• The Computer Literate - Hardware Required For A Music Studio PC?
    3 replies, posted
Hey guys. I'm looking into building a PC to record instruments. I know how to put a PC together but I'm a little out of touch with the hardware and such. I'm wondering what the best value for money components are to make a decent spec PC that can do this for me. Obviously the two main things are sound and speed, which is why I'm willing to spend more on a decent processor / soundcard / RAM. I'd say my budget is around £1,000 ($1,800?) - but I need to get EVERYTHING (including a monitor). I already own a licence for Cubase so software isn't an issue. Thanks for your time :)
I had an AMD 4600+ With 3GB of RAM In my studio I tracked up to 16 Tracks in cubase at 96000Hz 24Bit with no fail. I am now moving to a Pentium Dual core based LAptop with 4GB of RAM so I can take the recording gear to the field. Just get a decent spec Intel Core2 system (Hell an old E6400 would do) With plenty of Ram and a 7200RPM HDD and spend the rest on a GOOD Audio interface, Firewire prefered, with ASIO compatibility. For audio Interface, Look into stuff by: M-Audio (Budget end) MOTU (Expensive, But very well proven) Presonus (Value for money) - [url]http://www.presonus.com/products/Detail.aspx?ProductId=5[/url] RME (Expensive End) The interface is HUGE part of, Get a good one that will hold it's value and provide a stable environment for recording, last thing you want is a sample sync "Click" Right in the middle of the perfect take [editline]11:49PM[/editline] And try to go for quietness, IF you aren't gaming on it, GEt a passive cooled graphics card and that's some noise cut down. Tagan PSUs are almost inaudible, I used one in my HTPC and you can't hear it at all. Some Links: Good Value CPU: [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Intel-Core-2-Duo-E8400-Wolfdale-Core-S775-30-GHz-1333MHz-6MB-Cache-9x-Multiplier-Retail[/url] Very Quiet Cooler: [url]http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=1066473[/url] Presonus Firestudio, [b]HIGHLY[/b] Expendable I/O, Cheap clearance price. [url]http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product.asp?id=7882[/url] Probably some useful information in this post, if a little unstructured.
I'd say get a Phenom II X4 945/955, 4GB of DDR3, an AM3 mobo, ~1TB HDD, Antec 300, 4650 if you don't play games much (if you do, wait until september), a good 500-650W PSU, and any DVD burner. You could go with an i7, but with the Phenom you get identical performance for most things for a lot less so you have more money to spend on the components you need for audio.
Don't forget that your recordings will only be as good as the source, so I hope you have a budget for mics. (Atleast one of Dynamic*, Small Condesner and large condesner at the very least to give you a start) - I'm not sure what setup you have currently. *SM57 Works well for almost everything, Real workhorse mics, Can get a little mid-rangey for certain things but it's a great all rounder.
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