Welcome to RO.

Sounds like a good musical combination, and one that takes less CPU if you aren't needing a lot of virtual instruments or effects. When you start compiling track after track of virtual instruments and adding plug-ins on each track, this is when the demand for a powerful computer increases exponentially.
Optimizing your CP is a must either way so be sure to do that regardless. Check out PCAudioLabs for ideas on what they use for music computers. They build highly regarded custom muisc computers.

Does your midi keyboard have sounds in it or are you using VSTi? If you have a midi keyboard with built in sounds, you can scream along on a less powerful CP. If you are using a lot of plug-ins for effects, your need for a more powerful CP increases.
Then there is latency issues that you need to be aware of.

Reaper is an awesome DAW, very proficient at what it does.thumb Sonar X1 is another that s optimized for Win7 64.

Thanks for the quick reply.
In terms of RAM, hardrive size and processor speed could you give me some numbers to aim for?
I havnt bought my midi keyboard yet its a future plan. I would imagine I will go down the plugins route for more flexibilty.

You will need a well built PC then.

8 gig minimum with 3 HD is ideal. 500 gig 7200 RPM drives are a nice size. One for your audio and one for your library. The third one for your OS could be a SSD. Maybe a SSD for your library too ( not sure) SSD are not good for tracking audio but are great for your OS.

I would use an i7. Check out that link I gave you. They are up on what is best. RAIN Computers have an outlet in the UK which you might want to look into too. Custom build PC's are the way to go. Don't waste your time guessing, look at the link and go from there. They have their specs.

Even most new entry-level computers will outperform my single core Pentium 4, 3.2 GHz single core processor. I only run 2 GB of RAM and in some only a single gigabyte of RAM. But I'm also not doing any virtual instruments with MIDI. And even these older computers like mine are completely adequate for 24 tracks of simultaneous recording. It's even fine for mixing utilizing a boatload of plug-ins and resident processing built into the multitrack software package. The most critical factor is how the computer is tweaked and adjusted. And with those adjustments, you won't have a machine capable of high-speed gaming as those games require a different computer adjustment than multitrack audio/video requires. So even a high-speed gaming machine doesn't necessarily cut the mustard as a multitrack audio computer should. So while a PC computer can be a one-size-fits-all device, it won't work without some alterations. And built-in computers sound cards are to be avoided like the plague, black plague, smallpox, tuberculosis, diabetes, obesity, active virus software, junk that auto starts with Windows, anything running in the background, scheduled events, etc., must be disabled, turned off. And that can also present problems when trying to surf the Internet on that machine. But all is not lost. Some virus software can be quasi-disabled while still protecting your computer even if it is your multitrack recording studio.

Purpose built audio computers can be quite pricey. If you are building up a custom PC, you will want to check out what audiokid recommended you look into. Good motherboards are the most critical ingredient. And not all chipsets are viable even if they are good for gaming purposes. Many audio hardware manufacturers/devices don't like certain chipsets. So you have to know what you have to know. A lot of folks will simply recommended Macintoshes. But Macintoshes are generally twice the cost of the average PC. Some people stick with them since they seemed to require a very few special settings like PCs require. So if you have some computer intelligence/savviness, you'll have no problems with a PC. If you are completely inept technically, you might do better with a Macintosh.

PCs only here
Mx. Remy Ann David