Slackmaster--have you or anyone else posted any other comments on these boards regarding the computer components (not including soundcard) that would be desirable? For example: type of hard disk (does the brand matter) and speed (7200 I gather, for IDE), brand of computers that are acceptable, Intel chip preferable?, is it ok to buy, say a Hewlett Packard home computer that one often sees on sale packed with home software and modem etc?, is it OK to use a computer for music recording that you also use for other computer needs like internet etc?, what about remote control handset devices to control computer functions while recording--do they exist, and if so what kind of computer feature would you need to buy to accomodate that? If answers to these kinds of questions have been posted I would appreciate learning where. Thanks much.
Computer Costs
- Thread starter jeaston
- Start date
Slackmaster2K
Gone
Holy cripes. There has been SO much talk in this forum alone! You'll just have to browse.
I'll answer a few right now:
1) No it is not ok to buy an HP or Compaq or the like. For one, you're paying too much. For two, they use proprietary hardware which can make it difficult to find drivers making it difficult to reinstall windows making it difficult to get rid of all the bullshit they load on there (the recovery disk reloads all the crap too BTW). For three, their cases/motherboards/etc are not standard meaning that upgrades are difficult, AND you might have trouble sticking your big Gina in there (no pun intended).
2) Hard drives. IMHO, no western digital. Quantum are good...IBM are good. 7200RPM is the standard...a 2MB cache also helps. As of right this instant there is little to no difference between ATA/66 and UDMA/33 so you can stick your ATA/66 drive on your current controller no problem (e.g., don't run out and buy and ATA/66 controller).
3) I am working on (or have been working on) software that will allow you to control ANY application with ANY midi switch device. Should be cool if I ever get back to it. Currently, you can buy nice fancy boxes from jlcooper.com but they will set you back.
4) It is not recommended that you use the OS install to record and run other applications. As you may know, windows is very susceptible to being *whooped* by software installations. I've seen windows screach to half speed on NUMEROUS occasions. This includes internet applications and the like. It is recommended that you either JUST run NT4, or run 98lite or 95 and use it for recording ONLY, or dual boot between NT and 95/98 (or whatever you want). You can use your current computer for recording and everything else, but over time I guarantee you'll see your performance slip away.
5) Intel chips are usually preferred because, well, they're just better than the competition. The only exception would be AMD's relatively new Athlon processor which is worlds above their K6 series. One of the major downsides of using a Cyrix or AMD K6-2 processor is the lack of good floating point support. To put it lightly, DX effects/processors are heavy on floating point calculations (floats are basically decimal numbers... 1.3318 as opposed to just integers...whole numbers...1) and your AMD or Cyrix processor will handle less effects simultaneously. The Intel Celeron processor beats the AMD K6-2 in most gaming and recording applications and for the most part matches the price.
If you're looking for a computer for recording only (a DAW or Digital Audio Workstation), then your best bet is to build one yourself or have someone build one for you. You do not want ANY bells or whistles. Just the basics...a decent processor, ample memory, a big fast hard drive (or two), a nice soundcard, a basic video card, maybe a CDRW, and a nice monitor. Optionally, a network card can be handy for transfering files between your DAW and regular workstation.
But, we can't all afford this. I personally boot between 98 and NT4...using a very bare NT for recording of course. Works really well and is *almost* like having two machines except that it's a bigger pain in the ass (adding/removing hardware, etc)
Browse these forums. I know I'm not supposed to say this, but you might check out some of the articles at www.prorec.com , there's a good one about building your own DAW (kinda basic but to the point). Then make sure you get your ass back to this BBS. We don't need no deserters
Slackmaster 2000
I'll answer a few right now:
1) No it is not ok to buy an HP or Compaq or the like. For one, you're paying too much. For two, they use proprietary hardware which can make it difficult to find drivers making it difficult to reinstall windows making it difficult to get rid of all the bullshit they load on there (the recovery disk reloads all the crap too BTW). For three, their cases/motherboards/etc are not standard meaning that upgrades are difficult, AND you might have trouble sticking your big Gina in there (no pun intended).
2) Hard drives. IMHO, no western digital. Quantum are good...IBM are good. 7200RPM is the standard...a 2MB cache also helps. As of right this instant there is little to no difference between ATA/66 and UDMA/33 so you can stick your ATA/66 drive on your current controller no problem (e.g., don't run out and buy and ATA/66 controller).
3) I am working on (or have been working on) software that will allow you to control ANY application with ANY midi switch device. Should be cool if I ever get back to it. Currently, you can buy nice fancy boxes from jlcooper.com but they will set you back.
4) It is not recommended that you use the OS install to record and run other applications. As you may know, windows is very susceptible to being *whooped* by software installations. I've seen windows screach to half speed on NUMEROUS occasions. This includes internet applications and the like. It is recommended that you either JUST run NT4, or run 98lite or 95 and use it for recording ONLY, or dual boot between NT and 95/98 (or whatever you want). You can use your current computer for recording and everything else, but over time I guarantee you'll see your performance slip away.
5) Intel chips are usually preferred because, well, they're just better than the competition. The only exception would be AMD's relatively new Athlon processor which is worlds above their K6 series. One of the major downsides of using a Cyrix or AMD K6-2 processor is the lack of good floating point support. To put it lightly, DX effects/processors are heavy on floating point calculations (floats are basically decimal numbers... 1.3318 as opposed to just integers...whole numbers...1) and your AMD or Cyrix processor will handle less effects simultaneously. The Intel Celeron processor beats the AMD K6-2 in most gaming and recording applications and for the most part matches the price.
If you're looking for a computer for recording only (a DAW or Digital Audio Workstation), then your best bet is to build one yourself or have someone build one for you. You do not want ANY bells or whistles. Just the basics...a decent processor, ample memory, a big fast hard drive (or two), a nice soundcard, a basic video card, maybe a CDRW, and a nice monitor. Optionally, a network card can be handy for transfering files between your DAW and regular workstation.
But, we can't all afford this. I personally boot between 98 and NT4...using a very bare NT for recording of course. Works really well and is *almost* like having two machines except that it's a bigger pain in the ass (adding/removing hardware, etc)
Browse these forums. I know I'm not supposed to say this, but you might check out some of the articles at www.prorec.com , there's a good one about building your own DAW (kinda basic but to the point). Then make sure you get your ass back to this BBS. We don't need no deserters
Slackmaster 2000
So I got to build a new computer for recording purposes only
Individualy what might this cost?
333MHz Cleron Processor
Cheap ass MOBO to fit
4GB Hard Drive
64MB SDRAM
Acer CD-RW
Yea Yea I know its a cheap setup but its this or nothing.Actualy im paying someone to build it so any suggestions for a guy on a low budget...
Thanx 4 input
Individualy what might this cost?
333MHz Cleron Processor
Cheap ass MOBO to fit
4GB Hard Drive
64MB SDRAM
Acer CD-RW
Yea Yea I know its a cheap setup but its this or nothing.Actualy im paying someone to build it so any suggestions for a guy on a low budget...
Thanx 4 input
Slackmaster2K
Gone
1) A low end celeron processor will run around 50 bucks.
2) A "cheap ass mobo" is not what you want. The motherboard is probably the most difficult and most critical thing to consider when building a machine. You are going to spend from $90 to $140 for a decent motherboard. Get a Slot 1 board. If you can't find a Slot 1 Celeron you will also need a PPGA to Slot 1 adapter which will cost an additional $15.
3) 4GB hard drives aren't being made much (at all) anymore. And if you find one, you're going to pay TWICE the money per GB. A 20GB 7200RPM drive will only cost ya $150 or so if you shop. (e.g. look for Quantum) 10 and 13GB 7200RPM drives can be had in the $110-130 range. Yes, you need a 7200RPM drive...or you might as well because they're not much more expensive and the hard drive is critical to your recording success.
4) 64MB SDRAM is also a rip. I suppose you'll pay about $60. But you can get 128MB for around $100. Get PC100 or PC133, even though you're running a Celeron.
5) A 4x4x32 CDRW can be had for about $180 from Teac. I've seen 2x2x32 as low as $150.
Anyway, have you considered everything else required? You need an ATX case with a 250W power suppy (or better). You need a CPU fan. You need a case fan. You need a video card (get AGP, 4MB or so...cheap & easy). You need a soundcard. You need a monitor. You need a floppy drive (yes you do).
Some sites: www.pricewatch.com , www.pcmall.com , www.asus.com , www.abit-usa.com , www.componentsdirect.com (MORONS) , www.onvia.com , www.warehouse.com
If you get this thing built RIGHT, then you can easily upgrade to, say a PIII 800 when the prices come down. That'll give you years of use. Better motherboards are also more forgiving when it comes to adding various generic memory sticks. DO NOT GET INTEGRATED SOUND OR VIDEO. You WILL hate yourself later. Do not get a small case, get the biggest baddest case in your budget. A good starting soundcard is the SB Live! or the SB PCI128. Cheap and *somewhat* effective. Badder cards can be had for $250 - $1000+.
You will spend at least $500 building an entire Celeron system from scratch...that is, if you build it such that you don't have to chuck it in the trash 6 months from now. If that's out of your budget...increase your budget. Seriously. (credit cards are your friends
Slackmaster 2000
2) A "cheap ass mobo" is not what you want. The motherboard is probably the most difficult and most critical thing to consider when building a machine. You are going to spend from $90 to $140 for a decent motherboard. Get a Slot 1 board. If you can't find a Slot 1 Celeron you will also need a PPGA to Slot 1 adapter which will cost an additional $15.
3) 4GB hard drives aren't being made much (at all) anymore. And if you find one, you're going to pay TWICE the money per GB. A 20GB 7200RPM drive will only cost ya $150 or so if you shop. (e.g. look for Quantum) 10 and 13GB 7200RPM drives can be had in the $110-130 range. Yes, you need a 7200RPM drive...or you might as well because they're not much more expensive and the hard drive is critical to your recording success.
4) 64MB SDRAM is also a rip. I suppose you'll pay about $60. But you can get 128MB for around $100. Get PC100 or PC133, even though you're running a Celeron.
5) A 4x4x32 CDRW can be had for about $180 from Teac. I've seen 2x2x32 as low as $150.
Anyway, have you considered everything else required? You need an ATX case with a 250W power suppy (or better). You need a CPU fan. You need a case fan. You need a video card (get AGP, 4MB or so...cheap & easy). You need a soundcard. You need a monitor. You need a floppy drive (yes you do).
Some sites: www.pricewatch.com , www.pcmall.com , www.asus.com , www.abit-usa.com , www.componentsdirect.com (MORONS) , www.onvia.com , www.warehouse.com
If you get this thing built RIGHT, then you can easily upgrade to, say a PIII 800 when the prices come down. That'll give you years of use. Better motherboards are also more forgiving when it comes to adding various generic memory sticks. DO NOT GET INTEGRATED SOUND OR VIDEO. You WILL hate yourself later. Do not get a small case, get the biggest baddest case in your budget. A good starting soundcard is the SB Live! or the SB PCI128. Cheap and *somewhat* effective. Badder cards can be had for $250 - $1000+.
You will spend at least $500 building an entire Celeron system from scratch...that is, if you build it such that you don't have to chuck it in the trash 6 months from now. If that's out of your budget...increase your budget. Seriously. (credit cards are your friends
Slackmaster 2000