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
I have a USB Direct Connection Cable for transfering files.
Granted I only have one PC now,
But it was a breeze to tranfer gigs of data very quickly when I needed to.

And, yes, I do use this PC for everything.
 
I have 5 pcs running.

- one gateway system running IPCop that is connected to my broadband router. This runs my firewalls and dhcp server. All other systems get web access through this gateway.

On my local net:
- my main music/audio system, running win XP, which basically just runs audio and games
- one development system that is a dual boot linux and Win XP.
- one linux system that is my web and file server.
- one laptop running XP that my wife uses.

All are on my local network and are nat'd to the web.

No problems. and all systems run antivirus software. When I'm working in audio, I defeat the antivirus and any non-critical processes.
 
Everything on a single pc. Using a hardware firewall in the adsl modem. But I do 95% running linux...and when runing w2k there is a second firewall and anti-virus used.
 
The easiest way to run the same PC on the Internet as you use as a DAW is this:

1. Get a big drive: 200gig Seagates are running $130 now
2. Partition it in half
3. Load Fedora Core 3 on one half, XP Pro on the other
4. Disable the NIC on the XP side, optimize for audio
5. Run office apps, Internet, e-mail, IMing, etc. on the Linux side

Saves money, keeps security headaches on the downlow. I a doing this at last, this weekend when I get time to open up my box.
 
I have LAN on my DAW. Connected to a 4 port switch that is fed via my router (firmware firewall).

Now, I use the internet to download drivers or check this and a couple of other forums. Maybe the occasional ebay jaunt to check to see if I can find a good deal on something I need. Outside of that, it sees no internet activity.

Games, email, etc all on another computer. My wife is a general internet surfer and she has her own machine that she can currput with oodles of adware and spyware lol.

I would advise that if you have i'net access on your DAW to restrict the amount of activity it sees and the sites you visit using it. I used my previous DAW for general internet and it contracted a spybot I could never irradicate when my wife was searching for some soundbytes by a particular artist. It resluted in popups out the wazoo. Spybot, Hijack, and Adaware could never find nor get rid of it. Getting a popup in the middle of recording was a major pain.

DAW = just that. A DAW. A for general surfing and gaming, I recommend two machines.
 
MAc G4, originally a Sawtooth 450mHz, upgraded to 1.0gHz Sonnet processor upgrade. I've run OS9 and OSX (through current version). I've run PTLE 5.1 through 6.4 over the four years in question. I've always had other applications, including an internet connection during this time. No problems at all, although I rearely run PTLE and another app at the same time.
 
I am now running Fedora Core 3 on one partition. Smooth as silk, actually faster than XP. I've got Office XP, Project 2000, and Photoshop 7 all running under WINE, so I can still do all that kind of thing, in addition to web editing with Mozilla Composer.

At about $100 for a larger HD, it's cheaper than buying another computer for Office-type stuff and Internet. I can do everything here that I can under Windows, except audio (which I am still tinkering with).
 
I voted for I don't use my DAW to surf the internet, but I do occasionally for updates and such, but never for extended periods of time or just for fun. There is no ethernet permanently attatched to my DAW

Pat
 
I do the internet, gaming AND recording on my PC because it's just so darn convenient although I'd probably be more focused if I set one system as a DAW only with no internet.

My problems in the past that spilled over into my recording performance haven't been so much virus related more so than spyware related although I do run AVG anti-virus. To avoid viruses and spybots, I NEVER use Outlook or Outlook Express (use internet based email) and I use Flashpeak Slimbrowser with ActiveX, java and flash disabled to steer clear of common malicious scripts.

I'm a PC tech in my other "life" and I used AVG Anti-virus to catch/remove a virus that (a few months ago) on one particular system was running current versions of McAffee AND Norton (with both updated) never seemed to catch.

AVG takes the least amount of system resources possible to still run effectively and can update/run scheduled scans automatically. I also regularly run and update run Ad-aware, Spybot Search and Destroy, Spyware Blaster and Spyware doctor. Between all of those programs, I haven't had ONE system instability to date.
 
I got a "new", second-hand, pc some months ago, initially with the intention to keep it dedicated for audio, while having internet on my old pc... the difference in speed and ease of use was so substantial, I haven't used the other one since. But, I did have some spyware issues, which was rather annoying. I got rid of that, luckily. If I were selling records, I guess I'd reconsider using this for audio only, haha. I will once I can strike a decent note on my guitar.
 
I currently run XP. I've used the same pc for home/internet use and multitrack recording without incident for several years. I do make sure that the internet is disconnected and all unnecessary background software is shut down before I start an important session. Soon, I'm going to set up a new user account on XP configured just for DAW work only. I'll see if that simplifies things.
 
I have a wireless laptop for email, internet and web design. My studio machine only goes out on the internet for updates or downloads of plug-ins. When not in use, the nic card is disabled as well as the anitivirus. I set up my partners studio with an extra PC I had to hablde his email and internet access also,
 
Seeing that there seem to be a lot of users that only occasionaly connect their daw to the net for updates and so on, how do they make sure their virusscanner/adware removers/firewall is up-to-date before they go on the net? This would be far easier when the daw is connected permanently to the net and as such safer.
 
solaris20 said:
I am now running Fedora Core 3 on one partition. Smooth as silk, actually faster than XP. I've got Office XP, Project 2000, and Photoshop 7 all running under WINE, so I can still do all that kind of thing, in addition to web editing with Mozilla Composer.

At about $100 for a larger HD, it's cheaper than buying another computer for Office-type stuff and Internet. I can do everything here that I can under Windows, except audio (which I am still tinkering with).
Click to expand...
That was what I did when I had by big laptop. Partitioned the drive; put XP with all the bells and whistles on one drive, and a completely optimized WIN 2000 on the other. The WIN 2000 version had NO drivers for internet PCMCIA cards, et. al. I also disabled my ethernet connection in my BIOS, so I could just use a wireless/ethernet PCMCIA card in XP, and pop it out in 2000.

Internet and audio don't mix. Resources, interference, et. al. I'd suggest either partitioning your PC's hard drive as mentioned above, or get two pc's dedicated to one or the other...
 
I'm soon building a state of the art WinXPDAW (dedicated cooling, top-tier Ram, 2 dedicated HD's etc(1 audio, 1 plugin and samples) and I'm gonna have 2 swapable system HD discs. The pro audio system disc wont even be able to connect to the net. No virus scans, no viruses no nothing).
I have an additional lap up at all times that I can access the net with when I'm working on the Audio Only system disc. The other systemdisc will be the games/fun/etc version.
 
I'm scraping together some parts so I can have another PC, a dedicated DAW with no internet connection. Anti virus software by itself seems be a bit of a system hog but any software running in the "background" sure as hell won't speed things up.
 
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