can there be a point of overkill when buying a computer for music?

  • Thread starter Thread starter minofifa
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minofifa

minofifa

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Hey guys

It's now obvious to me that i need a second computer right now for music purposes alone. While running my tascam US122, cool edit, reason and various other music apps, my computer just can't handle all of this plus general tasks that i use it for like the internet, microsoft office and media player etc...

My dilema is in choosing what computer i need to replace. Do i get one that can be used for general purposes and use my old one for music alone? or do i get one for music and leave my old one how it is.

My current computer is a Toshiba Satellite laptop (1.7GHz and 512 RaM). I would be willing to use this one for general purposes and get a new one for recording but i don't want to drop 1400 CAN on a computer that isn't necessary. I was thinking 2.6 GHz Pentium with 800 Front side bus. Does recording (and by recording i mean simple recording like maybe 10 audio tracks and 10 midi tracks) really need such a powerful computer? thanks a lot for the help

Dar
 
minofifa said:
My current computer is a Toshiba Satellite laptop (1.7GHz and 512 RaM). I would be willing to use this one for general purposes and get a new one for recording but i don't want to drop 1400 CAN on a computer that isn't necessary. I was thinking 2.6 GHz Pentium with 800 Front side bus. Does recording (and by recording i mean simple recording like maybe 10 audio tracks and 10 midi tracks) really need such a powerful computer? thanks a lot for the help
Click to expand...
1.7GHz and 512 MB RAM is more than enough.
A fast external firewire hard drive may be something you want to consider in the future for your laptop but with 10 tracks you should be fine with what you got.
 
You can build a computer from scratch, for about $400 USD.
 
Unless you need portability, I would suggest a desktop computer for computer recording.
 
yes.

you don't need a 3ghz, 2 gig ram, 400gb hd computer to make recordings

i'm using a nforce1 mobo, XP1700, 512mb DDR2100, and 80gb HD and i've never experienced any slowdown whatsoever running ~30 tracks. could probably way more too.
 
Jotosuds said:
yes.

you don't need a 3ghz, 2 gig ram, 400gb hd computer to make recordings

i'm using a nforce1 mobo, XP1700, 512mb DDR2100, and 80gb HD and i've never experienced any slowdown whatsoever running ~30 tracks. could probably way more too.
Click to expand...

I'll second that. Gigabyte mobo XP1800, 512mb DDR2100 & 2 hard drives both 7200rpm 8mb cache. 30 tracks of audio and a LOT of plugins ~ easy

Alec
 
dang man, I got a 700 dollar computer built and shipped to me:
athlon XP 2100+
512 ddr ram (since then added, now I have 768)
blah blah, other stuff, it's a beast....

anyway, I have the newest office, mass video editing programs, dvd burner, delta 44 with all kinds of massive plugins and extra programs...etc. etc. etc.

I'll use word, excel, AIM, internet explorer, Vegas 4 for video, Vegas for recording a band, ALL in one day - and it rules. Stays strong almost all the time. Of course, it has its occasional crashes, but for the most part - it's insane....ha.. And I think that ain't bad at all, for the price. I can even put 30 tracks all with effects of somesorts on it, and it still runs great.

SOOOOOOO, maybe if your comp can't handle it - you sohuld think about a clean sweep of your drive, and add another bit of ram? could do the trick, without spending 1000 bucks! haha.
 
minofifa said:
I was thinking 2.6 GHz Pentium with 800 Front side bus. Does recording (and by recording i mean simple recording like maybe 10 audio tracks and 10 midi tracks) really need such a powerful computer? thanks a lot for the help

Dar
Click to expand...

I would suggest that you buy the sound card that you want to use first, then call and talk to the tech people at the manufacturer of the soundcard. They will help you make the right call.

I think your idea (above) is well in line.

Few things that I think would help you out no matter what are:

min512 memory, 1GB will be noticably better.

separate audio drive.... Use what ever comes with the computer for the OS and all the applications, then add a Western Digital 80GB drive (here is the important part-->) with 8mb of CACHE.

Good luck.

I would suggest looking at the Aardvark Q10. 8 inputs with 8 preamps. Nice thing is that you can add additional inputs 8 at a time.
 
thanks guys

Ya that's what i fgured. I would definately not consider my self a professional sound engineer. I just like recording with cool edit and playing around with midi. I think i will get a second cheapy computer for recording and keep my old one for school/work. I have a program called Zoomtext on my computer and it is a bitch to work with anything else..... so doing a reformatting wouldn't help i don't think. Thanks again

Dar
 
no, please keep spending more on computers. i just spent $500 3 weeks ago for an old tube based ampex 1/2" two track. suckers.
 
Re: thanks guys

minofifa said:
I think i will get a second cheapy computer for recording and keep my old one for school/work.
Dar
Click to expand...

If you're going to buy new, I'd suggest getting a quality motherboard like an Asus P4P800. These are reknowned for their reliability and overclocking performance. It will cost you a few bucks more than an older mobo, but you get the benefit of technology that, even though you might not need it now, you can upgrade to later.
You can still build a cheapish computer on this mobo with 512MB ram, a single hard drive, older style video card etc.
Then later down the track you can exploit mobo features like SATA controllers, RAID, Hyperthreading, Dual channel RAM etc. as your demands increase and your budget allows.

Just don't lock yourself into obsolete technology that can't be upgraded

I'd also highly recommend getting a nice 17" LCD monitor. Your eyes will thank you for it
 
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