AUDIO COMPUTERS -ACID Product Family - MAGIX Community Forums Archive

Subject:AUDIO COMPUTERS Posted by: marcarotsky Date:10/7/2003 8:00:32 PM since a lot of questions on this forum tend to kinda coincide with each other and all some how or another relate to CPU performance, i thought this would help people... "CONFIGURING A COMPUTER FOR AUDIO USE" (most of this stuff is very simple and with basic computer knowledge, can be done by most users. best of all...its almost ALL FREE!!! :-) Most "store bought" computers are not really configured too well for audio use. (dell, compaq, gateway...etc...etc) so follow these steps and youll spend a lot more time making music...and less time recovering from freezes and less time restarting!! 1. run your "msconfig" utility (start, run, type in "msconfig") go to the start-up tab and uncheck EVERYTHING not pertinent at start-up. the only thing really needed is your sound card utility (speaker icon in the bottom right) all the other stuff is just congestion windows needs to manage. (except maybe virus protection, especially if youre on high-speed internet) 2. running a dual hard drive system is ideal. main hard drive has your operating system, second or "slave" hard drive has JUST YOUR AUDIO APPS!!! this will, in itself, probably solve 70% of your problems. 3. DEFRAG OFTEN!!!!! at least once a day!!! when ever you use audio and editing, files and data is moved all over your drive very quickly, defragging puts it all back together. the more you do it, the quicker everything can be accessed. (i do mine 2-3 times a day) you can never do it too much!!! 4. check for updates often for your hardware. (sound card, video, EVERYTHING) even though youre not really using your video card to make music, if its not running as smoothly as it could be running...it will bog your system down. 5. move your sound card as far away from your video card inside your computer as you can. (if you have open slots) 6. run a good operating system!!! windows xp, xp pro or 2000. windows ME sucks!!! windows 98 SUCKS!!! ME being the worst!!! they are WAAAAY too resource hungry!! 7. set up different windows configurations. one for regular every day use...and one for AUDIO use. when you set up the "audio use" configuration, go to your device manager and disable your network card and/or modem!! (these take a lot of reources even when they are not running!) 8. re-install windows often (i do mine once every 2 months) these are the easiest to do....AND THEY HELP A LOT!!!!! common mis-conceptions: i need tons of memory and blazing fast processors!?!?!? NOPE!! FYI- there is only one software program in the world that can actually utilize more than 500 MHZ of a processors clock speed. that program is used to render 3d movies and costs about 4.5 million dollars!!! so, get the thought out of your head that you need some god for saken 3 GHZ processor or something! cuz you dont! i have 2 computers: 1 is a 600 mhz athlon with 256 mb of sdram. windows xp pro and my audio apps on it! my other computer is a 2.4 GHZ P4. 768 mb of RDRAM (the fastest memory you can get, it clocks at 533 mhz along with my bus speed) windows xp pro...my audio apps and a bunch of other crap. i do ALL my audio on the athlon machine because it is faster!!! acid (i am guessing, but im probably pretty close) can only efficiently use and run at about 150-200 mhz. software needs to be written and able to operate at a processors speed. there is no program in the world that can efficiently operate and clock at 2.4 GHZ. ITS IMPOSSIBLE! (well, now anyway)
Subject:RE: AUDIO COMPUTERS Reply by: groovewerx Date:10/8/2003 2:11:53 AM Also have a look at these pages if you need more in-depth info: 1. http://www.korg.com/1212faq/1212_windows_optimize.htm 2. http://www.blkviper.com/WIN2K/win2kservice411.htm#Plug%20and%20Play 3. http://www.prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/articles/45BEB3250308114E86256A7F007D8FA4

since a lot of questions on this forum tend to kinda coincide with each other and all some how or another relate to CPU performance, i thought this would help people...

"CONFIGURING A COMPUTER FOR AUDIO USE"
(most of this stuff is very simple and with basic computer knowledge, can be done by most users. best of all...its almost ALL FREE!!! :-)
Most "store bought" computers are not really configured too well for audio use. (dell, compaq, gateway...etc...etc) so follow these steps and youll spend a lot more time making music...and less time recovering from freezes and less time restarting!!
*1. run your "msconfig" utility (start, run, type in "msconfig") go to the start-up tab and uncheck EVERYTHING not pertinent at start-up. the only thing really needed is your sound card utility (speaker icon in the bottom right) all the other stuff is just congestion windows needs to manage. (except maybe virus protection, especially if youre on high-speed internet)
*2. running a dual hard drive system is ideal. main hard drive has your operating system, second or "slave" hard drive has JUST YOUR AUDIO APPS!!! this will, in itself, probably solve 70% of your problems.
*3. DEFRAG OFTEN!!!!! at least once a day!!! when ever you use audio and editing, files and data is moved all over your drive very quickly, defragging puts it all back together. the more you do it, the quicker everything can be accessed. (i do mine 2-3 times a day) you can never do it too much!!!
*4. check for updates often for your hardware. (sound card, video, EVERYTHING) even though youre not really using your video card to make music, if its not running as smoothly as it could be running...it will bog your system down.
*5. move your sound card as far away from your video card inside your computer as you can. (if you have open slots)
*6. run a good operating system!!! windows xp, xp pro or 2000. windows ME sucks!!! windows 98 SUCKS!!! ME being the worst!!! they are WAAAAY too resource hungry!!
*7. set up different windows configurations. one for regular every day use...and one for AUDIO use. when you set up the "audio use" configuration, go to your device manager and disable your network card and/or modem!! (these take a lot of reources even when they are not running!)
*8. re-install windows often (i do mine once every 2 months)

these are the easiest to do....AND THEY HELP A LOT!!!!!

common mis-conceptions:
i need tons of memory and blazing fast processors!?!?!?
NOPE!! FYI- there is only one software program in the world that can actually utilize more than 500 MHZ of a processors clock speed. that program is used to render 3d movies and costs about 4.5 million dollars!!! so, get the thought out of your head that you need some god for saken 3 GHZ processor or something! cuz you dont!
i have 2 computers: 1 is a 600 mhz athlon with 256 mb of sdram. windows xp pro and my audio apps on it!
my other computer is a 2.4 GHZ P4. 768 mb of RDRAM (the fastest memory you can get, it clocks at 533 mhz along with my bus speed) windows xp pro...my audio apps and a bunch of other crap.
i do ALL my audio on the athlon machine because it is faster!!!
acid (i am guessing, but im probably pretty close) can only efficiently use and run at about 150-200 mhz. software needs to be written and able to operate at a processors speed. there is no program in the world that can efficiently operate and clock at 2.4 GHZ. ITS IMPOSSIBLE! (well, now anyway)