[funkysmurf]

Hello all. Two weeks ago i got myself this very cool looking 15" powerbook.
Still getting used to the OS and all that, but so far things have been great. I find myself using it even when i don't need to just because it's sooo nice...anyway, onto my questions.

It may seem dumb, but is it at all possible to use software that was made for windows under osx - not using any emulation software?

I do a lot of recording from my turntables using cool edit pro 2.0 under windows. Is there an equivalent for the mac that's (preferably) free?

There's only one mouse button, and it's kinda hard to get used to. Is there another way of "right-clicking" other than connecting a 2 button usb mouse?

Thanks

[bbcclo]

Originally posted by funkysmurf:
It may seem dumb, but is it at all possible to use software that was made for windows under osx - not using any emulation software?

Not that I'm aware of... only Virtual PC.

Originally posted by funkysmurf:
There's only one mouse button, and it's kinda hard to get used to. Is there another way of "right-clicking" other than connecting a 2 button usb mouse?

The magic of the Control+Click my friend... it does wonders.

[MilkmanDan]

My roomie just switched to a 15in Powerbook from a PC, and I regret letting him install VPC. He's using it as a crutch to run programs not that he needs to run on in Windows, but to use familiar programs. If you look around you can find programs that are either very similar to the ones you ran in Windows, or are OS X ports of major apps. Heck, most of the time I find better Mac shareware programs for stuff then full retail Windows programs. The only exception to this being games (all the important ones come out for OS X, heck, all we play around here is StarCraft anyways.

Make the leap, find programs for OS X to replace those that you used in Windows. Its worth it in the long run. Learning how to use a new program takes a little time and effort, but the benefits outweigh the any other reason.

Now if only I could get my roomie to switch from using Mozilla for e-mail and web browsing (in OS X!!) I'd be happy. (It took him three weeks before he used iChat, he was using AIM before... sigh...)

[aricher]

You can use your trackpad to right click by downloading "SideTrack"

http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/sidetrack/

This allows you to add 'tap' functionality to the trackpad as well as side and bottom scrolling!

Once you get used to your Mac and get the programs you need - you will never want to go back to the dark side.

[f1000]

Keep an eye on this project: http://darwine.opendarwin.org//

[Stradlater]

Originally posted by funkysmurf:
There's only one mouse button, and it's kinda hard to get used to. Is there another way of "right-clicking" other than connecting a 2 button usb mouse?

ctrl-click does that, but it's a pain. I highly recommend you getting a multi-button scroll-wheel mouse (bluetooth and you avoid the USB issue).

[RenaissanceGirl]

Originally posted by aricher:
You can use your trackpad to right click by downloading "SideTrack"

http://www.ragingmenace.com/software/sidetrack/

This allows you to add 'tap' functionality to the trackpad as well as side and bottom scrolling!

Once you get used to your Mac and get the programs you need - you will never want to go back to the dark side.

I just want to say thank you SO MUCH for mentioning that.

[heresiarh]

you are out of luck mate.

[Spliff]

Originally posted by funkysmurf:
I do a lot of recording from my turntables using cool edit pro 2.0 under windows. Is there an equivalent for the mac that's (preferably) free?

This one is free:
Audacity X

This one's not free, but this might be what you're looking for:
Sound Studio

Or this:

Audiocorder or http://www.blackcatsystems.com/softw...diocorder.html

Spin Doctor

Final Scratch

[Spliff]

Also found this:

http://paulboutin.weblogger.com/2002/08/03

Essential Mac DJ gear
Saturday, August 3, 2002

What does it take to use your iBook/PowerBook for recording from vinyl and playing either tracks or mix sets? I've spent way too much time tinkering at this (I work at home, remember) and have come up with this minimum set of parts you'll need to get DJ-quality sound without overspending.

iMic: $35. A no-frills audio in/out interface that plugs into your Mac's USB port. Sound quality is surprisingly good: the converters are 24-bit, although OS X only supports 16-bit right now. Watch out for the trick line/mic level switch that works in reverse of what you'd expect. Also, you sometimes have to open the Sound panel in System Preferences and jiggle the volume to get it to wake up. But hey, 35 bucks. You can also buy iMic through the Apple Store for the same price.

Audio Hijack Pro: $30. An application that lets you tap into the audio stream of any application running on the Mac (or Line In, in this case), and record it as an MP3 or AIFF file. I record to AIFF and use iTunes to convert it to MP3 or AAC later.

iTunes: Free. What matters to DJ's is the Sound Check feature that optimizes the volume of tracks recorded with the above gear. Another feature, Join Tracks, lets you import mix CD's with the tracks merged into one seamless file. To trim the beginning and end of an audio file recorded from vinyl just select it, bring up iTunes' File menu, choose Get Info, and go to the Options pane in the dialog box.

Cables: You'll need two 1/8" to stereo RCA cables to connect your DJ mixer to the iMic's in and out jacks, and possibly a USB A-to-A extension cable to stretch your laptop across the room while recording or playing. I splurged on Monster Cable iCables and Belkin USB extension, all available from the Apple Store at no additional markup. But that cost more than all of the above recoding gear put togther - about $80 total. If you want to save your cash to buy more records, even Radio Shack now has cables with good insulation that are hard to break.

Recording tricks: There's no input level adustment (other than iMic's Line/Mic switch) on any of the above hardware or software, but you don't need it. I found that running my mixer's master volume at about -5dB prevented the sound from becoming distorted. Use iTunes' Sound Check to boost the volume to the perfect level later - unlike the old tape days, there's not much of a noise floor to worry about with digital recording. Do a short test recording before embarking on a long mix set to make sure everything is set up and working ok.

"It sounds terrible!" If your recording sounds midrangey and distant, like it's playing through a cardboard box, it's possible your Mac is stuck with its built-in microphone as line input rather than the iMic. Mine can get stuck like that regardless of what settings show up in System Preferences. Rebooting will fix it.

Editing: Pro Tools Free ($0) is the same software studio pros use for remixes and compiliations, minus the outboard hardware for controllers, I/O and storage. To use it on your tracks, you'll first need to convert your MP3s to AIFF format (iTunes does this) and then reboot in OS 9 (there is no current schedule for a free OS X version). Start a new Pro Tools project file and import your AIFF track. Don't forget to download the manual - you'll need it at this point. But I've heard some great mixes, remixes, voiceovers, and mash-ups done on a Mac with Pro Tools Free. I haven't used it much myself because one reason I play music is to get away from my computer.

Tossing your turntables for good: A few friends of mine have stopped using vinyl and CD turntables altogether and just spin straight off their laptops. Party 3.0 ($99) and MegaSeg ($149) are the most popular DJ desktop applications - every Mac jockey whose shoulder I've peered over is using one or the other. I've tried both and find Party has a more familiar DJ-table interface for mixing and matching two tracks.

Yet both programs left me frustrated compared to physical turntables, and neither are completely bug-proof, which could be a problem in live situtations. Moreover, I have a theory that people don't come to DJ parties to watch some guy stare at a laptop as if he's at the office. Two iPods and a Stanton mixer make a much more entertaining setup.

[Spliff]

Poor man's Vinyl to MP3 Conversion (Mac OS X)

Better Vinyl to MP3 Conversion (Mac OS X)

[funkysmurf]

Thanks a lot guys