Recording PCs and the Internet

  • Thread starter Thread starter Cheeky Monkey
  • Start date Start date

Do you use your recording PC to access the internet?

  • I do not access the internet with the PC I record on -- too concerned about music file corruption.

    Votes: 22 25.6%

  • I access the internet with the PC I record on, and have never had a problem.

    Votes: 58 67.4%

  • I access the internet with the PC I record on, and have had problems (please specify).

    Votes: 6 7.0%
  • Total voters
    86
C

Cheeky Monkey

New member
I just bought a new PC to be used almost entirely for home recording (solo hobbyist). I have an older P2 that I use for the internet. Over the years, with viruses, etc. it's been a pain to stay ahead of the game. Plus, virus software like Norton is a real memory hog. With my new PC, I'm seriously considering not connecting to the internet with it. I don't want to risk having the song files I create being damaged. Of course, this is going to be a bit of a pain in the ass when it comes to wanting to download plugins, software upgrades, etc. 'tho I can probably do this at work and burn to CD then load it in my home recording PC. Does anybody else feel this way or am I just over-reacting?
 
I'll be buying a new PC for stictly recording here soon, too. I'll have an onboard lan on it, but doubt I'll plug it in. It'll be in a room with the PC i'm on now that I've been using for audio/general use. I'll mainly not use the LAN on the new computer because it won't be a huge need for me. If I need anything I'll just copy it from the computer sitting next to it. I haven't had any problems with the one now, but I have virus software, ad aware, etc. Plus, I play it smart with computers. I guess I've lucked out, but I probably won't worry too much about stuff on my computer getting ruined by internet related issues until it happens. So I voted for that first one there.
{{puts on an "I Voted" sticker}}
 
I've got my recently-built DAW lan'd to my old PC which acts as an internet gateway, email client, firewall etc.

I've got Norton on both, and havn't had any issues to date. It's interesting, but on the 2 or 3 occasions when Nortan has detected a virus/worm on the gateway machine, the infection never made it across the lan to the daw. Just luck maybe, who knows
 
Call me old fashioned, or maybe even paranoid, but a music computer should be that, and only that. Windoze has enough trouble being stable as it is... why tempt fate with anti-virus programs, or anything else that's not music related?
Besides, the less software you have on a computer, the better and faster it runs.
 
on my DAW, i do this:
videos (upload and edit with Vegas, huge video projects, master and burn DVDs, etc. etc.)
audio (everything that anyone else would do with their computers..of course, this is what i mainly use the computer for. Also do it with vegas, master cds and create master burns on cd all the time, etcl. etc. etc.)
pc games (CC: generals, sim city 4000, half life, etc.)
internet (along with AIM, and sometimes i do internet games like yahoo! card games ha.)
anti virus software, no firewall crap it takes too much resources and really makes things unstable.
this computer is also connected (LAN) with my computer on my second floor.

no problems, other than hardware failures...ha!
 
I do it all on my laptop and no problems ever. I do have a good hardware firewall. But Ive never had problems with PCs, Windows has been as stable as concrete for me, especially XP.

H2H
 
I have a Firewall now, and I use AVG, not Norton. Most viruses target Norton and McAfee. AVG Free kicks on Norton or McAfee. I had some problems in the beginning getting set up, but not in quite a while. (Knock on Wood). Having said that, I will be getting a second PC for the internet before too long - the net is EVIL! (16 year old kids with nothing better to do than write malicious code)!! If you DO have only one PC ... get Window Washer, and Ad-Aware, and run them on a regular basis. I've been cleaning up a lot of people's computers lately with these two programs, and AVG.
 
After I installed the operating system in the computer and went out on the net for Windows update and grabbing all the newest drivers, I pulled the NIC card out of the box. There's no way on god's green earth I'd let my DAW out on the net. No way.
 
speaking of virus software...i try and stear clear of Norton and McAfee. They seem to take up a lot of system resources which pisses me off when my computer takes 15min. to open a simple program like IE. Norton's the worst at that I think. If anyone else has been having this problem, I suggest checking out Avast. It works really well for me and I hardly notice it's there (except when it updates and my speakers are on and it yells really loudly "VIRUS DEFINITIONS UPDATED!!!"......scares the crap out of me.
 
Hmmmm. I'm not very computer-wise, so can someone please tell me if it's possible to "network" my new "recording" PC with my old P2, both sharing the same monitor and mouse, but where only the P2 would be able to access the internet (and have appropriate virus protection). I suspect that this is feasible, and would allow me to surf and download from the internet in the P2 environment, and easily transfer plugins, etc. over to my recording PC via the connection between the two. I hope this is possible, and if so, can someone please tell me how to do it and what cabling I'd need?

Many thanks.
 
100% isolated

In answer to your question, I have 3 computers.

I just yesterday received my new Dell computer to be used exclusively for music.

There will be absolutely NO connection to the Internet on it.

I use my existing computers for all business and Internet work. Should I need to get drivers for my new computer from the Internet, the computer I am typing on right now, shall do that task.

Lastly, Norton SystemWorks is a great bundle of programs and utilities, and would not think for an instant of using my PCs without them. Too valuable, regardless of the memory resources it requires. Which, by the way, you should NEVER skimp on RAM and always buy the absolute most you can afford, and then a little extra. Upgrading is almost always costlier.
 
I have a DSL connection through a firewall so I can download drivers, reply to meaningless polls, and read stale jokes in my email. Before I had an internet connection it was occasionally a major production to update drivers.

I previously ran Win98SE and it was too unstable to support surfing and recording. I have since gone to XP, and it's so trouble-free I converted my house computer too.
 
My music PC is used solely for music. In addition to the convenience of not worrying about any internet related headaches, I have all network related services of the OS disabled which saves resources. In addition all computer hardware/software functions are optimised for audio application.
 
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Two PC here...

Audio recording PC (pri DAW) and MIDI/sequencing PC (sec DAW). Both connected to my home LAN to internet. Never surf with my primary DAW. I use my MIDI sequencing PC to surf and internet stuff all the time. Never have any problem...

;)
Jaymz
 
If the unit is not connected, how do you upgrade or add software? I'm thinking of the Windows upgrade du jour and things like downloadable plug ins. Do you just capture it to a disk and move the disk?
 
I use the same computer for absolutely everything; it works fine.
 
The question was not

It's not a matter of whether or not a computer set up for music is able to do things on the Internet. Of course it is capable. That was not the question.

;)
 
3 desktops
1 rackmount
1 laptop
All 5 connected to 3meg broadband via NAT router, yet I'm cautious as to what I do on the net.
No ill effects and all are fully capable of DAW use.
Heck ... I'm on my main rackmount now. :D

-Edit to add- Screw Norton and their yearly subscription .... I use AVG 6.0 and Sygate Personal Firewall (both FREE) along with the built in hardware Firewall of the NAT equipped router.
 
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Cheeky Monkey said:
Hmmmm. I'm not very computer-wise, so can someone please tell me if it's possible to "network" my new "recording" PC with my old P2, both sharing the same monitor and mouse, but where only the P2 would be able to access the internet (and have appropriate virus protection). I suspect that this is feasible, and would allow me to surf and download from the internet in the P2 environment, and easily transfer plugins, etc. over to my recording PC via the connection between the two. I hope this is possible, and if so, can someone please tell me how to do it and what cabling I'd need?

Many thanks.
Click to expand...


Get a KVM switch to control both with one Keyboard, Monitor and Mouse. Then you could just do a Direct-Cable Connection to transfer files between the two.

-Ken
 
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