Advice - Please Sonar 4 P as Basis for DAW

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gvdv

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Hi,
I don't want to violate any niceties of cross-forum posting, so I'll simply ask this question for now - would this forum be the appropriate place for asking advice about what hardware to use for a Sonar 4 P based DAW, or would this question be more appropriate on the Computers and Soundcards forum?

Thanks,
GVDV, in Toronto
 
what hardware to use for a Sonar 4 P based DAW,
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W-a-y too broad of a question.

You need to let us know...

How many inputs do you need?

Do you want built in preamps?XLR inputs?

Do you need midi?

Control surface?

Do have existing equipment you want to use?



I would say in general most of the major names work well and that most problems that arise seem to be configuration based,you know,what mobo with what video card,etc.,etc.etc..
 
Hi acid rock,
Thanks for the reply.

I was initially wanting to know whether or not this was the place to put the question, that's why I didn't go into detail about my wish-list.

However, having received a reply from you, I'll assume that it's O.K. to post this question here, so please read on.

Here are the rough parameters that I've set for myself in assembling/buying a DAW:

1. I guess my budget is around $1000 (U.S.).
2. I'd like 8 simultaneous inputs, if that's possible
3. Open to either an audio interface or PCI card-based system: need XLR, 1/4", and miscellaneous other inputs (RCA, 1/8")
4. Don't need a monitor
5. Don't need microphones (starting off with a Shure 58 and a copy of a 57 - can't remember the make)
6. No latency
7. System does not need to be portable, so am looking at a desktop, rather than a laptop
8. Would like MIDI
9. Control Surface is not essential
10. Will be editing video on this computer too, so please inform me of any potential conflicts
11. Seagate Barracuda hard drives (2 x 250 MB or bigger)
12. ASUS motherboard - not sure of whether it is best to go with a more current model, or if I could legitimately save money on an older model): do I need a Front Side Bus?
13. Quiet case
14. Sonar 4 Producer (I already have this)

I am confused/open to influence around issues such as name brand RAM vs. generic, audio interface (firewire or U.S.B.) vs. an internal PCI card etc.. Although I can't really afford the expenditure, I want to make this the best system I can for the money.

I feel like I'm forgetting certain things, as I have only got back into researching this in the last couple of months, having previously almost bought/assembled a DAW about a year and a half ago.

I would very much appreciate any help that people here can give me.

Thanks,

GVDV
 
I would recommend the EMU 1820M. It is a great unit and ultra stable. It has 8 analog ins, 2 preamps built into it, SPDIF in/out. It also has ADAT for an additional 8 ins (You can couple it with the Behringer ADA8000, one of the best units Behringer has actually made) The EMU 1820m goes for about $500 and comes with some great converters too.

-Ryan
 
gvdv said:
1. I guess my budget is around $1000 (U.S.).
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:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Am I to assume you plan on getting the computer and an 8-channel interface and 8 pre-amps (or a mixer) and monitor speakers for $1K???

I have a Delta 1010 8-channel PCI interface, which I would recommend. But that alone is gonna run you $400-500.

You could save some money going with the Delta 1010LT. I'm not too big a fan, but mainly because the configuration (wiring inputs mainly) is too awkward for my taste. However it is about $200 cheaper and comes with a couple of built-in pre-amps. There are a couple of people in this forum using one, so they might give you a better take on it.

ASUS makes a good mobo, so you're OK there. I'm using a P4P800, which works fine for me. It's a year or two old, so there are probably newer models. Also, have 1 GB of Crucial memory, which I would also recommend (www.crucial.com). Two HD's is a good idea, although you might not need them as large as you have spec'd out.

You probably want to consider a DVD burner as well, for back-ups and burning audio CD's.

What are you planning on using for speakers? You are going to need monitors for a decent DAW, otherwise your mixes are going to be a lot of trial and error.
 
You could get a Delta 1010...but you'd need to buy some pre's. You can pick up a Delta 1010 for 399 at Musician's Friend and then you could buy some pre's with the leftover money. RNP's are really nice and I think you can get two channels for a couple hundred. You could get 8 channels of RNP's. Can't go wrong for nice clean pre's there. You could probably even pick up a 1010 on eBay for fairly cheap as well.

Then there's the PreSonus Firepod. It has pre's on it. It goes for about $600 new.

Either of these would be a good choice. The Delta is PCI based while the Firepod is firewire based.
 
dachay2tnr posted that two 250 gig drives might be a bit overkill. This is probably true, but looking at the prices it seems that the 200-250 gig range are still reasonably priced. Since you are editing video on this machine, I'd say two 250GB drives are a good choice.

You asked "Do I need a Front Side Bus". A FSB is a function of the motherboard and is the main data path for information going to and from the CPU. You don't need to buy one as it's hardware dependant on the motherboard. What you need to understand is that faster is better and that the CPU and MB FSB speeds need to be matched. You can buy a MB that supports a faster FSB speed than your CPU, but it may cost more and it will not be used. Some of the faster FSB rated CPUs are a bit pricey.

My system is about 2 years old. I'm running and AMD XP2400+ with two serial ATA150 80Gig drives and 1 Gig PC3200 memory. I haven't really stressed the system yet with only 8 tracks of simultanious playback, but I have absolutely no problems at all.

I hope some of this information helps.
 
A Tascam FW-1884 would be a great interface. I'm running mine with Cakewalk P4 and it works perfect.
 
Hi ryanformato, dachay2TNR, Myriad_Rocker, grweldon, johnnypraze, and deepwater,
Many thanks for all the replies to my questions.

dachay2TNR, to answer your question, yes, I do plan on getting the computer and an 8-channel interface and 8 pre-amps (or a mixer) for $1000, but NOT monitors or a (video) monitor.

I have some other questions for all of you who posted here.

1. Is the EMU 1820 M seen as a better quality choice than the Delta 1010 or the Presonus Firepod?

2. Also, I had read on this forum previously last year that there were conflicts with firewire options running in conjunction with XP2; I also read that there were fixes available. Is this the case? If there are conflicts, then I presume that a PCI card, rather than an external mobile interface, would be the best solution, no?

3. Also, I understand that there will be the perception of latency (because there is always latency) unless one monitors the incoming signals back off the preamps. My question is - having not played around with any soundcards in a serious way - do all soundcards allow this to happen, and is this a physical connection, i.e. how does one wire this?

Thanks,
GVDV.
 
gvdv said:
dachay2TNR, to answer your question, yes, I do plan on getting the computer and an 8-channel interface and 8 pre-amps (or a mixer) for $1000, but NOT monitors or a (video) monitor.
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I'll be interested to see the outcome. ;)

Also, I understand that there will be the perception of latency (because there is always latency) unless one monitors the incoming signals back off the preamps. My question is - having not played around with any soundcards in a serious way - do all soundcards allow this to happen, and is this a physical connection, i.e. how does one wire this?
Click to expand...
Yes, latency is inherent in the nature of the operation. It is the time required for the computer to process the signal and spit it back out. However, in general, anything under 5ms is pretty much not noticeable - and today's systems and sound cards can operate at < 5ms. That said, I would still recommend hardware monitoring directly through the sound card - which is latency free. Most decent sound cards allow for this.
 
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