prophetik music   Judges ⚖️

i'm heeeeeeere! neblix shot me a pm pointing out that i have info for people who need it =)
 
in short, if you're willing to spend 700 or 800 bucks, build your own, or have someone do it for you. you'll get roughly the same numbers for your CPU and RAM, but you'll get *way* better quality in the mobo, PSU, etc. that's the parts that let the system run for years and years without a hiccup.
 
the primary difference between these two machines is the discrete card in the dell, along with the dell having bluetooth, and the xps name itself (which is still a pretty respected name in big-box machines, dell dude aside). i would disagree that either'd be able to handle a big session, though, as 8gb is not much when you get into bigger sample sets. i can max out 8gb pretty easy doing any orchestral track, and the last time i did a rock track i ran that over pretty fast too with a few instances of guitars and the drums.
 
building a computer is rarely more expensive for the same level of quality (it's usually vastly cheaper). W10 is not the daw i'd be using right now (W7 is, still, although from a perspective of W8 vs W10 I'd go with 10). having an external audio interface is super nice (i had a saffire pro 40 when i was doing a lot of mixing), but not required.
 
i disagree with virtually everything supercoolmike said - sorry, i think you're still super cool =( RAM is one of the most important things at allowing your system to scale to bigger projects, arguably even more than CPU since you can always bounce tracks to wav and just load them after you've got them iced. additionally, raw straight-line speed on a cpu isn't as important as a good multicore setup, although this is less of an issue nowadays with everything being quad at a cheap price point. the thing is, RAM's cheap enough that you can just drop in piles of it and it doesn't matter. the cpu's the thing that's hard to upgrade if you don't plan ahead with your choice and what is offered in the slot you pick.
 
here's my requirements for a good mixing pc:
-discrete OS drive
-8gb ram *minimum*. buy it in 8gb sticks so that you can expand easily...the bonus in speed from dual-channel 4gb sticks ain't worth it for the loss in potential slot use
-big quad for the CPU. plan on spending as much money up-front on this so that you don't have to upgrade later
-a good cpu cooler, since you're going to stretch the cpu most of the time
 
newegg's site's having an issue right now with searching for components, but if i was spitballing it, this's what i'd see.
 
cpu: i7-4790, 310$ (might as well pick what those machines you looked at had). 30$ more gives you a 4ghz cpu with an unlocked multiplier.
cpu cooler: hyper 212 evo is my go-to, 35$
case: cheap micro-ATX like the tx-381, 40$. and a sweet handle, too! =D
mobo: H81-based micro ATX mobo, 75$ range
psu: corsair CX500, 45$
ram: 40$ for 8gb is standard
os drive: either a samsung evo or a kingston v300 (evo for performance, v300 for cost), roughly 120gb is good for an OS drive on a pure music machine. figure 80$ for the evo or 50$ for the v300
sample drive: 1-2tb internal drive - i only buy WD, usually a Black model. 70$ for the 1tb and 120$ for the 2tb.
 
going with the v300 and the 1tb internal, and 8gb of RAM, that's 665 or so for the parts for a machine that's got waaaay higher quality parts in it than those bigbox versions, and it's got a lot more features (like the aftermarket CPU cooler, the OS drive, and a better sample drive). you'll just need a flash-drive with the windows install disc on it is all, or drop another 20$ for a dvd burner.
 
if you want to talk specifics for a custom system, ping me and we can chat. i can just about always make a system work for a good price.

i'm heeeeeeere! neblix shot me a pm pointing out that i have info for people who need it =)
 
in short, if you're willing to spend 700 or 800 bucks, build your own, or have someone do it for you. you'll get roughly the same numbers for your CPU and RAM, but you'll get *way* better quality in the mobo, PSU, etc. that's the parts that let the system run for years and years without a hiccup.
 
the primary difference between these two machines is the discrete card in the dell, along with the dell having bluetooth, and the xps name itself (which is still a pretty respected name in big-box machines, dell dude aside). i would disagree that either'd be able to handle a big session, though, as 8gb is not much when you get into bigger sample sets. i can max out 8gb pretty easy doing any orchestral track, and the last time i did a rock track i ran that over pretty fast too with a few instances of guitars and the drums.
 
building a computer is rarely more expensive for the same level of quality (it's usually vastly cheaper). W10 is not the daw i'd be using right now (W7 is, still, although from a perspective of W8 vs W10 I'd go with 10). having an external audio interface is super nice (i had a saffire pro 40 when i was doing a lot of mixing), but not required.
 
i disagree with virtually everything supercoolmike said - sorry, i think you're still super cool =( RAM is one of the most important things at allowing your system to scale to bigger projects, arguably even more than CPU since you can always bounce tracks to wav and just load them after you've got them iced. additionally, raw straight-line speed on a cpu isn't as important as a good multicore setup, although this is less of an issue nowadays with everything being quad at a cheap price point. the thing is, RAM's cheap enough that you can just drop in piles of it and it doesn't matter. the cpu's the thing that's hard to upgrade if you don't plan ahead with your choice and what is offered in the slot you pick.
 
here's my requirements for a good mixing pc:
-discrete OS drive
-8gb ram *minimum*. buy it in 8gb sticks so that you can expand easily...the bonus in speed from dual-channel 4gb sticks ain't worth it for the loss in potential slot use
-big quad for the CPU. plan on spending as much money up-front on this so that you don't have to upgrade later
-a good cpu cooler, since you're going to stretch the cpu most of the time
 
newegg's site's having an issue right now with searching for components, but if i was spitballing it, this's what i'd see.
 
cpu: i7-4790, 310$ (might as well pick what those machines you looked at had). 30$ more gives you a 4ghz cpu with an unlocked multiplier.
cpu cooler: hyper 212 evo is my go-to, 35$
case: cheap micro-ATX like the tx-381, 40$. and a sweet handle, too! =D
mobo: H81-based micro ATX mobo, 75$ range
psu: corsair CX500, 45$
ram: 40$ for 8gb is standard
os drive: either a samsung evo or a kingston v300 (evo for performance, v300 for cost), roughly 120gb is good for an OS drive on a pure music machine. figure 80$ for the evo or 50$ for the v300
sample drive: 1-2tb internal drive - i only buy WD, usually a Black model. 70$ for the 1tb and 120$ for the 2tb.
 
going with the v300 and the 1tb internal, and 8gb of RAM, that's 665 or so for the parts for a machine that's got waaaay higher quality parts in it than those bigbox versions, and it's got a lot more features (like the aftermarket CPU cooler, the OS drive, and a better sample drive). you'll just need a flash-drive with the windows install disc on it is all, or drop another 20$ for a dvd burner.
 
if you want to talk specifics for a custom system, ping me and we can chat. i can just about always make a system work for a good price.

i'm heeeeeeere! neblix shot me a pm pointing out that i have info for people who need it =)
 
in short, if you're willing to spend 700 or 800 bucks, build your own, or have someone do it for you. you'll get roughly the same numbers for your CPU and RAM, but you'll get *way* better quality in the mobo, PSU, etc. that's the parts that let the system run for years and years without a hiccup.
 
the primary difference between these two machines is the discrete card in the dell, along with the dell having bluetooth, and the xps name itself (which is still a pretty respected name in big-box machines, dell dude aside). i would disagree that either'd be able to handle a big session, though, as 8gb is not much when you get into bigger sample sets. i can max out 8gb pretty easy doing any orchestral track, and the last time i did a rock track i ran that over pretty fast too with a few instances of guitars and the drums.
 
building a computer is rarely more expensive for the same level of quality (it's usually vastly cheaper). W10 is not the daw i'd be using right now (W7 is, still, although from a perspective of W8 vs W10 I'd go with 10). having an external audio interface is super nice (i had a saffire pro 40 when i was doing a lot of mixing), but not required.
 
i disagree with virtually everything supercoolmike said - sorry, i think you're still super cool =( RAM is one of the most important things at allowing your system to scale to bigger projects, arguably even more than CPU since you can always bounce tracks to wav and just load them after you've got them iced. additionally, raw straight-line speed on a cpu isn't as important as a good multicore setup, although this is less of an issue nowadays with everything being quad at a cheap price point. the thing is, RAM's cheap enough that you can just drop in piles of it and it doesn't matter. the cpu's the thing that's hard to upgrade if you don't plan ahead with your choice and what is offered in the slot you pick.
 
here's my requirements for a good mixing pc:
-discrete OS drive
-8gb ram *minimum*. buy it in 8gb sticks so that you can expand easily...the bonus in speed from dual-channel 4gb sticks ain't worth it for the loss in potential slot use
-big quad for the CPU. plan on spending as much money up-front on this so that you don't have to upgrade later
-a good cpu cooler, since you're going to stretch the cpu most of the time
 
newegg's site's having an issue right now with searching for components, but if i was spitballing it, this's what i'd see.
 
cpu: i7-4790, 310$ (might as well pick what those machines you looked at had). 30$ more gives you a 4ghz cpu with an unlocked multiplier.
cpu cooler: hyper 212 evo is my go-to, 35$
case: cheap micro-ATX like the tx-381, 40$. and a sweet handle, too! =D
mobo: H81-based micro ATX mobo, 75$ range
psu: corsair CX500, 45$
ram: 40$ for 8gb is standard
os drive: either a samsung evo or a kingston v300 (evo for performance, v300 for cost), roughly 120gb is good for an OS drive on a pure music machine. figure 80$ for the evo or 50$ for the v300
sample drive: 1-2tb internal drive - i only buy WD, usually a Black model. 70$ for the 1tb and 120$ for the 2tb.
 
going with the v300 and the 1tb internal, and 8gb of RAM, that's 665 or so for the parts for a machine that's got waaaay higher quality parts in it than those bigbox versions, and it's got a lot more features (like the aftermarket CPU cooler, the OS drive, and a better sample drive). you'll just need a flash-drive with the windows install disc on it is all, or drop another 20$ for a dvd burner.
 
if you want to talk specifics for a custom system, ping me and we can chat. i can just about always make a system work for a good price.

i'm heeeeeeere! neblix shot me a pm pointing out that i have info for people who need it =)
 
in short, if you're willing to spend 700 or 800 bucks, build your own, or have someone do it for you. you'll get roughly the same numbers for your CPU and RAM, but you'll get *way* better quality in the mobo, PSU, etc. that's the parts that let the system run for years and years without a hiccup.
 
the primary difference between these two machines is the discrete card in the dell, along with the dell having bluetooth, and the xps name itself (which is still a pretty respected name in big-box machines, dell dude aside). i would disagree that either'd be able to handle a big session, though, as 8gb is not much when you get into bigger sample sets. i can max out 8gb pretty easy doing any orchestral track, and the last time i did a rock track i ran that over pretty fast too with a few instances of guitars and the drums.
 
building a computer is rarely more expensive for the same level of quality (it's usually vastly cheaper). W10 is not the daw i'd be using right now (W7 is, still, although from a perspective of W8 vs W10 I'd go with 10). having an external audio interface is super nice (i had a saffire pro 40 when i was doing a lot of mixing), but not required.
 
i disagree with virtually everything supercoolmike said - sorry, i think you're still super cool =( RAM is one of the most important things at allowing your system to scale to bigger projects, arguably even more than CPU since you can always bounce tracks to wav and just load them after you've got them iced. additionally, raw straight-line speed on a cpu isn't as important as a good multicore setup, although this is less of an issue nowadays with everything being quad at a cheap price point. the thing is, RAM's cheap enough that you can just drop in piles of it and it doesn't matter. the cpu's the thing that's hard to upgrade if you don't plan ahead with your choice and what is offered in the slot you pick.
 
here's my requirements for a good mixing pc:
-discrete OS drive
-8gb ram *minimum*. buy it in 8gb sticks so that you can expand easily...the bonus in speed from dual-channel 4gb sticks ain't worth it for the loss in potential slot use
-big quad for the CPU. plan on spending as much money up-front on this so that you don't have to upgrade later
-a good cpu cooler, since you're going to stretch the cpu most of the time
 
newegg's site's having an issue right now with searching for components, but if i was spitballing it, this's what i'd see.
 
cpu: i7-4790, 310$ (might as well pick what those machines you looked at had). 30$ more gives you a 4ghz cpu with an unlocked multiplier.
cpu cooler: hyper 212 evo is my go-to, 35$
case: cheap micro-ATX like the tx-381, 40$. and a sweet handle, too! =D
mobo: H81-based micro ATX mobo, 75$ range
psu: corsair CX500, 45$
ram: 40$ for 8gb is standard
os drive: either a samsung evo or a kingston v300 (evo for performance, v300 for cost), roughly 120gb is good for an OS drive on a pure music machine. figure 80$ for the evo or 50$ for the v300
sample drive: 1-2tb internal drive - i only buy WD, usually a Black model. 70$ for the 1tb and 120$ for the 2tb.
 
going with the v300 and the 1tb internal, and 8gb of RAM, that's 665 or so for the parts for a machine that's got waaaay higher quality parts in it than those bigbox versions, and it's got a lot more features (like the aftermarket CPU cooler, the OS drive, and a better sample drive). you'll just need a flash-drive with the windows install disc on it is all, or drop another 20$ for a dvd burner.
 
if you want to talk specifics for a custom system, ping me and we can chat. i can just about always make a system work for a good price.

haha those strings and timpani =P

I feel like you are jumping to one distinct conclusion.  There are different appropriate RMS levels for every genre of music.  Frankly different RMS levels work better for different listening devices as well.  There is no 1 level to rule them all.  it is all a balancing act.
 
Also there is a scientific reason why people prefer sounds with higher RMS levels.  When the loudness is over a certain threshold we release serotonin.  One of the scientific reasons people love live music.  
 
Compressors and Limiters are not always used to make a sound louder.  They can also be used to make a sound quieter.  Hence making other sounds appear louder and more dynamic.  They can also be user artistically to bring out different timbres in the sound.   
 
Also another note, most of our best compressors came out 50+ years ago.  So the argument of better compressors = greater loudness is null and void.  To be honest people should learn how to use compressors and limiters in a more appropriate manner.  

didn't they say that dragon age is in the same world as ME and takes place way after the fact, with different races in ME becoming the different races in DA, and the magic being biot/tech powers realized? i mean, there's already direct correlation in the way the ogres look compared to the yahg.
 
the 'creeping death' that comes from darkspawn blood could just be nanobots that carry some sort of crazy programming or something.
 
i wonder if that's just going to remain a theory or if it'll be realized somehow in the game.

hahaha, the salt is real. what's wrong with watching a movie and not caring about the agendas that may or may not lie behind the movie? mad max was good. it was fun to watch. the action was entertaining, the show-don't-tell style was breathtakingly fun to experience, and the characters weren't cookie-cutter characters. i didn't go to see it because of the triumph of women over oppressive male entities or something, i went to see it because they had a flamethrower guitar and the movie's a freaking two-hour car chase combined with dune and borderlands, and that sounded awesome. did it have feminist underpinnings? maybe, a lot of the arguments both for and against are pretty solid. that said, who cares? i don't, and saying that i don't have a ball in that court doesn't make me sexist any more than not really caring about r&b makes me a racist. just pointing a finger and spouting hot-button words doesn't make you look educated and relevant. it makes you look ignorant and puerile.
 
the endless need to ascribe a crusade to everything is abhorrent.
 
edit: the fact that an action film with a script the size of a child's flipbook is raising this many questions about the intentions of the writer(s) is actually pretty cool. as i said, i don't really have a ball in this particular court, but the noise that's being raised (on both sides of the issue/question/whatever) is definitely interesting.

hahaha, the salt is real. what's wrong with watching a movie and not caring about the agendas that may or may not lie behind the movie? mad max was good. it was fun to watch. the action was entertaining, the show-don't-tell style was breathtakingly fun to experience, and the characters weren't cookie-cutter characters. i didn't go to see it because of the triumph of women over oppressive male entities or something, i went to see it because they had a flamethrower guitar and the movie's a freaking two-hour car chase combined with dune and borderlands, and that sounded awesome. did it have feminist underpinnings? maybe, a lot of the arguments both for and against are pretty solid. that said, who cares? i don't, and saying that i don't have a ball in that court doesn't make me sexist any more than not really caring about r&b makes me a racist. just pointing a finger and spouting hot-button words doesn't make you look educated and relevant. it makes you look ignorant and puerile.
 
the endless need to ascribe a crusade to everything is abhorrent.
 
edit: the fact that an action film with a script the size of a child's flipbook is raising this many questions about the intentions of the writer(s) is actually pretty cool. as i said, i don't really have a ball in this particular court, but the noise that's being raised (on both sides of the issue/question/whatever) is definitely interesting.

djp, i think you'll make your point better if you use more bold and italics, just sayin

and here's the ones of my system, as promised.
i had to upgrade from my venerable storm scout (still one of my favorite cases of all time!) because my new graphics card was too long. i didn't realize this thanks to newegg listing the pcb length of the card, which is useless when the cooler hangs an inch over the end of that. i went with a corsair carbide air 540, which is a cube case with some interesting design choices that i really liked.
here's my old case. this was a working system so the cables aren't as nice as they were when i built it in early 2011 (thread here)

here's a few pictures of the new case. note that the motherboard tray's in the middle of the case, as opposed to offset to one side. this allows the motherboard and associated cpu, cooler, and gpu to be on one side, and the psu, ssd tray, and optical drives to be on the other side. there's also two hotswap bays for 3.5" drives on the mobo side, which work pretty well. note the width and the bevy of customization options for fans and other sundries.



here's my system in the case. note the USB3 and graphics power headers - they're just too thick to really route properly. if i get motivated, i'm going to remove the looming on the wires, spray the wires white, and route them cleaner with some wiring to train the wires to sit better. same with the USB3 header.
you can really see the cable management options here. it's amazing the room this thing has to fit any cable set you want.

here's a few in-situ shots. i'm planning on getting a cool white light bar for the top of the case, or swapping my hyper 212 evo for an H100 or similar self-contained watercooling loop. i'd get more of the white-led fans that the case had if i do that.


i've been really inspired by the design of this case. i've been meaning to paint my office for some time since the green in there is not particularly my favorite, and i'm thinking about doing the walls in white with a black stripe offset down the middle, like the case =) combine that with my recent storage acquisitions and i think it might actually look pretty good.
regarding the case, i am debating dropping my optical drives completely and replacing the 5.25" bay with either a monitoring window (like, a temp monitor) or a fan controller. if i go with more fans in the case, i'll likely do the controller.