Fast enough computer?

[Snared]

Hey. My old computer is not fast enough anymore. Latency when Im recording, and crackeling sound after a while. So, Im gonna by a new computer... Dont know if i have the money, but i have to produce music, no? So i would like to know if its fast enough without any annoying lags and whatever. I was thinking to get AMD Athlon II X4 620 Quad Core, 2.6Ghz, AM3, 2MB CPU with Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600MHz 4GB CL8.

So you think it would be fast enough for music production without any lags?

[comurit]

hi, instead to spend money on a fast computer why don't you buy a proper software for your old computer.
have you ever heard about renoise?
Try the demo on your computer http://www.renoise.com/
so you have more time to decide and choose which faster computer you are going to buy.
All the best.
please let me know.

[channelite]

After using Live, how could someone use anything else? WTF is renoise?

[Saxer]

renoise seems to me as a last millenium way to make music with computer. might be fun for kids or informatic students...

@snared: get your quad core, it´s definetly fast enough.
however, it´s possible to use ressources ineffective, but for normal intelligent use you won´t reach borders on that maschine.

[leedsquietman]

Oi, I use Renoise sometimes !

It has developed into quite a powerful software and can do some things Live can't, i.e. it can host VSTS and still be run as a Rewire Slave, something Live cannot do - it costs $59 too, so you cannot objectively compare it to the full version of Live.

Saxer is correct that it is a tracker, and a different way of working, but you can also input from your MIDI keyboard.
http://www.renoise.com/

Renoise runs on PC, Mac and Linux, one license you can run it on all 3 platforms. It is also very CPU efficient and can be run on older machines. It doesn't do warping or audio recording as conveniently as Live, but using samples, or putting together quick beats and loops is super fast and easy, and the pattern matrix is a great addition. It no longer looks or feels like you are working on an Amiga !

[bosonHavoc]

that computer should do a good job...
what are your recording needs?
what is your audio interface?
will you be performing live on stage with computer?

[alex.the.forge]

you can do surprisingly ok just by changing the buffer size according to what you want to do - i.e. - if you need ultra low latency then lower it, then raise it when you start using more and more CPU - plus if it is a dual core then try and keep FX inline on the same track and minimise routing tracks to each other/sidechaining

but if you have the cash for a new machine then why the hell not?

[smaucher]

So you think it would be fast enough for music production without any lags?

depends massively on your audio interface. what are currently using?

[leedsquietman]

You need a good combination of powerful computer (if PC, optimized with tweaks for better audio performance) and a good audio interface with low latency drivers.

You need to state what your objectives are, and what your budget is.

alex offered some good tips in the last post.

[times new aryan]

regarding the optimization, something you might want to keep an eye on is a thing called DPC latency. this can be an issue even if you have the proper hardware and audio drivers.

http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml

[deanthomastunes]

Hey. My old computer is not fast enough anymore. Latency when Im recording, and crackeling sound after a while. So, Im gonna by a new computer... Dont know if i have the money, but i have to produce music, no? So i would like to know if its fast enough without any annoying lags and whatever. I was thinking to get AMD Athlon II X4 620 Quad Core, 2.6Ghz, AM3, 2MB CPU with Corsair Dominator DDR3 1600MHz 4GB CL8.

So you think it would be fast enough for music production without any lags?

That sounds like a very solid system. I'm running a similar setup but with a Core i5 and 6GB of RAM. My Gigabyte H55M-USB3 motherboard has decent integrated audio and with a little delay compensation, I got my latency running at 9ms approx.

[leedsquietman]

If you plan on running a 64 bit o/s such as win 7 64, especially with a 64 bit DAW (Live is currently still 32 bit only but likely to have a 64 bit version before too long) 6GB is considered the lowest optimal amount of RAM.

Typically Intel outperforms AMD for audio performance. You should look for an i7 quad core, there are some deals to be had if you shop around. Even an older pre i7 Intel quad core will typically outperform a modern AMD quad core on audio plugin counts.

You should also leave budget for a proper audio card, inbuilt audio has it's limitations - it's OK for just running samples and loops and softsynths, although the A/D/D/A conversion will typically be less good than a 'proper' audio interface.

Also do your homework - make sure there are 64 bit drivers available for all your audio and MIDI devices before installing a 64 bit operating system.