Post
by Maha » Sun Apr 21, 2019 7:06 am
Hi
Just went through the excercise with some DAW-aware computer techies.
First, study this video....'CPU Performance vs. Real-Time Performance in Digital Audio Workstations (DAW)'
at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUsLLEkswzE
The main issue with DAW PC's is VST latency - you need to be able to lay down new tracks while your DAW is listening to lots of existing audio + VST instruments AND manages to keep the audio latence low enough not to drive you crazy. A system that's good for gaming or video rendering will not necessarily be so great for a DAW.
What throws most computer experts off the mark is, most 'powerful' systems are good for heavy lifting (ie, rendering - think: Semi-trailer!), whilst a powerful system for a DAW needs a different kind of power - speed! (Think - Ferrari! V12) The holy grail for DAW systems is keeping the buffers low on your audio input whilst staying well short of any kind of VST clipping.
In practical terms, I found the i7 8700K with a Samsung M.2 Drive + 32GIG of ram (With extra money spent on getting a better quality motherboard & ample powersupply) did the trick. Win 10 is NOT DAW ready but with a good few hours of work can be made nimble, stable, spike-free and non-intrusive. (See my other recent post for details on how to fix win10, and lock it down so that Microsoft will not be able to undo all your good work with the next unnecessary upgarde).
Good luck
Cubase 9.5, Halion 5, HalionSonic, GA4, Native Inst S88 & KU11, Lots of Waves & In Session Audio VST's, PC with i7/32Gig/SSD+2X2TB/Win10, Korg KronosX, Roland Bk7 & Bk9, VoiceLive2, Roland GR55 + MIDI base & 6-string pickups, Presonus 16.0.2, ESi 1808, Rode NT1, Naim Audio & Linn Sara monitor system.