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  3. Advice on next purchase to upgrade DAW

  • Advice on next purchase to upgrade DAW

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    My current setup is humble, but able to do some good work. I have a desktop PC and a laptop networked using FX-Teleport. It is a gigabit network, using a 1GB switch. Here are my current machines...

    PC

    Windows XP Pro 32bit SP2
    Dual Intel Xeon 3.0ghz (not dual core)
    2 GB ram
    Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Platinum ZS Soundcard
    7200rpm Sata audio drive

    Laptop

    Windows XP Pro 32bit SP2
    Intel DuoCore2 2.16ghz
    2 GB ram
    Built in soundcard (not necessary with FX-Teleport)
    7200rpm USB 2.0 external drive

    I'm able to get decent performance out of this setup, but I would like to be able to load more samples, and not need to run my machines to the limit every time, because I usually get dropouts if I try to run any latency lower than like 10ms with a full orchestral template.

    The two options I'm looking at for upgrading are either

    Get a new barebones PC to use with FX-Teleport
    Intel DuoCore2 2.4ghz
    3GB ram (using 3GB switch)
    7200rpm Sata audio drive

    or I could...

    upgrade my laptop ram to 3GB, and use the 3GB switch
    get an eSata drive for the laptop (instead of that USB 2.0 one)
    and perhaps get a LynxOne soundcard.



    Each of these options costs about the same, but I definitely can't do both (give me a break, i'm in college). What would you guys recommend?
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    Can you add 2 more gigs of ram to your machines and run 3 gig switch?(okay I see one is a laptop so 3 gigs there are possible.) I load about 2.6 gigs of ram (or even a little more but crackles start) in my PC's using 3 gig switch. You can't have two many PC's or two much ram it seems to run these large libraries. I have a Dual 2.7 G5 with 6.5 gigs of ram and 5 outboard cpu's (4 PC's and 1 Mac Mini.) Three of the PC's have 4 gigs of Ram and 3 gig switch.

    FX Teleport is for both midi and audio as I understand. I don't know how cpu intensive that is. You may consider getting dedicated hardware audio cards to free up cpu resources if your system is too stressed. I don't really know but once you start running convolution reverb you need every bit of processing power you can get.

    As for your choice I would get the additional PC with quality components such as a healthy power supply and good quiet fans. Laptops can do the job but aren't really designed sit and cook for hours as a part of an audio station.
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    Your PC's that have 4GB of ram, is there 1GB that doesn't get used in each, or are you able to use all 4GB in each? Or are those 64bit machines?
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    @bowserlm said:

    Your PC's that have 4GB of ram, is there 1GB that doesn't get used in each, or are you able to use all 4GB in each? Or are those 64bit machines?


    1GB does not get used on my 32 bit machines. The 3 GB switch basically allocates 3 gigs for your host app (I use Plogue Bidule) and the other 1 gig for the system.

    (cm usually chimes in at this point about the userva setting but I still don't understand it or exactly how to set it.)

    If you get Mattias Hensington's (sp?) 3GB utility it will allow you to make most host apps Large Address Aware (LAA) if they aren't alteady. Also the sticky thread on "Memory" here explains how to set up the switch.
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    Oh ok, I get it. The 3GB limit is PER APPLICATION right? So you have 4 GB in your PC's so the full 3GB can go to samples and the other 1GB takes care of the other memory zapping windows stuff. Is there much to be gained from having 4GB as opposed to 3GB on a slave machine used for FX-Teleport?
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    Also, as far as soundcards go, I ONLY use my machine for midi composition, so I don't need tons of ins and outs, or sweet hardware effects support or any of that other stuff. Should I get a card that is a little more affordable like perhaps the M-Audio Audiophile 192, or do I really need something like a Lynx or Hammerfall....or am I probably just fine with my Audigy for right now?
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    @bowserlm said:

    Oh ok, I get it. The 3GB limit is PER APPLICATION right? So you have 4 GB in your PC's so the full 3GB can go to samples and the other 1GB takes care of the other memory zapping windows stuff. Is there much to be gained from having 4GB as opposed to 3GB on a slave machine used for FX-Teleport?

    About 150MB of samples.

    DG
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    If FX Teleport is working for you now for audio I wouldn't sweat it. Find out what sort of resources it uses in cpu power and go from there. Also if latency is acceptable.

    There are good low cost cards like M Audio including the very poular FW Lightbridge but that has a ton of Ins and outs so maybe it's little brother or the Hammerfall or others. A little research would help but those are good choices right there.