How To Configure a PC System (Do's and Dont's)

[AcousticPro]

I've recently dived into the world of PC systems and am have noticed a tremendous number of people who are confused or wonder how or why PC systems are the way they are in relation to recording and music. Anyone else out there confused?

[recordingpro]

There is a lot of confusion about this, even on the part of the manufacturers who make products for the PC, because of the ever-changing operating systems, and the fact that it seems that no 2 PC's are the same. There are so many thousands of variables from system to system, that it definately makes it more difficult to configure a stable and productive system.
Really, the best place to start is to tell me what you would like to accomplish, and what you have to work with already, and we can definately give you some reccomendations. I've been working with audio/midi applications on computers since 1989 (wow, i feel old now) and have a learned a lot of things over the years the hard way. hopefully, we can collectively help you understand how to get the most out what you have and realistically what you can expect.

[pouxhawk]

Is there a way to successfully force feed a new sound card into a computer that's got a "stinkin on-board" sound chip without having to rebuild the computer??? I have a "storebought" HP and although it's big and fast, (1GHZP3/512mg/60gig) it's sound chip is basicly useless.....I know I bought the wrong computer, I just want to know just how screwed I am...Are there more options than just starting over???...Dean"pouxhawk"G......

[recordingpro]

These things are a real pain in the you know what. This is one of my biggest complaints lately. You most likely can do it, but you will have to probably change some settings in your BIOS to disable it. I'm not the one to help you there...you'll want to get with a tech support person from somewhere to help you out, unless someone else here knows how ??

[pouxhawk]

No worries, I have this topic of discussion spread out all over the internet!!....This is a new forum and it will take a while before folks start wandering in.....Actually, I'm waiting for the M-Audio Quattro USB interface to hit the streets...If they have worked out the bugs with USB, and it's fast enough to do 4 in and 4 out it could save some of us a whole lot of time and hassle....No PCI cards to install, NO IRQ BULL+!#$....Finally!! a computer product for morons !! Next Time, PT on a MAC!!!!!

[TomR]

pouxhawk,
it's like recordingpro wrote: you just have to disable the onboard sound card in the BIOS. In there you should find an option somewhere to disable the onboard soundcard. If you do so, you won't be bothered by it again ever after. It's equivalent to removing the 'card' from the PC. Just remember to also remove the drivers (Go into Control Panel->System->Device Manager).

Regards,
Tom

[Big Dap]

I am tempted to go and buy a newer bigger and faster PC. But I want to stop being a gear hog and get the most of the money Ive already spent. i have a PII 400 with 128MB of ram and 2 good size SCSI drive. One dedicated to audio (which helped me alot to do) I run Cubase 5 and use alot of Native Power Pack plug-ins. I''ve beceome very accustomed to them and I like them. Oh yeah, I am running Windows 98. Is there a way short of repleacing key components in this system that I could tweak it to its best performance. I know its best to have a dedicated computer. But until I can afford it, I most likely will continue to play Age of Kings on it too.

[mrc]

You might get a program like partition magic, and run a dual boot system, so you can fine tune windows for the applications you are using. You might be able to replace your cpu chip, with a faster one, depending on the motherboard. Another option would be to replace the motherboard and Cpu. Scsi is hard to beat, and if you have a U2W card like the adaptec 2940, you can run one of the 10,000 rpm drives with it. The price of them has come down to around $250.00 US for a 36 gig 68 pin drive. These babys smoke! At least 256k of memory, and a dual head video card like the matrox 450 or Ati Radeon VE and another monitor, and you'll be in a whole new world, for less than a grand, if you buy a used monitor.
mrc

[piperone]

Big Dap,

Tweaking your system for Audio and Age of Kings? No problem. Build and tweak your system for audio only. Age of Kings will run just fine in whatever you build!

For tweaking, start at your software and work to the hardware. Example: Cubase + NPP: what OS, audio cards and drivers will give me the most bang for the buck with that preferred software? (there is a web page with user submitted throughput - I'll post it when I find it again).

Check the WinX forums for tweaks to optimize your OS - I would move to XP when it comes out. Do a dual boot system until your compatibility issues are hammered out. Check Cubase forums for tips on operation and optimizing Cubase under Windows. I know that's generic, but unless you specify some "performance issues" you seem to be having I can't get specific.

For hardware, 128MB is very low. Grab as much RAM as you can. If your motherboard (which is probably older) can't expand - it's time to get a new MB with CPU. I researched this and until VIA gets their act together with other vendors you will minmize your problems if you stick to Pentium chips and MBs. If you want to get wild when XP arrives, by a dual proc MB and get two 1Ghz+ procs. NPP and my other plugins use CPU __AND__ memory heavily. Many audio PC enthusists will tell you that memory is not that important. Don't listen! Virtual memory req's of a threaded OS ALWAYS benefit from REAL MEMORY. Non-audio disk accesses will be greatly minimized if you make your memory space LARGE.

Crucial http://www.crucial.com has 256MB 133s for my ASUS for $41! If you upgrade your memory, your PC will breathe easy, things will load quicker, you will be more productive.

Piperone

[Darnold]

ive got a few docs on optimizing your computer for audio recording. but alot of things dont help that much. the main this is turning off write behind caching. other than that, most computers dont have a problem unless your running a bunch of other crap. for you people who still want to run games. do what i do and mrc recommended. get partition magic and do a double boot. works very nice. use one boot for just your DW. then use the other for games and stuff. works very easy because you can switch on start up. also, it lets you set password so you can stop anyone from booting into your system ;).

btw, i am a computer reseller and technician and i will be happy to help people out with buyin new computers or help them with the technical parts of them. and hey if you become friends with me i can get yah better prices then anyone on any computer parts ;). but just send me an email if you have any questions about what you might need or how to do something to your computer.

later,
darnold

[tenebrae]

Piperone - compatibility issues aside, Windows XP is very, very evil. Not only is it plagued with security and bug issues, users will be required to re-register (yes, pay more money) every couple years, or the operating system will shut down.

As far as throwing more ram at a windows98 box, keep in mind the OS limitation of 512MB. Windows98 will not see, and may have problems with more ram in the box.

A good friend of mine was plagued with "out of memory" errors with (3) 256MB dimms in his box, at my suggestion took one out, and is back to "normal" (scary to think what 'normal' is for windows).

If your music gear is supported under windows2000 professional, I'd recommend that over XP. You won't have to pay for it again every couple years, and you won't have the 512MB limitation of windows98.

Personally, I'm switching to Mac (in my studio) as soon as my budget allows it. Problem solved.

Hope this helps.
-Tenebrae

[AcousticPro]

I've noticed a lot of frustration from many people here, and yes all things PC can be a little (to say the least) more of a hassle. For you PC builders or network people this is not a quality issue, it's a variable issue. There are so many variables that it is much harder (not impossible) to configure a system for an audio application environment on a PC. Some things can be done in your BIOS as previously mentioned, IF your motherboard allows those changes. Most things are dependent on your OS though. Some of which do not work well with the audio related world. Remember this is all a battle of software in the end anyway. That is what makes all of this compatible, a set of commands or instructions. I'm probably not telling many of you anything new, but if you need some help or just a second brain from someone who's been and continues to run the paces with these systems let me know. Being an engineer primarily I use a PC day in and day out for projects, unfortunately audio is a whole different world.

[Clay Stahlka]

DArnold (or anyone else), can you give us all a few tips on cleaning up the Windows 98 system for best multitrack recording performance? Thanks!