Clipped and Shorn Posted April 23, 2002 Share Posted April 23, 2002 I have only known Apple. I have an old discontinued Performa lying around and I currently use an iMac. I am considering reviving some old Yamaha synthesizer equipment, partly because it is now a vintage tool, and it is pretty much worthless on the open market. So I am thinking of getting it up to speed again rather than keeping up with the endless/bottomless pit of acquiring the latest gear. Its like getting into digital steam engines. I would like to take advantage of a sound library which is available: "These .syx files are for Windows platforms: 3.1, 95, 98, ME,NT, 2000 and XP... If you are a Yamaha DX nut like me or new to vintage DX gear, these patches are a must have !!! I have been collecting for a long time. The best thing, all of these patches take up only a few megs of space on your hard drive, each bank is only about 4 KB." Is there some way I can use a Mac? Eg. is there a way to install Windows platforms in a Mac? Could I possibly use my old Mac Performa? If not what would I need in the way of a computer to utilize these files. I would be wanting to obtain something that would only be used for this musical application and nothing else, so I would not need any bells or whistles. Could I use some older used computer that others have discontinued for this purpose? Is is possible for a Mac person to learn how to use these "forbidden" alien products? Scarrryyyy! -macappled and/or peeceewindowed ------------------ Cornwalls currently upgrading to all tube components Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted April 23, 2002 Share Posted April 23, 2002 The switch from Apple to a PC environment is not a daunting as it once was. Since the birth of Windows 95 things have gotten a lot friendlier in the PC envirionment and generally the later the version of the operating system the easier it is. I think that the Apple is still the easier to use but the conversion is not impossible. the good news is that as you dont need the latest and greatest in PC architecture it is relatively cheap to get into Windows now. I imagine you can easily get away with a Celeron based machine with 64 or 128 MB of RAM. These are going for a song these days (even with a semi decent monitor, sound card, video card etc. etc.) Despite your limited functional requirements you may want to look at some of the bundles on offer both on the net and locally. You can often find amazing deals for complete systems that are not cutting edge. I would not recommend PC environment emulators for the Apple. There is always a limit to their compatibility and it is invariably in the area you want to use it for. Does any of this help? ------------------ My System: http://aca.gr/pop_maxg.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted April 23, 2002 Share Posted April 23, 2002 There are Mac versions of some of those files available for download from: http://www.yamahasynth.com/classic/dx/dx.htm I am sure there are other sites as well. ------------------ It is meet to recall that the Great Green Heron rarely flies upside down in the moonlight - (Foo Ling ca.1900) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted April 23, 2002 Share Posted April 23, 2002 You can run Win95, 98, ME, and XP on a macintosh. We do this at our office where we have about 10 new G4's and 16 iMacs. It is called Virtual PC and is pretty cheap. We paid $89 for Win98 for the mac. It really is Windows too. You turn on the computer, it loads Mac OS, then you click Virtual PC and bam! Your a windows user. You need a computer with some ram though, no 'bare bones' systems if possible. ------------------ -justin SoundWise Support A technical help site created by me and my fellow Klipschers I am an amateur, if it is professional; ProMedia help you want email Amy or call her @ 1-888-554-5665 or for an RA# 800-554-7724 ext 5 Klipsch Home Audio help you want, email support@klipsch.com or call @ 1-800-KLIPSCH RA# Fax Number=317-860-9140 / Parts Department Fax Number=317-860-9150s> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted April 23, 2002 Share Posted April 23, 2002 Justin, How well does the Mac simulate the Windows crash function? This is one of the more frequently excercised routines on most Windows boxes, and without the ability to generate random, unrecoverable and often fatal crashes, I'd think the Mac's Windows emulation was far from production ready. Ray ------------------ Music is art Audio is engineering Ray's Music System Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted April 23, 2002 Share Posted April 23, 2002 Ray - LMAO It's always good to hear from you. Yes, my daughter's iBook just keeps on burning, while my Win98 keeps blue-screening.... sheesh!! Doug ------------------ My System Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clipped and Shorn Posted April 23, 2002 Author Share Posted April 23, 2002 If I cannot use my 4 year old Mac Performa, then I would probably opt for obtaining an inexpensive PC. Years ago I remember someone using a Mac for storing and loading these Yamaha sound files, but that was before the MP3 era. Maybe I will ask the guy selling this library. I do not want to use the iMac since it is in another location than the midi music stuff. -rammed and rommed ------------------ Cornwalls currently upgrading to all tube components Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted April 23, 2002 Share Posted April 23, 2002 with enough ram, i rarely ever get a crash on Win98 and even on WinME. But on a mac with less ram, an old iBook, it was not a fun run. However, this was the iBook I had when i still lived in California... but you guys don't know when that was... haha, when they first came out. but on our new computers, and my new PowerBook (SWEET) I never get the problem, well, never as in not often, as in rarely, problem being a BSOD or illegal op. getting a cheap computer, PC, would be the easiest way to do this. also should be easier to have the synthesizer equipment hooked up since Macs don't all have the same inputs. ------------------ -justin SoundWise Support A technical help site created by me and my fellow Klipschers I am an amateur, if it is professional; ProMedia help you want email Amy or call her @ 1-888-554-5665 or for an RA# 800-554-7724 ext 5 Klipsch Home Audio help you want, email support@klipsch.com or call @ 1-800-KLIPSCH RA# Fax Number=317-860-9140 / Parts Department Fax Number=317-860-9150s> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted April 23, 2002 Share Posted April 23, 2002 I think WinXP corrected a lot of the instability of previous Windows version. In several months of intense usage, I have only had a couple light crashes. WinXP really is a much better OS, at least in that sense. ------------------ http://members.fortunecity.com/sebdavid - go laugh at my crappy website/equipment http://www.dvdprofiler.com/mc.asp?alias=Sebdavid - go laugh at my puny little DVD collection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted April 23, 2002 Share Posted April 23, 2002 here is the only problem i have had with WInXP Pro... if i don't use my computer for >3 days, i get this crazy message on the first start up... and then on the restart... but only if the computer is not used to at least 3 days in a row. explain THAT! ------------------ -justin SoundWise Support A technical help site created by me and my fellow Klipschers I am an amateur, if it is professional; ProMedia help you want email Amy or call her @ 1-888-554-5665 or for an RA# 800-554-7724 ext 5 Klipsch Home Audio help you want, email support@klipsch.com or call @ 1-800-KLIPSCH RA# Fax Number=317-860-9140 / Parts Department Fax Number=317-860-9150s> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace Posted April 23, 2002 Share Posted April 23, 2002 Klipped, Based on my quick read of this thread and the fact that your Performa is quite old I'd recommend a cheap PC. VirtualPC runs quite nicely on G4 or better (G3 or better for Win95) but I've tried it on an 8500/200 w/ 64 MB RAM and it is sorta a dog. If memory serves correctly the best Performa was a 200 MHz 603e, barely enough for VirtualPC Win95. Then again, I just got a PC laptop from work so I took the liberty of installing some PC games at home I got from friends (I'm all Mac at home). Well, with the first game the installer said it didn't recognize the system language and wouldn't install. The second, M$ train simulator, installed but then gave an error when running about my video hardware was missing something (ATI AGP/2x mobile). Blech... I'm glad I have never spent personal $$$'s on such frustrating equipment. I find it cool that there are a few Mac users here in the forum. Klipped: Did you get IE 5.1 yet? If so, has it helped your browser problems? mace Ray: By the way, the VirtualPC emulator does an absolutely fine job of reproducing Windows crashes!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted April 24, 2002 Share Posted April 24, 2002 C&S: I still have (and use) my five year old Performa 6360. I also have an old PC that's about the same age and a more modern PC. The biggest reason I keep the old Mac around is because it's the old reliable. It's the one I can depend on. If something ever goes wrong, I can easily get it working again within 15 minutes. The same cannot be said of my other two PC's. I have had problems that took weeks for me to get fixed. I am not an IT person, so that is part of the reason it takes me so long to fix these PC's. The other reason is that I am too stubborn to pay someone to fix them for me. My newer PC is faster than the old Mac, but I still use my Mac frequently. I mostly use it for E-mail as I prefer the Mac version over my PC. My Mac may be an antique in computer standards, but I don't plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. If nothing else, it's my "emergency computer." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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