For the hobbiest: pre-fab Pulsar DAW or DIY

ahrensj · Post by **ahrensj** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 5:08 pm

Christmas present to myself: replace an old Cakewalk/Soundblaster crappy DAW with a new Pulsar machine.

I've heard conflicting advice for hobbiests like myself (music is a weekend addiction rather than full-time job). Some claim that Pulsar is tricky to get right, so get a pre-fab DAW. Other say Do-It-Yourself is fine *as long as you have the right MOBO, etc.*

Would the Pulsar overlords impart their wisdom here? Pre-fab or DIY? If pre-fab, where are the respected vendors? If DIY, I'm sure there is a web site out there with suggested hardware so I don't spend every weekend with compatibility problems, but where?

Many thanks,

Jeff

marcuspocus · Post by **marcuspocus** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 6:32 pm

http://www.infinitevortex.com/default.asp?page=p4daw

ahrensj · Post by **ahrensj** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 6:46 pm

I have called Infinite Vortex already -- they said that they don't make pre-fab Creamware DAWs anymore. If anyone else has had a good experience with a company, please let me know.

Thanks,

Jeff

algorhythm · Post by **algorhythm** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 10:54 pm

build one.

check the tech-forum here. everything you need to know is there. do some research and then post the config you want to get and the geeks here will say yeah or neah for final tech-approval . . .

and buy through http://www.pricewatch.com - I get everything through searching this ad board. best deals there are, AFAIK.

my homespun DAW has been rockin' solid for longer than I can remember . . .

algorhythm · Post by **algorhythm** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 10:56 pm

oh, and hey - I see that you are from NYC - check the off topic forum, I'm visiting a friend there for 3 weeks starting wednesday. if you get your components during that time and need help, I'd be glad to. I'll have oodles of free time and will work for food.

email me . . . .

oh, and save yourself headaches and buy low noise fans and power supplies and a good case - these are more important than you would think.

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Mon Nov 18, 2002 11:19 pm

buildin's easy man.. the right MOBO isn't hard to find. The topic's all over the tech forum. And once you have the right MOBO, you won't even think that anything could have gone wrong. (despite the hell that people with the WRONG mobo go through) If you go through the tech forum, you'll end up with a good list of components to buy in no time. Good luck.

samplaire · Post by **samplaire** » Tue Nov 19, 2002 4:12 am

And try to listen to our PC specialists - don't trust people saying VIA is fast enough. Perhaps it is but not for Pulsar based DAW. Why I write all of it? I've got a friend who calls himself a PC geek - so he bought a VIA based mobo to add his 3 CW cards and ended up with PCI overflows etc. Then after a month of hell days & nights he decided to search the PlanetZ tech forum. It costed him not only time but money, too. And watch the problem solviing forum to find dozens of guys who have similar problems. I'm on a Mac so can't help you other way.The only advice is: don't be wiser than our guys here at PlanetZ. Be wise enough to trust them

_________________
Sir SamPlaire

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: samplaire on 2002-11-19 04:16 ]</font>

Tony B · Post by **Tony B** » Tue Nov 19, 2002 6:18 am

Do it or else

Well said Sir Sam

ahrensj · Post by **ahrensj** » Tue Nov 19, 2002 12:39 pm

Thanks to all that responded.

I really appreciate the assistance -- and I think I speak for all the novices when I say that in giving this kind of advice, the experts here go *well* beyond the call of duty.

Cheers,

Jeff

jupiter8 · Post by **jupiter8** » Fri Nov 29, 2002 4:08 pm

Go Intel. Chipset and processor. End of story.

Choice 1.
Rdram or DDR ?
That is chipset i 845 (DDR) or i850 (Rdram).

Rdram is soooo expensive but some reports have been made that the STS samplers work better with it.
You can probably go for DDR. Most peole do but if you can afford it, go for Rdram.

Question 2.
Which manufacturer ?
Asus or Intel.
Asus is a bit more flexible and Intel is a bit more stable.
I went for Asus.

Question 3.
400 or 533 FSB.
Easy one. 533 of course. Faster is always better.

And don't fo for a board with tons of features.

So the my answer would be one of these

http://www.asus.com.tw/products/mb/overview_p4.htm

or one of these

http://www.intel.com/design/motherbd/4_mbd.htm

You can't go wrong with these. There might be one that is a slightly better but than the other but that is up to personal opinion.

Some might say, get the newest one 'cause it is more future proof and others say, get a tried-and-tested one.

This my advice. Listen to what other peolpe say as well but i think i have gathered the "collective PlanetZ knowledge" pretty well this time.

jupiter8 · Post by **jupiter8** » Sat Nov 30, 2002 4:28 am

Oh i almost forgot...

Windows XP sp1. There are some tweaks you must do make it run smooth. Check the tips and tricks section.

At least 512 Mb of RAM. If you're going to use a lot of big samples with the STS go for 1 gig.

I believe the first and fifth PCI slot share irq so stay away from them. Check the manual for that one.

mr swim · Post by **mr swim** » Thu Dec 05, 2002 6:06 am

Being a novice myself I went for the halfway house. Chose the components myself (with expert advice, some of it from here) and got some professionals to build and format it. They even guaranteed it for 12months. It cost about £50 ($90) which, well, might seem like a lot I don't know, but I was very happy to pay it just to make sure that there were no issues. Which there weren't until I started fiddling with it myself !

Good luck,

Will.