why choose a mac?

A

acetheface954

Active member
Every DJ I have ever seen operates under the use of a mac PC and I am pretty sure why. But I've been a windows user since its coming of age because it offers more for a consumer rather than an artist/creator which is why I believe they choose mac.

So here is my question, why should I choose a mac to DJ?
 
you shouldn't

most of it is poser value; though some of it is that macs are roughly 60% ready for music/audio use straight out of the box - it is a lot of hard work to tweak the os to get it much better

with a pc you are maybe 20% ready out of the box with the older os's and had to do a bit of work to tweak the os to bring that closer to 90%

more importantly today the base hardware is no different as both win and macOS run on intel mobos so choose your mobo and then choose your os
 
The last time my pc crashed was three years ago

I have it on all day every day and do a reboot when updates warrant it and sometimes just to clear the cache in various areas of the os

last restart was 15 march 4:50pm due to a lightning strike that took down the power grid for all of 0.5s (power supply is that sensitive to brown-outs) - that's a total of 19 days without a restart
 
Buying a Mac over a PC is like buying an Acura over a Honda. YOU BUY IT BECAUSE YOU CAN AFFORD IT AND YOU LIKE NICE THINGS.

...traditionally. But these days, from what I've seen, Windows 8 is such a crappy OS for music in some people's opinions, they stick to 7, XP, or jump to Mac if they want to stay current without having to look at that Win8 interface. I know tons of people with new PCs that wiped them clean of 8 out the box to run 7. Also know tons of guys who just despise win8 so much they say "if this is what microsoft is doing, I'm going with Mac". Also know a few guys using Linux for the same reason, and too many guys to name who are actually what we call "professionals" who still use XP on old computers with tons of outboard gear. I guess there's guys out there doing music on Win8 who love it, all I ever hear is stuff NOT WORKING that was just working on 7.

But don't believe the hype. Macs crash, slow down, freeze, ect all the time. Not as likely to get a virus because of the programming, but now because of popularity, don't get too comfortable. I get tons of pop ups that know I'm on a Mac now, I used to get none. Not because of viruses, but from visiting a site that recognizes the computer I'm using no different than you get personalized ads in this forum directed at your interests even on a phone. But that's a start to the inevitable. The day will come when I have a new update on my Mac every time I turn it on.

With the move of technology over the last 5 or so years, not too many computers aren't capable of doing music with no crashes, hiccups, or flaws, if you're using the right OS, gear, and software. Macs are just nice things. So are Sony Vaios and those studio PCs that come with water coolers, top of the line quiet fast HDs with ridiculous amounts of space and overkill ram you'll never use(4tb HD 32gb Ram) and carrying handles built into them that cost a grand on top of what you'd pay if you built it yourself or even ordered it from Dell.

What happens is, it's human nature to try to validate frivolous purchases. Listening to someone try to tell you the difference between a Mac and PC is like listening to someone trying to validate his Acura over a Honda. Same parts, same frame, engine, hell in the wrong country can be mixed up and you get Acura Civics and Honda legends, lol. But that guy in the Acura's gonna try to tell you it does something better than that honda.
 
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DaRaNged, bandcoach, wow thanks for the reassurance. Because I really didn't want to waste my time diving into something like a mac just because everyone else does. You might say I'm a bit of a rebel. But can anyone name a professional DJ who uses windows when performing live whether its a pre recordex mix or a straight raw on stage show? It can't all just be one sided.
 
I have to say that when I bought my new laptop, I had heard all kinds of crap about windows 8 and how it's the spawn of the devil himself. Personally, I haven't had any problems.. My laptop crashes as much as my old computers did, or as little, nothing that I have tried to install have not worked because I have Windows 8. I just don't understand what all the fuzz is about really..
 
Wallengard said:
I have to say that when I bought my new laptop, I had heard all kinds of crap about windows 8 and how it's the spawn of the devil himself. Personally, I haven't had any problems.. My laptop crashes as much as my old computers did, or as little, nothing that I have tried to install have not worked because I have Windows 8. I just don't understand what all the fuzz is about really..
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I have an hp running on windows myself and it is the most powerful computer that I have ever owned. Producing on it is a joy. But would it be a good fit for a DJ? Are windows computers a safe choice to DJ with?
 
Why wouldn't it be.. if you, like me have a separate computer for your everyday internet browsing and music production, how unsafe can it be?
 
Wallengard said:
Why wouldn't it be.. if you, like me have a separate computer for your everyday internet browsing and music production, how unsafe can it be?
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That is exactly what I said!! Lol I thought to myself why buy something so overpriced like an acura (mac) when I can accomplish the same task driving a honda (windows)? Buying a 2nd laptop just for the sake of DJing was my solution to. Smh people with tjere opinionated facts...
 
You've got some great points above here in this thread, it shouldn't be much harder than that to decide what to go with. I'll stick to PC's until I find a reason not to!
 
Well I know the three of you are like the three wisemen on here, so I know windows computers won't be an issue. In fact, I knew this before I started this thread. Its just always good to get feedback from people with more knowledge on the subject for it all to make sense for those that do not know.
 
Well as much as I appreciate being elevated to the status of both Bandcoach and Deranged, my experience in music and everything around it is but a fraction of theirs. But cheers anyway :)
 
As a musician that got into computers so I could make music on them, I got tired of having to spend so much time being a 'computer guy'. I've had less issues since I switched to mac about 7 or 8 years ago than I had in an average month on PC's.

That said I think PC's have gotten a bit more stable for audio production in recent years. Although if you go on forums for various audio software, generally speaking the majority of users in the 'issues' section are pc users.

So to answer the question in my case it is stability and nothing else. I turn things on and they just work. I haven't downloaded a driver for my audio interface in 7 years (actually never had to in the first place because it uses core audio). If something gets unplugged I simply plug it back up and it starts working. No crashing the system or having to reboot to find the device again.

Every piece of hardware I've purchased since switching to mac has two sets of instructions for setting up. The one for mac generally is 'plug in and turn on' while windows has a one to two page set of instructions. At some point I realized that every minute I spend as a computer guy is a minute less I have to be a 'music guy'.

Time and efficiency and having a system that doesn't get in the way of the creative process. It takes me less time to boot up the mac and start up software than it takes for me to pull a guitar out of the case.
 
Wallengard said:
Why wouldn't it be.. if you, like me have a separate computer for your everyday internet browsing and music production, how unsafe can it be?
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Nowadays, I'd condone doing everything from 1 current computer. Alot of these "care for your music PC differently" rules are now outdated. Running an antivirus program(even windows defender which stays up to date)isn't going to weigh heavily on Ram and CPU like it did when rules like this were established(back when you'd have a 1.2ghz P4 with 128MB ram). And you should have plenty of space on an HD to do backups. For the last 3 or 4 years every computer in my home has pretty much served the same purpose(since I have kids that jump on whatever's there). As long as you avoid downloading every piece of bloatware that pops up in a window, you'll be fine. In this timeframe, I've had no issue with any computer in my home. Not so much as one crash that can be related to web browsing.

I do have an idiot friend who downloads every single program that pops up in a window who's computer may as well be wiped clean, but he's got like 20 web toolbars, a few antivirus freeware programs, freeware HD cleaners, all types of crap just weighing on his computer at all times. I doubt most people are dumb enough to click "download" everytime a pop up says "click download, it's free".

Computers are alot faster than they used to be. Running Adobe Flash, a Google or Yahoo Bar, a messager, and a real antivirus(not a "free one" that makes your computer move slower until you pay $19.99 shouldn't slow much down at all.
 
Ah yes, I see your point. It's just that to me, all my computers have gradually gotten worse over the coarse of a year or so and simply having a mediocre laptop dedicated to some simple pastimes and Internet helps me keep things a lot cleaner. Then I can have that other music computer completely offline and only transfer my tracks and what not with a USB stick or something like that. I don't believe that the anti virus programs have a big effect on the performance nowadays but roaming through the net and filling the computer with all kinds of stuff that are completely unnecessary for my production is just something that I personally want to stay away from.

Also mentally, having that dedicated place for my music is a good feeling where I can get lost and not be so distracted by stuff around me. That's how I roll, all to his or her own :-)
 
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^^^Totally understand. By all means, peace of mind is the best reason to do anything. I was once the guy who kept my music computer offline. Right now, I'm typing this response from it. I guess less albums would leak if more people followed the offline rule. Most aren't burned to CDs, but sent out of the studio via internet. :cheers:
 
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I chose a mac because I like nice things and Microsoft has contempt for anyone who still prefers Windows XP. Are they overpriced? Not much more if you know how, where and when to shop. That, and the resale value is much better than the pc. But I'm just speaking for myself, of course.
 
Pumpthrust said:
I chose a mac because I like nice things and Microsoft has contempt for anyone who still prefers Windows XP.
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it is more a case of XP is at its end of life date as of the end of next week - every company wants to keep moving forward so that folks buy into their subcription-ware model of software sales
 
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