i m planning to start off with logic 9. i ll b doin music with vst's.si m plannin to buynew imac i5 quad core. is it smooth and advisable for logic and protools 8.4. plz help m in hurry

Hello logic9 & welcome to the forums! Yes, the iMac i5 is a very capable machine and can handle a lot in terms of Logic. You don't really say very much about your requirements. VST's are a type of plugin. Logic uses a differnt type called AU (Audio Units). This kind of architecture won't matter to you very much unless you try and purchase 3rd party VSTs in Logic. Most plugins will come in both varieties though (VST and AU), so it should not make any difference! I'm not savvy with how PT 8.4 is working on the new iMacs with OS 10.6.4 - but I think I haven't seen any major issues os any kind. Anyway, back to your Mac: I would advise getting as much Ram as possible. But it will be cheaper to purchase ram from somewhere like Crucial.com than direct from Apple. Also, what audio interface will you be using with Logic? Otherwise, there is no reason why I wouldn't recommend getting an iMac for music production. Hope that helps Rounik

hey rounik. thnx so much ya....actually i m planning to get mbox 3 as mbox 2 is out of stalk.this ws regardin interface!and one more question,if i install some 3rd party plugins in logic then will i hav to select them as AU ,or they will run as vst's also?

Hi Personally, if your budget allows I'd go for an audio interface other than the mbox. M-Audio interfaces are ok and many people are happy with them, but I've also read complaints about M-Audio interfaces over the years. If your budget allows check out Presonus or MOTU or Apogee or RME. A firewire interface will give you better results if you need to record multiple audio tracks simultaneously - if not then USB should be fine. Logic cannot read VSTs. There are "wrappers" that can convert some VSTs to AUs and allow Logic to read them, e.g. check out FXpansion.... but it's better to just install the AU version. The vast majority of 3rd party plugins include the AU and VST versions in the same box. All the major ones are in VST, AU, RTAS, etc formats. When you install these you'll either get a choice or it will automatically install the AU and VST files to your Mac. Hope that helps Rounik

rounik your advise is helpin a lot dude!people say that imac has only one fire wire port so it is a kind of problem. will it really create a problem ?which i dont think should b an issue.and i m goin for mbox coz of protools. and i dont plan to buy the complete set of logic as my budget has constraints.so should i go for the crack version . and is it available on torrent. thanxx so much!!!!

Hi logic9, One firewire shouldn't cause a problem. You can get a Firewire Hub or a firewire external hard drive with more than one firewire port - and often this will allow you to daisy chain multiple firewire devices to your Mac. Don't get a cracked version... (you just don't know what you're getting and it may not be very stable - also both Logic pro and express are extremely well priced compared to competitive products IMHO). Logic Studio includes many applications (Logic Pro, Mainstage, Waveburner, Sound Track Pro) and over 40GB of content. I doubt this would be included on a torrent. Logic Express cost about 120 GBP (less than $200 US) and is a better bet for a tighter budget. You don't get as many loops - but you can always upgrade later on. Cheers Rounik

hey rounik.guess what i m typing on my new imac i5 quadcore system. thnx buddy ur advise ws very useful. thnx a lot. i wanna ask u that i did a bit of logic some days ago. but i ws not able to do note by note automation. that means if i create a midi session and i want to pan each note individually or say volumise each note individually then how should i go about it. thnxxx!!

Hey! No problem at all! Hope you enjoy your new iMac i5 Quad!! There are two types of automation in Logic: Hyper Draw (region based automation) & Track Automation The later is often easier for new Logic users to understand and get to grips with, but in your case Hyper Draw and Track Automation can do what you want. Turn on Track Automation by pressing 'A' on your keyboard and access HyperDraw from the Piano Roll, Score Editor or from the View Menu in the Arrange area. I'd really really recommend checking out the Core Logic 9 101 tutorial. It'll save you a LOT of time and give you all you need to become an intermediate user in no time. btw, I'm an Apple Certified Logic Trainer and I recommend it to students all the time: [url]http://www.macprovideo.com/tutorial/logic9101[/url] Let me know if you need any help regardless. :) Rounik p.s. Now you're using Logic, you might be interested in our Blog area... with lots of free Logic and other software tips :) [url]http://www.macprovideo.com/blog/[/url]

hey rounik!these tutorials are paid right.and i live in india,so how do i do the payments and what will be the price in indian currency!!

Hey Logic9, Yes... there's two ways to access tutorials: 1. You can purchase HD download tutorials and download them via NED direct to your Mac. 2. You purchase an online subscription plan. e.g. Pro Sub, which gives you online access through your internet browser to ALL the tutorials (that's a huge amount of Logic tutorials + lots of other software tuts). Subs are paid for monthly btw. You can try out the online service by clicking on the "Watch Tutorials" button at the top right. You can try out the download service by downloading NED: [url]http://www.macprovideo.com/about/ned[/url] As for payment. If you have a Paypal account you can pay the US dollar amount and it'll be converted from Rupees to US dollars automatically. The same for Credit/Debit cards. I use Xe.com to estimate the approximate conversion rate... but this conversion rate will be decided by your Bank or Paypal. Hope this helps... Shoot us any other questions you may have! :) Rounik