{"id":11737,"date":"2020-05-17T02:31:09","date_gmt":"2020-05-17T02:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/audioordeal.co.uk\/?p=11737"},"modified":"2020-07-05T01:14:38","modified_gmt":"2020-07-05T01:14:38","slug":"how-to-pick-a-computer-for-music-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/audioordeal.co.uk\/how-to-pick-a-computer-for-music-production\/","title":{"rendered":"How to pick\/build a computer for music production"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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For most producers nowadays, the computer is the central part of the studio. As such, it should be up to spec and able to handle what you throw at it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide will explore two options for producers looking to obtain a new production computer. The simplest method would be to buy a pre-built computer, the other option would be to build your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first thing to do is look at the pros and cons of both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A word about pricing:<\/strong>
Hardware costs money to make and so there is a minimum price where you get a good return. Any computer under \u00a3300 generally has serious compromises and will offer a lower “performance per pound” than its \u00a3600 counterpart.

You can generally get the best performance per pound in the \u00a3500-\u00a31000 range. For music production, you really have no need to spend more than \u00a31500 on a PC, and at that price, it can double up as a pretty beastly gaming rig if you shop right. Above, and especially, below that range has seriously diminishing returns for the needs of most producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buying a pre-built PC for music production<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Pros<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
  • Simplest to get as it requires no building. <\/li>
  • Deals can be favourable and you can get expert advice from shops and builders<\/li>
  • It arrives ready to go<\/li>
  • Generally upgrade-able for future developments<\/li>
  • Warranties and support are often part of the package, giving ease of mind<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Cons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    • Easy to get convinced to buy more than you require<\/li>
    • Expert advice may be laced with commission-based recommendations which may not be in your interest<\/li>
    • You have less control over what is in stock and available<\/li>
    • Pre-builts can be expensive compared to building your own<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

      I would recommend people who have little experience with computers to go with this route. It is simpler and the (likely) additional cost covers the convenience and peace of mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      I do recommend if you go with this route that you consult with a tech-savvy friend, or even bring them to shops with you to chat to the sales clerks and prevent the classic sleazy “car salesman” scams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      I have accompanied several friends when they have bought new computers, and have seen first-hand staff trying to push additional deals or options on them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Don’t be convinced to buy on the spot, a good trick is to take photos of the labels for the PCs you like and look them up later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      If you are looking online, steer clear of the “gaming” buzzword. More often than not you will see inferior PCs hyped up as gaming PCs when they would struggle to handle even the lighter modern games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Building a PC for music production<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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      Pros<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      • Means you can get exactly the spec you want without any additional costs of parts you don’t need.<\/li>
      • You can plan accordingly for future-proofing the machine<\/li>
      • Generally cheaper to get parts and build yourself<\/li>
      • You can cheap out at the start on some parts if you don’t have the money immediately<\/li>
      • Building a PC is not that hard once you know the parts all work together<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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        Cons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
        • Requires an understanding of computer components and compatibilities<\/li>
        • Not plug and play<\/li>
        • Liability is on you if you make a mistake or damage components when building<\/li>
        • Warranties are on components not the whole system<\/li>
        • Depending on the delivery options, you could have a half-built PC while you wait for parts to arrive<\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

          This is my recommended option for everyone else. If you are happy spending a few hours watching YouTube videos of PC builders and tutorials, you will be up to scratch with what is needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          There are really good websites such as PC Part Picker<\/a> which allow you to pick the parts and then it will flag up if things are incompatible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The brief<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          Firstly, this PC needs to be able to run audio production software smoothly, even with large projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          It needs to be able to handle many instances of VSTs running at the same time, and have a low latency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Secondly, we need to be able to have a quiet PC, one which won\u2019t make unnecessary noise that will be picked up by sensitive studio microphones or interrupt the mixing process. Bear this in mind when picking a PC online and look for reviews discussing noise. If you are building your own, you can buy high-quality fans such as Noctua fans<\/a> which are well known for their quiet cooling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Thirdly, we need it to have a safe way to store all of the expensive sample libraries, and your music projects, all of which would be a nightmare to lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I have tried to write the next part so you can follow it with both the intention to build your own or grabbing a pre-built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The computer parts to look out for<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

          CPU<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          The CPU or central processing unit is the brain of the computer. These days they are fast and have lots of cores. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          A CPU core is like a brain that can carry out tasks. If you have multiple CPU cores (standard nowadays to have 4 to 8 cores) it is like having multiple brains or team members working on a task. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Consider having a desk full of paperwork that you need to sort through. It will be faster if you have many fast workers going through it and sorting it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \"\"
          There is generally a bit of a rivalry between AMD users and Intel users. The latest lineup of CPUs from both companies is great and very much a battle of price. My personal recommendation is the latest AMD Ryzen lineup, but my use case is not solely music production. Either brand will suit you fine for a music production PC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          is not solely The big trade-off is that the speed of the cores and the number can often be each important for different tasks. Computer games require fewer cores working at faster clock speeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Other applications such as video rendering can work with more cores and a small sacrifice of clock speed isn’t as bad as sacrificing cores. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The thing to look out for is how many cores your music production software needs and what speed is essential for them to run smoothly. This is easy to find, just look up the system requirements for your DAW. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          If we look at Ableton, it is able to handle up to 64 cores, which is currently available in some CPUs, but if you are reading this guide, out of your price point and use case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \"\"
          Source: Ableton Live Knowledge Base<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          A key thing to remember is that generally, a track in a DAW can use a single thread, a series of instructions that a core works on. If you are only working on a few tracks per project, the core count won’t be as important as clock speed, which will allow you to use more CPU intensive VSTs and effects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          If you have need for many more tracks then more cores will suit you better. Again, if you intend to use CPU-heavy synths and effects like Serum and professional-grade software effects then you will want the CPU to also be fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          CPU names<\/strong>
          There are lots of different naming schemes for CPUs, Intel uses the “i” classification (          i3, i5, i7, and i9<\/a>) whereas AMD’s latest CPUs have Ryzen (3, 5, 7, and 9)<\/a>.

          The higher the number, the more cores you will have but these also come in generations.

          The higher the number after, the newer it is. A Ryzen 5 1600 is older than a Ryzen           5 3600<\/a>, and will have slower speeds. An Intel i7 9700<\/a> will generally be better than an i7 6700 because it is a newer generation.

          As of April 2020 Look out for Ryzen x<\/em> 3xxx<\/em> (eg Ryzen 5 3600), or Intel ix<\/em> 9xxx<\/em> (eg Intel i5 9400). With this naming scheme, you will be up to date and in the most recent generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          I recommend aiming for around 6 cores as a sweet spot of price and performance. More will be better, but don’t go below 4 cores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          One thing to keep an eye on if you are building a PC yourself is whether the CPU has integrated graphics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Generally, Intel CPUs include them (but double check), whereas the main lineup of AMD processors will require a dedicated graphics card. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Unless you want to game or do graphics editing, you can settle for a cheap graphics card like the GT 710<\/a> which will handle desktop and software use but not intensive gaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          The final thing to say here is that additional cores allow better multitasking, so you can have your DAW working with other apps in the background. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          For reference, I can run Ableton projects with Chrome and other apps in the background and even a video render (chugging away slowly as I’m multitasking) at the same time. I run a six-core processor<\/a> with 12 threads, clocked at around 4GHz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n