Make sure you have a fast multi-core processor. For most home sound technicians, most of the processing takes place inside the computer. You can never have a processor that is too fast. Adding processes requires more energy to keep things running smoothly.

Buy as much RAM as you can afford. The more RAM you have, the more power your computer will have to handle plugins, effects, and so on. It will also help your system run faster for reasons we won't go into (see the computer information page for details). Remember 32 bit OS cannot use more than 4 gigabytes of RAM. This is a good reason to move to a 64-bit OS.

Get some quick hard drives with a large volume. This is another important consideration. Recording music takes up a lot of space; one song can take up several gigabytes of hard disk space. So get the largest hard drive you can afford, or keep in mind that you can always add later external hard a disk or two. In addition, a fast hard drive will reduce the chances of unwanted clicks and clicks during recording and playback and will speed up your computer's processes somewhat. We recommend at least a 7200 rpm hard drive with 32 megabytes of cache. SSD hard drives currently ideal, but can be very expensive.

Today we will talk about the main component in a home recording studio, namely the computer. Now the 21st century is in the yard and it is not surprising that practically no one uses tape recorders at home, even despite their definite advantage. Therefore, the central brain in a recording studio is now the computer. Well, as a working tool is the installed software for recording music.

In this material, I will not recommend in detail any specific computer configurations, since this simply does not make sense. And it makes no sense because computers become obsolete faster than we have time to recover. Even if I now recommend something super modern, at the time of your viewing this modern may already be outdated. Therefore, I am not going to pour excess water.

If you are the owner of a good modern computer, then perhaps you do not need to read further. But if you are planning to purchase new computer or modernize an old one, then you might want to heed my advice. Many of those who are going to buy a computer for working with sound may ask this question: “ What's better, stationary computer(PC), MAC or laptop?"Perhaps my answer will surprise you, but I always answer simply:" Take what you like best«.

In fact, the main requirements for a computer in the studio are the following:

• high performance (processor power, RAM and physical memory);
• high-quality and low-noise cooling system;
• stable and reliable software.

All the rest (appearance, monitor diagonal or system unit dimensions)- this is a matter of personal taste and preference. This will not affect the sound quality in any way. Also, a digital port studio can act as the brain of a recording studio. Although I personally think that the computer is much more convenient. Of course, if you plan to constantly travel, record rehearsals and live concerts, then a port studio here will be more convenient for you than a computer. However, for a home recording studio, I do not see any particular advantages in it.

Now let's talk about software. Some sound engineers may ask software selection questions. Questions may sound like: “ What's the cool program? Which program is the best to record vocals and so on". Well, what is the answer here! How would you answer the question: “ What's the best car? Which car is better to drive around the city, which tires are the coolest, and so on". Got the essence!

In order not to answer these pointless questions, I will just give you some tips and tricks for software for a recording studio:

• you can start working with any program... The main thing is that this program is professional, that it is modern and has all the necessary features.
• the sound quality of most modern professional programs is practically the same... Yes, I have no doubt that this statement can be controversial. However, how many tests were not carried out, they did not find any significant differences in the quality of the records. There were some differences in the nature of the sound, but this is completely different. As for the quality of multimedia programs in comparison with professional ones, I will immediately say: “ Yes!“There is a difference in quality and it is significant.
• you don't need a lot of programs... It is enough to have one multitracker and one audio editor. This is enough to solve almost all basic tasks. There is no point in cluttering your computer with a huge amount of unnecessary programs... Especially if these programs even have nothing to do with music.

These were the top tips for music software and choosing a computer for a music recording studio. This is where I end, since there is simply no point in telling anything else in detail. Next time we will start talking about, about the first component of the home studio hardware complex, namely about

I can see it myself, but this does not mean that nothing new will appear tomorrow. with this logic, you can even sit on hardware at the beginning of the 2000s or that century, because a new revolutionary one has not been invented .. for example, for me there is software that does not fit in the old axis, and why would I then be at the mercy of this old axis ..
the question is like a glass half empty or full. for some, one thing is another.
For me, as a developer, for example, I have to follow the trends of updating the OS, work with fresh SDKs, this has a clear meaning, each SDK with a new OS brings something that was not possible before, not only for me as a developer. but the user also gets (even if he doesn't notice) this is something new.
It’s foolish to think that the new OS is a piece of art, design. Everything is much deeper ..

Well, by the way, if a third-party software developer is not out of his ass, he is able, with an optimized new OS, to give at least some increase in software performance. Good example Reason Propellerheads 8 - noticeably faster on EL Captain. No problems with the work of the program and its plugins, even more so.
I mean, the current situation of standards on the market - the consumer is driven into a corner with such restrictions, why should I update when everything is working stably.
It turns out that you are simply not sure of the platform you are working with, its stability in view of updates does not suit you very much. And it so happened that you are stupidly hostages of a situation when it is not the OS developer who is to blame for something, but the developers of third-party software who do not properly update are to blame ... and nothing more.

That's why I say, you don't need to hang everything here on new OS .... The problem is not in them, but only in the software that you consciously choose yourself.
It's like picking a hammer with a worn handle. There is a choice of buying a new hammer, getting a free replacement under the program, and the option of knocking the handle of the hammer with a nail so that its head does not stagger and again wait until it looses to again scold the manufacturer of the hammer, or even its creator.
It works - and okay, but there are those around who exchanged such a hammer for a new one and don't know any problems, but the store where you bought it for some reason doesn't want to change it for a new one ... and you are a hostage in the face of those lucky ones who are I already forgot the problem ...

Hence the difference. For you - everything is cool on the old OS, for others this old OS - not just a new design, as you see, these are new APIs, on which a separate new software is based. He may not be interesting to you, but to others it is the other way around.
So there are two sides of the coin. I have personally watched the plugin world for 15 years, and I see the same situation from update to OS upgrade. This is a closed ring, from which the Propellerheads emerged at one time by clearly washing their hands, anticipating similar problems in advance with VSTi and derivatives in the bud.
The presence of a bunch of software from different developers is a pain for a musician in case of an update.
The most important thing for it should be a stable software kernel that is adequately updated and released after a maximum of a couple of days of the release of the new OS. And the availability of plugins with uniform standard that won't fall off tomorrow.
The rhetoric may be deep, but it won't make sense.
Most use tons of different software, and they know perfectly well that half of this software will not be supported tomorrow. Hence, inadequate swearing on the OS ... and not developers, oddly enough !!!

Description

About the dangers of noise

Advantages and disadvantages

Video presentation

• Are you a music lover?
• Do you like high-quality and clear sound without extraneous noise?
• Is your job related to music?
• Is your computer turned on all day long?
• Are you constantly in front of the monitor?

Your choice is a silent (fanless) computer!

A typical computer produces 35 to 45 decibels of noise all the time. Even using expensive low-noise coolers cannot eliminate the noise completely. But thanks to the advent of the latest processors with low heat emission, it has become possible to create fanless, and therefore completely silent computers. *

Fans and HDD hard drives are sources of noise in computers. We build computers using special fanless coolers and SSD drives, thus there is not a single moving part in them, and therefore no noise is produced.

Listening to music on a silent computer, you can hear the most quiet sounds from an audio file. During the moments of pause or change of tracks, your room will be absolutely silent. The rumble of the fans will not be heard neither during these moments of silence, nor during the sounding process, as you notice with a regular computer.

It is known that any noise is irritating to a person. Constant noise exposure leads to headaches, depression and increases the risk of developing hypertension. ...

To ensure the highest sound quality, you can use external USB or internal sound card... The use of external cards is preferable because you can use this card without being tied to a specific computer, as they often come with their own power source, and decoupling of power circuits will help to additionally get rid of noise passing through them. If you prefer an internal sound card, then using it is also possible. Because we use the latest motherboards, it is possible to use only cards with PCI-E interface for connection to a computer. These cards are commercially available. When ordering, let us know that you need to install such a board and we will select the one that suits you in terms of parameters and price. You can purchase a USB sound card independently of us, or also inform about its need when placing an order.

At the same time, our computers are also powerful, which makes them in no way disconnected from conventional computers... We use the latest Intel processors from dual-core I3 to quad-core I7. The difference will only be for the better - the noise level will be equal to 0 decibels.

Depending on the purpose, you can choose and buy the model that suits you:

Below is one of the videos demonstrating the capabilities of silent computers. Please note that the sound of the second hand can be heard on all videos when the computers are turned on. wall clock.

• Demonstration of 3 different configurations of a silent computer with measurement of the boot time and comparison with a regular computer:

We turn on 3 silent computers at the same time, while the overall noise level does not change and we continue to hear the slightest rustle and even the ticking of the wall clock. (Turn up the volume if not audible).
Loading time before working windows desktop 7 was 15 ... 18 seconds. Windows 8 is even faster - 12 ... 15 seconds.
The tests were attended by:

• computer with minimal configuration on Intel processor I3 (left)
• computer configured with Intel I5 processor (center)
• an advanced configuration computer with an Intel I7 processor (right). It loads slower than others. connects at startup to a WiFi network.

The monitors are arranged according to the arrangement of the computers. Normal system unit shown so that you can appreciate the compactness of our silent Mini-ITX computers. To compare the noise level of ordinary and our computers, we will turn it on for a few seconds.

All configurations of silent (fanless) computers are rigorously tested and come with a 1 year warranty.

* - Silence is broken only when reading / writing CD / DVD discs, and we use them very rarely.