Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dwntwnsasquatch]

ok so i am planning on starting a home recording studio...
i have MANY questions about the computer part of it..
I have imagined me using a Compaq - Presario Desktop with AMD Athlon™ X2 4450e+ Dual-Core Processor.. this proccesor runs at 2.3ghz and then i plan on installing an internal/external (not sure yet) hard drive either a 500mb or a 1TB that runs at 7200rpms..
my plan is to run everyday programs maybe a game or 2 and internet functions from the original factory installed hard drive and then uploading a "no fluff" version of the 32bit Windows Vista operating system from my new hard drive and using it soley for the purpose of recording, DAWs, VSTs, etc..
that way if i catch a virus from my P2P program i use to get music (because i'm just cheap like that) it won't kill my audio work and such..
now this computer has 6 usb ports and i plan on mostly using USB as my main connection for my keyboard and other things...

so now for my questions
1. Is a proccesor running a 2.3ghz a reliable start for recording?
2.is 7200rpms fast enough for the hard drive? (i Believe i read somewhere that 8400rpms is a good start)
3. on the subject of hard drives a) 500mb or 1TB? b) Internal or External?
4. Can i even achieve a dual boot with Vista 32bit? I know it is possible to run Vista and Xp but can I dual boot 2 different Vista32 OS?

 

[Bristol Posse]

What you need depends on what you want to achieve

CPU power has biggest implications on the amount of VST effect plugins you can run on a project since they are basically a large amount of Math calculations

7200 RPM is a good speed drive in general. actual track count performace is going to be dependant on write speeds mainly which varies a little brand to brand (Western Digital (WD) and Seagate are pretty well liked amongst audio folks I have built machines for

As far as dual boot Vista you would need to own 2 licensed copies of windows to run 2 instances as far as I understand it (even on the same machine)

I think a better solution would be to set up 2 separate profiles under 1 installation, one for general use that boots up with anti virus and all the bells and whistles and one that boots up with the bare minimum to run audio apps and then use the external hard drive as a pure recording drive.

 

[dwntwnsasquatch]

ok.. let me specify my needs...

I am an indie/classic rock artist..

at most i may record 5 tracks with various VSTs... Effects.. and other items...
i need to be able to burn mixes.. and share them via the internet.. all on a budget of about 1200$ plus some for the sound proofing of my room but thats a WHOLE different thread.. anyway.. i'll probably have a version of fruity loops and then either cubase or just simple audacity for me and my guitar (considering how i am displeased with fruity loops recording capabilities)
i will use and outside mixer and it would be nice if this would be able to control the mixes inside "the box" i gues is what you refer to it as... i hope this helps!!

 

[gecko zzed]

so now for my questions
1. Is a proccesor running a 2.3ghz a reliable start for recording?
2.is 7200rpms fast enough for the hard drive? (i Believe i read somewhere that 8400rpms is a good start)
3. on the subject of hard drives a) 500mb or 1TB? b) Internal or External?
4. Can i even achieve a dual boot with Vista 32bit? I know it is possible to run Vista and Xp but can I dual boot 2 different Vista32 OS?

Q1 yes . . . it is a reliable start
Q2 yes . . . 7200 is fine
Q3 either size will last a while. If you go internal, partition the drive so that a smaller partition (C holds your program files, while the larger holds your data files. The advantage of external is that when it is full, you put it aside as an archive and get yourself a new one for current work.
Q4 You need others to advise on this. I use XP, and I'm not inclined to move away from it for the time being

As for your plan of a dual boot, one for music and one for other stuff . . . I think it's a level of complexity that you don't need. Rather than do this, manage your contamination risk in less complicated ways, e.g. firewalls etc.

 

[dgatwood]

2.is 7200rpms fast enough for the hard drive? (i Believe i read somewhere that 8400rpms is a good start)

No such thing as a 8400RPM HD. They're either 5400, 7200, 10000, or 15000 RPM. You don't want either of the last two. You sacrifice too much reliability for speed. The 7200 RPM drives are the sweet spot, IMHO. (Oh, and some laptop drives and some really old desktop drives are 4500 RPM, and some microdrives are 3600 RPM.)

3. on the subject of hard drives a) 500mb or 1TB? b) Internal or External?

Internal unless you go with eSATA. Audio apps are more sensitive to latency than other apps, and using even FireWire external drives can significantly decrease track counts in some cases. USB is right out.

As for capacity, buy a 500 GB internal for recording and a 1 TB external for backups. That way you have room to keep two complete backups. Replace the oldest one each time. That way you will never have fewer than two copies of your data (one on the internal plus the most recent backup on the external drive) even while you are backing up....

Hard drives suck....