|
by jim cookas (leaftoe) - Jan 15, 2003
The Rec Zone - #1: Getting Started Editor's note: Jim Cookas will now be contributing a regular column on the technical side of making music. We hope you enjoy it! Ahhh, the digital revolution. The computer age has blessed us with many fruits that sweeten up modern living: a vast sea of Internet porn, online bride ordering, solitaire in the workplace, and the omnipotent, almighty, sponge-worthy openingbands.com. I have personally sunk my teeth into all of these institutions and enjoyed every minute of it. However, the binary invasion has also introduced a new concept: any teenaged, pizza-faced, skateboardin' Creed fan with a Casio keyboard and a computer can record and distribute an album (even Koko the Monkey has a disc out). This can be both a blessing and a curse. As avid music fanatics, we must be able to filter out the garbage while at the same time supporting the talented do-it-yourselfers in the ongoing struggle against major label slime. The intention of this series of articles is to help musicians get familiar with the gear, software, and concepts of recording onto their Tetris Machines for less than the price of ten hours in a professional studio. Whether you are the next one-man-band-and-I-will-play-all-the-instruments-in-my-electronic-project Reznorite or you are in a band that aspires to be the next Hootie and the Blowfish, these articles should point you in the right direction. Now let's get started already! DISCLAIMER: For the remainder of this column, the assumption is that that you, the gracious reader, possess a general knowledge of desktop computers and their components (motherboard, CPU, RAM, hard drive, and so on). YOU CAN’T SPELL ‘DAWG’ WITHOUT ‘DAW’ The first step in setting up your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is to determine which platform to use. This is also known as the Mac-PC battle that looks like it may have the staying power of the Hundred Years War. Both platforms have their pros and cons and I will save this discussion for a later topic, but for the sake of this column, PC hardware and software will be generally discussed. This shouldn't be too much of a problem since most recording hardware and software are cross-platform these days. I know I may get severely flamed by the Big Mac Attack on this one, but the fact is that a) I have much more experience with audio production on WinTel machines and b) the majority of humans own and use a PC. Optimally, your DAW will be without an Internet connection and used solely for audio production, but it isn’t necessary. Personally, I use my DAW for everything from writing this article to kicking ass in Civilization III. Also, it is preferable that your machine has as few components attached as possible. Each piece of hardware that is added to a system eats up precious resources and can make your recording software more vulnerable to a nasty crash. The same goes for software, so keep your DAW thin and healthy! CPU: CERTIFIED PUBLIC URINAT0R So what sort of muscle do you need under the hood of your digital beast? First off, the general consensus is that Intel processors have proven much more stable and compatible with DAW software and hardware than their AMD counterparts. I very much recommend the former for audio work. That being said, you should have a beefy Pentium III at the absolute minimum. However, nowadays, a Pentium IV is highly preferred as the heart of your computer. The CPU is more vital to digital recording than to other software applications. It determines how many tracks can be recorded or mixed, how many plugins (I’ll cover these in a later issue) can be run simultaneously, and how fast audio can be processed. Don’t skimp! MEMORY…MY PRECIOUS! When it comes to RAM, most recording software requires 256 megabytes. However, that is really scraping the bottom of the whiskey barrel. To be safe, plump up your memory to 512 or 1024 megabytes. RAM is important for plugins and virtual instruments (I promise to explain this term in a later issue as well). Each time a plugin or instrument is loaded in your recording environment, they are stored in RAM for quick access. Some of these bastards are known to be memory hogs, so give them a huge pen to slop around in (wow, what a metaphor). When it comes to hard disk drives, you want them to be just like linebackers: big and fast. Audio eats up disk space like hobbits eat carrots, so have at least a 60-gigabyte monster ready. To put it in perspective, a four-minute, 16-track song with alternate takes will require almost a gigabyte of space. Also keep in mind that it is pretty much required that you have a separate hard drive dedicated exclusively for audio data. This is because your operating system and other applications are constantly reading and writing on your system (C:) drive and can interfere with the audio that you are trying to record or play back. Also make sure that your dedicated drive is at least 7200 RPM. In terms of IDE versus SCSI, just go with IDE already. It used to be cool to use SCSI, but in the new millennium, IDE performs nearly as well as SCSI and is cheaper. Lastly, avoid Maxtor drives like The Plague. I am on numerous audio engineering and recording mailing lists and not a week goes by without me reading about how somebody’s Maxtor drive crapped out on them. Go for a Seagate or Western Digital instead. RAGE AGAINST THE OPERATING SYSTEM What OS? This question continues to plague recording enthusiasts everywhere, but, in the humble opinion of this writer, the answer is growing easier each day. Windows XP is emerging as the OS-of-choice for DAWers. More and more recording software is becoming exclusively XP-compatible. Also, XP has proven to be very stable with a variety of systems. Windows 2000 is a risky option and I have avoided it because of compatibility problems. Good ole Windows 98se, however, is still solid as a rock. Many people still use it, but it is becoming antiquated due to the fact that developers are discontinuing support. And do I have to mention it? Windows ME just plain sucks and avoid it at all costs. That’s about it for this episode of The Rec Zone. I assure that the forthcoming articles will be far more interesting than this introductory edition. If you have any DAW questions, float them my way at leaftoe@yahoo.com. Also, if you have any hate mail, comments, or concerns, send them as well. Next issue I will discuss audio interfaces. These are the devices that convert those pretty, little notes and melodies into pretty, little ones and zeros. LINKAGE: At the end of each article I will include a DAW-related link to help you in your quest of sonic bliss. The premiere link is Pro Sound Web. This site is completely packed with audio engineering and computer recording tips. It is also frequented by professional (and sometimes famous) engineers and producers. In particular, check out The Daily Adventures of Mixerman. This is the diary of a real audio engineer that has been working with a major label's Next Big Thing. I laughed so hard my Scooby Doo boxer shorts almost fell off. |