- Antec® SOLO (also considering the p150)
AMD® Athlon™ 64 X2 - 4600+ (maybe a 4200 for less heat?)
Zalman CNPS9500 AM2
Asus® M2N-E, Socket AM2, NVIDIA® nForce® 570 Ultra MCP Chipset
Corsairâ„¢ 1Gb PC5400 XMS2 DDR2 Xtreme Performance Series
320GB Western Digital® Caviar® SE16 SATAII-300
Asus® Extreme EN7600GS Silent/HTD - GeForce (no fan!!)
Seasonic® S12-430 430W ATX12V v.2.0 Power Supply
Recording studio build
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
Recording studio build
Hi first time poster here, but I've been reading for a while... I'm putting together a system that I plan to use in a bedroom recording studio. Naturally I want it to be as quiet as possible to avoid listening to/recording noise, also I need a fair bit of power to run software and plugins... here's what I've got planned
I think it looks great!
I have the SOLO and the same videocard. Fanless graphics is bliss! The HD suspension system is really great for vibrations, however I really recommend notebook drives or an enclosure. My 200 GB Samsung drive is currently the noisiest part in my system and I'm really thinking about replacing it with another notebook drive.
Go for Intel Core 2 Duo instead of the AMD. More bang for the buck and runs cooler.
Also the Zalman cooler isn't as quiet as you will want. A Scythe Ninja or A Ultra-120 will probably be able to run fanless which is really nice (provided it fits the motherboard).
I have the SOLO and the same videocard. Fanless graphics is bliss! The HD suspension system is really great for vibrations, however I really recommend notebook drives or an enclosure. My 200 GB Samsung drive is currently the noisiest part in my system and I'm really thinking about replacing it with another notebook drive.
Go for Intel Core 2 Duo instead of the AMD. More bang for the buck and runs cooler.
Also the Zalman cooler isn't as quiet as you will want. A Scythe Ninja or A Ultra-120 will probably be able to run fanless which is really nice (provided it fits the motherboard).
A notebook drive works fine if you're not using streaming samples and not to many audio tracks. And since it's a bedroom studio I guess you won't bring a rock band with a drum kit in there. 
But if you are going to use big streaming sample libraries or multi-track recording with lots of tracks and 24/96 resolution you'll probably need 2 HDDs. One for system files and swap file and the other one for audio projects. I have a Samsung Spinpoint P80 and a P120 in my Antec P180 case and I can't hear them sitting just 0,5 m away.
Another very good option is to put your computer in another room (perhaps a cool, not to small closet) and use long cables to your monitor, key/mouse, usb-dvd. A guy at an audio forum made a hole in the wall.
http://xg.fateback.com/
Also if you can afford it I'd recommend doubling the RAM to 2GB. Those software plugins need a lot of memory.
But if you are going to use big streaming sample libraries or multi-track recording with lots of tracks and 24/96 resolution you'll probably need 2 HDDs. One for system files and swap file and the other one for audio projects. I have a Samsung Spinpoint P80 and a P120 in my Antec P180 case and I can't hear them sitting just 0,5 m away.
Another very good option is to put your computer in another room (perhaps a cool, not to small closet) and use long cables to your monitor, key/mouse, usb-dvd. A guy at an audio forum made a hole in the wall.
http://xg.fateback.com/
Also if you can afford it I'd recommend doubling the RAM to 2GB. Those software plugins need a lot of memory.
Thanks for the input guys, I can't believe I overlooked the processor. I have always bought AMD machines in the past and figured they were still leading the pack...not the case these days I've found out...
Also about HD's I don't think a laptop drive will do cause I do use quite a few sample libraries and tend to build up many tracks on projects...I may look into getting a 2nd drive though...
so here is my new and improved planned system,
Also about HD's I don't think a laptop drive will do cause I do use quite a few sample libraries and tend to build up many tracks on projects...I may look into getting a 2nd drive though...
so here is my new and improved planned system,
- Case: Antec® SOLO
CPU: Intel Core duo 6400
HS: Scythe Ninja PLUS Rev.B
Mobo: Asus® P5N-E SLI, Socket 775, NVIDIA® nForce™ 650i SLI
RAM: Corsairâ„¢ 1Gb PC5400 XMS2 DDR2 Xtreme Performance Series
HD: 320GB Western Digital® Caviar® SE16 SATAII-300
GPU: Asus® Extreme EN7600GS Silent/HTD - GeForce
PSU: Seasonic® S12-430 430W ATX12V v.2.0 Power Supply
Re: Recording studio build
Moog wrote:Hi first time poster here, but I've been reading for a while... I'm putting together a system that I plan to use in a bedroom recording studio. Naturally I want it to be as quiet as possible to avoid listening to/recording noise, also I need a fair bit of power to run software and plugins... here's what I've got planned
I've done a bit of research into the parts and from what I've read it looks like it should be a pretty quite machine. Does anything stick out here that could be improved upon parts wise to get less noise??
- Antec® SOLO (also considering the p150)
AMD® Athlon™ 64 X2 - 4600+ (maybe a 4200 for less heat?)
Zalman CNPS9500 AM2
Asus® M2N-E, Socket AM2, NVIDIA® nForce® 570 Ultra MCP Chipset
Corsairâ„¢ 1Gb PC5400 XMS2 DDR2 Xtreme Performance Series
320GB Western Digital® Caviar® SE16 SATAII-300
Asus® Extreme EN7600GS Silent/HTD - GeForce (no fan!!)
Seasonic® S12-430 430W ATX12V v.2.0 Power Supply
Seagate HDs are more durable-a little less noise 2 yr more Warranty. Sampsungs T series is the quietest. You want a second HD-even if in a seperate enclosure (silent when off) to back up.
You do NOT need that much CPU. The new 3600 x2 Brisbane will run way cooler. I'd assume a Ninja-passive will do fine. One 120 mm case fan should suffice----see how low you can go on the RPM.
Don't waste $ on the vid card if not gaming---but get one that does 2 monitors well as Soundforge-Audition etc take a lot of screen area. Low end Vid cards are often passive-and don't put heat into the box.
Check out the I-Star Nitro case. Can easily be silenced more than an Antec. Bigger though. Suspend the HDD.
Don't waste $$$ on stuff that don't do much for you--A GOOD soundcard,some REAL monitor speakers on a real amp are essential.
I built my speakers with drivers from Parts Express,4" sheilded Tang Ban Woofs,Titanium dome Tweets, I had some JBL crossovers boxes about 11" x6" x 5" mount just about 3' from my ears. I use a good NAD amp.
Soundcard is M Audio Revolution. I'd spend more if doing commercial stuff,perhaps Egosys.
I assume the Brisbane chip can undervolt a little.
Be Silent. Be Happy.
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vincentfox
- Posts: 271
- Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2005 8:35 pm
- Location: CA
The I Star Nitro case is both big and heavy. Even if you don't fill up the space-that does make it a cooler case. A small box heats faster. This uses extra thick stell-which transmits less sound. Its a workhorse.
As with the high end AMD X2,the Core 2 Duo is a bit of overkill. Audio needs a whole lot of HDD,but you could do ANY Audio work on a basic Sempron or an older XP. I've done a lot of remastering on a P3,the fastest Proc will save a few seconds,but big deal..spend for a silent background and a low noise soundcard
As with the high end AMD X2,the Core 2 Duo is a bit of overkill. Audio needs a whole lot of HDD,but you could do ANY Audio work on a basic Sempron or an older XP. I've done a lot of remastering on a P3,the fastest Proc will save a few seconds,but big deal..spend for a silent background and a low noise soundcard
It's obvious u aren't OCing so you don't need a board with SLI. Hey, you might even want to go with an MATX with integrated video. If it will be pure audio recording you don't need a VC. Put that $ you save towards more memory. It is better spent. 2x1GB sticks.
Speaking of memory you need DDR2 800 for Core2 Duo. Better off.
You want a quiet drive. Seagates are a bit louder than WD IMO but I hear Samsung has some really quiet ones called Spinpoints I believe. I's like to try those.
Speaking of memory you need DDR2 800 for Core2 Duo. Better off.
You want a quiet drive. Seagates are a bit louder than WD IMO but I hear Samsung has some really quiet ones called Spinpoints I believe. I's like to try those.
Last edited by MC FLMJIG on Sun Jan 28, 2007 9:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.
I 4got to put that as well. The 1.9 dual comes, forced combo on newegg, with a cheapie TFORCE mobo. The chipset is NOT passive. You may have to buy a replacement.
If you go AMD AM2 I reco 2 MATX boards (if you're willing integrated video);
ABIT NF-M2 Nview and an EPOX 6100.
Cheapest mem I could find on egg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145015
Surprisingly it's Corsair. After rebate of course. If you don't care for rebate there are soem G.Skills that are pretty decent. This is of course if you take AMD. If you go Intel I reco DDR2 800 which looking are only a tad pricier
If you go AMD AM2 I reco 2 MATX boards (if you're willing integrated video);
ABIT NF-M2 Nview and an EPOX 6100.
Cheapest mem I could find on egg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820145015
Surprisingly it's Corsair. After rebate of course. If you don't care for rebate there are soem G.Skills that are pretty decent. This is of course if you take AMD. If you go Intel I reco DDR2 800 which looking are only a tad pricier
ronrem wrote:As with the high end AMD X2,the Core 2 Duo is a bit of overkill. Audio needs a whole lot of HDD,but you could do ANY Audio work on a basic Sempron or an older XP. I've done a lot of remastering on a P3,the fastest Proc will save a few seconds,but big deal..spend for a silent background and a low noise soundcard
You do NOT need that much CPU. The new 3600 x2 Brisbane will run way cooler. I'd assume a Ninja-passive will do fine. One 120 mm case fan should suffice----see how low you can go on the RPM.
"you could do ANY Audio work on a basic Sempron or an older XP"
??What kind of audio work are you doing? I'm a bit confused because for me cpu horsepower is my main concern! I work primarily in protools using a variety of plugins such as high end convolution reverbs amp simulator, synth and sampler plugins. Using an Atholon xp 1900 in my current setup I can max out the cpu very easily on a project, I'm very often limited to the amount of plugs I can run do to cpu power. I don't have a problem with memory or HD speed it's just lack of processing power. Having alot of tracks running also is taxing to the cpu...
when working in soundforge or wavelab, you're right cpu isn't really needed too much but in ptools, cubase, cakewalk nuendo, albeton ect. + plugins, cpu is definitely needed...
I looked into the e4300 chip but the e6400 is only $50 more and has a higher fsb speed...I figure it's a good deal
thanks for the tip, I think I will get some 800 speed ram, my supplier has some ocz for a good price. I'll get 1gb for now and maybe another gig down the road.. I have the choice of 2 512 sticks or one 1 gb stick? Is there any diffrence?MC FLMJIG wrote:It's obvious u aren't OCing so you don't need a board with SLI. Hey, you might even want to go with an MATX with integrated video. If it will be pure audio recording you don't need a VC. Put that $ you save towards more memory. It is better spent. 2x1GB sticks.
Speaking of memory you need DDR2 800 for Core2 Duo. Better off.
You want a quiet drive. Seagates are a bit louder than WD IMO but I hear Samsung has some really quiet ones called Spinpoints I believe. I's like to try those.
Also about the HD my supplier only carries maxtor segate and western digital drives... would like to try a spinpoint though.
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darkhorseporter
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2005 1:19 pm
I do a TON of in-the-box music production work. Most of what has been said here is great advice. Actually, I'm going end up repeating a lot of what has been said already.
Processor power is important, but not the end-all of plug-in count. Take any savings you can muster out of the system and spend in on a DSP card. It will take all (or most, if you're *really* track-hungry) the plug-in stress off the CPU; this is similar the the Pro-Tools HD setup. The UAD cards are nice, and come with great plug-ins.
My quick take on a great audio box:
2 x 1Gb RAM.
2 large, fast, & quiet hard drives - one firewire for easy transportation of sessions to/from other studios for tracking/overdubs/mixing/mastering/etc. . .
Cheap passive video card with two ports. As long as it won't borrow system memory. An Nvidia 7300 should be overkill. Add a second monitor as budget allows.
Cheap Core2 Duo (see note above).
Decent (passive) motherboard. SLI is not needed, but on-board firewire, eSATA, plenty of PCI and PCIe slots will help with the longevity of the system, and the ability to build onto what you already have.
SATA DVD burner. Why not? They cost like $9 more, and will save you a ribbon cable.
Scythe Ninja
Antec P180
A couple Nexus 120mm fans
Seasonic S12
All that said, I just set up a newegg wish list that is complete overkill. I'm sure with a little shopping around, research (especially motherboards and video cards), and trimming of fat, the system could be had for closer to $1000 than $1500 without monitors/keyboard/mouse/speakers/OS/etc. . .
http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wis ... er=4856286
I know this advice is unsolicited, but here goes:
As far as the audio gear itself - remember to get the best converters you can afford. D/A and A/D. This does NOT mean 192khz, though. Check out Dan Lavry's white papers under the "Support" section of his web site for more info about converters.
http://www.lavryengineering.com/index_html.html
A nice pair of active studio monitors will help a great deal as well, and save the cost of an amp.
For the best advice I've ever seen, check out the TapeOp forums.
http://www.tapeop.com/messageboard/index.php
Processor power is important, but not the end-all of plug-in count. Take any savings you can muster out of the system and spend in on a DSP card. It will take all (or most, if you're *really* track-hungry) the plug-in stress off the CPU; this is similar the the Pro-Tools HD setup. The UAD cards are nice, and come with great plug-ins.
My quick take on a great audio box:
2 x 1Gb RAM.
2 large, fast, & quiet hard drives - one firewire for easy transportation of sessions to/from other studios for tracking/overdubs/mixing/mastering/etc. . .
Cheap passive video card with two ports. As long as it won't borrow system memory. An Nvidia 7300 should be overkill. Add a second monitor as budget allows.
Cheap Core2 Duo (see note above).
Decent (passive) motherboard. SLI is not needed, but on-board firewire, eSATA, plenty of PCI and PCIe slots will help with the longevity of the system, and the ability to build onto what you already have.
SATA DVD burner. Why not? They cost like $9 more, and will save you a ribbon cable.
Scythe Ninja
Antec P180
A couple Nexus 120mm fans
Seasonic S12
All that said, I just set up a newegg wish list that is complete overkill. I'm sure with a little shopping around, research (especially motherboards and video cards), and trimming of fat, the system could be had for closer to $1000 than $1500 without monitors/keyboard/mouse/speakers/OS/etc. . .
http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/wis ... er=4856286
I know this advice is unsolicited, but here goes:
As far as the audio gear itself - remember to get the best converters you can afford. D/A and A/D. This does NOT mean 192khz, though. Check out Dan Lavry's white papers under the "Support" section of his web site for more info about converters.
http://www.lavryengineering.com/index_html.html
A nice pair of active studio monitors will help a great deal as well, and save the cost of an amp.
For the best advice I've ever seen, check out the TapeOp forums.
http://www.tapeop.com/messageboard/index.php
Where are you located? No problem btwMoog wrote:thanks for the tip, I think I will get some 800 speed ram, my supplier has some ocz for a good price. I'll get 1gb for now and maybe another gig down the road.. I have the choice of 2 512 sticks or one 1 gb stick? Is there any diffrence?
Also about the HD my supplier only carries maxtor segate and western digital drives... would like to try a spinpoint though.
DHP has some great advice as well (excepr Nexus fans - Yate Loons and Vmod to 5V). Personally I would buy the 2 x 1gb right away. You never know when suppliers might change the chips on the memory even if you buy the same model. If you cut corners, like a vid card, you can use that to buy another stick.
DHP is right on the Video card but if you have, let's just say 2GB, a decent amount 128 is nothing.
The only problem with Intel is the Micro ATX motherboards and price. Actually, with all Intel boards.
Then there is the issue with doing your HW as some memory is incompatible with certain boards. I think it's just a Voltage isuue as some memory needs over 2V to work and most ppl have no clue about this. Boards default at 1.8 - 1.9V.
Best thing to do is take what you learn here and do a bit more research on your own.
Abit is coming out with some new motherboards soon. Seeing as they have REALLY gotten back on track you may want to wait.
Intel should also release new chipsets soon. Might also be wise to wait a bit more if you can.
The entire Intel CPU lineup will also get a rehaul within the next 3 months. The 6300 will have 4mb cache, instead of 2, and the 4400, with a 10 multiplier and @ 2.0 will be about $140 or so.
Enjoy your build and let us know how it works out. Pics too!
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exit2studios
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2006 7:54 am
DAW build
I'm in the same boat here, about to build out a new DAW and am absorbing everything that's been said here.
I will probably be going with an Antec P150 case, as I can get one cheap and they supposedly have a good, silent PSU.
I'm leaning towards the e4300 myself and am trying to figure out what mobo (Gigabyte DS3 seems a poplular choice) and Video card. Definitely want a passive vga that can easily power 2x20" widescreen lcd's.
I will probably be going with an Antec P150 case, as I can get one cheap and they supposedly have a good, silent PSU.
I'm leaning towards the e4300 myself and am trying to figure out what mobo (Gigabyte DS3 seems a poplular choice) and Video card. Definitely want a passive vga that can easily power 2x20" widescreen lcd's.
thanks to all the posters on this thread! MC FLMJIG and DHP I decided to take your advice on the memory and get 2g's, my system is now quite a bit more than I bargained for price wise but it should be more than adequate for my recording and casual gaming.
so here is my invoice
Antec® SOLO Mini Tower Case, Black/Metallic (Invis: 6539) $109.99
Intel® Core™2 Duo E6400, 2.13-GHz @ 1066Mhz w/ 2Mb Cache (Socket 775) (Retail Box) w/ Heat Sink & Fan (Invis: 6132) $269.99
Asus® P5N-E SLI, Socket 775, NVIDIA® nForce™ 650i SLI™ Chipset w/ PCI Express x16 (ATX) (Invis: 7055) $149.99 (read good reviews on this board)
OCZ 2Gb PC6400 DDR2 EL Dual Channel Platinum XTC Edition (OCZ2P8002GK) (Invis: 5950) $314.99
320GB Western Digital® Caviar® SE16 SATAII-300 7200RPM 16Mb OEM (Invis: 5410) $114.99
Mitsumi 3½ in (1.44Mb) Floppy Disk Drive, Black (Invis: 2436) $9.99 (the supplier has no option not to buy a floppy!! wtf)
Asus® Extreme EN7600GS Silent/HTD - GeForce™ 7600GS GPU w/256Mb DDR2 & PCI Express x16 Retail Box $124.99 (overkill but I do game a little)
On-Board 10/100Mb Lan built-into motherboard (Invis: 7) $0.00
Seasonic® S12-430 430W ATX12V v.2.0 Power Supply (Retail Box) (Invis: 5383) $94.99
Total price: $1189.92 (canadian price without taxes)
add sythe ninja revB and a sata dvd-r drive that I'm getting from another store... also I'll probably be adding a 160gb ide western drive from my old comp
I was aiming for $1000 on this system and it looks like with tax it will be closer to 1400
....ahh well I think I won't need another comp for quite awhile after this one and it should be a quite beast... so much reading and research this week but I think I have a solid machine put together.
thanks once again for the suggestions...
moog
so here is my invoice
Antec® SOLO Mini Tower Case, Black/Metallic (Invis: 6539) $109.99
Intel® Core™2 Duo E6400, 2.13-GHz @ 1066Mhz w/ 2Mb Cache (Socket 775) (Retail Box) w/ Heat Sink & Fan (Invis: 6132) $269.99
Asus® P5N-E SLI, Socket 775, NVIDIA® nForce™ 650i SLI™ Chipset w/ PCI Express x16 (ATX) (Invis: 7055) $149.99 (read good reviews on this board)
OCZ 2Gb PC6400 DDR2 EL Dual Channel Platinum XTC Edition (OCZ2P8002GK) (Invis: 5950) $314.99
320GB Western Digital® Caviar® SE16 SATAII-300 7200RPM 16Mb OEM (Invis: 5410) $114.99
Mitsumi 3½ in (1.44Mb) Floppy Disk Drive, Black (Invis: 2436) $9.99 (the supplier has no option not to buy a floppy!! wtf)
Asus® Extreme EN7600GS Silent/HTD - GeForce™ 7600GS GPU w/256Mb DDR2 & PCI Express x16 Retail Box $124.99 (overkill but I do game a little)
On-Board 10/100Mb Lan built-into motherboard (Invis: 7) $0.00
Seasonic® S12-430 430W ATX12V v.2.0 Power Supply (Retail Box) (Invis: 5383) $94.99
Total price: $1189.92 (canadian price without taxes)
add sythe ninja revB and a sata dvd-r drive that I'm getting from another store... also I'll probably be adding a 160gb ide western drive from my old comp
I was aiming for $1000 on this system and it looks like with tax it will be closer to 1400
....ahh well I think I won't need another comp for quite awhile after this one and it should be a quite beast... so much reading and research this week but I think I have a solid machine put together.thanks once again for the suggestions...
moog
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darkhorseporter
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2005 1:19 pm