From PC to Mac...general questions...

[sethbrand]

Ok, I have made up my mind for sure and will be switching to Mac. I am a college student and will be getting the MacBook 2.0, 80 GB Harddrive 5400rpm, 2GB RAM since it is the cheapest route. I am really excited about the switch, but need to know a few things first:

1. I am currently running Pro Tools M-Powered 7.0 on a PC Laptop. When I get my mac, can I just take my Pro Tools M-Powered 7.0 software that I use on my pc and simply put it on my new macbook?

2. Once it is on my MacBook, should I then update to version 7.1? How does this work?

3. The MacBook meets all requirements except that it has a 5400 rpm hard drive. Is this a major problem??? It runs ok on my pc that is 5400 rpm now, but every once in a while I'll get the drive is too slow error...not that often though.

4. Any suggestions on how you guys would go about making the switch from a pc laptop with Pro Tools M-Powered 7.0 to a MacBook would be great...I don't want to have to buy new software, just the MacBook...

Seth

[M.Brane]

Your M-Powered package should have included an OSX version, but it will likely be 7.0 for PPC, and won't work on the MacBook.

You want 7.1.1 for Intel-based Macs. It's a free update from 7.0: http://www.m-audio.com/?do=products....1MacTel&form=1

You should be OK with a 5400RPM drive as long as you record to an external drive. Recording to the internal drive will likely work, but I wouldn't expect great performance. You'd better keep a close eye on how full the drive is if you do that. Anything less than 50% free space will start to slow considerably, and beyond 25% free space is dangerous for your data integrity.

You might want to pick up a good book on the basics of Mac OS to have as a reference while learning the new OS. The Missing Manual series by David Pogue is a good one. PT is pretty much the same so if you're used to it then once you learn the basics of OSX you'll be rockin'.

Oh yeah, welcome to Mac land. Enjoy your stay.

[sethbrand]

hey thanks for the response. when you say my version will not work with my macbook you scare me!!! does that mean i will have to buy a new version??? I believe i do have the mac version that came with the m powered 7...will i be able to just install that on my macbook and then update to 7.1??? man i hope so. if i buy the mac i need to be able to put the software i have right now on there and then upgrade to 7.1...please tell me i can do this??? and yes i do plan on recording to an external 7200 rpm firewire hard drive. any suggestions on which one???

seth

[sethbrand]

i also have some unfinished projects on my pc that i will need to transfer over to my macbook...is this possible??? how??? can i just put all of my sessions, folders, etc. from my pc onto an external h/d and then connect my external to my macbook and do it that way???

[M.Brane]

The problem is that V 7.1 for Mac is for PPC only (G4,G5) not Intel macs like the MacBook. I'm not sure exactly how the upgrade process works, but it is listed as a free upgrade so you shouldn't have to give Digi anything more than your authorization codes to get the newer version. Version 7.1 will not work on your MacBook since it's Intel-based.

I'm still on 6.4 myself since that's the end of the road for my 001. I just setup an M-Powered 7.1 system on a G4 for a friend though who is also a PC->Mac convert, and he's diggin' it.

There should be an option to save your sessions as PC-Mac compatible. That should do the trick, but if you have problems I know the issue has been discussed here on the forum before.

Whether or not you can directly transfer the seesions from your PC formatted disk to the Mac depends on how the PC disk is formatted. Macs can recognize most modern PC disk formats. If you run into problems you can always transfer over a network or use DVD/CD. Slower, but effective.

[sethbrand]

ok...so if i am understanding correctly, pro tools 7.0 or 7.1 will not work with my macbook??? The first part of your paragraph it seemed like I could upgrade to 7.1 on my macbook for free, but the last sentence you state that V 7.1 will not work on the macbook? Should I buy the macbook or not??? sorry im kinda confused...i just want to make sure if i buy this thing that my pro tools will run on it.

[sethbrand]

sorry i misunderstood you...i think i figured it out. so i basically need to get the macbook, then install my V 7.0, then upgrade to 7.1.1, right??? sorry for being an idiot.

[M.Brane]

Actually no you can't install 7.0 on the MacBook. You'll need to contact Digi with your authorization codes, and have them either give you a link to download 7.1.1 or send you an install disk.

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?...&categoryid=36

[buctayla]

New Intel processor macs like the Mac book use the universal binary format -- older Mac PowerPC processors (G4,G5)use the previous mac os x format which most likely came on your disc,so just contact digi give them your info and download your format free-- there are no more issues with this, its just that PT 7.0 and the Intel macs came out around the same time and there was some catching up to do as far as compatibility and getting everyone with Intels software up to speed once they were ok'd last year...hope that cleared some stuff up-- have fun

[sethbrand]

thanks a lot guys! i bought my macbook yesterday and really look foward to experiencing the mac world!!!