2. Putting A Shopping List Together

Whether you are planning on building from scratch, buying a pre-made system, or evaluating your current system for use in recording audio, it is important to keep in mind that computer based audio involves huge files. For example, a 4-minute song with 24 tracks of 24 bit audio will require your system to stream approximately 180 megabytes of data per minute. Needless to say, this is very different from just about anything you might ever do with your computer. Here are a few basic concepts and guidelines that should be considered.

Motherboards
The motherboard is the main hub of any computer. There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a motherboard, or evaluating your current one for audio recording:

Try to avoid motherboards with a lot of built on audio and graphics functions. These “conveniences” can actually introduce potential conflicts with recording specific audio cards, and make the process of disabling them for troubleshooting a bit of a chore.

Chipset. Every computer purchase, every motherboard upgrade, every CPU buying decision comes back to the same thing: the system chipset. If the CPU is the brain of your PC, the chipset is its heart. It controls the flow of bits that travel between the CPU, system memory, and the motherboard bus. Efficient data transfers, fast expansion bus support, and advanced power management features are just a few of the things the system chipset is responsible for. At one time, most functions of the chipset were performed by multiple, smaller controller chips. There was a separate chip (often more than one) for each function: controlling the cache, performing direct memory access (DMA), handling interrupts, transferring data over the I/O bus, etc. Over time these chips were integrated to form a single set of chips, or chipset, that implements the various control features on the motherboard. TASCAM highly recommends Intel chipsets. There are a lot of different companies offering a variety of chipsets, and in most home computing scenarios any brand of chip should do the job. When dealing with digital audio in the computer environment it is generally recognized that Intel chipsets have proven to be more stable.

PCI Buss Speed. If the chipset is the heart of your PC, the PCI Buss and corresponding speed are certainly the circulatory system. All the data that passes from installed memory (RAM), through the processor, and through any installed PCI devices (SCSI cards, sound cards, etc.) do so through the PCI Buss. 33mHz, 66mHz, 100mHz, and 133 mHz are all references to how fast the data can stream through the specific motherboard’s PCI Buss. The higher (faster) the number, the more efficiently it will work. For those who are evaluating their current system, a minimum buss speed of 66 mHz is recommended. For anyone building a system, a 100 to 133 mHz (or higher) buss speed is recommended. Keep in mind that your memory (RAM) speed should correspond to the established motherboard buss speed (e.g., A motherboard with a buss speed of 100 MHz should use a PC-100 memory stick in the user’s chosen megabyte size).

Make sure that you purchase an ATX style motherboard. They are the updated version of the original AT style motherboards. The main differences were improvements in layout and functionality.

Processors
In the PC audio community it is widely believed that Pentium and AMD processors are most suited for digital audio. This is not to say that a Celeron or other manufacturer’s processor will not perform adequately, but there are particulars to the way Pentiums and AMD processors handle caching that give them a distinct advantage. In a high demand processing scenario, these processors are able to buffer or store command information until it can catch up (Caching). This is something to keep in mind when you get 18 tracks with numerous plugins and effects pounding on your processor. A processor with a minimum speed of 400 MHz is recommended.

Hard drives
The size of your hard drive is important, but not as important as the RPM speed, and access time of the drive. When you are playing back audio, and even more so when you are recording audio, you need a drive that can spin fast enough to write and play back data from the surface of the drive’s platter quickly. You will find drives from 4800 rpm all the way up to 15,000 rpm. Most computer audio experts will recommend at least a 7200-RPM drive speed.

A hard drives access speed is exactly what the name implies…..it is the measured speed that the drive’s mechanism can read and write information to and from the drive. Although some drives are able to provide seek times as fast as 3 milliseconds, anywhere from 7-10 milliseconds is fine for basic computer audio needs. You will generally find faster listed seek times on SCSI drives.

Another consideration is the implementation of an application drive coupled with a second audio specific drive. What this will allow the user to do is load his OS and programs onto a designated drive, while using a second audio only drive to record the audio data. There are two main benefits to a system utilizing two drives:

Your audio application does not have to access the same drive as all of your programs and related data, increasing access speed and in turn the playback and recording performance of your system.

If your OS on the main program drive becomes corrupt or you have damaged file directories, or even worse a damaged drive, your audio data is not destroyed.

Memory
Computers rely on installed memory, or RAM for regular computing chores. Most home systems do not run applications that are overly taxing to the installed RAM. Internet, Word documents and even gaming do not draw heavily upon the system memory. In the world of digital audio on a computer, the entire system is taxed much more heavily, and specific elements such as memory do become “make or break” elements to the overall picture. Areas such as editing and mixing with plugins and effects draw heavily upon RAM. Although a system can run with 64 MB and sometimes lower, it is recommended that an audio system have anywhere from 128 MB to 512 MB or more installed to be able to run effectively.

Often users confuse hard drive size with the amount of memory installed on a system. A good way to view the difference is to think of a hard drive as a tool cabinet, and the installed memory as a workbench. You would store a tool in the tool cabinet until you were ready to use it, at which point you would move it to the workbench for quicker access to it. This is the same way that a hard drive and installed memory work together. A program resides on the hard drive until you “open” it, at which point it gets shifted into memory for quick access.

*Another reminder: Keep in mind that it is necessary to match the buss speed established by the motherboard when choosing memory sticks. The overall speed of the system buss will be limited to the slowest element…make sure the memory you choose is not the weakest link.

Operating System
Choosing the operating system is a very important step in the process of setting up an audio computer. There are many different opinions regarding the best choice for OS, but you will find that there are a lot of common ones as well. Most will agree that it is not always wise to run out and buy the newest OS, the day it comes out. Although software is extensively tested before release, there are often unanticipated bugs to be be found and fixed, and the bottom line is this…..do you want to be the one discovering bugs while you are working on your current project? Another consideration is what drivers and software are currently available for the OS you are considering. A lot of companies don’t offer drivers for really new OS platforms immediately, and on the flip side of the coin, most new programs do not have drivers for really old OS platforms. Most computer audio experts will recommend either Windows SE, 2000, or ME. All of these operating systems have proven to be stable OS platforms that when installed on a solid system will reduce the potential for problems.

Another consideration to research is how your computing needs will be met by different OS options. Audio will behave differently than video potentially will on different operating systems. Do some research and pick some brains. There is a collection of 40 user profiles at the end of this document to reference.

One final thing to keep in mind regarding OS selection, is the wave of devices utilizing USB protocols. USB achieved its greatest degree of stability on the PC platform with windows 98 SE, so this is something to keep in mind when eyeing that slick looking US-428.

AGP Graphics cards
SCSI controller cards and related SCSI devices, as well as PCI based audio cards tend to push the limits of a PCI buss. With this in mind, the last thing you want to do is add more congestion to the mix. AGP graphics cards were created to allow a computer user to get their video graphics off of the PCI buss by creating and utilizing a graphics specific slot (AGP slot). To successfully run an audio workstation, it is highly recommended that your system utilize an AGP graphics card

SCSI Controllers
If you choose to implement a SCSI device into your system, you will need a SCSI controller. A SCSI controller is a PCI based card not unlike other PCI based devices. It resides on the PCI buss in one of the available slots. With a SCSI card installed, it allows you to chain devices such as hard drives, CD-ROMs, CDRW, or any number of storage devices in internal (inside the case) or external (outside the case) configurations, on what is referred to as the “SCSI Buss”. This buss exists within the computer’s standard PCI buss as one device, regardless of how many things you have attached to it. The SCSI controller works as a secondary buss, allowing the system to run up to 15 additional devices. Each device connected to the SCSI buss is assigned a SCSI ID number, and it is using these designated device numbers that allow the SCSI controller to know which device is being addressed by the system. The clear performance advantage to SCSI is the ability to have a ton of extra storage solutions (hard drives, backup devices) available to the computer audio user, in any configuration they choose to setup.

The Case and Power supply
When choosing a case for your system, there are a couple of things that you need to keep in mind:

Make sure that you get an ATX (newer) and not an AT case. The major difference are the openings on the rear panel for connections to newer technologies like USB that will come installed on your motherboard.

Make sure that you get a case that will fit ergonomically into your work environment. Nothing too big, or too small. But keep in mind the possibility of expansion in the future, as new devices become available in the computer world.

Make sure that the box has enough front panel slots to accommodate any installed CD-ROM drives, CDRW or other backup devices you may wish to install now or in the future.

Make sure that you install a power supply big enough to not only power your current installed devices, but any future devices you might want to install. 300 watt supplies are not that much more than 250 watt ones……go nuts and splurge to get one with enough headroom to power your system efficiently now and in the future.

Surge protectors
You’ve built your brand new rig, and are tracking your generation’s Sergeant Pepper, then all of a sudden…….POOF! A power surge rushes through the wall socket and into your computer, frying components without prejudice. A simple $15.00 surge protector can be the best insurance you could possibly ever acquire for your computer. If you can ante up the extra dollars to purchase a battery backup/surge protector, you can even go so far as to give yourself a couple of minutes to save your work and safely shutdown your system in the event of a surge followed by a complete power failure.

Hard Drives: SCSI vs. IDE

SCSI

SCSI has long been considered the standard for high data transfer used in audio and streaming video workstations. There are many advantages to a SCSI based system:

High data transfer rates.
With the new wave of Ultra 160 SCSI devices, data transfer speed has been raised to 160 MB per second, providing much needed headroom for recording and playing back high track counts

More chainable devices.
Modern SCSI busses will allow up to 15 devices, all operating off a single installed PCI based controller. No extra interrupt requests are introduced as the device chain grows.

Bi-directional data bursts.
SCSI can read and write information simultaneously, speeding up the transfer of data to and from the disk. Perfect for recording and monitoring audio on a DAW.

Buffering.
A SCSI hard drive can be sent a group of commands and buffer them sequentially, vastly improving the performance of the drive.

High RPM disk speeds.
In the world of huge data streams, speed to and from the disk is the name of the game. SCSI drives are the only drives currently venturing into the 10K and 15K RPM world. The faster the RPM, the faster the drive can write and read the data from the device without bottlenecking.

Fast seek times.
SCSI utilizes a faster hard disk seek time, referring to how fast the drive can access and retrieve data from the device. SCSI average seek times run from 7-8 milliseconds all the way down to 3-4 milliseconds on the 15, 000 RPM drives. The faster it can get the data, the better the performance.

IDE

In the past, IDE never really came close to SCSI in the performance department, and although it has not quite surpassed it – it has closed the gap substantially. The main area that IDE outshines SCSI is in the price department.

Cost
The primary benefit of the IDE hard drive is the price. With IDE closing the gap on the performance factor with SCSI, IDE drives can offer nearly matched performance specs at a lower price, usually 30%-50% less for similar storage capacity devices.

Additional controllers
Just about all motherboards provide IDE controller connections built onto the board itself. This eliminates the need for an additional PCI controller card, and thus the additional cost. It is getting hard to find a motherboard that does not offer support for UDMA (Ultra Disk Matching Architecture) which allows transfer rates of up to 100 MB a second.

DMA = IDE S-A-V-I-O-R
Prior to the implementation of DMA, the processor was called upon to oversee the transfer of data from RAM to the drive. The result of this was additional CPU power being drawn away from handling other processing chores like automation, plugins, or even screen redraws. This was referred to as PIO (Programmed Input/Output). DMA (Direct Memory Access) implemented a system of writing the data directly from RAM to the disk without the degree of involvement that the CPU undertook in the past. Although not a big deal for the Internet enthusiast, this is a regaining of critical CPU horsepower for the processing hungry DAW maniac.

Which way do I go?
The bottom line here is that there is no clear-cut bottom line. The agreed upon facts are that although IDE is right on the heels of SCSI in the performance department, SCSI still offers faster seek times, higher drive speeds, and more efficient drive design. IDE has SCSI beat hands down in the cost and value department. With the additional cost of a separate SCSI controller added into the already higher price tag of the SCSI drives, the difference in performance may not be such a big consideration. A person working with 24 tracks or less could just as easily utilize an IDE based system as they could a SCSI based system.

If you are a user who plans on running a multitude of additional storage solutions (4 or more) in either internal or external configurations, SCSI is the only way to go (IDE is limited to a total of 4 internal devices). A SCSI buss will allow you to run up to 15 devices on a single SCSI chain in internal and external configurations.

Many users have adopted a system spec that utilizes both worlds. By implementing a less expensive IDE drive to hold the OS and any installed programs, they can install an 80-gig drive for a fraction of the cost of a SCSI drive of the same size. Next, they install a smaller high speed SCSI drive to write just the audio data to. In doing this, they benefit from giving the system a dedicated storage device for the audio data. Inevitably, your budget will factor into the configuration that you choose to go with.