Minimum Computer

  • Thread starter Thread starter Milnoque
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Milnoque

Milnoque

Resident Curmudgeon
I am starting from scratch. After a lot of research I'm convinced I want to go with a computer based system. I want to know what the minimum computer requirements are.

This will be for acoustic guitar based music with vocals.

To start I will be recording myself only. I think I need to plan on 4 inputs so I will have some flexibility with multiple mics and be able to have the odd friend over. I'm thinking of using two Lexicon Omegas or similar.

I don't want to tie up any more money on the CPU than necessary because I will have so much other hardware to buy.

So my questions are:

What is the dead minimum computer I will need to adequately serve my application?

If you were starting from scratch would you insist on firewire, or will USB be OK? (What about USB 1.1?)

I don't mind upgrading the computer later but I don't want to have to upgrade everything.

Sorry for the length
 
currently i run a AMD duron 1.2ghz with 512mb ddr ram, i can run about 16 tracks with compressors and eq, less when i run complex impulse reverbs (sir - soo good for a free vst).
I have a maudio delta 44 which it 4 inputs but is a pci card. If you dont mind installing it, then i fully reccomend it.
The general consensus is that firewire is the way to go, theres more bandwidth and seems to be less troublesome. If your pc doesnt have firewire inputs you can get a pci card that gives u them for about £15.
 
I am definately not a computer guru...but one rule I have heard is to choose your computer system based on the application software (for example the muti-track recording program) you are going to be using on the system. I believe most companies (Cakewalk, Ntrack etc.) will give you some minimal requirements for their programs to use as a guide (like type of operating system, cpu speed, RAM size)...and it is probably a good idea to exceed those minimal requirements a bit...Sorry I don't know very much about firewire and USB.
 
I recently had my studio computer die. It was a PIII 933 MHz machine, 640 megs of RAM running Cakewalk9 (no midi, just 24/44.1 audio). I had an old PIII 500 MHz machine laying around so I put that into service and am using that at present. I can do 24 tracks with a modest amount of plugins before it groans.
 
I'm in your same situation, just acoustic guitar, and the friend who comes over to record. I'm running an old, outdated computer, using Adobe Audition 1.5, and it works good for me.

AMD Athlon 1.2 GHz Processor
256MB DDR RAM
Discontinued Shuttle AKG35 motherboard
Soundcard interface

I'll probably add more RAM to my computer soon. I'd recommend at least 512MB DDR, or 1 GB if you can afford it. Sometimes RAM can speed things up better than a new CPU.

I've also tried Sonar 5 and didn't have any problems with it. I stick with Audition though.
 
Thanks

Thanks Guys

Sounds like if I get a pentium III 500Mhz or better I'll be fine.

Is USB good enough? I don't want to end up with gear I can't use because I should have gone with firewire. On the other hand, if USB will do the job it would be much cheaper.
 
Do you think adding I/O modules as I need them will work OK?

I was planning to start with 2 SM57s and a condenser mic. What do you think?
 
You need to figure out two things. First, how many tracks do you need to record SIMULTAINIOUSLY. Don't confuse this with the total amount of tracks in a given project. More than two at a time? More than eight, etc? That will dictate what kind of soundcard/interface you should be looking at.
Next would be quality. All converters are not created equal. An Apogee will be substantially more than a SoundBlaster.
 
Pentium III 500MHz should do what you want, but it's pushing it. For not much more you could get a 1GHz which is twice as fast. But it should get you by.

If you're going to go the USB route, make sure it is USB 2.0. Standard USB (1.0) is not nearly fast enough and you would have a lot of latency issues. Make sure your computer has USB 2.0 ports, if not, I think you can get a USB 2.0 card for cheap...try www.newegg.com

I would still feel better about using firewire, a firewire card costs almost nothing. Again, try www.newegg.com

If you just want to start with 2 mics, then just get a preamp with 2 channels. An M-Audio Audio Buddy has 2, and is a good entry-level preamp. The M-Audio DMP3 also has 2, and is significantly better. The DMP3 is a great preamp for guitar, and you may not even want to upgrade it after buying it, so for an extra $70 you'll be saving money in the long run.

If later you want to add 2 more mics, just get another Audio Buddy or DMP3. This is assuming your sound card/interface has 4 inputs.
 
Milnoque said:
Thanks Guys

Sounds like if I get a pentium III 500Mhz or better I'll be fine.

Is USB good enough? I don't want to end up with gear I can't use because I should have gone with firewire. On the other hand, if USB will do the job it would be much cheaper.
Click to expand...
Everything today is heading towards multicore computers. Any minimum dual core today with a gig of RAM will be adequate for you for some time to come. An important part of the equation is to get an additional hard drive to record audio to.
 
What Trackrat said about the older comp doing an alright job is true - I have a PIII with 128 Meg RAM running Cake Pro Audio 9.3 happily.
 
Thanks

Thanks RayC,

I was hoping to hear that. I can get a computer like that very cheaply, spend more on the interface and upgrade the CPU later. That was exactly the information I needed.
 
careful when you buy your computer, especially if you are planning to upgrade. Make sure that your mother board is compatible with the upgrades you want to do. And with the interfaces you want to put on. I say this because some motherboards with pentium III may not be up to par with how much you can upgrade.
 
You can get a "Last Years" model PC for pretty damn cheap which would be much better in the long run that buying a slow PC that would may want to upgrade in the near future....

I got my Recording PC New for $185 Canadian which was a 2.6ghz P-4 with 512mb DDR and a 80gb Hard drive with a DVD Rom/CD Burner which is a Much better Bargain than Buying a 500mhz P-3 for $100.....

It"s better to buy right than buy Twice!!!


Cheers
 
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