Jim Roseberry

You're assuming all DAW users would embrace this concept. Many folks are running Windows based DAWs just fine. Many of my clients are using PC DAWs professionally to make records and compose music for TV/Film. They're productive each and every working day. Why would these folks willingly take a 30-year step back in time, going to a closed OS that lacks 3rd-party plugin support, etc... and be limited to what is essentially a closed-end hardware recorder? Look at the Linux DAW market. It's miniscule... and (also) a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. There's zero profit in Linux DAW development. That's an economic reality any fringe OS developer faces.

There are other builders who assemble custom laptops. Some specialize doing so for DAW applications.

Not at all practical. The niche market would be so minute... there'd be no profit in the man-hours to create/produce/maintain it. Same goes for Linux based DAWs. That OS would have to support 3rd-party plugins... or you'd be taking a 30-year step backward in time. One benefit of Windows is the massive economy of scale. Remember back in the early days of PCs... where an IBM machine was literally $10k. Adjusted for today's economy, the cost would be almost $29k. If you want the equivalent of a dedicated hardware recorder, Tascam makes a 24-track recording box. It's a completely "closed" system. FWIW, The machines I'm running are in no way unstable, unpredictable, or poor-performers. One can build a fast, robust Windows PC DAW. That has been my career for the past 30+ years.

I've got a pair of WA273-EQ units. Had to replace one of them (had a noise issue)... but I've not had a problem since. They're not quite as nice as a real 1073, but they're certainly in that territory (fat/thick without sounding muddy/tubby).

I was just going to chime-in... 😉 Here's my response from the other thread... and I've added a bit more. The 14900k is a fine performer. You need large top-tier AIO cooling (forget air coolers). I'd recommend top-tier AIO cooling for all three of the CPUs mentioned below. The Core Ultra 9 285k is slightly faster... and at lower TDP (heat). Using Cinebench R23 Multi-Core test for comparison: 14900k scores ~38712 Core Ultra 9 285k scores ~42620 9950x scores ~42871 The AMD 9950x slightly outperforms the Core Ultra 9 285k. 14900k is a bit over $400 9950x is a bit over $500 Core Ultra 9 285k is ~$600 The Core Ultra 9 has a couple of advantages: Lower TDP (lower temps) Some reasonably priced Z890 motherboards come stock with a single Thunderbolt port. That's enough for most users... and it's considerably less expensive than a high-end board with TB (typically $600-$1000)... or having to use an AIC. If you don't need the power of the Core Ultra 9 CPU, the Core Ultra 7 265k is about the same price as the 14700k.

I've got the 1273 and the 369 Compressor. Both are very good for the cost.

The 14900k is a fine performer. You need large top-tier AIO cooling (forget air coolers). The Core Ultra 9 285k is slightly faster... and at lower TDP (heat). Using Cinebench R23 Multi-Core test for comparison: 14900k scores ~38712 Core Ultra 9 285k scores ~42620 9950x scores ~42871 The AMD 9950x slightly outperforms the Core Ultra 9 285k.

That sounds like USB related noise (from a poor quality USB cable). Another potential source of noise... is a WiFi Router. If you've ever played live using wireless mic or wireless in-ear-monitors, you've almost surely encountered Router noise. It's very rhythmic/consistent. I've had unshielded guitars (even from the likes of Gibson Custom) that picked up Router noise (my Router is close to my studio desk). I now have a metal shield in front of my Router (half-baked Faraday Cage). It cuts down greatly on devices picking up the noise.

Ground related noise is super common in a home studio. To minimize the potential for ground related issues: Start by powering the entire studio from a single outlet. Use gear that has balanced outputs/inputs... and always use balanced cables. To trouble-shoot a ground related issue: Disconnect everything from the audio interface (just connected to the PC via USB) Connect a pair of headphones to the audio interface Turn up the headphone amplifier (be careful with your hearing)... and see if the ground noise is gone If the ground noise is gone (most likely), the ground issue was with one of the devices that were originally connected to the audio interface. If the noise is still present, it's almost surely a problem with the USB cable that connects the audio interface (swap out the USB cable). In over 30 years of building DAWs professionally, the PC itself has literally *never* been the source of ground noise issues.

You can technically daisy-chain Firewire peripherals. If you're using a PCIe Firewire controller, most have three Firewire outputs (often one Firewire-400 and two Firewire-800). You can adapt Firewire-800 to Firewire-400 peripherals. Regarding Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter: Apple makes a Thunderbolt-2 to Firewire adapter. You'd need a Thunderbolt-3>Thunderbolt-2 adapter... and connect the Thunderbolt-2>Firewire adapter to that. The issue you're going to bump into with Thunderbolt-4 controllers; there's been a recent firmware update that breaks compatibility with Thunderbolt-2 peripherals. If you just want to use the Pro 40 as an A/D converter (Analog to Lightpipe digital output), you could route the Pro 40's Lightpipe output (8 channels at 44.1k/48k) to a USB audio interface (assuming it has Lightpipe inputs).

Those cases are nice... but can be limiting with today's CPUs needing larger cooling solutions.

I've gotten more into outboard/hardware... and that's dramatically curbed my interest in new plugins. Hasn't saved me any money... but that's another topic. 🤣

You have a ground-loop issue. The laptop audio outputs are not balanced (meaning they're prone to hum/noise). The easy solution is to run the laptop's audio output to a stereo DI box... and use its ground-lift switch to (safely) lift the ground. A better long-term solution is to use gear with balanced inputs/outputs (using balanced cables to connect). To reduce the odds of ground-loops: Power the entire studio via a single outlet Use balanced cables (TRS or XLR) for all connections

You need to disable CPU Core-Parking all together. If it's enabled and you're running at low-latency, it will cause audio glitches. In my experience, the new Thread Director in Win11 (12th Gen CPUs and up) doesn't make a huge difference in performance. I wouldn't migrate to Win11 expecting a major performance increase (or decrease for that matter). If a machine is having DPC Latency issues, ASIO (Native or current) isn't going to resolve the issue. Windows 11 is a fine DAW platform... but being a general-purpose OS, there's a fair bit that needs tweaked. Native ASIO isn't a bad thing... but it alone isn't isn't going to change (negate) the need to tweak the OS.

Read the article... and it basically stated exactly what I thought it would. Class-compliant ASIO driver Arm CPU support I'm coming from the perspective of looking for ultimate performance. I'm using an Antelope Orion Studio Synergy Core (main DAW) and a Presonus Quantum (secondary machine)... which are both Thunderbolt audio interfaces. I chose those specifically because they're pushing the limits of ultra low-latency performance (sub 1ms RTL). The Orion Studio Synergy Core has great fidelity, onboard DSP, flexible routing, etc. IMO, All the best features rolled into a single audio interface. I don't think native ASIO is a bad thing. I'm certainly not against it. For me, it isn't bringing anything new/improved to the table. Same with ARM CPUs... When it comes to CPUs, I want the fastest "workstation" CPU I can get. Don't care if it's Intel, AMD, etc... (whatever offers highest performance at a given point in time). Right now, I'm running AMD's 9950x. Certainly Laptops have their purpose... and I see why some folks are interested in ARM CPU development (lower TDP, lower power demand, etc). Power-management and performance-management typically don't equate to top-performance. Thus, my lack of enthusiasm.