And maybe some company name building powerful PC for audio?
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I used to use these guys a lot. Although they are expensive.
I’ve been using PCAudiolabs machines for the last 10 years and they’ve been rock solid. They build PC’s for audio/video production. AND - Their support is top notch. Yes you can build a machine and it may work fine, but I didn’t want to gamble my business on my amateur knowledge of PC’s. Going with a custom builder was the best investment I’ve ever made. One less thing for me to worry about, and I can focus on being creative. Good luck to you !
I exclusively use PCs from https://silentpc.com/
They make high end completely fanless PCs, which is a must-have for me (can’t have PC fans whirring away when trying to track vocals).
They’re rock solid, and work flawlessly.
They even have special DAW PCs (albeit not fanless):
Something with proper ECC.
Probably best to say the country you are in. In UK I use SCAN and cclonline. I did use to build my own but both of these are not much more and you get a guarantee. They also show the components used do you could build your own from the list of bits.
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Hello Jacques,
unfortunately you do not give any requirements that PC need to fulfill, e.g. regarding noise, or computing power.
As we do not know what “pro recording studio” means in your special case one can give “only” general hints.
A “no noise” PC normally means lower computing power, as that kind of PCs is much harder to keep cool enough. The higher the computing power is the more effort the manufacturer need to put into the no noise cooling, which comes with a price tag.
“Lo noise” PC can be 2 different types.
- “normal” PC with special lo noise components (CPU cooler, fans, PSU, etc.- like i built for myself)
- a PC with a special treated enclosure that keeps most of the noise in the enclosure, which allows the components to be a bit louder inside the enclosure, which means that it can offer more computing power. But here also, more power and lower noise comes with a price tag.
You also did not say anything about your budget.
Generally, as already said by others, if possible/needed, upgrade to ECC-RAM.
There some vendors that offer special audio workstation PCs. Normally it will be the best step to check with them. They know their components, and they tested everything working OK especially in audio production environments.
I hope that helps.
Agree on SCAN in the UK. They also have excellent customer service and tech support, with staff that understand DAWs.
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Scan are good. You could build it yourself cheaper, but you don’t get 3 years of guarantee + lifetime tech support.
Not to mention 24 hr stress testing before they despatch it.
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Assembling a PC for casual use isn’t that difficult. Selecting the right components, building, and configuring a PC for professional use isn’t “very easy”–especially for someone who doesn’t have the prerequisite technical knowledge or experience.
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They don’t all cost a fortune. The ones I mentioned are not that much more plus you get a guarantee. Most people will not have the means to troubleshoot if there is a faulty component which then makes it very difficult working out what is wrong, with no parts to swap out with. I’ve built my own many a time but started buying, as the ones I use had tested for dpc latency and a lot more and as mentioned you get a guarantee plus not that more expensive than buying the parts. Plenty of parts can and do go faulty. I know I’ve had a few.
so I agree it’s not that hard, but nothing is if you know what you’re doing. Not everyone wants to though.
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I’ll add that if you build the machine yourself you will then be in a situation where if something goes wrong you’ll understand how to fix it… a skill that’s very useful in a professional environment.
Yes it will take time to research and learn, but that skill will stay with you and IMHO be very useful in the future.
I completely understand those who just want to buy a turnkey solution though, so no judgement.
M
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Dedicated DAW builders can be a real help here, especially when it comes to ensuring components work best together, have known solid drivers that don’t contribute to DPC latency, etc.
Most online information is focused on gamers. In most cases, a gamer-optimized PC will not be the best way to go for audio, as those PCs tend to prioritize FPS and network throughput above all else.
That all said, you can DIY a decent PC. But you’ll need to support it, and it can be easy to just plug devices in without realizing which lanes are shared between which components, or that something like the chipsets for the 285k are incredibly sensitive to DDR5 compatibility.
Quiet: If it’s an option for you, I actually keep my PC on the other side of a wall. Then I can have any number of fans in it and not be concerned. Because I’m up against the wall, the max cable lengths are still respected.
Pete
Microsoft
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Or get a quote from them with the parts list and assemble yourself.
It is always good to learn a new thing.
Well, considering issues that have been posted here in the past couple months about Cubase not even being “usable” with the accompanying rants about Steinberg, I would not agree with this.
Not everyone wants to build it themselves.
NVIDIA cards: Studio Driver.
Knowing to select a studio driver is research. Apparently some people here did not do the research.
Some users would prefer a PC that has good support after the sale. They don’t care much to be computer literate. Something goes wrong, they call support, log into your PC and get it resolved.
These users may even be musicians! Musicians that want to focus on their skill without computer distractions.
PCs are a tool, and building or buying is choice. You will pay more for a PC built for audio and gives solid after-sale support.
Isn’t it great we have a choice?
Writing that it’s “easy” whatever that means and “everything you need to know on 30 minute YouTube video” is a bad assumption.
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Ah yes–it’s current year. Access to information doesn’t equate to expertise, experience, or ability.
Even after a long day of research, a casual PC-owner isn’t going to be ready to choose the right combination of motherboard, CPU, storage, audio interface, and GPU–or deal with scheduling issues, chipset-specific behavior, firmware peculiarities (and bugs), BIOS settings, OS-config, or edge-cases that arise due to the choices made.
“Knowing” computers doesn’t mean someone knows how to help someone build, maintain, or troubleshoot a DAW. Also, “computer guys” generally don’t want to do volunteer work in their off-time.
You’re presuming that they’re all dishonest and just in the business to rip people off. The value a reputable DAW builder adds is with validation and testing of configurations. If you have unlimited time and unlimited money, you can of course do that part yourself.
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“professional” is a loose term. I don’t think Serban or many on that level build their PCs. That is my assumption based on how valuable their time is.
My assumption is that hobbyists are the ones who typically build them.
My assumption is that hobbyists are ones more apt to spend more time building their own PC.
You could get what you pay for and maybe not. That depends on the builder. Ask the builder questions such as why don’t you use XXX instead of XXX for Cubase and challenge him. Does his reply sound like he knows the research better than you?
I was going to disagree with most of the rest, but you apparently have deleted your post.
I love working in my studio, creating and writing. Unfortunately certain days I travel, so reading about issues and hopefully learning new things works best for me.
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That’s true–but it doesn’t mean you must know how to–or even attempt–building a system from scratch. If you know you don’t know what you’re doing, and the system is meant for professional use, you should get professional assistance.
I’m not sure which country you live in, but I use Scan in England. They’re good communicators and I’ve had a few custom built PCs from them over the years, based on my needs (2 x recording studio PCs and 2 x photo editing PCs). I’ve travelled to their place in Bolton to check them out. I’m sure that there are places in the UK that will build higher spec recording studio PCs, it’s just that I haven’t come across them yet.