My DAW PC hates me though I shower it with nothing but love..time to switch to a Mac?

[Jace-BeOS]

To original poster: stuff like that and more is why I abandoned Windows and PC hardware. Initially it was a dream on Macs for me; I was much more productive and much less irritated.

However, Apple's quality control (and entire product focus) has changed considerably since I migrated (I migrated prior to 2013). I don't like the path they've been on since the product overhauls in 2013. That said, I still find their platforms to be less bad than the alternatives.

My recommendation is to try getting a few weeks of hands on time with a Mac DAW (not a Hackintosh) and see how you feel about it first before committing to buying new hardware and changing platform.

[Googly Smythe]

...

Cubase takes literally THREE FOOKING MINUTES to come up. What does it do for 3 mins? VST Scanning. Wasn't an issue in 7.5, now an issue.

Waves Central can cause this. I used to have the same problem. I rolled back to the last version before Central - Cubase now starts in 11 seconds.

(5 year old i7 4790 pc, Win10, Cubase 9.5.30, RME, AMD, everything up to date.)

[chk071]

Win7 is already outdated, Win10 is much better. Update, as you're not showing your PC enough love at all.

As we say in IT, it works for me

Outdated in what sense? In the sense that it's 100% reliable, updated regularly and just works every single day?

As the original post proved successfully...

[Distorted Horizon]

Can anyone resonate with me on this? I've always had trouble with my DAW PC, since the beginning. For a while it was bearable, only an occasional crash or two. Now it is downright unworkable.

Just a plethora of issues I faced today:
1. Wake up computer from sleep - USB midi didn't work. Unplug/plug. Nope. Had to restart Cubase. Fine.
2. Hum from external input - weird, I don't have input enable on, but it was coming from an input track so i muted it. Fine.
3. Echoing from an audio track input, weird - it sounded fine just a couple days back. Where the hell is this coming from. Okay, don't use it.
4. Kontakt 5, load some sound off Kinetic (Komplete 11). Now layer another sound - MISSING SAMPLES. Had to browse and find. Fine. This is on a fresh install of komplete, but we'll let that slide for now.
5. Now layer another sound while clicking 'next' arrow to load next sound in that layer. HANNNGG. Cubase had to be force quit and re-opened.
6. Repeat step 5 for 2 more times...

Totally out of 30 minutes, I spent 5 minutes creating music and 25 minutes fighting with my PC one way or the other. If I could cry, I would.

Cubase takes literally THREE FOOKING MINUTES to come up. What does it do for 3 mins? VST Scanning. Wasn't an issue in 7.5, now an issue.

Please tell me it's not just me.

Win7 PC, running Cubase 9.5.3. Should I move to a Mac? I love Cubase, but can't stand these weird-ass random issues.

1. Optimize your pc for production (ie no sleeping) https://bandzoogle.com/blog/20-ways-to- ... production <- Though if you also use your PC as websurfing machine etc I'd keep firewalls etc on.
2. You've messed your hardware audioroutings (or they're originally messed), turn external input off if you don't need it.
3. Answer 2.
4. What's your installation directory? Usually all vst's and samples should be installed in for example C:/Vst and C:/Samples OR even C:/Production and have those vst and samples folders there.
5. Cubase.. I hate that app..
6. Maybe upgrade to Win10? Handles audio better.

[Coxy]

Can anyone resonate with me on this? I've always had trouble with my DAW PC, since the beginning. For a while it was bearable, only an occasional crash or two. Now it is downright unworkable.

Just a plethora of issues I faced today:
1. Wake up computer from sleep - USB midi didn't work. Unplug/plug. Nope. Had to restart Cubase. Fine.
2. Hum from external input - weird, I don't have input enable on, but it was coming from an input track so i muted it. Fine.
3. Echoing from an audio track input, weird - it sounded fine just a couple days back. Where the hell is this coming from. Okay, don't use it.
4. Kontakt 5, load some sound off Kinetic (Komplete 11). Now layer another sound - MISSING SAMPLES. Had to browse and find. Fine. This is on a fresh install of komplete, but we'll let that slide for now.
5. Now layer another sound while clicking 'next' arrow to load next sound in that layer. HANNNGG. Cubase had to be force quit and re-opened.
6. Repeat step 5 for 2 more times...

Totally out of 30 minutes, I spent 5 minutes creating music and 25 minutes fighting with my PC one way or the other. If I could cry, I would.

Cubase takes literally THREE FOOKING MINUTES to come up. What does it do for 3 mins? VST Scanning. Wasn't an issue in 7.5, now an issue.

Please tell me it's not just me.

Win7 PC, running Cubase 9.5.3. Should I move to a Mac? I love Cubase, but can't stand these weird-ass random issues.

Definitely! PC user for over 15 years.

Woke up one morning (this is literally how it went) and thought to myself I want a Mac. It was like I'd suddenly just reached a point in my life I was tired of wrestling PCs. I had refined and streamlined every other part of what I did or how I lived yet I couldn't replicate this way of living in my computer setup.

Strange since I was always Anti Mac

I went out and bought a MacBook Pro, I was in the market for a laptop anyway to take my mobile for both production and music blog work.

After an initial learning curve (less than a week) I realised I had made the best decision in terms of PC/Music production I could ever make.

A year later I swapped out my entire custom built studio PC for an iMac 27"

Another year later and still zero regrets and still the best thing I ever did. It works. It's crashed only once (genuinely) in my time of ownership and use. My MacBook Pro hasn't crashed that I can remember. The synchronicity between Apple devices when you're "in" is leagues ahead of ANYTHING else.

I take a picture on my iPhone, it's available on my iMac and MacBook almost instantly.
I save a logic project on my iMac, it's available on my MacBook almost instantly.
I download a new track from iTunes, its available on all devices of mine instantly
I purchase software from Appstore I can use it on all my apple devices
I wake the Mac up from sleep, my Audient interface doesn't need to be power cycled to work again.
I buy a new interface it normally just plugs in and works out of the box without drivers.

I could configure a PC to do the above syncronicity but it'd be legwork and rely on third party software as its not inherently built into the OS like it is on the Mac.

Yeah you pay the price financially but it sounds like you are where I was 3 years ago.

I'm not going to hate on PC's now I'm on the other side of the camp - PC's have served me in almost every capacity I needed over the last 15 years - I have built a music career on them but I'm at a point in my life and musical career where the Mac now works for how I work and also for how I live. It's the biggest cliche going but it really is a case of "It just works" and I applaud Apple for that.

[jacqueslacouth]

Keep in mind that I have been a Mac user since 2006 when reading my response...

Absolutely NOT!

Not because Mac OS is generally problematic, it is not. It is in fact a remarkably robust OS which for all intents and purposes performs with great stability.

My problem in general with Apple these days is that they seem to be returning to the pricing structure prior to their switch to Intel chips in 2006 (I Think?). Every time you look at the computers on the Apple store, they seem to be becoming less and less for your money and asking absolutely absurd prices for their well spec'd machines (iMac Pro anyone???). Previously, prior to the return of Steve Jobs, this arrogant bullshit nearly saw them going to the wall, however in 2018, it appears that they have created an army of true believers who will do whatever it takes to get the next shiniest iCrap they launch and gladly pay any price for the privilege.

If you do decide to jump ship, you will get a pretty good OS, but bare in mind, you WILL either get a sadly underpowered machine for what you pay, or you will pay through the nose for something up to scratch in this day. Of course, if money is no object...go for it

[experimental.crow]

you should not shower w/ your PC , amount of love notwithstanding ...

[pc999]

What about going Linux

[jabe]

I once replaced a hard drive in a Macbook for a friend. I googled the particular model to see how to do it. Someone had prepared photos and descriptions of every stage.

FIFTY SEVEN photos to get to the hard drive. 57!!! On a PC laptop, It would have been three screws and a bit of light levering or tugging. On a desktop PC, a side off, a few screws and connectors. No, 57 bleeping steps, all that would need reversing.

To add to the fun, a tiny plug would not come out of a tiny socket when I tried to remove the upper casing. This tiny plug, for those of you with good eyesight, was about 2mm wide. Result: the tiny socket came off the motherboard, resulting in a recital of some well-know expletives.

Several months later, said friend asked if I could complete the job as it was wanted as a gift for a young relative. Time to take a run-up and attempt soldering, something in which my confidence in my abilities is very low.

No chance of reattaching the socket, so removed the wires from the tiny plug. It was attached, via half the upper casing, to the on/off switch. Had to solder the wires to two blobs 0.3mm apart, 1.3mm long. Going cross-eyed. In order to get a proper look at the target area, took a photo and enlarged it on my PC.

Solder gadget on... deep breath... here we go...

Despite months of fretting and low confidence, did it first time. Still believe that if I'd tried it a thousand times I'd have only managed it the once.

Inserted new HDD with stuff copied from old one (which had been corrupted, but someone had made half of it usable). Followed 57 photos in reverse. Hit the on button. It worked. Phew. Never again. Not ever. Not even for money. Nightmare.

Well, maybe for money. But never for one of my own, because there'll never be one of my own. Hell no.

[Michael L]

Switching to MacOS is overkill. Just trading one learning curve for another. Tell your local IT person about your OS problems, and ask them to teach you how to fix it. I am a Mac user and need to regularly maintain my OS to keep my hardware, software & peripherals talking to each other; I'm sure PC users do too.

[fmr]

"It just works" and I applaud Apple for that.

It just works... until it doesn't. And when it doesn't, you are f*cked!

It's not like PCs, where you can replace about everything, for a couple of dollars. You almost always have to trash the entire computer and replace for a new (overpriced) unit.

And story has a tendence to repeat more and more, these days.

[chk071]

"It just works" and I applaud Apple for that.

It just works... until it doesn't. And when it doesn't, you are f*cked!

All in all, one can just say that a computer can only work as good as the configuration, or software installed on it allows it to work. When i take a look at the OP, then i only can say that there's obviously a LOT of misconfiguration/software installed which leads to the described symptoms. So, it's pretty counterproductive to ask for general advice on a OS which "just works". All of them will do, when you're not doing things you shouldn't do.

[Zexila]

All of them will do, when you're not doing things you shouldn't do.

Exactly, both Windows and OS X are capable of being stable and reliable, you just need to take care of your own habits a little, use your system as your music making only system so no excessive web, gaming and everything that than compromise real time audio and voila, your system suddenly is snappy, want to do other stuff, boot other system, buy laptop or whatever.

[THE INTRANCER]

Go to the Windows Start search field and type in msconfig and hit enter (this will bring up the System Configuration window), go to the 'Startup' tab and uncheck any programs and utilities that you don't need running. From this same window, select the 'Services' tab, and uncheck any services which are not listed as Microsoft, Nvidia or ATI/AMD as some relate to important operational features you need.

For any services that you disable from running, make sure you know what they are referred to as you may be stuck getting things to run later and don't know why, for example Bluetooth devices, services for any software update managers, particularly relating to music production are others to be aware of.

Cloud storage utility programs can also slow things down like Dropbox, as well as virus / malware scanning programs. Advance System Care, much of which contains a free utility applications from 'IOBit' can slow things down and can be annoying with constantly notifying you of updates. Although also listed in the 'Startup' tab, the services tab is where you need to go to properly disable them. If you need to do any system maintenance, you can always reinstall or re-enable any services later if you require them.

The boot up times, access to the desktop to doing things without waiting for things should be drastically reduced from how they were before. It will also help free up memory and optimise CPU cycles for the DAW you use.

---

Echoing of audio or audio delay, can be related to buffer settings of the soundcard / audio interface being too high and out of sync of that of the software. This can occur after any software updates and that of the audio driver you are trying to use or shouldn't be using. You can check the utility software provided for the audio interface you have and reset it to a lower value.

[Coxy]

"It just works" and I applaud Apple for that.

It just works... until it doesn't. And when it doesn't, you are f*cked!

It's not like PCs, where you can replace about everything, for a couple of dollars. You almost always have to trash the entire computer and replace for a new (overpriced) unit.

Overpriced is bombastic. On a spec for spec basis Apple products cost more. Clearly.

You and others don't value some aspects maybe the aesthetics, material usage, the build quality, software design and implementation, design ethos or whatever it is enough to justify the increase in RRP. That's fair enough.

Your money means you dictate the value of products TO YOU by what you decide to purchase with your money. However that doesn't automatically make it "overpriced".

Yet I warrant you couldn't' build an 27" all in one aluminium bodied PC with similar specs and a 5k screen equal to or less than the price of a iMac. So go figure.

But whatever, this apple / PC debate goes round in circles ad nauseam. Beyond peoples general ignorance on unexplainably emotive subjects like Apple, which is mildly frustrating I don't generally care.