How do I optimize my computer to use Cool Edit Pro?

  • Thread starter Thread starter bishop55
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bishop55

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OK, Here it is...
What I do with Cool Edit Pro is track bass, guitar and vocal lines on top of drum loops. I am talking like eight tracks max.
OS: Windows ME (it sux but I am stuck with it)
processor: Pentuim III 933 mhz.
My sound card is the OEM version of the Turtle Beach Santa Cruz that came with this computer.
I only have 128 megs of RAM but I am blowing that up to 512 this week.
I know I need another hard drive...
What should I be looking at? I am thinking a 60 GB IDE drive at 7200 rpm.
The drive I have now is a 20Gb 7200 IDE ultra ata.
My question is what else do I NEED to do to this machine?
I have accelerated the playback and record on the sound card to its fullest, I only get spotty performance in multitrack playback(dropouts etc.).
When I get the extra RAM will this go away?

Also, what system tweaks are safe to do on this machine? Bear in mind that I need it to do other things such as internet and word processing (my wife will kill me if I screw it up and she can't play Solitaire!) I know this isnt the ideal arrangement but can I make it work and what do I need to do besides add more RAM?

PS. I already have a decent preamp and a couple of decent mics.

THANX
 
My question is what else do I NEED to do to this machine?
I have accelerated the playback and record on the sound card to its fullest, I only get spotty performance in multitrack playback(dropouts etc.).
When I get the extra RAM will this go away?


OK bishop55,
Here's the "REAL DEAL":

Firstly,
I don't think that it's your soundcard, but, the drivers for it. If you have the website of the company of your soundcard, then you'd need to download and install the drivers for Windows ME that should be free from the company of that soundcard.

I had similar problem with mine and simply downloaded the updated drivers for my OS. Now CEP and everything else works great and mind you, I only have a Pen'II 300 MHz but do have 400MB RAM.

No matter how much you try to update your computer, if you don't have the update/compatiable drivers for the soundcard to match your OS you will still get the spotty performances in Multi-Track.

Hope this Helped a Little!
 
Hey bishop

You shouldn't really NEED anything else, other than driver updates possibly, as Mr. indicated. I worked on a machine set up just like yours for a long time without any problems. Even your 20 gig hard drive will get you through for a while, but 60 gigs cetainly will offer you the space you'll need if you intend to do a lot of recording. The 128 megs worked fine for me in CEP 1.2, but getting into 2.0, I found my memory getting drained down by the real time effects, so I needed to upgrade by an additional 256. If you plan to use any additional effects plug-ins like Waves for example, they are a major memory hog.

I really don't know much about the sound card you're using, but if you want to get a decent performance, you should be at least using a prosumer quality sound card.
 
First go through your hard drive and delete any unwanted files that take up waisted space. You could also do a Disk Cleanup using the program.*note* stay away from the windows folder.

Next defragment your hard drive. This rearranges your files for better performance.

Next Scandisk. This is optional but it's good to check once in a while for errors.

Then go to your start menu -> run -> type msconfig -> startup tab
You can safely uncheck all tabs except System Tray. This just tells windows what programs to start when your computer boots up.

Check out these http://www.prorec.com./prorec/articles.nsf/articles/9DC930FCE2658C6F862565ED0078AEF1

http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/dec01/articles/pcmusician1201.asp

http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/apr02/articles/pcmusician0402.asp

http://www.soniccontrol.com/tech/midi/articles/feature/dawtweaking.shtml

http://www.tweakheadz.com/tweaking_your_music_computer.html

http://www.tweakheadz.com/tweaking_your_music_computer2.html

http://www.tweakheadz.com/tweaking_your_music_computer3.html

I'm using a P3 866mhz with CEP2 and Windows ME and I haven't run into a single dropout yet.

Tukkis
 
thanks!

Wow, You folks are great. I really appreciate the advice and Ill be back to look for more!
 
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