12 Nov
2005
12 Nov
'05
5:06 p.m.
Hi all,
I have become reasonably familiar with Linux, and recently completed the
transfer of all my existing MIDI compositions to a working setup based around
RoseGarden. I have also started experimenting with software synthesisers,
ZynAddSubFX being a particular favourite of mine. However, the problem I now
have is processor bandwidth. I seem to frequently run at more than 70% (as
indicated by Gkrellm) and just a sniff above that and things start to sound
really horrible. Also, the on-board sound card really can't manage the quality I
want, either for recording or playback.
The obvious solution is to build a completely new system specifically for sound
work, but I am totally baffled by the choices. MB, Processor, Memory, Sound
Card, and on, and on...
Can anyone suggest where I can go to get this all put together? I don't mind
paying for a GOOD system, and apart from the fact that all my files MUST be in
an open format I'm not too fussed about which distro/apps to use.
Of course, not only do I want to know what to get, I also need to know where to
get it. Somewhere North of the Isle of Wight would be a good start!
--
Bungee
12 Nov
12 Nov
7:42 p.m.
Well audio specific hardware aside, there is a beast of a system which
would do the job nicely. It is called the DNUK Workstar W420E-HE (1),
and it is reviewed in this months Linux User & Developer magazine. If I
had the money, it is what I would go for. Elsewhere, Digital Village are
doing some dual core stuff at the moment, and are becoming more Linux
aware. Both of those machines are relatively future proof. Worth
checking out.
Also whilst rambling about music, I have put together a little
introductory feature in this months Music Tech Magazine, all about Linux
music software. Perhaps take a look at that for some ideas or inspiration.
Of course it is a tricky one, money to spend, a new music setup to
create...... ahhh you get no sympathy!! :)
John
1. https://secure.dnuk.com/systems/w420-he.php
Bungee wrote:
Hi all,
I have become reasonably familiar with Linux, and recently completed the
transfer of all my existing MIDI compositions to a working setup based around
RoseGarden. I have also started experimenting with software synthesisers,
ZynAddSubFX being a particular favourite of mine. However, the problem I now
have is processor bandwidth. I seem to frequently run at more than 70% (as
indicated by Gkrellm) and just a sniff above that and things start to sound
really horrible. Also, the on-board sound card really can't manage the quality I
want, either for recording or playback.
The obvious solution is to build a completely new system specifically for sound
work, but I am totally baffled by the choices. MB, Processor, Memory, Sound
Card, and on, and on...
Can anyone suggest where I can go to get this all put together? I don't mind
paying for a GOOD system, and apart from the fact that all my files MUST be in
an open format I'm not too fussed about which distro/apps to use.
Of course, not only do I want to know what to get, I also need to know where to
get it. Somewhere North of the Isle of Wight would be a good start!
8:24 p.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-user] Re: Need a new 'pooter
On 11/13/05, John Mulholland <johnmulholland(a)fastmail.fm> wrote:
Well audio specific hardware aside, there is a beast
of a system which
would do the job nicely. It is called the DNUK Workstar W420E-HE (1),
and it is reviewed in this months Linux User & Developer magazine. If I
had the money, it is what I would go for. Elsewhere, Digital Village are
doing some dual core stuff at the moment, and are becoming more Linux
aware. Both of those machines are relatively future proof. Worth
checking out.
Also whilst rambling about music, I have put together a little
introductory feature in this months Music Tech Magazine, all about Linux
music software. Perhaps take a look at that for some ideas or inspiration.
Of course it is a tricky one, money to spend, a new music setup to
create...... ahhh you get no sympathy!! :)
John
1. https://secure.dnuk.com/systems/w420-he.php
Bungee wrote:
That system seem WAY too expensive. My AMD64 system, with sata drives,
etc was AUD600 with a 17" CRT and nvidia 6600LE. That's 252 GBP. With
dual core processor it is 80 GBP more. I'd buy a system like this
and get a decent sound card, m-audio, echo or something like that.
Loki
Hi all,
I have become reasonably familiar with Linux, and recently completed the
transfer of all my existing MIDI compositions to a working setup based
around
RoseGarden. I have also started experimenting with
software synthesisers,
ZynAddSubFX being a particular favourite of mine. However, the problem I
now
have is processor bandwidth. I seem to frequently
run at more than 70% (as
indicated by Gkrellm) and just a sniff above that and things start to
sound
really horrible. Also, the on-board sound card
really can't manage the
quality I
want, either for recording or playback.
The obvious solution is to build a completely new system specifically for
sound
work, but I am totally baffled by the choices. MB,
Processor, Memory,
Sound
Card, and on, and on...
Can anyone suggest where I can go to get this all put together? I don't
mind
paying for a GOOD system, and apart from the fact
that all my files MUST be
in
an open format I'm not too fussed about which
distro/apps to use.
Of course, not only do I want to know what to get, I also need to know
where to
get it. Somewhere North of the Isle of Wight would
be a good start!
13 Nov
13 Nov
2:16 p.m.
New subject: [linux-audio-user] Re: Need a new 'pooter
Some basic tips, without prices:
On 11/12/05, Bungee <bungee(a)erodin.demon.co.uk> wrote:
The obvious solution is to build a completely new
system specifically for
sound
work, but I am totally baffled by the choices. MB, Processor, Memory, Sound
Card, and on, and on...
Processor: Either a P4 or a AMD64, the amds are cheaper and have more power :-)
MB: Something that is suitable for the processor and has the needed
connectors for hd etc.
Memory: As much as possible! Personally I prefer Kingston as they give
warranty for the full lifetime and I had much trouble with cheap
memory.
Sound card: Thats a real question and depends on your needs...
Arnold
--
visit http://dillenburg.dyndns.org/~arnold/
---
Wenn man mit Raubkopien Bands wie Brosis oder Britney Spears wirklich
verhindern könnte, würde ich mir noch heute einen Stapel Brenner und
einen Sack Rohlinge kaufen.
14 Nov
14 Nov
3:38 p.m.
On Saturday, 12 November 2005 at 21:06, Bungee wrote:
The obvious solution is to build a completely new
system specifically for sound
work, but I am totally baffled by the choices. MB, Processor, Memory, Sound
Card, and on, and on...
Well, I can give you my opinions on suitable hardware, and the
components I have or intend to get soon. That should give you a start
(or confuse you even more, depending on the other advice you got), but I
guess you can't buy that system anywhere.
Processor: AMD. Faster and way cooler than the Intel chips. A dual-core
should make a noticeable difference for audio work. I'll get the AMD X2
3800+, as the faster ones are way more expensive (and get hotter).
Cooling: Probably a Scythe Ninja (passive heatpipe cooler), and two
120mm fans (one in the PSU, one in the back of the case).
Mainboard: Obviously needs the same socket as the CPU. My choice is an
Asus A8V Deluxe, as I want to use an AGP graphics card, and it has a
passive northbridge cooler.
RAM: 2GB of a proper brand, no fancy expensive overclocking stuff.
Graphics card: A Radeon 8500LE modded with a passive cooler. The fastest
card with usable open 3D drivers, and it doesn't get very hot. My main
reason for getting it was the 1600x1200 DVI port, else I'd have stayed
with my Matrox G400.
Sound card: M-Audio Audiophile 2496. Sufficient for me, but perhaps you
need/want more channels.
HDD: One large Seagate or Samsung, those are supposed to be the most
quiet ones. RAID is usually overrated, it's just louder and more
error-prone. I'm thinking about getting a Seagate Cheetah 15k.3 as a
system drive, but that'll also add some noise...
Case: Should have an opening for a 120mm fan in the back where the CPU
sits, a place for the HDD low in the front (with air holes), and no
holes in the sides. That way you can use the two fans (one in the PSU,
one in the back) to get the air from below in the front (and perhaps one
open slot below the graphics card) out the upper back, that should be
sufficient cooling for that system. Ideally you'll have a temperature
controlled fan controller, that'll make it even quieter. Oh, and the
more solid (read: heavy) the case, the more noise it'll absorb.
That should give you a quiet, cool and pretty fast system, or at least
some hints on how to build one.
--
A man said to the Universe:
"Sir, I exist!"
"However," replied the Universe,
"the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation."
-- Stephen Crane
15 Nov
15 Nov
8:07 a.m.
On Monday 14 November 2005 19:38, Christian Ohm was like:
On Saturday, 12 November 2005 at 21:06, Bungee wrote:
That looks a lot like my next computer. :] Thanks for this nice clear,
affordable suggestion.
--
cheers,
tim hall
http://glastonburymusic.org.uk/tim
The obvious solution is to build a completely new
system specifically for
sound work, but I am totally baffled by the choices. MB, Processor,
Memory, Sound Card, and on, and on...
Well, I can give you my opinions on suitable hardware, and the
components I have or intend to get soon. That should give you a start
(or confuse you even more, depending on the other advice you got), but I
guess you can't buy that system anywhere.
Processor: AMD. Faster and way cooler than the Intel chips. A dual-core
should make a noticeable difference for audio work. I'll get the AMD X2
3800+, as the faster ones are way more expensive (and get hotter).
Cooling: Probably a Scythe Ninja (passive heatpipe cooler), and two
120mm fans (one in the PSU, one in the back of the case).
Mainboard: Obviously needs the same socket as the CPU. My choice is an
Asus A8V Deluxe, as I want to use an AGP graphics card, and it has a
passive northbridge cooler.
RAM: 2GB of a proper brand, no fancy expensive overclocking stuff.
Graphics card: A Radeon 8500LE modded with a passive cooler. The fastest
card with usable open 3D drivers, and it doesn't get very hot. My main
reason for getting it was the 1600x1200 DVI port, else I'd have stayed
with my Matrox G400.
Sound card: M-Audio Audiophile 2496. Sufficient for me, but perhaps you
need/want more channels.
HDD: One large Seagate or Samsung, those are supposed to be the most
quiet ones. RAID is usually overrated, it's just louder and more
error-prone. I'm thinking about getting a Seagate Cheetah 15k.3 as a
system drive, but that'll also add some noise...
Case: Should have an opening for a 120mm fan in the back where the CPU
sits, a place for the HDD low in the front (with air holes), and no
holes in the sides. That way you can use the two fans (one in the PSU,
one in the back) to get the air from below in the front (and perhaps one
open slot below the graphics card) out the upper back, that should be
sufficient cooling for that system. Ideally you'll have a temperature
controlled fan controller, that'll make it even quieter. Oh, and the
more solid (read: heavy) the case, the more noise it'll absorb.
That should give you a quiet, cool and pretty fast system, or at least
some hints on how to build one.
4:39 p.m.
Christian Ohm <chr.ohm(a)gmx.net> wrote:
Thanks for such a very detailed list (and thanks everyone else who responded).
This looks like the sort of thing I want to go for. What distro are you using?
Have you had any compatibility problems?
--
Bungee
On Saturday, 12 November 2005 at 21:06, Bungee wrote:
> The obvious solution is to build a completely new system specifically for
sound
work, but I am
totally baffled by the choices. MB, Processor, Memory, Sound
Card, and on, and on...
Well, I can give you my opinions on suitable hardware, and the
components I have or intend to get soon. That should give you a start
(or confuse you even more, depending on the other advice you got), but I
guess you can't buy that system anywhere.
Processor: AMD. Faster and way cooler than the Intel chips. A dual-core
should make a noticeable difference for audio work. I'll get the AMD X2
3800+, as the faster ones are way more expensive (and get hotter).
Cooling: Probably a Scythe Ninja (passive heatpipe cooler), and two
120mm fans (one in the PSU, one in the back of the case).
Mainboard: Obviously needs the same socket as the CPU. My choice is an
Asus A8V Deluxe, as I want to use an AGP graphics card, and it has a
passive northbridge cooler.
RAM: 2GB of a proper brand, no fancy expensive overclocking stuff.
Graphics card: A Radeon 8500LE modded with a passive cooler. The fastest
card with usable open 3D drivers, and it doesn't get very hot. My main
reason for getting it was the 1600x1200 DVI port, else I'd have stayed
with my Matrox G400.
Sound card: M-Audio Audiophile 2496. Sufficient for me, but perhaps you
need/want more channels.
HDD: One large Seagate or Samsung, those are supposed to be the most
quiet ones. RAID is usually overrated, it's just louder and more
error-prone. I'm thinking about getting a Seagate Cheetah 15k.3 as a
system drive, but that'll also add some noise...
Case: Should have an opening for a 120mm fan in the back where the CPU
sits, a place for the HDD low in the front (with air holes), and no
holes in the sides. That way you can use the two fans (one in the PSU,
one in the back) to get the air from below in the front (and perhaps one
open slot below the graphics card) out the upper back, that should be
sufficient cooling for that system. Ideally you'll have a temperature
controlled fan controller, that'll make it even quieter. Oh, and the
more solid (read: heavy) the case, the more noise it'll absorb.
That should give you a quiet, cool and pretty fast system, or at least
some hints on how to build one.
24 Nov
24 Nov
8:42 p.m.
On Tuesday, 15 November 2005 at 20:38, Bungee wrote:
Thanks for such a very detailed list (and thanks
everyone else who responded).
This looks like the sort of thing I want to go for. What distro are you using?
Have you had any compatibility problems?
Well, the most important parts (CPU and mainboard) are still on my
shopping list (and will have to wait until january). As far as I could
find out, there are no problems with the mainboard.
The graphics card works well, but I think the passive cooler isn't glued
on very well, since sometimes the graphic hangs when using OpenGL. The
computer still reacts, but it always shows whatever was rendered last...
The sound card also works, but has no hardware mixer like my last card
had. Thus I'm currently struggling with enabling several applications to
use it at the same time (but I guess that's a topic for a new mail...)
6748
days inactive
6760
days old
linux-audio-user@lists.linuxaudio.org
7 comments
6 participants
participants (6)
-
Arnold Krille -
Bungee -
Christian Ohm -
John Mulholland -
Loki Davison -
tim hall