Mac and Audio interface advice sought

[Restless]

Hello,
I need a Mac system to mainly run sample library type stuff like the East West Symphonic Gold, and volcal libraries, Stylus, Kompact, a piano plug, etc.
Whats Mac could I get away with and what is a good audio interface for this.
THX

[David R.]

Get whatever Mac fits your budget. Maybe even used. Anything made in the last few years should handle what you need and more.

Audio interface, I would go for a firewire one like the MOTU Traveler or 828MKII. Stay clear of the ever-changing landscape of the PCI card if you want your set up to be easy.

[Tonwerker]

Metric Halo!
www.mhlabs.com

[theblue1]

I don't know about "ever-changing" PCI... but there is certainly a shift to a new bus paradigm underway currently.

Still, as computer data busses go, PCI has had a very long and relatively stable run, bringing much needed stability to the so-called 'bus-wars' of the early and mid 90s and, when Apple adopted the PCI bus about midway in its life-cycle, it finally meant hardware developers could finally support both Mac and PC with the same hardware.


My primary machine now is a laptop and I use a MOTU FW interface (828mkII) but I would certainly have preferred a PCI interface had it been an option for me. Having your audio interface directly in the PCI bus means lower latency. I work around the exaggerated latency of the MOTU -- but even at its lowest workable latency, it's still about 4 times slower than a good PCI interface would be.

[David R.]

Originally Posted by theblue1

Still, as computer data busses go, PCI has had a very long and relatively stable run,

Key word in that sentance - had.

I'm still using a PCI 324 card in my G4, works great for OS9, not as great for OSX. Heard the 424 card works better.

So I am looking around for a cheap 424 card to extend the life of my MOTU interfaces. What happens when I upgrade my computer in a year or two, the 424 card will no longer work.

That is why I would suggest firewire for someone getting into the game now. Of course FW1600 will be out by then making everything obselete.

[Geert van den Berg]

Originally Posted by Restless

Hello,
I need a Mac system to mainly run sample library type stuff like the East West Symphonic Gold, and volcal libraries, Stylus, Kompact, a piano plug, etc.
Whats Mac could I get away with and what is a good audio interface for this.
THX

Why do you specifically want a Mac? Not that I would advise you otherwise

I would look at the minimal systemspec's on the websites of the software manufacturers of the apps that you are planning to run. So you at least know it will work. However, if you have a minimal machine you can expect the performance to be minimal too. So bet a bit higher.

So I would say, buy the fastest Mac you can afford, maybe 2nd hand, that way you overcome annoyance.