Q: For years, I was told not to have my studio computer connected to the Internet. is this “rule” still valid? Or can my studio computer safely connect to the Internet now?
A: It’s true, for many years we recommended not having your studio computer on the Internet, for a variety of reasons. Today, things have changed in that most authorizations for software are web-based (although many companies also provide alternate non-web-based authorization options), and more important, most software updates are handled by downloads. Plus, more and more software is delivered by download when you purchase it.
For these reasons, it has become necessary for studio computers to be on the web. We still recommend that you take the computer off line when you’re not using the Internet. Also be sure that there aren’t web-based items running in the background (such as applications that automatically check for current versions and updates), as these can eat into the available power your computer can dedicate to your audio and music productions.