This is why you DON"T buy a mac for music

[neverenoughfunk]

To the guy who mentioned Dells being everywhere in corporate america.... that's because they are like $7 for the full computer and monitor to schools and business.

merrill lynch has 20,000 employees times $7 is $140,000 you think merrill lynch is throwing their money away like that?

i know you are kidding about $7 but the fact still remains...

on merrill's balance sheet if they have a line item where the cost of maintaining and buying new machine are constantly going up i would think they would go with a mac...

just alittle business 101

 

[Salem Beats]

I can raise or lower the volume of the track I am on just by putting two fingers on the pad and moving them in the direction of preference and that is only one example.

Really? IM GONNA COP A MAC RIGHT AWAY! Hahaha...

Seriously though, I hope you don't consider that one of Mac's "core features". I can raise or lower the volume of any track I want with my microKONTROL's faders and scenes.

And if I don't have my microKONTROL connected? Well, I just click (with my EXTERNAL mouse) and drag. Its so easy.

You're vague every time you try to point out how mac is better. You're using arguments like "it just is", while I have given specific reasons why it is not, as well as backing evidence to support my claim.

Everytime a mac user talks about how "Mac is better" they sound like they have as much computer tech knowledge as my grandparents, and they're stuck back in the tech level of the 60s. If Apple's market share is rising, it's because people who don't know anything about computers are spending their money as though more money will always buy a nicer product.

 

[dmensah1]

Didnt read the responses but I think that the OP needs to redo this comparison. The dell will still cost less but Apple makes it very clear what comes with the Macbook pro:

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs.html

Price is only one measure. There are other factors at play here that are going to determine which laptop is better for you.

right off the bat after simply skimming, I see that you either completely ignored or downplayed several differences between the two models:

It says it right there in the link that the MBP uses a 1066 Front side bus. It also can handle up to 8 GB of RAM. Can the dell? no. it only goes up to 4 GB and theres no expansion option. the dell also uses 4 GB DDR2 not 4 GB DDR3 which means longterm its the inferior product of the two (you can upgrade HDs on both laptops so the diff between the 2 arent that severe). it's not a marketing gimmick as far as RAM is concerned, that's just you downplaying the macbook pro to try to make the dell look better LOL. all the other premium/performance laptops that were built to compete with the Macbook pro (Dell XPS, HP Envy, Sony Vaio which are the better comparisons and all use very similar parts) use DDR3.

You also used the wrong Processor, you need to go as close as possible spec for spec. The 2.53 option alone that will bring the CPUs together will bring the dell to $874. We havent even gotten to the graphics cards yet. The macbook pro has a 256 MB Nvidia card. the Dell has a 256 MB ATI option (we wont argue over which is better). you didnt bother to add that did you? thats another $100 right there. Now youre at $974. Want similar battery life? still gotta pay the upgrade price for that, now youre over $1000. the MBP includes integrated Bluetooth, does the Dell? Is it even an option? Does the Dell have an expansion card so that you can add Firewire? Didn't see that there either but please show me where it does. EDIT* I re-read and see where you mentioned you got the Indigo card so then it should.

Firewire (800 mind you so no external power needed) is VERY important for a lot of us here, especially us Pro Tools users as the better interfaces (m-audio/Digi) rely on firewire. Even non protools users find firewire important as the better interfaces like apogee or presonus use it and you can daisy chain your harddrives to it rather than running each separately off USB and reducing performance. LOL how many inputs does that indigo card have again? exactly. so you spent nearly $800 on a one stereo channel interface and a preamp and then have the nerve to go after people that buy MBPs? and one of the best parts of getting the MBP? MBP can run both Windows 7 and OSX with no problems so if I loaded Windows 7 on there its going to outperform that dell longterm if I decide to upgrade the RAM and there are no sacrifices that have to be made about the applications that I would like to run. Dell offers way better machines to compare to the MBP and i definitely agree that in certain cases the PC selections are the better buys...

 

[jay_jizle]

Oddly enough this thread is making me want to look at a mac for my next computer purchase.

I figure someone here can try to answer me this: why is it mac's aren't known for being upgradeable? Does apple have such a stranglehold on their stuff that they won't allow the components to be sold individually?

A PC can be upgraded for years. I never hear of a mac user putting in a new mobo and processor chip...

As you can tell I know nothing of macs...enlighten me please.

 

[deRaNged 4 Phuk'dup]

not sure what you are saying...

my point is it does not take as much computer power to create a sample beat as it is with today top shelve vsti...

period...

I'm saying top shelf vstis are used to create sampled beats. Unless you just take loops and add drums, the process of making a sampled track doesn't variate much from making a track from scratch. One starts with a single instrument melody you make up, the other starts with a sample. From there, anything from Trillian to Goliath to Omnispere can be added to either, and processors from T-Racks to Sonalksis to McDSP may be shaping the sounds.

Pretty close minded to think otherwise. Like in the same sense you can't make a beat from scratch using only Reason and it's factory bank that a P3 can run flawlessly. No rules apply to any style. That's all I was saying.

 

[Salem Beats]

Didnt read the responses but I think that the OP needs to redo this comparison. The dell will still cost less but Apple makes it very clear what comes with the Macbook pro:

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs.html

Price is only one measure. There are other factors at play here that are going to determine which laptop is better for you.

right off the bat after simply skimming, I see that you either completely ignored or downplayed several differences between the two models:

It says it right there in the link that the MBP uses a 1066 Front side bus. It also can handle up to 8 GB of RAM. Can the dell? no. it only goes up to 4 GB and theres no expansion option. the dell also uses 4 GB DDR2 not 4 GB DDR3 which means longterm its the inferior product of the two (you can upgrade HDs on both laptops so the diff between the 2 arent that severe). it's not a marketing gimmick as far as RAM is concerned, that's just you downplaying the macbook pro to try to make the dell look better LOL. all the other premium/performance laptops that were built to compete with the Macbook pro (Dell XPS, HP Envy, Sony Vaio which are the better comparisons and all use very similar parts) use DDR3.

You also used the wrong Processor, you need to go as close as possible spec for spec. The 2.53 option alone that will bring the CPUs together will bring the dell to $874. We havent even gotten to the graphics cards yet. The macbook pro has a 256 MB Nvidia card. the Dell has a 256 MB ATI option (we wont argue over which is better). you didnt bother to add that did you? thats another $100 right there. Now youre at $974. Want similar battery life? still gotta pay the upgrade price for that, now youre over $1000. the MBP includes integrated Bluetooth, does the Dell? Is it even an option? Does the Dell have an expansion card so that you can add Firewire? Didn't see that there either but please show me where it does.

Firewire (800 mind you so no external power needed) is VERY important for a lot of us here, especially us Pro Tools users as the better interfaces (m-audio/Digi) rely on firewire. Even non protools users find firewire important as the better interfaces like apogee or presonus use it and you can daisy chain your harddrives to it rather than running each separately off USB and reducing performance. and one of the best parts? MBP can run both Windows 7 and OSX with no problems so if I loaded Windows 7 on there its going to outperform that dell longterm if I decide to upgrade the RAM and there are no sacrifices that have to be made about the applications that I would like to run. Dell offers way better machines to compare to the MBP and i definitely agree that in certain cases the PC selections are the better buys...

Since you didn't read the responses, you shouldn't post.

However:

1) Yes, you're right about the 1066MHz FSB. It mentions it toward the bottom of the page. I expected Apple to mention that straight off the bat, but I was wrong. This makes the MBP's processor faster by a hair.

2) I didn't use the "wrong processor", I went from the specs of the computer that I'm already using (as well as its price), and compared it to the MacBook that most closely fits its specs.

3) You haven't been reading anything about the "/PAE" switch for XP that I mentioned earlier, or you would know that XP can, in fact, address more than 4GB of RAM. Dell won't sell it preinstalled into the computer, so you can buy it elsewhere if you need more. That's the wonderful world of PCs -- there's more than one manufacturer for things.

4) Performance benchmarks have proven that the speed difference between DDR2 and DDR3 RAM is negligible. On very few occasions, the DDR3 has even been slower than DDR2 (bad motherboard implementation). Google it. This is a very similar situation to how USB 2.0 is "technically" faster than Firewire 400 but is rarely as zippy for audio interfaces.

5) Graphics cards??? Really??? Graphics cards have nothing to do with a DAW. If you're going to start worrying about unrelated "cool" items, you might as well go all out and buy a physics accelerator chip and a wacom tablet. Those are fun too. Nothing to do with a DAW, but they're really fun.

6) Integrated bluetooth? Not important for a DAW. If, for some reason you REALLY need bluetooth, a bluetooth dongle is available for about $20. However, yes, integrated bluetooth that is an option with Dell.

7) Battery life. This is a netbook topic, not a DAW topic. A beast computer is going to take massive chunks out of a battery's supply. Powerful notebooks should be plugged into the wall as often as possible.

I mentioned this before: Macs are like Kirby vacuums. They're not exceptional products, just acceptable and well-marketed.

 

[dmensah1]

Oddly enough this thread is making me want to look at a mac for my next computer purchase.

I figure someone here can try to answer me this: why is it mac's aren't known for being upgradeable? Does apple have such a stranglehold on their stuff that they won't allow the components to be sold individually?

A PC can be upgraded for years. I never hear of a mac user putting in a new mobo and processor chip...

As you can tell I know nothing of macs...enlighten me please.

If were talking laptops they are nearly even as far as expandability goes. but installed option wise, PC laptops can use bluray drives right now, Macs cant last i checked. it's the more desktop replacements where PCs are more expandable. PCs have more options as far as the soundcards and stuff that you can add. iMacs and Mac Minis are basically laptops in desktop shells so they arent very expandable and for the cost of them you can buy a better performing PC if you go by power per $. The Mac Pros are pretty expandable, but again PCs will be more expandable because there are more products out there for them (again like blu ray).

 

[neverenoughfunk]

I'm saying top shelf vstis are used to create sampled beats. Unless you just take loops and add drums, the process of making a sampled track doesn't variate much from making a track from scratch. One starts with a single instrument melody you make up, the other starts with a sample. From there, anything from Trillian to Goliath to Omnispere can be added to either, and processors from T-Racks to Sonalksis to McDSP may be shaping the sounds.

Pretty close minded to think otherwise. Like in the same sense you can't make a beat from scratch using only Reason and it's factory bank that a P3 can run flawlessly. No rules apply to any style. That's all I was saying.

the individual who posted "who give a f*ck" (in this thread) i went to his myspace page and there were samples with just drums on top. that is why i make my orginal comment.

"that" individual could make "his" beats on pIII machine...

you can make the music making process as complicated as you want too but in this case i was referring to "that" individual with the sample beats...

that is all i am saying....

no blood no foul...

 

[Red Scare]

^^

i hear where you are coming from...

it seems like you are a sample based producer/beat maker...

you can make sample beats on a pIII machine...

power is not a issue when sampling...

Half of my stuff isn't "sample-based"......

Where are you getting this stuff?

And moreover why do you even care???

 

[dmensah1]

Since you didn't read the responses, you shouldn't post.

However:

1) Yes, you're right about the 1066MHz FSB. It mentions it toward the bottom of the page. I expected Apple to mention that straight off the bat.

2) I didn't use the "wrong processor", I went from the specs of the computer that I'm already using (as well as its price), and compared it to the MacBook that most closely fits its specs.

3) You haven't been reading anything about the "/PAE" switch for XP that I mentioned earlier, or you would know that XP can, in fact, address more than 4GB of RAM. Dell won't sell it preinstalled into the computer, so you can buy it elsewhere if you need more. That's the wonderful world of PCs -- there's more than one manufacturer for things.

4) Performance benchmarks have proven that the speed difference between DDR2 and DDR3 RAM is negligible. On very few occasions, the DDR3 has even been slower than DDR2 (bad motherboard implementation). Google it. This is a very similar situation to how USB 2.0 is "technically" faster than Firewire 400 but is rarely as zippy for audio interfaces.

5) Graphics cards??? Really??? Graphics cards have nothing to do with a DAW. If you're going to start worrying about unrelated "cool" items, you might as well go all out and buy a physics accelerator chip and a wacom tablet. Those are fun too. Nothing to do with a DAW, but they're really fun.

6) Integrated bluetooth? Not important for a DAW. If, for some reason you REALLY need bluetooth, a bluetooth dongle is available for about $20. However, yes, integrated bluetooth that is an option with Dell.

7) Battery life. This is a netbook topic, not a DAW topic. A beast computer is going to take massive chunks out of a battery's supply. Powerful notebooks should be plugged into the wall as often as possible.

actually I can and do, it is your choice to read it as I am putting out my opinion to the folks on FP not just you (see where i said "I think the OP should...").


1. good.
2. You DID use the wrong processor. if you are going to compare two products at least make sure you use the SAME processor for them or at LEAST mention that as a potential cost for potential buyers! your model can use the same processor as the MBP and it will cost more for your sales total so your argument in the thread is a little flawed, period. thats the objective thing to do.

3. Where on the Dell site does it say that the motherboard on that laptop supports over 4 GB RAM? It isnt an OS issue, it's a hardware issue. If your mobo is limited to 4 GB, then thats it. all the other dell laptops on the site that have mobos that support over 4 GB of RAM have 6 GB and 8 GB as an option (Example: DELL XPS) soooo....

4. Again, were talking longterm here and it isnt a marketing gimmick. overall DDR3 outperforms DDR2 and uses less voltage period. thats why DDR2 is getting phased out and as the years go by DDR3 will be the total standard before the next more powerful/efficient standard arrives.

5. BUT it has everything to do with the price of a product my friend which is the point. Again, if you compare products you must do so SPEC for SPEC! Some of us here might need that additional graphic power for our other businesses (web design, programming) or hey even pleasure which ties directly in with our music businesses/hobbies.

6. How much is it? link me. Didnt see it. refer back to point 5. btw, you have a dongle, that's not the same as integrated. that like telling me "hey theres no integrated webcam but you can just go buy a usb one, it's the same thing lol."

7. There you go downplaying things again lol. refer again to point 5. so if I ever want to make a track i should always have it plugged in??? heaven forbid I got a laptop for portability so i can use it places that may NOT have an AC outlet available LOL. Do you ever fly on a plane man?

...and again if you still cant get Point 5 thru your head consider this: if you can justify paying $800 for a one channel audio interface + preamp with AAAAAAAALL of the other alternatives out there that can outperform that combination for much less then you have no business bigging up your Dell over a Mac.

 

[Inverted314]

merrill lynch has 20,000 employees times $7 is $140,000 you think merrill lynch is throwing their money away like that?

i know you are kidding about $7 but the fact still remains...

on merrill's balance sheet if they have a line item where the cost of maintaining and buying new machine are constantly going up i would think they would go with a mac...

just alittle business 101

Nah Macs are too expensive, it wouldn't be smart to use Macs.
Besides they take everything off those computers other then a word processing program so even the worst computers will run.

 

[Inverted314]

Really? IM GONNA COP A MAC RIGHT AWAY! Hahaha...

Seriously though, I hope you don't consider that one of Mac's "core features". I can raise or lower the volume of any track I want with my microKONTROL's faders and scenes.

And if I don't have my microKONTROL connected? Well, I just click (with my EXTERNAL mouse) and drag. Its so easy.

You're vague every time you try to point out how mac is better. You're using arguments like "it just is", while I have given specific reasons why it is not, as well as backing evidence to support my claim.

Everytime a mac user talks about how "Mac is better" they sound like they have as much computer tech knowledge as my grandparents, and they're stuck back in the tech level of the 60s. If Apple's market share is rising, it's because people who don't know anything about computers are spending their money as though more money will always buy a nicer product.

I hope you can read. I said that is one of the many features I enjoy about the trackpad. We are having a discussion on computers and you keep adding in external peripherals. If I am using my laptop as the core of my mobile DJ rig I'm not gonna want external mouses and other stuff in the way.

I may be a little vague on some of my reasonings, but only because i know that no matter what I say you will disagree; besides those points are easier to witness hands on then typing an essay documenting them.

It's cool though.
I used to talk trash on Macs when I couldn't afford one too.

 

[Salem Beats]

actually I can and do, it is your choice to read it as I am putting out my opinion to the folks on FP not just you (see where i said "I think the OP should...").


1. good.
2. You DID use the wrong processor. if you are going to compare two products at least make sure you use the SAME processor for them or at LEAST mention that as a potential cost for potential buyers! your model can use the same processor as the MBP and it will cost more for your sales total so your argument in the thread is a little flawed, period. thats the objective thing to do.

3. Where on the Dell site does it say that the motherboard on that laptop supports over 4 GB RAM? It isnt an OS issue, it's a hardware issue. If your mobo is limited to 4 GB, then thats it. all the other dell laptops on the site that have mobos that support over 4 GB of RAM have 6 GB and 8 GB as an option (Example: DELL XPS) soooo....

4. Again, were talking longterm here and it isnt a marketing gimmick. overall DDR3 outperforms DDR2 and uses less voltage period. thats why DDR2 is getting phased out and as the years go by DDR3 will be the total standard before the next more powerful/efficient standard arrives.

5. BUT it has everything to do with the price of a product my friend which is the point. Again, if you compare products you must do so SPEC for SPEC! Some of us here might need that additional graphic power for our other businesses (web design, programming) or hey even pleasure which ties directly in with our music businesses/hobbies.

6. How much is it? link me. Didnt see it. refer back to point 5. btw, you have a dongle, that's not the same as integrated. that like telling me "hey theres no integrated webcam but you can just go buy a usb one, it's the same thing lol."

7. There you go downplaying things again lol. refer again to point 5. so if I ever want to make a track i should always have it plugged in??? heaven forbid I got a laptop for portability so i can use it places that may NOT have an AC outlet available LOL. Do you ever fly on a plane man?

...and again if you still cant get Point 5 thru your head consider this: if you can justify paying $800 for a one channel audio interface + preamp with AAAAAAAALL of the other alternatives out there that can outperform that combination for much less then you have no business bigging up your Dell over a Mac.

2) They're comparable enough that no producers that use this site would notice a difference between the two (that is approximately the point where notebook processor prices start to become exponentially related to their performance for both Mac and PC -- entry level Macs happen to start at this exponential curve)

3) http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins1545/en/SG/F123HA01MR.pdf
It's the first thing that comes up when you search the PDF file for "8gb"

4) By the year DDR3 starts to make a difference, you will have already upgraded to something else. It's like putting racing tires on a car that maxes out at 30MPH. It's been hashed over countless times in gaming forums that DDR3 memory is still in its infancy right now and not worth the money. Google that yourself.

5) Then, like you mentioned, get a Dell XPS or an Alienware laptop. However, this is a bare-bones, cheap, speed-demon DAW-only laptop, and that's all it's intended to be, so you can spend your money on other things that are nice to have when you're working with music. A video card has nothing to do with 2D graphic design either, that's a processor-intensive activity. Video card also has nothing to do with programming, unless you happen to be programming 3D-intensive games or something of a similar nature. Compile times in Eclipse/VC++/VC# were accelerated the most for me by getting a higher-RPM hard drive.

6) I don't remember, it was something like 20 bucks.

7) I'm not on an airplane often enough to justify getting a bigger battery. I do, however, have a battery. Seriously, do you need to be making tracks 24/7? I'd rather keep my laptop off and doze off, especially during a long flight.

8) For recording rap/rock vocals, I only need one high-quality input. It's faster and higher-quality than all of those integrated firewire options in the same price range.

 

[Salem Beats]

We are having a discussion on computers and you keep adding in external peripherals.

If you read the original post, you will see that I'm implying that for the same price as a MacBook Pro, up to $1076 worth of accessories essentially come with the Dell (and I gave an example configuration for those $1076).

Most DJs use some sort of external peripherals with their laptop-based setups -- Anything from a nanoKONTROL to a full-featured Serato board. Faders/Knobs are nicer than trackpads that emulate them.

 

[Inverted314]

If you read the original post, you will see that I'm implying that for the same price as a MacBook Pro, up to $1076 worth of accessories essentially come with the Dell (and I gave an example configuration for those $1076).

Most DJs use some sort of external peripherals with their laptop-based setups. Faders/Knobs are nicer than trackpads that emulate them.

I did read the original post.
I guess it's about how you get your deals.
I got my aluminum Unibody Macbook for $120.

The peripherals DJs use are called turntables.... and a mixer.
But whatever if you don't like the mac trackpad that's on you. It works extremely well for me.

 

[Salem Beats]

The peripherals DJs use are called turntables.... and a mixer.

Are you SERIOUS? I was wondering what that turntable-looking thing was called... and a "mixer"? WTF is that?

sad...

In case you didn't understand... the "Serato Board" I mentioned is a turntable.

 

[deRaNged 4 Phuk'dup]

the individual who posted "who give a f*ck" (in this thread) i went to his myspace page and there were samples with just drums on top. that is why i make my orginal comment.

"that" individual could make "his" beats on pIII machine...

you can make the music making process as complicated as you want too but in this case i was referring to "that" individual with the sample beats...

that is all i am saying....

no blood no foul...

Oooooooohhhhhhh.....gotcha. My bad. lol.

 

[Inverted314]

Are you SERIOUS? I was wondering what that turntable-looking thing was called... and a "mixer"? WTF is that?

sad...

In case you didn't understand... the "Serato Board" I mentioned is a turntable.

First you edited your post.
I dont know what a Serato board is. Serato makes software.

 

[dmensah1]

2) They're comparable enough that no producers that use this site would notice a difference between the two (that is approximately the point where notebook processor prices start to become exponentially related to their performance)

3) http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins1545/en/SG/F123HA01MR.pdf
It's the first thing that comes up when you search the PDF file for "8gb"

4) By the year DDR3 starts to make a difference, you will have already upgraded to something else. It's like putting racing tires on a car that maxes out at 30MPH. It's been hashed over countless times in gaming forums that DDR3 memory is still in its infancy right now and not worth the money. Google that yourself.

5) Then, like you mentioned, get a Dell XPS or an Alienware laptop. However, this is a bare-bones, cheap, speed-demon DAW-only laptop, and that's all it's intended to be, so you can spend your money on other things that are nice to have when you're working with music. A video card has nothing to do with 2D graphic design either, that's a processor-intensive activity. Video card also has nothing to do with programming, unless you happen to be programming 3D-intensive games or something of a similar nature. Compile times in Eclipse/VC++/VC# were accelerated the most for me by getting a higher-RPM hard drive.

6) I don't remember, it was something like 20 bucks.

7) I'm not on an airplane often enough to justify getting a bigger battery. I do, however, have a battery. Seriously, do you need to be making tracks 24/7? I'd rather keep my laptop off and doze off, especially during a long flight.

8) For recording rap/rock vocals, I only need one high-quality input. It's faster and higher-quality than all of those integrated firewire options in the same price range.

2. Your opinion. You need to compare them spec for spec $ for $. thats MY opinion.

3. I stand corrected. Thank you. Crucial.com has it pegged at 4GB max. I hit up Dell and the dell rep confirmed 8 GB for me in the chat box lol.

4. LMAO! yknow what I wont even argue with you on that topic anymore. we'll just have to agree to disagree.

5. again go back to what I said about comparing things spec for spec. what YOU may feel is unneccesary for a laptop, others feel are total kills if its not there. thats why it doesnt make sense to throw out "this is why you dont buy **** when you can get this". thats the point me and many others here are explaining to you. This has less to do with Mac vs PC or Mac vs Dell and more about the principle of buying X over Y. As I said there are better products Dell offers that go at the MBP as far as total features are concerned. and programs like photoshop do have 3D editing and yes I was referring to 3d game development.

7. No but thats the point. that was JUST one scenario. Ever been in an airport? often there arent any AC or they are taken up. and I cant sleep for **** on a plane. madd uncomfy especially if i dont get a window seat. I do the 4-6 hour DC to LAX flights, trust me, I WILL use my laptop if I got it carryon and not always for doing beats either. i write, use the internet on airtran wifi, etc. theres plenty other scenarios like going to a part of a room or studio that doesnt have an outlet, but we can go on all day...

8. Please show me where the convertors on that IO are any better than any other audio interface. You are paying $800 for a one channel stereo interface and preamp. again if you have the ability to justify paying that kind of money to play/record ONE vocal or instrument at a time, when you could have bought a Profire 610 for half that which allows 2 mic/guitar inputs, preamp, MIDI inputs, and 6x10 BALANCED AUDIO inputs at 24/192 (echo does 24/96 so how is that better now?) input in case you ever needed to record a band or have several instruments and/or vocalists running/mixing/recording at once...then I dunno what to tell you LOL. it's just agree to disagree at this point. thats where im getting at, youre downplaying things to justify the things that YOU do, not what your typical musician/engineer would. some folks here have hardware synths/drum machines that they use with their VSTs, some folks here record live musicians all day, get my drift?

 

[Inverted314]

8. Please show me where the convertors on that IO are any better than any other audio interface. You are paying $800 for a one channel stereo interface and preamp. again if you have the ability to justify paying that kind of money to play/record ONE vocal or instrument at a time, when you could have bought a Profire 610 for half that which allows 2 mic/guitar inputs, preamp, MIDI inputs, and 6x10 BALANCED AUDIO inputs at 24/192 (echo does 24/96 so how is that better now?) input in case you ever needed to record a band or have several instruments and/or vocalists running/mixing/recording at once...then I dunno what to tell you LOL. it's just agree to disagree at this point. thats where im getting at, youre downplaying things to justify the things that YOU do, not what your typical musician/engineer would. some folks here have hardware synths/drum machines that they use with their VSTs, some folks here record live musicians all day, get my drift?

I didn't understand why he spent $800 on an interface and preamp only to buy a cheap dynamic mic? Seems like buying a Ferrari and fueling it with regular gas instead of premium to me.
Maybe Salem can clarify why so much for the interface but a cheapo mic?