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05-06-2008, 08:42 AM
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#1 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Threads: 5
Posts: 56
| Mac or PC Laptop for Music Majors?
There is probably another thread with this same question. . .
S will be entering Eastman/URoch. He has a windows desktop he will not be taking. He has heard Macs are "better" for music majors. I am pretty low tech, but know he uses Sibelius for composing. Any opinions on mac or pc laptop? | 
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05-06-2008, 09:05 AM
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#2 | | Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Threads: 7
Posts: 310
| Yup, there are multiple threads. Search function is an amazing tool that too few utilize... One Thread Another Thread
Really comes down to personal choice since both Sibelius and Finale come in both "flavors." If S is comfortable w/ a PC, then I'd stick with that, especially since you've already made the software investment...
Last edited by ImperialZeppelin : 05-06-2008 at 09:23 AM.
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05-06-2008, 09:17 AM
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#3 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New York
Threads: 1
Posts: 34
| I am a PC fan and not a MAC person. I finally gave in to my D after visiting many schools. MAC is all that music majors use. | |
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05-06-2008, 10:00 AM
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#4 | | Member
Join Date: May 2007
Threads: 9
Posts: 901
| Those threads are pretty good. We are in the same boat, sort of. My son is interested in composition, and is currently using Sibelius and Sonar on a desktop PC. My inclination is to get him a PC laptop, so he can migrate those programs over, and also use other PC software he already knows.
I wonder if anybody has any experience with computers especially configured for music recording, like Rain Computers? | |
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05-06-2008, 01:03 PM
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#5 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: NJ
Threads: 11
Posts: 1,792
| Although I am firmly in the PC world, both my kids use Macs. One is in a conservatory and the other is headed to business school. From what I have seen, there are solutions on both platforms that are fine for just about any task that either might have. I think the decision comes down to two main considerations: personal preference and the amount of institutional support for that particular platform that will be available at the school. I would not advise someone to take a Mac to a school that was almost entirely PC users or vice versa unless they are able to provide their own technical support for network and hardware issues.
I have never used Rain Computers in particular, but have done a lot of computer-based recording. Most computers sold these days are more than adequate for stereo recording as long as you do not load them down with a lot of background tasks. very low-end notebooks are a possible exception to this because they often use the slowest processors and disk drives available. Unfortunately, a lot of computers come pre-configured with a bunch of software that you do not need or want running when you are recording. The main reason to buy a computer specifically configured for music recording is to do multi-track recording with a lot of tracks at once, or if you are not comfortable either uninstalling or temporarily turning off the stuff that will slow you down. If you do buy a specially-configured music computer, you have to have the discipline not to load a lot of new stuff on it or to radically change the configuration. | |
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05-06-2008, 02:14 PM
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#6 | | Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Threads: 30
Posts: 935
| We have been a PC only household, but I had thought of going with a Mac for D at college. I'm thinking that switching over now though may not make sense. The price of the Mac through the school is a good one, but the price for the PCs, which have gone down so much, is not so good. I hesitate not to buy through the school though because it will be so much easier to have them do the maintenance. | |
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05-06-2008, 02:54 PM
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#7 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: NJ
Threads: 11
Posts: 1,792
| One other thing you may wish to consider. I routinely decline almost all extra-cost service contracts on electronics, appliances and autos. Not so for laptops that are going to be away at school. In that case, I find the service contract worth the money for the peace of mind and also because I am not there to handle the small stuff. | |
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05-06-2008, 03:06 PM
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#8 | | Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Threads: 18
Posts: 346
| Get a Mac. They are so great... I have a Macbook and am a music major - It is great because it comes with so many useful programs, updates the programs automatically, and runs Sibelius really well.
Apple is just ahead of the game technology right now. | |
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05-06-2008, 04:50 PM
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#9 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Threads: 0
Posts: 100
| S uses a PC laptop and Sibelius for theory assignments as needed (composing). He's a performance major, so may have fewer needs than theory or composition students.
Some of the schools have computer labs with the software the profs like. I called S's conservatory the summer before he started (he was out of the country) to check on their recommendations - saved me a bunch of $$$ on what I might have felt was necessary... | |
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05-06-2008, 05:01 PM
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#10 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: washington, dc
Threads: 7
Posts: 279
| My older son (not the violinist) is a conservatory-trained recording engineer and composer. He wouldn't dream of using any computer other than Mac. I'm still on a PC and he thinks I'm a dinosaur! | |
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05-06-2008, 05:06 PM
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#11 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Threads: 7
Posts: 50
| I use a PC and I love it, especially with the added protection of VISTA, albeit being slower, but there is an advantage to a MAC that I wish PCs had. In the MAC Book Pro, not sure if this goes for all MACs, it comes equipped with a recording device so you can record you lessons, lectures, etc. on your computer. It's pretty sweet and definitely could come in handy. Just so you know. | |
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05-06-2008, 05:15 PM
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#12 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Madison, WI
Threads: 20
Posts: 1,282
| Son graduated from Eastman in '06. He used a PC all 4 years with no problems. He used Sibelius. He purchased a new computer at the end of his junior year and got a PC at that time as well. He is currently doing a performance masters and still quite happy with his PC. Pick which format you like best. It won't matter as far as school goes or what you will be doing for school. | |
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05-06-2008, 05:51 PM
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#13 | | New Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Threads: 0
Posts: 12
| It's a Coke vs. Pepsi kind of dilemma. Just bought PC laptop for S and got more power for the money. Also, Mom's the technie and I told him he was on his own if he got a Mac. It's 1) personal preference and 2) quality of support at the school. | |
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05-06-2008, 05:59 PM
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#14 | | Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Threads: 30
Posts: 935
| That doesn't help. I recently switched from Coke to Pepsi and wondered where Pepsi had been all my life. Will I feel the same way about a Mac? | |
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05-07-2008, 07:31 AM
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#15 | | Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Threads: 5
Posts: 56
| Thanks everyone!! I will pass all the info on to my S who is way more technologically advanced than I am.
Baritonevoce, thanks for the info on the recording possibilites with Mac Pro. S has been talking about getting an Edirol to record master classes, etc. (Couple of guys had them at Brubeck camp last summer).
The decisions just keep on coming, don't they???! Now that we have finally decided on a college. . . | |
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