I trying the demo, but the first problem is that my old G4 Power Mac cannot handle more than a few notes and sustain without pegging the CPU. Obviously I need more power, but I'm questioning whether a new i7 iMac can handle multitrack recording with Digital Performer and pianoteq at the same time. Is there enough horsepower in these new Macs to keep ahead of the demands?
I have a 3 year old Imac, not even a core 2 duo its a core duo, and it will handle several plug-ins including pianoteq while recording in pro tools no problem. The new ones will be even better. love my Imac
I have no idea what an "i7" iMac would be, but if you're thinking recent iMacs, I would say yes, absolutely.
I am recently using a recent MacBook Pro (Unibody); no problems here. I am doing complex arrangements all in-the-box w/ many instruments and while RAM (4GB) would often be an issue with bigger sample sets, PTQ isn't really much of a challenge CPU-wise. At live gigs, I can play heavy bass tremolos, glissandi and the like with sustain pedal and I have yet to manage to bring it anywhere near glitching. CPU would be around 30% max.
A recent iMac shouldn't be any slower than a MacBook pro I guess. And RAM should be easier / cheaper to upgrade there too.
By all means, that new i7 can _definitely_ handle your requests -- my iMac (see config below) does just peachy with about 3-5 instances of Pianoteq (in addition to other assorted plug-in effects of varying demand).
I myself "escaped" from a Quicksilver 2002 Dual-G4 (with upgraded processors, no less!) mostly because of Pianoteq. The difference is "night vs. day!"
(I would get a new i7, too, but I'm in no rush, and I'll probably get a Mac Pro next, for a few non-Pianoteq-performance reasons -- graphics work, mostly!)