custom computers

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pcp

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im sure that there have already been plenty of threads about this, but i want to know what the best specs for a PC are as far as audio recording. is having a custom computer built the way to go...i think this is what i want to do, i think i will order the soundcard and have them put that in because i already have everything i just want a new CPU unit itself. i guess i really just want to see what most people think the best processors are and how much RAM, how much memory, etc. i should go with. im trying to keep it on a light budget, but like i said all that i need is the actual CPU itself.
 
Need more information

Hey man.....

Just a suggestion....you are probably not getting replies because it's almost impossible to answer your question without more information about how you are using the PC.

Your question is too broad.

Provide details and I think you will get more answers. Here's a starting point:

Are you recording direct to PC or dumping tracks to a wave editing program for mixing ? The answer to this question will impact a number of equipment recommendations, one of which is your sound card choice. If you don't record direct to PC, the number of inputs doesn't matter.

Do you intend to record/produce lush, elaborate songs with numerous tracks or just simple arrangements with very few effects? The answer to this might help determine the processor horsepower that you need and/or RAM requirements.

Same type of questions with hard drive capacity.

Good luck.

Bart
 
i'm sorry

you're right. well the thing is i kept it broad because i really want some flexibility with my new setup. right now i am using the tascam us-122 with USB and just recording vocals directly to Cubase over beats I made with Reason using ReWire. Also, when making the beats I am using MIDI through the US-122 as well. But I would like to be able to add guitars and drums and more mics to my setup, and I already have an analog mixer, which is the main thing that i want to be able to connect. but like i said, i would like to have some type of flexibility so that in the future when i upgrade equipment i wont have to upgrade my computer. Im pretty sure that I'm gonna go with the Audiophile 2496, thats what most people have recommended to me and it looks pretty sufficient for my tasks, and as far as hard drives, I think im just gonna go with one 120 gig Western Digital for now and I can always add more later. But basically, to be more specific, I am just making very simple recordings at the time, and I will probably never be using more than 2 inputs to the soundcard at a time seeing as I will be using an external mixer to monitor and mixdown all the instruments. But any suggestions at all will be helpful. Any mistakes that I am making I would love to be pointed out. Thanks for your time.
 
Charlotte ought to be big enough that there'll be a computer shop where recording heads hang out (at least that's true in my much smaller town). Find it and ask them about building a computer. That was my course and I was rewarded with a rock-solid stable machine that runs day after day.
 
thank you thats what i was planning on doing i just wanted to have a little bit of knowledge before i walked into a computer shop so that i didnt just hand them my money and i gained that knowledge from this forum. thanks.
 
Basic specs (I'm not MB-obsessive, prefering to direct my energies into music): P4 or equivalent, at least 512 MB of RAM, 2 hard drives, a Plextor Premium CD burner and XP. If you want a Mac you'll have to talk to someone else.
 
I just finished building my first computer and it was extremly easy. If all you need is a CPU that might be the way to go. I ordered it off of NewEgg.com and all the parts came to $1000 but I could have done it for $600 or $700. It took me 4 hours to put together and a couple more hours to get all the updates downloaded and installed. Two HD's are better than one but one will work. You can go cheaper than a Plextor Burner, IMO they don't offer the bang for the buck that some others like NEC offer (just make sure it is a dual layer DVD burner). I would suggest getting a good graphics card, it will free up your CPU to do other task than running graphics (stay away from MoBo's with onboard graphic cards!!!).
 
I used several other CD burners before I came across a forum devoted to pro engineers. The question came up about what CD burners they preferred and the unanimous response was "Plextor Premium." I don't know what you consider "bang for the buck" but my $82 got me the burner and error-checking software too. Since I send off masters to be reproduced (NOT "burned") I have to have the means to insure that the original is going to work. All I need is for a client to get back a thousand coasters because I didn't check things!

You're right about the video card; the onboard video & audio both need to be disabled when you put the beast together. As for dual drives, 3 out of 4 of our most recent computers have had (or had added) dual drives. No 4 is a laptop. I'm a great believer in them.
 
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