Switching PC to Mac, want to do this right the first time.

[BobM]

So I just bought a refurbished 15" Powerbook, 1.25Ghz, 512, etc. This is my first Mac. I've recorded on PCs for several years. BEFORE I install a bunch of stuff, I want to optimize it for recording.

Any good resources out there that cover optimization for Panther?

Relevant info:

- I plan to use it for my own demos, some mobile recording, and pre-production for dedicated studio recording. Not big hairy high-end stuff.

- I already have a LaCie 7200rpm FireWire drive. I have considered wiping it and partitioning it, but I'm not sure how crucial that is.

- I'll probably use Cubase SX, Reason, maybe Ableton Live, maybe other stuff (taking recommendations...).

- I'm eyeing an M-Audio FireWire 410.

- I use both audio and MIDI. To date I have not used a computer live, but I may soon.

I'm all ears for hard-won wisdom.

Thanks.

[chris harris]

Macs don't really require all of the "optimizations" that PC's do.

[JES]

If you visit the BBS on Ableton.com, they actually do have some tips for optimizing Panther for audio.

Other things to think about:

--when you convert PC files to Mac, you may need to use CRLF (that's the name of a program) so that they are formatted correctly -- for instance, if you are moving over old mailboxes.

--you'll need to get used to a new file structure

--make sure all your peripherals work. some may need drivers even though they're not supposed to.

--go to bombich software and download Carbon Copy Cloner and get in the habit of backing up your HD.

Best,
--JES

[kcrusher]

Yeah, not much configuration to do on Mac. Turn off screen savers, energy savers and any background system utilities. You actually really don't need virus protection or system utilities like Norton - I haven't used them for years and have never had a problem.

Carbon Copy Cloner is excellent for making backups - and it's free!

[Maurice]

Actually, there are some configuration things you'll want to do. There are a number of tasks the OS is set up to do automatically, except...by default, they're at times you're probably not even going to have the machine on or awake. This is usually a Good Thing, as you don't want lots of disk-intensive tasks going on when, say, you're tracking. But it is a problem if these tasks never get done.

So what to do? Assuming you're using Panther, you can take a look at this article, which will give you a nice introduction to the very useful Terminal, and also explain how to reschedule some of these cron jobs.

On another subject, I'm using Ableton Live and digging it, although I'd like to be able to record the audio output of my session view performances to disk (admittedly, I haven't spent enough time with the manual to know for sure that this isn't possible), and I'd like to have the shuffle mode editing that one finds in ProTools, but I'd guess that there might be legal reasons it's not in Ableton. Still, I recommend you try it--they have a free demo.

Also, I don't know if you can buy the extended warranty on a refurb, but if you can I'd recommend it. Laptops lead harsh lives, and occasionally bad things happen. I didn't buy the extended warranty for my Pismo, and came to regret it. (Screen pink at the edges, one screen clutch failing...) The TiBook I bought to replace it has been great, although I went through a few power supplies, and had to replace the SuperDrive. (And there was yet another power supply mishap this past week, when the tip of the DC side came off in the receptacle.) Happily, these were all warranty repairs. I would not be ok with it if they weren't covered.

Best of luck with yours, and with recording!