Well its been a while since I've owned a computer. With smartphones i don't really need one. But my girlfriends computer is old and outdated. So WE need a new computer. 8^\ ... Plus recently i have run into a few cituations where I've needed one. Syke lessons, music recording, etc. So if im going to buy a new laptop i want to make sure it can atleast do a decent job at recording. I tried going by minimum system requirements for different DAW, but they have a pretty big range. And im getting mixed opinions everwhere else.
So what's the minimum system specs for a decently smooth running laptop for average recording of multiple tracks with a decent DAW. I don't need a killer system, but i don't wanna kick myself in a month.
Thanks ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
it will probably boil down to mac vs PC and how much storage onboard you want and how you want to backup, cloud or local external harddrive. And how closely you want to sync it to your smartphone. Mac's have lots of good built in audio/video tools. In the PC world you have to go get them.
MBH Webbrain - a GUI guide to Adam's Youtube vids FerretCat Webbrain - Jason Ricci's vids (by hair colour!)
Last Edited by bluemoose on Mar 16, 2016 12:21 PM
It's difficult spec'ing these things. One approach is to choose your DAW first, and use their documentation to guide a reasonable spec. Do you have an idea what audio software you want to use on it?
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Mar 16, 2016 12:36 PM
You dont need a mega pc to run a DAW (because you are not going to record a whole band right?). I think whit 4gb of ram (8gb would be great)a 2.0 doble core cpu (or better) and a 7.200 rpm hard drive, you can make an album, record your stuff, edit audio, play whit MIDI and have lots of fun.
I use Reaper. Is a great DAW and you decide when to pay for it. ---------- Sorry for any misspell, english is not my first language.
Last Edited by rogonzab on Mar 16, 2016 1:44 PM
Problem with mac is everything else i own is IBM (pc) or Android. And they cost a bit more.
MTG ... as far as the DAW im clueless. I was going to just let it all develop naturally. As i have no really experience with them i would hate to base a system on a piece of software just to find out i hate it.
Zab ... What your saying is right about what i thought. But trying to find a PC is also difficult. There are so many models thrown together by all these companies. Ive spent good money a few times on crap laptops.
Kingsley might be right. Maybe i should save up a lil more n buy mac. Idk. But either way i know what system requirements i need. Thanks. ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Honestly computers change about every 6 months to a year when it comes to power and specs. Macs are good because of garage band- however there are some alternatives all in one computers with a touch screen are a good start instead of a laptop. you can get a decent one for under a grand that has a good sized hard drive and computing speed not to mention they can be fairly portable as well. I would go to a place like best buy and tell them what you are looking for and let them show you a few things
A couple years ago computer speed stopped mattering for basic stuff like emails, watching video and web browsing because it just got to a point where even the entry level models could handle it. We aren't there yet for all audio editing, and are even farther away on video editing, but most mid-level machines will handle most audio stuff now I think. My PC was top of the line 3 years ago and it handles audio stuff without hiccups. The PC I had before that not so much, but it was getting pretty long in the tooth.
What is going to matter is screen size, portability, battery life, number of USB ports and reliability. I've got a quad-core i7-930, 64 bit with 6 gig of ram. It handles everything I throw at it audio related fine. (It's beginning to show it's age a tiny bit in gaming, but even there it's pretty good and gaming is much more CPU/GPU intensive than most audio applications. You might also want to look around and see which laptops are quieter. That's the one drawback on my PC is the fan makes a lot of extraneous noise that you have to be careful not to mic. And make sure it's not prone to overheating. My brother's laptop needs an external fan to keep it cool when he's gaming (games run hot) but then he got a cheap external fan that picks up on his laptop's internal mic and comes through our Skype calls like someone is blowing in a jug band right into our ears. (We couldn't convince him he had a problem until he brought it over one day and could hear what it sounded like on our end.) So if it is prone to overheating make sure to get an external fan and splurge for one with good reviews instead of whatever is cheapest.
He's got an HP, and he swears there is no way to disable the internal mic, although he may just not have done due diligence.
Unless you are a touchpad wiz you'll also want a portable mouse.
As a rule of thumb, a PC is always better to work than a laptop. You can upgrade every component for not much money and if something fail, you replace it in 30 secs.
A laptop y great if you need to move arround, but you sacrifice muscle. ---------- Sorry for any misspell, english is not my first language.
Yea. Very true. Desktop would be better. Ive built my share of computers. Used to be fairly into it, but all my knowledge is outdated. I would rather have a laptop tho.
Theres laptops out there with pretty decent specs. Nacoran the one i was looking at has AMD 8 quad core, 6 gig DRAM (upgradeable to 16gig) , and 1TB Harddrive, touchscreen, for just under $400. Idk. Ill do my homework n hopefully not buy a POS. The quiet factor is something ive read about. Didnt know it was quite that bad. Ill have to pay attention to that. ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
The only thing that really matters for performance is to get as much memory (RAM) as you can. Processor doesn't matter. If you're going to process and keep a lot of video you might want more disk space than less, but disk space can be easily and cheaply increased with an external drive later. Video might also push you in the direction of getting a solid state drive, but that's probably overkill unless you do a lot of video.
Pretty much any computer you can buy these days is more than most anybody needs.I do tons of audio and video processing on a tower that's at least 6 years old (don't remember). Once caveat: I am running Linux, which often performs better for a given hardware config. In fact, you might consider installing Linux on the old computer once you get your new one. It'll probably be fine, especially for basic mail and browsing use, and you'll have a workable second computer that you don't have to care much about (like if you want to take one on vacation or suck).
I agree that for simple audio editing an entry-level PC is adequate. For recording harp practice with just a few tracks (e.g. a backing track and the harp, or a few tracks of my own accompaniment) all I need is Audacity on a Windows laptop with and Intel I3 or I5 processor, 4Gb RAM. Just an office-level laptop, nowhere near gaming spec. That works without problems.
But if you are possibly going to run a bigger DAW like Reaper then, with my limited experience, it does need more resources. I found using midi and virtual synths, drum machines and effects, I can run into latency problems (time between playing a note and it sounding) on a lower powered PC. I don't do a lot of this stuff atm though, so can't give more detail. But, even if you are thinking of it, I suggest going and reading up specifically what people say a good spec is for Reaper.
So, in making price/spec choices, you can optimise by choosing a better processor and more RAM, but not a better graphics card. Gamers pay a great premium for the fast graphics.
Re Linux - I've been a big fan since the early days. In those days there was an idea that you could revitalise an old PC, that was no good for the latest Windows, by putting Linux on it. These days, I don't see a performance advantage.
In fact I'd actually advise against using Linux for this, because getting audio software and hardware to work together properly can be done, but can involve a lot of DIY. Don't listen to anyone who says, 'it worked OOTB for me!' I'm sure it did, but it is likely to be different for you. Especially with laptop hardware. There are some systems where I've never got the audio to work reliably. As rogonzab says, at least with a desktop PC you can swap out components.
Sound cards: A laptop may be more convenient but you my be stuck with limited I/O options. And in my experience the analogue I/O sockets (the 3.5mm sockets) may/may not be noisy and may/may not match well with your mics etc. A good solution is to buy a separate USB sound device, which could also have the benefit of e.g. 1/4" jack or XLR balanced inputs.
Myself, I get good results with a very, very cheap USB sound card adapator, but I'm not looking for HiFi for this purpose, and I have an analogue preamp for matching signals.
For acoustic recordings you can get a USB Condenser mic which is a good option. The kind people use for podcasts.
Yes you can sidestep a lot of choices by buying Mac, but I'd expect it to cost a great deal more.
Hope that helps.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on Mar 17, 2016 12:29 AM
Yea MTG i ran into problems and mixed recommendations everywhere. So im thinking of going to a computer repair company near my house that I've gone to for years and asking them about a few Laptops ive found on various Web sites. I have found a few that have hardware far beyond their price point, but you often get what you pay for. So they must lack somewhere. Im trying to keep it under $400. Perhaps ill build a desktop down the road once i get more aquainted with what i need. I have a good idea at what i can get away with now. But im obviously trying to get as much for my money as possible, when it comes to ram and processor speed.
I have a mixer. Which has pre amps (obviously) and I have been using my keyboard for different instruments when messing with making tracks. But i will likely select a DAW with digital instruments also. So if i can get a set of xlr (balanced) inputs for the mains (out from the mixer) i should be set. ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
GET LOTS OF RAM FOR MUSIC editing --TRY TO GET 1 GIG OR AT LEAST THE POSSIBILITY OF THAT MUCH DOWN THE ROAD--Get mixcraft if u use windows has midi and audio editing--and its way less than pro tools
Bundy has a machine similar to mine but better for $499. I do all my recording and video work on it. It's desk top 20 inch screen. They also have a laptop for around the same price. All Macs. I did this on my Mac. ----------
