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Mamapors
Member
07-29-2004
| Saturday, February 24, 2007 - 9:46 am
Can't believe I missed this discussion going on. MAC's for music and graphics. Garage Band is one of the best music creation programs on the market. And you have all covered the graphics superiority of the MAC.

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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Saturday, February 24, 2007 - 9:53 am
Julie, I know that Mac is considered graphics all the way, but there are a lot of top pros and amateurs that do use Windows. Having said that, I couldn't recommend against getting Mac for that purpose as they work very well.
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Schoolmarm
Member
02-18-2001
| Saturday, February 24, 2007 - 9:55 am
Karuuna, your friend needs to get a Mac and stay with a Mac. Most serious musicians and music professors use a Mac if they started "learning the computer" with music software and not word processing. At any major music conference, the presenters will ALL be using the Mac G4 PowerBook Or the new MacBook Pro. There might be some PC holdouts somewhere, but for productivity for music (and graphic arts) the industry standard is Mac
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Saturday, February 24, 2007 - 10:19 am
I'm sorry to disagree but based on personal experience, many of my colleagues use PC for graphics. On a recent poll at a top professional photographers website (and IMO these people are among the best in the business, they are all pros and it is a paid membership site), the breakdown was this: Macs exclusively 27% PC exclusively 41% Both 32% So while I would never argue against using a Mac for graphics, it is not a slam dunk that all pros use them.
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Ladytex
Member
09-27-2001
| Saturday, February 24, 2007 - 3:18 pm
My DS#2 is a multimedia major, and they require all the kids to have a mac. I know quite a few people in the web entertainment industry in CA that use Mac only.
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Saturday, February 24, 2007 - 3:40 pm
I know where I work--and there are all sorts of files from all sorts of graphic designers and they all use macs. I am a graphic designer and I would not even begin to ever consider using a PC.
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Serate
Member
08-21-2001
| Saturday, February 24, 2007 - 5:56 pm
See that's the problem Julie. A PC user can use a Mac with little or no problem for the first time. A MAC user has problems going from a MAC to a PC for the first time. My husband had all but signed on the dotted line - wages set, vacation, sick, personal time set, job description set - when they finally asked about his MAC experience. They were totally amazed that he had absolutely no MAC experience - not even playing games - because his portfolio was so good. In the long run it was a good thing because he's at his dream job now helping Veterans, but it was sad at the time because the company wouldn't even give him a chance. Wouldn't even give him a chance when the VA was paying his wages 100% the first 6 months, 75% the next 3 months, 50% the next 3 months, 25% the next 3 months and then and only then did they have to decide IF they wanted to employ him. Everywhere he worked as a graphic designer until he didn't work graphic design had PC's. I actually learned on a mainframe, then on to a MAC, then to a PC. We both prefer PC's because of the same reason as Costa.
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Sunday, February 25, 2007 - 2:12 am
The results of your question is exactly what I would have expected. PC users will tell you PCs are the best and Mac users will tell you Macs are the best.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Sunday, February 25, 2007 - 12:55 pm
Um -- I'm actually a PC user -- but I still say go for the MAC because my dad has one, and if I did more music than English stuff, I'd buy one in a heartbeat! I just visit him whenever I have to record music. (Great excuse for a visit ) Unfortunately, our school uses all PCs (very little graphics OR music being done), so I've stuck w/my PC until I can afford a MAC. 
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Sunday, February 25, 2007 - 3:23 pm
Thank you all for your help! Twinkie, I expected that too, but it does help to hear from the experiences of others. Those who are actually using music editing software were the most helpful, since i have no experience in that area at all!
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Twinkie
Member
09-24-2002
| Sunday, February 25, 2007 - 6:20 pm
Teach, you don't record music on your PC? Its super easy so I don't see the need for a MAC to do that. The only thing I've ever heard a mac being better at is graphics. If I did a lot of graphics I'd want a mac.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Sunday, February 25, 2007 - 7:35 pm
There are several different music recording and editing programs that are on the PC that are truly great. Like I said, my friend records his music (and his CDs) on a PC, and I listen to him live all the time. His PC is as good as anything I've ever heard. So I wouldn't buy a Mac just because one person says GarageBand is cool. Check out what's available on both computers, and what OTHER things you'll be doing. Also, if you plan to do anything in computers in your lifetime, you're best bet is to learn a PC. More companies use PCs than Macs (Serate's hubby's experience to the contrary). More organizations standardize on PCs (i9ncluding PCs for graphics) than ever these days. When I started where I'm at now, I could pick what computer I wanted. I picked a lovely and fully loaded laptop. Then I was told to pick the Mac, too, since I hadda have one, and use it. Bleah. Serate, I find it interesting that your hubby had issues at that place he was applying. Really, if you can use a PC, you can use a Mac (although not necessarily vice versa). I have to admit, though. I occasionally try to close a window on the Mac by clicking the upper right corner. 
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Kep421
Member
08-11-2001
| Monday, February 26, 2007 - 3:43 pm
"PC users will tell you PCs are the best and Mac users will tell you Macs are the best." Not all PC users will tell you that. I'm a die hard IBM compatible PC Windows lovin' geekhead, but when it comes to high end "no cost is too high" publishing or media driven tasks, I think a MAC is better. It is the ONLY time I would recommend a MAC. I think they are way too expensive for simply surfing the net or other personal/business/gaming needs. For your normal every day computer needs and enjoyment, its PC's all the way....
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Monday, February 26, 2007 - 4:07 pm
Yep .... I didn't say that either, darn it! (LOL - though it is probably true)
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Monday, February 26, 2007 - 5:42 pm
Read the consumer reports and reviews. I've recorded music on a PC, but cakewalk and finale are the closest I can come to GarageBand (We're all talking music that I make on MY piano, right? Not digital music.) Anyway, after using Garageband (along with every other musician in high schools across 4 counties) I went looking for the "equivalent" for a PC. There isn't one. I've used the above PC programs and they are NOT as good. Look to see what music colleges (such as Juliard, etc) are using. University of the Arts in Chicago is all Mac. That oughta' be more proof than just my personal experience.
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Serate
Member
08-21-2001
| Monday, February 26, 2007 - 8:31 pm
Serate, I find it interesting that your hubby had issues at that place he was applying. Really, if you can use a PC, you can use a Mac (although not necessarily vice versa). He found it interesting too, especially since the VA was going to pay so much of his salary, and then and only then they could decide whether to hire him or not after a year. Not one person "in command" had any experience whatsoever with a PC and admitted they were "afraid" he couldn't make the transition. *shrugs* Everything happens for a reason and if he had gotten that job he'd not have the job he does now. It's his dream job, helping Disabled Veterans.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - 8:28 am
So, things happened for the best!!! Congrats on his dream job!!!
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - 6:20 pm
I think most people who use a Mac can use a PC and vice versa -- neither one takes a physics degree -- just the guts to push buttons and see what happens! LOL When teaching students about computer programs, I've found most people can learn both systems, and knowing one makes it easier to use another.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 8:14 am
Actually, I disagree to some point. Yeah, they both have a graphical user interface, but they are two completely different things. Yeah, if you can use Windows, you can probably use a Mac. But I've seen Mac users have real problems with Windows. And real power users prefer Windows and the way you don't need the interface to get things done. Some say "a graphical user interface is a graphical user interface" but not necessarily. Just because they both have buttons and menus doesn't mean that you'll easily learn one after having spent years on another.
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Kep421
Member
08-11-2001
| Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 2:22 pm
I was a PC user first, and had to "learn" to use a MAC after achieving two computer degrees (one in networking and one in software development) I was given the task of "uninstalling" a program on a MAC. I just couldn't do it. And the MAC does have the worst "help" system I've ever encountered, I was not able to research how to do an uninstall anywhere on that machine. I was ready to throw the dumb thing against the wall when a kid showed me that you uninstall by dragging the icon to the waste basket... ..who knew?? I didn't....and even though I've come a long way since that first encounter, I still do not care to use a MAC. (I do however LOVE the way they look...they sure are nice eye candy...I just go into the Apple store and drool on the coutertops) So I do not believe that its an easy transfer back and forth between the systems IF you have been an avid user on one system before trying the other.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 2:55 pm
Kids today, though, grow up using them (many times using both because of various activities, classes, etc), and they swap back and forth a lot more easily than those of us over the age of 25 or so. I don't use Macs frequently, but my learning curve was a heck of a lot faster than my dad, and my teens' is a heck of a lot faster than mine.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 5:01 pm
We weren't talking about kids. This started because of Serate's hubby not getting a job because he wasn't Mac fluent. I've been using both for years (Macs more or less off and on, but years). I still have to stop and think when I sit down at the Mac... Just the differences in the UI (how do you close a window?) can be confusing. And Kep, as far as help, well, I agree. As someone who actually writes help documentation for both a Windows and a Mac product, the stuff I inherited from the previous writer is an abortion. He basically ignored the Mac, so there's lots of content in the Windows docs and half that in the Mac docs. A large portion of what I've been doing recently is getting the Mac help updated so that it includes all the info a user might need. Other things the previous writer didn't do were so simple but for some reason not done... generating the Apple Help index (a keyword list) so users can search the help file. Ensuring that the help file links into the Apple Help library, so that users can get to the help in various ways. Not to mention the redesign, so that now it looks cool and very Mac-like (and completely different from our Windows help). Unfortunately, as in most organizations who produce both Windows and Mac apps encounter the same issue I do... less than 20% of our users use the Macintosh OS. So the common thought is that you spend most of your time on the OSes that are more prevalent. And much as I dislike Macs, Mac users are pretty chauvinistic in their usage, and so I'm really trying to ensure that they aren't being treated like second-class citizens, with regards to our docs, anyways! 
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 5:06 pm
LOL, Kep, I had the same experience in reverse. The first time I had to remove a Windows program, I couldn't understand why I couldn't just drag it to the trash can! Floored me that I had to run "uninstall". I work on both, but I'm far more familiar with the Mac. I still stumble around on the Windows machines to find what I need, but I can usually get there. It's just a matter of time spent and familiarity.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 8:54 pm
Awww -- c'mon -- we're all "big kids" at heart. Seriously, I had forgotten that in thinking about the ways I've used both styles, and since I deal w/teens everyday, they're the examples that I think of first. I completely agree that no one should ever be turned down because they've got more experience on another OS unless it would prevent them from being a productive employee after a reasonable training time.
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Wednesday, February 28, 2007 - 9:20 pm
Unless you are going to have to fix the computer (and I thought that was one of the things I/T does at a large company), I don't see why it would be that hard to work with one or the other. And Adobe PhotoShop wouldn't be a problem. 
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