Chapter 1: Configuring Your Computer

In This Chapter

check.png Choosing hardware

check.png Setting up a Mac

check.png Configuring a PC

Pro Tools works well on both Macs and PCs, so no matter which type of computer you prefer, you can make good music without much hassle. However, you need to do a few things to your computer — and certain hardware requirements you need to observe — to run Pro Tools successfully.

This chapter gets you up to speed on these areas. I walk you through setting up and configuring your system and installing the software. As an added attraction, I include some advice on how to keep the bugs at bay. (You know, those nasty computer hiccups that can keep you from capturing your best guitar solo — or, worse yet, losing it after the fact.)

Using Pro Tools on a Mac

Getting up and going on a Mac is easy. After you have a computer with the right specs (which I cover in this section), it takes you less than 15 minutes to be ready to plug in your hardware (covered in Chapter 2 of this mini-book) and start recording (covered in Book III). This section takes you step by step, turning your Mac into a lean, mean, audio-recording machine.

Understanding Mac system requirements

One of the great things ...

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