mrarnesen wrote:So, you have tempted me to buy an Apple iMac
I've been watching some videos about it and it looks awesome. You mentioned the MC309. It's got 4GB RAM. Should I buy some extra RAM? And it's 2.5 GHz processor is less than the requirements for Hollywood Strings. Would it be better with the MC812 or MC813?
The Apple iMac MC813LL/A 27-Inch Desktop (NEWEST VERSION) is the one to get, because it has a 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, and you can save a bit by purchasing it from Amazon.com if you are in the US, but there is a custom order 27" iMac that is worth considering . . .
You can order a 27" iMac with a processor upgrade from Apple, which is done at the factory, and this maps to a 3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, which is
very fast, but instead of being approximately $1,500 (US), it is approximately $2,200 (US) . . .
Lab Report: Core i7 SSD iMac is the fastest Mac we've tested! (MacWorld, June 2011) The 27" iMac with the 3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor upgrade will be fast enough for the Gold and Diamond editions of Hollywood Strings, but it is important to understand that the Diamond edition of Hollywood Strings is provided on an internal hard drive, while in contrast the Gold edition is provided on a set of DVDs . . .
Other World Computing sells an adapter that makes it possible to use an internal hard drive externally for purposes of copying the data onto the internal drive of an iMac or to an external SSD drive, but overall it is easier to add an internal hard drive to a Mac Pro, except that a Mac Pro and Apple Thunderbolt Display cost approximately twice as much as the custom ordered 27" iMac, with the primary advantage being bus bandwidths and the ability to add or swap internal hard drives easily, as well as the ability to have an internal RAID array, but it is important to consider SSD drives, which is where Thunderbolt comes into play . . .
THOUGHTS ON HOLLYWOOD STRINGS (EWQL)In terms of deciding which Mac to get, Hollywood Strings is the focal software, since it has very specific requirements, so one way to determine the strategy which works best for your needs is to focus on Hollywood Strings, since its importance provides clues to the type of Mac you need to accomplish your digital music production goals . . .
If you need to use the Diamond edition of Hollywood Strings, then my advice is to get a Mac Pro,
especially if you plan to use other EWQL products, since (a) it has internal drive bays, which makes it very easy to add the Diamond edition internal hard drive to the system, and (b) EWQL recommends the fastest Mac Pro as the "optimal" system for the Diamond edition of Hollywood Strings . . .
However, there is another reality, which is (a) that NOTION 3 is a 32-bit application and (b) that NOTION 3 generates standard CD quality audio, which is 44.1-kHz at 16-bits, hence I am
not convinced that spending several thousand additional dollars for a Mac Pro and Apple 27" Thunderbolt Display makes a lot of sense, although it certainly is a very fast and powerful supercomputer and over the long run is an excellent system . . .
If you can afford a new Mac Pro and Apple 27" Thunderbolt Display, then it makes sense, because over the long run you will need the speed and power, but it is useful to know that the 27" iMac with the 3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 factory upgrade is faster than a 6-core Mac Pro, and it probably is faster than the 2.8-GHz 8-core Mac Pro (
circa 2009) here in the sound isolation studio . . .
QUESTION: How important is Hollywood Strings to your plan? If you must have the Diamond edition of Hollywood Strings, then you need to get a Mac Pro and Apple 27" Thunderbolt Display, but if the Diamond edition of Hollywood Strings is more of an optional "might be nice" type of thing and the Gold edition of Hollywood Strings will be fine for a while, then it depends on your budget, really . . .
Yet another reality is that it takes a while to make sense of all the various technologies (VST effects plug-ins, VSTi virtual instruments, ReWire, producing, audio engineering, mixing, mastering, and so forth and so on), and if you are not proficient in all the various technologies and roles, then it probably makes more sense to get either the standard 27" iMac or the 27" iMac with the factory processor upgrade, which when augmented with an SSD drive is a screamer . . .
And this is the reason I recommend having a plan first, even though it requires a bit of work to create a plan . . . Eventually, you will need a Mac Pro, but if you are going to be learning how all the various technologies work for a year or two, then a 27" iMac will be very nice and quite sufficient . . .
And while it is great that the Diamond edition of Hollywood Strings is 44.1-kHz and 24-bits, NOTION 3 generates audio at 44.1-kHz and 16-bits, which maps to the perhaps wonderfully deep and rich 24-bit strings being dithered or whatever to 16-bits, which in turn maps to losing part of the wonderfully deep and rich TONE . . .
Explained another way, if you really need the Diamond edition of Hollywood Strings for doing songs at 44.1-kHz at 24-bits, then you are not going to be using NOTION 3 to do it. Instead, you probably need to do it directly in Logic Pro (Apple) or Digital Performer (MOTU), which at minimum will be a
lot more work with none of the immediately useful feedback you get with NOTION 3 . . .
If you want to have 6 tires but your car only has 4 wheels, then 2 of the 6 tires are going be sitting in the trunk, which might be handy if you have 2 flat tires but otherwise is not the best use of your money . . .
[
NOTE: When you listen to the audio demos for Hollywood Strings on the web, you are listening to MP3 files that are 320-kbps, which I determined by inference since they load almost instantly. The MP3 for the first audio demo ("Allegro Agitato") in MP3 format is a 12.1MB file, while the considerably higher quality WAVE file is 76.3MB, which is not going load instantly via the high-speed broadband cable here in the sound isolation studio, and MP3 is a compressed format. When done properly, MP3 is excellent. The EWQL products are high-end, and they require high-end digital music production equipment, which is great if you have $25,000 to $50,000 (US) for everything, which is the practical reality . . . ]
THOUGHTS ON MEMORYApple memory is very expensive, so the strategy I use here in the sound isolation studio is to get an Apple computer from Amazon.com in a
basic configuration with the minimal amount of memory. Then I remove the Apple memory and replace it with memory from Other World Computing, which is just as good as Apple memory but costs considerably less . . .
It is easy to upgrade memory on an iMac or Mac Pro, and certified memory from Other World Computing is the
smart way to do it, where for example at present you can upgrade the memory on a new iMac to 16GB for $110 (US) using certified memory from Other World Computing. Upgrading to 32GB of memory costs $320 (US) . . .
iMac Memory Upgrades (Other World Computing)[
NOTE: Getting a Tripp-Lite ISOBAR6ULTRA for your computer and audio equipment is a very smart investment! They cost approximately $50 (US) at Amazon.com, but this is because (a) they are not junk and (b) they actually work and will protect your computer and audio equipment from a nearby lightning strike, which they do by failing catastrophically in a controlled way so that only the ISOBAR6ULTRA is toasted . . . ]
ISOBAR6ULTRA Surge Protector (Tripp-Lite)ADDITIONAL THOUGHTSApple might announce new iMac and Mac Pro models this week, and if they do, then the previous models typically will be discounted at Amazon.com, which is the strategy I use, where I get the immediately previous model a week or two after Apple announces a new model. This is what I did for the Mac Pro here in the sound isolation studio, and it saved me 8 percent, which is significant, but Amazon.com only had it discounted by 8 percent for a few hours, so I had to check frequently and get it in a tiny window of opportunity . . .
SUGGESTIONWith a bit more information regarding what your goals for digital music production, I can provide better advice, which again is the reason that having a plan makes
excellent sense . . .
I really like the EWQL products--especially Gypsy and Fab Four--but at present I cannot afford them, so I work with what I can afford, and while it takes a bit more effort to get some types of instruments
not to sound like a 1960s Farfisa Combo Organ, it can be done with a bit of work . . .
For the most part at present, popular music is done in MP3 format, which basically maps to standard CD quality (44.1-kHz at 16-bits), although Apple has an AAC format for the iTunes Store that is nice but nevertheless compressed . . . .
Advanced Audio Codec ~ AAC (wikipedia)Red Book Standard ~ Audio CD (wikipedia)In other words, if you listen to a song that you purchased from the iTunes Store or on CD, then this is the practical reality, which is fabulous . . .
Fabulous! 
