Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference? - Social Sound Design

Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2010-06-28T18:22:37Z

I'm after your experience here. Is there any known issues with Pro Tools on Windows? I'm considering selling my Mac but I need to be sure that Pro Tools will run just as well on my PC.

I have very little time to experiment myself, hence this post. I'll be experimenting in the next few days, but I won't have time to come across all the potential problems there might exist.

Thanks in advance for your help!

PS: we're not talking specs here, rather plugins and overall system stability.

Answer by Dom Lawrence for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2010-06-28T19:46:48Z

I presume you've tried looking in the DUC http://duc.digidesign.com/ If there's issues with plugin compatibility or general bugs that are found, people are generally pretty quick at posting and letting others know. There's different forums for both HD/LE or PC/Mac

I've installed LE and HD on both Mac and PC's, Mac is easier to install, less fiddly and had less hitches. In use, it all depends on how you set up your system - a badly configured computer isn't going to run software perfectly.

Personally, mac installations are preferred. The Hardware is designed for each other so theirs no conflicts with drivers etc, its rock-solid running 24hrs a day and the OS is regularly updated. Theres a few plugins that are PC only but likewise, theres some that are Mac only so do a quick check on what you have/might need whichever way you decide.

Don't forget the general user experience - do you prefer Finder to Explorer and the other 'general' programs you'll use day-in, day-out. Since you've been using a mac, how long will it take to adjust key-commands to the pc layout etc - could be a bitch if your mid-project.

No doubt there is a cost difference between mac/pc but (in my opinion), mac's are actually the better value in the long run.

Answer by small budget guru for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2010-06-28T20:23:28Z

I will add a +10 for mac here.

I have been a "PC" guy and even "anti-mac" for most of my life. To make a long story short. I fought and fought with many PCs when starting my career in post audio. I lost months and months of work due to faulty software , drivers and hardware. Some may thing it was human error but I beg to differ.

The mac is just so easy to use and is rock solid. When you have clients counting on you to deliver a product and there are tens of thousands of dollars on the line what would you rather? It really comes down to can you deliver with the tools you choose.

I would also like to add that there is not much in terms pro level audio software from third parties available on the mac. It also has nice integration of metadata searching in finder where as explorer will leave you crying.

Pro Tools has always run much better on the mac than on PC and I have seen, experienced and heard too many horror stories about trying to deliver and create using a PC. It just does not make any sense to use one from what I have seen.

Your clients will also know you care and have invested a nice chunk of money up front however you are probably saving more in the long run. Think of how many PCs one has to replace during the life span of lets say the G5, probably 3-6 different PC systems.

Mac is just cleaner and way more pro IMHO. We have been using them in the studio for a little more than two years now and it is just splendid!

Answer by Hubert Campbell for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2010-06-29T02:17:34Z

Pro PC here! I have always been a PC user and bought a mac laptop only because my school insisted on it. To date, I have rarely used the laptop for my post production work. Also, I have used my PC at home more than the Mac based DAW labs for my work. The only exception to that is when I really want to work in a mini suite or a sound design suite which are run on Macs.

Honestly, my experience on either computer has been the same. I've had the same number of crashes on a Mac when compared to crashes on my Windows 7 setup. In order to transfer my work to and from a Mac laptop, I had to purchase MacDrive on my PC so that my external Hardrive can communicate well with both my PC and Mac. I'm keeping my Mac around because I heard some good things about Logic Pro and MIDI which is what I've been getting into for quite some time now.

So, I think the experience of using Pro Tools on a PC is on par with using the same DAW on a Mac. I just tend to use my PC way more often and so it feels more natural to me to use Pro Tools on a PC.

Answer by RedSonic01 for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2010-06-29T11:54:01Z

I use Protools LE on a Vista PC for work - it is pretty solid, but there is one thing that really bugs me in the PC version of protools compared to the mac. Protools opens in a single window on PC. This means when you are using a duel monitor system you have to stretch the single parent window across both monitors so you can see the edit and mix window on seperate monitors. This can get messy if you are swapping between applications.

Answer by JM for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2010-06-30T04:22:56Z

I think it depends what's available to you and what you're more comfortable owning and working on. A Mac is going to work better than a PC straight out of the box. PCs are bad about getting viruses if you don't know how to protect it correctly(that's what I like the macs). But in all honesty a PC will do just as good as a Mac. System performance: if you want a PC you can build one that works just as fast as a mac and even faster for cheaper. Maintenance: PCs need more upkeep and Macs don't require much beyond system updates.

Overall I like Mac. I think it says something since it seems to be the industry standard just like Pro Tools.

Answer by Dave Clissold for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2010-07-04T20:41:19Z

I have been fortunate enough over the last couple of years to be studying audio engineering and post production at a Digi ProScool and am currently sitting my 2.10M and P. Although the studios we have are predominately based around Macs we do have 2 PC based studios running the D-Control surfaces. Now normally I would say there should be no difference crossing platforms, as I do quite regularly for the Adobe products and have both a Power Mac G5 and a custom built PC. But these 2 studios seem to struggle a little and have thrown up numerous problems when trying to run sessions however I will say that the system is connected to ISIS and is used by some students who know nothing or should I say neglect to take on board the information they're taught about using the 2nd drive for saving sessions and letting the 1st run the OS and ProTools. Mac's seem to handle this ok even though its a no no in the ProTools documentatiion.

Personally I have to confess before going back to study I was an avid PC user and would have sworn by them but the stability of the Mac for ProTools qwas what persuaded me to buy a 2nd hand G5 and I've not looked back, saying that though if you do operate you PC properly and keep it tidy / uniformely indexed I cannot see why ProTools would have any issues running it.

When it comes to short cuts and general operation of ProTools I have to suggest Mac again, my lecturer Rob Magoolagan have influenced this and rightly so, the Mac shortcuts seem to be more logical, when you want to select something to the end or nudge right you have the CMD key and to go left or earlier in the time line its OPT, PC seems to jump between CTRL and WIN keys, so for the exams I have learnt only the Mac shortcuts purely for ease of remembering, although saying that the set breakpoint value to next and previous on a Mac baffles me and definately came from a PC.

Thats my few pennies worth and hope that it helps your decision

Dave

Answer by Fernanda Manzo Ceretta for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2010-07-10T04:33:59Z

I have worked a lot with both platforms and It's always the same: when you use a video preview in PC, you gotta watch it in Draft and It will stop over n over. In MAC things run smooth and great. Same RAM, HD, processor for both. Having a MAC instead of a PC is equally relevant as the importance of the sync in sound design. Absolutely crucial.

Answer by alexander for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2011-04-24T14:29:35Z

What happens is that pc users people always use it for others stuffs like games etc... so the pc gets full of many shit, cause it is compatible with everything more than mac. Macs user just use the computer for pro tools and that is it, no more. I have both and i can tell you if you keep your pc like clean and don't get it full of shit its going to work smooth like a mac and can get one for half of the price with the same components inside.

Answer by Promotional Products for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2011-06-16T10:50:33Z

Great post! I enjoyed reading..however as per my point of view Mac is much faster than windows because it uses less system resources and delivers more output. Even windows has a plus point i.e. its can be installed and evecuted on any system like celeron, AMD, Pentium and I series(i3, i5, i7). Cheers, Susan Smith.

Answer by Shaun Farley for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2011-06-16T11:38:16Z

I'm platform agnostic, and I think the whole debate is pretty pointless. You could easily get a PC that runs as well as a Mac, but you'd be paying about the same price. Most who go out and buy a PC don't shell out the kind of money you do on a Mac. Of course Pro Tools is going to run poorly on a lower quality machine. I'll admit that OS maintenance on a PC is a little more difficult, as it doesn't have as many user-friendly tools as a Mac does; but as Alexander mentioned as well, the more you dedicate a machine to one task, the better it will run.

Whatever choice you make, be ready to dish out the money for a good system.

Answer by gtrboy for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2011-10-04T05:04:07Z

6% lower?!?!?! what are they using to measure that? pro tools is developed on an apple machine and altered for windows. i have good luck except when i go from one machine to another but thats usually a plug-in issue.

Answer by Upset composer 2011 for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2011-10-06T04:17:56Z

Look I am just venting, good for all of you at what you have done,

I do wish all of you the very best,

Answer by machine for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2011-10-13T03:50:43Z

Will Pro Tools 9 run faster and better on a Mac i beg to differ just look at the Apple fourms tons of users have problems.Both systems run Pro Tools 9 very well.Avid would not ruin their reputation and let Pro Tools out of the door to run on a PC if the PC platform had issues.Pro Tools 9 will run on a proper PC with windows 7 if you set up your system to do so.Check out the Avid site for system optimization for windows 7 follow each step.It's not going to make your PC look pretty anymore but Pro Tools 9 will run like a champ.The PC pretty much runs the World how can Apple with less than a 10% market share make Pro Tools 9 run faster when both products use the same components lol.This sounds like a dual between Windows and Apple operating systems.My PC currently could be converted into a hackintosh very easy with a few tweaks and run flawless if i changed the processor and MOBO.I just built a AMD Core 6 with 16 gigs of Ram for around 800 bucks.It runs Pro Tools 9 like a champ.At first i had problems but i did the Avid recomended system optimize and Pro Tools 9 now loads up without any hitches it's flawless like on a Mac.Keeping your software updated with windows and Avid is crucial for a flawless running system.Sure a PC is not perfect but neither is a Apple.It's all about taking care of your investment keeping it upgraded it's called system maintence.People running a Dell with Battlefield Bad Company & Pro Tools 9 are the ones who gripe about windows 7 being such a piece of shit.I devote my home built PC to recording i even use a seprate HD powered by usb.I listen to Avid guidelines and use Pro Tools 9 properly.When i see these fourms about PC vs Apple it makes me realize Apples are simple a PC requires work and maintence.

Answer by Yakob for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2011-10-13T08:43:12Z

This site may help:

http://www.dawbench.com/win7-v-osx-1.htm

Lots of nice comparison graphs.

Answer by esau stew for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2011-10-27T19:08:02Z

I have read all the posts and the one that had the most sway was the 96 bit floating point (Mac) vs. the 64 bit floating point (pc).

My two cents: I have been using Nuendo 4 for several years now and have gotten some pretty good results. I just purchased Pro Tools 10 and am about to install it on my PC running Windows 7.

Before I go any further, I would like to comment on the Windows 7 platform. Back when Windows 98 came out, it was a crashy little beach, I hated it. Then XP was released and stability was acheived. As time went on Windows 2000 and Vista came and went while I stayed with XP. I've purchased Windows 7 and found the same contrast in stability between 7 and XP, as I did between XP and 98.

I also build PC's and if you know which componants to link together, it is possible to build a rock solid system with SSD's and much faster than a mac at 1/8th of the cost, componant for componant. Some of the componants are made in the USA, some are not. (Note: Intel chips used by Mac are made overseas)

Everyone in the production or post production industry will say that Mac is the industry standard. You will not see a PC at the show floors, period. You will also lose customers if you don't have a Mac. Portable drives with Mac to PC drivers are a pain.

I have been sitting in the wings and comparing Native systems, DSP systems, and HD systems. Now Avid has released the HD-X system. My buddy is already into his HD system 40,000.00 and I can see the pain in his face. I think I may make the jump to HD-X which is not that bad, 12,000 - 20,000 with 4X the processing power, new interfaces 750.00, and a MAC 12,500. All my preamps are boutique and will never go out of style.

Long story short, when I have 12,500.00 to get the Mac of my choice, I will. And now is probably a good time now that there is a major platform change by Avid (headroom is now 1000 dBs). Until then, I will make do and will avoid telling my clients I have rock solid PC.

It's kind of like having an ugly wife that you're afraid to take out in public because people will make fun of you and your feelings are bound to get hurt, but she works hard and I can count on her. But baby, you know I'm gonna leave you someday for that ever changing honey that makes me money.

Answer by Tyler for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2011-11-01T21:52:15Z

It seems to me that PCs will work fine, maybe better, but you have to be willing to sort out some hardware conflicts sometimes. I had a lot of problems with HD 8 conflicting with an NVidia 9600GT card, finally figured it out and switched it out with an ATI card and now its very stable. I don't use this particular PC for anything other than Pro Tools. I have a laptop for every day use.

The reason I went with PC was due to cost. You can get the PCIx cards for HD for like $700 each and those are still compatible with PC. Whereas the PCIe cards which are what you have to have for mac are around $2100 each right now. HD3 PCIx and PCIe are supposed to be comparable, although I understand that HD1 PCIe and HD2 PCIe will outperform the equivalent PCIx configuration slightly.

So I built my PC based HD3 system for about $3000 where it would have cost me about $8000 on mac. Of course none of this probably matters now that there is HDX!

-Tyler

Answer by machine for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2011-11-02T20:56:07Z

Pro Tools crashes just as good on a Mac as it does on a PC.Honestly it's funny to read people swear by Macs yet they have tons of problems also.Just read the fourms about frustrated Mac users.I own both and prefer a PC with Pro-Tools anyday of the week.With a PC you can custom build your rig to Pro-Tools spec along with Quality control.Always use gigabyte boards along with current AMD chips or Intel chips.Sure Pro-Tools is writen on a Mac but it's made to work on a PC.Playstation 3 games are writen from Xbox 360 games yet some play better on the Playstation 3 lol.I see more patches and updates come out quicker for the PC user than i do the Mac user.In the Audio Production World the PC is still king because you can't get alot of programs on a Mac.Apple is already loseing ground from the recent death of Steve Jobs.I saw a Conan O Brian skit on the tv.It showed Apples future Tv ad and it was a black screen lol.A Mac is for simple minded people who can't use a PC as well.You can build a nice Pro-Tool spec I5 PC with 16gigs of ram for $800 that runs alot faster and better than a Mac.A Mac will run you $1200 out the door with 4 gigs of ram $1300 if you upgrade the ram lol.Also a Mac has the same components that a PC will use.Your effectively paying $400 more bucks to run Lion or Lepoard Apples OS.For the extra $500 you pay you can buy another PC just to use for your other tasks.So that you can keep your custom built PC soley for Pro-tools use lmfao.You Apple people amaze me everytime i read a fourm.I purchased a Mac only for logic 9.I think a PC is just as good as a Mac and vice versa.Sure a PC will have problems if you run Battlefield next to Pro Tools lol.As for Macs not having viruses lol.Macs have less viruses than a PC sure but they still have the potential to be affected by malware and other crap.The PC controls 92% of the Computer market.If a Mac is better and perfect and has been around as long as a PC how come they only own 8% of the market lol.Go figure people who want to be different and fell into Apples hype.

Answer by machine for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2011-11-02T21:20:36Z

Thats funny i run a custom built AMD Core 6 with 16gigs of ram and Pro Tools 10 runs flawless.I went in and disabled Aero and other crap that was slowing down resources and i get prefection at it's finest.I also run Komplete 8 Ultimate with Pro tools 10 again it's perfect.AMD makes a heck of a processor for use with Pro Tools.You people read about the older processors and give bad raps to the new batches like the AMD milti cores.Read any Pro Tools fourms AMD runs amazingly well.Where do you people come from?Don't hook up the internet and use a virus scan program with Pro tools people lol.Keep your software up to date.Stop giving a PC bad raps people because of your own ignorance.Stop being lazy and put up the effort on a PC and it will reward you.I know an Apple looks alot cooler to use like wearing your sunglasses at night lol.Stop falling for Apple marketing people.Apple vs PC no comparision just different workflows just a different OS thats it lol.It's the same fight about which Daw is better it's a useless argument if you know your game.

Answer by Shine for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2012-04-30T16:02:14Z

I don't know anything about how computers work, I just want to record music. If I need to pay more out of the gate for less trouble throughout this process, I will. The learning curve involved with switching to P.C. just for price point issues sounds prohibitive. I want to focus on the creative process, not build my own computer. I don't even really understand how to maintain a computer. I love working with pro tools, but this is about all I know how to do. Is there no less expensive, user friendly way to do this?

Answer by Shine for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2012-05-01T16:57:53Z

So, I've had a thousand answers to this question; what is my least expensive Mac choice to get up and running with pro tools mp 9?

Answer by Charlie for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2012-10-20T15:15:39Z

There's a lot of PC misinformation here. Some say the TCO of a PC is the same in the long run as a MAC. I'm not sure how that can be. I have never paid more than the initial purchase price for my Dells. I've been using them for 20 years. They are about 50-60% of the price of a comparable MAC. I have never had a breakdown that the warranty didn't cover. I would only recommend buying name-brand PCs, like a Dell or HP. As for viruses, use anti-virus software! I've never had a virus. Of course PCs will have more virus attacks. PCs are 88% of the total market! They're a bigger target. Why bother creating a virus of a Mac--they've only been 10% of the market at best. As for the overall UI experience, it's all a matter of what you've been using. I'm perfectly comfortable doing anything on Windows.

Answer by Robert Auld for Pro Tools on Windows vs. Mac: Any difference?

2012-12-08T21:36:32Z

I've used Pro Tools LE on a Windows XP PC since about 2005. I also have an Apple Laptop with Pro Tools LE, and I have extensive experience using PT LE on a Mac G4 in a voice-over studio. A main reason why I use Pro Tools on a PC is because I also use audio software (Sony Sound Forge, CD Architect) that only works in Windows.

The main thing to remember when using a PC for any serious audio work, is that you are far better off using a dedicated DAW (not used for gaming or web surfing) that has been set up from scratch to be a good audio computer. This is true for Macs too, but it especially applies to Windows machines. You do not want to buy a Dell or HP that has been setup for the typical consumer, with all the bloat-ware and "extras" that such machines typically have. Either buy from a vendor that provides PCs set up for audio from the get go (Sweetwater Sound's Creative Stations, for example), or make sure you have the Windows install disc, wipe the hard drive(s) and reinstall only what you need.

There are various sources (such as Sweetwater's web site) that have articles devoted to setting up Windows for audio work, which basically means turning off a bunch of "features" and configuring the operating system to favor audio. Once you have done this, assuming the hardware doesn't have any incompatibility surprises, you can run Pro Tools reliably on a Windows PC.

Obviously, the Mac platform is a little more audio-tolerant and less likely to have hardware compatibility problems. If you can hack the higher price of the hardware, the Mac platform is a nice way to go--though it is not infallible. Pro Tools setups on Macs can have problems too.