Hi All, The imminent release of Logic 6, and the possibility of Apple bringing out their next gen desktops this year has me thinking about the switch from PC to Mac again. Just this week I finally did a mobo/cpu/ram upgrade from a P3-1ghz to a P4-2.4ghz on my PC. This system was already very stable, it just lacked that extra bit of grunt, (now provided by the P4), that avoids having to 'print' FX and Vsti's in order to free up cpu resources. (Running WinXP-Pro sp1, with a Creamware LunaII). The thing that has been daunting me about the switch to Mac, especially now with OSX & the AU thing still in transition, is the fact I'd not be able to run (at the time of writing) vst/vsti's in LAMP 6, Gigastudio, Wavelab, and other smaller PC only apps that I have & use every day. In a nutshell, I don't wanna ditch my PC when (if?) I switch, but I want to use its plugins/apps in tandem with a Mac. Now I initially though that this could be a very cumbersome way of working, but I've just had a look at Steinberg's V-Stack software, and things are looking more do-able. Firstly, has anyone on this list used V-Stack as a standalone project on one PC (not the Steinberg only VLink method), and used a second PC or Mac to access the V-Stack's plugs?? Basically........does it work well?? This is the Cunning Stunt bit.......if I keep my PC as a Vst/Vsti FX Rack and Giga workhorse, then I can get a lower hardware spec'ed Mac to run the midi tracks, and the raw audio tracks. My questions for the Mac people are: What is the minimum spec Mac needed to run OSX?? What performance could I expect from Logic (v6.xx) on such a machine? What G3 models are upgradeable to G4 spec? (Would this be cheaper than just getting a G4?) Are all Macs equipped to run a standard VGA (db-15 pin connector) monitor? Could I share a PC monitor/mouse/keyboard with a Mac via a switcher? Thanks for any replies to my questions.........Dave.

On 2/2/03 7:57 PM, "David Ellis" <davelli@...> was moved to contribute the following : > What is the minimum spec Mac needed to run OSX?? Apple says a G3 chip but IMHO you're not going to be happy with Logic 6 unless you have a G4. > What performance could I expect from Logic (v6.xx) on such a machine? Haven't seen it yet, sorry. > What G3 models are upgradeable to G4 spec? (Would this be cheaper than just > getting a G4?) All of them. Answer to parenthetical question is usually not. You're almost always getting more from a newer Mac than just a faster CPU, like faster bus speed (key) and memory. It's usually not worth it in the long run to upgrade just the CPU, since bus speed is the bottleneck, and other parts aren't up to speed. > Are all Macs equipped to run a standard VGA (db-15 pin connector) monitor? Yes, these days, if you're talking about post-1997 (I think) Macs. > Could I share a PC monitor/mouse/keyboard with a Mac via a switcher? Monitor, yes. The rest, I don't think so, since they're not compatible. My advice? Buy used & buy at least a "Digital Audio" G4 (133MHz bus speed).

On Sunday, February 2, 2003, at 04:57 PM, David Ellis wrote: > My questions for the Mac people are: > What is the minimum spec Mac needed to run OSX?? Officially, it is any G3 machine. Technically there are "hacks" to run it on even older machines, but it is not worth the trouble to buy such an old machine and try to "upgrade" it for OS X. > What performance could I expect from Logic (v6.xx) on such a machine? > What G3 models are upgradeable to G4 spec? (Would this be cheaper than > just getting a G4?) I believe all G3's are upgradeable to G4 with the exception of iMacs and iBooks. However, the cost difference may not be worth the trouble since the upgrade will cost $200 for a ~500mhz G4. If you get a 400mhz AGP G4, you will still have plenty of options for upgrading if you choose to, but also enough power to not make the upgrade totally necessary right away. Bear in mind older G3's before the colorful case design did not have USB or Firewire, and no G3 has AGP video. I believe the very first G4's didn't have AGP, though I can not seem to confirm this on everymac.com. I believe a G3 in colored case will start about $350-$400 on eBay. A G4 would start probably $200-$250 on top of that. > Are all Macs equipped to run a standard VGA (db-15 pin connector) > monitor? > Could I share a PC monitor/mouse/keyboard with a Mac via a switcher? Macs before the colored cases had a different connector though an adapter is cheap. Colored cases and beyond have standard VGA video. I believe sharing a mouse, monitor and keyboard would not be a problem. Take care Jesse Widener

Hi there, On Monday, February 3, 2003, at 11:57 AM, David Ellis wrote: > My questions for the Mac people are: > What is the minimum spec Mac needed to run OSX?? Power Mac Beige G3 233 Mhz (serial machine. i.e., non-usb). Minimum 128MbRam - I'm using 224mb...(though I'm not using Logic in X yet) I'd recommend, however, that you go for at least a USB equipped Mac (i.e., the Blue & White as a starter for Audio stuff). If you can afford a G4 Sawtooth you'd be much better off again. i.e., Rule of thumb - get as much for your Aussie dollar as you can... > What performance could I expect from Logic (v6.xx) on such a machine? > What G3 models are upgradeable to G4 spec? (Would this be cheaper than > just getting a G4?) Most. Probably cheaper - but buss speeds with differ on the main board and you therefore wouldn't get quite as much performance out of an upgraded machine as opposed to the real thing afaik. > Are all Macs equipped to run a standard VGA (db-15 pin connector) > monitor? No - but adapters are available. > Could I share a PC monitor/mouse/keyboard with a Mac via a switcher? Yes. with regards, -- Lachlan Deck ldeck@...

--- In logic-users@yahoogroups.com, David Ellis <davelli@b...> wrote: ... > In a nutshell, I don't wanna ditch my PC when (if?) I switch, > but I want to use its plugins/apps in tandem with a Mac. > Now I initially though that this could be a very cumbersome > way of working, but I've just had a look at Steinberg's V-Stack > software, and things are looking more do-able. > Firstly, has anyone on this list used V-Stack as a standalone > project on one PC (not the Steinberg only VLink method), and > used a second PC or Mac to access the V-Stack's plugs?? > Basically........does it work well?? You may also want to download and play with "Chainer". http://www.xlutop.com/html/chainer.html It's similar to V-Stack, but cheaper, and the free demo version has most of the features of the full version. It also has the ability to run as a VSTi itself, which suggests some interesting possibilities. [Erk]

On Sunday, February 2, 2003, at 07:25 PM, M. Beckley Roberts wrote: > On 2/2/03 7:57 PM, "David Ellis" <davelli@...> was moved to > contribute the following : > > Monitor, yes. The rest, I don't think so, since they're not compatible. If the mouse is USB, then its usually compatible. Some USB keyboards are too but it will be a pain remembering the key translations because they're not the same.

--- In logic-users@yahoogroups.com, David Ellis <davelli@b...> wrote: > Could I share a PC monitor/mouse/keyboard with a Mac via a switcher? Yes. Some KVM switches explicitly advertise this capability. I use the Belkin Omniview Soho. It works pretty well, although occasionally the mouse doesn't work when I switch from the PC to the Mac and I then have to switch back and forth a couple of times to get it to work. The other problem is that some of the modifier keys on Mac and PC keyboards are different, so you have to get used to mentally mapping them. But for me it beats having to deal with two keyboards and mice. Michael