FL Studio

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ste20man

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Hi all, just a quick question.

I'm currently using FL Studio to get my songs down. It might not be the best DAW but I know it now and am happy with it.

I am coming into trouble at the mo though. I've got a very heavy heavy project going on at the mo and my computer iws starting to show signs of not being up to the job. I'm getting clicks as hangs for half a second sometimes. If I have visuals on the screen, like the mixer, eq, frequency analyzer, compressor graphs....If I have them visually 'on screen' could that be a real drag on the computer?

I'm beginning to think that it's not just about processing sound but also the visuals I have on screen. I have a generic video / graphics card, that might well be on the board itself.

Its an: Intel(R) G33/G31 Express Chipset Family.

Is it worth my while going out and buying a new graphics card?

Cheers for your advice, Ste.
 
Have you "optimized" your computer for running a DAW? i.e. turned off automatic updates, virus scans, cut internet connection (just to stop all other auto updates lol). This stuff can help a lot if your computer isn't a natural-born behemoth!
 
Interesting list there. Is there a definitive list somewhere of all these kinds of things? From the list there I can only think of me leaving my internet on. My comp is dual 2.7Ghz with 3.5Gb RAM.
 
A new graphics card won't improve performance directly, however, if you switch off your built in graphics, that will likely free up some RAM (as integrated graphics usually share system RAM, whereas graphics cards carry their own). You should be able to check the amount of RAM shared by the graphics in graphics properties, system info or the BIOS. You probably won't see huge increases in performance. And you don't need an expensive card. More RAM and/or better processor will have more of an impact, but the latter will likely mean a new motherboard. And you can only use more RAM with a 64 bit processor. All of this is IMHO and AFAIK - check other opinions/sources before parting with any money.
 
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Yeah, have thought about buying a new PC.

My bro told me that some i7's were the equivalent of 20 cores. Holy moly. I wish I had money to burn. I'm just on the edge, right in between needing something new.

Does anyone know where you could get a PC off the shelf at this moment that would have the properties of being future proof, 64bit fast CPU and good RAM for less than £500? I don't want to put one together myself as I don't believe I would save that much and the effort is too much for me at the mo. Not done it before and I'm sure I would fall flat on my face :0)
 
I don't know FL Studio at all, but I'm gonna throw this out there because a lot of other DAWs have the feature of temporarily rendering a track to audio which then frees up a ton of memory and CPU that the effects on that track were using. I use Sonar and you can "freeze" a track. You may already have done this, but thought I'd suggest it. I don't think CPU usage by your video card is an issue. I use to use my motherboard card and upgraded to a pretty high end card. Made 0 difference in cpu usage when mixing. Made games better though!
 
ste20man said:
Interesting list there. Is there a definitive list somewhere of all these kinds of things? From the list there I can only think of me leaving my internet on. My comp is dual 2.7Ghz with 3.5Gb RAM.
Click to expand...

I saw a list somewhere around here recently....can't exactly remember where though :(
 
Go into fl studio settings, audio settings, turn your buffering up.... problem solved... and adjust it as needed... I usually start out with it set low and turn it up as I build my project..
 
Another suggestion is too make the instrumental tracks in fl studio and record vocals with audacity if you are un able to to afford another daw... it is a really simple free open source daw..
 
I know it's over budget, but check out this list:

Amazon wishlist

For £700 you get a super-duper powerful and silent machine. You can upgrade the ram later if you want (another £40 for a further 8gb!). Add in your current hdd or buy larger storage later when hdds come back down in price. And you can over clock the CPU and ram for even more power!

Also, all these parts are compatible with mac OS x, so you can install that if you want (see tonymacx86.com for details).

These are all high quality components, so should last a long time. You won't find this quality or power for anywhere near this price ready built. I built something similar recently (which now runs windows, mac OS x and UbuntuStudio Linux) - it was my first pc build and was a fun project. Don't be scared of DIY, the payback is enormous.

Anyway, this list could be a good starting point to defining something to your budget/needs.
 
guitaristic said:
I saw a list somewhere around here recently....can't exactly remember where though :(
Click to expand...

Did follow all what you mentioned earlier in the thread guitaristic, all were good, just looking for some further.

FL does have the ability to freeze the tracks which takes them out of memory. I'll defo do this from now on as the need is arising.

J Deep, looked through the wish list and it is a great start for me. I gave up smoking a month ago so I guess 4 months saving and I'll have the £ to get something.
 
Legend!

Tons of stuff to read through there. Am thinking about building a machine I think. Have been reading and come across the Intel i5 2500K. Pretty amazing, think I could hit a good spec for around £500. Exiting times! Will freeze some of the tracks I have running now and see how that goes first. This really was a big project, I think the next will be more streamlined.

Still nice to buy new things, i5 looks awesome and I'm not really a tech type guy. Makes me want to buy it 4 some reason. V. sexy.
 
Yeah, should future proof me with enough RAM I think. It's either new PC or learn how to drive. Flipping a coin? Might be the way to go. :)
 
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