PT on PC?

[jahtao]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

While the classic Mac OS was indeed easier to deal with, system X seems less intuitive than even XP.

Disagree with both of these statements.

I'm on PTHD7.4 on 10.4.11 and very happy

[BIGBANGBUZZ]

Originally Posted by smurfyou

If I may bring the topic back to Pro Tools - it works on a PC. It works on a Mac. The biggest difference is shortcuts, and you will learn them - or do like someone else mentioned and re-map one to act like the other.

PT will always have bugs, most of them are easy enough to work around. I find the easiest thing is to avoid upgrading with 6 months of a new version coming out. That way you can sit back and see what bugs pop up and if they matter to you.

Here is the Key Tweak software link KeyTweak Homepage

[nativeaudio]

With some help from Wikipedia, I found out this:

Unix: 1969.
MacOS was introduced in 1984.
Windows: 1985.
Next Step/Darwin/Mach Kernel - which OS X is based on (along with Unix): 1985
OpenStep/FreeBSD: 1993.

OS X is only circa 10 years old.

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

My experience has been that the oldest OS is usually the most stable.

OSX is today much better than OS9 ever was, and I doubt that OS9 would have been better than OS X today if it wouldn't have been discontinued, because if it would have been a better idea to continue developing MacOS (OS9) instead of jumping on something new, they probably would have done that instead of migrating to/creating OS X.

Maybe full rewrites and new OS code sometimes is needed in order to adjust to today's hardware. And maybe both Microsoft and Apple is secretly working on something much better than Windows and OS X as we discuss this...

While the classic Mac OS was indeed easier to deal with, system X seems less intuitive than even XP.

When OS X first came out, it seemed like a big step in the wrong direction to many Mac users. Some of this resistance was of course based on a general allergy against change, and IMO it actually took at least half a decade to get it right, because, like you more or less say, an OS needs to ripen properly before it gets really stable.

If OS9 would have been developed today, maybe it would have been both extremely stable and also quite useless for what we want it to do. :-)

[jason kanter]

Not to bump but...

Actually shopping for PC's now as my company is re-upping (decided to go that route since I'm in the game industry and PC is still king amongst programmers). Was just looking over digi's compatability chart for PT 8.0.3 on win (Pro Tools HD 8.0.3 Win Compatibility) and the required specs for PC are insane!!! They require all the Dell and HP pc's to have dual quadcore Xeon processors. Isn't the whole point of getting a PT system to take the burden of processing off of your computer and put it on the external processing power of the DAW? Those workstations start at $5K (and that's w/o bells and whistles)!!!

So are these "required" specs BS? I know how notorious PT is for being finicky w/ system configs but I have trouble believing that everyone running the latest PT HD rig is doing so on a $5K+ machine.

Company artists have threatened that if I get that PC they'll comandeer it for 3d rendering.

[joemeek]

if you lookat the DUC you see people discussing working systems that are much cheaper.
i have been using a HD4 System on a selfmade PC with a 60€ Gigabyte Mobo and a 6600CPU
Now i´m using a HD4 system on a Asus Mobo with I7 on Win 7.
Both work fine!
These Systems cost a few hundred bucks and have MUCH power.
But you have to ge a little knowledge.
It seem to be complicated if you compare it with just bying a MacPro.
But in the end you have to become an OsX specialist also (to solve the problems you will encounter one day with your system late in the evening and somebody at digi telling you to trash the prefs what you certaily did already...)
i´ve been using TDM system for 15 years...
i know what i´m talking bout

i also think it´s crazy what Digi suggests which PCs to buy.
you defintively do not have to go that exact route.

[SurveillanceP]

Originally Posted by UnderTow

The vast majority of PT systems I have seen in the post world run on PCs.

Also, as far as I know, since Avid (a predominantly PC house) bought Digidesign, PT is first developed on Windows and then Mac-OS.

PCs are cheaper and more powerful than Macs. There is more and cheaper add-on hardware available for PCs. There is much more audio software and plugins available for PCs. Macs make little sense for audio unless you want to use Logic, DP or something like that.

Alistair

Vast majority here have been macs.

As far as I know, pro tools is developed on mac and then pc.

As for Undertow's last paragraph I repectfully disagree with each point.

"More" audio plugins doesn't equal better, especially if they still drain your host or introduce unknown compatibility issues. Would you rather use a tonne of denoisers, or just use one good one like cedar et al?

"Cheaper hardware" doesn't equal better, unless you have all the bugs worked out, researched all your compatability issues etc. Do you have time for this? Remember your time is worth money too.


----Macs make little sense for audio unless you want to use Logic, DP or something like that.----

Can't agree there in any way. In the time when I used to freelance I never ran across a PC PT post house. Not saying they don't exist and do well for themselves though.

Not slagging PC PT in any way, obviously many people have it running nicely and are making money from it which is good.

For us though, we don't have time. Overall Macs have less issues and more stability with PT so we just install them and get on with business.

If you have the time and the effort though, you could save money and gain power by goin PC I'm sure as previous posters have illustrated.

[jason kanter]

Originally Posted by joemeek

if you lookat the DUC you see people discussing working systems that are much cheaper.
i have been using a HD4 System on a selfmade PC with a 60€ Gigabyte Mobo and a 6600CPU
Now i´m using a HD4 system on a Asus Mobo with I7 on Win 7.
Both work fine!
These Systems cost a few hundred bucks and have MUCH power.
But you have to ge a little knowledge.
It seem to be complicated if you compare it with just bying a MacPro.
But in the end you have to become an OsX specialist also (to solve the problems you will encounter one day with your system late in the evening and somebody at digi telling you to trash the prefs what you certaily did already...)
i´ve been using TDM system for 15 years...
i know what i´m talking bout

i also think it´s crazy what Digi suggests which PCs to buy.
you defintively do not have to go that exact route.

I believe you, and it makes total sense. I've built my own systems before but I really don't have time for that. So now I'm just looking to pick up reasonably priced HP workstation for roughly $2K. I know Digi SHOULD be the one's to ask about this but we all know how easy it is to make THAT happen.

[Bob Olhsson]

Pro Tools|HD PCIe Systems Compatibility

HP Z800 Workstation

[Johnny Paez]

Well let me tell u that it is posible, but you need a very power pc

all time I used PT on pc, always had problems¡

and when I change to mac it was wonderful¡

[BIGBANGBUZZ]

Originally Posted by Johnny Paez

Well let me tell u that it is posible, but you need a very power pc

all time I used PT on pc, always had problems¡

and when I change to mac it was wonderful¡

I use to think that was true, but I think in the last 2 years ProTools seems to run fantastic on a PC, my PC Protools LE rig gives me far less issues than my Macpro HD rig..
Other friends run Nuendo and Fairlight on PC and have no issues.

The only down side to using a PC is you cant use some third party apps as they are mac only, IE Titan,

[RTR]

Originally Posted by jason kanter

Not to bump but...

Actually shopping for PC's now as my company is re-upping (decided to go that route since I'm in the game industry and PC is still king amongst programmers). Was just looking over digi's compatability chart for PT 8.0.3 on win (Pro Tools HD 8.0.3 Win Compatibility) and the required specs for PC are insane!!! They require all the Dell and HP pc's to have dual quadcore Xeon processors. Isn't the whole point of getting a PT system to take the burden of processing off of your computer and put it on the external processing power of the DAW? Those workstations start at $5K (and that's w/o bells and whistles)!!!

So are these "required" specs BS? I know how notorious PT is for being finicky w/ system configs but I have trouble believing that everyone running the latest PT HD rig is doing so on a $5K+ machine.

Company artists have threatened that if I get that PC they'll comandeer it for 3d rendering.

The funny this is that The last 3 PC's I have built over 6 years I never once looked at the DIGI recommendations for PC and I have never had a compatibility problem, I think half of that crap is due to Digi having deals with dell and hp, I would never ever buy a pc from a store, you can build one way cheaper and I have never had a compatibility problem with PT, I don't think I have ONE thing on my PC that is on the DIGI compatibility list and I have no problems!!!

[Johnny Paez]

Originally Posted by BIGBANGBUZZ

I use to think that was true, but I think in the last 2 years ProTools seems to run fantastic on a PC, my PC Protools LE rig gives me far less issues than my Macpro HD rig..
Other friends run Nuendo and Fairlight on PC and have no issues.

The only down side to using a PC is you cant use some third party apps as they are mac only, IE Titan,

Maybe you are right, now PT must have a lot of patches to run ok on pc.
but I really dont like pc, maybe u can get a lot of plugins without ilok
but my experience with old pro tools on Pc was a bad experience.

Peace

[newrigel]

If you like windows, save the money! I hate windows and the operating system is a HUGE deal for me because have you ever just dragged a file in windows? Not a true drag and drop environment so your locked into a way of working in windows. But I'm sure you can get used to it but I usually FOCUS on my music not the computer and the Mac wins there... depends on what your doing. A mac is better for musicians and windows is better for tweaks that like to spend time on the box instead of on their music.

[Bob Olhsson]

Originally Posted by newrigel

...have you ever just dragged a file in windows? Not a true drag and drop environment so your locked into a way of working in windows. ..

I don't know what version of windoze you've used. I used a Mac from 1985 to 2002 and then switched because Apple dropped virtually all support for CD mastering. It took me maybe twenty minutes to make my XP machine look like a Mac and most people who visit are shocked when they realize they are looking at a pee-cee.

(Gates and Jobs are both crooks in my book so I have no religious preference.)

[Bob Olhsson]

Originally Posted by Johnny Paez

Maybe you are right, now PT must have a lot of patches to run ok on pc..

Patches? Such as?

[BIGBANGBUZZ]

Originally Posted by newrigel

If you like windows, save the money! I hate windows and the operating system is a HUGE deal for me because have you ever just dragged a file in windows? Not a true drag and drop environment so your locked into a way of working in windows. But I'm sure you can get used to it but I usually FOCUS on my music not the computer and the Mac wins there... depends on what your doing. A mac is better for musicians and windows is better for tweaks that like to spend time on the box instead of on their music.

You can drag and drop on a PC please explain,
There are a few cool functions I like on OSX, when it comes to using Protools there is no difference.

[s0nguy]

wow.. can;t believe this thread is still going on... here it is in a nutshell:

1. buy a refurb Dell precision 690 from outlet.dell.com ( for waaaaaay less than a mac.. get as many cores as you can)
2. load windows 7 ultimate 64bit os
3. load protools hd 8.0.1
4. make music on a virtually crash free system..


simple as that... I am living and WORKING proof.

your mileage will not vary.


-s0nguy

[Johnny Paez]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

Patches? Such as?

I mean updates, to run better on pc