Optimal pc to use?

[Mike Lightkep]

Hello, all. Just ordered my X32 from a local dealer today and should pick it up Monday. As this is my first foray into owning and using a digital console for, (mostly), live and very basic recording mixing, I was just inquiring as to what the most optimally configured pc I should be rolling out with the X32? I currently have a 3-ish year old Dell laptop with a dual-core running xppro, (one of those rough-duty case jawns so it's perfect for the road), that I would take somewhere and just gut the thing and start over with whatever I need to make the mating of computer and X32 as happy and trouble free as possible. Best all=around audio card, interfaces, approprate cables, and os, (I'm assuming Win7 will be on tap for the os, yes?) Also, I'm leaning towards CuBase, AbletonLive or Reason for the easiest-to-use recording software, as suggested by some other audio peeps in my area. Remember that I'm pretty much a newbie when it comes to software and such. The easier the learning curve and the speed of use in a live mixing/record-on-the-fly environment are the key elements here. Plus, working well with the X32 goes without saying... just sayin'...!
Any thoughtful and expert opinions will be appreciated and helpful. Thanks a bunch!
Mike L. Philadelphia, Pa.

[Michael.Maeurer]

Hi Mike!

There is no "perfect audio PC" from scratch (except for a Mac ). When using a PC for professional audio you should consider to do the following optimizations:

- Firewall off
- Antivir off
- Wlan off (deactivate in device manager)
- disable the power saving option for all USB root hubs in the device manager
- In case of a laptop deactivate the microsoft-conform control method battery
- in power management set the power from "balanced" to "full performance"

All the best,

Michael

[Brian Jarrett]

I'm about to build a new PC for our use with the X32. First, I'd try the system you have and see what you want to improve on from there. No hurt in testing it out.

Second, you should use a firewire connection as it is more cable of handling high track counts and consistent latency. USB could cause problems with higher track counts and there is no guarantee of data being delivered in a timely manner. Finding a firewire connection using a TI (Texas Instruments) chipset gives you the best compatibility with ANY firewire device, but the X32 should work with others OK.

Windows 7 is now preferable over XP, but XP can be tweaked to work well as a DAW. The more memory you have, the better, it will allow for more processing (plugins). I'll be using at least 8Gb. If you are going with a new PC, get at least a core i5, and preferably a core i7. Find DawBench results to see how well CPUs work. The Intel CPUs give you more bang for the buck at this point in time over AMD.

Again, if building a new PC, get fast RPM drives (7200 RPM or better) so that data can stream to the drive quickly during recording. SATA III/6Gb drives will work well, they usually have large data buffers to handle the throughput.

That should get you pointed in the right direction.

[Mike Lightkep]

Terriffic! Thanks so much for the advice.

[jcritch]

Hi Mike!

There is no "perfect audio PC" from scratch (except for a Mac ).

I do not agree. The apple hardware is not intended for end user maintenance. So when it breaks, you send it off to apple and 'trust' any data on the device will be safe. It is just as prone to virus, trojan, mal-ware, etc. The perceived supremacy of apple is like the blind faith of democrats for those they vote for - foolish. Know your hardware and know how to fix it - be as independent as you can be, no matter the hardware, software, etc.