Xref: utzoo rec.music.synth:22341 comp.music:3485 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!jhunix!barrett From: barrett@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Dan Barrett) Newsgroups: rec.music.synth,comp.music Subject: Re: Amiga or Mac? Message-ID: <8677@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> Date: 12 Jun 91 19:12:48 GMT References: Followup-To: rec.music.synth Organization: The Johns Hopkins University - HCF Lines: 88 writes: >[Amiga or Mac for sequencing?] Sean, you will probably be happy with either computer. Your choice depends on how much power you want, how much you want to spend, and what other uses you have in mind for the computer. These are the subjects I'll discuss below. NOTE that I am NOT going to claim one computer is generally better than the other -- that just starts flame wars. I will try to present objective information only, with maybe a little minor opinion or two. :-) Right now, there are a several really high-end sequencing environments for the Mac. Some of them even incorporate sampling (simultaneous MIDI and digital audio). The Amiga does not have this kind of hardware/software combination, although at least one company is building one now. So, if you need this kind of power, the Mac would be a better choice. But be prepared to pay $$$. For straight sequencing, both Mac and Amiga have excellent software. Performer on the Mac is particularly good if you have a large MIDI studio. In my opinion (Opinion! Opinion!), the sequencing software for the Mac is a *little* bit better and more mature, in general, than the Amiga's. But both computers have very usable sequencers. On the Amiga, I find Music-X to be very powerful and (especially) flexible. In your posting, you implied that you didn't like Music-X; that's fine, and I respect your opinion. I will say that Music-X has some capabilities I have yet to see on any other sequencer, and I've been a serious electronic and computer musician for almost 12 years. I have not tried Bars & Pipes, but I have read the entire manual, and it looks very impressive. One advantage of Amiga sequencing software (over the Mac's) is that much of it is not copy protected, making it easy to have a backup copy or install it on a hard disk. I know that it is possible to break the CP of most Mac programs, but it can be a hassle (judging by some of the discussions I have seen in this newsgroup). As you said, the Amiga 3000 is a faster machine than the Mac LC. This is true both for CPU power and I/O (input/output) speed. In addition, the Amiga has a coprocessor slot that allows you to put a new processor (such as the even-faster 68040 CPU) into the machine painlessly and fairly inexpensively. Speed isn't the only issue, though. What else do you plan to do with the computer, other than sequencing? If you need some programs that run on the Mac only, then you should get the Mac. Similarly for the Amiga. As a side note, there is a good Mac emulator that allows you to run most Mac application software (but not sequencers or some games) on the Amiga, and quickly too. The reverse is not true -- there is no Amiga emulator running on the Mac, to my knowledge. I will not discuss which machine's operating system or user interface is better/worse than the other. That is completely an opinion-based argument, even "religious" at times. All I will say is that both systems are powerful, and both have their proponents and opponents. Make sure that you get thorough demonstrations of both machines (preferably at a friend's house AND at a dealer) before you buy. If possible, try out the sequencing software yourself before you buy. I don't know the street price of a Mac LC, but I do know that you can buy an Amiga 3000 for under $2000 right now (until June 31) through the Commodore "Power Up" program. All you need to do is bring in the cover of the owner's manual of any Commodore computer, with the computer's serial number written on it, and you get a large discount. And both Commodore and Apple offer educational discounts if you are enrolled in college now. If you decide to seek further help, I recommend that you DO NOT "cross-post" questions to comp.sys.amiga.??? and and comp.sys.mac.??? newsgroups. Anything cross-posted between these 2 areas ALWAYS starts a big flame war, even if the questions are innocent and unbiased. There are a few (note: a few) really immature people in those groups that get things started, and the flames don't die down for weeks. I suggest sending one set of questions to comp.sys.amiga.audio, and then another set of questions (IN A SEPARATE POSTING!) to comp.sys.mac.apps or comp.sys.mac.misc. If you want people to rant and rave about the Amiga, post to comp.sys.amiga.advocacy. 1/2 :-) Good luck with your decision. Feel free to contact me via e-mail if you want to ask me anything else. Dan //////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ | Dan Barrett - Systems Administrator, Computer Science Department | | The Johns Hopkins University, 34th and Charles Sts., Baltimore, MD 21218 | | INTERNET: barrett@cs.jhu.edu | | | COMPUSERVE: >internet:barrett@cs.jhu.edu | UUCP: barrett@jhunix.UUCP | \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/////////////////////////////////////