Subject:Advice about a new PC

Posted by: Djipy

Date:9/7/2002 1:43:11 PM

I plan to buy a new PC soon for audio works only. I need a laptop computer.
I'd like to make the best choice and, of course, I need the best audio quality.
I will go on using Acid 3.

Here are some questions to professional users:

1- What type of PC (minimum configuration) ? Is there a recommended brand ?

2- Is it preferable to use an external USB box for audio in/out (e.g. Edirol) ?

3- Is it better to connect the microphone to the mic input of the PC
or thru an external device first ?
What to do if the microphone has XLR connectors ?

Thanks !

Subject:RE: Advice about a new PC

Reply by: Jacose

Date:9/7/2002 2:28:23 PM

USB is sort of shady when it comes to Audio In/out...

ok for MIDI in out

not audio

Subject:RE: Advice about a new PC

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:9/7/2002 9:46:32 PM

I respectfully disagree. I have an M-Audio USB Duo, which is an external USB audio interface that can also act as a standalone A/D converter. I can play/record up to 24-bit/96 kHz audio with no problems via USB. Quite amazing, considering all the negativity I've heard concerning USB audio.

Djipy: Check out the following solution I stated above. It acts as a mic preamp and has XLR. Has phantom power if needed and can match any mic type to boot. The only thing? It uses a "wall wart" power supply and does not get its power from the USB port.

HTH,
Iacobus

Subject:RE: Advice about a new PC

Reply by: groovewerx

Date:9/7/2002 10:08:40 PM

1. brands dont matter. just make sure it has at least a p3 700 on a motherboard w/an intel chipset and 512mb memory. onboard sound is wack so dont pay for it.

2. if you want to spend time tweaking your system for usb audio, duplicate mD's rig. otherwise go with pci/breakout combo. esi, echo, m-audio, motu, and a few others have proven track records. its just a matter of which features you need.

3. go through an outboard mixer or preamp or both before the signal gets to the pc. you'll have more control over your sound that way. a mackie 1202 or 1402 would be perfect for a beginner.


heres an article about creating your pc studio: http://emusician.com/ar/emusic_windows_studiofive_thousand/index.htm

Subject:RE: Advice about a new PC

Reply by: chaircrusher

Date:9/8/2002 9:47:40 AM

The problem with USB audio and laptops is a function of which USB controller it uses.
Those with what's known as a Universal Host Controller work fine; those who use an Open Host Controller do not.

Now, the problem is that laptop manufacturers are often pretty vague about what they actually put into their computers. Your best bet is to select something like the
M-Audio USB Duo, and then contact M-Audio and ask them which laptops they've verified
proper operation with.

If you do that, USB audio can work smoothly with laptops.

Subject:RE: Advice about a new PC

Reply by: SonyNateM

Date:9/9/2002 5:04:37 PM

chaircrusher,

I think that you may be mistaken in your first paragraph. Universal Host Controller usually refers to Universal Serial Bus (USB) devices, while Open Host Controller (referring to the OHCI spec) refers to 1394 (Firewire) devices. They are quite different protocols/hardware, and devices for each spec are not compatible with the other.

I agree with finding a USB interface that meets your feature needs, then "working backwards" to find the laptop you want. Either dropping a note to the manufacturer inquiring about commonly used brands of laptop, or better yet, posting on their user forums will get you a good idea of what people in the real world are having success with.

HTH,
Nate