Vintage Synth Explorer Forums

Hey guys, I dunno if this is in the right forum, but here it goes. I want to get a Mac for my synths. I wouldn't be using MIDI with them, I would probably be recording them straight into the programs. I dunno if I want to use Logic or DP with this, or even Pro Tools. However, I do know I want to use a Mac. The Macbook seems a bit out of reach for me, is there a way I can use something cheaper (such as a Powermac G4) and still be happy with it? As for plug-ins, I wouldn't use much, maybe Spectrasonics' Atmosphere or Logic's Rhodes emulation, if I were to get Logic. Any suggestions? Thanks.

I've got a 17" Powerbook G4 (it's from 2005 = old as fire!)
but it does the job right and it's a real workhorse/powerhouse
Although it's getting old it's not nearly as "crappy" as a pc laptop from 2005, which would be disgusting by today.

anyways, yes you can get yourself an older computer (it will work)
just make sure you've got plenty of HD space for the best performance (+RAM off course)

and if you're doing just audio, you might want to get yourself a faster harddrive (the regular ones are 5800/7200 rpm) so the DAW can read the audio faster and stuff

hageir wrote:I've got a 17" Powerbook G4 (it's from 2005 = old as fire!)
but it does the job right and it's a real workhorse/powerhouse
Although it's getting old it's not nearly as "crappy" as a pc laptop from 2005, which would be disgusting by today.

anyways, yes you can get yourself an older computer (it will work)
just make sure you've got plenty of HD space for the best performance (+RAM off course)

and if you're doing just audio, you might want to get yourself a faster harddrive (the regular ones are 5800/7200 rpm) so the DAW can read the audio faster and stuff

What do you use with it?

G4s are ridiculously slow by today's standards, we have a couple at work. To put it into perspective I upgraded from a G4 Powerbook to a G5 iMac and the difference was massive. I then went from the G5 to a 1st gen Macbook (Core Duo 2.0GHz) which was also a step up but not as big as from the G4 to G5.

For audio work a G4 really is underpowered these days, you can get much more powerful machines for not much more money. Have a look at second hand iMacs, they're a bit of a bargain at the moment. Also for around the same price as you'd be spending on Logic Pro 8 you can get a Mac Mini which would way more powerful than a G4.

i originally recorded with a 75 MHz Power Macintosh 7220, stepping up to a 400MHz G3 iMac was an amazing luxury and worked well with my MOTU 896. my Powerbook 1.?? GHz G4 was enough to do just about everything. now i use a Duo Core 2 24" iMac, an OS9-bootable 700MHz 15" iMac and a Duo Core 2 Macbook. my advice: lay money into as fast a computer as u can afford and buy used; having a good computer is better than a pricey synthesizer in my book.