Music Composition Workstation

[SpyderTracks]

let me just research the usb controllers on the motherboard you selected.

That should be a really good motherboard as all the USB ports run directly from the main chipset rather than an individual usb controller, so should be good there.

I can find no reference to requiring a scratch drive, but, for optimal IO throughput, it is suggested to have 1 main OS drive and for the program, then a separate drive for samples and VST's, and a third for your project files.

That's in totally utmost high end perfection, I don't think by any means it's a requirements, although I would suggest having a primary OS/program/samples & VST's and then projects on a separate data drive (standard SATA SSD would suffice).

 

[Liammontgomery43]

That should be a really good motherboard as all the USB ports run directly from the main chipset rather than an individual usb controller, so should be good there.

I can find no reference to requiring a scratch drive, but, for optimal IO throughput, it is suggested to have 1 main OS drive and for the program, then a separate drive for samples and VST's, and a third for your project files.

That's in totally utmost high end perfection, I don't think by any means it's a requirements, although I would suggest having a primary OS/program/samples & VST's and then projects on a separate data drive (standard SATA SSD would suffice).

Ah yeah I've heard that, and been playing around with it. With removing the raid I had before I might be able to squeeze an extra SSD for Windows and programs. How large of an ssd would you recommend? I currently have around a terabyte of samples and fully expect that to grow over the next few years. So I'm thinking standard SSD for windows and the DAW then reserve the M.2 for just my sample libaries and then I can just stick the project files on the hard drive

 

[Scott]

Better to have a 512GB fast drive for the OS and programs (you want it to be as fast as possible).

The 512GB Firecuda has extremely fast reads which is what you would want for the OS and programs. The 2TB one has you covered for everything else.

 

[Liammontgomery43]

Better to have a 512GB fast drive for the OS and programs (you want it to be as fast as possible).

The 512GB Firecuda has extremely fast reads which is what you would want for the OS and programs. The 2TB one has you covered for everything else.

Unfortunately I only have 1 m.2 slot on my motherboard looks like I can switch to the giabyte x570 gaming X:ATX for only £1 though. Spyder mentioned before about USB ports and I still good on that front?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Unfortunately I only have 1 m.2 slot on my motherboard looks like I can switch to the giabyte x570 gaming X:ATX for only £1 though. Spyder mentioned before about USB ports and I still good on that front?

Yep, that one should be fine also, I think all the X570 boards are ok, it's the earlier B450's and under that can be problematic.

 

[Liammontgomery43]

Thank you both so much, you have been incredibly helpful

 

[Scott]

Unfortunately I only have 1 m.2 slot on my motherboard looks like I can switch to the giabyte x570 gaming X:ATX for only £1 though. Spyder mentioned before about USB ports and I still good on that front?

The ASUS board should have dual M2 slots too. You just need to click "show additional storage options" I believe.

 

[Liammontgomery43]

is there much difference between them, or is it just which ever takes my fancy aha?

 

[SpyderTracks]

is there much difference between them, or is it just which ever takes my fancy aha?

ASUS is a better board imho

 

[Liammontgomery43]

ah it does seem to have more features,, thanks one last thing. Any particular case recommendations? currently configured with the
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE

 

[SpyderTracks]

ah it does seem to have more features,, thanks one last thing. Any particular case recommendations? currently configured with the
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE

The Fractal is a superb case, the Meshify S2 is probably better for airflow, but anything really over the Fractal is going to be excellent quality (actually including he iCue case a couple down from the Fractal)

 

[Liammontgomery43]

I was eyeballing the Meshify aha fine what's another couple quid eh aha

 

[SpyderTracks]

I was eyeballing the Meshify aha fine what's another couple quid eh aha

Lols, that’s what I always say... my last case was £450!!!

 

[Liammontgomery43]

hot damn! I think I've spent enough today aha. thanks again

 

[Stephen M]

I see on the Reaper technical page that they now have some Linux compatibility, with that in mind you may want to consider a dual boot with one of the 'nix studio distros as they all come with low latency kernels which are far better for music production.

 

[Liammontgomery43]

I see on the Reaper technical page that they now have some Linux compatibility, with that in mind you may want to consider a dual boot with one of the 'nix studio distros as they all come with low latency kernels which are far better for music production.

That sounds really interesting, I have absolutely no idea how to do that aha. I’d love to know more about it though if you could point me in the right direction

 

[Scott]

Define 7 ohhhh that'll be nice!

The Define series are seriously cool cases from my own experience. Fractal think of every angle, first class engineering.

iCue and Meshify are first class fridges too, just not as quiet as the Define.

 

[Liammontgomery43]

Define 7 ohhhh that'll be nice!

The Define series are seriously cool cases from my own experience. Fractal think of every angle, first class engineering.

iCue and Meshify are first class fridges too, just not as quiet as the Define.

Quietness is a big factor for the build, but that mesh case is very pretty 😂

 

[Scott]

Quietness is a big factor for the build, but that mesh case is very pretty 😂

It's a toss up. You honestly can't go wrong! The Define definitely has silence over the Meshify but I think the Meshify is a little smaller.

Both have the airflow and cooling potential to house monster builds so you have no worries.

 

[Stephen M]

That sounds really interesting, I have absolutely no idea how to do that aha. I’d love to know more about it though if you could point me in the right direction

Linux is much simpler now than a few years ago and if you are cool with DAW software then fiddling with different distros should not be too big a learning curve.

Here is somewhere you could start: https://ubuntustudio.org/

There is no "best" Linux distro, many are very good it is down to personal taste and I have put that one up as Ubuntu is my preferred distro. If you have a computer to start on now I would suggest making a bootable USB via that site, from Windows I believe Rufus is the tool to use. Simply plug it in and boot up, making sure you go straight to the BIOS - by hitting f2 straighter after the on button on many machines, although some could be the del or esc key. In the BIOS, select the USB in the boot order and start. Once the distro is loaded from the USB you get two options - install or try. The latter is a good way to have a look at the new distro but can be quite slow as the OS is running from the USB.

If you choose install there will be option to wipe the drive and install only Ubuntu Studio or, the option you would want: "Install Ubuntu Studio alongside Windows." Depending on the hardware of the machine you are using it should be straightforward, especially with the latest version which is 19.10 (20.04 is due out soon but apart from a quick look at the beta I do not have enough experience of it to offer a valid opinion).

When you install you will also be given a choice of what you want to install with it, including a DAW, video and graphic software - obviously the more you choose the longer the install process so probably better to keep it basic and just install what will be useful to you, in this case Ardour and any other audio packages.

The main negative I can see is that the Reaper site does specify you will need to install ALSA (not a problem) and possibly make a couple of tweaks but it does not look a big effort.

My idea once you have installed Ubuntu Studio would be to have a play with Ardour, the DAW that comes with it. If you are already up to speed with Reaper, learning a new DAW should not be a hassle and as Ardour is known to be fine with the distro it will be a good way to get to know Studio.

If you decide to give it a go and need any advice, post a new thread on the Linux part of these fora and there are some good people on their who will help.