Hello!! New here! Anyone here use one of the new Intel iMacs
Sunday, April 22 2007 @ 10:24 AM CDT

Hello!! New here! My first post. I'm trying to decide between a Mac-mini, and an iMac. I can just about stretch my budget to the iMac I believe. This will be my first Mac, I have used PC's for the past 11 years for music.

Anyone here use one of the new Intel iMacs for music?? Basically I will be getting a Tascam FW1804 audio interface.

I would like to run Windows and OSX. And I would like to be able to record 8 tracks simultaneously. I reckon either would be up for the task, but can anyone add their experiences to this thread?

Re:Hello!! New here! Anyone here use one of the new Intel iM
Sunday, April 22 2007 @ 01:17 PM CDT

I have an iMac in my classroom at school that I use for Garageband all the time. It's smoking fast and it's only a CoreDuo, not a Core 2. Get the 2G Ram... I'd recommend the iMac over the mini because you get more speed and a faster hard drive. The laptop HD in the mini doesn't compare.
Running Windows I'd definately get the 2G ram. Each OS really needs it's own gig at a minimum. I'd run boot camp. You won't get as good audio and recording performance while running Windows at the same time in Parallels.

Re:Hello!! New here! Anyone here use one of the new Intel iM
Sunday, April 22 2007 @ 01:22 PM CDT

If you're running GarageBand, the iMac is a batter machine for that task. The mini would do all right, but you'll 'hit the wall' sooner on how much you can do at one time on the mini, I believe.

Re:Hello!! New here! Anyone here use one of the new Intel iM
Sunday, April 22 2007 @ 01:43 PM CDT

Not using GarageBand actually. I'll be using Reaper (www.reaper.fm) Ableton Live (www.ableton.com) and anything else I can find online.

I can't really afford 2GB of Ram, 1GB will have to be enough. I'm sure it will.

Re:Hello!! New here! Anyone here use one of the new Intel iM
Sunday, April 22 2007 @ 01:54 PM CDT

I'm using a G5 iMac with a gig of RAM, and it does just fine with GarageBand and Logic Express.

I'm voting for the iMac, especially the new Core Duo Intel machines, over the Mac Mini. No question, and you'll be so glad you did. You may also find that saving up a few extra weeks for extra RAM pays dividends down the line. One gig will be fine, but after a bit one does like to have many tracks...

I'm also betting that if you mess around with GarageBand you might find yourself straying more and more into just using OS X.

Welcome to MacJams...

Ed

Re:Hello!! New here! Anyone here use one of the new Intel iM
Sunday, April 22 2007 @ 02:17 PM CDT

Thankyou for the welcome!

Unfortunately I really can't afford the 2gig ram. I'm a student, and as such only have a certain amount of money I can spend.

But I honestly think 1gig will do me fine. It has done me fine on my Windows XP setup that I'm currently using. I could just also upgrade later on down the road too, and sell the 2x512 sticks that I will have left over.

Re:Hello!! New here! Anyone here use one of the new Intel iM
Sunday, April 22 2007 @ 03:25 PM CDT

i'm broke too. i am using the stock mini (intel) and have only had problems once or twice. i am using the garage band that came with it (3.0) and having a lot of fun. i also use audacity (easier and quicker to do certain editing things). all in all, i think this is a fine set-up (unless you're planning on opening a studio or something).

Re:Hello!! New here! Anyone here use one of the new Intel iM
Sunday, April 22 2007 @ 06:09 PM CDT

I use Live 5 as well and even on my iBook at home it runs great. That's one thing about Live is that it runs really well on slower machines in my opinion. It's pretty slick. On the iMac it'll smoke...

Re:Hello!! New here! Anyone here use one of the new Intel iM
Sunday, April 22 2007 @ 06:25 PM CDT

Go for the iMac - the extra firewire port gives you full studio expansion capacity (interface and fast hard drive). In OSX, on a 2.1gig ppc iMac, I reckon I can get 12 tracks 24/44.1 safely recording (no extra drive), and 16-18 tracks of playback. You didn't say what software you're using already, but as a student, you have access to some very good deals. . .... I wouldn't mind betting that OSX makes a convert of you faster than you expect....take a good look at Tracktion, by Mackie, if you haven't done so already.

Hope this helps, Shaky

Re:Hello!! New here! Anyone here use one of the new Intel iM
Sunday, April 22 2007 @ 06:55 PM CDT

Oh. The software I'm using already is the software I mentioned, Live and Reaper.

I also use EnergyXT and Reaktor, I figure I could run Windows via Boot camp, and then maybe get ahold of a cheap version of logic express for mixing in OSX - unless Cubase is mac compatible, I'm not sure on that one.