analog came digital

[swablring]

sorry, awful pun.

What I need is information - lots of it. And I don't have much time coz I'm old and don't have much time left, (not unless I live to be a hundred which I probably will). So if someone wise would oblige, I'd like to pick your formidable brain or brains.

My computer has 256mg ram and a 1000mghtz amd processor. I haven't invested in the all important sound card yet. However, while trying to weigh up the options and the costs involved I've been getting a lot of mixed messages.

The pro tools people won't sell me pro tools gear because I have an amd processor. When I go to buy other soundcards I'm told to check what chip set I have in case I run into problems with them. They say I should have a pentium cpu or better still not a pc at all but a mac. It's getting very confusing and a long way away from the "music" so to speak.

Does anybody use and amd processor with success in recording? And if so with which equipment?

[SPINSTERWUN]

Originally posted by swablring
....

1) The pro tools people won't sell me pro tools gear because I have an amd processor.

2) When I go to buy other soundcards I'm told to check what chip set I have in case I run into problems with them.

3a) They say I should have a pentium cpu

3b) or better still not a pc at all but a mac.....

4) Does anybody use and amd processor with success in recording? And if so with which equipment?

1) Correct, you need to have a MAC OS.

2) That is correct also, because you'll need to cross reference all of the information.

3a) Correct, you will run into less problem with a Pentium chip, ]for the most part. p.s. Who are you referring to, when you say "They"?

3b) That would be correct if you want to run ProTools on your computer (it is a MAC based program).

4) You might want to do a search on this site for that info, until some more people respond to your post.

p.p.s. I am sure that more people here at this site will offer you some additional information.

[swablring]

thanks spinsterwun, that's very helpful and much appreciated.

[TexRoadkill]

after about 5 minutes I finally got the pun. You must hang out with my old high school teachers

FYI - When they say "chipset" they are referring to your motherboard. Find out what you have and then you can ask the sound card makers if it will work okay. No guarantee but that will at least get you started in the right direction.

[AlChuck]

swablring,

Not much of a pun... :-P

Does your user name bear any relation to the old Bruce/Brown song "Swlabr" from Cream's Disraeli Gears?

SPINSTERWUN, I think ProTools runs on NT too, or did they bail on that?

[swablring]

Yes AlChuck, the username connection is "as you said" ( which is, funnily enough, another Cream number isn't it?).

Anyway, on the pro tools question a guy who runs a professional studio told me that the pro tools gear used for home recording is so far scaled down from the studio gear that it doesn't bear comparison. (Sorry, if this last statement sounds inept, I'm very much still in the fog when discussing computer recording etc.)

I think this guy was trying to point out that I wouldn't necessarily have to change my amd processor to record successfully at home and from reading other posts at this site it sounds like he's right. Having said that Spintsterwun seems to have confirmed a lot of what I have been told about using amd processors with certain hardware software combinations. Maybe I'll just use a Fostex 4 track and to hell with the freakin' computer. (If you want to know what I look like just look up the word "quitter" in the dictionary.

By the way Spinsterwun, when I said "they" I meant mainly sales reps in music stores who, as can be expected, are not always impartial. Thanks again for the advice from all.

[SPINSTERWUN]

Originally posted by swablring
thanks spinsterwun, that's very helpful and much appreciated.

No problem my friend.

[SPINSTERWUN]

Originally posted by AlChuck
.... SPINSTERWUN, I think ProTools runs on NT too, or did they bail on that?

I wouldn't mess with ProTools, unless it's on a MAC platform (if I were you).

peace...

[TexRoadkill]

When people say the real Pro Tools is better that is mainly due to the hardware and plug-ins used with it. If you use good hardware you can get similar results.