If you’re looking to hire a machine in Leeds to carry out creative tasks such as audio engineering, animating or video editing then an Apple Mac is the perfect choice. A favourite amongst professionals in the creative industry the Mac has proven itself to be the ideal tool for almost every artistic endeavour.
If you are using a Mac to edit audio there are several packages available to ensure that you get the best editing tools. Whether you’re looking to simply record yourself playing guitar or create a complicated soundscape for a short film there is a program available for the Mac. Most Apple Macs come preloaded with a program called Garage Band, this is a relatively simple package that will allow you to cleanly record and produce tracks. Some editions even come with a library of musical clips and sound effects to incorporate into your work. If you’re looking for something more advanced Adobe Audition and Soundbooth are most likely the best choice. These allow users to perform more complicated audio tasks effectively such as time stretching, enveloping waveforms and noise removal.
For video based work Macs are particularly powerful. The processor speed allows for real-time editing and a smooth playback. A simple video editing software, iMovie, comes free with Macs and it works along the same lines as Windows Movie Maker. For more technical video editing you will require a program such as Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro. You should also ensure that your Mac has the correct firewire IEEE 1394 port for your cable and camera. Most people use DV tapes to record short films, however most Apple Macs will also support the HDV format.
Animators also use Macs frequently. Programs such as iMovies and Final Cut Pro can be used for basic stop motion animation but if you want to branch out into more advanced editing techniques it is essential that you have software such s iStopMotion. For CGI animation there are programs such as Maya and 3D Studio Max.
