VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[MuseVox]

Greetings, all.

Gertie (my computer's name) is now coming up 6 years old. She was made by a then computer geek boyfriend. While she's lasted longer than the relationship, she's getting more and more difficult to work with.

In doing research on eBay, I came across this listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/DAW-Studio-Music-Computer-AMD-Dual-CORE-X3800-QUIET_W0QQitemZ170107639267QQihZ007QQcategoryZ41784QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Are any of you using self or custom built computers? I'm afraid I am technologically unfamiliar with what I do and do not need in a system, but it's obvious that much of what Windows offers is not necessary for recording.

TTFN,

~Sarah

[richgates]

Hi Sarah,

It's been about six months since I've built a system, but that seems like an outrageous price for what you're getting. It would be helpful to know what your needs are before making recommendations.

Based on compatibility issues right now, you might want to avoid Vista unless you have hardware that has supported drivers. Aside from that, if you are not really doing much in the way of production, you could get by with a mid-range system. I would just make sure it is as quiet as possible especially if you don't have a separate vocal booth.

There are a number of companies that sell quiet components specifically for this purpose, so if you design to "roll your own" system I would be happy to help you find the quiet parts you need.

To be honest, Dell has gotten to the point where they use quality components and in some cases they make really quiet systems. Again it really depends on your needs, but I bought a Dell system a couple of years ago that I used along side my home built machines and it was $299.99 and was great.

[jrodriguez315]

[richgates]

Here is a good jumping off point for building a quiet PC.

http://www.directron.com/quietpc.html

In addition if you don't have the knowledge to built your own system, you can save a bunch of money by getting a system from Dell.

http://www.gotapex.com/ is a great site for listing the best Dell deals. What I recommend is doing a good search against the model that is for sale to see if there is information out there already about how quiet it is. I did that when I bought my 400SC system a few years ago and it was extremely quiet.

I hope this helps.

[Yoda117]

one warning against Dell is that the PSU (Power Supply Units) are often underpowered for the computer. What this means, is that one may run into problems in the future with video cards, sound cards, etc.

Many Dell system still use a proprietary PSU, which makes upgrading the component difficult. So just a head's up there.

www.silentpcreview.com is a good source for the DIY crowd and those looking for more information.
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[richgates]

That's good advice Greg. I think for a dedicated DAW, this won't likely be an issue. It's when you start adding high end video cards that require their own power connector and a ton of hard drives that you will see a problem.

It really all depends on your needs. If you plan on doing a lot of full audio production and need a striped drive array for speed, you would probably be better off with a home built system spec'd out with quiet parts.

If your typical application is you doing dry reads with an occasional music bed and some sound effects, you'll be fine with a Dell. Again this is if you plan on dedicating it to being your DAW. If you want to play games, etc. You'll want something more powerful.

[louzucaro]

Just my two cents that I cannot recommend Dell as I've had countless problems with their tech support over the years when dealing machines at offices and the homes of friends and family members. It once took 9 phone calls totalling 11 hours over the course of 3 months to get a $3 case fan replaced...for a system under warranty. This was the worst of them, but I have never had what I would describe as "good" tech support from Dell, and I'm pretty "good with computers" as one of my friends likes to say

Obviously Rich would disagree since he's recommending them here, so just keep in mind that with anybody's recommendations or non-recommendations, your mileage may vary.

If you're not a tech-savvy person when it comes to computer troubleshooting, I would definitely recommend buying a machine rather than building one yourself, simply for the warranty.

And as Rich said, I would recommend NOT using Vista right now as many of the audio products on the market aren't Vista-compatible yet.

Finally to echo what others here have said, buy something that suits your needs. Personally, I like to "overbuy" because I tend to end up doing more with a computer than I originally planned, and I don't like to have to keep upgrading. The DAW I built last month came in at around $1600 but it's pretty powerful, has a lot of redundant data storage and some higher-end system components (and includes a pretty nice display). But that's me. If you can find a good computer that suits your needs for $300, there's no reason to spend more.
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[Jeffrey Kafer]

If you buy through Dell, go through the small business section. Their techs are far more educated than the newbie they just dragged in off the street to man the phones.
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[sdelgo]

I would say go for the quality of a custom built machine by a local computer builder. i'm talking of making sure you have the right sound card for your type of recording ADCs and DACs are very very important for a clean crisp sound. Get a reliable hard drive that won't crash and burn within the first few years. Tons of RAM for any plugins that you might run. Dual video card if that's one of your needs as well. in my experience Dell, Compaq, Gateway etc... don't even come close to a custom built pc with for instance: a Duo Core processor, Asus motherboard with the proper chipset, Seagate hard drive, Parity RAM, Lynx2 soundcard etc... my point is get the best possible machine built by a local builder, do your research so you know what parts you want/need. If something does go wrong atleast you're right in the same city. Dell will not come close to the quality you can achieve by spending a bit more and a little research.

Just a thought

Steve
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[richgates]

The sad state of computer support is that most of it is outsourced, and the cultural disconnect aside, the level of support isn't the same. Unfortunately it affects nearly every PC maker so buying a pre-fab system from anyone is likely going to lead to the same issue.

I worked at Microsoft for almost 10 years and had nothing but Dell computers the entire time and not once did one fail. I personally wouldn't buy a Dell to be my main machine, but that's because I tend to deck out machines with the latest and greatest (oh the joys of being an early adopter).

But depending on your needs, a pre-fab is a good choice. If budget isn't a concern than I would definitely go with a custom built machine as long as you have adequate support in your area if you run into issues. That is one common problem that isn't as common with the pre-fabs. The pre-fab machines tend to undergo more testing with their components than if you were to hand pick each one.

Again I prefer the latter, but I am very technical and have the confidence to fix any problem that occurs.

[todd ellis]

i'm with steve - find somebody local who you trust - ask around. explain exactly what your goals are and do some research on your own (plenty of info right here). one thing i noticed about my guy - he is EXTREMELY GOOD at what he does - BUT when we started talking about sound cards his experience was with gaming - not pro audio. so, when he was talking about a "great" card he was talking "creative" or "soundblaster" when i needed to be talking "m-audio".
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[Diane Maggipinto]

although i've used with not one problem a 'soundblaster' card in my desktop, and have some new-fangled fancy 'creative' something something in my laptop...
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[tackerman]

When I built my home studio I bought one of these for my DAW.

I've been VERY happy with its performance. For the time being I have to have all my equipment in my "studio". This machine sits right next to my desk and it is incredibly quiet.

[Diane Maggipinto]

tom, that's impressive!
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sitting at #8, though not as present as I'd like to be. Hello!

www.d3voiceworks.com

[todd ellis]

i'm using this one:
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/delta1010lt.html
it's the maudio 1010 without the rack-mount breakout box.
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