[LAU] Configuration for a FREE professionnal studio : your minds about my proposal

Hi! The FREE label AMMD in which I work is going to buy and build a professionnal studio based on free software and destined to produce free arts only. The project is quite advanced, but I'd like to know your mind about the configuration we think about, and if there are people already using this kinda material, any feedback would be welcome! So , here it is: - System : Ubuntu Studio and/or Debian self-customized for audio-purposes. Does it have a big interest for such audio applications to install a 64bits distribution? I suppose there will be problems with some 32bits plugins, although there is the ndispluginwrapper solution. It's bit like a troll, but it really matters for us. - Should work essentially with Ardour - Hardware (PC): . Proc: we were going on a dual core (Intel or AMD), but as we've seen that quadri-pro are not so expensive anymore, what do you think about it? . RAM: 4Gb at least (if quadri-pro, much more) . Motherboard: we were thinking about using RAID (5 probably) in order to increase reading speed, but it's only based on an assumption (intuition?) that we could raise up the perf that way. Are we right? We'd like this motherboard not to have audio-embedded. . Graphics: We just want something easy to install (no proprietary drivers) that can driver 2 screens in Xinerama mode the easiest way as possible (my ATI Radeon X850 GTO 16 is not a fair example!). We don't have any idea about it actually, what about you? . Hard Drives: we think about a SATA drive for system, and day-to-day life, and then think about an external SATA solution which allows to bring a new drive for every project (there will probably be something like 3 or 4 albums a year on this studio). Of course, if we want our assumption upon RAID5 to work, we need to have two identical eSATA drives for each record session. - Hardware (Audio): . PCI RME HDSP9532 . two options for the recorders: + 2 RME Multiface II (i.e. 16 tracks) linked with ADAT to HDSP9532 + 1 Alesis HD24 (i.e. 24 tracks and a hard drive) linked with ADAT to HDSP9532 don't know what option is the best. The RME ADC and DAC are better than those of the HD24, but the amount of tracks is some way interesting, and I don't know in what measure the "poor" DAC/ADC of HD24 will penalize us (knowing the complete acquisition system). Another problem is that we plan to record some instruments using AES/EBU and/or S/PDIF and the Multiface doesn't propose it. There could also be a need to record MIDI parts (synth, machines, and so on), and I suppose it's not possible with both this solutions, is it? - External Hardware (that is quite off-topic with this list, but, by the way, if you want to know): . 4x TL-Audio 5001 preamps . 1x Neumann TLM 103 . 2x Neumann KM184 . 2x Shure Beta 56 . 2x Shure Beta 52 . 1x Shure Beta 91 . 1x Sennheiser MD421 . 6x Beyerdynamic Opus 88 . 1x EV RE20 . 2x AKG C414 + susp. . 2x Genelec 8020 APM . stands, racks, and so on. OK, so here it is. It represents quite a financial thing, so we don't want to make it wrong. We're open to every advice, discussion, etc. Thanks a lot. -- ============================== ORL /// AMMD Booking (www.ammd.net) ° Sebkha-Chott (www.sebkhachott.net - Ohreland [FR]) - next touring period: 04-06/2008 ° Unexpect (www.unexpect.com - Montréal [CA]) - Europe tour w/ Sebkha-Chott period: 09-12/2008 ° La Muette (www.myspace.com/muette - Paris [FR]) - next touring period: 03-05/2008 ° Mel-P (http://melpmusic.websanslimit.net - Le Mans [FR]) - next touring period: 01-04/2008 Phone: +33 (0)95 234 72 48