so i've finally made the decision to part ways with my PC after many gut wrenching blue screens/latency/crashed projects (delete where applicable) and am on course to get a power mac for my new studio...which beggars the question, seeing as i'm going to have to learn a new package anyway, which is the better option - Pro Tools or Logic?

I use a fair amount of virtual instruments currently so will continue to need that feature however as a PC user (cubase 4) user then there are plenty of free options out there, i understand this is less teh case with mac's

any experience/advice gratefully receieved...

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Hip Hop Blues ep out now on Dented Records

You do realise that there are some people (round here as well) who happily use Cubase 4 on a Mac ...?

If you already own the software, then it's a zero - cost option. That cheap enough for you?

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Veni, Vidi, Aesculi
(I came, I saw, I conkered)

yup yup, but cost isnt the driving factor here, the majority feedback re: cubase on mac seems to negative (of course people prefer to bitch than praise) but cubase 4 is designed with a clear pc bias i believe

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Hip Hop Blues ep out now on Dented Records

Sticking with Cubase seems to be the least difficult option, especially if you can cross-grade for not much money.

if you really do want to leave Cubase behind, then traditionally, the equation has mostly gone along the lines of:

- Logic for songwriting, instruments, production
- ProTools for tracking

But either will do both jobs. Logic is better value as it has a low cost of entry and comes with a *lot* of stuff. For a similar price, ProTools LE doesn't get you as many features, but it does give you some PT-platform benefits.

Also, don't forget Digital Performer as another option - it also contains some really good tools.

You can record, compose and mix with all of them, so you pays yer money, you takes yer choice... etc

does anyone know whether cubase project files (.cpr) will open in caubase on mac without problems?

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Hip Hop Blues ep out now on Dented Records

Quote djsnuff:

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does anyone know whether cubase project files (.cpr) will open in caubase on mac without problems?

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yes they will open. A cubase .cpr file saved on a pc will open just fine in cubase on the mac.

Obviously you will need to have the same plugins installed.

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www.Lozjackson.com

It's a generalization, of course, and maybe less so these days, but it used to be -

Pro-T - engineer's choice (easier tracking, nicer built-in eqs etc)

Logic- musician's choice (better midi functionality, basically)

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http://anotherfineday.bandcamp.com/ http://anotherfineday.co.uk http://apollomusic.co.uk

There are other sequencers/DAW's out there which could be considered.

Reaper - good for audio
Digital Performer - great for audio too
Ableton - great for bits and pieces, hard to classify!

Logic is an excellent midi sequencer, and has a wonderful all round package of effects and instruments, probably better than most other DAW's/sequencers when it comes to those things. From the sounds of it, if you are planning to use mainly virtual instruments, I think you couldn't go wrong into giving Logic Studio a go. It's instruments eg Sculpture, Ultrabeat, EXS24, ES1/2 to name a few I believe to be of a great standard. In particular Sculpture, which I reckon might be one of the better soft synths around.

I think this is one of these useless questions that there can never be a clear cut answer for. Just try asking if you should buy a mac or a PC and you will understand what I mean

I personally think its a personal thing. try a few out and see which one works best for you. However a couple of points to bear in mind

1. With regards to MIDI and programming..... PT8 now has just as much MIDI capability as any other, so its really an even race between them all.

2. ProTools only works with digidesign or M Audio interfaces, thus seriously limiting your choices when buying an interface. However as they only work with their own interfaces, you can be sure its been throughly tested and will work! At the end of the day you cant test EVERY single interface on the market!

Thats my two cents.... just go with what works for you

Pro Tools used to be great for audio and pretty bad for midi. This has changed with v8 of Pro Tools. It's still great for audio, but midi is quite good now. If you're used to Cubase, you'll like Pro Tools 8. I chose PT over Logic a few years ago (when I upgraded from PC with Cubase to Mac), because I liked the audio editing work flow. I use the LE version with 003 hardware and I love the way it sounds. For me, this was another important reason to choose PT. It comes with hardware and is made for each other. It's a great combo. I'm sure there are similar great combos with Logic for a similar price tag.
I have no experience with Cubase on Mac. I still have an older version on a separate PC and used to use it for Midi before PT 8. Now I hardly use it and when I do it's usually to route a VST virtual instrument into PT.
Good luck with your decision.

I had PT on my PC and when I switched to Mac I bought Logic Express to give it a try. I soon upgraded to Logic Studio and haven't looked back. I also have PT8 on my mac just because. I like that I do not have to plug in the ilok and have my interface to use logic. Both are good, but I prefer the flexibility of Logic. Just as PT8 made strides in the midi side, Logic made great improvements in the editing side with version 9. I agree that you should give Cubase a try as you are already familiar with it, but if you want to try logic, just get the express version and upgrade to the full suite if you like it...

I have to agree with the post above. I switched PC to Mac back in November last year and was really torn between pro tools and Logic. I got logic express just to suck it and see and within a month, I upgraded. Never looked back. The pricing is really good doing it that way i.e. the cost of express + the upgrade = the cost of going direct to logic studio.

The best things about logic are that it's ridiculously easy to use. You'll be fully into it in a day. Also, I love that it's portable. I run logic on a macbook pro. When you're away from home and don't have access to audio interface, logic runs perfectly all on it's own without anything connected. If you're using that on stage it actually sounds pretty decent coming out of the headphones of the laptop into a desk too. Can't wait to see what Mainstage 2 will do which of course you will get free with Logic.

You said you like virtual instruments. The sounds in logic are great. My Korg Triton is all but gathering dust these days, it's just so easy to dial up a sound in logic and run with that.

Check out the apple.com and watch a few of the video snippets of logic that they have on there, it'll whet your appetite.

Good luck...

I use Logic Pro8 on an iMac and it's great for composing.
I use Cubase 5 on PC for tracking, editing and mixing each project.

The shame about Windows is: out of the box it's not a great OS for music, and if your not "into" computers, OSX is fantastic out of the box.

However, I built my own PC DAW for Cubase 5 and stripped Windows down to run it and it is by far th most stable and reliable DAW I've ever owned. Six months in service now and not a single crash or hic-cup. (Can't say that about Logic on my iMac )

Sadly, I doubt Windows will ever have that "out of the box" feeling OSX can give you - which is a shame and gives folks like the OP a bad experience.

But your right - I've tried Cubase 5 under OSX and Windows and it runs much smoother under Windows.

I'm actually hoping Digi are ging to give PT Le full PDC and unlimited tracks then I'll get a shiny new Mac Pro and PT Le to replace Cubase 5 as I prefer the editing and routing in PT.

Fun times though.

Best
Treeb's

Quote djsnuff:

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...I use a fair amount of virtual instruments ...

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You should really give logic a try, imvho. I'm not making a living from music so it's not and advice from an expert here but Logic's VIs really rock. On my side I use them both simply because I want to know what others are talking about when they compare Logic and PT. On my iMac, Logic and PT share the same audio interface, the MBox2 Pro.

Funny thing: PT8, although it's still a two windows software (arrange and mix) has now a more "Logicished" interface if I can speak so, and Logic 9 is now more "PTished" thanks to the flex time tools, among other.

But there are many other choices out there and Cubase is a very good one for sure. And now there's a newbie: the propellerhead's Record software. Maybe something to consider too! You can try it free here.

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intel iMac 20"/10.6.7, 2 GB ram, Logic Pro 9.1.5, Pro Tools 8.5, PropellerHead Record, Mbox2 PRO

A word of caution about this Propellerhead Record software newbie though. Just by reading this , we see this guy is not playing at all in the same playground as the big ones !

This is a user comment extracted from their blog :
« Comment posted by: IIbnBliss - 2009-08-03 13:09
…
Lack of pitch correction, buss channels, and simple audio editing is huge.

You guys could at LEAST through us a bone and say on the "record" that you are in the process of creating more robust audio editing. I think you would win A LOT of users just with that statement.

It seems to me that if a majority of your users are saying "hey...how do I edit audio?"...you shouldn't be brushing those off...you should be working overtime to let them know you recognize the desire to only work in one app...and we are on our way to meeting that need. »

It's from here

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intel iMac 20"/10.6.7, 2 GB ram, Logic Pro 9.1.5, Pro Tools 8.5, PropellerHead Record, Mbox2 PRO

Quote djsnuff:

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yup yup, but cost isnt the driving factor here, the majority feedback re: cubase on mac seems to negative (of course people prefer to bitch than praise) but cubase 4 is designed with a clear pc bias i believe

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I use Cubase, Logic and PTLE on a MacPro. In terms of Logic or Cubase on the Mac - although they absolutely have their distinct strengths and weaknesses, I find nothing significant between them in terms of the overall experience on OSX.

It sounds to me as if you are tempted to try Logic, and, at the price, I'd say you should go ahead and give it a go, the included sounds, plugs and instruments are worth the money alone, let alone 'Waveburner', 'Soundtrack Pro', 'Mainstage', and the rather funky 'Compressor'. If things don't work out, or if there are elements you miss from Cubase (quite likely), then your original Cub4 disc should hold a Mac copy of the software - run 'em both.

The other bases are covered pretty well above.

Enjoy your choice.

Loopy

what i should have mentioned is that i use a Yamaha N12 desk, so does this mean that as it is not a mbox interface then Pro Tools is effectively not gonna run or i suppose i would have to plug N12 into mbox? noob queastions i know...sorry

and before anyone says about N12 beign cubase compataible, controller yes it is but all that means is that you can control very basic play/record/track change functionality on the desk rather than mouse and is certainly not a show stopper when considering migrating

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Hip Hop Blues ep out now on Dented Records

Quote djsnuff:

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what i should have mentioned is that i use a Yamaha N12 desk, so does this mean that as it is not a mbox interface then Pro Tools is effectively not gonna run or i suppose i would have to plug N12 into mbox? noob queastions i know...sorry

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Considering the N12 costs about a grand and has quite a few ins and outs, selling that to get M-box and Pro-Tools seems a bit of a pointless downgrade in some ways, as you would lose a lot of inputs which could be vital.

Also I think the N12 is great, well I haven't used that model in particular but spent a lot of time using the N8 (the model below) which is a great piece of kit.

I would recommend Logic Studio as an addition to the N12.

If you are looking for additional midi controllers then a Korg Nanokontrol at around £40 could be a quick and easy addition to the set up.

Quote djsnuff:

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what i should have mentioned is that i use a Yamaha N12 desk, so does this mean that as it is not a mbox interface then Pro Tools is effectively not gonna run or i suppose i would have to plug N12 into mbox?

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Pro tools only runs when a digidesign interface is attached to your computer. The hardware act as a dongle. So indeed your N12 will not work with pt and moving to an MBox would be a sort of downgrade for you. So either you go for something like and 002 or better an 003 or like caveman said the best is certainly to keep you N12 and go for Logic.

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intel iMac 20"/10.6.7, 2 GB ram, Logic Pro 9.1.5, Pro Tools 8.5, PropellerHead Record, Mbox2 PRO

Get Logic - you won't regret it...

I use pro tools but from your post I think it sounds like logic is gonna be a good idea if you use alot of virtual instruments.

Do you do any tracking or do you mainly work with MIDI?

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LOUD NOISES PRODUCTION - Recording Studio www.loudnoisesproduction.co.uk

Quote stratquebec:

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Quote djsnuff:

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what i should have mentioned is that i use a Yamaha N12 desk, so does this mean that as it is not a mbox interface then Pro Tools is effectively not gonna run or i suppose i would have to plug N12 into mbox?

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Pro tools only runs when a digidesign interface is attached to your computer. The hardware act as a dongle. So indeed your N12 will not work with pt and moving to an MBox would be a sort of downgrade for you. So either you go for something like and 002 or better an 003 or like caveman said the best is certainly to keep you N12 and go for Logic.

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yeah absolutely no plans to ditch the N12 as record live vocals/instruments regularly as well as MPC and analog synths....so Logic for the stability, au revoir PC and hopefully au revoir latency crap and cubase terminal error crap!

cheers peeps

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Hip Hop Blues ep out now on Dented Records

Unless you're going high-end PT, why would you want to buy into a crippled system? Yes PT 8 the software is drool-worthy. But you're limited to Digi interfaces, you must pay more for increased track count, and then there's the issue of no built-in latency compensation for UAD etc.

I was keenly interested in PT8 but as I did my homework I found myself scratching my head... why... would I buy into this???

I use Logic 9 on a woodcrest Mac Pro. Holy crap! Everything you need to make music is in the box!!!

I recently added Cubase 5 and like it for many reasons.

So, my bottom line recommendation is to go with Logic Studio and continue using Cubase which you already have and know how to use.

Edited by Quan Jr. (15/08/09 03:54 PM)