Need Help Designing A Computer For Recording

if you don't know a lot about computer restoration and repair, then i'd suggest getting a computer from a company with a reputable warranty.
dell is a great choice. besides, the only hardware you will be swapping is the soundcard, so what does it really matter?

as for soundcards, it depends on how many inputs you want. you can spend ~140 on a 2496 M-audio audiophile and be served well, or you can spend 750 on an Aardvark Q10 and be severed even better.

two harddrives are key(7200 PRM, 8 MB chache). harddrives go about a gig/dollar today, so having 100+ gig computers is not only ideal, but feasible.

invest in a good mic.

mixers are optional, but give you more inputs/mic preamps than most soundcards.

as for programs, choose whatever you feel works the best. there's tons to pick from, and i've heard good reviews of all the big names.

 

I second the Audiophile.
If you have pro/multitrack ambitions take a look at the bigger M-Audio Delta cards
The best cards are RME though.
www.rme-audio.com

I second two disks, one for the OS and programs and one for audio.
Get as much ram as you can. 512+, 768 or more are better.
Get Windows XP Professional.
Get a big monitor (at least 19" CRT or 17" LCD), preferably two.
Get a multimonitor video card.

On the software side I recommend Cubase SX.

 

Hey, JMX, who sells the RME digi96 cards online and how much do they usually cost? I checked out Audiophille and am looking for somewhat in that range. Thanks.

 

go mac all the way!!!! i like macs the best for video and audio..

you can get a nice one on ebay

get a g4 tower..a nice big flat screen or lcd..

or a new imac works great also....(i have experince with both of these)

steve

 

The chip is the same in all Deltas (the Audiophile is a Delta too), you pay for ins/outs and of course the breakout box of the highrange Delta 66 and 1010.
The XP drivers are great - they're the same for all cards btw.

 

-2 hard drives is a definant.
-AMD's are good for audio, but it is all personal prefrence.
-Definantly XP if you are running audio.
-Get quite fans, especially if you are planning on recording in the same room as the computer.
-M-audio all the way, look into the Delta 1010.
I would get the 1010, and nice 8 channel mixer with good preamps.
-A large monitor would be ideal, maybe even dual monitors. You want to fit in as much as you can.
-As far as programs they are all good, I prefer Cakewalk Sonar.


Good Luck

 

If I got to build another machine:

- Either Windows 2000 or XP, Professional
- I'm an Intel man myself. Too many driver issues with AMD - no point in unknowingly limiting yourself if some sort of upgrade is necessary. I regretfully give that advice. I've seen too many people struggle with drivers that don't work with AMD systems. Granted, with my recommendations I don't thinks you'd have many problems, if any.
- 2 hard drives, both at least 40 gigs, 7200 rpms, and a large cache - no scrimping here on performance, although size is subjective - jsut go as big as you can for your audio drive and put your OS and apps on the main drive.
- At least 256 megs of RAM. More if can be afforded.
- Reputable video card, like a Matrox G450.

That'd be a start. I prefer a laser mouse for accuracy (as opposed to a wheel) and ASUS or ABIT motherboards.

I picked up a Delta 1010 earlier this week as a temporary solution since my Tascam DM-24 is in for repairs. Killer sound from the 1010 - highly recommended.

If you don't need that many channels, I'd hook up something with mic preamps. M-Audio will have a solution that works. Echo has a couple options as well - but for a better price to performance ratio, I'd still opt for the M-Audio gear, given my experience with both brands.

There are some great sounding little mixers from Mackie and Soundcraft/Spirit (m8, for example) that can double up for PA duties, if you end up looking at mixers.

Something like a Delta 1010 with a Mackie VLZ-Pro would be a great setup to start.

One thing to think about - If you decide you really enjoy this recording stuff down the line, you're going to want to upgrade. If you decide to leave it to the pros, then you'll probably want to be able to sell your gear for a decent price. So don't scrimp on the soundcard if it means better sound and you won't have to waste money on better gear later. However, if you decide you don't like it, don't scrimp on the soundcard if you think another card will have a higher resale value (just remember, we're talking about PC gear here and you will ultimately lose money on the purchase, in general).

Point in sum: get a reputable soundcard that doesn't suck. If you want to sell, people who are jumping into the art, on the cheap, will be interested in quality gear. M-Audio has this market, imo.

That aside, I'd go with Dell for the support and warranty alone, unless you personally know a PC builder that will help you out.

Heh, that was a lot of words for this time of night, so I apologize ahead if anything is unclear...