double-check my first custom setup please

M

mikesong

New member
First I want to Give Thanks on this day for all the great advice I've collected from this site, as I've researched how to build a PC and countless related topics, you've all been invaluable.

Now, I've settled on my setup and was wondering if you'd double-check my specs and offer any advice, tips, things you'd change, etc. The computer will be dedicated to audio only. Most likely i'll use Win 2K and Cubase. It's purpose will be to record my vocals and guitar alongside numerous software synths and plug-ins. The track count and effects could get up there, so I'm aiming for stability, sound quality, low latency of course, good bang/back, all the usual...here it is.

Total budget: $2000 (prices in parentheses include shipping)

Soundcard: Delta Omni Studio ($400)
PC: Athlon XP 1700 1.47 gig (150)
Mobo: Asus A7M-266 (150)
HDs: 2 Maxtor Diamond Max ATA-133 7200 RPM 40 gig drives (190)
Memory: 1 Dimm 512 MB Micron PC2100 DDR (85)
Video Card: Matrox Millenium G450 32MB Dual Head (Monitors are the one thing I already have) (90)
Microphone: Shure SM-58 (mostly for vocals, will be doing guitar direct a lot) (100)
Nearfield Monitors: JBL 25RP (525)
MIDI Soundcard: SB Live 5.1 (30)
MIDI controller: Fatar CMK49 (110)
Power Supply: Enermax eg365 vp (fc) - 350 w (55)
Heatsink: Thermaltake volcano6 A1138 (20)
Mouse: A4 Tech RFW-33 Wireless RF (20)
The other $100 or so will go to burner, case, and cables for it all.

Would you make any changes to this?
 
Sounds like a pretty good setup. Mine is totally different. But it looks like you have done your home work.

Since your processor is so fast, the IDE hard drives shouldn't be an issue. I use all SCSI, but my processor is only 850Mhz.
I use a Motu 2408mkII. I like it, but it is twice as expensive at the Delta. I've never used one of them, so I don't know how good they are.

If you want low latency, you may want to make sure that your setup can use the know WDM drivers. They have much lower latency than the old MME drivers. Sonar and Motu support them and I can use the plug-ins for realtime effects on my guitar if I want. That is the one thing I recommend you look into if low latency of a big issue.

Good luck!

Nemal
 
Instead of an SM58 I would get a Marshall MXL V67G or a Studio Projects C1, they are around $200. If you insist on the Shure then get a 57 not a 58.
 
Thanks you for the comments...these were two of the major issues I am still working on...here's what I'm thinking:

Nemal said:
If you want low latency, you may want to make sure that your setup can use the know WDM drivers. They have much lower latency than the old MME drivers. Sonar and Motu support them and I can use the plug-ins for realtime effects on my guitar if I want.

As far as I can tell, Delta's will not do 24-bit under WDM drivers with Sonar, currently. I'll probably go with ASIO drivers and Cubase, for now, and switch to WDM drivers and Sonar when Delta's will support 24-bit. Actually I suppose I could go with Sonar from the beginning and just switch my drivers, might be easier if these fickle Delta's can in fact use 24-bit ASIO's in Sonar. Or, I suppose I could stick with Cubase, and it might support working 24-bit WDM's at some point.

And for vox's point:
Instead of an SM58 I would get a Marshall MXL V67G or a Studio Projects C1, they are around $200. If you insist on the Shure then get a 57 not a 58.

Well, my situation is that I have bad room acoustics, and for some reason I thought a cheap dynamic would pick up less of that possibly bad room detail than a cardiod would. Also, I didn't have a good guitar amp but I have a good guitar with a soundcard designed to accept direct input, so I thought I would avoid the room sound and just go direct. These factors led me to the SM58, which I had heard was better than 57 for vocals, which I thought would be my primary useage for the mic. However, I stumbled into the use of my friend's $750 Fender tube amp for the next month, so I guess it makes a lot of sense now to just go with the C1 for a hundred more. I had been thinking I could start with the SM57/58 and always buy a better mic like the C1 if I felt I needed it, being that I could keep the Shure around since it would probably always have some application in my studio. However, do you think I ought to just skip that step and go straight to the better mic, the C1? The $100 does matter to me and if the C1 will do anything I need better than the Shure, than I wouldn't mind just going with that.
 
whoops!

>> I thought a cheap dynamic would pick up less of that possibly bad room detail than a cardiod would<<

Meant to say than a condenser would.
 
You might look at ST-Audio's C-Port as an alternative to the Omni Studio. The specs are virtualy the same but the C-Port does midi and has a few more I/O should you ever need them.
 
getuhgrip has a good point about the omni. Addtl ins/outs is always a good idea & the omni is somewhat limited. Personally i went with the delta 66 & bought a Mackie 1402 VLZ mixer for multiple preamps & monitoring.
 
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