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?

[rickenbacker]

If I had £2,000 to spare, I'd definitely spring for one of the new 1GHz dual processor G4s (or maybe the dual 867 plus a 17" Apple display). But I don't.

If you're prepared to be patient, yeah, why not? Go for Jaguar and over the next few months, all the audio and Midi options will eventually slide over to OS X. Logic is already there, which I think will definitely encourage everyone else. In fact, I was at Apple Expo Paris on Tuesday and saw a lot of OS X music stuff, notably Cubase SX which looks great.

Then finally you need the interface manufacturers to come out with drivers, but most of that work is nearly finished, too. I think within a couple of months there'll be a wide range of products available to choose from and build a terrific recording set-up.

I've got Reason, Live, Melodyne and Logic, with an Edirol UA-5 - all OS X compatible and I don't think that I personally need much more. Well, there's always techno lust for new gear, but that'll always be with us! I'm keeping that under control now my studio set-up is OS X compatible.