Minimum Recommended PC Requirements for Music Production?

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Tha-problem

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Is an HP PC with an Intel Dual Core Pentium processor at 2.22 ghz, 3 gb of ram, and 500 gb hard drive at 5000rpm adequate enough to run any DAW + VSTs? I know it's fast enough to install and use almost any program, but is it enough to smoothly operate without crashing, freezing, etc...?
 
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I don't know about you but my projects folder by itself takes up 800GB. Sure I could clean it out but keeping all that uncompressed audio takes its toll. What about when you add the multiple sample libraries you want to install, all your drum samples and even the inevitable stash of porn, tv shows and movies. I'd say most of us also share the same PC with games. I'm not saying it can't be done but for the price of another hard drive and the ease of installation you would be mad not to add it.
 
my projects get burned to DVD as soon as I'm done with them, thus they take up ZERO space on my drive. I only create PT sessions when someone is interested in a beat, so they only exist on my drive for about an hour, just long enough for me to open FL, make detailed track notes, export wav files, open PTMP, import files, recreate the mix, tweak/audition, then burn three copies (master, backup, artist copy).

FL zip sessions take up minimal space, so they stay on the drive as work-in-progress files.

I have a pair of 320GB drives in my machine, the primary drive is about half capacity, the second drive is almost full, but that's mainly because I just reinstalled XP and dumped my "My Documents" folder on it and haven't deleted it.

True, though, I'm adding another drive to my machine this weekend, and it's a larger drive (~500GB), but that's mainly so I can use the second 320GB for a Linux drive.
 
Does make sense but haven't you ever had to go back and work something you had a little while back? I've had to pull up stems for beats I have made 2 years ago. Sure I am bloating the hard drive but it only cost me $300(AUD) for 2x 1TB hard drives. That was over the last couple of years. I think they go for around $100(AUD) now. Also the new 7200rpm drives have an output almost as good as the Velociraptor. Run 2 of them in a Raid 0 configuration and you improve speed.

That being said if I picked up my audio discipline I would probably only need 500GB :D

Edit: You got some tight beats there mate!
 
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Does make sense but haven't you ever had to go back and work something you had a little while back? I've had to pull up stems for beats I have made 2 years ago. Sure I am bloating the hard drive but it only cost me $300(AUD) for 2x 1TB hard drives. That was over the last couple of years. I think they go for around $100(AUD) now. Also the new 7200rpm drives have an output almost as good as the Velociraptor. Run 2 of them in a Raid 0 configuration and you improve speed.

That being said if I picked up my audio discipline I would probably only need 500GB :D

Edit: You got some tight beats there mate!


What I do is simply copy the session back to the hd, do what needs to be done, then burn the result and delete it from the drive.

Thanks for the compliment too.
 
my projects get burned to DVD as soon as I'm done with them, thus they take up ZERO space on my drive. I only create PT sessions when someone is interested in a beat, so they only exist on my drive for about an hour, just long enough for me to open FL, make detailed track notes, export wav files, open PTMP, import files, recreate the mix, tweak/audition, then burn three copies (master, backup, artist copy).

FL zip sessions take up minimal space, so they stay on the drive as work-in-progress files.

I have a pair of 320GB drives in my machine, the primary drive is about half capacity, the second drive is almost full, but that's mainly because I just reinstalled XP and dumped my "My Documents" folder on it and haven't deleted it.

True, though, I'm adding another drive to my machine this weekend, and it's a larger drive (~500GB), but that's mainly so I can use the second 320GB for a Linux drive.

What a waste of time.

Lol I remeber you, you are a very peculiar breed of nerd/dork.

Lol burn to DVDs?

In 2010?

Wow.

Just buy a few terabytes of storage and keep it all in one box.



To the OP: no that is not enough. If you start to add effects it will start to click and pop. You will not be comfortable but it will be dooable.

You should highly consider a 64bit setup that let's you use at least 8 gigs of ram and consider a 1366 socket mobo based intel processor like the i7 930 for like 200$ bucks.

64 bit is the most important aspect to bring you from a medium machine that can only handle like 10 heavy tracks to handling way more than that.

And don't listen to anything logic7 says lol
 
What a waste of time.

Lol I remeber you, you are a very peculiar breed of nerd/dork.

Lol burn to DVDs?

In 2010?

Wow.

Just buy a few terabytes of storage and keep it all in one box.



To the OP: no that is not enough. If you start to add effects it will start to click and pop. You will not be comfortable but it will be dooable.

You should highly consider a 64bit setup that let's you use at least 8 gigs of ram and consider a 1366 socket mobo based intel processor like the i7 930 for like 200$ bucks.

64 bit is the most important aspect to bring you from a medium machine that can only handle like 10 heavy tracks to handling way more than that.

And don't listen to anything logic7 says lol

and when your drives die, then what will you do???

If mine dies, I have backups on DVD. You won't. You lose everything and I simply take the time to drop stuff back on a new drive.

I'll probably be getting a Blu-Ray drive for backup when the price comes down on drives and media.

RSE cannot prove anything he says. Me, I already have. I can show plenty of tracks running on a P4, RSE simply regurgitates bullshit he's read on the net. I have nearly 20 years experience with using a computer for music (first as a sequencer, then DAW, then with softsynths). RSE has nowhere near the experience.


BTW, RSE is the village idiot (this can also be proven, just go through his post history). Listen to nothing he says.
 
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and when your drives die, then what will you do???

If mine dies, I have backups on DVD. You won't. You lose everything and I simply take the time to drop stuff back on a new drive.

I'll probably be getting a Blu-Ray drive for backup when the price comes down on drives and media.

RSE cannot prove anything he says. Me, I already have. I can show plenty of tracks running on a P4, RSE simply regurgitates bullshit he's read on the net. I have nearly 20 years experience with using a computer for music (first as a sequencer, then DAW, then with softsynths). RSE has nowhere near the experience.


BTW, RSE is the village idiot (this can also be proven, just go through his post history). Listen to nothing he says.

Well if you have such sensitive information that you want to precaution against a failed drive (a 1 in a 1000 chance) then have all the extra sensitive info backed up twice.

As for proving it, well I know about computers. I have 15 years of experience and my father repair computers for a living in Arozona so I think I am more computer knowledgable than you. Sorry but I know computers bro.
 
you want to precaution against a failed drive (a 1 in a 1000 chance) then have all the extra sensitive info backed up twice.

I'm sure most people here have lost a hard drive. I like Raid 10 if I am worried. Both speed and redundancy. A little bit of a waste of resources though. There is nothing wrong with Logics methods though RSE, everybody has their own way of doing things. It all leads to the same end result. It is the music that matters most. :monkey:
 
I'm sure most people here have lost a hard drive. I like Raid 10 if I am worried. Both speed and redundancy. A little bit of a waste of resources though. There is nothing wrong with Logics methods though RSE, everybody has their own way of doing things. It all leads to the same end result. It is the music that matters most. :monkey:

Most people? I doubt most people. I have never known someone to have that happen to them. And on this site which represents the whole globe I have only noticed 1 thread where someone mentioned their HD failed. Once.

Thanks for trying to be mediatoric but Logic always gives weird advice.

DVDs? In 2010?

Keep that to yourself. And he is giving the OP wrong information and spreading nonsense ecause he is a biased human being. He's a couple pineapples short of a fruit salad if yunno what I mean. Got a couple screws loose up there. A few yins short of the yang if you know what I'm sayin.

He gives advice as if he knows what he is talking about but I always notice him talking about some against the status quo type stuff.

For example he hates apple.
 
Most people I know that deal or work with IT have experienced a drive failure. I have seen about 10 all up. Using DVDs isn't ideal but it could keep you disciplined in the way you work on your projects (as they are read only). My projects file is a bit of a shit fight from having access to all of my old session files all the time. lol @ hating apple though... c'mon now who doesn't ;).
 
Most people I know that deal or work with IT have experienced a drive failure. I have seen about 10 all up. Using DVDs isn't ideal but it could keep you disciplined in the way you work on your projects (as they are read only). My projects file is a bit of a shit fight from having access to all of my old session files all the time. lol @ hating apple though... c'mon now who doesn't ;).

Well that's the downside of buying the cheapest item you can find on newegg and building computers with it. You get what you pay for. Everyone knows you dont buy crappy mobos and you don't buy crappy drives. Stick with ASUS and then with Seagate and WD as a rule of thumb.

He tries to brag about building his own crappy PCs and then complains against drive failures. That's a fail.

And yes you knew when he said 5000 he meant 5400 rpm.

And no 5400 rpm is not ideal for digital recording. 7200rpm is standard.

And no apple doesn't suck. They are the envy of the business world and the marketing world. Have you SEEN iJustine? Maybe 4 ears ago it was close but now Apple is in world domination mode.

Did you know xbox, PS3, PSP and DS sales fell drastically because people are spending less time with games and more time with Apple mobile devices.
 
Samsung spinpoint 500Gb are pretty good drives .
Not too sure about recommending any type of computer manufacturer , they all seem to have their bouts of problems at one time or another .
 
Just as a point of fact RSE:

I have nearly 30 years of experience in computing with 21 of those building machines.
 
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