Computer for home recording- how much do I really need?

[brianrost]

I’m considering a new iMac, with a 10th gen i5 or i7 processor, 16GB RAM and 512 GB SSD. I figure I can run programs and plugins on the SSD and use external hard drives for storing files.

You planning on releasing albums commercially? You don't need anywhere near that much horsepower for typical home recording.

I have a 2012 iMac and some friends have a slightly newer one. I've never come close to stressing mine and they have released two full CDs that they recorded at home, sent them out for final mix and mastering.

For an example of just having fun and screwing around, here's a bandmate of mine who has been recording like crazy during the pandemic because he can't gig. He tries to knock off a song a day, just demo quality. I knew he used to just record with a cassette 4-track so I asked him what he used for this Bandlab stuff. He told me got a Chromebook and an iRig interface, probably about $300 invested.

So there's a pretty wide range of options depending on what your goals are.

 

[dannylectro]

I got a new $1299 iMac (whichever that one is - 21” no Retina display) added RAM to bring it 16GB, and that’s it. It easily handles Logic Pro, and a bunch of Slate & Wave plugins. Except for active projects, I store most stuff on an external SSD or in the cloud. Works perfectly for me.

 

[Willy B]

Thank you all for your responses, all very helpful. It’s overwhelming. I’m going to rethink it and do some more research.

 

[DirtDog]

I've got a 21.5" iMac from 2011 that does just fine. Bought it used for $500 about 5 years ago. I've added an external SSD 4TB drive for storage and added 8GB of RAM for a total of 16GB. Does everything I need just fine. Super stable. I use Logic Pro X exclusively. Not unusual to run lots of plug-ins (Slate, Waves, Superior Drummer, izotope, etc), MIDI over USB, dozens of audio tracks in a project, etc etc. Getting into soft synths now - Repro-1 and Repro-5 to be specific. Everything works great.

I also have a brand new MBP. I tend NOT to use that for tracking/mixing. Except for remote recording (which is why I bought it in the first place). A big part of that is the smaller screen and limited hardware connection options compared to my iMac.

One thing you're going to want to do is make sure that any computer you buy has the appropriate hardware connectors for the external gear you might have (USB2, USB3, FireWire, Thunderbolt). Not all newer computers support the older hardware (e.g., Firewire).

 

[stuntbass77]

I have a Mac mini ( late 2009 With I believe dual 1.8 or 2.0 ghz ) that is about on its last leg and it works just fine with 8g of ram but keep in mind I’m not doing a lot of midi and I use only GarageBand. I lock my tracks as I start to record another to keep the ram freed up. I now have a handed down dell that has an i3 processor and 16G of ram and plan to run a daw on it soon. I do have some freeware that came with my focusrite 1st gen “2i2” and 3rd gen “solo”. If you are keeping it simple you would be surprised how little you need. If you are running protools with heavy graphics and lots of midi and tons of tracks you could run into problems. One trick I have learned is if I have a ton of tracks to record I try to mix them the best I can and then render them down to one track and then add more to the rendered down track. So basically taking 10 tracks and mixing them down to 1 track and taking that track and adding more. It’s not the preferable way but for at home recoding it doesn’t bother me but I haven’t done this in a long time as I haven’t had the need. This is all just my opinion and it depends on how heavy you want to go with virtual effects pluggins that you want to use real time while recoding. I can’t help outside of GarageBand as I never felt the need for more. When i had the cash I use to buy power Mac G5’s but would keep them forever and never felt like things got overly slow as they aged but maybe I wasn’t taxing them that much. I do use lots of tracks on some songs but not a lot of midi ( not a lot of help in that area ). Others here I’m sure will know much more. Keep in mind i don’t ever expect my recordings to sound like a pro studio, which I have recorded in and cannot expect my recordings to song as good. Best of luck with your journey. And as far as I’m concerned recoding in GarageBand couldn’t be more simple yet still outstanding for excellent results. I did pay years ago to have all the extra pluggins Apple offered, which was nice.

 

[stuntbass77]

I’m gonna get a lot of flack for say this but I’m a Mac/Apple fan boy ! I find that Apple supports their stuff for a LONG time and yes you will probably be only be stuck with GarageBand and Logic ( Logic is outstanding from all accounts ) so I wouldn’t see this as a liability. My iPhones get 5 years or more support and my wife gets flagship Samsung’s and only get 3 years support at best, sad ! I hope Android ( cough.....google) comes around. I would love to try the Android experience again but until they support at least 4 years it’s a no go for me. Mac’s also get many years of security updates and I have never had a virus or malware in almost 20 years. My new pc isn’t going a day without “bitdefender” Or “malwarebits”. Heard of people getting a virus within 5 minutes of surfing after their antivirus software ran out. All that said a pc with good protection can do amazing things and lots and lots of software available for pc. So it’s not all hate for pc’s.

 

[InternetAlias]

I would build this nowadays:
AMD Ryzen 3 3200g
32GB RAM (2x16)
500GB SSD
1-4TB HDD
Some motherboard
Some case
Some PSU

And you are pretty much set. This will run you very little money as Ryzen 3 3200g has its own graphics card (which is actually really really good for the price), and 32GB RAM basically means you won't have page file issues.

Not having a super duper dedicated GPU also means you can cheap out on PSU, case and motherboard, as you neither need super performance for the GPU nor the specialized cooling solution nor huge amounts of power.

I would avoid Macs if budget is a concern. Also because they often have terrible cooling solutions (elegance over practicality) and even used macs aren't that efficient.

For the price of the build I outlined above ($500) you would get a subpar used mac.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

I’m looking to put together my first home recording setup and I need a computer. Based on what I’ve read so far, the suggested requirements seem to be:

-3.0 GHz quad-core i5 processor or better
-16 GB RAM or more
-500 GB hard drive or more

I’m just getting started and will just be learning the basics for a while. I will mainly be using it for practice, transcribing, etc. and for getting bass ideas down. Possibly some guitar and virtual instruments as well, along with some plugins (curious about the Neural DSP stuff). So I’m wondering if I can get by with less- a sub-3GHz processor and 8 GB RAM, for example. I know this depends in part on the DAW of choice. I’m leaning towards a Mac, with the intention of starting on GarageBand and moving to Logic Pro eventually. I haven’t completely ruled out PC though.

I would also prefer a desktop over laptop. So I’m considering a new iMac, with a 10th gen i5 or i7 processor, 16GB RAM and 512 GB SSD. I figure I can run programs and plugins on the SSD and use external hard drives for storing files.

This would cost roughly twice as much as I’d like to spend, ideally. I could swing it though, if it’s worth it. It certainly looks as though it would get the job done, but would it be overkill for my needs? Maybe a Mac mini with a ~$300 3rd party monitor, or a refurbished Mac would still get the job done and come more within my budget. Suggestions?

I would consider buying a used mac, if I were in your shoes. I'm using a 2015 macbook pro retina with 8mb ram and it's been doing gigantic 48k or 96k multi-track files without issue for years now. Seriously, sometimes 50+ audio tracks with plugins and no issues. I keep thinking I will have to upgrade soon, but it keeps chugging along, so no need yet.

Would definitely recommend getting an outboard hard drive. You can record directly to a USB drive with no issues. Get something with Terrabites worth of space. And get a backup.

Bottom line, you don't need to spend much on a rig to do what you are looking to do. You 100% don't have to buy new.

 

[moderatelyfunky]

I’m looking to put together my first home recording setup and I need a computer. Based on what I’ve read so far, the suggested requirements seem to be:
I use an old Mac Mini that is comple with
-3.0 GHz quad-core i5 processor or better
-16 GB RAM or more
-500 GB hard drive or more

I’m just getting started and will just be learning the basics for a while. I will mainly be using it for practice, transcribing, etc. and for getting bass ideas down. Possibly some guitar and virtual instruments as well, along with some plugins (curious about the Neural DSP stuff). So I’m wondering if I can get by with less- a sub-3GHz processor and 8 GB RAM, for example. I know this depends in part on the DAW of choice. I’m leaning towards a Mac, with the intention of starting on GarageBand and moving to Logic Pro eventually. I haven’t completely ruled out PC though.

I would also prefer a desktop over laptop. So I’m considering a new iMac, with a 10th gen i5 or i7 processor, 16GB RAM and 512 GB SSD. I figure I can run programs and plugins on the SSD and use external hard drives for storing files.

This would cost roughly twice as much as I’d like to spend, ideally. I could swing it though, if it’s worth it. It certainly looks as though it would get the job done, but would it be overkill for my needs? Maybe a Mac mini with a ~$300 3rd party monitor, or a refurbished Mac would still get the job done and come more within my budget. Suggestions?

I’m looking to put together my first home recording setup and I need a computer. Based on what I’ve read so far, the suggested requirements seem to be:

-3.0 GHz quad-core i5 processor or better
-16 GB RAM or more
-500 GB hard drive or more

I’m just getting started and will just be learning the basics for a while. I will mainly be using it for practice, transcribing, etc. and for getting bass ideas down. Possibly some guitar and virtual instruments as well, along with some plugins (curious about the Neural DSP stuff). So I’m wondering if I can get by with less- a sub-3GHz processor and 8 GB RAM, for example. I know this depends in part on the DAW of choice. I’m leaning towards a Mac, with the intention of starting on GarageBand and moving to Logic Pro eventually. I haven’t completely ruled out PC though.

I would also prefer a desktop over laptop. So I’m considering a new iMac, with a 10th gen i5 or i7 processor, 16GB RAM and 512 GB SSD. I figure I can run programs and plugins on the SSD and use external hard drives for storing files.

This would cost roughly twice as much as I’d like to spend, ideally. I could swing it though, if it’s worth it. It certainly looks as though it would get the job done, but would it be overkill for my needs? Maybe a Mac mini with a ~$300 3rd party monitor, or a refurbished Mac would still get the job done and come more within my budget. Suggestions?

I run the current Mac OS and Logic on an old, entry level Mac Mini with a Focusrite interface. Runs great. I only need to adjust buffer settings when I’m playing back with a bunch of automation and plugins. I’m Not recording more than two tracks at a time, but if your needs are simple like that, a Mini and your TV are a cheap way to get started with a state of the art DAW. Whatever you end up with, you’re going to have a blast.

 

[bbh]

I have a 2006 iMac maybe 16 gb ram running os 10.13. I took out the internal HDD’s and put in 2 ssd’s. It easily fits the bill as a starter machine and falls in or under your price range. Yes it will run logic and is way quicker than my ‘06 Mac Pro running 3.5” drives. My Mac Pro, running os 10.6 has the pci card into the converter and runs peak and dp5.
I was a Mac tech so that’s my preferred platform. Use what you know best. Power shouldn’t be an issue unless you started going crazy with multiple reverbs or other processor heavy loads in multiple instantiations.

 

[BarfanyShart]

Almost any rig nowadays should have the juice to run a DAW just fine, i would think. It is nice to have as much on board storage as possible so you don't have to fuss with external drives and storage media. One thing to keep in mind is if you, like many musicians nowadays, develop any interest in producing YouTube videos and the like - then you need to get something beefier with a graphics card and whatnot.

 

[stuntbass77]

And once you decide what computer and DAW you can always find lots of help here and plenty of websites dedicated to just one DAW platform and can get lots of help for said DAW. I like simplicity when it comes to my recordings as I just want to “play” and get down my parts and not concerned with Grammy winning expectations and “I” feel GargeBand delivers in that department. People that have heard my recordings are always amazed at how good they sound but a lot of that isn’t just the DAW but the time you take in playing the parts right and mixing it in the end. I do plan to get “reaper” for my PC as my mini is going to die someday and as I was gifted this PC I will just start using that ( I lived on a fixed Income now as I am now disabled ). Either way it’s gonna open up a whole new world to you especially if you play guitar as well as bass, or any other instruments. I became a acoustic player out of necessity to write my own songs but bass is still my first love. Lots of cheap but good midi keyboards out there worth looking into. I had a 88 key M Audio that was really good sounding and could use it as a keyboard or just to trigger percussions ( wish I didn’t sell it but had gas for other gear and sold it ).

 

[Dr Zee]

A +1 for used and reconditioned Macs.
Everyone has offered sound advise so far. If you are a Mac Head, so am I.
this is what I'm running, but it is by chance as I got computer stuff to work and print Photos in the first place.
It's all "old" in computer time and didn't cost a lot and does the level of music recording that meets my needs and then some.

I am using Audacity and the Scarlet 212 is really good and you should use at least something like it.

 

[pbassjbass]

Most i5 or i7 machines will do the job, just fine. If you want to work plugging and virtual instruments, more memory is good. A desktop is a good choice, Mac mini's seem to get good reviews for this purpose. I'm using a 2018 Mac book pro, which is probably over speced from my current needs. I use PC/with windows or linux for day job. Macs will work, PCs can be made to work, you just have to pay more attention. When you think about cost, spread it out over the expected life of the machine. I use five years as my target. A $2000 machine is $400 per year vs a $1500 machine which works out to $300.

 

[ObsessiveArcher]

If you use your computer mainly for your music, you can easily get by with 8GB Ram & 500 GB internal drive. I'm using an i3 3.4GHz PC 8GB 1TB. I've run 25+ tracks with FX using Reaper and the CPU usage meter gets up to maybe 3%.

Adding something like Superior Drummer 3, you'd probably want a large external SSD for it's massive GBs of samples.

+1 ^this^
We recorded our EP using i3 3.4GHz PC 8GB 1TB SSD with a firewire card

 

[stuntbass77]

Now I have gas for a newer Mac Mini. My 2009 has served me so well for so many years now ! More basses=no gas, Mac Mini =GAAAAS.........

 

[StatesideRambler]

If you go the PC route be sure that Windows 10 Pro is installed. Lesser Windows flavors like Windows Home will use only 4GB regardless of how much RAM is installed.

 

[pfschim]

If you go the PC route be sure that Windows 10 Pro is installed. Lesser Windows flavors like Windows Home will use only 4GB regardless of how much RAM is installed.

dude, please don't spread mis-information. Any current version of Windows 10, including Windows 10 Home, is installable as a 64bit OS. This gives users access to up to 128GB of RAM (and of course, most standard systems come with far less than that and work perfectly well). Windows 10 Home can be installed as 32bit, but for the life of me I'm not sure why anyone would do that on newly bought hardware.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

I bought a used 2013 Macbook with similar specs to what you need from an Ebay seller for 600ish dollars. It was a great deal, and the device was super clean. One pixel is out on the screen, but unless you are watching a ton of dark movies or looking at black screens, you won’t notice. But no other problems. I record 8 tracks at a time with no glitching using Gband. My 2012 macmini would shut down Gband often if the processing got a little intense with effects and eqing. Message me if you want to know the Ebay seller’s store name.

 

[40Hz]

AMD is really popular right now bc of cost of entry, problem is that most of the fanboys know 0 about mating a workload to physical hardware. I wouldn't go the AMD route for hardware if wrenching on your box isn't something you find enjoyable.

Ok. I’ll bite.

I’m just retired from close to four decades in enterprise IT. And I ran my own company doing that for 35 years of it. But even so, I‘m having a lot of trouble grokking what you mean by the above, except for the obvious fanboy dig. So would you mind elaborating a little on what you’re saying with all that? I promise I’ll give it my complete and undivided attention.