Buying a new system

[dabresk]

I am at the point now where my 3 year old system is just not cutting it. So, shopping I go. I know quite a bit about computers (I am an IT Director), but mostly from an enterprise standpoint.A few questions:1. Is there a real difference buying a system that is specifically configured as a DAW? (i.e Sweetwater or B&H or others).2. Other than memory, processor speed and fast drives, what else should I be looking at?I can get any HP system dirt cheap, as I an authorized system engineer. If I get an HP workstation with the fastest CPU and 4gig of memory (assuming 32bit so I dont have to get new apps), would that suffice? Should I be thinking server hardware?I notice a lot of these DAW-specific systems have special cooling and acoustical features (can internal noise affect sound quality of purely digital work?).Also, regarding the 64bit thing...anyone using XP64? I use Cubase, reason and ewqlso...any issues there? (I have one radiology system at work that is 64bit...average apps seems to run on it fine). 64bit would give me a big edge on memory.Well, I could rant on, but I could use some professional opinions.ThanksBresky

[mazz]

Bresky,Your post is very timely. I just sprang for a VisionDAW system to use as a slave for streaming samples. The folks at VisionDAW do this all day long for a living and are very professional and knowledgeable, one of the many reasons I chose them. I decided to go 64 Bit (XP 64 bit) to allow for the EW Play libraries which are 64 Bit. Their Orchestra is going to be on Play sometime and I want to be ready for it. They are building the system, loading my libraries on it and testing everything before they ship it to me. They have been very patient in answering my questions and I have total confidence in them. I don't want to futz with a computer, I want to get up and running right away and I have every reason to believe that this thing will work right out of the box.As far as cooling, and acoustical noise, that's an issue with the noise of a computer interfering with your recording or mixing. If there's no fan, then something else has to cool the processor. If there is a fan, the system has to be designed so you don't hear it. These aren't usually thought of on an off the shelf machine. It has nothing to do with the quality of the audio processing that the computer does (unless the computer overheats and shuts down, of course!!Here's the base system: http://www.visiondaw.com/productcart/pc ... ct=548Good luck,Mazz

[dabresk]

What are the "play libraries"?I have seen this posted several times, but I do not know what it is?Also, I am using an old EchoGina 24, should I replace that as well?Bresky

[matto]

"Play" is EW's new sample player. All new EW titles come with Play, and most current libraries including the orchestra will be ported to it.

[dabresk]

Well I am really going off the deep end this time. Will the Composers Collection include play? I did not see that as one that was available. I am just going to do it all at once, DAW, Composers Collection, and upgrade my Reason to 4.0, and possibly and new card to replace the Gina24 (which I am still not sure about). I will be calling Vision tomorrow for some advice.Thanks folks!Bresky

[mazz]

The composers collection does not include Play. Play is the "player" East West created for their libraries. They have some libraries that are out now for Play but their orchestra stuff is not released in Play yet. I believe there is an upgrade path for folks that buy the existing libraries. Their website www.soundsonline.com has a lot of info on there.As far as your soundcard goes, if it is a PCI card, then it might not be compatible with the new flavors of PCI that are out now. A firewire sound card might be a better option if you are upgrading. At this time the drivers for 64 bit systems are few and far between, I looked in to this with the Vision folks because I have an M-audio FW 410 that I was hoping to use but there's no stable driver out there for it for XP64 right now.Also, apparently Vista is an issue with audio and a lot of folks are staying away from it and staying in XP. That's something to consider as well. If you're not very familiar with Vista it could be a big pain to try to get the software and the hardware to work together smoothly. I'd do some research in to this ahead of time if you are thinking of going Vista. Or you could get a purpose built DAW with XP and a nice RME card or something and be up and running right away. How much is your time worth?Mazz

[dabresk]

Not touching Vista. I tried a while back and it gobbled up to much memory (even though I have 3 gig) to run Cubase! Crack, pops, stops etc. Gina card wouln't work in a stable fashion, so I gave up.If you went with x64, then what sound card did you choose?Hopefully, I will chat with them today.And, thanks for your input!Bresky

[timbehrens]

I have the East West Composers Collection and have been told that there will be an Upgrade path for Play for folks who want it. Because it was such an incredible deal, though, it will be a costly upgrade. I'm no expert on upgrading computers specifically for DAW, but I would say that if you piece something together you might want to consider multiple hard drives.... to run your operating system, DAW, and recording sessions all on different hard drives. I have read that helps with speed. I'd also say that when you are going to have a lot of extra components (hard drives, firewire card, sound card, etc) to pay attention to the Power Supply. Some of the ones that ship with your standard configuration don't have enough juice to power all the peripherals and will end up causing you problems in the end.Not sure if my non-tech comments are on target, but this has been something I've been wanting to do as well and these are just a few things I've read.Wish I could afford that VisionDAW system mazz posted. That would be nice.Best wishes. --Tim

[mazz]

Quote:Not touching Vista. I tried a while back and it gobbled up to much memory (even though I have 3 gig) to run Cubase! Crack, pops, stops etc. Gina card wouln't work in a stable fashion, so I gave up.If you went with x64, then what sound card did you choose?Hopefully, I will chat with them today.And, thanks for your input!BreskyFor budget reasons I chose the EMU card, I'll use the ADAT out to monitor. I may choose to upgrade to an RME at some point. If you look at the page for the system, they give the soundcard options that they have tested and certified with the 64 bit systems.

[ernstinen]

Quote:Bresky, I just sprang for a VisionDAW system to use as a slave for streaming samples.You have good taste, Mazz! I "sprang" for a VisionDAW myself. They're only about a 35 minute drive south of the SFV for me (on a good day ), and I met all the employees. Very nice guys, and very knowledgeable about DAWs. Plus, telephone support, even after a couple years that I've had my Vision. Oh, it runs Windows XP. It's a rack-mounted unit, which keeps it out of the way of my other 'puters.Ern