Hey everyone, so i need some help. I need to buy a computer. I want to start recording music. Im really only going to use it to record my guitar. Im having trouble finding a computer. I don't have the money to buy the top of the line stuff. Any recommendations on a computer. What type of processors will be fine. I want to know if i can get away with using intel dual core 2 or duo core 2 if thats the same. I would like and i7 but its to expensive. Im looking for a desktop. Which will be the minimum requirements that i need. Dont need anything to fancy. Thank you.
PLEASE HELP!!!!! with a new computer
- Thread starter Mjsto466
- Start date
Did you type the question on a computer or one of those (made by the Devil) iPhones? If a PC of ANY sort the question is A about Face. What you need is an Audio Interface and in case you don't know, this is a box of tricks that converts Analogue audio (guitar) to a digital signal and feeds it, via USB to the PC. Then, the digital signal comes back from PC for you to hear* . It does all this in two rather clever ways that need not concern us at this stage.
Now you NEED an AI no matter which computer you get but you might find that once the AI is purchased the PC you have is perfectly suited to do simple, 2 track recording. I am typing this on an i3 HP laptop, 5+yrs old but very capable. My son used a desktop of even lower spec for years.
But! Choosing an AI is just as fraught as the PC "jungle"! I can suggest the Steinberg UR22, Focusrite 2i4 and similar offerings by Presonus, Tascam, Zoom, Behringer. My personal choice would be the Native Instruments KA6 but that is closer to £200 than the £120 of the others.
AIs have improved greatly over the last couple of years and there really are no "bad" ones among the big names.
*You will need some "closed back" headphones to start with(love my AKG K92s!) and later some monitor speakers but early days for those!
Dave.
keith.rogers
Well-known member
Well, you can probably get away with a Core 2 Duo, but it's ancient technology. It's what's in my 2010 MacBook Pro, and will work for the kind of thing you describe, though my bet is that you'd be hard pressed to find a new computer with that wimpy CPU.
While Intel's development of CPUs and chipsets has apparently outstripped their ability to come up with new names, like [MENTION=89697]ecc83[/MENTION] says, an i3 is adequate for what you want, i5 slightly better. I would get no less than 8GB of RAM. If you get less, I would predict disappointment, and on a Windows machine would say 16GB is worth budgeting and saving for.
And, you'll need one of those interfaces he describes so you can record an electric guitar. If you mean acoustic guitar, you'll need a microphone, too.
While Intel's development of CPUs and chipsets has apparently outstripped their ability to come up with new names, like [MENTION=89697]ecc83[/MENTION] says, an i3 is adequate for what you want, i5 slightly better. I would get no less than 8GB of RAM. If you get less, I would predict disappointment, and on a Windows machine would say 16GB is worth budgeting and saving for.
And, you'll need one of those interfaces he describes so you can record an electric guitar. If you mean acoustic guitar, you'll need a microphone, too.
Tadpui
Well-known member
I'd leave the Core 2 Duo on the shelf and go with at least an i5 or a Ryzen 3/5/7. Also stay away from the AMD A-series processors. They're woefully underpowered for a modern computer, yet companies keep sticking them in laptops. Keep an eye on Craigslist and eBay and see if you can find a good deal on something used if you don't have the budget for a new computer. Or just keep saving.
mjbphotos
Moderator
My Win10 computer (not what I use for recording) came with 8G RAM, 1T hard drive, Core 2 Duo 3GHz. I'm sure its more than adequate for recording purposes, but it costs me $180 + $80 for a 3 year 'no questions asked' replacement warranty - a 'refurbished" HP from Walmart online (they delivered free to local Walmart, in New Hampshire so I paid no sales tax either). It's got all the usual Win10 faults, but at that price ....
Ok thanks guys, ya i was going to just get the focusrite solo AI. And ok i will probably stick with the i3 since its not to expensive. Im just trying to get a little starter package going. I would like a desktop but im finding better deals on laptops. Do you guys think if i got a laptop i can just plug in an external monitor for a bigger screen. And how many usbs and inputs should u usually have. And i appreciate the help everyone
keith.rogers
Well-known member
An i3 in a laptop is not the same CPU as an i3 in a full size desktop. Still probably powerful enough, but just be aware that laptop components are , in general, designed for low power consumption (better battery life, less computer killing heat), so they generally run slower with fewer cores/threads active, even though Intel likes to name them the same.
Compact desktops are essentially notebooks in a small box, so with those you are typically comparing notebook components like CPUs and hard drives.
It's probably supply and demand that make laptops cheaper these days - when I worked in the industry the desktops were still cheaper to build, but I'm sure their portion of sales has shrunk so much the commodity prices risen. Weird.
Ports are a concern on laptops. Many today have very few ports, and with interfaces and external drives (which many folks use for their a/v projects) almost always need to be connected directly and not via a hub. So, I'd want at least 2 USB ports, and 3 is better because someday you might want to add a keyboard/mouse (which are fine through a hub if not wireless). And, you'll need a port for video, like Thunderbolt, or probably more common on the lower end would be DisplayPort. (My old Mini has DP and I used an adapter to plug into a monitor that had DVI input.)
A quick look at bestbuy.com shows several i5 notebooks for under $300. I'd read specs carefully and pay attention to reviews, and budget for an external drive for backups.
Compact desktops are essentially notebooks in a small box, so with those you are typically comparing notebook components like CPUs and hard drives.
It's probably supply and demand that make laptops cheaper these days - when I worked in the industry the desktops were still cheaper to build, but I'm sure their portion of sales has shrunk so much the commodity prices risen. Weird.
Ports are a concern on laptops. Many today have very few ports, and with interfaces and external drives (which many folks use for their a/v projects) almost always need to be connected directly and not via a hub. So, I'd want at least 2 USB ports, and 3 is better because someday you might want to add a keyboard/mouse (which are fine through a hub if not wireless). And, you'll need a port for video, like Thunderbolt, or probably more common on the lower end would be DisplayPort. (My old Mini has DP and I used an adapter to plug into a monitor that had DVI input.)
A quick look at bestbuy.com shows several i5 notebooks for under $300. I'd read specs carefully and pay attention to reviews, and budget for an external drive for backups.
witzendoz
Senior Member
You know almost any computer made in the last 5 years will record, the only thing that bogs then is large amounts of plugins.
I have a little notebook type computer under the seat of the van, windows XP, that I use to record gigs if required, sets up to 1 hour, then I edit and add a little mastering and give to the band on their USB stick. Never fails.
Alan.
I have a little notebook type computer under the seat of the van, windows XP, that I use to record gigs if required, sets up to 1 hour, then I edit and add a little mastering and give to the band on their USB stick. Never fails.
Alan.
witzendoz
Senior Member
Seems like a small HD these days, but there is no reason why you cannot add an external drive to hold projects if it becomes too full. You should have an external drive for back up anyway.
The 160gb drive is plenty big enough to hold software. I can't comment on speed, I can never figure out that side of things.
Alan.
The 160gb drive is plenty big enough to hold software. I can't comment on speed, I can never figure out that side of things.
Alan.
Oh, DO get better than the Solo! It is really a 'one lunged' device* for podcasters. Has less than brilliant RCA, unbalanced outputs and I am sure you will find it very limiting in a very short time. The 2i2 is better but I always like an AI to have MIDI ports.
The Tascam 2x2 gets some good reports as does the Steinberg UR22.
That i3 Dell should serve you well. This HP laptop is an i3 (4 cores) and has ample power for 2 tracks recording and has played out 20+tracks of Cubase no bother. As for ports and external monitors? Almost all laptops come with an HDMI port and most with VGA (I have a desktop that runs VGA into a 40" JVC FSTV, looks great) Even tho' some 5yrs old it has 2 USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 port so files can be rapidly dumped to an external drive or stick.
*You HAVE heard of a technique called "stereo recording"? Been around a while....
Dave.
keith.rogers
Well-known member
160? I remember when 320GB was briefly a common size, but that's down in SSD range. Regardless, you'll run out of space soon if you start putting all your projects on the system drive, so definitely get an external (USB 3.0!) drive for your projects and that will give you a couple benefits - saving the system drive for just application and OS stuff, and separating OS disk activity from that of the audio processing.
witzendoz
Senior Member
Talking about drives before, I have a networked NAS box with 4 x 500Gig drives, when I back up to the NAS it saves the project on 2 drives at once, so I really have a 1TB NAS but 2 copies of everything in case a drive goes out. This may be too pricy to consider, but there are is a lot of second hand NAS gear around and it's a good backup solution.
Having said that, I always have a USB drive for backup as well and you can never have enough backups.
Alan.
Having said that, I always have a USB drive for backup as well and you can never have enough backups.
Alan.
jimmys69
MOODerator
Agreeeeeeed! You can never have enough backup drives. I have 7 now.
Worst thing that can ever happen is lose a project....
I know it is convenient to record direcly to a computer, but think this over: A decent digital recorder that saves to SD cards and a fairly pedestrian PC with the software of your choice.
Advantages: No computer noise or RF interference to deal with. No fancy interfaces. Record anywhere with your recorder.
Cons: You can't record and playback/fix right away.
I am not a musician, but I have recorded more than 500 radio shows and three audiobooks as described above.
Advantages: No computer noise or RF interference to deal with. No fancy interfaces. Record anywhere with your recorder.
Cons: You can't record and playback/fix right away.
I am not a musician, but I have recorded more than 500 radio shows and three audiobooks as described above.
jimmys69
MOODerator
I am curious and must ask. How do you record for 500 radio shows and have ability to share your work without use of computers?
And a second thought, how do you back up the format that you are using? I suppose radio shows may not need backup unless you need the info you gave or a special council is appointed to read your drives....
Steenamaroo
...
+1 to Keith.
I'd only consider 160gb if A: it's SSD B: You're an organised computer user and C: Your sessions and samples are going elsewhere.
160gb is in that limbo area where it should be enough if you tick all those boxes, but it doesn't leave much room for luxury.
A mid sized photo and music library, for example, would put a huge dent in that.
I'd only consider 160gb if A: it's SSD B: You're an organised computer user and C: Your sessions and samples are going elsewhere.
160gb is in that limbo area where it should be enough if you tick all those boxes, but it doesn't leave much room for luxury.
A mid sized photo and music library, for example, would put a huge dent in that.
Hi Mjsto466,
Like they said the core 2 duo would be enough... but it would not be fun to use, really slow compare to what you could have today for fairly cheap.
I use an i5 with 8 gigs of ram. When I record in Reaper it's using about half of that memory so 8 is enough, lower then that I believe you might feel your computer slow with today's OS and applications.
Here is a chart that has most of the available cpu on the market that will give you a good idea of how good a CPU is compare to the others:
I would recommend anything higher than the lowest i3 in that picture.
It's also good to have two hard drive (or atleast partitions), one for Windows and one for saving your projects. That way if your Windows doesn't boot anymore or have any other problems your files are safe. In the best world you could get an ssd of a couple hundred gigs for Windows and a normal hard drive for your files.
I don't know where you live but here in Canada you can have these 2 CPUs that are ones of the cheapest cpus and are high on the benchmark:
i3-8350k 209.88$ can
i5-8400 248$ can
8 gig of ram is about 85$ can.
And the rest... (motherboard around 100, ssd for 120 gig 60$, 55$ for 1To normal harddrive, power supply 45$, case 40$, keyboard mouse 20$)
So you can have a really good machine for around 614-653$ canadian, not even 500$ US! In the US I'm pretty sure you could have even a better price than what we have her on top of that. And with that machine I can garantee you that you won't feel the need for more power in many years to come.
Like they said the core 2 duo would be enough... but it would not be fun to use, really slow compare to what you could have today for fairly cheap.
I use an i5 with 8 gigs of ram. When I record in Reaper it's using about half of that memory so 8 is enough, lower then that I believe you might feel your computer slow with today's OS and applications.
Here is a chart that has most of the available cpu on the market that will give you a good idea of how good a CPU is compare to the others:
I would recommend anything higher than the lowest i3 in that picture.
It's also good to have two hard drive (or atleast partitions), one for Windows and one for saving your projects. That way if your Windows doesn't boot anymore or have any other problems your files are safe. In the best world you could get an ssd of a couple hundred gigs for Windows and a normal hard drive for your files.
I don't know where you live but here in Canada you can have these 2 CPUs that are ones of the cheapest cpus and are high on the benchmark:
i3-8350k 209.88$ can
i5-8400 248$ can
8 gig of ram is about 85$ can.
And the rest... (motherboard around 100, ssd for 120 gig 60$, 55$ for 1To normal harddrive, power supply 45$, case 40$, keyboard mouse 20$)
So you can have a really good machine for around 614-653$ canadian, not even 500$ US! In the US I'm pretty sure you could have even a better price than what we have her on top of that. And with that machine I can garantee you that you won't feel the need for more power in many years to come.
