Newbie Interest Options

[Bizzaam]

Hi everyone! I'm interested in getting started in the music creation world. I've been interested for a long time just never really did anything with it. I wouldn't really count messing around with crap program a few years ago named E-Jay. I've heard arguments of Logic Pro is better than Pro Tools but the latter is supposedly the "industry standard." Does anyone have any experience with both to say which is better? From the videos I've seen, Logic Pro looks amazing. I also like Logic Pro because of some of the famous users, like Trent Reznor, which I am a big fan of. He has always provided some inspiriation with my musical endeavors.

My first problem is I don't own a Mac, which leads me to my next question. I know what the system requirements are from the Apple site, but what do you guys/gals recommend? Being in the military, I am on a limited budget so a Mac Pro is out of the question right now. Would a Mac Mini or iMac be sufficient? Are the Jam Packs sufficient for production/creation or would I need to get more sounds/instruments from say www.soundsonline.com or www.vsl.co.at/en-us/65/71/214.vsl if Logic Pro supports them. I'm not sure what styles of music I would be making when I get everything together, but I know I would be helping a friend of mine with his projects of hip-hop/R&B. Though these are not styles I like, I'm trying to help him take back a genre that he feels has lost a lot of originality among other things.

Anyway, if you have any questions feel free to reply here or send me a private message. I have it setup to notify me when replies are posted. Thanks a lot for your time.

[aportman]

What has happend to the pure ability to create the "art" of audio engineering and production? I am in no way putting down or am I against advancing technology, but I am tired of seeing everyone in the music industry in a constant frenzy and tail-spin attempting to stay up with all the latest and greatest advances in technology and software.

I have spent many many thousands myself trying to keep up with the latest and the greatest. But lately, I have had an epiffany. Use what you have, especially if it does the job that you what it to do. Start spending time more wisely, using the gift (art) that lies within all of us as artists.

We spend countless hours, weeks, months, years, wasting valuable time, constantly trying to figure-out and arguing on which software is supposedly superb to others, wasting time trying to figure-out why interfaces won't communicate with the other 15 devices that we recently purchased, only to learn that since you made the purchase of your "new" software (yesterday), that 3 newer drivers have already been released. We are literally chasing our tails, or maybe better, chasing a myriad of rabbits, constantly going in circles trying to resolve all these issues when we should be spending the wasted (lost) time in creating incredible music.

I think we need a contest in which we would be given an 8 track degital recording, basic preamps, allow only SM57 mics used for basic miking set-up, along with a couple of other necessities, we could then see the true and pure art of audio engineering shine (or not shine) in each of us.

Allen