help getting cubase or protools?

[Goblinsandghoulies]

Hi there! I'm very new to iMacs and i was wondering if anybody could point me in the right direction for putting on cubase or protools. I have a Mac OS X 10.5.8 and I'm a bit lost with it as I've always used PCs. Would I have to upgrade my os? If so how do I go about that? Any help at all would be great. Thanks in advance!

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

A little more information would help us give you the proper response:

-Which exact model of Mac?
-Do you have any external audio interfaces?
-What kinds of audio projects will you be working on?

C

 

[Goblinsandghoulies]

Hi there! Thanks for getting back to me.
In the about this mac section it says
Imac8.1
Intel core 2 duo

I have an akai professional eie pro that I have used with cubase 5 before on a pc. Music projects were mainly guitar and vocal based and for percussion I used the program addictive drums.
Any other information you need I'll be happy to find.
Thanks again!
Grant

 

[Cory Cooper]

OK, thanks for the additional.

That particular iMac (Early 2008) is pretty dated, especially if you are wanting to do more complex audio work. The latest version of Cubase 8.5 may work, but ProTools 12 requires a much newer iMac...(Mid 2010) or newer with an Intel Core i5 processor. The Akai should work with any iMac from you model forward.
Yes, you would probably have to upgrade Mac OS X, and adding more RAM to the maximum of 4 GB (6 GB unofficially) would help.

Honestly, it may be best to use GarageBand for your guitar and vocal tracks. If you wanted to purchase a more professional application, you may need to find a newer Mac to run it on.

Feel free to ask additional questions so we can continue trying to find a solution for you.

C

 

[Goblinsandghoulies]

Amazing, thanks for the feedback! I was previously running cubase 5 on my pc would hat work in my Mac?
Thanks
Grant

OK, thanks for the additional.

That particular iMac (Early 2008) is pretty dated, especially if you are wanting to do more complex audio work. The latest version of Cubase 8.5 may work, but ProTools 12 requires a much newer iMac...(Mid 2010) or newer with an Intel Core i5 processor. The Akai should work with any iMac from you model forward.
Yes, you would probably have to upgrade Mac OS X, and adding more RAM to the maximum of 4 GB (6 GB unofficially) would help.

Honestly, it may be best to use GarageBand for your guitar and vocal tracks. If you wanted to purchase a more professional application, you may need to find a newer Mac to run it on.

Feel free to ask additional questions so we can continue trying to find a solution for you.

C

 

[Cory Cooper]

Cubase 5 may run on your Mac. Your install disc would need to have a Mac installer, not just a Windows installer. The minimum system requirements (from this PDF) are as follows:

Mac OS X 10.5.5
PowerPC G5 (Intel Core Duo CPU recommended)
1024 MB RAM
Display resolution of 1280x800 recommended
CoreAudio compatible audio hardware
DVD-ROM drive with dual-layer support
4 GB of free HD space
USB component port for Steinberg Key (copy protection)
Internet connection required for license activation

I cannot guarantee that it will install and run, but it looks like it should be compatible.

C

 

[Goblinsandghoulies]

Ah ok. I'll give it a shot! Thanks for all your help! I wish I would have come here months ago and saved a lot of headaches! You're a star!
Grant.

 

[Cory Cooper]

No worries...feel free to let us know if you have additional questions.

C