New Dual 2.0 G5... Observations!

[Scot Solida]

Scot, I can see how that would be disappointing, especially since an XP1900 isn't exactly a fast processor at this point. Still, there's much to be said for stability, not to mention how quiet the G5's are.

Well, it should be noted that I am talking primarily about Nuendo more than the G5. Logic is downright miraculous when it comes to performance. I also noted huge performance increases in Tassman and a few other plugs. But! I rarely hit the wall with the PC either. I use a lot of hardware, so neither were at risk of pegging the CPU.

As I said, I like the Mac a bunch, and I have migrated almost all of my work to the G5, so my preference after using both is prety clear. However, I'll not be the first in line to defend the Mac's price to performance ratio. If the G5 is such a vast improvement in power over the G4, I can see why Logic users rejoiced over the freeze function...

At the end of the day it all comes down to inspiration and ease of use. Anyone can make a record on just about any computer these days, so it's really a matter of what OS and software floats each individual's boat.

And yeah, it is nice to be able to record a live mic in the same room with the computer running... The relative quiet of the G5 has been pretty nice. I have found that I have ear fatigue less frequently than I did with the PC on...

[Scot Solida]

Just out of curiousity - what to people use for mixing/mastering plugins on Macs?

On the PC you've got Voxengo & Kjaerhus, as well as Waves, PSP etc.

Are the plugs bundled with Logic good enough or do people just use Waves on the Mac?

I use Powercore stuff, but also PSP, especially when working in Nuendo. Logic's built-in plugs are excellent, though. There are lots of cool things available for the Mac, including the PC, Waves, Ozone and, of course, UAD-1. Plus the Sonalksis plugs (wow )

[kuniklo]

Just out of curiousity - what to people use for mixing/mastering plugins on Macs?

On the PC you've got Voxengo & Kjaerhus, as well as Waves, PSP etc.

Are the plugs bundled with Logic good enough or do people just use Waves on the Mac?

I use Powercore stuff, but also PSP, especially when working in Nuendo. Logic's built-in plugs are excellent, though. There are lots of cool things available for the Mac, including the PC, Waves, Ozone and, of course, UAD-1. Plus the Sonalksis plugs (wow )

I didn't realize Sonalksis stuff was available on Mac. That's cool.

I wish the Kjaerhaus stuff was available. Still, sounds like there's plenty to choose from.

[Scot Solida]

I didn't realize Sonalksis stuff was available on Mac. That's cool.

I wish the Kjaerhaus stuff was available. Still, sounds like there's plenty to choose from.

Ditto. I love the Golden Compressor. If it was made of solid material, I'd eat it.

[DHR53]

I guess you guys knew about the processor setting in preferences... I didn't realize it was there, or I never noticed it on my G4?? (maybe it wasn't on the G4) ...but I was geting a little worried when I first tried this thing out (and I had it set to auto)... makes a big difference! Have you guys been trying Live beta?? I guess it's not optimized for the G5 like Logic, eh??

[jon9091]

I wonder if Steinberg aren't putting too much into optimizing their software for the Mac. Other culprits are Reason, which doesn't take advantage of the second processor whatsoever..

I remember a thread on Nuendo.com where test results between Nuendo, Cubase SX and Logic were all compared on a dual 2G G5. What was really interesting wasn't that Logic was well ahead of the other ( as one would predict) . . .but that Cubase SX was well ahead of Nuendo. Even though they are supposedly the exact same audio engine. It seems Steinberg isn't even optimiziing across their own product line . . .let alone for the Mac platform.

here's the link for the thread . . . the results I mention are about 2/3 of the way down
http://forum.nuendo.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/020971.html



best,
Jon

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[ObsoleteAcc99]

[DELETED]

[DHR53]

I am happy with that... Cost too much though! ...I guess I may have to do Logic Pro now... Argh! Let's see G5, NI komplete, Logic Pro... Glad I can write some of this stuff off...

[VicDiesel]

I am happy with that... Cost too much though! ...I guess I may have to do Logic Pro now.

If you're at a university or have a buddy, Logic Pro's academic price is very sweet.

V.

[Scot Solida]

I'd like to say a few things here too. firstly, the reason you are not seeing a huge performance jump in nuendo is that it is well known that steinberg's OSX dual processor optimization is half baked at present. please have a look at the cubase and nuendo forums. the other thing is, that nuendo runs better on a pc. it's just more efficient. one of those things. If you are on a mac and want performance, it's logic or DP. another thing i'd like to address is you say there is no delay compensation. you do realise that there IS, but just on audiotracks and instruments right?(you have to check "plug in delay compensation" in audio preferences). At present, it is not supported only on busses. rest assured i will bet my left testacle that logic 7 will have it through the entire signal path.

Yeah, I knew that was how it worked in Logic. Not being supported on the busses is a pain, because of the way I work (and I would bet your left testicle it'll be in LP7, as well...LOL). Overall, I like Logic a lot, and this is one of the few little niggles I have with it. I am still very new to Logic, however, and I have an album that is overdue as it is, so it is easier for me to get that done in Nuendo (since I know it well from the PC). The fact of the matter is that Logic works much better than Nuendo on the Mac (never had any trouble at in Logic, but I did have a couple of crashes in Nuendo), and when I get my head around it well enough to work smoothly in Logic, I may end up using it for most of my work.