Hey Harley, unfortunately the idea MACs aren't affected by virus' or trojans or worms is a myth.  My day job includes researching vulnerabilities and attacks and MACs are right up there these days .  The myth comes from a time when the bad guys went for the biggest footprint, which is Windows.  Now everything gets attacked.  Moreover, worms were first developed for Unix systems, and the MAC OS is based on BSD flavour Unix.

The first thing I did when I got the MSI was uninstall Noton AV (seems to come on everything these days).  The anti virus anti malware built into Windows (defender? the name keeps changing) works fine, gets regular signature updates and doesn't get in the way at all.

One thing to be aware of if you go MAC, and hey they are great PCs, is the base models don't support multiple monitors, you have to go to the M3 Pro for 2 monitors or the M3 Max for up to 4. Either MAC or Windows you'll need a hub/dock thingy.  I went with this one (https://satechi.net/products/thunderbolt-4-multimedia-pro-dock) which works great. So it seems the biggest MAC display is 16", my MSI is 17" and it's too small for what we want to do.  So I have it in the middle with a 24" monitor either side connected via Display port which is a little better than HDMI albeit the hub/dock supports either.

Anyway, don't skimp on the MAC, it will cost more but go high end i.e. M3 Max 16" with as much RAM as it can take (min 64GB).  Hopefully Cubase will be happier on a MAC? that's where they came from way back when (as did Pro Tools). And more so the 18i20, it says it works for MacOS.

As you say, it's going to cost a chunk of change, as it has for me.  In the end I'm glad I spent the money as I now have an up to date system which works really well (little bit of future proofing LoL).

Hey INRI,

   Richard nailed it since he has a better understanding of electronics than I do. Even so, I don't need to be an engineer to see when I look in the MP-1, there is a LOT more circuitry than you'll find in any single tube amp, and this is only a preamp! Even with all that, the MP-1 is the simplest of all the preamps ADA made. There are a lot of mods that have been designed for them. I even own a 3TM MP-1 and to be honest, I really don't need much more than the original MP-1. Maybe I'm getting old, but that level of gain in the 3TM isn't really in my wheelhouse. I might roll some different tubes in it to see if I can tame it down a bit, and if that doesn't do it, then I'll probably put it up for sale. It does have a different character than the original MP-1, but it has no clean guitar sounds unless you go S.S.
  Pair any one of these preamps with a good power amp, and you've got a rig that will stand up to anything anyone else has.

   The MP-1 is the reason this Forum started and still exists. And the other ADA preamps and gear are just as good if not better.

Richard,

   Not easier for networking, but better. None of the virus' or trojans or worms affect Macs. They use a different system. Plus, I don't like the idea of installing anti-virus programs. Those things are running in the background constantly, and they eat up processing power in windows PCs. Nothing is more frustrating than being in the middle of a hot recording and nailing it, then all of a sudden your PC freezes. There was too much going on at the same time and it choked. I've lost count how many times that's happened.

   Yes, a Mac is a more costly investment. I can't argue that, but I will point out another fact. Just about every artist who is anybody, is using Mac. Is that just a coincidence? I think not. Anyway, after 30 some years fussing with win-blows and all the stupid additional software that you have to buy in a lot of cases, I'm ready for a switch to something different.
   I'll start with a laptop and see how it does with what I've got. I've already paid a lot of money for Cubase, and a few other software add-ons for it. I'd like to produce something out of it after all that.

   Oh yes, as a foot note, I was checking into a HP with windows 11 and what I needed for it to do, and it's right there at the same price as the Mac. Either way, it's going to cost me a chunk of change. No way around it.

Hey Harley, I hear you, like me you just want it to work. I have no problem with making things more simple, but I stand by what I said about MACs approach.  I like a scroll wheel and right mouse menus, that doesn't exist in MAC land (it can, MAC is based on BSD Unix but they don't.. ).  That aside, I just posted what I've done recently and it works which is where you are wanting to get to. All easy and now I'm functional.  I don't know if the Focusrite works with a MAC?  I do know (because I tried one) that the PreSonus is better (sounds better, better controls (e.g. level knob for each of the 8 inputs), and connects way better..).  Hey allot of this stuff was developed for MAC in the early days e.g. Cubase was originally written for Ataris running the Motorola 6800 chips set, same as early MACs.  MACs now run an Intel chip set BTW.  I'm sure you can get a MAC to work fine, but that direction is typically more expensive.  You made a comment about MACs being easy to network, not sure what you are basing that on but the opposite is the reality.

From my perspective, I'd just like to see you get a good system up and running, whatever you choose.

I will give a plug for Win11 though.  It's better in lots of ways to Win10.

When I fire up my system now, everything works. I have a hub thingy that drives 2 monitors (it can do 4) with lots of additional USB connections (type C and A) which connects to my MSI laptop via a USB C Thunderbolt 4, PreSonus connects to the hub, everything happy...  just saying.

Hey INRI, totally agree with Harley . Simple answer is yes, we've got some idea how it works.
So  technicalities later. Let me say, I did a comparison to a MP-1 (that I'd just bought) with my '73 Marshall 50 (which I'd loved and used for many years). The MP-1 made the Marshall sound like a toy amp (no easy feat?).  While it's not as easy as pressing one button, you can make these preamps sound however you want them.  I think they were chasing a circuit that let you make any amp sound you wanted.

So given most of the tone is initially generated in your fingers, and PUs make a big difference BTW, from an amp perspective, the pre-amp does most of the tone, and tubes do a good job.  While not exclusive, most guitar tube input stages are based around 2 x 12AX7 tubes.  So 4 stages of gain (each is a twin triode).  So what ADA did was take that structure and make it customisable.  So each (most) popular amps have a similar 2 x 12AX7 circuit (i.e. add gain to input), but implemented it different ways.  So what if you could mimic that (by varying the circuit around the tubes) which is what ADA did (and what made the other amps different).  Something to remember for context, amps at the time had only just got master volume and at best had 2 channels which only some let you switch between.  So ADA used digital control circuits to control the analogue tube circuit so you could change and configure what you want.  The best version of that approach is the MP-2 where they created 10 tube "voices" to cover all situations and make new sounds.

So in the tube circuit, ADA made a bunch of things controllable, eq and gain between the 4 triode stages of the tubes (i.e. the voice), other tube control parameters (bias?), all these settings and variables could be changed "on the fly" as they are stored with each (128) program.
Along with volume , master volume, chorus etc.  They also made it stereo (sort of), when the signal hits the chorus (either in or out) the signal is split A & B with B 180deg out of phase (i.e. pseudo stereo). This is also very much part of the magic (for me). 
So more Magic? Well not really, I think they tried (and largely succeeded) in emulating (with real tube circuits) all the other amps of the time. What I loved was I could develop my own tones .

Hey Richard,

   First, let me say this. The desktop PC I'm using is a Dell. At best, Dell are flimsy these days compared to what they used to be. I'm running windows 10 on it and it's a pain in the a$$. It glitches and hangs up when it has plenty of RAM to spare and it shouldn't. So it might be the PC that is causing the disconnect or the missing pathways to the audio interface. For all I know, the Focusrite might work flawlessly with the Mac. Speaking of which, the most expensive Macbook Pro here is around $6k. A it out of my price range. The one I was looking at has 1 TB disk space and 64 Gig of RAM.
   There are outboard adapters for the Mac to use USB C and other connections, and they aren't that expensive. If by dumbing down you mean simplifying the process, then why should I keep doing things the hard way? I'm not a Catholic, so I don't see a problem there.
   Just like the ADA that gives me all the amp tones I could want in and easy to use package with fairly simple controls to get my sounds, I want the recording process to be just as simple. Hit the record button and GO!
   IF I can't get that from a computer, then I do still have my 8-track and mastering reel-to-reels, and a mixing desk. If it comes down to it, I'll record on them and mix down the final product to a PC and save it as a wave file.
   I'm just looking for a system that is as plug and play as possible. I don't want to spend my time learning how to rewrite codes and software just to get a simple task like this done. With windows that seems like all I'm doing is re-writing pathways and installing this driver and that, then trying to trim out all the garbage that comes along with all those things that I don't need, then trying to reconnect what shouldn't have become disconnected in the first place. Yeah, as you can tell, I'm ready to kick windows to the curb. 

Hey INRI,

   I can't tell you anything about magic, but I can tell you that the MP-1 does things like this when you manipulate the tube gain levels, and combine that with the way you set your EQ, and maybe add some of the chorus effect in creative ways, you get what some would call a "magic" tone.

  By selecting the voice you want to create from, i.e. S.S. Clean Tube, or Dist Tube, there's a lot of ranges in those voices. It's all about selecting the right voice and tweaking it the way you want to hear it, and that's the key. Use your ears.

   The MP-2 on the other hand does not do the S.S. voices that the MP-1 does since it has no S.S. voice at all. Everything there is all tube voicing. It does every tube voice from crystal clean to gnarly dual rectifier tones and all points in between.

   If I had to sum it up, I would do it like this: These ADA preamps are not modelers, and they don't have DSPs. Instead think of them as extremely versatile amplifier preamps that do what no single amplifier can do.

   That's why they're legends.

I was wondering: what is the magic of these units for them to have different voicings? How can it go from sounding like a fender clean to cranked marshall? Chat GPT was brainstorming and going all about the DSP being able to change tube bias on the fly etc. But that sounds extreme. Do any of you guys have any idea how this works?


As you may have noticed Im all out fascinated by these units even though Ive never been nearer than 500 miles to one.

Hey Harley, I feel your pain my friend .

Like you, I just wanted to get recording again.  Some of this I've posted before but here's the journey for me (not quite over but it's all working very well so far).
So I bought a Focusrite 8 in/out.  It was a hassle and intermittent with my (now retired) Win7 laptop.  So I quickly swapped it for the PreSonus 18/24, basically much the same 8 in/out (slightly better controls BTW).  The PreSonus has a Universal Control app/driver which worked fine, connected easily and is very stable and consistent, moreover it sounded a bit more musical, warmer and less stark/clinical.  It also comes with Studio One software for free which works fine "out of the box" with all I needed for now.
So I needed a new PC so I went for a MSI Creator Z17HXStusio A13VGT fully loaded with 64GB RAM, and 2 TB SSHD, latest Intel chipset.  It's a gaming/creative lap top so also has high end nvida card which can share processing.  Screen is photo quality17" touch which also works well (my thought good for mixing).  So this cost around $3k USD ($4.6k AUD) but is the equivalent of the most expensive MAC book Pro (~$6 to $7k AUD).  It comes with Win11 Pro.  After getting rid of the gaming stuff (what I could easily), it's been the best computer I've ever had. Everything connects and works seamlessly (2 x USB C/thunderbolt4 lightening, USB A (3.0), HDMI, SD Card reader, and it doesn't even raise a slight sweat when recoding/mixing etc.

As a long time Windows user, I struggle to "dumb down" to use a Mac.  There's no delete key (have to go to the right and backspace ), no srcolly mouse wheel, no right mouse button or menus, to burn a CD you have to drag the file onto the CD icon and then have no control of the settings (took me ~15 frustrating mins to work that out).  I'm sure once you are used to them they are ok(ish) but then you are locked into the Mac ecosphere (proprietary and expensive).  No (or very limited) I/O connections, it's mostly all wireless or bluetooth.  I don't think they have USB C, just thunderbolt proprietary (if at all).  They don't have a USB A connector, you have to use an Apple iPad Camera Connection kit to connect to whichever I/O you use/choose.

My 2 cents worth, bight the bullet and buy the same or similar MSI that I bought with Win11. Swap the Focusrite for the PreSonus.  My gut feeling is when you install Cubase on that system, it will all work fine, but if it doesn't, just use Studio One.

Or the cheaper starting point maybe swap out the Focusrite for the PreSonus, with it's Universal Control app/driver you'll probably get everything to work with your Dell (IIRC Win 10?).  Add as much RAM as you can (it's really cheap these days).