Mac or Windows?

All right, by now you’ve probably come to the conclusion that I use Windows on my system, and you are correct.

Even though most people I know went down the Mac road, I dared to be different. To be honest, the only reason I really chose the Windows system was because there was a greater selection of software available. After having a lot of PC problems, I tried Mac because so many people I know said, “These things never crash.” I crashed the Mac. In fact, that Mac kept saying, “It’s not my fault” in a robotic voice, which only made me want to hurl the computer out of a window even more. The point is that whether you choose a Mac or a Windows computer to run Cubase, there are going to be issues that you will have to deal with. There is no such thing as a perfect system. Use the computer that you feel most comfortable with.

I have a theory that Macs tend to hide the workings of the computer from the user to create the illusion that everything just works like magic and that Windows is set up so you can more easily “peek behind the curtain” to see the workings. But, my theory goes, because Windows is easier to manipulate in this way, it’s also more vulnerable to dummies erasing important system files. If you jump under the sink when the garbage disposal makes a funny sound, you may be more of a Windows person. If you call a plumber when you hear the same sound, you’re probably a Mac person. If you try to fix the garbage disposal and end up with a broken sink and garbage disposal, and a bump on your head, maybe you’re a Windows person who should be using a Mac. Most people that I know who use Macs and have problems spend more time on the phone with Mac support. On one hand, Macs are built with some pretty high-quality hardware that is the state of the art (at least for a month); on the other hand, the majority of the world uses Windows, and parts for PCs can come cheaper because of the wild, ever-fluctuating computer-component market. That being said though, Windows computers are more susceptible to computer viruses if they are connected to the Web because everyone uses them.

Pick your poison—Mac or Windows. Just remember not to get too attached to your computer because you’ll probably need a new one in two to three years. I’ve been using Dell computers for years just because they are so easy to configure and build from the company’s Web site. These days, it’s more affordable to update an entire computer system every couple of years than to upgrade a system piece by piece. When it comes to upgrading your operating system, I recommend that you avoid doing it unless you are buying a new computer. Most new operating systems are designed to run on the latest hardware technology. If your computer is not up to speed, chances are it will perform more poorly after the new operating system is installed.

Regardless of which operating system you choose, consider yourself lucky that, with Cubase, at least you have a choice. Steinberg has made it a point from the beginning (or at least since the great fall of Atari) to make Cubase available for Windows and Mac. There are a few other very popular DAWs out there intended only for Mac (mostly due to the fact that Mac owns them). Other, lesser-known software (at least on a pro level) is available only on Windows-based computers. I guess if you have a split personality, you can run Windows on a Mac, or you can just own two different computers.

Speaking of owning two computers, it’s not a bad idea. Remember how I said I was trying to run screensavers, video games, and an answering machine on my first computer along with Cubase? Well, if you really want to keep it simple and you can afford this option, it’s great to have a dedicated DAW computer and another computer to do everything else (if you’re a geek like me who lives in a computer world). And when I say everything else, I mean that you wouldn’t even have your DAW computer connected to the Internet or a network of any sorts. The more software and hardware that you have running on your DAW computer, the greater the chances are that you will see system errors and Cubase program error messages. Running Cubase alone is enough to tax most computer systems, not to mention that if you’re running Cubase, you will most likely be running plug-ins and other music-creation programs.