vanblah

(I debated whether to put this in music or computers. Most of the topics in music tend to be centered around musical taste rather than performance so I decided to put it here.)

I've been researching this for a while now and I'm about ready to build but I thought I'd throw this out and see what advice you guys have to offer. I am looking to build a computer that will allow me to use a couple of soft synths in a live performance setting.

This is the list of things that are important (in no particular order):

reliable
rackmount
quiet (power supply, fans etc.)
fast drives (I'd prefer not to go SCSI again though)
fast cpu
fast RAM
fast mobo (ie. FSB etc)

Price is always a factor, but I'm not afraid to spend money on something if it's worth it.

One thing to keep in mind is that I'll be playing in smoky environments, so filters may be in order, but I haven't seen anything like this ... yet.

I'll also be using a power conditioner and UPS in the rack.

I'm not too concerned with expandibility since I'll probaby beat the hell out of this computer at live shows and will likely replace it way before upgrading.

I am sticking with Windows.

Also, have any of you heard of pro soundcards that are geared specifically for live performance? I use an Aardvark Q10 on my recording set up, but that's 1) overkill for live and 2) doesn't route properly for live. I'm more concerned with outputs than inputs. I'm looking at M-Audio 410, but maybe one of you guys will know something I don't.

BTW - With the exception of my most recent computer purchase for my wife, I have built every computer I have ever owned. I got tired of supporting my wife's computer and bought her a Dell. Now I can just tell her, "Call Dell," which sounds suspiciously like, "Go to hell."

Cynthetiq

most sound engineer types i know run macs.

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vanblah

All of my software is for Windows. I also just really don't like Macs for music -- mainly because I never really got used to using them but also because of the expense in purchasing a Mac back in those days. The price factors are about the same now, but I've already got too much invested to switch now.

Also, this is not for engineering ... it is for live performance. I already have a recording box (Windows). It doesn't need the same speed as I would need for live performance.

I don't want to turn this into a Mac vs. PC discussion. They both do their jobs well at the pro-sumer level. Besides, most pro studios use both. There are pieces of software for each that aren't cross-platform.

Cynthetiq

sorry didn't see the "stick to windows."

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cyrnel

If you haven't built a box in a while the performance floor should be easy. Maybe run mirrored storage for reliability. Surely SATA is fast enough, there are quality versions, and it's almost automatic hot-swap. Unless you buy an industrial PC the rest of the system will be commodity stuff. I'd be checking into what hardware other customers (or the authors) of the software are using. You could for example run into some weird compatibility issue with sound hardware and certain chipsets that may not be "supported." There have to be good musician forums with community talk about this stuff.

Can you play without it? How long would you be willing to mumble while a spare is swapped in? Those'd be my first considerations. I hate failures, and moving stuff around is rough on it before you deal with effects from changing humidity, temp, smoke, etc. Build a pair of less esoteric boxes, or build off common laptop functions with your software and music on a removable and extra hardware as peripherals. If that sounds bad for setup then make the storage and peripherials rackable in their own box. This also makes for easy incremental upgrades and replacement.

I'd hate to hang a band's performance on the strength of a guitar string.

As for specific audio equipment I'm way out of date.

Just some random thoughts.

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vanblah

Yes, I'd still have a "hardware" rig for backup (it's what I play live now). The reason for going with a computer set up is because the sounds are so freaking amazing. The pianos and B3 emulation are as close as it gets to the real thing as I've ever heard.

I could always get a couple of Korg Oasys keyboards, but they're outrageously priced right now. I think I can do basically the same thing with a computer.

I do like the idea of building two boxes. My wife would probably kill me if I suddenly double my hardware budget though.

tfpfreak

I had somewhat the same setup for live performances, but i was using my Mac G4 from the studio. In my opinion it did the same as any others windows platform. So I think you are safe there. Basically any PC will work as long as the necessary cards/ports are available and the right software is used. Good luck with this and I'd love to see the setup when you get it finished.

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MacGyver

i don't konw if you are still looking for help on this... but i was looking into rack mount cases for a new pc of my own as well not too long ago. i didn't find too much that i liked, but newegg had some that were tucked away under their server section. the ones i took a liking to were built by norco. i still haven't bought one yet... but they looked flexible enough for what i was looking to do.

NewEgg: Norco

hope that helps some.

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