A shuttle box is a computer the size of a 4 slot toaster. Fits in my iso rack quite nicely. -----Original Message----- From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Kevin Gibbs Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 2:41 PM To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [ddots-l] Re: Macs and VoiceOver What's a shuttle box? -----Original Message----- From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Kevin Reeves Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 3:45 AM To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [ddots-l] Re: Macs and VoiceOver Hey Jim. To answer your question, it's a little of both. Mac users tend to be a bit shortsighted about their world view of computers, thus making comments like Macs are better in every way. I own both, and I can tell you this. Apple have really gone the distance when it comes to their core audio drivers. In a sense, they've made it possible for almost 24 tracks of playback on an internal soundcard. And the realtech ones at that. However, it seems like Microsoft has really stepped up their game with vista audio as well. I haven't looked at it, but from what people say, it's amazing. Apple has been in the audio business longer than Microsoft. Sound was added to computers as an afterthought in windows, while apple has made sound as an integral part of their machines since the late 80's. Logically then, they have a bit of a head start. But windows has caught up in a major way. I run soft synths and tons of tracks of audio with no problems on my windows box. If it weren't any good, Digidesign would never approve a PC for recording with Pro Tools in the windows environment. And as of about 4 years ago, they have. Software. Currently, no recording apps are really accessible with voiceover. Sonar is your best bet, unless you want to buy a used g4 and 10 year-old pro tools rig. That's how far behind you'd be if you went that route at this point. Build quality. I will say this about macs. I love buying them because I know what I'm getting the minute I unbox it. The worentee plans are amazing, and when you go to an apple store to get assistance, you are treated like Elvis. It truly is a grand experience. Whenever possible, I will always try and buy macs for the house, whether for media center machines or office boxes. Even if I'm running windows on them, they are a pleasure to use. And OS 10 is such an awesome OS as well, that it's just plain fun. Price. The fact that Macs caust more than PC's is both myth and truth. The myth is that all macs are more expensive than PC's. The truth is that the lower end macs are incredibly competitive. You can get a Mac Mini, which is a duel core 2.0 ghz tiny little box, with about a gig of ram for 699 bucks. They've just come out with an iMac for 899 bucks, which is the mac that has the CPU and all it's components built right into the monitor. For about 14 hundred or so, you could get a middle of the road iMac, which would be decent for recording if you're not planning on recording with a billion huge orchestral softsynths. Truth is, you'd get along fine, as long as you upgraded the ram to 4 gigs. Here's the gocha part of this whole thing. If you want to slip into a real professional model, a machine that has tons of horse power, you're jumping up to about 26 hundred bucks, and that's at the bottom of the totem pole. So indeed there is some truth to the above statement about macs costing more. Entry level macs are competitively priced, while high end macs are in the stratosphere. The reason for this is that they literally are using the best parts the market has to offer. The procs are xeon server grade chips, not really necessary for recording, but if you've got the money, go for it. And there are 8 of them, which windows can't see them all anyway, so you're looking at tons of stuff you won't use right now. I thought about saving for one, but once I crunched the numbers, I realized I could build something closer to my needs for almost a third of the price. You could get a macbook or macbook pro laptop, which varies in price from screen size and speed. My 1200 dollar macbook has served me well for my needs. It's all about what you're trying to accomplish. I'll definitely grab a mac minie in the next few months as an office computer that can run both windows and the Mac OS. The price is right. But for pro recording, I just spent 800 bucks on a shuttle box. That will last me for a while. I can't justify a 3000 dollar price tag for a Mac Pro. Not yet any way. Hope this gives you some insight. Reeves PLEASE READ THIS FOOTER AT LEAST ONCE! 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To leave the list, click on the immediately following link: ddots-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=unsubscribe If this link doesn't work then send a message to: ddots-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx and in the Subject line type unsubscribe For other list commands such as vacation mode, click on the immediately following link: ddots-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx?subject=faq or send a message, to ddots-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx and in the Subject line type faq