Windows to Mac converts - your experiences please.

robstudio · Post by **robstudio** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 2:04 pm

Hello,
I switched from pc about a year ago... biggest pitfall is programming fingers to hit cmd instead of ctrl (the key locations are reversed...) ... that would be about the only downfall I can think of...

the biggest improvement I wasn't expecting was how smart macs work.... back ups are easier... adding new os's / disk partitions is such a breeze... mac's boot manager is smart.

Audio wise... now this will absolutely be debatable, but I'm going to say it... plug ins and mixing sound better on my mac daw... I always found the plugs sounded flat and somehow boxy on pc... hence I mixed out of the box, and using outboard stuff. On the mac, the plugs affect the material as I expect it to... I'm can now submix drums internally with plugs, and not have the lack of depth/clarity that had when I tried to mix in the box, on PC.... don't ask me why but it just always sounded muddy, once I started adding plugs ... BTW same plug ins cross platforms...

anyway... common theme is to say I wish I'd switched years ago.... I wish I'd switched years ago

Regards, Rob

pencilina · Post by **pencilina** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:25 pm

I use both mac and PCs. The PCs in my studio, like many others here, host samples and synths. They have been pretty great for that- cheap computing power. For composing on a computer my central tool has always been a mac. I started on a IIci in '96. Another couple things that come to mind is that Macs tend to be very well made and that the useful life of a mac is generally longer then that of a PC. Even though the initial outlay may be a bit more (less and less these days with all the choices) I think they're a much better value. I still feel spoiled by my 5 year old G5 especially when I compare it to what I experience using the PCs including my new one which is only a couple months old. Also if your time is valuable and consider the amount of it you waste troubleshooting hardware and driver problems on 'doze you also save money by not having to deal with anywhere near the amount of hassle let alone data loss. I really don't trust any important files to reside on my windows boxes for too long. Also, DP only runs on a mac and this forum is an amazing resource with a lot of great contributors and a kindness I haven't experienced anywhere on web (with the exception of matthew's volvo site). I hope you make the switch and that whatever learning curves you might deal with are smooth.

Best _B

David Polich · Post by **David Polich** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:59 am

I have both PC's and Macs. I started out on Macs, then went with a PC to run only Gigastudio (and since then, my PC grew to host a lot of other VI's).

Aside from where the keyboard commands are, switching from Windows PC to a Mac is like climbing onto the freeway from a two-lane road with potholes.
Seriously, it is dead easy.

Macs just know when things are plugged in. You can plug and unplug USB devices with ease. To uninstall, you just drag the apps or files you want to get rid of to the trash. No "add/remove programs" crap. The Finder can actually find things. OSX has built-in audio and MIDI implementation (Core Audio/MIDI). Windows audio is a collection of workarounds and tricks. XP was never written for audio in the first place, and Vista's audio doesn't work well.

Not to mention that you're not as susceptible to viruses on a Mac. Macs are immune to Windows viruses.

I join with the others who say - you won't be sorry.

96khz · Post by **96khz** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:48 am

robstudio wrote:Hello,
I switched from pc about a year ago... biggest pitfall is programming fingers to hit cmd instead of ctrl (the key locations are reversed...) ... that would be about the only downfall I can think of...

Go to System Preferences / Keyboard & Mouse. In the Keyboard tab, press the "Modifier Keys" button and remap the keys to the way you're used to.

http://daringfireball.net/misc/2005/04/ ... -modifiers

robstudio · Post by **robstudio** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:09 am

Hi 96k
thanks for the tip.... been there, tried that however... issue is the modifier key combos stop working on my shuttle device with that trick. I could reprogram my shuttle keys, but the thought of changing every modifier, for every app makes me want to hurl... I'm used to it now, so it's really no biggie. I had to really stretch to find a downside

Regards, Rob

PS... more problems now hitting the stupid windows key when I switch back... lol... thankfully my taxes are almost done... tee hee...

96khz · Post by **96khz** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 3:19 am

Here are some useful links about audio performance on Windows Vista:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/20 ... technology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_ ... dows_Vista
http://www.itwriting.com/blog/?p=450

Vista has a new driver model, WaveRT, that is capable of producing very low latencies, but, unfortunately, this model is only available to onboard or PCI/PCIe based audio devices. Ouch! How silly is that? Onboard=consumer. USB and Firewire devices, probably the biggest percentage of the audio interface market, can't use this mode.