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Computer Recommendations for editing

Z

Zappstorius

Oct 20, 2006
835
4
San Francisco Bay Area
www.myspace.com
#1
Hey all, my band uses a Boss Br-1600cd to record on, with decent results and would like to do the post production editing on a computer.

There is a USB out on the recorder, and from what I've read this is a fairly common thing for musicians to do (editing on a DAW), as the editing functions are much better and it allows for more (unlimited from what I understand) tracks to be added.

I'm kinda a noob to the computer recording, through my drummer has some experience with Pro tools, another buddy of mine uses Sonar to record, edit, mix etc.

My question comes down to what kind of computer I need to get in order to make this happen. Do I need to get a "bare bones" desktop with the best available RAM, CPU, Memory etc or will a normal laptop work for what I need it to?

What are the things that I should be looking at in purchasing a computer for this?

Thanks!
 
#6
You don't need a high end Laptop. Nowadays any normal laptop or desktop will work fine to do basic editing and mixing.
Usually most resources a DAW use are eaten up by plug ins that require a lot of CPU, for example Amplitube, Guitar Rig.

Protools is good, but you'll need a Protools compatible interface, namely Mbox o M-audio interfaces. If you don't have one of those interfaces pro tools won't work.
A lot of people like to use reaper, I don't have experience with it so I can't reccomend it. Fruity Loopsis very good, but to me it is more a sequencing software.

Besides Protools, which I use on my Windows Laptop, I have experience with Logic IME it is one of the most intuitive and easy to use DAW out there. The only problem is that it needs a Mac computer, which somepeople don't like to work with.

All in all, what you need is a decent machine with a decent processor and good RAM. I have an old Samsung laptor with 1,8Ghz dual & 4GB RAM, and it works just fine with pro tools 7.
 
#7
Hellbastard said:
Protools is good, but you'll need a Protools compatible interface, namely Mbox o M-audio interfaces. If you don't have one of those interfaces pro tools won't work.
Click to expand...

Not anymore! Woohoo! ProTools 9 can be used with almost any interface.

If you're going with ProTools, I'd suggest getting at Mac if you're not too knowledgeable about computer guts and you can afford it. Windows tends to have hardware issues, and on a friend's system, you have to make sure that extra background programs (anti-virus programs usually) aren't taking up too much RAM. All newer Macs have entirely compatible hardware. You have to check and do some research with a Windows PC.

Also, Macs do come with Garage Band, which really is a pretty good program. Most plugins drop in just fine, and it's probably the easiest DAW to learn to use. That said, I haven't used it much. I don't know if it can side chain, what sort of bussing capabilities it has, or if the automation is any good.

Reaper isn't a bad program, if you know what you're doing and are somewhat familiar with DAWs. I found it to be rather user unfriendly, but it's free (sorta) or at least pretty darn cheap, and I understand that it has just about everything you need to make high quality recordings.

I'd look into Sonar. I don't use it anymore because it's not what's in our studio (not my studio). I thought it was the most user friendly and had the best interfaces.

Fruity Loops (or "FL" as they're trying to sell themselves off as nowadays) is a great program, and I use it constantly. It's a terrible DAW, but it can be done. It just not it's main function. It's main function is to make beats, club music, trance, and electronica. It's very user friendly, and is very logical to use. What I regularly do is use it for demos (by exporting the tracks and getting them to the guys to learn or for feedback or whatever) and to supplement the real recordings. I usually import a rough track that's set to a click, and then write parts on FL, like pads or additional percussion.

Anyone know how Garage Band stacks up? I've heard some pretty good recordings with it (and tons more by yahoos with a Mac laptop).
 
#8
Oh yeah... I have a feeling that you and your crew will have outboard gear that you'll want to use during recording, and that you'll record a bunch of tracks at the same time. It's a whole lot tougher to do that on a laptop.

If your looking to build up a fairly permanent studio and record a bunch of tracks simultaneously, then a tower is probably the way to go.

Here's my take on memory and processing speed - get as much as both as you can. DAWs and the .wav files that they use suck up both when you have multiple tracks going and a bunch of plugins. I'd get at least double of each if you can.

All computers other then really big expensive ones with tons of ram and really fast processing speeds run into buffering problems. This is when you're trying to get the computer to process so much that it physically can't keep up with the audio playback. It creates little pops, crackles, pauses, and sometimes just plain shuts down your DAW. The more memory and processing power you have, the less often it happens. Right now, we're running a Mac with a quad core and 8GB of RAM. It very, very, very rarely has buffering problems.

However, if you're mostly making simpler recordings, then a laptop will do fine. If you find a fast one with good memory that has a firewire input, then you can even fairly easily run an interface with a bunch of channels and a bunch of simultaneous tracks.

I've heard that if you have a laptop that's running too many interfaces over a USB, the USB can't keep up and you'll have recording problems, as well as other problems (reamping gets all messed up and sounds bad, for example). I don't know this for certain though. I've only used a laptop with a little two-channel M-box.

BTW, here's the basics of what you need for a good, quality recording:

  1. Computer - I'd suggest at least 4Ghz processor or better, at least 4GB of RAM, and a hard drive of at least 500GB. The hard drive is probably the least of your worries, as disk space is cheap these days. Get a laptop for demos or if you don't have a permanent place for a studio
  2. Interface - there's a ton of them. There's all sorts of configurations (different number of channels, MIDI or no MIDI channels, etc.). If it uses a firewire input, make sure that your computer has one.
  3. Preamp - often they're built into the interface, but you'll need one somewhere in your signal chain to get a decent recording. There's a bajillion of them, and you can probably use ones that you have already if someone in the band has one.
 
#10
Ubersheist said:
I'd suggest getting at Mac if you're not too knowledgeable about computer guts and you can afford it. Windows tends to have hardware issues
Click to expand...

This is the most inaccurate information I've seen on this website for a long time...

The actual hardware is nearly identical between "macs" and "PCs." Intel or AMD will make the CPU, Samsung or some chinese company will make the RAM, the HD will probably be Seagate or Maxtor or Western Digital...etc... there are no physical differences between the computers. Windows PCs and Macs vary ONLY in software. If you want, you can buy MacOS and install it on a dell, and bang you have the same thing that Apple is selling at a fraction of the cost.

Please do not let ignorance fool you into believe the marketing claims of these companies. It's worth the time, especially these days, to become familiar with technology. The world is changing and if you want to prevent yourself from getting ripped off you need to know as much as possible.

Ubersheist said:
Computer - I'd suggest at least 4Ghz processor or better
Click to expand...

Again, try not to offer advice on topics you're unfamiliar with. Due to physics, computers will not be going anywhere near 4ghz let alone over it for some years to come. The heat produced by the extra power actually causes interference, the same way your cell phone might make your alarm clock squak when you text.
Here is an example: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=39589&vpn=BX80601975&manufacture=Intel
That CPU, while over $1000, is still only 3.3ghz.


Thread starter: for the purposes you're describing a dual core CPU with both cores running over or near 2ghz will meet and exceed your needs.
If you're going with windows 7 or the newest MacOS get at least 4gb of ram. Don't forget that these programs will all run on older operating systems (such as WinXP) that use half the resources that the new ones use.
 
#11
Crossgrade is $250 from Avid's site. This was under my radar, too. I stopped using PT7 as my USB M-Audio was acting up. MOTU 828mkII is rock solid, and I love Live. Now I have to choose between upgrading Live or PT...nice to have choices.
 
#12
m_bisson said:
This is the most inaccurate information I've seen on this website for a long time...

The actual hardware is nearly identical between "macs" and "PCs." Intel or AMD will make the CPU, Samsung or some chinese company will make the RAM, the HD will probably be Seagate or Maxtor or Western Digital...etc... there are no physical differences between the computers. Windows PCs and Macs vary ONLY in software. If you want, you can buy MacOS and install it on a dell, and bang you have the same thing that Apple is selling at a fraction of the cost.

Please do not let ignorance fool you into believe the marketing claims of these companies. It's worth the time, especially these days, to become familiar with technology. The world is changing and if you want to prevent yourself from getting ripped off you need to know as much as possible.



Again, try not to offer advice on topics you're unfamiliar with. Due to physics, computers will not be going anywhere near 4ghz let alone over it for some years to come. The heat produced by the extra power actually causes interference, the same way your cell phone might make your alarm clock squak when you text.
Here is an example: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=39589&vpn=BX80601975&manufacture=Intel
That CPU, while over $1000, is still only 3.3ghz.


Thread starter: for the purposes you're describing a dual core CPU with both cores running over or near 2ghz will meet and exceed your needs.
If you're going with windows 7 or the newest MacOS get at least 4gb of ram. Don't forget that these programs will all run on older operating systems (such as WinXP) that use half the resources that the new ones use.
Click to expand...

You're right on the gigs. I couldn't remember the numbers, and I took a stab at what I thought was right. Oops.

It's not that Windows PCs have issues.... if you have the right hardware. If you go into most computer stores and buy any old PC, there's likely going to be incompatible hardware. Yes, it'll be about 1/2 the price of a mac, but you gotta check the specs. The processors and hardware Avid lists on their compatibility guide are typically standard on Macs, but not necessarily on PCs. There's really no way to argue against this fact.

As such, if you walk into a Mac store, pretty much any computer they have on the floor will work fine. There might be a few models that for some reason might have problems, but I've never ever heard of anyone having issues with Macs. I have heard of, and have personally had, plenty of issues with PCs. There's tons of PC hardware that's not supported, and lots of glitches can come up.

When we built our last system, we had a PC system with an AMD processor that wasn't supported - it far exceeded the minimums. We couldn't get the click track to work, and it would be very unstable, crashing all the time. We pulled it and replaced it with an older processor that was supported. It worked fine. The original sound card wasn't supported, either. We had to yank it, too. I have a few friends with PC systems that have other similar stories. Once our system had everything replaced, it was stable, and had no issues.

That said, I'm building my own studio, and will be running a PC on ProTools. It is much cheaper on a PC.
 
#13
Hellbastard said:
Well that's news to me. Are they going to be offering a LE version, or just the whole package with the option to Crossgrade from LE/M-Powered?
Click to expand...

I don't know. I just read the article in a mag a little while ago. I do know that they have the delay compensation built in (like most of the other DAWs already have). That'll be nice, as I was always forgetting to bring that in. They also made it so you don't need an interface at all to run ProTools 9, which will make editing on a laptop loads easier to do at a coffee shop!
 
#14
Hellbastard said:
Well that's news to me. Are they going to be offering a LE version, or just the whole package with the option to Crossgrade from LE/M-Powered?
Click to expand...

Now it seems that LE only refers to the version that comes with mbox and mpowered devices. The full pro tools 9 program, is fully native and like any other DAW. Pro tools 9 is quite pricey but the crossgrade price seems reasonable. Its quite a reworking of the way the whole program works, pretty exciting!

Heres a comparison chart comparing the new to the old...


[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#16
You want a high clock speed on the CPU, and I don't think you'll find any single core CPUs out there anymore that are compatible with newer motherboards. Hence the dual core suggestion.

For you, a dual core with both cores clocked at 3ghz will be faster than an octo (8 core) with all the cores clocked at 1.8ghz. The current software is only capable of running on ONE core at a time, so get fewer cores with faster speeds.
 
#17
m_bisson said:
You want a high clock speed on the CPU, and I don't think you'll find any single core CPUs out there anymore that are compatible with newer motherboards. Hence the dual core suggestion.

For you, a dual core with both cores clocked at 3ghz will be faster than an octo (8 core) with all the cores clocked at 1.8ghz. The current software is only capable of running on ONE core at a time, so get fewer cores with faster speeds.
Click to expand...

Good info and certainly suggests something to be aware of, but many programs DO take advantage of multi cores these days. Logic, for example, certainly does use more than one core at a time, you can use some techniques to distribute individual tracks across different cores and you can end up with a pretty balanced load across all cores of a 4 or even 8 core system!

I'm sure many other programs do the same, its only a matter of time before multiple cores are supported across the board so going for a modern processer will help.

Ulitmately, however, I ran big projects off of my dell p4 back in the day. For editing of a single/limited amount of tracks a computer from 5 years ago would breeze it. Don't worry too much and just get as fast as you can afford, procesor wise. RAM is easy to upgrade later, the processor less so, so get a good one and upgrade when the need is there, if ever!
 
#20
Ok, so my drummer actually has Sonar X1 producered edition. Like I stated earlier, we'll be recording into the Boss & then exporting the wav files into a computer for editing. I don't need an interface for that reason.

Are there any examples of what tower, (which sounds like the way to go for adding ram, memory, soundcard etc at a later date) would be a good fit? As always, I'd prefer to do it as cheap as I can, but realize that budget units can have a downside as well.
 

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