I believe computers are superior: more power, more options, and more versatility. Some folks like the all-in-one-units, though. I don't.

get the computer- you'll be much happier in the end

a computer will really do you better, though i do a have a question. what if any computer knowlage or experiance do you have?

I have lots of computer experience. In respects to recording programs I guess I don't have that much...but I know what I am doing for the most part. More than the average person, less than someone who works on computers as a living.

once you get your chops in a recording program you'll be amazed of all the great things you can do... I had a roland box back in the nineties, the vs880 and was never happy with it- struggling over a little display and the sound was kinda squashed. Im sure those things are better now but there is nothing like a daw!

I'm an average person :(

what does average mean? Me, I refused to be pinned down or catalogue- anyway, we are music people and as far as Im concerned, we are the gnat's ass!

i, personally, dont know how people made music before pro tools.

we used to hit record, just like we do now...

im speaking as an analog lover myself. just making "high-humor" of the common practice once hitting record...then using a razor blade.....white markers........scotch tape...........yikes!

daw's have certainly made it easier. I love it!

Computers....the Options...man you could'nt ask for more... but i prefer you don't go for Digidesign....

go for g5 and additional HD for audio!!! digi, wouldn't be my choice either, specially not their hardware.

i would recomend what i use
custom made P4 PC
delta 1010
cubace SX

I have a G4 with Digital performer with 3 extra 160 GB drives for audio and I have no complaints- well, I'll qualify that- now that am using a lotta VI's I am thinking of going to a G5 as the VIs eat up a lotta processor power- other than that i can do 30+ tracks with plug ins before i have to start bouncing tracks down to disk

i m using Digi002...but i m not happy at all...all i m using is Cubase SX and vsts.... its the best combination... as far as pro tools the specially designed software for digidesign never made me happy.... i watched the demo dvd in which they showed all their hardwares and people by showing how excited the engineers of analog world were to see the editing facilities of pro toolsss...... i guess there are better options available then pro tools.... I may be a smaller part of this industry cuz i m just on the road towads mainstream...but can anyone tell me an approximate guess why pro tools is international standard...

my pc is equiped with over 300GB hard drive space..3 gb ram 3.2ghz...
i went for like around 60 tracks with lots of plugins and fx....you could say that i was trying to kill the machiene..but it resisted still researving around 35% resources... is'nt that awsome...i can use like alot of vsts at the same time...but in pro tools...boy it takes alot of system resources....

pro tools in the music industry is a myth like;
mac in the photo industry

at one time they where the cats meow; however i dont think that time is now.

however if you get a hudge protool controle and two big cinima displays you will probably be able to get more clients, now return clients are the result of the quality you get out of that monstrosity.

remember also that the resone protools works well with thouse hudge studios and PT le suck is all that the mac that is runnin proTools is running is the mac OS, ProTools all plugins and software is handeld in there custom hardware, all of thouse expencive dsp cards.

all that said my pc has yet to be tapped ive run 50+ tracks some stedio some mono some midi, all with effects waves trueverb and comrestion and more and not a dent.

dont focus on hardware so mutch if you can pay you can build something that can out preform you. look at the software and deside, then buy computer to suit the software

yeah, theres no sense going protools unless you got the budget to go tdm- like 20 K+
Other than that, theres a lotta daws that kick pt le's butt

sorry guys but I disagree with much that is here.

It basically comes down to requirements and expectations.

There is much that Cubase can do and there is stuff it can not do.

Added to this is computer based stuff is exactly that. A computer first and a recorder second. At home in the safety of a converted bedroom the various computer based DAWs are great.
Many of you know I use PT and have done so since it was AT and I do TDM AND LE. I've also been with the makers of C-Lab and Cubase ... but never owned Nuendo. Audigy looks to be a future PT killer. Yes I also FCP and AVID

BUT
there are times when a Hardware Based reocorder is still the most relable piece of equipment to get the job done.

Nobody cares how big your drive is IF it fails. There is good reason to have smaller drives that are hot swappable so if there is a failure you don't lose ... everything in one hit.

There is so much more to consider.
If I were starting from scratch then a home Based DAW is a must with a good collection of cross-platform periferals.

I hope this makes some sense to people.

true kev but i have been to two ProTools TDM studios where the harddrive failed and pleanty was lost.
it is a good point about the smaller hotswapable drives but a good hotswap system is expencive (ive built servers, i know) that dose not mean however that there are not cheaper alternatives that are just as usfull, a good mirrord RAID will give you pleanty of safety and can be really cheap too. only difrance is you have to shut down the system before removing the drive. unfortunaly most systems dont support a stripe set with parity any more.
i agree with xavier on this unless your putting i would say like 10K+ i would not go with ProTools. that said i would rather spend that 10K on a good set of pre's and mics then my DAW.