System For Audio Production

[Floppyman]

Hi all -

It has been a good 10 years since I built my last computer system. In fact, the last time I was up to speed on hardware, Pentium 4's were still all the rage . Thankfully now I'm finally in the market again to build a new system, and since I don't know much about hardware anymore I have come to you guys for some help/ideas. In general I'm looking to built a multi-purpose system for office tasks, but with specific focus on audio production (i.e. more specifically, making of DJ mixes and electronic music using software such as FL Studio or Cakewalk).

As such, the only real requirements I would have are a great sound system, two large LCD monitors, and plenty of storage space. I'm not looking to do any gaming so don't need a fancy videocard. In terms of budget - I'm trying to keep it between $1000- $1500 (is that doable)?

Thanks in advance for the help, I really appreciate it.

[glc]

This is around 1200 bucks with no peripherals or OS - and you may want to research pro sound cards.

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Newegg.com

SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com

ASUS P8Z77-V LE PLUS ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K - Newegg.com

CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M2A1600C10R - Newegg.com

Intel 520 Series SSDSC2CW120A310 - Newegg.com

Western Digital WD Green WD20EARX 2TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - Newegg.com

LG Model GH24NS95 24X DVD Burner - Bare Drive Black - Newegg.com

(2) ASUS VE247H Black 23.6" Full HD HDMI LCD Monitor w/Speakers - Newegg.com

If you want to take a run over to Yonkers you can get this cpu, it's an upgrade to the i5 and it's $100 less than at Newegg:

Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz LGA 1155 Processor 407643 - Micro Center

[David M]

Are you looking for a sound system that is THX certified and used mostly for gaming computers or something else? I have a Logitec Z-5500 5.1 sound system which sounds amazing but might not meet your needs.

Newest system....
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/produc...m-Z906?crid=47
$400 is pretty good compared to what you would pay for other 5.1 systems.

[Floppyman]

Thanks guys. The only type of speakers I will probably end up getting for this system at some point are a pair of studio monitors.

I looked into professional soundcards and it seems that these days people really like USB audio interfaces like this one (vs standalone cards):

Amazon.com: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 2 In/2 Out USB Recording Audio Interface: Musical Instruments

Does anyone have any experience and/or opinions on such a device?

Thanks again.

[David M]

Does USB 2 have a high enough bitrate or data transfer rate for really high end audio? I know you want to keep the wave forms as close to the original analog shape as is possible.

[triquee]

DO NOT get a 2i2 or any other USB audio interface from Focusrite. The USB drivers are shite. I auditioned a 2i4 for a few months and there were all sorts of issues with the thing: random drop outs, failures to initialize device and drivers, pops and clicks at all conceivable buffer sizes....it won't function in a 24-bit environment under any circumstances (even though it is advertised as a 92kHz/24-bit AI), the drivers refuse to release for multiple application usage without an epic battle regardless of system, DAW, or OS settings. It's a nightmare.

I have heard far fewer complaints about their firewire interfaces. If you do decide to go with a firewire interface though, be sure to get a dedicated firewire card with a Texas Instruments (TI) chipset to plug it into. Other chipsets can create issues.

I used a Presonus Firebox for a while for audio recording and it was a beast. Never had driver issues and the digital conversion was clean and versatile. The only issue I found (and the reason why I tried the 2i4) was that the mic preamps were really noisy and produced a static at all levels of gain that was impossible to EQ out. Focusrite has a reputation for having outstanding mic pres...which is well earned....when you can get the device to actually work for 5 minutes.

[Floppyman]

Thanks triquee - that was very helpful feedback. What would you recommend for someone like me who is really into the EDM (electronic dance music) scene and is really looking for an interface to plug a keyboard into (although I see a lot of these are USB these days instead of MIDI), headphones, and studio monitors. I will probably be looking to expand down the road, but these are sort of the bare bones components I would be starting with. Should I look at the firewire version of the 2i2 - or elsewhere altogether? Thanks again.

[triquee]

It all really depends on what your music production needs are. Most would advise you to get an audio interface that meets your basic needs plus a little more so that you have some room to grow. Fortunately, there are lots of options available.

If you plan to do electronic music, you'll definitely want something with Midi I/O. These days it's really easy to find an audio interface that has both Midi I/O and mic/instrument pres. Rather than just get a midi interface, a combo gives you the flexibility to be able to record vocals (or sound samples), use condenser microphones and plug in instruments like electric guitars as well as a keyboard midi controller. If you're set on sticking with Focusrite for your audio interface, their base model firewire option is the Saffire Pro 14 - which has 2 mic XLR combo inputs on the front panel with phantom power, plus 2 1/4" TRS inputs, 4 balanced outs and Midi I/O on the rear panel.

Some other notable audio interface manufacturers include Presonus, Avid, Tascam, Roland, M-Audio...and on the higher end: RME and MOTU.

This firewire expansion card has the TI chipset if you do decide to go with a firewire interface.

For beat design specifically, another option is Native Instruments' Maschine (or Maschine Mikro) which is a midi controller designed specifically for makers of electronic music. NI also has an audio interface that is receiving some attention - the Komplete Audio 6 - which might be worth a try. Native Instruments makes amazing VST's and I would give their hardware a shot if it is at all at the quality level of their software products. The Komplete Audio 6 is USB though, so keep that in mind.

What music production software do you plan on using?

[Floppyman]

Since my primary interest right now is to produce trance music (probably one of the most melodic genres in EDM) I'm thinking of starting out with FL Studio together with something like the reFX Nexus2 VST (Nexus2 summary | reFX). Do you have any thoughts on that combo? To be honest, I have not really looked much at NI yet, so will check out the choices there as well. Along with that, I'm really only looking to get a keyboard and studio monitors at this point. Do you generally recommended these days sticking with an external audio interface vs. an internal audio card (e.g. like the M-Audio 2496)? Thanks again.

[triquee]

FL Studio is an excellent program for electronic music creation as is Ableton Live. Both are quite popular with the EDM crowd. Of the two though, FL Studio is probably the more user friendly choice. Nexus2 looks like a neat VST engine, but since I don't have any personal experience with it, I can't speak for it. I can say that Native Instruments offers some excellent quality sound samples and superior sound modeling and shaping tools. FL Studio comes with some great soft synths and vst tools as well. At the very least you'll need some kind of arpeggiator and a step sequencer.

My setup includes Cubase 7 (DAW), Studio One V2 (DAW), a Focusrite Saffire PRO 24 DSP (audio interface), the Axiom 49 2nd Gen (midi controller), a set of Audio Technica ATH-M50's (I mix on headphones), and a couple of condenser mics (a Rode NT1-A and an AKG 220)that I use for vocal tracking. I highly recommend the Axiom keyboard controllers. Mine has semi-weighted keys, a few drum pads, faders, and lots of DAW control options.

In my opinion, external sound devices are superior because they offer more flexibility and portability. With an internal sound card, you'd most likely be looking for a breakout box or breakout cables for ease of use anyway, so why not cut out the middle man?

[Floppyman]

Thanks again tricquee. I think I probably need to invest a good amount in a decent MIDI controller given the type of music I plan to make. Here are a couple examples of the direction I plan to go in:

Alexandre Bergheau - Ca-mind (Original Mix) - YouTube
Purple Stories - Surface Tension [Black Hole Recordigs] [Ces video edit] - YouTube

Is there anything else you would recommend I spend some time researching/should be careful with?

[triquee]

It isn't the midi controller that you need to invest a decent amount of money in in order to produce professional sounding recordings...it's the vst's or sound samples you use, quality plugins, and some understanding of composition, arrangement, mixing, mastering and sound modeling.

All a midi controller is is a user interface, like a typing keyboard. That's like saying that you need a top notch typewriter to be able to write a bestselling novel.

This is my latest composition using my Axiom 49 and almost exclusively Native Instruments vst's:

https://soundcloud.com/nika-gordham/the-one

Here's an electronic version of a popular Christmas song that I did last year - also using almost exclusively Native Instruments vst's - just playing around with sounds:

https://soundcloud.com/nika-gordham/carol-of-the-bells