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Recommended Hardware for Audio
Overview
As detailed in our article "Sound Solutions: A Computer Music & Audio Hardware Primer," those looking to purchase a Mac or PC for a home studio, have many decisions to make. This article provides additional details on recommended hardware and software. Obviously, these general recommendations may not apply to everyone. The main focus is on helping you to build a stable system to avoid crashes and other technical problems (you're a musician, not a computer wizard, right?) and getting the best possible performance.
Getting Started
To get started, you should go to a few music stores and sit down in front of each type of system you are considering for a while, or go to a local user group and talk to some experts. (If you are in the Vancouver area, I could be hired for consultation or shopping assistance.)
Mac or PC?
The PC versus Mac question is as tricky to answer as ever. Here are some observations:
1. Cubase is the most widely used "high-end" sequencer and audio recorder available. If you are considering building a system for use with Cubase, you should consider the so-called "latency" delay introduced by the driver software (and, sometimes, exacerbated by the operating system). If you looked at the latency values of the top 20 professional-level sound cards for PC and Mac when we did in the second half of 2001, you might have noticed that not one of the top 13 performers was running on a Mac. And the Mac, at this writing, only figures twice in the top 20. This definitely suggests that PCs have the potential for better performance -- and even sub-$50 PC audio cards can deliver latency levels equivalent to that of $1000 cards for the Mac. Indeed, there are those who maintain that, since Apple dropped serial ports and the built-in analog audio input on Macs in favor of USB, MIDI and Firewire inputs, the Mac has never been quite as good. From a purely technical standpoint, this position is arguable, given USB's maximum theoretical throughput, which exceeds that of the older Apple serial standard. However, almost nothing in the computer world works in practice as it does in theory. Others believe the main culprit in the Mac's lacklustre MIDI performance is OMS, the troubled successor to Apple's now-defunct MIDI Manager. (For a look at Mac analog audio input requirements and workarounds for difficulties in editing and manipulating FireWire audio, see "White Paper - Setting up a Mixing Board: FCP, DV and the Audio Mixing Board" at KenStone.net.)
Chris Bell is an iMac user experiencing issues that are not uncommon. "I recently purchased a Roland UA-30 audio USB interface for my iMac DV," he notes. "I have been putting together an inexpensive home studio with the intention to move the whole thing to a high-end PowerBook once it is working satisfactorily. As an early adopter of USB audio, I have had to endure some bumps and bruises but things are starting to come together, sort of. I use Cakewalk Metro as my sequencer and Bias Deck & Peak for digital recording and mastering."
"My current test project is largely hard-disk-recording oriented," he explains, "...using the built-in USB audio in OS 9.1 sound control panel with the hardware and software I mention above. Laying down the first reference track is fine and of high quality, but every subsequent track is slightly out of sync (late). I have been hand tweaking them back in place, but it seems like there should be a way to set or automate this in the software. Also, I would think that Roland would address this with a special driver or something since latency makes recording with the UA-30 alone near impossible!"
Because Macs are primarily using USB for MIDI connections and external audio recorders at this point, Mac users are particularly vulnerable to latency issues. David Phillips, a Technical Support Representative for Edirol Corporation, confirms, "there is an inherent latency with USB that you cannot change, and this is likely what you are experiencing when you record. The only way you could compensate for this is by changing the buffer settings in your software, likely labeled "Mixing Latency" or something similar to that."
2. Many high-end studios use Macs, and it seems that most pro-audio music stores continue to recommend Macs over PCs. Part of this is based on the Mac's legendary ease of use; part is, we believe, based on the long-term view of the Mac as a more reliable platform for music and audio work. This situation, however, doesn't necessarily reflect current realities.
For one thing, Apple has confirmed G4 Digital Audio noise problems that can add up to trouble in some applications. As well, the transition to OS X is by no means completed, meaning that most audio apps currently run only under the older and less stable Mac OS 9.x.
Part of the problem, developers at Creative Labs say, is that Apple has been slow to deliver needed technical information, making it necessary for them to do updates "in bits and pieces." Developers complain that portions of the audio in OS X are still not fully optimized, making further development difficult on that platform. Major pro audio developers such as Steinberg, Digidesign and others say that none of their applications will be OS X native until Q1 2002 at the earliest. Emagic says OS X versions of its pro audio applications are in "prebeta." However, there is hope. A recent study at the Peabody Institute (part of the John Hopkins University in the U.S.) found that under loaded conditions, OS X provides the lowest audio latency of any modern OS. Although professional audio applications are not yet available, the research suggests that OS X will someday be a leading audio performer.
Meanwhile, over the last couple of years, the PC has matured into a flexible and full-featured foundation for a digital music studio. At this point, it is still somewhat more complex than a Mac to set up and maintain, but there are definite rewards -- not the least of which are a greater number of hardware and software options. I personally wouldn't want to trade my PC-based music system, even for the best software that's currently available for the Mac.
And, just in case you think I am biased, I have a fairly maxxed-out, dual-CPU, dual-display 500 MHz G4 here, with a 22" Cinema Display, worth over $11,000 in total. Its CD writing software is weaker, its audio editors are less friendly, and its selection of plug-ins is decidedly more limited than the PC. However, the Mac continues to be strong at the high end, where ease is less important than pro-oriented features (SMPTE, etc.). At this level, Pro Tools for Mac is still a leader -- and they're not holding their breath waiting for OS X.
As far as complexity goes, the Mac is somewhat easier to maintain, but a well-configured PC, with the sound hardware preinstalled is not very complex, either. Windows XP goes a long way to "beginner-proofing" the PC experience, thanks to its "System Restore" that allows mistakes to be easily undone and the clock "rolled back" to a time before a system-crashing variable such as a rogue device driver or errant update was introduced.
Indeed, if avoiding crashes is your top priority, you might prefer a Mac, or find Windows XP worth the extra investment. I don't personally. My Windows Me-based system is stable enough for reliable, extended use and, believe it or not, Windows 2000 didn't add noticeably to my overall application stability in the music programs I use (listed below). Although I know I am in the minority by saying this, I seem to have more problems with Windows 2000 than I do with Windows Me. I honestly can't remember the last time I lost any work in my music sequencer or audio editor because of a crash in Windows Me. I reboot once a week or so, just to be on the safe side. Generally, it's a buggy application or device driver that is any computer's greatest threat to stability. (I attribute most of my problems with Windows 2000 primarily to MIDI timing issues and other audio-related performance problems, not fatal crashes, by the way.) Choosing reliable software and highly regarded, pro-quality sound gear and hardware peripherals is your best bet for computer-assisted audio recording satisfaction.
On the topic of software...
- My favorite PC-based music software tools, all of which I consider rock solid, at this point, include:
- Sonic Foundry Sound Forge
- Sonic Foundry Acid 2.0 (I'm just getting familiar with version 3.0 -- so far, so good!)
- Steinberg Cubase VST 5.0 (a few documented issues and several updates since the 5.0 release notwithstanding)
- Steinberg Clean Plus (easy audio CD maker)
- Adaptec Easy CD Creator 4.02 Deluxe (not the best or most full-featured title on the market, but I own it, so I use it.)
Only #3 is available on the Mac. There are roughly similar tools in the
other categories, however.
- BIAS Peak
- ReCycle
- Jam
- Toast
...and back to our topic
If your digital audio card (or external box, as the case may be) has no onboard MIDI interface, your choices are many:
- external USB MIDI interface
- Internal gameport connector and suitable external MIDI adapter cable.
- Second sound card with gameport and cable as above.
- Second sound card with dedicated MIDI connector(s)
- Serial connected MIDI
- Parallel connected MIDI
- I've never seen one, but there is probably also a FireWire connected MIDI I/F out there somewhere
I personally use #3 and #4 in my two machines and express no preference, other than convenience of having the MIDI connectors somewhere other than right on the back of the computer. I know several people who have obtained good results with USB and serial devices, too.
As you are probably aware, there are some very expensive MIDI interfaces out there, with MTC, SMPTE, multiple outs, etc., etc. You should choose one that meets your specific needs. My needs are pretty simple: I only have five pieces of external MIDI gear which are seldom if ever all in use at once, so 16 or 32 channels is (usually) enough.
Recommended Solutions
Many users report good results with either the Delta 66 or the Delta DiO 2496 (The latter is fine if you don't really need any more than two inputs as, found on the Delta 66). They are dependable, sound great and have good support. The people on Cubase.net and elsewhere appear to be pleased with it. Also, Sound on Sound has given good reviews to the Delta cards.
A somewhat more high-end choice, favored by many Macintosh-based digital studios, is DigiDesign's Pro Tools. Many studio buffs I consider Pro Tools the best there is -- a position that, again, is arguable, depending on your needs and budget. At any rate, it remains a solid choice for professional studios, despite the fact that there are far fewer add-on options for it than are available in DirectX and/or VST plugin formats, suitable for use with Cubase and other PC-based programs.
DirectX plugins support almost any sound card, requiring only a PC running a host program that supports the DirectX plug-in architecture. VST plugins and instruments are similar, but, as the name implies, are designed to work with Cubase VST.
In fact, Cubase and Pro Tools are quite different in intent. In addition to its audio recording and processing abilities, Cubase is a full-fledged score printing program, with extensive MIDI editing, song arrangement features, synth bank editing, algorithmic style generation, internet collaboration, etc., etc. Pro Tools offers none of these features. In fact, Cubase's abilities in waveform editing are definitely NOT strong. You would definitely need a program such as WaveLab (which is also by Steinberg) or my favorite, Sound Forge, or any one of several others to complement it.
There is, however, nothing stopping you from running Pro Tools Free on the PC (or Mac). It, as the name implies, is free. There are also decent shareware sound editors such as Cooledit 2000 from Syntrillium.com
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