New Power Mac G4 Line, Improvements worth the money for audio? Options

[salparadise99]

Are the improvements worth the money for audio?

Specifically:

It seems that there are very good graphics improvements (from what were already exceptional), but budgetwise I don't need better graphics, but rather optimal audio functionality.

Also, a couple of questions...

1) The Xserve technology that I think all of the new G4's come with seems to be a server based advantage. I am somewhat of a novice. ...Was Apple trying to design a superpower machine for creative people (like me who wants to dedicate my machine to recording music) and therefore assumed that when you are recording that your machine is functioning as a server as opposed to a home computer?

2) Is the Mac® OS X version 10.2 “Jaguar” designed for tasks such as audio recording? Have there been some good reviews on this yet?

[damann]

hi stuartpa,
we do exactly the same as you guys with the pt rigs, i'll ask my friend if there were any other issues. from what i understand, the 1.25 dual was purchased for running logic from his london home studio which is the least sophisticated of his studios(no machine room), in fact, hardly used other than for the small percentage of the 60 days a year that he spends in england, that he's actually at home!
having said this, i don't think it's a wise idea to invest in os9 right now, why not squeeze the last bit of juice from your current systems until digi etc get onto the x wagon?
i and my friend work extensively in olympic studios here in london, we also work a lot in n.y and l.a, we don't know anybody that's investing in new macs for the purpose of staying with 9. logic works fine under x and pt works fine on all of the g4 systems we use. i'll get back to you with more info on this decision.

[lepetitmartien]

never loose the point that the acctual machines are transitionnal ones. For the next step is… we don't know.

I'm sure Apple ha incorporated into it's plan that most of the people who want to buy new machines will think twice before investing as the issues on the G4 range are quite public. And they can say this trismester we sold less machines (as all the others) because of al quaida/bush/saddam/afghanisthan/oil/rabbits. It'll be on the financial side normal. They can wait to have something really new. If they had it, it'll be out already, but the politics and economics are disverting financial critics elsewhere. They use it also.

On the french side of macmusic heral uses still a PT on a really old thing 7600 if I remember well. He's a professionnal and it's enough for now (there are other digidesign related issues . The trouble has always been to make the balance between what can I do with the actual stuff, what if I wait the new ones? Is it worth? (as far as we can say, and now, we don't know a thing) and finally the actual machines will be sufficient for how long?

Unfortunately there are to many unknowns things in the equation. I won't try a prediction.

The last resort is to think? How much work can I do until I'll change again that I'll can't make with the machine I have now. And the answer is yours. partly influenced by how far are due the new killer macs?

pretty difficult question now.

on my own (I see you drinking my words are the ultimate oracle i'd say: you don't have a mac, buy one and work. You have one, work with it the actual situation can't stay that way more than 3 months. Think about January and macworld SF. Even if they make the anouncements outside the big exhibits (SF, boston-NY, tokyo, Paris) most of the big turn at Apple are taken around the SF expo, and as soon as they'll know when something new will come, they'll tell us.

That said, I still don't have the money to moove from a G3 BW 400…

[Stuartpa]

HI Daman thanks for checking this out, it is appreciated.

We really need to get a couple of New Macs and I am sure that when the next real upgrades get released we will probably get some of them as well. talk about the Bleedin Edge but I am beginning to think that Apple is becoming more of an OS developer than a real hardware developer. I do love them Macs though, the PC's don't get used for much round here.

We will be using them for a Logic PTHD system and I know that ususally everything ends up working out, but if there is anything that helps us keep the Production going with a minimum break while we switch the systems it would be good to know.

If the systems really are transitional that ususally ends up being good as they usually get the bugs worked out just before they wreck everything with new systems, but it all works out in then so far for me anyway

We are invvestigating OSX of course but there is so much that need s to happen with the Software Plugins especially before it is really a viable OS.

We got a couple of systems running just OSX more for testing than anything else and it is pretty good but it is still not as fast as OS 9.

I guess when the Software gets t oaccess the hardware through another layer of software that can slow things down. But OSX is a pretty nice Looking OS and being able to get into some of the Unix stuff could get interesting

[damann]

hi stuartpa,
seems like we're in very similar situations here!
i've talked to a couple of mates who also own machines from the latest range, and can't help feeling (especially on the basis that you'll be housing them in the machine room) that you should go ahead with the purchase, my other friends don't seem to have much problem with the noise, and that seems to be the only issue other than dissapointment with the implementation of ddram and the new system buss not quite being what it could be. the best mac to buy IS the newest, as with any computer(generally).
os9 compatibility is obviously a major issue for the forseeable future, and therefore remains a serious issue, unfortunately!
you hit the nail on the head when you said that apple are more an os developer than a real hardware developer these days. it's nice to hear from someone else who notices how sluggish osx is compared to os9, x is the beginning of something great whereas os9 IS something great!
do, of course, check with digi though, we all know how slow they are to check out and endorse the new machines...

[idolini]

Hello Gentlemen,
This would be my first post on this forum, and I just wanted to clarify some things about the G4 DP 1.25 MDD (mirrored door-drive). As it stands at this moment there are MAJOR problems having to due with noise stemming from faulty engineering of power supply cooling fans, and also as far as audio goes there are crackling, popping, and humming sounds depending on it's mood that day. Despite our having evidence of Apple's prior knowledge of these issues, they continue to pretend that the machines are perfectly fine and the noise levels are normal due to the power generated. Thus, a considerable international coalition of professional musicians, artists, and basically devout Mac owners who are not receiving an acceptable response from Applecare have united and formed a website with the intention of spreading the word to the public about the fallacies behind these machines.

Right now, my $4,400 investment is virtually useless to me as a musician because I cannot record audio with this constant humming and high-pitched whining from the power supply fans, and i unfortunately don't have the means like you fellows do of keeping the box in a separate room. It's so loud, one literally cannot hear him/herself think! Logic Audio Platinum is still not fully OS X functional...and as far as I'm concerned...OS 9.2.x is at least ten times the speed of OS X across the board. I have no idea what that's about.

In any event, if anyone would like more first hand information on what's going on with all of this, and just how serious this aims to be for a company treading on such a small market share to begin with...feel free to pop on by. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/G4noise/ Mean time, I'll be bending your ears for some much needed advice and help so bear with an old guy!

Thanks for hangin' with this friggin' tome!

idolini

[replicant]

To those of you who experiencing noise problems with the new G4 MDD's. Please sign the petition at:

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/applemdd/petition.html

Review the petition, and if you agree to the
statement, please sign. I ask that you all spread this
url/address to MDD users worldwide and participate in
sending a common message to Apple.