Home music recording- is the Mac Pro better for this than an iMac?

Question

I know it seems like a daft question but if you were to recommend a Mac for a DECENT home studio and money were (within reason) nearly no object WHAT Mac would you recommend? I always believed that a good sized desktop would be better than an iMac or a MacBook Pro (which is what I have been using for just a hobby home recording set-up) but is this a myth?
Please advise because the Mac Pro looks SCARY. I mean- the options are vast but what DO I NEED as opposed to want? Thank you kindly for reading.

Answer 1

I guess there is nothing wrong with the set-up except that the MacBook Pro is mine and the musicians need their own as I need mine for work.
Ah, I see. I think an iMac should be sufficient. Just be sure to get more RAM than the stock 1GB. Apple's prices on RAM are pretty severe compared to other vendors, so I'd recommend adding RAM after purchase. If you search the iMac forum for "RAM UK", you should find recommendations on reliable vendors. Don't go with lowest price; there's nothing that can cause you fits with a computer system more than flakey RAM, so you want a vendor with a good reputation for quality. I'd suggest bumping the iMac to the maximum 4GB. As to screen size, I tend to prefer having two screens rather than one big one - you can put palettes on the second monitor - so if it's a choice and desk space is sufficient, consider a 20" iMac and a second 17" or 20" screen to go with it.
If you reckon the interface is enough to do the mic justice and that Logic Express or Pro would do when the musicians know and love Cubase then I am happy to help them learn more Mac-based software and get that instead as it is also cheaper and looks like it would make more sense to ME.
Unless they're wedded to Cubase, I'd think that Logic Express should work quite well. You may all want to take a trip to an Apple reseller and take a look at it.
Unless there is a reason to "upgrade" the interface I guess that is one less item to acquire
An upgrade would seem logical only if the Safire isn't giving the quality you want or there aren't enough inputs.
I'd call your recommendation but I am in the UK and will probably talk to the nice folk at Dolphin Music in Newcastle as that is where I got the interface.
I wasn't sure where you were. If you are located in or near Newcastle-On-Tyne, you can find a list of authorized resellers here, or if you're near Manchester or Sheffield or don't mind taking a paddle down, you can drop by an Apple Store. You can then perhaps preview Logic Express before you decide. You might want to call before you make a special trip just to make sure your dealer can indeed demo LE.
Final recommendation; get really good microphones. Garbage in, garbage out, as they say, and having the right microphone, one that's suited for the instrument that's being recorded, is vital. The Neumann is of course high quality, but if you haven't already purchased, check around. You can find really good mics for less than Neumann charges; unless things have changed, you pay a bit of a premium for their reputation. AKG used to make really good mics, quite well suited for piano and acoustic guitar in particular, and there are no doubt others as well (my knowledge of specific models is rather out of date).
Cheers.
Message was edited by: Dave Sawyer
EDIT: P.S. If you can find Mix Magazine or EQ Magazine, those are pretty good reading. Lots of tips, product reviews, etc. Also, you can read a brief review of Logic Express 8 here:
http://www.macworld.co.uk/digitallifestyle/reviews/index.cfm?reviewid=2370