The Logic Off Topic list

>If us PC users with a fairly decent system were to swap to Mac, what 
>system would we need to get so that we see an increase in processing 
>power to justify the cost of upgrading?
>Or another way of asking it - any Mac users capable o using multiple 
>VSTi's, plugins and playing back at least 10 audio tracks and maybe 
>recording at least four at a time, what systems do you have? Dual 
>G4? Less??

I have a (relatively) oldy G4/350 - not something you would buy 
nowadays - but it's still performing rather well.  I never did exact 
tests to see when I ran out of CPU, but a bunch of VSTi's is no 
problem at all -- depending on the kind of VSTi of course.  An EXS 
without filters is less heavy on the CPU than a complex softsynth is. 
Ditto with a bunch of Reverbs, EQs and such.  No spectacular numbers, 
but with some fiddling and bouncing of the most heavy CPU tasks, it 
gets the job done.
Track-count is no problem, and is not really processor dependent of 
course.  And I wouldn't know about recording -- I only ever record 
one track at a time, but suppose that recording multiple tracks also 
isn't CPU dependent.

I know the above isn't very helpful in that it doesn't contain exact 
numbers and precise info on what you should buy.  It does make clear 
however the difference between a 350 MHz Mac and a 350 MHz Pentium. 
Extrapolate all you want from that...
Based on my own experience and reading the LUG for some years, my 
guess would be that you would be happy enough with the later Macs. 
Esp. the Dual G4/1Gig seems like a dreammachine.  Maybe rather 
expensive at the moment, but if indeed Apple comes with a new 
productline (as I just read in the LUG), then the prices might very 
well come down considerably.

What I would do in your case is: 1) wait a bit.  LAW5.2 might very 
well still see the light of day, and after that you can happily work 
with it for months to come.  If 5.2 is the last version before the 
takeover, I doubt we will see a 5.3 (be it Mac only or not) very 
soon, so we'll all be in the same boat there, Mac and Win users 
alike.  And when the time comes you feel the need to upgrade (read: 
switch platform) the Dual 1 Gig should be way cheaper than it is now. 
So 2) you could (should) then go to a good dealer who has Macs 
running Logic, and simply work with it for an hour or so for 
yourself, to see what the system's limits are in terms of Plugin 
count and such.  There's no experience like your own experience...

My guess would be that the need to upgrade won't arise before January 
(at its earliest) or maybe even next summer.  Also dependant on the 
crossgrade option Apple will hopefully (and probably) offer to 
Windows users of course.  If the crossgrade offer is only valid until 
October 30th, then you're basically screwed ...

Man, I'm so glad I already have a Mac...  Wouldn't want to be in your shoes...

-- 
Hendrik Jan Veenstra  <h@...>
Omega Art: http://www.ision.nl/users/h/index.html