matt222 wrote:What's the difference between a Mac/PC ?
Uh well, there's about 20 million answers the people of the world would give you on that one!
https://www.ischool.utexas.edu/technolo ... ences.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=differe ... sb&tbm=vid
Budget say £1500..........
Do a custom build, with a good and reputable builder. You're gonna have to find him. I have no idea who or where they are. I'm not in the UK.
I have considered Ableton having read good things - from Jarre too!
Ableton's good, but so is everything else. It comes down to personal taste more than anything, in these times. There were greater differences between the main contenders, say back 5-10 years ago, than there are now. As I said above, spend a lot of time online researching your interests. You will learn. And learning will pay off, by making the right choices, most streamlined choices that will serve your workflow and desires, artistically.
Google (through which you can find information, reviews and shops) and Youtube (through which you can see how things work in real time and if you would like them.)
Here's some guides:
http://www.musicradar.com/tuition/tech/ ... aws-182337
http://getthatprosound.com/15-great-daw ... are-world/
http://ehomerecordingstudio.com/best-daw-software/
I rely on hardware synths. Will a new set up render my Akai ASQ10 Sequencer and Mackie 24 desk redundant?
Well getting computers and relevant software, you'll soon be swamped by mouthwatering plugins (i.e. software synths/samplers/sequencers/all kinds of useful software/drums/effects). Both original and emulations of vintage or hardware units from the past.
Those can really take money out of your pocket, since they don't take up physical space, one can really go nuts. (As some people have found out, that they've spent more time collecting, buying/reselling, or testing free ones and talking about plugins than actually making music with them, as they used to do in their hardware days.)
And no, I don't think it would make any of your hardware redundant. Merely you have to integrate it with the new stuff. And that's a whole subject onto itself.
But 1 step a time.
Oh btw, in response to your other topics, search for already running threads on those topics, on these sites: (As well as in general on Google)
www.kvraudio.com/
https://www.gearslutz.com/
Without faith nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.