Building a new DAW

PC Configurations, motherboards, etc, etc

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krizrox
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Building a new DAW

Post by krizrox »

i5 processor, 16GB ram, new power supply, SSD Win 8.1 Pro 64

Is there a good resource for tweaking this thing for audio? Especially for Xite/Scope?

Thanks!
jksuperstar
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by jksuperstar »

Somewhat on the same track (I'm ditching a laptop for a 1u desktop).

In this thread, Jimmy shows the mobo he is using with XITE. Doing my own research, I like the same motherboard. You can choose i7 or i5. I also found with this mobo, DDR latency (11-13-13 for example) does not have much of an effect on the system, but frequency does, so you can spend money on higher freq, not lower latency.

http://forums.planetz.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=33422
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garyb
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by garyb »

krizrox wrote: Is there a good resource for tweaking this thing for audio? Especially for Xite/Scope?
nothing more than this is required:
http://forums.planetz.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=31345
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krizrox
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by krizrox »

awesome thanks Gary!
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krizrox
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by krizrox »

holy cow - already I'm seeing a HUGE improvement with this new PC. OS loads in like 10 seconds.

I have a learning curve ahead of me (actually I have Win 8.1 on my laptop but really only just scratched the surface).
There's a lot of tinkering to get programs to install but so far everything is coming together nicely. I'll be doing some actual Xite testing in a few minutes. Keeping my fingers crossed.
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dante
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by dante »

krizrox wrote:holy cow - already I'm seeing a HUGE improvement with this new PC. OS loads in like 10 seconds..
Yeah that's what I like except mine is 12 seconds.

What DAW are you using ?
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by w_ellis »

Tip when setting up a PC, use Ninite (https://ninite.com/). Saves you downloading from lots of different sites and also picks "safe" options for installers, e.g. avoids installing Ask Toolbar with Java.

Includes option to install Classic Start, which is IMO an essential install for Windows 8.
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by krizrox »

Thanks guys! Here's the complete system spec as it is right now. I finished loading and tweaking the OS last night. Installed Scope Xite and my main recording app, Samplitude ProX (version 1).

motherboard: MSI Z97 Gaming 3
processor: Intel i5 quad core LGA1150
ram: 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport (2x8 DDR3)
HD1: SSD Crucial M500 128 GB SATA 6 GBs
HD2 & 3: Seagate & WD standard drives
graphics: EVGA GeForce GT520 and a pair of LG monitors
Corsair RM650 power supply
Windows 8.1 Professional 64 (downloaded most of the important updates right away)

Unfortunately the problems I was having with Xite followed me over to this new platform. I installed all the "Gary Tweaks" last night so it's probably nothing to do with the PC hardware. I'll spend more time trying to wrangle through this. I'm sure it's just a learning curve issue. I never paid much attention to Xite until now. I see a lot of user resources related to making it work. Thank God for that lol. Just getting things to load in Win 8.1 is a challenge. I wrongly assumed, because of how long 8.1 has been around, that everyone would be on board with the OS. That doesn't appear to be the case. Maybe developers are ignoring it or skipping it or just lagging in development.

I'm taking computer science classes at the local community college and they're still teaching Windows 7 ;-)
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dante
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by dante »

Reason I asked about DAW is that as well as O/S tweaks there are DAW specific tweaks, eg cubase and its asiogaurd etc. But cant help you with Samplitude, maybe others know some tweaks for that eg siriusbliss
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vascomusic
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by vascomusic »

w_ellis wrote:Tip when setting up a PC, use Ninite (https://ninite.com/). Saves you downloading from lots of different sites and also picks "safe" options for installers, e.g. avoids installing Ask Toolbar with Java.
Includes option to install Classic Start, which is IMO an essential install for Windows 8.
Very good suggestion Will, Thanks !
Obelix
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by Obelix »

BTW.
As I ain't mounted a computer for years as my Q6600 has been overclocked to 3.4GHz (!), I'm a little puzzled seeing all the actual stuff... And I just got a Antec rack-PC box yesterday which would do the tric for a DAW...
Are there actual Gigabyte or ASUS mobos that can take an i7 AND have kept 3 PCIs, can run 8 or 10 SATA drives and, guess what, old Creamware boards? (and I look forward to being able to play some video games on it like Far Cry 4 :P
Although I think mostly to use the main scope system on my old Q6600 (which is nicely overclocked), the fact is that for now, I've got 4 Creamware boards and wouldn't be surprized if a 5th comes soon...
so the Q6600 should have a Luna, a PII SRB and a future PII or maybe Scope Pro (only if the price is nice!) and do it with the A16 Ultra, so the new computer should run a Luna, my old P+ and the Luna Box... MMMMhhh, so why 3 PCIs?
Well, I don't know if I can run both at one, but I got a good ole EMU1820+Sync board and if the two systems can be run at once, it is nice, but if I must switch between SFP and the 1820, that's OK too as the 1820 is much easier for multimedia use...

Other thing, are the board still sensible to the quality of RAM withe DDR3, I remember my Pulsar refused to run with several brands of RAM in the old days!

BTW, I feel having seen some PCI-e with a cable and two PCIs on the other side... Does it run with 2 CW boards or does it sux?

Many thanx by advance for your advices.
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by jhulk »

with the emu cards only vista is supported as the latest os and there are problems with the 64bit os in that the dsp fx dont work correctly

and emu dropped all os support

so xp and vista really is the only choice the problem there is kontakt and reactor latest versions require minimum of win7 for 5.2 and above

which means if you want the later versions of kontakt instruments which use the newer preset definitions your stuck

dont know if the emu card and scope dcan work together with out conflicts

the xw workstations work well i would rather use a zeon processor than the i5 or i7 they have way bigger caches and run faster

the older models run well with scope cards i use the 6pci versions as they work well with the pci cards the problems come with comps that have a pci e port that runs the pci ports in emulation mode these get communication errors in no more channels this is not a scope problem but the host pcie interface

now i run 2 systems using the older dual zeons one on xp the other on win7 both 32bits which work very fast and are rock solid

do your homework as there are lots of mother boards that dont work very well with pci cards
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by Obelix »

Sorry, but my old 1820(s : got two) runs without (major) problem with win7 64 bits (and probably win8) as drivers have been issued! The only thing : avoid running (too much) USB external drives or sometimes, when you access 'em, it makes an horrible buzz for a few seconds :lol:
dont know if the emu card and scope dcan work together with out conflicts
Frankly, I never tried, I know I should have.
the xw workstations work well i would rather use a zeon processor than the i5 or i7 they have way bigger caches and run faster
xw? Zeon? Sorry, I don't see anything like that in the shops I know. Sorry, I ain't built any puter for nearly 10 years...
BTW, I'm not in the way to build an over expensive PC of doom with the fastest stuff on earth aboard, I'm not even certain to use Intel or AMD, but I need to know if there are issues between Pulsar/Luna/Scope boards and actual mobos...
Let's say I'd put smth around 200/300 in the processor, this may be an i7 6 cores, maybe an AMD 8 cores which are way cheaper (just looked a few minutes ago) and they look to have an higher clock, but well, do they run as much flops? Last computer I bult was in2005 or 2006, I'm totally puzzled about what's on market now, I'm not a geek anymore :lol:
So... maybe i7 4790K 4cores 4GHz/socket 1150? i7 5960X 6 Core 3GHz/socket 2011-3?
Or... AMD FX-9590 8 Cores 4.70Ghz/Socket AM3? Well, it's 0,32µ instead of 0.22µ and eats 220W where 5960X eats only 140W and 4790K eats 84W but it fits more my budget
the older models run well with scope cards i use.../...now i run 2 systems using the older dual zeons one on xp the other on win7 both 32bits which work very fast and are rock solid
Yeah, but for oldies, the Quad Q6600 will do the job, but hell, it's for building a new machine that I'm looking for answers, remember, I intend to run FarCry4 on it too... Let's say the older Q6600 will be the main DAW and the new one will more be a multimedia/gaming station but which should give help in audio if necessary... and so I could watch movies while making music with the other computer.
do your homework as there are lots of mother boards that dont work very well with pci cards
That's why I ask for advices... Even by limitating to Asus/Gigabyte which have always made serious mobos (I hope they're still in the same way), now there are around 50 proces models and probably 2 or 3 times more mobos considering only those 2 builders!
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garyb
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by garyb »

H97 seems to work best for the newest socket 1150 motherboards.
H87, Z87, H97 and Z97 have all been confirmed. there are 3pci slot H97 Gigabyte models.
MSI and Asrock also make motherboards that will work.
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krizrox
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by krizrox »

I posted my new system specs in the Xite section. The new MSI Z97 motherboard I am using now seems awesome to me. Snappy and stable. It has 3 PCI slots so it might be a good choice for those older Scope PCI cards. Xite-1 seems to be running fine so far.
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by Obelix »

So no i7 6cores as it requires 2100 chipset... (I red somewhere that 2100 caused problems).
Well, at least good to know that there are still 3 PCI boards, especially @ Gigabyte : I've always found it much easier to oveclock w. their stuff than w. any other brand, even Asus...
Personnally I'd avoid MSI : all MSI stuff I had didn't lasted long, was it mobos or GCs, especially GCs, everything burnt once the guarantee was over (sometimes sooner, but most of time, I was screwed and so had I to buy smth else so... no more MSI s**t!).
Gigabyte H97 with 3 PCI would be probably my 1st choice if I go for Intel...
So nobody using AMD? Well, I know that if you want top performances, better go Intel, but take both Intel and AMD with the same benchmarks and then AMD is always cheaper and they have several being able to run Far Cry 4 full options, but I do not know if this would be OK with some Scope Boards...
I've seen an AM2 mobo with four PCIs and their bigger processor is 8cores and 5GHz in turbo mode... Well, a lesser clocked i7 has better benchmarks, but less cache and less cores so... as would say Ozzy : I don't know!
(the weirdest thing with the AMD : electricity bills! What u don't pay when you buy it will be paid to the electric corp. :P )

But, err, funny fact : considering what my old quad Q6600 can do, if it's strictly for audio, I'm not certain it needs to upgrade computer systems or you must probably be a pure geek into pure electronic music running a hundred VSTis, doing guitar and bass sounds with native modelisations (Guitar Rig, Amplitube, etc etc)... Well, I never was able to push it to a limit where I couldn't run it anymore, just had to increase the Asio latency when mixing biggest projects... But I'm not mad at using big big big treatments and a lot of things just because I can do it! I think the main reason to build a 2nd unit is that I have now I have 4 boards, maybe I will have a 5th and I'm a little light to play actual video games, and, BTW, I got really to much hard drives so when you got 10 HDs connected by USB, you got some audio troubles, and well, if some consider a specialized audio workstation, why not, but frankly, I prefer being able to do everything :lol:
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by garyb »

from what you describe, 4 cores is plenty. more cores is nice for some uses, no help for others. if your current processor is not running out of power, you won't believe what a standard 4 core i7 or even i5 will do. i don't think you'd ever NEED to upgrade it.

the current MSI products are pretty good, using good components. the current Asus models are mediocre(good using good components). :lol:

i've only seen 2 or 3 socket 1150 motherboards that didn't work. all were Asus, all were defective. that doesn't mean that i wouldn't buy Asus, it just means that they don't have a lock on usable hardware anymore. either Asus quality has faded or other maker's quality has improved. i'd say it's a little bit of the former and a lot of the latter.
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by Obelix »

noted for Asus. Not a cool thing : they used to built some of the best mobos in the old days :-?
good to know MSI improved : I had VERY bad issues in the past with 'em.
I think I'll stick to Gigabyte : I had never to complain with their stuff and it seem several ppl here are happy with the actual mobos.
from what you describe, 4 cores is plenty. more cores is nice for some uses, no help for others.
jus red a review comparing the actual biggest AMD to some intel 4970 quad. It said that the i was faster at benchmarks, but the AMD was nicer if you had multi task computation, which is a bit logical if you have 8 processors running in // compared to 4...
Anyway, I'm not in the mood to spend more than 300€ ine the processor, so exit i7 6cores...

if your current processor is not running out of power, you won't believe what a standard 4 core i7 or even i5 will do. i don't think you'd ever NEED to upgrade it.
Oh, I ain't got problems believing you : 10y old Q6600 with a bit overclocking is just outdated for new videogames since recently, mine was still OK to run new games 2 or 3 years ago, although the graphic card sucked w. DX11 but I never felt out of power in audio, but again, I'm more into recording real hardware than using lotsa VST/VSTi, so maybe those that are in full electronic music and wanting to put big treatments on anything would run out of power faster than me... The fact is I don't want to spend big money in a new computer, especially considering that I'll have to put money in transforming the attic in a real recording studio and even if there'll be a lot of DIY, materials ain't free and I'm far 2 be rich...
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krizrox
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Re: Building a new DAW

Post by krizrox »

I'm liking the MSI Z97 Gaming 3 board I'm using now. It's a new build so time will tell if the long-term reliability is there. The only thing worth mentioning (I mentioned it in another post) was some through-hole electrical components on the motherboard - the leads on the bottom of the board were pressed together and shorting together. They may have been electrolytic capacitors or something but they didn't cut the leads short enough after soldering them and the leads were accidentally pressed together. I did a scan of the entire bottom side of the motherboard and made sure no leads were pressed together and touching. I assume that this could have resulted in premature failure of the those components and the circuitry around them. If you get a new mobo be sure to do a visual reality check of the PCB to make sure there's no obvious manufacturing defects. Some solder problems can be hard to see without the aid of inspection tools but some are really obvious.
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