Computer Question

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strings012

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Hi all, I'm still new to recording and I have a few questions. Right now I'm setup on the family pc and I want to change this. Does anyone have any links to good quality pc's for home recording? Also I was thinking of going real cheap and buying an e-machine and just build from there. Is this worth it? I'll be moving soon so basically I'm still researching all this. Once I get settled in and stable I want to start my own little studio. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks.
 
Dont get a cheapie e-machine; they're for students and homemakers who internet and word-processes.

Audio requires moving a huge amount of data and you don't want crap components. Look around the complaints on this and other audio boards and you'll see huge numbers of "low-track-counts" and "clicks-and-noises-in-my-recording" complaints... shop smart but don't get cheap parts that aren't up to handling dozens of 30-60Mb tracks plus plugins.

I built my 2.4Ghz P4 from a pure Intel motherboard and CPU from www.newegg.com for $500-600 and have had ZERO problems.
 
ya, Timmy makes a good point. Don't try to go TOO cheap or you will be disapointed. keep in mind that if you want to record more than two tracks at once, the added channels (imputs) of a soundcard will cost more. Also if you need preamplifiers build into the soundcard, that will cost more as well. Do some research on soundcards here to find out what you need.
www.midiman.com makes excelent prosumer sound cards. Also so does www.emu.com
 
Thanks for the reply's. I already have an audiophile 2496 card so I'm basically covered on that front. Are there any specific types of computers out there that are sold or built for recording purposes only? If there are I'd like to check them out. Thanks again.
 
 
Thanks for all the replys. Building my own system sounds intriging, I've never done anything like this before. If I were to go this route what os would be best? I'll be honest, I've never used anything other than a windows os so anything else would be definately intimidating.
 
TimOBrien said:
Dont get a cheapie e-machine; they're for students and homemakers who internet and word-processes.

Audio requires moving a huge amount of data and you don't want crap components. Look around the complaints on this and other audio boards and you'll see huge numbers of "low-track-counts" and "clicks-and-noises-in-my-recording" complaints... shop smart but don't get cheap parts that aren't up to handling dozens of 30-60Mb tracks plus plugins.

I built my 2.4Ghz P4 from a pure Intel motherboard and CPU from www.newegg.com for $500-600 and have had ZERO problems.
Click to expand...

I'd agree with this 100%.
I also use an intel chipset with zero problems -
Asus P4P800 mobo
1GB Hynix ram
P4 2.8c, running at 3.5
2 Seagate Barracuda 120GB SATA disks
XP
This setup gives me 32 tracks and a whole bunch of plugins

To keep the cost down, you can get a slower chip and clock it. The Asus mobos have built-in overclocking facilities
 
TimOBrien said:
Dont get a cheapie e-machine; they're for students and homemakers who internet and word-processes.
Click to expand...

That may be the case with their desktops, but their laptops are an excellent value for the money and perform well. I have an older Athlon 2500XP-M eMachines laptop and would upgrade to one of their newer Athlon64 laptops in a heartbeat. For $1000 I got a 15.4"widescreen display, 5,400rpm HD and USB 2.0/Firewire ports.

BTW, eMachines IS basically the same thing as Gateway now.
 
To sort of add to what's already been said...

1. DON'T DON'T DON'T get an e-machine!

2. Although my own audio computer has a VIA chipset, I agree with the poster who said to get a system with an Intel chipset. Unless you're into tweaking, stick with Intel.

3. As for an OS, use W2000 or XP Pro. XP Pro is more stable than XP Home, Me is a beyotch, and Microsucks doesn't even fully support W98 anymore.

Best of luck to you.
 
Hi,
I'm kind of in the same position as you re. starting to build a DAW, although I don't have anything components yet because I'm still in the research phase.

In the last few weeks (since deciding to not go the mobile interface or stand-alone/studio-in-a-box route) I have learned a lot from the following sources:

1. This forum

2. Looking at ads and reviews for dedicated DAW's and for individual components such as hard drives (e.g., www.carillonusa.com; epinions.com)

3. Reading posts on the alt.music.4-track newsgroup which can be accessed either through Outlook Express or by doing a google search for the newsgroup and clicking on the 'Groups' link on the Google menu bar

4. Emailing/posting to people on these groups and forums and asking questions

5. Going into my local music store (the one here in Toronto where they don't mind spending an hour talking without making a sale), seeing what is available, and what people's opinions are about what is available

6. Reading about subjects that have a bearing on what kind of sound card/components I might choose (e.g., although I will be mostly overdubbing one track at a time, and I play guitar and sing, I also want to be able to input MIDI sources, and there are some instances in which I may want to 8 use 8 analogue at once - that will increase my budget significantly)

I have to say that despite my initial lack of knowledge about DAW's, in the last month I have learned enough to (a) become familiar with a lot of what people are talking about in terms of concepts and specific hardware and software, and (b) am really glad that I have resisted following my impulses to run out and buy a cheaper system.

I have also narrowed my options down so that I know the kinds of chipset, motherboard, hard drive, and RAM that I'm going to buy. I have eliminated the possibility of using a silencer for a hard drive, using an AMD CPU (although they're great), and I need to now decide on the specific sound card, case and external mixer that I'm going to get.

It's probably obvious by now that the moral of what I'm suggesting here is do your research in order to make choices that are wise for you.

Good luck, and please post here as you assemble your system: I would be very interested to see how you fare.

Geert, in Toronto
 
Just ordered my new computer
i decided to go with an AMD athlon 64 3200+ with an Nforce chipset and 1 gig of RAM.
One suggestion i may make (i got one myself) is a sonata case by antec. I can't comment on it yet as i won't have my computer until next week but from what i have read these cases are deadly quiet and high regarded.
 
There are a number of companies making dedicated audio computers now. The thing about going that route is that you will pay a premium for the convenience of having someone else put it all together and taking on the warranty and support. That might be worth it to you. For a lot of us, higher track count and lower latency are more important. If you want to go this way, check the classifieds in the back of EM magazine.

Windows XP.

NONONONONONONO E-machine!!!!! If you must buy an off the shelf computer, go Dell. Most of the other manufacturers have gone to integrated motherboards to save money and this can make the upgrade path complicated if not impossible. Dell is better than most in this regard.

Remember, it's one thing to save money and get good deals on things that will work. It's quite another to just buy something that's cheaper.

Cheap doesn't equal a good deal.

Your software choices are myriad on the PC. Start doing some research. Once you've built your machine you can try out demos from the major players.

Good luck!

Ted
 
Again thanks for all the replys. gvdv I've pretty much been doing the same things you have except reading the newsgroups. I never new how to acess them. I'll try doing the google search later. I'm nowhere near ready to build or purchase a DAW at this point. I'm moving in a few days so basically I've been researching for about the past month. Hopefully in the next few months after some more research I'll have enough info to go ahead and make a final decision. tedluck, at this point I've pretty much ruled out an e-machine. As I research more and more, I see that I shouldn't compromise on the the quality of parts. Also I noticed you mentioned windows XP, would that be XP home or pro? Sorry if this seems like a silly question, it's just that I've never done this before. As for software, right now I'm using GT Pro.
 
tedluk said:
NONONONONONONO E-machine!!!!! If you must buy an off the shelf computer, go Dell. Most of the other manufacturers have gone to integrated motherboards to save money and this can make the upgrade path complicated if not impossible. Dell is better than most in this regard.
Click to expand...

That is just a plain ignorant statement. Dell's are just as bad as the rest of the big name brands now. They cut corners and use inferior products all over the place. Please don't isult everyone's intelligence by saying a $700 Dell system is going to be better than a $700 eMachines, Gateway or HP system.

Do some research on Dell laptops used for DAW apps - there are tons of issues with the Firewire chipset Dell uses.

Dell's customer satisfaction ratings have been dropping in recent years while eMachine's ratings are on the rise.
 
Perhaps I should have made it clear that I was referring to desktop computers, not notebooks. I don't have much experience using notebooks nor have I worked on them.

Sorry, but I DO know what I'm talking about. I've been in this for quite a while now. I work for a company that builds computers and sells parts for computers and monitors. We see and have worked on all of these brands. E-machines has a history of using terrible components in their desktop computers. In particular, their proprietary power supplies are practically legendary for their failure rate. Also, in the past, e-machines has gotten in trouble for using used components in their "new" computers.

If you read a little more carefully you'll notice I didn't say that Dell doesn't use integrated mobos, only that they're better than most of the other manufacturers in this regard. If we're talking about their $400.00 loss leader machines, then, yes, you're going to find they do the same thing as everyone else. I don't think e-machines even makes a $700.00 computer! I wouldn't buy one of their boxes at any price.

Dell had a lot of troubles when they outsourced their tech support overseas, but my understanding is that they have brought most, if not all, of it back stateside.

All that being said, I wouldn't use any of these boxes personally. I firmly sit in the "build my own" camp.

Finally, learn some manners! It's fine if you disagree with my opinion. That's life. But it doesn't do anything to advance your argument when you call me names.

Ted
 
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