{"id":6314,"date":"2012-02-10T21:05:46","date_gmt":"2012-02-11T01:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/?p=6314"},"modified":"2012-02-10T21:05:46","modified_gmt":"2012-02-11T01:05:46","slug":"computers-in-the-studio-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/2012\/02\/10\/computers-in-the-studio-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Computers in the Studio (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Musician or IT professional?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It seems today’s musicians must be part artist and part IT<\/a> professional. It’s a difficult dance that requires knowledge, time, and patience in order to achieve a level of success. The intention of this series of blog posts is to help with the IT part or the equation. My goal is to help with questions related to system optimization,\u00a0maintenance, organization,\u00a0networking, and other IT-related concerns important to musicians in the 21st century.<\/p>\n

In this first post I’d like to talk about basic practices for achieving a smooth running PC-based DAW<\/a>. I’ll also offer my thoughts and suggestions on OS<\/a> “tweaking” or “tuning”. In subsequent posts we’ll get deeper into specific areas and talk about other aspects like organization and networking. Most of these tips will assume you’re running a PC with\u00a0Windows\u00a07<\/a> installed.<\/p>\n

Here are some general rules of thumb I’ll offer right off the bat:<\/p>\n

1. Have an exit strategy. <\/strong>Consider a\u00a0backup imaging\u00a0system like\u00a0Acronis<\/a> or at least set a\u00a0System Restore<\/a> point for a stable system configuration. It will allow you to get back to a stable working system in the event of something going terribly wrong. I’ll say this though: this seems to happen increasingly rarely with modern setups and I\u00a0wouldn’t get\u00a0too <\/em>hung up about making backups unless you rely on your system for paying clients. For me,\u00a0System Restore<\/a> has generally been sufficient.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Keep your system updated.<\/strong> While the latest driver isn’t always <\/em>the best driver, it’s substantially more\u00a0likely\u00a0to be\u00a0better\u00a0than an old driver. In the vast majority of cases, the latest driver for your\u00a0hardware\u00a0is the best option and probably offers the best\u00a0performance, stability, and compatibility. This is particularly true of on-board\u00a0system\u00a0devices\u00a0but also likely true of your audio devices, MIDI controllers, etc. I say stay updated , and only revert to an older driver if you have a problem. Outdated drivers are quite often the cause of problems and not vice versa.<\/p>\n

3. Check your\u00a0DPC Latency. <\/strong>Improperly implemented drivers can cause delays or latency in what are known as\u00a0Deferred Procedure Calls. This is often the cause of crackles, pops, and dropouts in your audio software. Wireless adapter drivers are notorious for this kind of thing, but other system drivers can cause it as well. Luckily, it’s free and easy to check for. Just run\u00a0DPC Latency Checker<\/a> or\u00a0LatencyMon<\/a>. Either of these tools will give you a good idea whether or not you should be able to expect proper, low-latency\u00a0performance\u00a0from your DAW. If you see problems, fix these first.<\/p>\n

4. Keep Windows updated. <\/strong>Sure, every<\/em> update may not be\u00a0absolutely\u00a0necessary and you might want to pick and choose. But a woefully out-of-date Windows\u00a0installation\u00a0won’t help anybody. Your mileage may vary, but I always keep my Windows 7 installation up-to-date with the latest patches and I believe this is the best\u00a0practice\u00a0in general.<\/p>\n

5. Keep your software updated<\/strong>. SONAR<\/a> update available? Install it. Kontakt<\/a> update\u00a0available? Install it. Sure you can do some cursory research to see if it’s posing problems for others, but in general<\/em>, updates fix more problems that they cause. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, but I can’t think of anything I have on my system at this very moment that isn’t updated to the latest and greatest.<\/p>\n

6. Only install what you need.<\/strong> This is a big one. The more stuff you have on your system, the more\u00a0potential\u00a0for problems. Don’t deny yourself a cool\u00a0instrument\u00a0or effect that you think you’ll need, but beware of that extra\u00a0level\u00a0of virus protection, or download manager, or free plugin that you’re not sure what it actually does. Ideally a DAW should be a DAW and not share duty as an office computer or general purpose machine for web-browsing and social media. This is where a lot of\u00a0problems\u00a0start. Can it be on the net? Sure, with certain precautions and judicious use.\u00a0Should\u00a0you install Norton and Office and dredge around in the backwaters of the internet? I certainly\u00a0wouldn’t\u00a0recommend\u00a0it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.<\/p>\n

7. Careful with that tweak Eugene.<\/strong> There’s a lot of information on the internet about tweaking or tuning your OS for audio. A lot of it is outdated (applies to older operating systems and hardware) and some of it is downright erroneous. So take it with a grain of salt. To tweak, or not to tweak, that is the\u00a0question.\u00a0If you follow the other steps in this list you’ll do more good than most any OS tweak can do. But there are<\/em> some valuable changes you can make that might make your system run more efficiently and predictably. Going deep into this is outside of the scope if this post, but I’ll say a couple\u00a0things\u00a0on the issue: 1)<\/strong> Don’t stress over this if you have modern computing hardware and Windows 7. Windows\u00a07<\/a> is pretty lean and should\u00a0at least function\u00a0practically well out-of-the-box, and modern hardware systems can handle minor background tasks far better than their\u00a0brethren\u00a0of yore (see point #8)<\/em>. 2)<\/strong> If you do <\/em>want to tweak the OS, get familiar with\u00a0MSConfig<\/a>,\u00a0services.msc<\/a>, and perhaps most of all Black Viper<\/a>. The latter is very well researched and has become the de-facto authority on information about various Windows services. Use it to identify what a service does and what effects, if any,\u00a0disabling\u00a0it will have on your system. Service tweaking can seem like a black art. When you’re ready head down that path, Black Viper<\/a> can help lead the way. Be careful and be aware of what you’re doing in case you run into trouble (see point #1)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

8. Consider an upgrade:<\/strong> If you’re running a single core system with Windows XP<\/a> from early last decade you’re going to need to squeeze as much as you possibly can from it and\u00a0that\u00a0probably means heavy tweaking. If you’re running a 64-bit<\/a>, multi-core<\/a> monster with dual digit RAM<\/a> and SSD<\/a> you probably don’t have much to worry about. Many users fall somewhere\u00a0in between. But if you find yourself having to constantly tweak\u00a0your system in order to enjoy making music then consider upgrading. Massive leaps in performance can be had for a lot less than you might think. Your music deserves it and you’ll be happy you did.<\/p>\n

9. Stay Organized: <\/strong>If you find installation files and sound banks and plugin folders strewn all over your\u00a0system\u00a0you’re just asking for trouble. Devise a system and stick to it. Keep your installation, updates, and drivers organized and in one place. Clean up your\u00a0downloads\u00a0folder. Sort your loops, sound banks, and sample content. Keep your plugin folders to a minimum and know where these kinds of things are without thinking. Nobody likes to work in a messy studio – and your DAW is at the heart of your studio. In fact, you could argue that your DAW is really a microcosm of a complete physical recording studio. So keep it tidy and know where to find stuff. You’ll work faster and better if you do.<\/p>\n

10. Stay on top of things. <\/strong>Know your DAW\u00a0intimately\u00a0and keep it\u00a0maintained. This means everything\u00a0from checking\u00a0for updated drivers to opening the computer and blowing out the dust now and again. I generally hate computer\/car analogies, but sometimes they’re inevitable. This is one of those times.\u00a0Maintain\u00a0what you have if you want it to get you from point A to point B reliably.<\/p>\n

Careful consideration of these points, some of which are common sense, \u00a0should serve you well in pursuit of a fast,\u00a0reliable\u00a0DAW that suits your creative needs. In future posts, we’ll get deeper into some of the individual points and delve into other areas like networking and asset management for the personal studio.<\/p>\n

Looking for a full-featured\u00a0Windows-based DAW that supports the latest computer technology? Check out SONAR X1 Production Suite<\/a>. Take advantage of our\u00a0limited time Crossgrade<\/a> offer\u00a0or\u00a0find a dealer<\/a> near you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Musician or IT professional? It seems today’s musicians must be part artist and part IT professional. It’s a difficult dance that requires knowledge, time, and patience in order to achieve a level of success. The intention of this series of blog posts is to help with the IT part or the equation. My goal is … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Computers in the Studio (Part 1)”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1562,49,78,53],"tags":[114,64,93,170,94,35,1440,1568,1569,1570,39],"class_list":["post-6314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-educational-resources","category-sonar","category-tips","category-windows-7","tag-audio","tag-daw","tag-music-production","tag-pc","tag-recording","tag-sonar","tag-sonar-x1","tag-studio-computer","tag-tuning","tag-tweak","tag-windows-7"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6314\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}