www.pro-tools-pc.com

[WiredUp]

As someone who is planning to update my Mac this year I must confess I'm thinking this might turn out to be an option:

http://www.pro-tools-pc.com/

[buggymusic]

I'm not a PC fan boy although this sounds intriguing

I have been a mac user for about 8 years now and have had a lot of issues with protools
particularly using PT8 on an iMac and PT9 on a macbook pro. I think you need to really work hard to keep the mac environment clean and stable to protools happy. Plugin versions can cause issues and OS system changes. Also don't connect do auto updates!

not affiliated etc

[Jorge]

Where will this company be based?

[Martin Walker]

Where will this company be based?

Well if you click on the 'About' tab of that web site you'll discover that this new venture is a partnership of Neil Hester of The Pro Tools Expert Blog (www.pro-tools-expert.com) and Robin Vincent of Rain Computers UK (www.raincomputers.co.uk).

So your answer is 'the UK'

Martin

[OneWorld]

As someone who is planning to update my Mac this year I must confess I'm thinking this might turn out to be an option:

http://www.pro-tools-pc.com/

If it sounds too good to be true?

But actually this seems very interesting, a computer locked to an app, and consequently more robust and reliable can't be a bad thing that. I often wonder why TASCAM didn't continue with their SX-1 concept, I suppose the very fact they discontinued it speaks for itself, ok replaced by thre X48, but no MIDI.

What they say on the pro-tools-pc website is bound to send the Appleytes into a tailspin....."Apple make great machines but they are not supported to do a job outside of their own product range. They have no particular interest in what you’re using them for beyond their OSX operating system or Apple software and hardware, and certainly have no expertise in Pro Tools.

Your local Apple Store ‘Genius’ may know how to sync your apps but will look rather blank if you ask about DAE errors or which model would be able to cope with real-time AAX plug-ins. For those who believe Mac users have no problems running Pro Tools a quick scan of the Avid forums and Pro Tools Expert website would suggest otherwise." Gentlemen - choose your weapons!

[Martin Walker]

Gentlemen - choose your weapons!

I'll hold everyone's coats then

Martin

[WiredUp]

I've been looking at the options and thinking I'd go i7 Mac Mini and Imac and i'm sure they're great options but they're not exactly expandable. The New Pro Mac I suspect will start at £2000 plus and I bet this new Pro Tools PC is going to be half the price of a Mac Pro and arguably more powerful.

At the end of the day, hardware wise, Macs and PC's are very similar. I admit I like the idea of the OS being fully tested on a set hardware configuration, I'm amazed Microsoft haven't gone down this road. As for OS use, I gotta admit I find OS less intuitive than windows. Maybe its cos I don't know what I'm doing but I find windows much easier to navigate. Having said that I've not tried windows 8 and from the look of it and the reviews, Microsoft really backed the wrong horse.
Ultimately I just wish Avid would make a computer to run pro tools with their own OS and hardware configuration but this Pro Tools PC might be the best option, I just can't justify the premium cost of macs.

[zenguitar]

Gentlemen - choose your weapons!

I'll hold everyone's coats then

Martin

Watch out guys, Martin's got form here. By the time you finish your fisticuffs with a friendly handshake your coats will already be donated to charity and hanging in an Oxfam shop.

Andy

[Goddard]

Gentlemen - choose your weapons!

I'll hold everyone's coats then

Martin

Watch out guys, Martin's got form here. By the time you finish your fisticuffs with a friendly handshake your coats will already be donated to charity and hanging in an Oxfam shop.

Andy

And I'll be happy to hold the wagers!

Personally, I suspect the whole thing may just be a scheme to shift some surplus iLoks...

[Scope]

As a longterm PT user I can't imagine ever contemplating a windows based computer for this purpose.
I have been mac for over 2 decades and never regretted it. I've never had problems that were not solved with an update, or a new blank hd to record to.

My experience of pt on windows is limited, but on each occasion it was a total disaster and a waste of life trying to solve all the issues windows raised. ( should point out I spent years supporting PCs so I am no newbie to windows- I simple don't & won't use it myself)

It's clear that win8 is a very different beast ( ie it's based in unix like the mac) so maybe things are changing ?
But I can't see Microsoft caring about pt anymore than Apple. So having a dedicated machine, is really having a PC with all the issues sorted out. My guess is it won't be cheaper than a mac, which usually works out of the box. ( 20 years of experience have proved this time and time again).
As to just how successful it will be, only time will tell.

If it does work and work well it will probably become the first choice for future PT users.

[Will_m]

You not getting one then Scope? Since when was Windows Unix based?

[James Perrett]

It's clear that win8 is a very different beast ( ie it's based in unix like the mac) so maybe things are changing ?

Hmmmm - not sure which win8 you're thinking of but Microsoft Windows 8 is based on Windows NT - just like 2000, XP, Vista and 7 before it.

Windows NT was designed as a rival to Unix and was much improved over Microsoft's previous operating systems but they're not doing anything radically new with Windows 8 as far as I can see.

[TAFKAT]

You guys are reading way too much into this.

We DAW builders have been offering up fully integrated Turnkey solutions for respective DAW's for years. A decade ago I offered up a system I called NuenDAW ( with full permission of the original owners of the name who had offered up the same concept years earlier but had folded ) I had dedicated PTHD specific/qualified DAW's co-developed with the local AVID crew not long after. No longer the case I admit but that ship sailed long ago locally.

More power to those involved, but this isn't anything new or unique.

P.S - I had a great chuckle at the myopic and clueless Macnoid rant , priceless , and here is me thinking/hoping that level of user had become extinct.

Win8 is based on Unix, WTF , ROTFLMFAO, I needed a good belly laugh.



V.C

[Exalted Wombat]

But actually this seems very interesting, a computer locked to an app,

I don't think anyone said that? It's a PC laptop, chosen (presumably) to have good DPC performance, and set up with the (very few) tweaks required for an audio machine. You can (of course) load anything else you like on it as well. All the specialist music-computer suppliers have long offered something similar, bundled with a choice of DAW program and other related hardware if required.

What beats me is why anyone wanting a powerful, robust DAW would consider basing it on a laptop machine of any brand. You'll be hauling around mics, stands, cables, audio interface, monitor speakers... why does the central computer have to be ultra-portable with a small screen?

[Goddard]

Didn't appear to be laptop-based from what I read. Unless they've started using water cooling on laptops now?

[Pete Kaine]

As a longterm PT user I can't imagine ever contemplating a windows based computer for this purpose.
I have been mac for over 2 decades and never regretted it. I've never had problems that were not solved with an update, or a new blank hd to record to.

My experience of pt on windows is limited, but on each occasion it was a total disaster and a waste of life trying to solve all the issues windows raised. ( should point out I spent years supporting PCs so I am no newbie to windows- I simple don't & won't use it myself)

You just validated the whole project.

Between the guys involved they know a bucket load about setting up the OS and choosing the right kit to avoid all the issues your complaining about and ensure they can support the clients long term. Best of luck to them I say.

The core parking fix tends to have more benefits on the AMD side than on the Intel so not a bad suggestion, but the OP appears to be a dual core system and that tweak doesn't carry any benefits for anything under a quad from what I remember.

Goddard - well you did ask.

http://www.google.co.uk/#site=&source=hp&q=water+cooled+laptop&oq=water+cooled+laptop&gs_l=hp.3..0l4j0i22i30l6.511.3318.0.3540.19.16.0.3.3.1.204.1464.8j7j1.16.0...0.0...1c.1.11.hp.Iy0LrmVDaNU&bav=on.2,or.&bvm=bv.45645796,d.d2k&fp=ff10007a0fcb1eca&biw=1173&bih=820

[Goddard]

Pete, thanks for the link, very interesting. Still just a prototype/demo? Haven't seen anything on the market yet, although Asetek are OEMing for a lot of companies (including Intel's water cooling) so maybe someday.

But water cooling is so oldskooling! Anyone who's l33t knows to beat the heat you got to bring the bling and get down with some dia-mond!:

http://www.rhp-technology.com/en/products/diacool-heat-sinks...

http://usapplieddiamond.com/thermal-management/