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anonymous 22 March 2006

Ok, so I have spent the last few months setting up a DAW strictly for VO's. Special thanks to Teddy G for all his input... Keep in mind I am not building a dedicated DAW as of yet, just tweaking and optimizing the Vaio Desktop PCV - Rz32g. I'll build a dedicated one after Vista comes out.

Asus Motherboard made for Sony (Average IDE-based proprietary MB)

2.6 P4 with HT

2.0 GB DDR 2700 RAM (4x512)

Sony DVD-RW Drive with 8MB Cache and 2.0 firmware upgrade (Came with the PC, very solid ).

Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 80GB HDD. Contains my OS on C: and my Audio Apps on D: (AA 2.0)

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 300GB HDD with 16MB cache. Best IDE I could find. Contains Temp Folder for AA 2.0, Loops, and Write only files. Both HDD's on same IDE Cable.

300W power supply could not be replaced without replacing MB and Case (Proprietary to Sony), but I yanked out my CD-ROM, Floppy, Secondary USB Hub to conserve power/cpu. Also have a 540W UPS/Backup.

256MB Geforce 6200 VC - AGP

Lynx L22 in PCI slot 2 for seperate IRQ (Buying this month).

Windows XP Home Tweaks:
Set for Background Services over programs.
Virtual Memory is 3070MB on C:, D:, Z: (Audio Drive)
No Visual effects
System restore disabled on D: and Z:
Use MSConfig to run only 7-10 services/startups for recording sessions. No internet connection during recording sessions.
All IE temp folders are emptied when IE is closed
All drives cleaned, defraged weekly - periodically backed up to 3rd HDD with Norton Ghost.
Both Drives running at 32bit transfer rate in BIOS, DMA enabled, etc.
Various other XP and AA 2.0 tweaks as well...

A dual boot will be on the next DAW.

Buying a EV-RE20 with SM and accessories, Mackie Onyx 1220, AKG 271 Headphones. Already had Roland DM-20's (Borderline Prosumer) for monitors, I will replace these in my next DAW. Grace 101 Pre will be purchased down the line as well.

My room is going to have 2" thick office-cubical panels against the walls and various sound dampening items. The PC will also be contained in a sound treated cart although it is very quiet on its own.

As said before, dual boot, a new MB and case just weren't in the budget as of yet because I would have to buy everything from scratch thereafter (RAM, 3 HDD's, Processor chip, OS, Power Supply, etc.).

Consider this my first serious DAW; the one to practice and learn with.

Thanks again Teddy.

Comments

TVPostSound Tue, 07/04/2006 - 15:57

Ok, so I have spent the last few months setting up a DAW strictly for VO's.

I responded earlier, but it seems to have dissapeared.

Why would you spend a few months building a VO DAW???
1 track???
Im not being arrogant here, but you could have done what I have :
1 hour to build.
Apple PowerBook
Digidesign MBox 1 (USB Powered) Included Protools software.
Portable 2.5" 100 gig firewire drive from Macsales (Firewire powered)
I shoot VOs with a Sennheiser MKH416 P48. (Booth not really needed)

Put it all in a bag, go to production offices and read the VO talent, and turn over the files to the Avid editors.

A few months?? I was earning, not building.

Are you in for the thrill of the chase or the kill???

8-)

anonymous Tue, 07/04/2006 - 16:40

Wow, I wish I were you as far as having the time.

Actually this is a side project, and I like production as well. Besides working 50hrs a week in an boring IT job, and my nights watching my son, I spend about 5-10 hrs on the side in this little project studio now that its up and running. Could have done what you have but I'll take a Lynx 2 over an Mbox USB anytime; especially since VO's are just a start to this little project. Plus, one year ago all I knew was the talent angle to the whole bit from working at a few radio stations in my early 20's; so I took the time to educate myself on the art of vocal recording/mastering with the tech, as much as I need to anyways, about an hour a week.

Some of us dont need to work and make a killing in the field to feel good about doing it. Some of us just want to make enough to say they did it - and the tax write-offs of course.

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