Don't want to start a product war but

[squids]

here's my situation in a nutshell......Okay, maybe not. I'll just stick to the basics. I'm gonna have to make the switch from recording with my voice to just writing instrumentals. This means I've absolutely got to stop going into the studio and do my own stuff at home. I'm not sure I've got the drive to do it but should I prove myself wrong, what computer would all y'all recommend? I've heard some different things and read some stuff but I'd really like to know what works best for all y'all. I can tell from who you are (and the kind of music you play) what might help me.Right now, my PC is doing the "I need to be reformatted" gig (sigh). Rebooting unexpectedly, booting me off, etc. I can't use it anyway, since my kids are on it. But I think if I'm careful with funds this year, I might be able to afford something.Any ideas?

[Casey H]

Quote:here's my situation in a nutshell......Okay, maybe not. I'll just stick to the basics. I'm gonna have to make the switch from recording with my voice to just writing instrumentals. This means I've absolutely got to stop going into the studio and do my own stuff at home. I'm not sure I've got the drive to do it but should I prove myself wrong, what computer would all y'all recommend? I've heard some different things and read some stuff but I'd really like to know what works best for all y'all. I can tell from who you are (and the kind of music you play) what might help me.Right now, my PC is doing the "I need to be reformatted" gig (sigh). Rebooting unexpectedly, booting me off, etc. I can't use it anyway, since my kids are on it. But I think if I'm careful with funds this year, I might be able to afford something.Any ideas?I think it's safe to say that you will need your own PC, separate from what your kids use, etc. However, how much money you spend depends upon a lot of variables. A PC that you will only use for the internet, Word, and simple recording does not have to be expensive. A decent used one will be fine and maybe will cost $200-$300.Since you are trying to stick to a very tight budget, you are at a key decision point. Do you want enough at home to WRITE instrumentals but not necessarily produce the final master quality recordings? Or do you want to go all the way? "All the way" will require software and some other tools that add to the budget. I lack the expertise to advise you here, but quite a few folks here can. What seems inexpensive to one person might not be to another. (Is it "it's only $99" or is it "OMG, it's $99!!)I am in a similar situation to you in that I also am working on some instrumentals after years of not even thinking that way. It finally dawned on me that those unfinished works that lack lyrics DO have a home. For me, it isn't as much a matter of budget (not that my kids don't have to eat and go to college), but I really don't want to learn home recording at that level. It just isn't what I like to do. So, the answer for me has been to WRITE the music, get the idea recorded (rough) as best as I can, and collaborate with someone who can crank out the final product... working on that now . I am sure you know a few qualified people on the boards already that could help here. My understanding (not experience) is that mastering home recording to get to the point where the sound quality is film/TV ready is a large and time consuming effort. I am not being negative about it, just being a realist in presenting these 2 options. The downside of MY option choice is not being a master of my own fate, a big upside of "all the way".Whatever you decide to do, you will get plenty of help right here.Have a merry little... Casey

[squids]

Well, I'll still be able to sing but the meds they have on board are really tanking my mid-range so my alto range is richer than it was and my upper register is still relatively pure sounding, I just don't have it in the middle the way I'm used to. Clearly, this would change my focus since most songwriters love to put their song emphasis in that range.I think I can get away with mastering in the studio. It was the main recording that was kicking my butt big time. I hear from someone on the forums that I could use my voice for some stuff at home and make some change that way, thus affording to master my other stuff in the studio. Thoughts?

[jh]

Quote:I think it's safe to say that you will need your own PC, separate from what your kids use, etc.Yup, highly recommended Stick with PC if you´re familiar with it. btw. Do you have Intel or AMD at the moment? (if you don´t know, right click on "My computer" and select "properties")- JH

[squids]

Quote:Quote:I think it's safe to say that you will need your own PC, separate from what your kids use, etc.Yup, highly recommended Stick with PC if you´re familiar with it. btw. Do you have Intel or AMD at the moment? (if you don´t know, right click on "My computer" and select "properties")- JHIntel.

[jh]

"Win XP and Win 2000 have a default setting to restart at just about any error. It makes things difficult to analyze when it blows through and restarts the computer. Settings / Control Panel / System / Advanced / Startup and Recovery / Settings. Make sure the box is UNCHECKED where it says "Automatically Restart" under System Failure."How about that?

[hummingbird]

Quote:"Win XP and Win 2000 have a default setting to restart at just about any error. It makes things difficult to analyze when it blows through and restarts the computer. Settings / Control Panel / System / Advanced / Startup and Recovery / Settings. Make sure the box is UNCHECKED where it says "Automatically Restart" under System Failure."How about that? ah ha!!!! I will check that when I get home!! Perhaps that is the issue, not faulty ram/motherboard/etc etc.

[matto]

Hey squiddy I'm still using an old Pentium 4 3.2Ghz (yep, that's a single core ) PC with 2GB RAM and lots of hard drive storage (around 600GB, mostly for samples).It's getting long in the tooth and I'm probably gonna upgrade next year, but it still works okay even with my rather busy schedule and the wide variety of sometimes relatively demanding work I do.Oh and it's even a stock Dell . I've had this comp for several years and it's worked pretty much flawlessly, the only thing I don't like about it is that's a little noisy, since it wasn't built to be a "quiet" studio machine.So, you definitely don't have to break the bank if you go the PC route.HTH,matto

[jh]

Quote:ah ha!!!! I will check that when I get home!! Perhaps that is the issue, not faulty ram/motherboard/etc etc. Let´s hope so! At least you get to see the error messages. - JH

[squids]

Quote:"Win XP and Win 2000 have a default setting to restart at just about any error. It makes things difficult to analyze when it blows through and restarts the computer. Settings / Control Panel / System / Advanced / Startup and Recovery / Settings. Make sure the box is UNCHECKED where it says "Automatically Restart" under System Failure."How about that? It's unchecked, I looked a month or two ago as well. I strongly suspect an xp/bill gates curse. My next step is to reformat it and drag it all down to the basics, see what it does. I miss win 98. But thanks tons!