Noob branching out: Digital Recording Questions!

[Ovid9]

So, as if I don't know little enough about guitar, I want to know little about recording as well.

Well, specifically a computer for running a DAW and stuff.

What I have:

AMD Athlon II X2 Regor 2.8ghz dual core
Gigabyte motherboard with a bunch of open slots
4 gig Kingston DDR2 RAM
1 TB HDD
Win 7

What I want to know:

Is that processor going to be good enough or would getting a quad core be better? They are cheap.

Is 4 gig RAM enough?

Do I need a sound card or will just being able to plug into a USB port be enough for an inexpensive interface?

Ummm, oh, what is a simple inexpensive DAW to go with? Would Reaper be fine? I'm not looking to become the next Loop or exafro or any of you dudes who record sweet stuff, just want to be able to record some tracks and ideas and mess around with them.

Oh, and what hasn't been mentioned here that I might need?

Thanks dudes!

[newholland]

your machine should be fine for a lot of things-- particularly if you're recording 24 bit, 44.1, and one track at a time, and you aren't pounding it with lots of VSTs (effects).

personally, i'd get a secondary HDD, and run that instead of using your system drive-- so if you have a usb2 port free, record to that.

a usb interface'll do you fine-- i'd think about monitors, or a good set of cans to start, and you won't need a sound card-- the interface BECOMES the sound card.

if you go reaper-- just use the 32 bit version-- you'll just have an easier time finding useful VSTs, which are abundant, and often, free.

[Ovid9]

Originally Posted by newholland

your machine should be fine for a lot of things-- particularly if you're recording 24 bit, 44.1, and one track at a time, and you aren't pounding it with lots of VSTs (effects).

personally, i'd get a secondary HDD, and run that instead of using your system drive-- so if you have a usb2 port free, record to that.

a usb interface'll do you fine-- i'd think about monitors, or a good set of cans to start, and you won't need a sound card-- the interface BECOMES the sound card.

if you go reaper-- just use the 32 bit version-- you'll just have an easier time finding useful VSTs, which are abundant, and often, free.

Good to know on the system, I won't spend the money on a new CPU right now then. And yeah, I'm not gonna be getting fancy.

I do have a 2nd HDD, a 500 meg one. It won't be pressed into service right away until I get my main one set up to dual boot. I don't wanna lose all my linux stuff yet. But I at least have one.

I have serviceable headphones. They'll definitely work for starting out, but if I progress in this, I'll certainly want some monitors or good headphones.

I remember reading that 64bit DAWs still had issues sometimes. My win 7 is 64 bit, but it should be able to run 32bit reaper still right? *Should state he doesn't actually have win7 up and running yet*

[newholland]

Originally Posted by Ovid9

Good to know on the system, I won't spend the money on a new CPU right now then. And yeah, I'm not gonna be getting fancy.

I do have a 2nd HDD, a 500 meg one. It won't be pressed into service right away until I get my main one set up to dual boot. I don't wanna lose all my linux stuff yet. But I at least have one.

I have serviceable headphones. They'll definitely work for starting out, but if I progress in this, I'll certainly want some monitors or good headphones.

I remember reading that 64bit DAWs still had issues sometimes. My win 7 is 64 bit, but it should be able to run 32bit reaper still right? *Should state he doesn't actually have win7 up and running yet*

yep-- i run 32 bit on a 64 bit system no problem. i'm running it all on an i5 with 16gigs of memory-- and it's stupidly flawless-- but i'd worked on a 1.8 laptop single core for a long time too, and managed to be able to mix upwards of 12 tracks with VSTs without the machine bursting into flames.. it was close, though. your machine's a few generations younger, i'd guess..

[Ovid9]

 

Originally Posted by newholland

yep-- i run 32 bit on a 64 bit system no problem. i'm running it all on an i5 with 16gigs of memory-- and it's stupidly flawless-- but i'd worked on a 1.8 laptop single core for a long time too, and managed to be able to mix upwards of 12 tracks with VSTs without the machine bursting into flames.. it was close, though. your machine's a few generations younger, i'd guess..

 

Yeah. I built it about 4 years ago I think? But the motherboard in it can handle a bigger processor and a lot more RAM so it should last me a few years yet I hope.

[midnightlaundry]

'Computer will be fine. USB will be cheaper and will have a mic pre on board. A sound card will have more options like more in/out's and MIDI, but you might not need that right now. Plus, you'll need a separate mic pre.

I'd stick with 24/48 audio lengths. 24/96 and higher have giant file sizes, use more computer power, and won't sound any better, especially because everyone will be listening to your files on a whacked down mp3 conversion anyways.

[Bumhucker]

Yeah definitely go with Reaper. The 32 bit version will run fine. Just make sure you use asio4all drivers with your interface. I use an Alesis io2 express interface. Something like that will suit you.

[Ovid9]

Thanks for the advice guys! I won't have all the pieces until sometime in January at the soonest, but Loop already suggested an interface (I don't remember which one atm) and so it sounds like that will give me the basics of what I need to do some basic recording stuff. Sweet.

[colejustesen]

As far as using 64-bit DAWs, I am using the 64-bit version of Reaper on my Windows 7 64-bit environment with no issues at all! I can't attest to the other DAWs, but Reaper works great in 64-bit.

Cole

[HKSblade1]

Start with a good interface. Not a cheap one. You want the interface to do most of the processing at the lowest latency possible. Otherwise, when you add more tracks and virtual instruments/effects or plugins like Ozone, you won't have the resources to run it.

I suggest you maximize Ram if you have a 64 bit system. Check your board spec for max ram allowances.

Record at standard 24/48k. That's a step up from 16/44.1K.

I would recommend another min 500G internal drive to store your audio files. With that, make sure your internal power supply is capable of handling the excess loads. 500-600W should be plenty as long as you are not into gaming where the PSU requirements can get even higher.

I'm running Sonar X2 Producer on Quad Core Win 7 64bit with 8GB ram. Interface is a Liquid Saffire 56. Plenty of horsepower and I use a lot of VST and Virtual instruments. Was running Pro Tools but they are so far behind the times these days. Avid is pushing the namesake, but not offering anything substantial. Other DAWS are just faster, and far more capable and offer 10x the flexibility of PT native.

[Ovid9]

Originally Posted by HKSblade1

Start with a good interface. Not a cheap one. You want the interface to do most of the processing at the lowest latency possible. Otherwise, when you add more tracks and virtual instruments/effects or plugins like Ozone, you won't have the resources to run it.

I suggest you maximize Ram if you have a 64 bit system. Check your board spec for max ram allowances.

Record at standard 24/48k. That's a step up from 16/44.1K.

I would recommend another min 500G internal drive to store your audio files. With that, make sure your internal power supply is capable of handling the excess loads. 500-600W should be plenty as long as you are not into gaming where the PSU requirements can get even higher.

I'm running Sonar X2 Producer on Quad Core Win 7 64bit with 8GB ram. Interface is a Liquid Saffire 56. Plenty of horsepower and I use a lot of VST and Virtual instruments. Was running Pro Tools but they are so far behind the times these days. Avid is pushing the namesake, but not offering anything substantial. Other DAWS are just faster, and far more capable and offer 10x the flexibility of PT native.

Thanks for the input man. The board can handle 16 gig of RAM, but I don't have the coin to drop on that right now. I'll probably upgrade the CPU eventually, but honestly, I'm not looking to do anything fancy at first, just get a feel of stuff and learn a bit what I'm doing. More power can always be added down the line if I need it.

I'll probably look for some more suggestions on interfaces when I get ready to purchase one, I can't remember which one was recommended earlier, but I was steered away from the uber-cheap ones.

And cole, thanks for the info man.

[DrKorey]

Good thread, I'm just getting into this territory as well

[OverDriven]

For the best DAW currently available, Presonus Studio One is my vote. It's incredible, and the included plugins for things like eq and compression are top notch. For an interface, Saffire Pro 40. I have one and love it. You will need a FireWire port or FireWire card if you don't have a port on the motherboard. You can get a FireWire card for about $20.

PS - IMO Reaper is seriously lacking. It can get the job done, but it isn't inspiring or enjoyable to work with. Try it and then try the Studio One demo. There's no comparison.

Another note - use the 32 bit version of whatever DAW you use or you will constantly wrestling with VST problems. All of the 64 bit DAWs have a bridge to use 32 bit plugins, but it does not always work well.

[Yarbicus]

Wow, Ovid9 actually starts a useful thread!