Hi all, building a PC for a friend whose going to be using it for music production in his bedroom for the next 6-12 months before moving into a proper studio space so it needs to be up to the latter task when the time comes, even if that means by upgrading at a later date. It will need a firewire port for the audio interface. I would like to make it as quiet as possible also, but I have little experience of this requirement in selecting components...
CPU: Intel i7 930 £216 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/Intel-Co ... 30W-Retail
CPU cooler: unsure, want something quiet! perhaps this? Prolimatech Megahalems Rev B £42 plus a generic fan http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Prolimat ... Fanless%29
Mobo: Asus P6X58D-E £150 (for now!) http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Asus-P6X ... A-RAID-ATX
RAM: 6GB (3x2GB) Corsair XMS3 (1600) CAS 9-9-9-24 £122 http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/plus-6GB ... -9-24-165V
PSU: 450W Corsair CMPSU-450HXUK, Modular £54 Unsure on this component, I want reliable and quiet and not sure how much power he'll actually need seeing as GPUs are the main guzzlers these days and his is a low power one http://www.scan.co.uk/products/450W-Cor ... r-Warranty
GPU: 512MB XFX HD 5450 £37 chose this as its passively cool, hopefully it will run 2 monitors, can anyone confirm? http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/512MB-XF ... DVI-I-HDMI
Case: Silverstone Precision PSO5B £41 - went for this because I like the look and it has "Vibration dampening mounts for hard drives" which I imagine would reduce noise but I am unaware of its real world performance in terms of keeping things quiet, open to suggestions http://www.scan.co.uk/products/Silverst ... est-Seller
1st HDD: OCZ 60GB Vertex 2E SSD 2.5" SATA-II Read 285MB/s Write 275MB/s £130 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/225415 Not sure if SSD is necessary but seems a great price for a great bit of kit
2nd HDD: 1.5TB Samsung HD154UI Spinpoint F2 £59 is there a 7200rpm version of this? http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/15TB-Sam ... -89-ms-NCQ
Monitor: LG 21.5" W2246S-BF 16:9 Wide LCD Monitor 1920x1080 £115 http://www.ebuyer.com/product/196524 Only chose this cos its Hi-res, quite cheap and seems to have a thin bezel if he wants to add a 2nd one when he moves into the studio, but open to suggestions here if people know of any better (thinner bezels etc.)
Optical Drive: LG GH22NS40 22x DVD±R, 16xDVD±DL, DVD+RW £15 http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/LG-GH22N ... c-Software
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (student offer) £30
Total: £1011
Might also include some of these to keep noise down:
AcoustiPackâ„¢ ULTIMATE
http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/produc ... es/ap-kits
and some of these: QUIETDRIVE - Scythe "Quiet Drive" Internal HDD Silencer for 3.5" HDD on 5.25" bay
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/Scythe-Q ... on-525-bay
Any thoughts greatly appreciated!
Music Production PC - needs to be quiet as possible
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
If you're going for 'as quiet as possible', i don't think that those vibration mounts on your case are going to help much (from experience, they're only marginally better than hard-mounting 
.
The megahalems is an extremely good cooler, but you still need a quiet fan to go with it: you can save yourselve some money and hassle by going for a Mugen 2: cools very good as well, and below 50% PWM the fan is inaudible.
Also, the i7 930 might be extremely fast, it comes at a price. If you need the performance, go for it, otherwise you can save a lot of money by going for an AMD solution - for a lot of people, it's not important if a task takes 2 minutes or 1.5, you still have to wait: it's much more annoying to hear the fan in your PSU.
Succes with building the machine
.The megahalems is an extremely good cooler, but you still need a quiet fan to go with it: you can save yourselve some money and hassle by going for a Mugen 2: cools very good as well, and below 50% PWM the fan is inaudible.
Also, the i7 930 might be extremely fast, it comes at a price. If you need the performance, go for it, otherwise you can save a lot of money by going for an AMD solution - for a lot of people, it's not important if a task takes 2 minutes or 1.5, you still have to wait: it's much more annoying to hear the fan in your PSU.
Succes with building the machine
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bonestonne
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Audio data drive should be a WD Black or some other performance drive. Green Power/low power drives will not be able to keep up with audio data.
Other than that, the build looks fine. The 5450 should be able to handle two monitors. I have an ATI 4850, and it worked fine with dual 17" monitors, and now it's working fine with a pair of 22" monitors. This card has also been reflowed, so it's a workhorse. I would expect a newer card to be just as good, if not better.
If you're worried about noise from the Audio data drive, get a Scythe Quiet Drive, or similar product. It will make a difference in noise.
Use Slipstream 500 or 800RPM fans, or buy 1200/1600RPM fans and undervolt them. Do not cut the budget on the fans if it needs to be quiet, but don't buy fans that are too expensive (they're just fans in the end).
In a studio setting, i would also strongly advise keeping the possibility of a 3rd monitor in mind, and that 3rd monitor should be able to rotate 90 degrees. I say this because virtual racks (just like real ones) are taller than they are wide. Having the ability to have one on screen that fits well is a major help, because you don't want to be scrolling half the time. Bezels are also the last thing to worry about, you get used to the gap after a while. I have two unmatched monitors (same resolution, but different brands) and generally the near 1" gap between them doesn't bother me, i find it more important that they be the same height, or very close to it.
SSD isn't very necessary, but it will be fast and useful. I would also suggest a 64bit OS, because when you really get into using plugins, you will need more than 6gb of RAM. You will want that upgrade to be flawless.
I would also watch out with those larger drives, 1tb/1.5tb/2tb because there are still bad batches floating around (seagates 0LBA/BSY_STATE issues for example). I have nothing against Samsung, and that drive should be fine, but it is something to keep in mind. Make sure all your parts have good warranties.
You shouldn't need the AcoustiPack on this build if it's done right. If the side panels have a rattle, try using a small sponge and cutting it to size, and putting it underneath where the rattle is. Cheaper, and a much easier solution. If your case seems to have a vibration to it when it is done, soft mount the fans.
I don't use my rig for composing, I use it for up to 20 channel recording. I've never had a problem with it. I use a much cheaper case, but lots of big coolers that are definitely overkill just to have the headroom when it's needed. This computer is also my daily usage one.
But I do want to bring up what CA_Steve said, most audio applications are not really multithreaded (Reaper is with it's dedicated x64 version, but Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, Cubase, Sonic are all not multithreaded). That i7 930 may not really ever get used to anywhere near it's potential. A "lowly" i5 750 could do the job just as well as this rig.
Other than that, the build looks fine. The 5450 should be able to handle two monitors. I have an ATI 4850, and it worked fine with dual 17" monitors, and now it's working fine with a pair of 22" monitors. This card has also been reflowed, so it's a workhorse. I would expect a newer card to be just as good, if not better.
If you're worried about noise from the Audio data drive, get a Scythe Quiet Drive, or similar product. It will make a difference in noise.
Use Slipstream 500 or 800RPM fans, or buy 1200/1600RPM fans and undervolt them. Do not cut the budget on the fans if it needs to be quiet, but don't buy fans that are too expensive (they're just fans in the end).
In a studio setting, i would also strongly advise keeping the possibility of a 3rd monitor in mind, and that 3rd monitor should be able to rotate 90 degrees. I say this because virtual racks (just like real ones) are taller than they are wide. Having the ability to have one on screen that fits well is a major help, because you don't want to be scrolling half the time. Bezels are also the last thing to worry about, you get used to the gap after a while. I have two unmatched monitors (same resolution, but different brands) and generally the near 1" gap between them doesn't bother me, i find it more important that they be the same height, or very close to it.
SSD isn't very necessary, but it will be fast and useful. I would also suggest a 64bit OS, because when you really get into using plugins, you will need more than 6gb of RAM. You will want that upgrade to be flawless.
I would also watch out with those larger drives, 1tb/1.5tb/2tb because there are still bad batches floating around (seagates 0LBA/BSY_STATE issues for example). I have nothing against Samsung, and that drive should be fine, but it is something to keep in mind. Make sure all your parts have good warranties.
You shouldn't need the AcoustiPack on this build if it's done right. If the side panels have a rattle, try using a small sponge and cutting it to size, and putting it underneath where the rattle is. Cheaper, and a much easier solution. If your case seems to have a vibration to it when it is done, soft mount the fans.
I don't use my rig for composing, I use it for up to 20 channel recording. I've never had a problem with it. I use a much cheaper case, but lots of big coolers that are definitely overkill just to have the headroom when it's needed. This computer is also my daily usage one.
But I do want to bring up what CA_Steve said, most audio applications are not really multithreaded (Reaper is with it's dedicated x64 version, but Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, Cubase, Sonic are all not multithreaded). That i7 930 may not really ever get used to anywhere near it's potential. A "lowly" i5 750 could do the job just as well as this rig.
not true.bonestonne wrote:But I do want to bring up what CA_Steve said, most audio applications are not really multithreaded (Reaper is with it's dedicated x64 version, but Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, Cubase, Sonic are all not multithreaded). That i7 930 may not really ever get used to anywhere near it's potential. A "lowly" i5 750 could do the job just as well as this rig.
Pro Tools, Cubase, Nuendo ARE all multithreaded. i7 9xx is definatly the chip to get for audio. Not only for its 8 threads but also for the tripple channel RAM that gives a preformance boost in low latency playback and recording.
The fact Reaper has 64bit version has noting to do with multithreading. its multithreaded regardless of bit rate.
"Pro Tools 7.0 or higher supports hyperthreading."bonestonne wrote:But I do want to bring up what CA_Steve said, most audio applications are not really multithreaded (Reaper is with it's dedicated x64 version, but Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, Cubase, Sonic are all not multithreaded). That i7 930 may not really ever get used to anywhere near it's potential. A "lowly" i5 750 could do the job just as well as this rig.
DigiTechSupt
Administrator
http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.ph ... +threading
"Audition 2.0 is optimized for multiple processors, and there's also multicore support. Audition is multi-threaded, so Windows will automatically assign those threads to the various cores/processors as processor power is available."
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/deskt ... _audition/
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bonestonne
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bonestonne
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They work, I'm just saying the applications don't feel like they're actually using the hardware.
That and Pro Tools 8.0.4 (at least what I have) is still "in the works" for x64. Most users have it working, but it's a real PITA.
Audition runs well, but I've never seen it really use my Q9400. Idles most of the time even with a lot of plugins.
That and Pro Tools 8.0.4 (at least what I have) is still "in the works" for x64. Most users have it working, but it's a real PITA.
Audition runs well, but I've never seen it really use my Q9400. Idles most of the time even with a lot of plugins.
Wow, thanks for all the input guys! Well in terms of software I'm not entirely sure, it will probably be using a variety of stuff, especially once its in the studio setup as it will be hired out to people with different requirements/music programs so I really want the processor to be as good as possible. Money isnt a massive factor for a change...
What are people's thoughts on the PSU? I do not know how quiet it will be and whether 450W is enough. My instinct tells me it will be ample power given the low powered GPU but obviously I need headroom for future upgrades...any suggestions here?
What fan should I couple with the Cooler?
Will I see benefit from 12GB of RAM?
Thanks again guys!
What are people's thoughts on the PSU? I do not know how quiet it will be and whether 450W is enough. My instinct tells me it will be ample power given the low powered GPU but obviously I need headroom for future upgrades...any suggestions here?
What fan should I couple with the Cooler?
Will I see benefit from 12GB of RAM?
Thanks again guys!
Pardon my ignorance Wouterr5 what does PWM stand for and how would I get it to run at 50%? Speedfan or a similar application? Only problem with speedfan is having to run it every time at start up!wouterr5 wrote:
The megahalems is an extremely good cooler, but you still need a quiet fan to go with it: you can save yourselve some money and hassle by going for a Mugen 2: cools very good as well, and below 50% PWM the fan is inaudible.
Succes with building the machine
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OddSilence
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Until wouterr5 replies (probably with better information), I think I can already give you some hints regarding your questions about PWM:
If i'm not wrong, it stands for "Pulse Width Modulation". Most motherboards(at least the good ones / made for enthusiasts/power users) provide control for the PWM CPU fan (which has 4 wires) through the BIOS and usually through a "mainboard monitoring applet"(which, at least from my experience doesn't always run problem-free) in the OS.
Usually you have several options for controlling the fan, for example, increase the speed if the CPU's temperature goes beyond a configurable threshold, etc.
If i'm not wrong, it stands for "Pulse Width Modulation". Most motherboards(at least the good ones / made for enthusiasts/power users) provide control for the PWM CPU fan (which has 4 wires) through the BIOS and usually through a "mainboard monitoring applet"(which, at least from my experience doesn't always run problem-free) in the OS.
Usually you have several options for controlling the fan, for example, increase the speed if the CPU's temperature goes beyond a configurable threshold, etc.
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bonestonne
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PWM or Pulse Width Modulation, as OddSilence stated, is when fans have a 4 wire configuration, which controls the speed of the DC motor.
In short, it's a temperature controlled setup, where a higher temperature causes a faster pulse, which makes the fan spin faster. At the same time, a lower temperature causes a longer pulse, which makes the fan spin slower.
This is a hardware based solution embedded in the motherboard and controllable through the BIOS, and it can also be disabled. It is a very effective way of controlling fan speeds as long as temperature sensors are set correctly. Due to manufacturing processes, it's possible for a sensor to be set incorrectly, however this generally does not affect the functions of PWM fan settings.
Moving on...
You should definitely do a lot of research into the software that will be put onto the computer, especially regarding Pro Tools. I can tell you first hand that it is extremely touchy, and it will not install correctly with certain firewalls and anti-virus software installed (even if they're disabled, there can be problems). Adobe Audition has generally been my go-to software, and has never given me massive problems, however when you start running low on disk space, Audition will give you some very strange error messages. Reaper is turning into my new go-to application, and has never given me these problems, but I have not yet had a chance to really use the application to it's full potential.
12gb of RAM can (and will) be very useful when working with raw waveforms (before they're mixed down to wav or mp3 formats), and plugins will usually eat RAM for breakfast lunch and dinner. Using Reaper x64, I've seen my RAM usage hit 7.3gb (out of 8 available) and those are the days I wish I had more RAM.
As for your Power Supply, it should be more than enough. I'm running a slightly more demanding setup (GPU demands more power) and my 400W is holding up very well. In terms of future upgrades, the only upgrade that may happen is a new GPU, but I think 450W should be plenty for most graphics cards, and in the future, power usage should be going down more, so it shouldn't ever be a problem.
I'm a fan of Slipstream fans, but S-Flex fans are a popular choice. Noctua fans are also very nice, but tend to be more expensive. Gentle Typhoon fans are also nice, and have been a growing choice around here. Nexus has been an old popular choice along with Yate Loon fans, but those are starting to get shifted over to newer fans.
In short, it's a temperature controlled setup, where a higher temperature causes a faster pulse, which makes the fan spin faster. At the same time, a lower temperature causes a longer pulse, which makes the fan spin slower.
This is a hardware based solution embedded in the motherboard and controllable through the BIOS, and it can also be disabled. It is a very effective way of controlling fan speeds as long as temperature sensors are set correctly. Due to manufacturing processes, it's possible for a sensor to be set incorrectly, however this generally does not affect the functions of PWM fan settings.
Moving on...
You should definitely do a lot of research into the software that will be put onto the computer, especially regarding Pro Tools. I can tell you first hand that it is extremely touchy, and it will not install correctly with certain firewalls and anti-virus software installed (even if they're disabled, there can be problems). Adobe Audition has generally been my go-to software, and has never given me massive problems, however when you start running low on disk space, Audition will give you some very strange error messages. Reaper is turning into my new go-to application, and has never given me these problems, but I have not yet had a chance to really use the application to it's full potential.
12gb of RAM can (and will) be very useful when working with raw waveforms (before they're mixed down to wav or mp3 formats), and plugins will usually eat RAM for breakfast lunch and dinner. Using Reaper x64, I've seen my RAM usage hit 7.3gb (out of 8 available) and those are the days I wish I had more RAM.
As for your Power Supply, it should be more than enough. I'm running a slightly more demanding setup (GPU demands more power) and my 400W is holding up very well. In terms of future upgrades, the only upgrade that may happen is a new GPU, but I think 450W should be plenty for most graphics cards, and in the future, power usage should be going down more, so it shouldn't ever be a problem.
I'm a fan of Slipstream fans, but S-Flex fans are a popular choice. Noctua fans are also very nice, but tend to be more expensive. Gentle Typhoon fans are also nice, and have been a growing choice around here. Nexus has been an old popular choice along with Yate Loon fans, but those are starting to get shifted over to newer fans.
Thanks for the advice everyone.
Are slipstreams made by Scythe? How many would you recommend putting into my system? Presumably a 120mm slipstream would attach to that Prolimatech Megahalems CPU cooler I listed?
I want piece of mind on the PSU, are the Corsairs one of the quietest brands of PSU? I KNOW they are reputable and everyone raves about them but are they QUIET?!
Are slipstreams made by Scythe? How many would you recommend putting into my system? Presumably a 120mm slipstream would attach to that Prolimatech Megahalems CPU cooler I listed?
I want piece of mind on the PSU, are the Corsairs one of the quietest brands of PSU? I KNOW they are reputable and everyone raves about them but are they QUIET?!
yep
Yah, slipstreams are Scythe. I went with S-Flex, and made the mistake of getting a low cfm/low noise version. If I did it again, I would choose a higher cfm scythe, and use a fan controller to dial it down slower.Nobull wrote:Thanks for the advice everyone.
Are slipstreams made by Scythe? How many would you recommend putting into my system? Presumably a 120mm slipstream would attach to that Prolimatech Megahalems CPU cooler I listed?
I want piece of mind on the PSU, are the Corsairs one of the quietest brands of PSU? I KNOW they are reputable and everyone raves about them but are they QUIET?!
Not real sure about that corsair PS. I agree, you should be good to go with 450W. I am very happy with my PS, very quiet and quality build.
I'm not doing high-end audio at this time, but I"ve heard plugins can use a lot of ram. Plan on starting with 6GB and expanding to 12GB, or just start with 12GB if you've got the money.
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bonestonne
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I've never heard a sound out of my Corsair CX400W. Every brand of PSU is bound to have bad batches with noisy fans, but I've recommended the PSU to many people, and no one has ever told me it was any different from mine.
Yes, the Slipstream fan is made by Scythe, and should be easily mounted on the Prolimatech Megahalems.
In terms of "quietest brands" I think that's a tossup by preference alone. Many users on here are using many different power supplies with varying degrees of success, but there are also many users who do fan swaps.
Yes, the Slipstream fan is made by Scythe, and should be easily mounted on the Prolimatech Megahalems.
In terms of "quietest brands" I think that's a tossup by preference alone. Many users on here are using many different power supplies with varying degrees of success, but there are also many users who do fan swaps.
Some PSU alternatives... Seasonic X650, Nexus NX-5000, Enermax Modu87+ 500W. Your load power will be less than 200W. Might as well get a PSU that is silent in that range. Not sure what's available in the UK.
Cheers for the alternatives, though the silent pc review of the corsair HX range does place them as one the most silent plus they're a wee bit cheaper than the ones listed (not that price is a MASSIVE issue).
Getting close to a finalised spec now, for the PC itself now, how many of the Scythe slipstreams do you think I'll need to cool it and should I go for 500 or 800 RPM fans? I was thinking I'd put an 800 on the CPU cooler, or possibly even faster, as obv. don't want it cooking, but the system fans can presumably be a little slower as there are few other big heat generators, specially if I'm going SSD and putting the HD in a padded, soundproof enclosure! The GPU is so small I cant imagine it creating much heat.
Don't know if anyone has any opinions on monitor speakers or audio interfaces? If so here's my list of potentials:
Audio Interfaces
M-Audio Pro Fire £235
Echo Audiofire 4 £240
Lexicon Ionix £211
Monitors
Alesis M1 Active
KRK Rokit 5
Mackie MR5
Yamaha HS50
Tannoy Reveal 501a
Thanks again everyone, some fantastic input!
Getting close to a finalised spec now, for the PC itself now, how many of the Scythe slipstreams do you think I'll need to cool it and should I go for 500 or 800 RPM fans? I was thinking I'd put an 800 on the CPU cooler, or possibly even faster, as obv. don't want it cooking, but the system fans can presumably be a little slower as there are few other big heat generators, specially if I'm going SSD and putting the HD in a padded, soundproof enclosure! The GPU is so small I cant imagine it creating much heat.
Don't know if anyone has any opinions on monitor speakers or audio interfaces? If so here's my list of potentials:
Audio Interfaces
M-Audio Pro Fire £235
Echo Audiofire 4 £240
Lexicon Ionix £211
Monitors
Alesis M1 Active
KRK Rokit 5
Mackie MR5
Yamaha HS50
Tannoy Reveal 501a
Thanks again everyone, some fantastic input!
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bonestonne
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I'm going to skip to think important part currently.
M-Audio products are a wild ride. If you mentioned this earlier, I would have had a lot more to say, but right now, what you need to know first and foremost is that Firewire interfaces (of any kind) MUST (and this is not something you can get around) use a Texas Instruments Firewire chipset. The reasoning is very complicated, however I can provide some technical documents regarding why, but not a whole lot.
Also, using onboard motherboard firewire does not always work well, so a PCI-Express based Firewire card should be thought about as well.
I would go for Alesis or Yamaha rather than any other brand to be honest. Edirol makes good speakers as well, in the 15W range.
If you'd like more information on the M-Audio Pro-Fire, just say what version, I do tech support for M-Audio, so I can answer a fair amount of questions about the units.
I'm off to work, but will check back periodically.
M-Audio products are a wild ride. If you mentioned this earlier, I would have had a lot more to say, but right now, what you need to know first and foremost is that Firewire interfaces (of any kind) MUST (and this is not something you can get around) use a Texas Instruments Firewire chipset. The reasoning is very complicated, however I can provide some technical documents regarding why, but not a whole lot.
Also, using onboard motherboard firewire does not always work well, so a PCI-Express based Firewire card should be thought about as well.
I would go for Alesis or Yamaha rather than any other brand to be honest. Edirol makes good speakers as well, in the 15W range.
If you'd like more information on the M-Audio Pro-Fire, just say what version, I do tech support for M-Audio, so I can answer a fair amount of questions about the units.
I'm off to work, but will check back periodically.
Sorry I didn't mention it earlier! Yea I've read about the Texas Instrument Firewire issue. Add in PCI-E cards are generally inexpensive aren't they so it shouldn't be a huge issue? Failinf that, if Firewire is problematic then it'll have to be USB I guess...bonestonne wrote:I'm going to skip to think important part currently.
M-Audio products are a wild ride. If you mentioned this earlier, I would have had a lot more to say, but right now, what you need to know first and foremost is that Firewire interfaces (of any kind) MUST (and this is not something you can get around) use a Texas Instruments Firewire chipset. The reasoning is very complicated, however I can provide some technical documents regarding why, but not a whole lot.
Also, using onboard motherboard firewire does not always work well, so a PCI-Express based Firewire card should be thought about as well.
I would go for Alesis or Yamaha rather than any other brand to be honest. Edirol makes good speakers as well, in the 15W range.
If you'd like more information on the M-Audio Pro-Fire, just say what version, I do tech support for M-Audio, so I can answer a fair amount of questions about the units.
I'm off to work, but will check back periodically.
It was looking at the Profire 610 I was looking at http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/product/3 ... rface.html
Don't know anything about audio interfaces so any suggestions welcome!
I've enjoyed my HX520W. One caveat - the SPCR review was done almost 4 years ago, and the test room noise floor was ~18-20dB. Now it's ~11dB. Whether or not the Corsair is a peer to the recently tested PSUs is unknown.Nobull wrote:Cheers for the alternatives, though the silent pc review of the corsair HX range does place them as one the most silent plus they're a wee bit cheaper than the ones listed (not that price is a MASSIVE issue).
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bonestonne
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The ProFire 610 is a very versatile interface, small, lots of inputs and outputs, and it has very good ADC's inside (analog to digital converters).
I wouldn't really say it's the best interface out there (especially with companies like MoTU, Focusrite and Maya in the background), but it's a good interface to start with. I use a pair of Delta 1010's (PCI based solution) which are amazing for me, I've recorded sets using all 16 analog inputs, and it worked wonderfully, it just eats a lot of disk space, which is the #1 reason for having a large scratch disk, and another large disk for saved projects, and a separate disk for the OS. You'll run out of space a lot faster than you think, depending on the quality you're recording at. I record at 24/96 usually, although when a set is less important, or done for volunteering, that's when I drop down to 16/44.1 and call it a day.
I've been thinking of upgrading my current mobile setup (M-Audio Firewire Solo) to a ProFire 2626, but can't quite warrant the cost at the moment. I would say look into a lot of interfaces, but try and find the bad parts of all of them. I could sell you on a specific unit by telling you all of the good features about it, but what's important is knowing what the problems are. M-Audio drivers are very picky, and don't always work. That's the #1 problem with them. The #2 problem is that some units (specifically the higher priced ones) have power issues internally, which really bites a lot of users. I've never heard a user complain too much about the ProFire 610, but there's no saying everyone has it working flawlessly.
Don't always let cost be the problem with your interface, because when you spend the extra money, the interface usually has the quality to back that up. If you're not allergic to used gear, that's also a way to get a higher priced unit, but not everyone is okay with having used gear, as the wear and tear is all subject to what people are willing to admit.
Firewire in general is a good type of interface, and I would always recommend staying away from USB unless you need it. Internal PCI and PCI-E interfaces are what I prefer, they have the highest bandwidth and generally the best capabilities, but there's no saying they're the best for everyone.
Just follow the 3 R's and you'll be fine:
Research, research, research.
I wouldn't really say it's the best interface out there (especially with companies like MoTU, Focusrite and Maya in the background), but it's a good interface to start with. I use a pair of Delta 1010's (PCI based solution) which are amazing for me, I've recorded sets using all 16 analog inputs, and it worked wonderfully, it just eats a lot of disk space, which is the #1 reason for having a large scratch disk, and another large disk for saved projects, and a separate disk for the OS. You'll run out of space a lot faster than you think, depending on the quality you're recording at. I record at 24/96 usually, although when a set is less important, or done for volunteering, that's when I drop down to 16/44.1 and call it a day.
I've been thinking of upgrading my current mobile setup (M-Audio Firewire Solo) to a ProFire 2626, but can't quite warrant the cost at the moment. I would say look into a lot of interfaces, but try and find the bad parts of all of them. I could sell you on a specific unit by telling you all of the good features about it, but what's important is knowing what the problems are. M-Audio drivers are very picky, and don't always work. That's the #1 problem with them. The #2 problem is that some units (specifically the higher priced ones) have power issues internally, which really bites a lot of users. I've never heard a user complain too much about the ProFire 610, but there's no saying everyone has it working flawlessly.
Don't always let cost be the problem with your interface, because when you spend the extra money, the interface usually has the quality to back that up. If you're not allergic to used gear, that's also a way to get a higher priced unit, but not everyone is okay with having used gear, as the wear and tear is all subject to what people are willing to admit.
Firewire in general is a good type of interface, and I would always recommend staying away from USB unless you need it. Internal PCI and PCI-E interfaces are what I prefer, they have the highest bandwidth and generally the best capabilities, but there's no saying they're the best for everyone.
Just follow the 3 R's and you'll be fine:
Research, research, research.
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OddSilence
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 5:03 pm
- Location: Portugal, EU
About the Firewire chip issue, I think you should search for the requirements/restrictions of the AudioInterface you plan to buy and compare with the motherboard you're planning to buy (or any PCI-e Firewire cards you can buy) to avoid buying an interface and then not having a way of connecting it...
I can only tell you about the Presonus interface (because that's the one I chose (Presonus FireStudioProject), though can't tell if it is good, because I haven't it yet): http://www.presonus.com/media/pdf/hardw ... bility.pdf
At least this one supports other chips besides the T.I. chip...
Maybe other brands support too. As bonestonne said: research
I can only tell you about the Presonus interface (because that's the one I chose (Presonus FireStudioProject), though can't tell if it is good, because I haven't it yet): http://www.presonus.com/media/pdf/hardw ... bility.pdf
At least this one supports other chips besides the T.I. chip...
Maybe other brands support too. As bonestonne said: research
I am thinking the Profire 610 would be a good choice, will I definately need a TI Firewire chipset to run it or is there a chance that the motherboards firewire chipset (VIA® VT6308P) will run it ok?bonestonne wrote:The ProFire 610 is a very versatile interface, small, lots of inputs and outputs, and it has very good ADC's inside (analog to digital converters).
I can't find a list of compatible firewire chipsets anywhere!
@ Oddsilence, thanks for that inf, the presonus looks a decent option because it seems to be compatible with my Mobo's Firewire chipset, just wish m-audio had a compatibilty guide like Presonus do!
Cheers again guys
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bonestonne
- Posts: 1839
- Joined: Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:10 pm
- Location: Northern New Jersey
- Contact:
Actually, I'll spill the beans just once.
The FW compatibility guide is in the works, I know because it's currently on my laptop.
It's quite possibly the hardest list to create, but I'll tell you that SOME VIA chipsets work, MOST do not. I've had varying success with lots of brands (such as Agere, VIA, Ricoh and TI).
I'm cloning drives currently, but will take a peak for you later to see if I have mention of that VIA chipset...It's very hard to get exact chipset specs from most companies, I end up finding hi-res pictures of motherboards and copying the chipset model right off that. It's a painstaking process, with no ETA, but I'll look for you later today.
M-Audio has been less than stellar about keeping compatibility lists up, and I can't get a green light on putting any up.
The FW compatibility guide is in the works, I know because it's currently on my laptop.
It's quite possibly the hardest list to create, but I'll tell you that SOME VIA chipsets work, MOST do not. I've had varying success with lots of brands (such as Agere, VIA, Ricoh and TI).
I'm cloning drives currently, but will take a peak for you later to see if I have mention of that VIA chipset...It's very hard to get exact chipset specs from most companies, I end up finding hi-res pictures of motherboards and copying the chipset model right off that. It's a painstaking process, with no ETA, but I'll look for you later today.
M-Audio has been less than stellar about keeping compatibility lists up, and I can't get a green light on putting any up.