Apple and their customer service since they handle both the hardware and software but any IT Tech can fix it himself without needing Microsoft or Apple.

So you're asking about consumer products, and totally disregarding the consumer in doing so....

 

[Keter]

i've had a windows laptop that lasted me 6.5 years (died last year around this time) from 24/7 use. now granted it did need alot of TLC from me as i had to open it and do some repairs but it still lasted 6.5 years. you don't hear people telling you their laptops last that long

I have a 2009 MacBook White Unibody that I use daily. It is music crate for my DJ gigs and for VJing with Modul8 + MadMapper. Once I did not zip my backpack all the way and it fell out as I made my way to the top of the stairs, mind you, they were concrete. I feared the worst, so wrong I was. Picked it up, nothing was broken, the corners had cracks but nothing more.

Here we are 2015, 6 years later and I will continue to use this laptop until the day it does not turn on. I have replaced the battery once, it is due for another, $40 investment from ebay resolves that.

I think your claim that 2 to 3 years for a Mac laptop is moot. Especially when mine is not just for daily use but used for live performances.

 

[lowendlinux]

I have a 2009 MacBook White Unibody that I use daily. It is music crate for my DJ gigs and for VJing with Modul8 + MadMapper. Once I did not zip my backpack all the way and it fell out as I made my way to the top of the stairs, mind you, they were concrete. I feared the worst, so wrong I was. Picked it up, nothing was broken, the corners had cracks but nothing more.

Here we are 2015, 6 years later and I will continue to use this laptop until the day it does not turn on. I have replaced the battery once, it is due for another, $40 investment from ebay resolves that.

I think your claim that 2 to 3 years for a Mac laptop is moot. Especially when mine is not just for daily use but used for live performances.

I've got you beat.

 

[Keter]

I've got you beat.

No, you prove my point.