digital audio workstation PC

[newbie100]

what do you think of this?

http://www.hardwarezone.com/microsite/diy2006/daw.shtml

Like a HTPC system, one can possibly make any PC with a decent audio card (not that hard to find nowadays) into a rudimentary Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) with the correct set of software. A general rule of thumb when building a PC is always speed. The faster, the more powerful, the better. While this is also true in a DAW setup, the speed demon here isn't the processor nor is it the graphics card. Sure we need good CPU performance and memory to handle large amounts of audio traffic, but speed is truly needed in the audio interface and we think our choice is one of the best in terms of bang-for-buck today. Another consideration in a DAW is component stability - important in every PC setup, but quite paramount in a DAW. You want it to work when you need to work without hiccups with audio recording or editing.

If you've noticed, we've left out studio monitors and other peripherals like a MIDI tone generator and a mixing board, but not because we forgot. This guide is aimed to cater to the PC system and its various configurations, thus we did not fully examine the entire home studio setup outside of the core DAW PC. However, if you're interested in a decent pair of studio monitors to begin with, do check out M-Audio's BX8a, Event's TR8 or find good value in the Fostex PM-1.

 

[zenguan88]

hmm i am not really sure about this but i think most DAW now will want to take advantage of dual core instead of intel pentium D etc etc however some people still uses that. but if you would have notice softwares like sonar logic protools now equipped and upgrade newer version to support the dual core processor.

however that article is of the start of this year if i am not wrong LETS SEE THE NEW ONE COMING UP NEXT YEAR : ) anticapating .

thks for the info though : )

 

[newbie100]

so what do you use?
I'm in the midst of building or maybe just buy one.

any suggestion from you?

what is dual core?

 

[blueprintstudios]

i'm on a 2.4 core 2 duo 6600. 2 gig ram DDR2 667mhz. 250gb + 320gb + 320gb + 320gb Sata2 seagate hard disk. Asus DRW1608 pc. Asus P5B-V mainboard and err Antec TruePower 2.0 480Watts.

mainly it's watch your budget lor. if you need the space, you don't need such a good comp. get a Barebone PC like the shuttleX.

if you need to go seriously mobile, get a laptop.

but otherwise if you're gonna get a higher level end one , don't just focus on ram/cpu and neglect important stuff like power supply and mainboard (a.k.a motherboard to some old sch PC guys). alot of times my comp failed on me not because of slow speed from my old celeron or "value ram" , but the cheap powersupply and mainboard.

new processors need alot of power and because I got so many hard disks, I ever powered all of them up at one time on a cheap one and the system kept trippin'. so heed my advice hehe.

just curious , what's your budget and PC range expectations? i might have a spare PC system that might just suit your needs.

 

[zenguan88]

dual core is whereby 2 processor feeds the CPU the speed instead of just 1.

lols i want to use logic so i gonna get the MAC pro well i will list the spects..

For SG 6K,
2.66 intel quad core ( this is 4 core together )
however many software only use 2 cores now, i enquire with mac personnel and they told me its possible to use 2 cores only.
4GB ram
250HD (HD space is expandable and of course i will expand it when needed)
mac can hold up to 2TB of space. : ) : )


i agree with blueprintstudios it really depends if you are doing stuff with many tracks its better to get something better, however if you going do basic demo with say like drums guitar and some vocals pads very little instrument tracks you could get a barebone PC like shuttleX or even the MAC pro which looks good however the price is a little steep.

i think firstly you have to decide what software to use, after that create the CPU based on the software, and also many people tends to use DAW for production purporse only meaning they dont have internet connection on their CPU or even games etc etc and everything is done to utilize the full potential of the software.

If you are using software like sonar which works on windows OS only you should get something like what blueprintstudios have : )

 

[blueprintstudios]

ah yes, I'd also like to highlight on the software side. since i'm using cool edit pro (original copy. my name isn't "peter quistgard") and this software was like back in 2003. it doesn't utilize the dual core or whatever new thingy my PC has. so I myself probably gotta save up and upgrade to steinberg cubase/nuendo (relearning all the functions etc damn thing all over) or any new DAWs that will fully utilize my PC. so it's sort of like a ying yang balance.

logic has always been associated with mac, so the balance is there you see. stability/speed/power/sound, but comes down to a matter of preference.

30¢ worth

 

[zenguan88]

just wanna ask why don you use sonar? i think sonar is a pretty good software now than cubase and also you just need to pay a few hundreds more right?

 

[blueprintstudios]

errr you're asking me? cos I've been using cool edit since 1998. (before i hit puberty, too comfy with it already) and besides, i'm not experienced enough to use a new DAW on my own heheh.btw cool edit was $200 for me , plus my winxp pro at $215. there you go, affordable, self financed and i'm legally ready to go on a freelance basis

most of my friends using cubase/nuendo, i'm still "watch'n'learn" ing. slowly lor. to me DAWs are like mediums to serve one purpose : "mix"
even if I use a better audio-engine software , but totally not comfortable or confident with the bla bla blas , my special settings are over at cool edit, i'm as good as starting from scratch haha. I rather focus the cash on the mics/preamps now. read up more on theory in mixing/recording. end of the day, a friend (fellow non-regular softie) told me this interesting line : your final sound is as strong as your weakest link.

your experience/knowledge/skills (application of knowledge)/equipment (mics,pres,card)/acoustic environment (try recording on the go and sound great, then there's no reason why you should screw up when you have a full fledged studio) and I guess the most important of all, drive (a.k.a passion) after all this is an art, regardless how small your studio, how crap your DAW is. some are capable of mixing decent stuff out of freebie softwares like audacity/kristal.

30¢ worth

 

[zenguan88]

yea i agree that you have to be comfortable in ur sequencer software. hmmm but i feel many of the sequencer software works on the same concept but some are better as in their plug-ins etc has a much more variety or have a better concept or idea in delivering a better way for you to sequence and therefore this branches up people to choose different sequencer too.

i guess the final mix is very much important : ) well i guess its not the process that matters but the product.

well but if in any case you would like to try a new sequencer do try SONAR : )

 

[blueprintstudios]

ahah, yes thanks for the recommendation. actually I did try out sonar 6. the one with audiosnap features. very very handy. but i'm comparing a seperate beat quantizer software with that. cos i never do midi/composition. so end of the day I might just need to purchase that beat quantizer software and it's way cheaper compared to getting a whole new DAW. until sonar 8 or 9 comes out then by then I should be more financially steady and more experienced to get and use the good stuff.

 

[Underwater]

get a mac . But be warned Adobe audition ( formerly cool edit ) is not available for osx . NO IDEA WHY THOUGH . Found out only after i bought my mac .Logic is made by apple so .. u know how it goes for the best compatibility etc, etc.

 

[blueprintstudios]

haha adobe audition.. no thanks. tried it. they incorporated useless GUIs that take up monitor space. macs are expensive man. my current system only cost me around $1.4K. those power macs can get me a few of these PC big mommas already. besides, I got a decade of pc servicing experience. I'll do fine on this side hehehe. thanks for the recommendation though.