Officially switching to Mac! What won't work?

[garrettendi]

Happy Mac-under here to! Since 1990!
Now you can have a go at GarageBand! Great fun! And free!

I would use GarageBand but I’ve heard Reaper is much better and I already have it from my Windows days!

[Kwackman]

I would use GarageBand but I’ve heard Reaper is much better and I already have it from my Windows days!

Regardless of which is better it's probably a good idea to stick with Reaper to avoid having learn another DAW.
Welcome to Macs!
Which Mac did you get?

[James Perrett]

I would use GarageBand but I’ve heard Reaper is much better and I already have it from my Windows days!

It is well worth having a play with GarageBand just to see what you come up with. It won't replace Reaper but it could be fun.

[garrettendi]

Which Mac did you get?

My wife’s ancient MacBook from 2015 is on Deaths Door so we decided to get our first family Mac and also decided we might as well go big...

We got the 21.5 inch iMac 4K upgraded to 32gb RAM. On top of a quad core 3ghz CPU a 2gb Radeon 555X this should see us through the next few years with no need to to upgrade.

I hope...

[Watchmaker]

I switched to Mac oh about 7 years ago now. Still on the 2013 27" iMac with no issues at all.

It took considerably less time to adjust than I thought and though Mac still disorients me, my PC usage is reduced to spreadsheets and solitaire. and the occasional reinstall. Since WIN10 came, Windows is hardly appealing at all as an OS so when this craptop finally dies, I will go back to tablets and chisels for budgeting.

[Sam Spoons]

My wife’s ancient MacBook from 2015 is on Deaths Door

Keep your voice down, my newest Mac is my 2012 MBP, I'm typing on it now and if it hears you say things like that it might go on strike

[ore_terra]

2015 wasnt a bad year for macbooks... if you're going to bin it, mail it to me first!

[BigRedX]

Which Mac did you get?

My wife’s ancient MacBook from 2015 is on Deaths Door so we decided to get our first family Mac and also decided we might as well go big...

We got the 21.5 inch iMac 4K upgraded to 32gb RAM. On top of a quad core 3ghz CPU a 2gb Radeon 555X this should see us through the next few years with no need to to upgrade.

I hope...

Unless there is a design or manufacturing fault, modern Macs generally tend to outlast the software you run on them - i.e. you only need to replace them because the highest OS they are capable of running no longer supports the software you need to use.

My current Mac is a MacPro 5,1 from 2010. It replaced my previous MacPro 3,1 only because I have to run the latest versions of Adobe Creative Cloud for my work. I still have a MacPro 1,2 as my iTunes and file server. That has been running non-stop since 2010.

And my laptop is a 2012 MacBook Pro which is mainly used for running one of my band's live backing tracks and occasionally used to allow me to do some work when I'm not able to get to my main Mac. IME if they are looked after they tend to run forever.

[Howdy Doody Time]

Nothing will work, unless it's 64 bit, and Catalina Compliant, and you might be surprised at what still isn't Catalina Compliant. On top of that, you will be buying a computer with a maximum lifespan of 2 years because it will be obsolete.

Seriously, I'd wait if I were you.

[ConcertinaChap]

On top of that, you will be buying a computer with a maximum lifespan of 2 years because it will be obsolete.

How do you figure that? Will it suddenly stop working?

CC

[The Red Bladder]

We got the 21.5 inch iMac 4K upgraded to 32gb RAM. On top of a quad core 3ghz CPU a 2gb Radeon 555X this should see us through the next few years with no need to to upgrade.

Try editing video on something as low-spec as that!

For music, it'll be OK, but you asked what will not work and the answer is 4K video. Final Cut is great of course, but there are oodles of things it cannot do and for that you need a great big hairy PC running software that either runs better on Windows or only runs on Windows for things like mastering in 5.1 and 7.1, gapless CDs and all sorts of other quirky little applications that seem to be only written for Windows.

Where Windows gets a bloody nose (IMO) is its inability to run older 32-bit programmes that were never rewritten for 64-bit.

[BigRedX]

Nothing will work, unless it's 64 bit, and Catalina Compliant, and you might be surprised at what still isn't Catalina Compliant. On top of that, you will be buying a computer with a maximum lifespan of 2 years because it will be obsolete.

Seriously, I'd wait if I were you.

If I hadn't needed to upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Creative Cloud for compatibility when accepting files from clients that had upgraded, my 2008 MacPro would still be fine. As it is my 2010 replacement MacPro does the job perfectly. I suspect it will be at least another 4 years minimum before all the software I use absolutely requires me to to have an ARM-based Mac.

[BigRedX]

We got the 21.5 inch iMac 4K upgraded to 32gb RAM. On top of a quad core 3ghz CPU a 2gb Radeon 555X this should see us through the next few years with no need to to upgrade.

Try editing video on something as low-spec as that!

For music, it'll be OK, but you asked what will not work and the answer is 4K video. Final Cut is great of course, but there are oodles of things it cannot do and for that you need a great big hairy PC running software that either runs better on Windows or only runs on Windows for things like mastering in 5.1 and 7.1, gapless CDs and all sorts of other quirky little applications that seem to be only written for Windows.

Where Windows gets a bloody nose (IMO) is its inability to run older 32-bit programmes that were never rewritten for 64-bit.

Editing video is a teeny-tiny subset of all the things people use computers for. If it wasn't for the lack of security updates, the vast majority of people would be perfectly happy with a computer made 10 years ago from the PoV of performance.

[garrettendi]

My wife and I want to do videos for some YouTube channels we have in the pipeline but it’s not a dealbreaker and it won’t be anything fancy, just 1080p or less and stereo audio

[The Red Bladder]

My wife and I want to do videos for some YouTube channels we have in the pipeline but it’s not a dealbreaker and it won’t be anything fancy, just 1080p or less and stereo audio

In which case, it's perfect!

[James Perrett]

Where Windows gets a bloody nose (IMO) is its inability to run older 32-bit programmes that were never rewritten for 64-bit.

??? I thought that was Catalina. I've not had a problem running 32 bit programs in 64 bit Windows.

[Howdy Doody Time]

On top of that, you will be buying a computer with a maximum lifespan of 2 years because it will be obsolete.

How do you figure that? Will it suddenly stop working?

CC

Of course it won't. However you will struggle to sell it (obsolete) and all your applications will have to be renewed. ALL of them. Why would the software houses not charge you for that? There may be a compiler (like when they moved to Intel) which will be OK for Word Processors and the like, but try running something like Nuendo on a machine thats translating it as you go. Been there, never want to do it again. The OP has asked what won't work, my answer is factual. Nothing. Unless it's 64 bit and crucially, Catalina Compliant. The OP needs to realise that he MAY have lots of plugins and apps that simply will not work. If he uses Nuendo, it STILL doesn't work.

[ConcertinaChap]

Sorry, there's a lot of that I just can't see. For instance, given that the vast majority of Macs will be Intel-based for a good few years to come (and they will be, churn being what it is) why should all the applications have to be renewed (whatever you mean by that)? Why should the software developers damage their own businesses?

Ah, I'm not in the mood to argue tonight. Have a good evening (or morning or whatever time it is over there).

CC

[cyrano.mac]

The developer machine that's being shuffled around is already running circles around a MS Surface that's running Windows native.

Mind you, the benchmarks were running in Rosetta...

So, before stating that it will all be a frightful disaster, look at the numbers. Benchmarks look very promising, devs are impressed. Most Apple apps are available and most "big" or "important" software devs are ready for launch and will have native products by the time the machines are available.

Steinberg probably won't be ready. Nothing new there. Logic and Reaper will be. There might also be a few surprises...

[zenguitar]

Nothing will work, unless it's 64 bit, and Catalina Compliant, and you might be surprised at what still isn't Catalina Compliant. On top of that, you will be buying a computer with a maximum lifespan of 2 years because it will be obsolete.

Seriously, I'd wait if I were you.

You have had some very poor experiences that you have documented here fully. So we all do really understand where you are coming from. However, there are many Apple users here who have had a far better experience, and there is a reasonable case to be made that in large part your poor experience is related to poor support in Thailand rather than critical failings in the Apple hardware/software or the 3rd party hardware/software you are using.

I have no doubt whatsoever that the views you express are honest and sincere. And I trust you would agree that you have been free to express your views without any censorship from the mod team here on the SOS forums.

However, on this occasion I would ask you to stop for a moment and step back to consider that whilst you have had a poor experience, that is not a typical experience. And in the context of this thread that is important. Because the OP, Garrettendi, has been brave enough in the past to be open & honest with the SOS community and express that he is prone to anxiety and doubts.

What, from your perspective, is a perfectly reasonable position to take is, from the perspective of the vast majority of Apple users here, unrepresentative of Apple and the support available to us. Remember that Garrettendi is in the UK and has far better access to support than you have experienced, both direct from Apple and the software companies and from the SOS forum community here as well.

Your opinions matter, but please be careful over how and when you choose to express those opinions. Because context really does matter. And I'm sorry about the essay, but I have to take both your and Garretendi's experiences seriously. You are both valued here.

Andy

[ConcertinaChap]

And that gets my vote for the post of the week.

You are both valued here.

Hear hear.

CC

[Urthlupe]

Wow Zen...... love that..... you live up to your name m8.....

Loopy xxx

[Howdy Doody Time]

I have stuck with Macs throughout the bad experiences for a very good reason. I like Macs, I enjoy the workflow, and I especially enjoy the very much reduced threat of malware. I have contemplated going back to PC's but I always resist.

When Apple moved to Intel, I was stationed on a remote Island in the Pacific, and on a week long R&R in Hawaii, I bought one of the latest Macs. There had been much talk of the compiler being superb and how it would run your favourite apps while the software houses updated. Of course it didn't run complex audio software very well at all.

When I responded to the OP, his scenario sounded very familiar to me, and I wanted to draw his attention to the downside of what he was proposing. He did ask the question after all. The main points are firstly, 64 bit software only, suddenly and immediately. This might not be a problem, I merely pointed it out. Secondly the impending arrival of non-Intel processors. Which will have no effect whatsoever on his use of existing software on his existing machine, but it will affect the re-sale value of the machine. If that is not an issue, then no problem. Again I merely point it out.

My choice of words "Nothing will work unless its 64 bit and Catalina Compliant" might sound a bit dramatic but hey we are all in the entertainment business here Nevertheless the statement is perfectly factual.

Finally, Bangkok is a vibrant modern extremely well appointed and huge city with probably the newest most comprehensive Apple store on the planet. There is nothing I couldn't get in Apples line of hardware there (it's more expensive due to the import tariffs here but that's by the way) and in addition there are hundreds of Apple Studio stores all over the country. I have been a bit unlucky thats all, it's not due to dodgy shops. I confess to being a bit clueless about the finer points of OSX and the workings of the computers themselves, which hasn't helped. Since I got the lowdown on Uninterruptible Power Supplies from Hugh and others I have had no problems with the local power.

I am retired now, and I have lots of time to get to grips with my stuff. I have 48 tracks of Nyquist RADAR Studios, connected to a Midas Verona 480, and UAD "outboard" which is really in software, and I'm still using the two Beyerdynamic MDC100's connected to the multiplex thingy which I bought on the strength of a Hugh Robjohns review in SOS way back in the dark ages.

Best of luck to the OP, for sure he will enjoy the Mac experience.

[Howdy Doody Time]

Your strategy will depend on how much critical software you have already on the PC and how much of that can be downloaded in OSX from your vendors site. Most if not all will be available.

Next check for compatibility of all your apps and plugins with Catalina
Bear in mind some of your older plugins might not be 64 bit

Run through your list and decide if Catalina will be OK for your apps and plugins. If there will be cases where you will lose favorite apps and or plugins and you really don't want to lose them, then consider a second hand Mac running Mojave for example.

If you are keeping the PC, then you have options. You can run your fav plugins on the PC and export the audio to your Mac. I do that with Steinberg for example, where I use older plugs incompatible with Catalina, and export the processed audio stems to my Mac.

[garrettendi]

Thanks Howdy! There’s only one plugin not available for Mac that I use and a suitable alternative has been found!

STILL haven’t connected the UMC204HD

I’m a lifetime member of Procrastinators Anonymous!