building a new pc (1 Viewer)

[twilightsection]

Hi,

I use sonar, reason and fruity loops. I want to build a new pc cause Im currently recording an album and my pc is constantly crashing when I record or playback any audio files in SONAR.
I use a soundblaster audigy platinum.

Can anyone suggest what the best setup i might be?
I will be running up to 30 tracks in sonar and am using 512 mb od SDRAM. Should i use DDR instead?

Should I go for a p4 or an AMD processor?
What kind of motherboard?

If anyone can help me out that would be great.

Thanks,
Owen

 

[kraster]

Hi,

I use sonar, reason and fruity loops. I want to build a new pc cause Im currently recording an album and my pc is constantly crashing when I record or playback any audio files in SONAR.
I use a soundblaster audigy platinum.

Can anyone suggest what the best setup i might be?
I will be running up to 30 tracks in sonar and am using 512 mb od SDRAM. Should i use DDR instead?

Should I go for a p4 or an AMD processor?
What kind of motherboard?

If anyone can help me out that would be great.

Thanks,
Owen

Generally in Audio. More is more. Up the ram to at least 1 gig of DDR. Get the fastest Processor. I'd go for an AMD over the P4 purely on the price/performance factor. Above all for audio your hard drive needs to be fast. Go for a serial ATA hard-drive (as your internal audio drive) which means the Motherboard will have to support it. Make sure the motherboard has firewire and USB2 too. Soundcards are only as good as their software drivers and unfortunately the Audigy's drivers are still primarily focused on Multi-media and Home entertainment. You need a soundcard that has proper WDM drivers so it will work with Sonar.

That'll be €5.99 please.....

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I'm half thinking of buying a new pc, i think the old one has had its day. I want to get rid of protools too and start using reaper. I read somewhere that i could use my digi001 with Windows7 32bit (not 64bit) using the digidesign asio driver so if i can do that without having to buy protools 9 then i'll probably do that. What's the drawback of using 32bit instead of 64? is it likely to cancel out the benefits of getting a new pc? i got the last one 8 years ago - windows xp, 2gb of ram, 2.6 processor (i forget the units thats measured in) - but i have a feeling its not as zippy as it used to be. If i have to replace the digi001 with something else i should go for 64bit windows should i?

Getting rid of protools seems to simplify everything. i could just install reaper, audacity maybe, a web browser and I'd be set

 

[ann post]

I dont use windows machines for tracking, but as a rule of thumb if you can avoid ever connecting your a windows DAW machine to the internet ever ever ever then do it. i.e. pick up a netbook or something for the web, keep the music machine seprate.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

Why is that? Would disconnecting from the net and turning off any antivirus software while using the music stuff be as good?

On my current pc i have protools installed on one partition and the other is for the internet and everything else but its a complete pain in the hole. I can't be bothered booting and rebooting just to look something up online or go on facebook or something, especially when protools takes all day to load up. its totally counterproductive, my internet addiction is far greater than my compulsion to make music.

 

[ann post]

I was just looking at your specs - your old xp machine might actually cut it with reaper, it doesnt have the crazy ram footprint of protools - i have 30 track projects that run using about 180mb of RAM. I have an xp machine for but only for word and some work stuff. I removed it from the web, removed all the stupid programs associated with the web and it runs like a dream, as i found while doing that that windows always wants to have a secret conversation with the web wether it tells you or not.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I'm not convinced that I'm getting the full amount of power that the spec figures suggest. It seems to struggle a lot more than it used to with plugins, I can do fuck all now without it saying its running out of cpu power whereas when I first got it I could load the sessions up with tracks and plugins.

 

[ann post]

Is that in happening reaper or pro-tools??

for the craic here i am throwing reaper on my xp machine:
256MB ram
1.1ghz processor.
I'll tell you if it works or not in a few mins.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

Protools. I put reaper on the internet partition and it works reasonably but I've installed all sorts of shite on there over the years. I don't have the xp disc anymore to do a clean install.

What do you record on?

 

[ann post]

I use a macbook with 4gb RAM and 2ghz processor. reaper is not as stable on mac as it is on pc.

I dont want to be a a dick, but did you defrag the HD recently??

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I dunno, I might have...

I havent really done any recording for years. I thought i should give getting back into it a good go before binning all my recording stuff and being happy with being a music fan.

Is it protools you use?

 

[ann post]

nope reaper - mostly because i'm relatively new to computer DAW and used a VS1680 up untill the a year and half ago. It seemed best option at the time.

An update on my ancient machine mentioned above. Its running it fine, on an 7 track recording with a plugin on each channel.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

Cool, maybe a new pc is just foolishness.

I just got protools because it was the first thing I learned how to use when a former housemate had it and it seemed sensible to get it myself when the time came. Its very easy to get used to but a bit pointless now maybe

 

[RayRay]

Id up the RAM to 4gb, thats it. I have pretty much the same spec as you and im running win 7 32bit with reaper nay bothers... Only thing is i haven't really done anything past 6ish tracks

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

Where is a good place to shop for a new PC these days if you have specific requirements like a graphics card with no fan and quiet parts and that kinda thing? Don't say build it yourself, I'll only make a bollix of it.

 

[pete]

It’s a bad time to be building PCs. I bought a video card about 14 months ago and if I put it up on adverts today I could get 2x what I paid for it.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

So I hear but I have a feeling this one is one the way out

 

[pete]

Maybe try

https://www.pcspecialist.ie/

Or

Prebuilt Gaming PCs, Parts, & Peripherals

Build the Extraordinary with NZXT. Premium gaming PCs, custom gaming PCs, software, and other PC-related products all for the DIY and PC gaming community.

nzxt.com

 

[GO]

Where is a good place to shop for a new PC these days if you have specific requirements like a graphics card with no fan and quiet parts and that kinda thing? Don't say build it yourself, I'll only make a bollix of it.

This would be my next pc if my current one wasn't still fucking rocking . This is the updated version of the one I have basically . The only thing that it will need is the installation of a quiet CPU cooler. Which would be a Cooler Master Hyper 212 to be exact

8-CORE PC INTEL i7 11700K @5,0GHz 16-32GB DDR4 SSD+HDD UHD Grafik Win11 Computer | eBay

8-CORE PC INTEL i7 11700K @5,0GHz 16-32GB DDR4 SSD+HDD UHD Grafik Win11 Computer | Computer, Tablets & Netzwerk, Desktops & All-in-One-PCs, PC Desktops & All-in-Ones | eBay!

www.ebay.ie

This will do all the music.

I doubt you'll get a silent video card that will do video editing ,but if your not editing video the on board Intel graphics will do any size monitor you throw at it. Twice

I have a fanless GeForce 730 in my current box. Only cos my mobo is old and cant do 1440p

 

[pete]

I got TINY dell optiplex 3060 USFF pc for €139 delivered off some French eBay seller. SSD and windows 10 installed could just do with more RAM. I doubt it would do any music stuff but it sure is silent and runs Proxmox + HomeAssistant just fine.

Got it from these lads

| eBay

www.ebay.ie