Low Budget Music Studio!!!, G4, G5, IBOOk, IMAC, EMAC??? Options

[riverron]

I've been recording on a digital 16 track station (Roland) for a while now and I'd like to make the leap to computer based recording, or maybe use the Mac for editing, mixing and mastering the cd. Since I'm starting out, I'd like to make this as painless as possible on my wallet. I wanted to get the latest EMAC with superdrive, or IMAC with superdrive. Honestly I'm leaning towards the EMAC with logic/pro tools.

Every person I talk to tells me to hold out longer and save my money for a G4 or G5, but none of these IDIOTS even work with music recording or editing.

I am buying a Mac this week, but I can't figure out which one to get for my needs. Every time I have tried to talk to someone about Macs and music...they always act like snobs and never really answer my questions. Then a friend of mine that owns a mac (but does not use it for music) told me about this site and asked me to post before giving up on people with Macs. So here it goes!

Has anyone ever used an EMAC with pro tools?
Does anyone out there currently use the latest EMAC with pro tools or logic and if so...how well does it work?

by the way the latest EMAC comes with a 1.25 GHz powerPC G4, 256 Ram(I'll upgrade to 1 GB of Ram), 80 GB Hard Drive and SuperDrive for around 1,200.00 dollars. And if I get the 160 GB Hard Drive 1,300 bucks. Not bad right? I've heard of people using pro tools in the past with Macs that were half as strong.

PLEASE HELP ME??? Sorry to sound so frustrated in this post but these last few weeks of asking around has been torture. I've done a search for EMAC info here in the forum and everyone seems nice and helpfull at this site. But no direct answer to my question. Any advice, suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Ron

[b-hamcomposer]

never mind on the nite...

As for softare alternatives, there is Logic and Digital Performer, and don't forget our good friend Cubase. Of the three, cubase is IMHO the best, most intuitive and functional interface and is very flexible, but doesn't have the stablility on macs that you outta get. The new Digital Performer 4 is very powerful but not to stable yet in OS X. It is great for audio, and has a lot of nifty features... If you really wanted to do it I would just use the audio-only version of it called Audiodesk, which comes free with their firewire interface the 828MKII (from MOTU, mark of the unicorn). That goes for $750 and is probably the most stable and nifty recording system you can get on macs. Its a firewire device btw. If you do want midi I would try to find DP3, its much more stable right now. Finally, logic. I am about to purchase it myself. What I have heard is that it is the most configuable and powerful of all the sequencers, but its super expensive (i get an academic discount) and has a high learning curve. Again, its definatly big with people doing a lot of video work, midi, etc.

I think that for just audio, protools its the easiest to get around and works great. Audiodesk is a very very close second, and would be in first for me if you wanted to go for a firewire interface. If you spend that much to get the digi 002 rack you could get motu's 896HD, a firewire 192Khz interface with 8 xlr/trs ins. Its sufficiently powerful enough to track a full kit in one tack and the rest of the band in the next at DVD quality audio. pretty cool.

hope all this technobabble helps.

nite for real.


Chris