Building a studio computer

[edteja]

Nero shouldn't be the problem. I use it to save my project files to CD or DVD. As long as you tell it that you are saving data files it should work. But the error message indicates that there is something about your configuration. Why does it think this is a network drive? I assume the drive shows up when you use MY COMPUTER?

[matto]

Nomi,I'm with Andre, having many songs on your audio harddrive vs having only your current song on it should make no difference in session performance unless the drive is filled to the gills or very fragmented...even if you have a huge number of audio tracks (btw what do you consider "so many" tracks?).And it would have no difference whatsoever on midi/virtual instrument tracks or plug-ins, those depend on your computer's CPU and RAM only, not harddrive space (unless they were streaming samples of the same drive, but IIRC you have a separate samples drive).If your computer gets bogged down it's most likely due to CPU overload from using to many Virtual Instrument voices or effects plug-ins. To alleviate that problem you should first make sure you use the minimum number of reverbs, delays and other CPU intensive fx plugins by sharing them among tracks via aux sends (an not inserting them on the individual tracks...but you probably already know that). Next you should "freeze" or "render" virtual instruments tracks, and audio tracks with CPU intensive plug-ins (this basically exports them as audio and thus frees up CPU cycles and RAM). I don't know if PT has an automatic freeze function or if you have to render those tracks manually to audio.As an aside, with all the problems you've been having you might consider hiring a tech who is a PT/Digital audio expert to come to your studio and optimize your setup, instead of trying to figure out all of these issues (most of which you don't fully understand) yourself.I think it would be money well spent. matto

[davewalton]

Quote:If your computer gets bogged down it's most likely due to CPU overload from using to many Virtual Instrument voices or effects plug-ins. To alleviate that problem you should first make sure you use the minimum number of reverbs, delays and other CPU intensive fx plugins by sharing them among tracks via aux sends (an not inserting them on the individual tracks...but you probably already know that). Next you should "freeze" or "render" virtual instruments tracks, and audio tracks with CPU intensive plug-ins (this basically exports them as audio and thus frees up CPU cycles and RAM). As an aside, with all the problems you've been having you might consider hiring a tech who is a PT/Digital audio expert to come to your studio and optimize your setup, instead of trying to figure out all of these issues (most of which you don't fully understand) yourself.I think it would be money well spent. Hey Nomi,I haven't followed this thread but it sounds like, as Sherlock would say, somthing is afoot. I have a computer with a fairly modest AMD 2.2Ghz processor, 1.5Gb of RAM and an ATA-100 hard drive (not fast). I don't do any real audio but I sometimes do a lot of virtual instruments and I'm not really practical or about optimizing my effects. I RARELY run into problems and those times that I have it's been because I'm running out of RAM, not CPU cycles. None of us are doing THAT much more than the other. If I'm not having general problems like you describe then you really shouldn't either if the basic setup is correct and fairly optimized. But that's stating the obvious and not very helpful. Anyway, I agree with Matt that having this setup optimized by a tech or consultant specific to music setups is the way to go. In Cape Girardeau there isn't anyone like that but in your area I would think there would be a good number of people to choose from. I would LOVE to live somewhere where I had access to someone like that. I'm fairly knowledgeable about my setup but not like a real specialist. I'd take advantage of your location.Maybe start by calling a couple of recording studios and asking who they might recommend? Just a thought.HTH,Dave

[mazz]

I haven't read all 8 pages of this thread either but I'm going to insert my 0.02 bucks anyway! When I was in the market for a PC I bought a purpose built audio machine and I've never had a problem with it. It came already tweaked out with the sound card, memory, operating system optimizations, etc., already done. For me it was a choice between, do I spend a bit more money now and have a very stable system or do I spend less money and more time messing with it to get it to do what I want? As the old saying goes: "I wanted a computer, not a hobby!" How much is your time worth and do you want to spend it optimizing your PC? Mazz

[nomiyah]

Thank you all for the advice.I haven't been "freezing" tracks like you suggest, though I have wondered about that. I'll look into it.I also haven't used the Aux for plug-ins. I read about that in the manual but hadn't tried it yet.Hopefully those things will help. I have been looking for someone to consult in my studio but am waiting to find someone who is using the Digi002 so I can get the maximum benefit of their knowledge. I've had numerous studio experts help me out but if they sometimes advice is too general to be useful.Mazz, your advice might be good for someone else. But I already have my computer so it's too late to change now.You guys are making me feel like a total idiot but oh well, at least I'm not a geek . I guess I'm the only one who has so many technical problems? Good thing I've got those P's (patience, persistance).Thanks again.

[davewalton]

Quote:You guys are making me feel like a total idiot but oh well, at least I'm not a geek . I guess I'm the only one who has so many technical problems? Good thing I've got those P's (patience, persistance).Yes, we were all born with this knowledge pre-wired into our brains. Seriously, it's the same thing that I, personally, went through and I can almost speak for everyone in saying that they went through this too. Just that you're going through it now as opposed to some other point in time in the past.So it's the same for everyone at some point... well, except for Andre since he has an IQ of 620.

[mazz]

It wasn't my intention to make anyone feel like an idiot. Now I feel like an idiot Recently I've been providing tech support for my wife as she gets up to speed using some of the software: Digital Performer, Stylus, and Reason in particular. It's a humbling experience to try to explain something that has become second nature to me and seems so simple and basic. It's hard, sometimes, to remember when I was in that position and even harder to remember to keep that state of mind intact so as to continue learning.Everyone who is using this gear has technical problems. Some of us have just had more experience than others and for some of us, the problems still crop up but have become such a part of the landscape that we forget that they were a big deal once upon a time.Here's to remembering to be a perpetual beginner. Mazz

[sgs4u]

Quote:You guys are making me feel like a total idiot but oh well, at least I'm not a geek . Thanks again.Nomi, I have 2 things I want to point out to you. One is this thread you started - " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://taxi.proboards27.com/index.cgi?b ... 32635705It was a very primary reason why i joined taxi. You were persistant as hell - and the knowledge you solicited was perfect for me. I've never thanked you for that, sothank you NomiThe other thing I wanted to point out is - I am able to feel like an idiot ( ) without any outside advice whatsoever. I bet you are as well. Most of us are, until we learn to control the negativity our own minds generate. If those guys know more about computers than you or I, thank them for sharing. Being the keyboard player (with glasses) all my life has earned me the "geek" self-image as well. So on behalf of all the idiots and geeks in the world, please refrain from comparing yourself to us! steve

[andreh]

Quote:Quote:You guys are making me feel like a total idiot but oh well, at least I'm not a geek . I guess I'm the only one who has so many technical problems? Good thing I've got those P's (patience, persistance).Yes, we were all born with this knowledge pre-wired into our brains. Seriously, it's the same thing that I, personally, went through and I can almost speak for everyone in saying that they went through this too. Just that you're going through it now as opposed to some other point in time in the past.Dave's right, Nomi...you're just as smart as the rest of us, only a little less experienced and a lot more humble. And I can GUARANTEE that you don't suffer from the chronic foot-in-mouth disease that I contracted at a very young age...shoulda worn a [thinking] cap! Quote:So it's the same for everyone at some point... well, except for Andre since he has an IQ of 620. Dah, I tink you myda putted in a extra digit in dare sumware... Andre

[andreh]

Quote:I haven't been "freezing" tracks like you suggest, though I have wondered about that. I'll look into it.Pro Tools doesn't support track freezing, but as Matt said you can still bounce your CPU-intensive audio tracks to new, processed tracks and disable the originals [ctrl-apple-click the little wave icon at the bottom of your channel strip]. Quote:I also haven't used the Aux for plug-ins. I read about that in the manual but hadn't tried it yet.If you're using several reverbs with similar settings, using aux's could solve your problems all by itself...not to mention improve your workflow significantly. Read more about it here:http://www.prosoundweb.com/recording/misc/pt/aux.shtml (older article/version of Pro Tools, but still applicable)and here:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aux-send (general information about aux sends)If you feel like starting a new thread about this, I'm sure many of the other "geniuses" like me on the board will be happy to share their 25,673 cents. Andre