ibook or powerbook?

[Drobnick]

I am trying to decide which notebook I want to purchase for tracking
live sessions. I will be useing it with a PT 002 unit and hopefully
tracking anything from bar bands to college orchestra. Obviously if
whatever laptop I go with were to ever crash on me in the middle of a
performance, it most likely will cost me a client. Anyway I am
thinking of going with either an ibook g4/1ghz/512MB or more, or a
titanium with also a g4/1ghz with at least 512mb of ram. I have been
told that the titanium performs better and is much more stable than
the ibook. Does anyone know if that is true? Wouldn't an ibook with
the same features as a titanium powerbook perform the same or am I
missing something? Also does anyone have any other suggestions on
securily tracking live sessions? I have thought of purchasing an MTR
but I still need the laptop for edit/mix/mastering and I dont have the
money for that right now.

[hank alrich]

Drobnick > wrote:

> Anyway I am
> thinking of going with either an ibook g4/1ghz/512MB or more, or a
> titanium with also a g4/1ghz with at least 512mb of ram.

Current Powerbooks are "Aluminum", so if you want a TiBook you'll need
to seek out used, old stock or refurb. I quite like my late 2002 TiBook.

> I have been
> told that the titanium performs better and is much more stable than
> the ibook. Does anyone know if that is true? Wouldn't an ibook with
> the same features as a titanium powerbook perform the same or am I
> missing something?

There is no such animal as an iBook with the same features as a
Powerbook. Just read what's what at the Apple site and compare.

Also, DAW-Mac is a wonderful place for this type of question.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/daw-mac/

--
ha

[Drobnick]

>
> Current Powerbooks are "Aluminum", so if you want a TiBook you'll need
> to seek out used, old stock or refurb. I quite like my late 2002 TiBook.
>
Ya I am looking to buy refurbished/used and save a lot of money.

>
> There is no such animal as an iBook with the same features as a
> Powerbook. Just read what's what at the Apple site and compare.

ibooks were released with the g4 1 ghz processor or a 933 which is
close enough. Although the Ram issued from apple itself in ibooks
didn't go over 512MB (i think) you can still easily upgrade.
>
> Also, DAW-Mac is a wonderful place for this type of question.
> thanks i'll check it out.
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/daw-mac/

[hank alrich]

Drobnick> wrote:

> ibooks were released with the g4 1 ghz processor or a 933 which is
> close enough. Although the Ram issued from apple itself in ibooks
> didn't go over 512MB (i think) you can still easily upgrade.

But there's more to a computer than just a processor; dig that current
iBooks have no vacant RAM slot. Generally they also don't include a PCI
slot, and there are other goodies left out, too. I've forgotten the
whole list of differences but I do suggest it's worth understanding
completely. I've seen more than one after the fact lament about what
one's iBook wouldn't do that a Powerbook would.

I can highly recommend the last version of the TiBook. A friend has the
15" AluBook and it, too, seems very nice. A little early to tell. I
don't prefer that Apple moved all the gozintas/gozoutas to the sides
from the back because that shafts my already disatrous desk mess.

Guess my main point is not to assume an iBook will do what you want
until you've seriously examined its differences from the P'books.

--
ha

[Drobnick]

Like I said I will be useing the ibook with a 002 unit for tracking
audio. The Two usb and firewire ports is all I need for that, which
it has. As much as I dont want to buy the cheapest equipment, I dont
want to spend more than I have to. Whatever laptop I go with for
recording and editing audio will do just that and only that.

[Chris Seifert]

I currently use a powerbook and a Digi002 and love it.
But if all your interested in using your rig for is basic tracking you
may be interested to know that
I've recorded many orchestras and choirs with an old ibook G3 500mhz
with no troubles at all.
i think you can find those G3 white ibooks for around $500 or so these
days.
I wouldn't try running plug ins on it but it worked fine with both a
MOTU 828 and the 002 for
8 track recording purposes.





(Drobnick) wrote in message >...
> Like I said I will be useing the ibook with a 002 unit for tracking
> audio. The Two usb and firewire ports is all I need for that, which
> it has. As much as I dont want to buy the cheapest equipment, I dont
> want to spend more than I have to. Whatever laptop I go with for
> recording and editing audio will do just that and only that.

[Drobnick]

(Chris Seifert) wrote in message >...
> I currently use a powerbook and a Digi002 and love it.
> But if all your interested in using your rig for is basic tracking you
> may be interested to know that
> I've recorded many orchestras and choirs with an old ibook G3 500mhz
> with no troubles at all.
> i think you can find those G3 white ibooks for around $500 or so these
> days.
> I wouldn't try running plug ins on it but it worked fine with both a
> MOTU 828 and the 002 for
> 8 track recording purposes.


Wow, thats good to know, I will have to look into it. For the most
part I will be doing only stereo recordings and throwing in spots when
needed. The only thing I would be concerned about is tracking bar
bands. In that situation I would almost always be recording all 10
tracks at once. Anyway thanks for the input and I will be looking
into it.

[Matthew Champagne]

Among other things, (Drobnick) wrote in message
>...

> [...] Obviously if
> whatever laptop I go with were to ever crash on me in the middle of a
> performance, it most likely will cost me a client.


Precisely why you should be running a safety machine. Run a CD or DAT
safety from mults from the preamp and rest assured that when the main
recorder fails, which it will do eventually either by itself or with
your help (sometimes the Devil makes you press the wrong button),
you'll be sitting pretty.

You don't even have to bother indexing the safety; just hit "record"
and forget about it. With a CD safety, if you end up with a usable
main recording, you can impress the client with an immediate copy they
can play at home. Or you can reuse CD-RWs.

(Unfortunately, the recorder isn't the only piece of gear that can
crap its pants. Those who use Neumann KM183s would do well to check
occasionally that the capsule pins are properly seated in their spring
contacts: when they pop out of place during a recording, a most
amazing and beautiful "boing" is the last thing you'll hear on that
channel until you fix it.)

-Matt

[WillStG]

<< (Chris Seifert) >>
<< I currently use a powerbook and a Digi002 and love it.
But if all your interested in using your rig for is basic tracking you
may be interested to know that
I've recorded many orchestras and choirs with an old ibook G3 500mhz
with no troubles at all. >>

Straight tracking I've recorded 10 tracks @ 24/88.2 on a G3/500 Powerbook
Firewire (Pismo) with Nuendo to an external Glyph firewire drive with no
problems. But I'd still backed the whole thing up with a Mackie SDR2496 (the
cheapest version which I got on sale for $1k) and a couple of DATs.

Analog in though.

Will Miho
NY Music & TV Audio Guy
Off the Morning Show! & sleepin' In... / Fox News
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits