What computer should I get?

Duck Tape

Platinum Member
I have decided to quit trying to be a business-man and be a musician, at least for the rest of the year. I left yet another finance job and I plan to enroll in a 6 month music course involving sound recording, production, performance among other things. The study probably won't result in a job but since I am now playing professionally I think this will help round me out as a professional musician. And I'll actually be studying something I like for the first time in my life.

I would like a good laptop that won't break the bank and I was hoping someone here has investigated this already, or knows what the industry standard is (if there is one).

I've had dozens of windows computers and honestly I find that while they're supposed to be there for me - I end up doing all the work fixing them all the time. Should I get a mac?

What software should I use for recording? I will also need to create electronic music so if anyone can recommend a package.

Thank you.
 
I've had dozens of windows computers and honestly I find that while they're supposed to be there for me - I end up doing all the work fixing them all the time. Should I get a mac?

I'd highly recommend trying a Mac. It's a stable and streamlined ecosystem. If you are tied to a legacy application for Windows, you can always leverage Bootcamp or Fusion. You will likely want to work in Garageband to start, and move on to something more full featured if it doesn't meet your requirements.

I use a 2013 27" iMac in tandem with a Zoom R16 in Garageband. It has been wonderful so far.
 
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Definitely go Mac. I've been a Mac user exclusively since 1995. If you don't plan on moving your new laptop around at all, you can get by with a MacBook Air. If you plan on taking it with you everywhere then get a Macbook Pro. Save some money and shop the Mac refurbished store on Apple.com. While I usually steer clear of any refurbished products, Apple's refurbished laptops are as good as new and it's a no brainer for the amount of cash you can save.

The only way you should consider sticking with a Windows format is if the creative community you plan to be a part of is predominantly Windows oriented. Otherwise switch to a Mac. You'll be glad you did.
 
With regard to something that is well-built, reliable, well-featured and virtually hassle-free, I'd also recommend a Mac. I use a 13" MacBook Pro Retina and I've had several Macs (Mac-only since 2006) and I wouldn't use anything else. I like Windows 8.1 as a system but I feel that for similarly-specced laptops, Macs are actually decent value. Sure you can get something more powerful for less money in the Windows World but there always seems to be a compromise - be it build-quality, battery life, keyboard, touchpad, etc.

In my experience Macs are a good balance of small compromises that make a compelling package. For equivalent-sized and powered Windows Ultrabooks, you're looking at the same kind of price and I prefer OS X.

This isn't ideological. I'm convinced that Windows 8.1 is a good system, I also have experience with Linux systems and I like them (and would use them if I had fewer general compatibility issues) but for my money, at this time, Macs make a great overall package.
 
Note: Apple just rereleased (on paper) the new Macbook, which sits in-between the Air and Pro. Time will tell if this is a worthwhile option.

I really wouldn't consider that as an option. The one USB port for everything (including power) is ideal for people that use their laptops without much outboard, e.g. writers, students and journalists. If you're going to be plugging in peripherals regularly (like interfaces) I'd avoid. I'd also say that first-generation products are not usually a good buy. The first iteration of the MacBook Air was cool but deeply flawed. The second iteration nailed it. Both my folks have newer MacBook Airs and they're great for what they use it. For audio though, I'd want something a little more powerful - plus the high-resolution display really is something.

EDIT: I know you deal with this stuff day-to-day Kamak, hope I didn't come across as condescending!
 
EDIT: I know you deal with this stuff day-to-day Kamak, hope I didn't come across as condescending!

No worries. I'm genuinely curious to see what kind of breakout-boxes will be released for USB Type-C. My understanding is that it will be more widely adopted than 'just' the Macbook, and that other top tier manufacturers will have product out shortly. The biggest down side that I see for the new Macbook is the inability to plug in a normal thumb drive without an adapter.

Like you. I'd give it a year and see what happens. FWIW, My wife has a 2014 Pro and we love it. It's her 'precious'.
 
... I plan to enroll in a 6 month music course involving sound recording, production, performance among other things....

I'd contact that place and find out what they use, or what they recommend.

.
 
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You may want to contact the school and ask what the other students are using and what software etc.
 
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If necessary, you can always install Windows 8.1 on a Mac. I did this a couple of weeks ago (so I could play my Steam collection) and 8.1 runs like an absolute dream on my Mac.

If you do go this route, you still needs to have something running Windows available to you so you can create the disk image (.ISO) on a thumb drive using the Windows Disk Image Creation Tool. Then it's a case of running Bootcamp on your Mac and following the instructions. It's quite simple but not quite as simple as it used to be.
 
You may want more than one computer. One computer for home - that does the recording studio stuff and another computer for everything else.
 
I looked at a few pc's for arguments sake and they are much cheaper, but I think it's worth my while to escape from windows.

I went to JB hifi and they offered up a macbook pro 13", 8gb ram, 2.6 dual core i5 and 256gig solid state hard disk. This was $1,700 Australian dollars which is actually cheaper than I expected.

I can get a 15 but I like the little 13" one because I can take it to class and it won't be too bulky if I want to play with it in bed, which I imagine I will do quite often.

I think that's settled. Just to decide on software... I think my options are garage band, logix pro and reason? Does anyone happen to know what else I can use on mac?
 
Well it's a 6 month course, the computer will probably be with me for more like 6 years. I will ask though, I think they use cubase.
 
I looked at a few pc's for arguments sake and they are much cheaper, but I think it's worth my while to escape from windows.

I went to JB hifi and they offered up a macbook pro 13", 8gb ram, 2.6 dual core i5 and 256gig solid state hard disk. This was $1,700 Australian dollars which is actually cheaper than I expected.

I can get a 15 but I like the little 13" one because I can take it to class and it won't be too bulky if I want to play with it in bed, which I imagine I will do quite often.

I think that's settled. Just to decide on software... I think my options are garage band, logix pro and reason? Does anyone happen to know what else I can use on mac?

Reaper works, as does Cubase. Check for the .au formats on plug ins but other plug in formats work.

I have more-or-less that arrangement but with the 512GB drive. Great computer. I'm typing from it right now.
 
I think that's settled. Just to decide on software... I think my options are garage band, logix pro and reason? Does anyone happen to know what else I can use on mac?

Begin with Garageband. It has tremendous community support and doesn't put scam/license-ware on your Mac like Cubase does. Once you find that you've hit a limitation in GB, upgrade to a package that removes the limitation.

The only GB tip I can give is that GB doesn't ship with a way to flip the phase of a track. There's a free plugin called "FreeG" that will fix that for you. Phase is important for drummers as we're almost always using multiple mics.

Parts of the GB workflow may seem unintuitive at first. What you initially perceive as a missing feature is often an intentional design decision that forces you to use a healthy workflow. Put your brain into 'student' mode for a week while you watch tutorials and experiment.
 
On my old Mac, I was using GarageBand and Logic Studio (I felt the need for a 'pro' program). When I upgraded to my new Macs just using the Yosemite OS, I've just been using GarageBand, and that program alone is pretty dang powerful. It will handle up to eight simultaneous inputs, so you could couple the machine with an 8-input USB interface and be fine. There's lots of processing power for EQ and effects, and editing is pretty easy. And there's already software instruments installed if you want to link up with a USB music keyboard and make your own music.

It is a 'lite' program, but it's doing what I need it to do. And there's all kinds of support out there in Apple-land. Right off the bat, you're not having to buy much other than an interface and microphones.

Warning, however, before you buy a USB interface for your new mac (which ever one you decide to get), you need to make sure it is compatible with the new Yosemite OS. Not sure if all the manufacturers got it straightened out but when I bought my Macs back in October, the list was short on devices that worked. That's why I settled on the Focusrite interfaces. Apple was already selling them through their online store, which meant to me they had tested it out and it worked. Companies like M-Audio still hadn't made sure their stuff worked, and Zoom definitely hadn't upgraded their drivers to use their R16 and R24 as interfaces yet either.
 
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