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06-06-2008, 08:00 AM
(This post was last modified: 06-06-2008, 08:02 AM by sven hauck.)
This is a complaint. My PC workstation is inaccessible at the moment, so I started configuring my Mac Powerbook with Live and a bunch of plugins. What would have taken me 30 minutes on the PC took me almost 3 hours.
So let the complaining begin:
Why does OSX want to put files in places that I don't know about? Try tracking that down and it may take you a few hours. Sometimes I want to remove a plugin, so I need to manually remove the VST and the Standalone. Some stuff is in Applications, some in the VST folder, some in the Library...
Yes, I know that third parties make software that uninstalls as per the operation on the PC, but do Mac users really not care to know about what goes where? And why is this not a standard feature?
Why are there 3 instances of the VST plugin folder? That just gives people that write the installers too many options. I had some plugins go in one or the others, and found that to be a pain in the ass.
Why are these plugins crashing Live? Seemed to work ok on the PC.
Why is there no uniform way to install software? One installer says, "drag this folder into your applications" while the other just says "what hard disk you want this to be installed on (sucker)?" and then the guessing game begins. How about asking me for the folder?
Why is Delete and Backspace the same button? Ran out of keyboard space, did we? Hard to believe, as it is almost twice the size than my IBM Thinkpad.
Why was this laptop so expensive?
Oh, it has an Apple on it. And it lights up.
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Dude those lights are cool,well worth it 
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06-06-2008, 02:04 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-06-2008, 07:18 PM by Rambunkcious.)
Sven,
whats up? the filing system on the mac is slightly diffferent than a PC as are some procedures, as you can already see.
as for the vst folder, the one where all your plugs should go is
Mac HD - Library - Audio - Plug ins - VST, this is the systems main folder area the other VST folders are for individual users.
dont install the VSTs anywhere else
As for uninstalling its simply a matter of removing the plug in and standalone and moving them to the trash, as simple as that. This is if there is no uninstaller. An additional file you might want to delete would be the corresponding preffernce file from
Mac HD - User - Library - Preferences
if your working with live 7 and Leopard OSX you want to find the latest updates for both progams, and if they are installed you want to turn your airport off, as there is some issue with the airport and Live and Logic.
when asked where to install in general you want to install anything on to your Mac HD, and at the bottom of the install window it will give you the option to choose a folder.
There is no need for a backspace button, you have a backward arrow for that procedure.
I dont know how long youve been working with the mac, but when i got into the system a couple of years back, and took a couple of day to learn how everything worked, it made my life easier, compared to being on a PC, the file architecture once you get used to it is much more logical than that of the PC, then again there is a slight learning curve.
Agreed they have to come down on the price, but apple has always been a bit pricier, for whatever reasons are out there. Plus once you get everything up and running the OS is 10x more stable than a PC.
just bear with it for a bit, it will al get a lot easier.
If you dont have the Leopard OS and are still on the Tiger OS (10.4) dont switch to Leopard yet as there some issues with it. Stick with 10.4 if thats what you have.
Hope that helps, and i hope your mac troubles go away as you get more familiar with the OS.
Oh and the password entry for every damn thing is a pain in the ass, but i guess thats how they evolved the system based on the fact that it was a pro hi priced system in the past with a lot of valuable prgms installed, security issues and alll that other good stuff.
the lights are sick. : )
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if you need anymore help hit me up il drop you my aim so i can help you with issues in realtime.
bunkcious
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Thanks man, I'm sorted, but I believe my desktop workstation can smoke the Mac any day. I bought the Mac for performances only, and as a backup studio. I just get annoyed when my work flow is impaired.
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Rami, to continue this discussion a bit:
Rambunkcious Wrote:As for the vst folder, the one where all your plugs should go is Mac HD - Library - Audio - Plug ins - VST, this is the systems main folder area the other VST folders are for individual users. dont install the VSTs anywhere else.
This is the main reason I'm bitching, one installer will go to that directory, while another will go to the one under my user name. And the developers didn't write the installer script to ask for what folder to use. Ok, 1 out of 10 plugins asked for the directory. On the PC that is pretty much standard.
There is a third folder somewhere as well.
Rambunkcious Wrote:As for uninstalling its simply a matter of removing the plug in and standalone and moving them to the trash, as simple as that. This is if there is no uninstaller. An additional file you might want to delete would be the corresponding preffernce file from Mac HD - User - Library - Preferences
True, and the Library files in both locations (HD & under my user name), and the ones in Application Support in both locations...
Rambunkcious Wrote:There is no need for a backspace button, you have a backward arrow for that procedure.
Highlighting elements in Live's arrange window and hitting delete doesn't delete them. I see Steve Jobs' face laughing at me. :p
Rambunkcious Wrote:I dont know how long youve been working with the mac, but when i got into the system a couple of years back, and took a couple of day to learn how everything worked, it made my life easier, compared to being on a PC, the file architecture once you get used to it is much more logical than that of the PC, then again there is a slight learning curve.
Agreed they have to come down on the price, but apple has always been a bit pricier, for whatever reasons are out there. Plus once you get everything up and running the OS is 10x more stable than a PC.
I worked with Macs while in college (early nineties), then switched to PCs and worked on SUN Workstations, so I am familiar with a Unix kernel. I think the file system may be simpler, but the fact that the OS wants to think for you, I find very aggravating. So far, my PC has been more stable, so I think that is kind of a myth. It really depends on what applications are configured.
So far, in testing with certain projects, my PC has Live loaded at 30% while the Mac loads at nearly double, 60%. Primary loading discrepancies come with delay effects and synthesis plugins. There is over 0.5 Megahertz in CPU clock speed advantage on the desktop but that doesn't account for the discrepancy.
Rambunkcious Wrote:Oh and the password entry for every damn thing is a pain in the ass, but i guess thats how they evolved the system based on the fact that it was a pro hi priced system in the past with a lot of valuable prgms installed, security issues and alll that other good stuff.
You're telling me, every install requires authentication. I just have my tracks on there, not the map that leads to the Fountain of Youth.
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so get rid of the apple and order a laptop from these guys....
http://www.pcaudiolabs.com
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Well I have my own custom built DAW with 3 DSP cards and a fast GeForce video card, which is pretty up to spec, I just can't use the room the studio is in for another 2 weeks, so I'm on the Mac.
Still having issues with it, the latest is that my Remote SL25 crashes Live when the project loads up. I truly never had this many configuration issues on my PC, so I am a bit surprised. I'm sure many people use Macs without issues. The Mac will be kept around for Live stuff.
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Live is a little weird with my MicroKontrol on the PC as well. Well at least when the cpu gets bogged down you can see the lights flashing off an on the MK as it tries to keep contact with it.
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That's interesting. I also noticed that different plugins, mainly synths, behave differently when installed on the Mac. Basically some will just take down Live. It not a fun process to isolate which ones as you have to enable one at a time. Maybe not Apple's fault but still very frustrating.
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