Bad Mac

1 hour ago, Bruno de Souza Lino said:

Modern Intel CPUs are behind on manufacturing processes (their latest cpus are still 14nm, as they couldn't get the 10nm node right yet again), on top of having the same thermal issues people used to criticize AMD cpus of the past. Intel is good at single core performance, which is becoming less and less relevant nowadays, even in gaming, where Intel is usually the norm. In many instances, you end up paying more for less with Intel, due to their heavy market segmentation over the years and the overall confusion with the long SKU names in the 10th series, down to the point you can even see demonstrators in video simply refering to the cpus as "10th gen" instead of the full SKU name.

If you're only running audio, you don't need the latest and greatest with tons of RAM. Even a modest PC can deal with hundreds of tracks without issues. It's the plugins that require extra computing power.

If you are considering an AMD cpu, it's advised that you get the fastest RAM you can afford, as performance scales with RAM speed on AMD SKUs.

I am probably going to get a latest greatest pc, because i want it to last another 10 years. My last computer was off the shelf and then customized a bit from HP. It lasted 10 years and still works, however i have noticed pops now that i have invested in better plugins.

26 minutes ago, Bapu said:

Jim is great. I did my own build based on his recommended list of components basically the same as haydn12 (w/128gb of ram) that I put in my existing Antec silent case, 750w psu, silent vid card and cd/dvd burner. Total cost of CPU, mobo, ram and Thunderbolt 3 card was ~$1700 + paid consulting from Jim doing the setup remotely (we took all the drives from my current DAW, which were less than a year old,  and put them on the new mobo/cpu/ram).

 

That's pretty good for $1700. I browsed his site. Gonna call him tomorrow.

This fret flintstone is a butthead. Stop bothering us and go look for beavis....

1 hour ago, haydn12 said:

I recommend checking out the DAW's from Purrrfect Audio:  https://studiocat.com/opencart2/

I usually build my own computers but had some compatibility issues with the last couple I built.  It also took a decent amount of tweaking.  I ended purchasing a computer from them.   The owner is Jim Roseberry who is a frequent contributor on this site.  I ended up getting the i9 Pro Studio X computer with 10 cores running all cores at 5.2 GHz.  I had them install the Thunderbolt 3 card and I'm using a Presonus Quantum 2626 interface.  I'm doing full orchestrations  at 64 samples with no pops.  CPU is only showing about 25% for all the cores in Cakewalk which is amazing.

 

Jim 

wow sounds like a great maching. what did that cost?

I need to get a new computer. Probably going to have HP or Dell make me one. Standard stuff. lots of ram, a SSD and DATA drive. USB3 & Thunderbolt, Windows 10 etc.  I am hoping to get some suggestions of the following:

1) My current computer i optimized it run in Windows 7, so i shut off firewall, virus scan and lots of services and uninstalled or disable things i didn't need or didn't want running. The computer is not normally connected to the internet. I connected only when i had to and then quickly disconnected. This has been this way for about 8 or 9 years. Now it seems like i will need or want to have a internet connection all the time. What are you guys doing? Are you disconnected from the internet? Are the new generation of computers able to run a DAW and run virus scan/ firewall?

2) Where are you guys getting your DAW computers? Are you building your own? Or having someone build one for you? Would a gaming computer work well for this?

3) Anyone install a firewire card on a windows 10 box and get it to work?

4) Back in the day, i seem to remember reading somewhere that Cakewalk / Sonar worked better with AMD chipsets. is that still a thing?  I would imagine INTEL would work fine.  Will a CORE -i5 work well? or do i need and i7 or -i9?

Link to windows 10 optimization: https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/pc-optimization-guide-for-windows-10/#basicsystemmaintenance

On 1/12/2021 at 12:24 AM, craigb said:

Let me guess, you spent so much on the desk that you didn't have enough left to replace a few bulbs? 🤔

(I still like the ambience of that room!  The tilted wall actually adds to the effect. 🙂)

On 1/11/2021 at 5:56 PM, garybrun said:

Regarding desks I can recommend studiodesk.net
great customer service.
Take a look at mine,  very pleased with the service and there are many different one to suit budgets.
 

Their desks start at $2,580.00. That is more than i want to spend. Nice desk for sure. 

On 1/11/2021 at 5:56 PM, garybrun said:

Regarding desks I can recommend studiodesk.net
great customer service.
Take a look at mine,  very pleased with the service and there are many different one to suit budgets.
 

WOW!!!

thru this whole process, i am doing a complete music room remodel. LOL. I am looking / researching for a new desk.  Thinking about this: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ProRak36Blk--rab-audio-pro-rak-studio-desk-for-consoles-up-to-36-inch

or to save money, maybe this: https://www.amazon.com/Acme-Furniture-Eleazar-Recording-Studio/dp/B088K34YM4/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=recording+studio+desk&qid=1610397789&sr=8-7

Have new monitors on the way: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CLA10Act--avantone-pro-cla10-active-studio-monitors

This should be here in the next day or two: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/London12Gy--primacoustic-london-12-gray

Got an idea for storage to clean up the clutter.  An am thinking of painting the room since i am doing all the other stuff.

What type of desks with control surfaces are you guys using?

17 hours ago, Bruno de Souza Lino said:

You don't need to tear down the foam completely. The Auralex stuff does something, but only on higher frequencies.

The primacoustic london 12 pack is designed for my room. I also got the ceiling treatment. The foam is ugly. The primacoustic panels are 5x more abosbant than the foam. The foam is going away. If someone wants it, let me know.  I am also thinking about a new desk.

OK Guys, yuk it up!!  I ordered these items below. I will try to measure the room with Room EQ Wizard as it is with the foam and once i install all of the new panels. Will also take pics. And am going to take the opportunity to reduce some clutter.

This is the starting point. I will add panels if I need more.

https://www.primacoustic.com/london-12/

https://www.primacoustic.com/nimbus/

https://www.roomeqwizard.com/

PS. I got these on ebay for about 2/3 the normal price. They were in new condition, but open box or maybe a returned items. FYI.

so now i am looking to get Primacoustic London room kit and 6 additional Broadway 2" Panels. I will be rearranging when the new monitors arrive and after i tear out the foam and replace with panels. will let you know. my first pass at room treatment with panels will be right at $1100.

Here is my room. Thought on the foam?

I have even thought about hanging heavy curtains. Like in movie theaters, however I am not sure what the impact would be. I am still trying to learn more about it

2 minutes ago, Glenn Stanton said:

you can treat the room with the absorption but also plan on adding some panels on the faces so you're not lost in the anechoic space 🙂 also, scattered absorption equals diffusive so some exposure of walls and ceiling can improve the listening space. angling clouds can help with adjusting response as well.

badmac studio.skp 2.51 MB · 0 downloads

So i do have foam on the walls now. And i am thinking of replacing or adding some better panels. I will post a video of my room, since its hard to describe. Would appreciate any opinion of what to do with it. Again, i understand i can't pefect it. I am looking for improvement and i can afford a few bucks to improve it. Not gonna mortgage the house.

My thoughts on expensive monitors. They get used for everything in the studio. they are what you are listening thru. i spent $2k on a guitar to record with. i should be able to spend $1k on monitors. And you do get what you pay for. Not saying $400 monitors are bad. I have them and am happy with them. but my mixes are not translating. so i am now looking at room treatment and monitors. like i said i spend thousands and thousands on the gear and software to make the music. i am ok with spending a couple thousand more to be able to spit and polish my music...

22 minutes ago, bitflipper said:

All self-respecting monitor makers strive for neutrality and full-spectrum response. That's what qualifies them to be called reference monitors. Expensive models do better at that, but there are diminishing returns as you raise your budget. Spending an enormous amount on monitors is truly a waste of money unless you address the real reason speakers lie to you: acoustics.

The primary reason you can't trust your monitors isn't their fault, it's the room. The influence of room acoustics is easily 100x greater than the effect of limitations in the speakers themselves.  Every room has a distinct signature, which means no matter how hard you try, no one else will hear exactly what you hear. If your space has too strong a personality you are doomed to forever chasing the neutrality that's so important for a universal balance. 

This phenomenon cannot be avoided through room EQ, no matter how sophisticated. At best, you can only partially mitigate it, and only in one small area. That's because acoustical anomalies differ in different parts of the room. A peak you measure in one place may be a deep valley just a few inches away. Systems such as ARC try to calculate corrections based on multiple measurements, not a bad idea in itself. However, what that really accomplishes is to dial back the adjustments so that helping one area doesn't make another area way worse.

My advice: buy whatever well-regarded speakers you can comfortably afford - don't mortgage the house - and reserve half your budget for acoustic treatments.

 

i am currently researching room treatment. however, i am struggling to get a plan to treat a 10' x 10' square room. Where do i place the panels, which panels do i need, what type of materials. I already have lots of foam panels and bass traps in the room. Not asking you what panels i needs, just in general trying to find those answers. Of course i am not expecting to get it perfect. but i wanting to get it as good as i can. But i am not an acoustic engineer so there are lots of questions about how to do it and what to use.

Some monitors have a "Sound". Meaning they may not be completely accurate. They may have a mid scoop, or enhanced low end. For Example Yamaha HS8 is advertised as being completely flat and accurate. As other monitor may not be completely flat. so here is my question. No matter the monitor, if you use the ARC software, this is basically applying EQ to compensate for the room. Therefore it would also compensate for the any inaccuracies in the monitors correct? would it basically make two different brands or models of monitors sound the same? Does it remove the need or benefit from buying FLAT and accurate monitors?

Been looking for opinions, feel free to give yours.  I am thinking about buying a expensive pair of monitors but an reluctant wondering if i will see the benefit of it.

awesome. I like that its free!! Thank you!

Thanks guys!  I installed CbB. Got it all working. So what is the business model of CbB?  How do they make money if the software is free?

I was a Sonar X3 user. been out of the game for a couple years. Now it looks like it is called Cakewalk by BandLab formerly known as Sonar. However Sonar Platinum is still for sale on the Cakewalk By BandLab website.  so there is my confusion! Is Sonar still around and for sale?  Is a newer version than X3 ?

http://www.cakewalk.com/Products/SONAR

On 12/24/2020 at 8:09 PM, Lord Tim said:

Great advice right there

You might find that you'll get better luck by using impulse responses and an IR loader rather than the built-in cab simulation. But proper gain structure and EQ, as well as a good DI signal in will go a long way to getting a great tone.

 

 

I just purchased a boat load of these. Have never really used them before. so that is what i will be doing this weekend. playing with IR.

On 12/24/2020 at 9:03 AM, lapasoa said:

All of them have a frizzy sound? If that is true, then the issue  has nothing to do with  amp sims.

I get some to sound pretty good. but i am not sure what i did to get there. 

I try not to solo them when mixing. i am listening to them in the mix as i am eq. i have tried lots of different eq setting. from shelving hard around 100 hz. also tried shelving hard at various hz up to 300. still fizzy. I will try the one guitar. I will also post a sample of a tune where they are fizzy. 

i have all the amp sims i think. Amplitube 5, guitar rig 5, TH2, and a couple others. But when i do to mix (and i am not an engineer, just a novice) , the guitars are fizzy. i have tried and tried to get them to not sound fizzy.  Any suggestions?

Thanks guys. a few things i did.

1) groove monkey  - got may midi packs

2) toontrack midi packs

3) Ugritone midi packs

4) i bought EZDrummer 2 ( already have BFD2) . I loved the Session Drummer. sounded good and was easy to use. I just want to record and write and mix quickly. I am not an engineer. so the easier the mixing is the better for me. I do this for fun.  I have played with EZDrummer 2 and so far, it is cool.

5) I sometimes find it easier to grab a midi loop and edit a bit to make my own when i write a tune without drums and need to add them in. But sometimes i just pick a groove and write a tune around it. But what is most valuable to me arethe fills. having a large library of these is great.