Advice on optimising PC for DJing

JoolsMF · Post by **JoolsMF** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 1:39 am

Hi

Basically, i'm a bootlegger/remixer and I want to start DJing. The only thing I am worried about is that my pc will pack up on me or underperform at the wrong time. What is the absolutely optimum pc setup?

I am know that getting a firewire hd and external soundcard are really imporant for performance but what other things do you recommend? Would it also be best to have a dedicated laptop purely for djing/music making too? At the moment I use my laptop for everything and so its full of junk etc. Is it best to have a pc purely for music if are you are serious about getting really good live performance?

Also, in an ideal situation what be the absolutely perfect setup for live in terms of type of laptop, specs, operating system, soundcard, hd etc etc....

I'd really appreciate some feedback on this because I am really keen to start exploiting Live's amazing possibilities in a live environment.

fsk · Post by **fsk** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 3:21 am

yes deffinetly only have the pc for live performance / djing! keep it off the net too. use a desktop for craeting the music and just use the laptop for djing Id say. This is something i want to plan. Have an external soundcard. Make sure its a decent laptop with a good chip and a good amount of ram 512mb wld do. Having an external soundcard and external hardware just means u can use it with a pc u have at home too.

HARDWARE:

laptop:
Pentium 4 or centrino ( do not go for amd mobile chip they r cack )
512mb ram or more
firewire and 2 - 4 usb ports

desktop:
pentium 4
1gb ram
firewire and usb

OS:
Windows XP

misc:
soundcard with midi / mutiple ins and outs so that u can pre listen to ur mixes ( m-audio firewire 410 )
midi controller + midi keyboard to play stuff in and so forth.
drum machine? dont need it but its nice to have one to tap in weird beats

which i cant seem to do the way i want them to sound on reason.

dunno about any more thats wot i plan on having anyway.

serotoninsteve · Post by **serotoninsteve** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 12:03 pm

Hello!
Read my topic here : http://www.ableton.com/forum/viewtopic. ... art=45[url]
I´ve made 2 partitions on my HD with 2 separate XP Pro`s installed, one for my music (tuned with tweak UI, no internet connection) and the other for all the other stuff that I`ve to do!
I´m working now for half a year like this and I haven`t had any probs until now! Only the HD space isn`t enough, so I`ll buy a second 60GB HD (internal) 5200rpm and 16!!!! Mb cache for having more space!
If you look for an external HD (usb2 or firewire) not only look out for the rpm`s and space, but also for the cache that goes from 2 to 16 Mb.
Look at www.sarotech.com where you`ll find idle HD housings and ... etings 8)

Jools MF · Post by **Jools MF** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 2:48 pm

Thanks for the tips, that very helpful!

Jools MF · Post by **Jools MF** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 2:51 pm

What about if I had a dedicated Laptop for DJing like you say but I also used that for music making too, would that be ok? I wouldn't use it for anything else and DEFINITELY would NOT go on the net with it. Broadband has caused me no end of problems with performance and crap getting onto my pc

DayzOne_aka_Electronimix · Post by **DayzOne_aka_Electronimix** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 3:09 pm

Jools....seems you post everywhere I am at. I lurk on GYBO.....and post on Solesides forum. Now your on the Live forum. You really get around. Your boots are well done btw.

As for djing out.....I get away with using Live and running supatrigga, and eq three and a few other progs on a Dell 1.8 laptop, 256 ram, and run it straight from the hardrive. I do use two firewire drives for backup...one solely for mixes and the other for my production stuff. I use an oxygen 8 controller and a few outboard efx. Never had a problem. Peep out my Prefuse 73 mix I did...largely using Live. Whenever I do dj out using my laptop...I always have a record cued just in case I crash...then I can just mix records (i was a dj for 10 years...so I do mix records well) but i just love using my computer (screw the haters). Yet, i never had a crash yet.

IMy only other investment on the djing end is that I want the indigo dj card....i'll probably get that this week.

serotoninsteve · Post by **serotoninsteve** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 3:22 pm

I also produce on my laptop with LIVE and in rewire : FL 4.5, melodyne 2 and reason2.5!
I like the LIVE FL combo very much!
Greetings!

PS: Does anyone know a good FL forum?

DayzOne_aka_Electronimix · Post by **DayzOne_aka_Electronimix** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 3:25 pm

word....my dj/production laptop is really never online....and is basically stripped of all apps except music apps ...

JoolsMF · Post by **JoolsMF** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 4:31 pm

DayzOne_aka_Electronimix wrote:Jools....seems you post everywhere I am at. I lurk on GYBO.....and post on Solesides forum. Now your on the Live forum. You really get around. Your boots are well done btw.

hehe, i'm whoring all over the place at the moment! Actually those are the only three places I post at, all top sites imho.

I will definitely check out your mix soon, i can't download it now but I am a HUGE prefuse 73 fan so i am looking forward to it! I am also hugely interested in hearing how Ableton sounds with live mixes, so far I only use it in non-realtime (I got into this through Acidpro you see). By the way, I highly recommend posting this on GYBO as people love this sort of thing on there. If you do post, maybe you should post two versions, the current one and a low bitrate version for people with slow connections etc. Glad you like my choons btw!

Thanks to all the other peeps who've replied too.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 4:32 pm

With PCs it's just a case of getting to know them and treating them with a bit of care and common sense - only installing things you think are reliable and no cracks - I think cracked software is more the problem with instability, ever since i completely got rid of all hacks and bought all my software I haven't had a problem unless i've done something stupid.

you can do ok using the same laptop for both production and live these days, i even get mine on the net - it really depends on what you're doing on the net (

) I don't realy have any problems, (and I have an AMD mobile chip - FSK - what makes you say they're cack have you had bad experiences?)

in fact my laptop rocks - never a problem.

As for the internet thing, you can be too paranoid, if you have a good virus scanner and don't piss about with crap like kazaa which is now just a target practice range for virus writers, then you should be fine.

I work in a studio which has a P3 1Ghz desktop with 512 ram, sits on the network, permenantly online, on 9hrs a day 5 days a week and it almost never crashes

XP has logins for live or production - you just boot up with the one you want you shouldn't really need to worry about dual boot partitions, although if you can be botherd it's always going to be that little bit better, but i don't bother any more

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 4:35 pm

[quote="JoolsMF"][
I highly recommend posting this on GYBO as people love this sort of thing on there. If you do post, maybe you should post two versions, the current one and a low bitrate version for people with slow connections etc. quote]

whats GYBO?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 4:41 pm

GYBO is an acronym for a forum called "Get Your Bootleg On". Its a bunch of lively chaps remixing various pop choons for fun. Lots of discussion of remixing tips, accapella links, and of course, posting the remixes for peer review....which can be funny sometimes. A few guys over there got some nice skills in the remix/bootleg variety.

JoolsMF · Post by **JoolsMF** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 4:42 pm

http://gybo.proboards4.com/index.cgi

GYBO is Get Your Bootleg On and its definitely the best bootlegging/remixing site on the net. A lot of the top players lurk there and new tracks are being posted all the time. All the legends of the scene like Go Home Productions, McSleazy, Poj Masta, Dsico, Lionel Vinyl, Daz Automatic, Soundhog, Churchill, Frenchbloke & Son and a whole load more all frequent it regularly. If you are even remotely into bootlegging, mashups, remixes etc I recommend it. If you listen to The Remix on XFM then this is where a lot of the people from it post and where they made their name.

Btw, if anyone's interested you can check out a few of my mixes and bootlegs HERE

JoolsMF · Post by **JoolsMF** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 4:44 pm

Anonymous wrote:XP has logins for live or production

How do you mean?

DayzOne_aka_Electronimix · Post by **DayzOne_aka_Electronimix** » Wed Feb 04, 2004 4:46 pm

ooopps forgot to login. Jools.......your site is mad funny......good stuff. I was really feelin the frontin bootie.