What do I do first?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hollowman
  • Start date Start date
H

Hollowman

New member
Hi there,

I want to have a computer built especially for audio. The few things I definitely want is an Athlon XP 1900 and matrox 550 dualhead. I also would like to buy 1 small Ibm deskstar 60GXP for os and if I have got the money 2 ibm deskstar 60 GXP 60 GB. 1 for audio and 1 extra for backup, but I think it will be to expensive. So I think I will have to do with 2. One for OS and one for audio.

I don't know what kind of mobo I need. Everywhere I go something else is said. I also don't have a clue what kind of soundcard I need. Some soundcards don't work with particular chipsets. As a newbie it drives me crazy. Should I first look for a soundcard and then for a mobo that works with it. Also what kind of case do I need. Do I need a rackmount or would a tower suffice or doesn't it matter. I am currently looking at a tower from koolance. Check out this link:

www.koolance.com

I would appreciate all the help I can get. And get ready for more questions to come. Thanks in advance.

Hollowman
 
I you plan on moving the computer out of your studio a lot of times, I would suggest that you go the "rack mount" route.
 
Thanx for your reply Spinsterwun.

Let me clear something up. I don't have a real studio. I just make music in my room as a hobby, but a damn fine hobby it is. I just want to built a computer that I can expand in the future when more money can go into equipment. So I am not planning to move it.

While reading your reply, I understand that there is no real difference in a tower or a rackmount. What did you think about the tower as shown on the page I gave the link of?

Hollowman
 
I got a case from directron.com with a super quiet power supply and fans for my P4. It stays plenty cool and it's definitely quieter than any other computer I've ever had. Rackmount cases are very nice, but if you are looking to save money and don't need the rackmount, get a less expensive case and put that money into other parts of the machine. I couldn't get that koolance link to come up, probably just my crappy connection, so I don't know how much you are looking to spend on a case. I got a good case for less than $120 with the silent power supply.

Is there a reason you are going Athlon instead of PIII or P4? Things may have changed since I put my last computer together, but you might have a harder time making audio hardware compatible with the AMD. That might be why you are running into confusion picking soundcards and mobos that go together. From my limited experience with AMD, I think they suck... but maybe that's just me. I use Abit boards for all my Intel chips, don't know if they make AMD boards too. On the other hand, that Matrox dualhead is a sweet video card for an audio machine... I have one in mine actually, along with two of those same IBM drives you mentioned.

For picking a soundcard, determine how many inputs you want to be able to record at once, and if for example you don't need 8 ins/outs then that can help narrow the search. You can find a ton of advice on soundcards by using the search feature here. Then when you narrow it down to a few choices, start looking to see if the manufacturer recommends a mobo for the soundcard, and at the least see what they explicitly support. You can also narrow your choices if you have a preferred OS for the computer, then see what soundcard drivers are currently working with that OS. I would watch out for the "drivers coming soon to support: insert OS name here." You'll also find lots of advice from the search on which OS might fit in best with what you want to do.

It is frustrating trying to get it all worked out, but it's worth the effort to get it correct and in line with what you are going to be recording and what apps you'll be using. If you have an OS or particular audio applications in mind, post what they are and maybe someone using those can give you some more specific computer advice.
 
Hi Jon X,

The reason I choose Amd is because it is less expensive than intel and it outperforms the intel. I looked at some tests. For example:
http://www6.tomshardware.com/cpu/01q4/011105/index.html

I don't know which OS I would like to use. 98SE or Win2K. I have read that 98SE can make use of a maximum of 384 MB Ram while Win2K doesnot have that restriction.

What the soundcard is concerned. Well.....I am not in a band or something so I don't think I need a lot of inputs. Or do inputs also apply to outboard gear as for example a synth? I am in the possession of a Behringer MX2642A so multiple outputs would be great. I own a very simple midikeyboard, but I definitely want the option of connecting for example a nice synth and/or sampler etc in the future. Expandibility is important to me. So midi is needed also, but aren't there midi-interfaces to connect if a soundcard hasn't got any, through USB or something. Or is this not advisable? A nice extra would be to record my vinyl, but I think any card will do that. Also surround sound would be a nice extra.

I am currently running cubase V5 on my pentium III 500 MHz. (For your info I got a Compaq presario 5726 and I hate it. I am gonna use it for work and internet only when my new comp is ready). I also got a demo of Reason from the mag Computer Music which I really like and it is possible to connect the two. Maybe I will buy this in the near future. I use wavelab for editing by the way.

I will start searching for the next few days. More replies are always wellcome.
 
I knew the day would come: Dude! The water pump went out in my computer!


I'm not going to get into a pissing match over processors. My game machine is Intel, my music machine is AMD simply by virtue of price.
I'm running an Athalon 1000 with 512 megs of PC133 and 12 tracks hasn't been a problem yet.

Your mixer has 16 ins so that won't be an issue with your card selection. It's not like you would need a Q10.
I would select a card first and then shop for a mobo with compatible chipset. The Omni Studio is a good choice (24/96) but doesn't do midi. You can always get a USB midi converter though.
I'm considering ST Audio's (Hoontech) C-Port. Rack mountable, 10 I/O, 2 pres, digital I/O and works with most AMD type chipsets; KT7 and ?

How did you happen to choose the Behringer?
 
Getuhgrip

Well I have had the Behringer for quite some time. It was on sale and I needed a new mixer for my turntables. I then also had plans for making music with a computer so I decided to go with Behringer. Just slowly buying some stuff when money was around. At that time I did not know of this forum otherwise I would have bought something else. But you have to work with the stuff you have. So........

The Omni Studio had crossed my mind because I was reviewed with a 10 in the mag Computer Music. I will take the ST Audio into consideration.

Thanx for you reply Getuhgrip and do you know of a site with a review of the St Audio card? If you do please let me know.
 
The Athalons are fine, but watch out when getting a motherboard. Avoid the VIA chipset at all costs. It is very hard to find an Athalon mobo that doesn't have the Via chipset on its Southbridge.

I made the mistake of getting a really fast mobo with the wrong chipset and I have been having lots and lots of problems which have only been cured by disabling all the non-essential motherboard resources like USB, Serial Ports, and other things.

My next mobo is going to be a P4
 
As a newbie I am not afraid to ask this question:

How do I know if a mobo has a Via chipset?
 
How do I know if a mobo has a Via chipset?
Click to expand...

right now almost all mobos for XP athlons are based on Via chipsets. The AMD 760 chipset is highly recommended on DAW forums, but I'm not sure it handles the XP...

My advice would be to wait a couple of weeks to see how the new Nvidia-chipset mobos turn out in regards to stability...First reports look good http://www.slota.com/reviews/asus/a7n266-e/

good luck
 
http://www.pcrecording.com/hoontech.htm

This fella is well respected around here, and this is the review that put me over the top. Especialy since he agreed to re-write the manual! Check it out.

BTW- I'm not one of the Behringer bashers, I was just curious. I had a 1602 last year but sold it to a kid at work to help financa a guitar. I don't really need a mixer with all the different software mixing available.

Cool cases. A couple years ago I ripped the guts out of an Igloo induction cooler and tried to make it work with an Aberdeen case. 50 degrees and very quiet. Couldn't control the condensation moisture. Oh well!

Welcome to the site.

:D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top