Bad Latency

Hi. I've recently purchased the AudioBox 22VSL. I've managed to hook up my guitar and the Alesis QX49 contoller, but both the guitar and the controller have a pronounced latency. Is it because of my PC? Here's the basic configuration:

Intel Pentium 4 (SL5YR)
2.0 gHz
L2 cache size: 512 KB
1.25 GB RAM
Running Windows XP

Please let me know if its my PCs lack of processing power or if there is another solution.

Thanks,

David

ya u need a better pc something with atleast 4gb ram and alot more other stuff

dstehle wrote:Hi. I've recently purchased the AudioBox 22VSL. I've managed to hook up my guitar and the Alesis QX49 contoller, but both the guitar and the controller have a pronounced latency. Is it because of my PC? Here's the basic configuration:

Intel Pentium 4 (SL5YR)
2.0 gHz
L2 cache size: 512 KB
1.25 GB RAM
Running Windows XP

Please let me know if its my PCs lack of processing power or if there is another solution.

Thanks,

David

You can try to set the latency setting to 512 but that computer may not spry enough to manage it long. It will work with good feel but you may only be able to lay 2 or 3 tracks, with effects.

What would an optimal PC configuration be?

Thanks,

David

I'm cosidering getting this one:

OptiPlex 390 Mini Tower

Processors:
Intel® Pentium® Dual Core G630 Processor (2.7GHz, 3M)

Operating System(s):
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium,SP1, 64-bit, English, No Media

Boot Hard Drives:
250GB SATA 3.0Gb/s and 8MB DataBurst Cache™

Memory:
2GB DDR3 Non-ECC SDRAM,1333MHz, (1 DIMM)

dstehle wrote:I'm cosidering getting this one:

OptiPlex 390 Mini Tower

Processors:
Intel® Pentium® Dual Core G630 Processor (2.7GHz, 3M)

Operating System(s):
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium,SP1, 64-bit, English, No Media

Boot Hard Drives:
250GB SATA 3.0Gb/s and 8MB DataBurst Cache™

Memory:
2GB DDR3 Non-ECC SDRAM,1333MHz, (1 DIMM)

If you're gonna save up, save for at least a quadcore or an i3. Anything less will be limiting. Now that's if it's possible.

My backup laptop is a dual core and it's pretty good but still, save for the better system. In my opinion here. Just a suggestion.

OK....I see your point. The config I showed below is the one that my employer is going to purchase for me for my home office - where my proto-studio is - and I was hoping that I could use it for audio recording as well.

So how about the Sweetwater Creation Station - http://www.sweetwater.com/creation_station/compare/

The CS200 is not too steep.

Also, while I have an expert on the line here, I'm over my head trying to figure out a lot of this DAW and MIDI stuff. OK, I only purchased it for Christmas and I do have 4 kids and a job, but could you suggest any resources to bring me up to speed on the basics? I'm reading through you website for starters.

Thanks,

David

Is there another less expensive source for audio recording optimized PCs than Sweetwater?

You can build your own pc instead.

OK....where's good place to see what specs I'll need?

dstehle wrote:OK....where's good place to see what specs I'll need?

That's the problem. There isn't one. We could tell you to get an i7 CPU and 4 GB of RAM but those will fit dozens and dozens of motherboards. Some like Gigabyte (must be a dozen of those). some like Asus. Some used to like Asus. Be suspicious of a $29 motherboard.

There are mechanical noise specs for power supplies and cases but nobody can really verify them. Use a PCI card with a TI or Via Firewire chip. Don't waste your money on powerful graphics.

Then there are things that some people know and most of us don't about HOW to install Windows so that it doesn't get in the way. This is the kind of stuff that justifies (to some people) the extra cost of a custom built computer from somebody who knows audio gear and can actually test it and deliver a configuration that will work as good as it's able. You could be fooling with it for months trying this and that that you find on the web. It's all good, but you need to know when you're done.

You could ask if someone here who buiilds a few computers a year will either make a shopping list for you BASED ON :TODAY's WEB PAGES and not what they bought last time (it's probably no longer available), or maybe build the computer for you.

This is one of those things that, if you don't do it frequently and keep up with the changes, you're really going to be flying by the seat of your pants.

dstehle wrote:
So how about the Sweetwater Creation Station The CS200 is not too steep.

That's probably the minimum I'd recommend for someone whose requirements I don't know (and you probably don't know yet either). But when you start piling plug-ins into your mix, have virtual instruments, and maybe you start doing video, it'll probably bog down.

One thing that isn't clear from the specs on the web is whether it has a Firewire port on the motherboard or if they put a Firewire card in it (or will, if you ask them to and pay for it).

Also, while I have an expert on the line here, I'm over my head trying to figure out a lot of this DAW and MIDI stuff. OK, I only purchased it for Christmas and I do have 4 kids and a job, but could you suggest any resources to bring me up to speed on the basics?

I've never really seen The Complete DAW Book. This stuff is best learned hands-on. With four kids and a job, I'd say you have a good five years ahead of you before you really start understanding what's going on. That doesn't mean you can't have some fun along the way (I assume that's a goal and you don't plan on giving up the job and opening a recording studio next year) but you need to start with simple things. There's no substitute for some hands-on help. Maybe you can find someone in your neighborhood who has a working setup. Invite him over some Saturday and send your kids off to the movies while he goes over your setup, gets you something that will let you do some recording, and show you how he got there and what buttons you need to press.

MikeRivers wrote:

dstehle wrote:
So how about the Sweetwater Creation Station The CS200 is not too steep.

That's probably the minimum I'd recommend for someone whose requirements I don't know (and you probably don't know yet either). But when you start piling plug-ins into your mix, have virtual instruments, and maybe you start doing video, it'll probably bog down.

One thing that isn't clear from the specs on the web is whether it has a Firewire port on the motherboard or if they put a Firewire card in it (or will, if you ask them to and pay for it).

Also, while I have an expert on the line here, I'm over my head trying to figure out a lot of this DAW and MIDI stuff. OK, I only purchased it for Christmas and I do have 4 kids and a job, but could you suggest any resources to bring me up to speed on the basics?

I've never really seen The Complete DAW Book. This stuff is best learned hands-on. With four kids and a job, I'd say you have a good five years ahead of you before you really start understanding what's going on. That doesn't mean you can't have some fun along the way (I assume that's a goal and you don't plan on giving up the job and opening a recording studio next year) but you need to start with simple things. There's no substitute for some hands-on help. Maybe you can find someone in your neighborhood who has a working setup. Invite him over some Saturday and send your kids off to the movies while he goes over your setup, gets you something that will let you do some recording, and show you how he got there and what buttons you need to press.

Mike is spot on here^^

There's no substitute for both a) a Mentor and b) hands-on do-it-yourself grit!

Always keep in mind that not a single person in the world is a true expert in every single piece of the DAW puzzle. If you stick with it, you'll discover your
strengths and weaknesses while learning how to exploit and overcome them (respectively). I'm 15 years into the game and I'm still learning new things and shedding certain ways of working and incorporating new techniques.

A couple of suggestions regarding your "approach" to using a computer to make/record music:

1) Never let yourself get frustrated! Always calmly and methodically apply logic to any problems or difficulties that arise as you are working/learning!

2) Decide what it is that you think you want to do with your DAW/setup and break down your path to that end into reachable goals. If you approach the
daunting task of learning your DAW in a measured, steady way, your chances for success (however you define it) are much greater.

3) Seek out and find a Mentor or studio partner in your area. Working with someone else, even if you are on the same level technically, is beneficial in many ways. (Make sure you enjoy spending lots of continuous time with this person! It is also helpful if they are proficient in areas that you are not and vice versa, as this ensures that you both grow as producers/engineers/musicians)

4) This is the biggest tip that I have for any budding DAW user: READ THE MANUAL! and don't just read it... Absorb it. Live it. Become one with the documentation of whatever products you use in your music making endeavors! Print them out and put them in 3 ring binders. Carry them with you everywhere that you might have 15, 30 or more minutes to read. I do not suggest reading the entire manual in a day and thinking you've got it. I read a chapter or so and then try to apply what I've read. Read another chapter and then apply that. Then, I'll re-read those chapters again and find things that I missed or didn't really understand the first go around. Rinse. Repeat. Learn.

Good Luck!

Jason

(also, I suggest starting out with that CS200. It will do just fine for a beginner/intermediate user. By the time you outgrow it, you'll actually be able to use what ever beastly computers they've got out by then!)

Jason.Harris wrote:

MikeRivers wrote:

dstehle wrote:
So how about the Sweetwater Creation Station The CS200 is not too steep.

That's probably the minimum I'd recommend for someone whose requirements I don't know (and you probably don't know yet either). But when you start piling plug-ins into your mix, have virtual instruments, and maybe you start doing video, it'll probably bog down.

One thing that isn't clear from the specs on the web is whether it has a Firewire port on the motherboard or if they put a Firewire card in it (or will, if you ask them to and pay for it).

Also, while I have an expert on the line here, I'm over my head trying to figure out a lot of this DAW and MIDI stuff. OK, I only purchased it for Christmas and I do have 4 kids and a job, but could you suggest any resources to bring me up to speed on the basics?

I've never really seen The Complete DAW Book. This stuff is best learned hands-on. With four kids and a job, I'd say you have a good five years ahead of you before you really start understanding what's going on. That doesn't mean you can't have some fun along the way (I assume that's a goal and you don't plan on giving up the job and opening a recording studio next year) but you need to start with simple things. There's no substitute for some hands-on help. Maybe you can find someone in your neighborhood who has a working setup. Invite him over some Saturday and send your kids off to the movies while he goes over your setup, gets you something that will let you do some recording, and show you how he got there and what buttons you need to press.

Mike is spot on here^^

There's no substitute for both a) a Mentor and b) hands-on do-it-yourself grit!

Always keep in mind that not a single person in the world is a true expert in every single piece of the DAW puzzle. If you stick with it, you'll discover your
strengths and weaknesses while learning how to exploit and overcome them (respectively). I'm 15 years into the game and I'm still learning new things and shedding certain ways of working and incorporating new techniques.

A couple of suggestions regarding your "approach" to using a computer to make/record music:

1) Never let yourself get frustrated! Always calmly and methodically apply logic to any problems or difficulties that arise as you are working/learning!

2) Decide what it is that you think you want to do with your DAW/setup and break down your path to that end into reachable goals. If you approach the
daunting task of learning your DAW in a measured, steady way, your chances for success (however you define it) are much greater.

3) Seek out and find a Mentor or studio partner in your area. Working with someone else, even if you are on the same level technically, is beneficial in many ways. (Make sure you enjoy spending lots of continuous time with this person! It is also helpful if they are proficient in areas that you are not and vice versa, as this ensures that you both grow as producers/engineers/musicians)

4) This is the biggest tip that I have for any budding DAW user: READ THE MANUAL! and don't just read it... Absorb it. Live it. Become one with the documentation of whatever products you use in your music making endeavors! Print them out and put them in 3 ring binders. Carry them with you everywhere that you might have 15, 30 or more minutes to read. I do not suggest reading the entire manual in a day and thinking you've got it. I read a chapter or so and then try to apply what I've read. Read another chapter and then apply that. Then, I'll re-read those chapters again and find things that I missed or didn't really understand the first go around. Rinse. Repeat. Learn.

Good Luck!

Jason

(also, I suggest starting out with that CS200. It will do just fine for a beginner/intermediate user. By the time you outgrow it, you'll actually be able to use what ever beastly computers they've got out by then!)

This is killer advice!!! And to add, you have to WANT to do this!

A good example, I got a call from a kid (I think he's 20) in Alabama last week and he told me there was no one out where he lived that he could just sit and learn with. Most of the people he knew out there didn't have the patience to teach him.

I told him it was too bad he didn't live out here cause I'd be happy to do a 1 on 1 deal with him over a weekend.

Well, he talked to his Mother and since they have family out here, She's paying for the trip and he's coming out the weekend before he goes back to school. Since he's making the effort to come learn I told him I'd do it for free!! We're going to do 2 all afternoon sessions and I'm going to show him all I know with Studio One.

It should be a kick!! I know I still have much to learn in 2.0 but with all I know so far, we should have a great time.

The fact that he made the real effort, that's what impressed me!

themuzic wrote:
Well, he talked to his Mother and since they have family out here, She's paying for the trip and he's coming out the weekend before he goes back to school. Since he's making the effort to come learn I told him I'd do it for free!! We're going to do 2 all afternoon sessions and I'm going to show him all I know with Studio One.

It should be a kick!! I know I still have much to learn in 2.0 but with all I know so far, we should have a great time.

The fact that he made the real effort, that's what impressed me!

Good for you! That is a gracious gesture on your part and real life example of what this season is all about. Proud of ya!

Dan