apple mac book pro

rosiepony2003

Could anyone please advise if this is the best computer to buy for my daughter to write her own songs and make recordings and videos and also where to get the best deal?

bertie1989

rosiepony2003 wrote: »

Could anyone please advise if this is the best computer to buy for my daughter to write her own songs and make recordings and videos and also where to get the best deal?

Couldn't comment on if its best as its a personal choice in my opinion. Price for apple products are really the same across the board as apple dictates the RRP of its products

macman

Impossible to answer that without knowing what specific software she uses to write her songs. is it Mac-specific? Are you aware that most of her existing Windows software will not run on a Mac?
Very few deals exist on current Apple products, unless you buy refurb machines from the Apple online store.
The only other surefire method is to get an educational discount, if she qualifies.

rosiepony2003

It doesn't have to be Mac-specific. I was told the mac pro was the best computer to get for her music. And the apple store recommended I get the logic 9 software to go with it

Icey370

IMO with mac you pay for the brand (although they are nice build quality, but have to be at that price!). I'm not saying they are bad, what I'm saying is that you can get a similar spec'd windows computer for much less!

Does she currently use any specific program's? Which OS does she currently work on? Best bet is to get her one that she if familiar/comfortable with

Btw, I hope it wasn't one of the Mac sales assistant that told you the Mac was the best you could get for music lol

macman

rosiepony2003 wrote: »

It doesn't have to be Mac-specific. I was told the mac pro was the best computer to get for her music. And the apple store recommended I get the logic 9 software to go with it

They would-it's an Apple product! You might as well go to a Ford garage and ask which car is best-they're hardly going to recommend a Vauxhall.
Why not ask your daughter to say what she needs, or currently uses?
If she has to use Pro Logic 9, then she does need to get a Mac, as no PC version is available.

rosiepony2003

Thanks. The man she makes her music with has a mac pro with the logic 9 software. Its for her 2lst birthday. I know very little about computers and even less about music. She doesn't own a compuer of her own. What would you advise?

macman

I'd ask him then!
If she's going to use the same software to collaborate with him, then presumably it'll have to be a Mac.
It's Logic Pro 9: that's another £140 on top of the Macbook Pro.
Since the Macbook Pro comes in 4 models varying from £1000 to £1800, you really do need to talk to someone who knows what she needs before splashing out that kind of cash. A MacBook Air might be a cheaper option.

Icey370

As above, I would suggest getting a MAC so that she may collaborate with him.

You should also find out what else she may want to use it for, and that will help you decide which version to go for.

If you are happy to let her know, I would strongly advise you to consult her as well as she will then be getting exactly what she wants/needs

tombruton87

In most cases I would recommend a PC for first getting into music production. A few reasons for this is lower cost more flexibility i.e software and hardware compatibility and simply more hardware options.

However that being said if her tutor is on a mac she should deffo get a mac it just makes sense. Be aware it is an expensive thing to get into, as after the mac she will need pretty quickly an external sound card looking at around 300 midi keyboard can get one for around 100 and some decent reference headphones about 150-200 (not beat's).

not knowing your budget I would personally go for a 13" retina mac book pro. The reasons for this is processing wise it will do what 99% of people need for music, it is nice and portable, also has 2 display outs so when she is at home she can hook it upto 2 decent monitors give her some decnt screen real estate to work with. Again monitors your looking at around 1000 for a decent one. the dell u3011 is probs the best around atm.

one last thing if you go for a retina mac, max out the ram to 16gig

rosiepony2003

thankyou. I will print your advice. All the extras you advise me to get - do I get these from a apple store? How much does an external sound card cost and why does she need extra monitors. Sorry but why will she need a dell u3011 monitor? Doesn't the mac have its own monitor. Sorry I am not very computer literate.