Computer / Software

As weeks go, the first couple in January were pretty good for new Mac hardware, with Apple introducing updated Mac Pros and Xserves, along with a new stunningly thin MacBook. We dissect the potential of Apple's new offerings with a musician-shaped scalpel.

Are you stuck on the PC upgrade bandwagon? This month, PC Notes discusses whether it might be possible to step off it, as computer power finally starts to catch up with the needs and aspirations of musicians.

With Apple opening a new retail store in Exeter, and speculation as to when new Mac Pros might be released to take advantage of Intel's latest Penryn technology, welcome to the first (and possibly last) West Country-themed Apple Notes.

Faulty capacitors can leak toxic fluid and eventually disable your PC altogether. We investigate, as well as attempting to untangle the thorny world of USB terminology.

I have three Firewire 400 devices, which all run simultaneously, but I only have one Firewire 400 port, so using them all...

Leopard is finally with us — but while it promises improvements for general Mac users, will it offer anything to musicians and audio engineers other than incompatibility?

You might think you can hear that one sequencer sounds better than another, but are you fooling yourself? Your PC can help you find out. But first, if you're thinking of building a new computer, read on...

Some music applications will completely fail to take advantage of the multiple cores of a modern CPU — but which ones, and why? We find out, and advise on how you can make best use of however many cores your PC has.