VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

treswrld · Guest

Fellow VOs,

Before I fire off another round in the old PC vs Mac flame wars let me first say that I am an agnostic computer end user. I buy what I can afford and what works well for my computing needs. I grew up with Apples in the classroom and my first computer was an Apple IIc. But I have been building my own Windows-based PC's for a decade. I also very recently sunk quite a bit of money into upgrading my custom XP/Vista dual boot DAW with a Gigabyte Intel P35 chipset motherboard, Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 CPU, 2 GB of Corsair 1066 Mhz RAM and a 500GB Western Digital hard drive, which despite my modern setup is plagued with hangups and crashes. Now I wish I had spent that money on a maxed out Mac mini.

I live in Seattle, and had the pleasure of attending a Free Pro Tools event at the Redmond campus last week. Microsoft Studios is where a lot of the exclusive MS audio and video content you see on Windows Media, Zune Marketplace and Xbox Live Marketplace is recorded, filmed, edited, and mixed. Imagine my surprise when I saw Digidesign employees demoing the latest and greatest Pro Tools (v7.4) and plugins with a Mac Pro. Of course he was obligated to say (literally under his breath) that Pro Tools v7.4 now supports Windows Vista. To which the crowd of 200-plus musicians, audio engineers, producers, and post-production house professionals chuckled out loud. I was slightly stunned that all this was taking place on a Sound Stage at Microsoft Studios.

I was standing against the wall because there were no available seats. The Digidesign employee who muttered the Vista comment came and stood beside me after his presentation. I couldn't resist and had to ask him what OS Microsoft was running their Pro Tools studios on. He whispered with a twinkle in his eye ",They just changed them over to the Intel-based Macs last month. Shhhhhhhh."

I also noticed that we were all herded into this one particular soundstage via velvet ropes that cordoned us away from MS's studios. So there was no way to take a peak at their gear.

As I mentioned, I have no intention of fanning the Mac vs PC flame wars, but I gotta know what you guys think. Should we trust our precious voice over recording sessions and effectively our livelihood to operating systems made by a company that doesn't even use its own product?

Regards,

Trey

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 2:59 pm Post subject:

Wow, what a baiting thread and poll. Let's not even go there shall we?

Clickety
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treswrld · Guest

Jeff,

I fail to understand how the posting and poll are baiting. I'm just wondering if other people are put off when a company doesn't use the products it sells. Just a simple question. I'm not some pathetic fanboy. I just want to get the best bang for my buck when it comes to gear and software I purchase. And if I did make the switch to Macs--I'd miss out on the opportunity to build and upgrade my own computer, which I really love. But I am nothing if not a pragmatist. BTW, congrats on the Best New Voice Voicey Award.

Trey

Don G. · King's Row Joined: 11 Nov 2004 Posts: 1071 Location: MA

While the question may not be "poll-worthy", I really don't consider the thread troll-worthy, either. I see absolutely nothing wrong with having a friendly discussion about it. As for the question posed, it's always a case of the best tool for the job at hand. I find it amusing, but not worrisome that MS might use OS X if it serves their purpose.

And welcome, Trey.

todd ellis · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:25 pm Post subject:

i think what jeffy is saying is ...

read 'da rules.
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Deirdre · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:30 pm Post subject:

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 8:25 pm Post subject:

I guess my problem with this thread and what made it seem like trolling was the false premise of:

treswrld · Guest

Jeff et al,

Didn't realize you guys had such stringent message board rules. But I'm trying to be as diplomatic as possible. If you read my entire post, however, you will see that I am no troll. I am just a savvy consumer, who has had a helluva time getting a custom-built DAW to run Pro Tools well on Windows. I actually went to this Digidesign event at Microsoft hoping to get some tips on how to run Pro Tools on Windows. So imagine my surprise when I found out they weren't running it on Windows in either the live demonstration or in MS's studios. My post doesn't brag, name call, or make hyperbolic claims. I was simply posing a question to VO professionals because I thought you would find the information interesting. I do. Personally, I just can't get over the fact that no matter how few MS employees or how specialized the usage on the Redmond campus that they are running Pro Tools on OS X. To me it's tantamount to Ford putting a Toyota engine in a Mustang. But hey I continue to use Windows because of the price point, its availability and I simply love to build and upgrade my own computers. Just my .02.

-Trey

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 9:01 pm Post subject:

It's a known fact that Pro Tools doesn't run as well on Windows as it does on a Mac. You're assuming that this is the fault of Windows. I would suggest the opposite since Digidesign has a very clear list of compatible and incompatible PC hardware on their website.

If Audition, Cubase, Audacity and Sound Forge all run flawlessly on Windows, then isn't logical that Windows isn't the problem if Pro Tools doesn't?

Let me apologize for coming across as harsher than I should have. But these discussions rarely end positively, especially since the phrasing of yours seemed very biased.

And glad to have another Seattle-ite on the board.
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Ed Gambill · Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 10:09 pm Post subject:

When you consider all the great software that runs only on PC or on both PC and Mac and do so in a stable manner, this seems like a stalking horse debate.

With Nuendo, Cuebase, WaveLab, Sound Forge, Vegas, Audition, Samplitude, Sequoia avaliable why would any one want SLOW TOOLS. (I didn't coin it, the users of Wave Frame did)

None of Sony Media's product runs on MAC and Bias Peak has never ported to PC. Maybe PT should have stayed on its side of the tracks. And maybe just maybe Microsoft years ago should have not invested in Apple, then this kind of debate would have ended years ago.

As for me, Give me liberty or give me Nuendo. Don’t ever force ProTools on me. I would rather have my Nagra, tape and a razor blade instead.

But each to his own.
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Yoda117 · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 1:08 am Post subject:

Really?

This is a discussion?

Uhm, you guys know that they also have Apples in several of Microsoft's development labs right?

(unless something's changed, MS still writes more than a bit of code for use on Apple's systems; Apple also has at least two development labs that I know of which are comprised of Window PCs)

My time at Sun, we had both, our own, and ironically a pair of NeXT. Until the late 90s, we actually had a few Amigas.

(had a conference there last week... noticed a few systems running Plan 9, which was quite amusing).

If they're anything like my current employer, their sound studio uses whatever the Engineer feels most comfortable with.

(about 50-50 Apple-PC here)
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davidmonteath · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 1:29 am Post subject:

I like coffee, I also like tea, for preference I drink Java, but I also will happily drink Arabica or Jamaican.

Its personal preference and guess what....it doesn't matter to me what YOU drink, it matters to me what I drink.

Smile and be happy, it could all be so much worse. Wink

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Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 8:43 am Post subject:

Yoda117 · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 10:00 am Post subject:

I would hope so.

you guys still have that contest to see who can park their car in the most awkward position?

Well, with the new lots I guess that's not as much of a thing any more.

Still have valet parking for some of the buildings?
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Deirdre · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 11:39 am Post subject: