VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Gp · Guest

There are a number of companies building rackmount DAWs now. Sweetwater has 3,the company listed above...http://www.shop-sonica.com/ also has 3.
You can build your own as well. There are lots of studios running these things. I have not heard one but I have plans to build one. You can buy a noiseless power supply, case insulation, quiet cooling fans etc. I've looked into this quite a bit and can give you some links if you want. To me, having everything in the rack is the way to go.
I don't think rack mount cases are the same as they used to be.

louzucaro · Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 10:46 am Post subject:

Don't get me wrong...rackmount cases are fantastic. It's just usually they're louder than normal PCs because of the particular cooling requirements.

As Yoda said, it totally depends on the case as well as what you put into it. And if your rack is in another room, it's generally not a concern.

I'll post my DAW specs and pics next time I have a chance at the office.
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Gp · Guest

Well Lou.....I have to tell you. There are loud computers no matter what type they are....there are also quiet ones. The normal rack mount is loud....it was used mostly in the industrial arena. There was no reason for it to be quiet or light weight. Now however, the rack mount can be just as quiet as a tower, mini, mini tower, desktop etc....the one I'm planning on building will have a maximum noise level under 17db.
Bobbin check these guys out http://www.soundsuckers.com/vents.htm#vents or http://www.asc-soundproof.com/iso-components.htm or http://www.soundcontrolroom.com/
Hope that helps. You may have to write them and ask about buying just a fan...but they should be able to help.

Yoda117 · Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 11:15 am Post subject:

Hey GP, nothing against Sweetwater or the other pre-built systems, but check the pricing vs. what you're planning on doing.

About 1.5K savings for me, which is ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, the guys have to pay the bills and eat, make a living and all that, but that is more than a little ridiculous.

On the rackmount vs. tower/desktop issue. After cruising a ton of forums, it seems that the Antec rackmounts are the best under 1K for this kinda stuff, but they're still loud compared to the Antec P150, P180, and P182 (my personal favorite so far) style cases.
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Gp · Guest

Yes it's true. A little more expensive. Yes loud in comparison. But it depends on what you put in it. Stock case VS. stock case, the sonata (which is what I have now) etc are quieter. I can get the case here. http://www.circotech.com/cc-4161-storm-series-4u-rackmount-case-with-assorted-colors-door.html The same case used by sweetwater, I'll use a fanless power supply, put in acoustic insulation, Quiet drives, motherboard of choice. Quiet CPU fan.....I currently use the Nexus....I can't hear it. Purchase a couple of quiet fans...viola`...I do have to agree...purchasing a pre built would be much more expensive....although I'm not sure why.

richgates · Guest

It's easy Gp, the average person doing VO or studio work doesn't have your or several others on the board's knowledge of computers so they will pay someone else to build it for them. Those companies are in the business to make money and since these machines aren't for mass market their profit margins are higher.

Gp · Guest

Yes Rich I agree. I was never debating that point. I was just trying to say that you can pick up a quiet rackmount model. They are out there.

Yoda117 · Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 1:08 pm Post subject:

it's not that the prebuilt is more expensive, it's that it's so expensive that you could almost build a second system.

Good link, it work, although SPCR comments on that case design have not exactly been favorable (particularly with the 4U version, though the fanless PSU might negate some of the main concerns I had with it). I'm looking forward to your build since I'll be facing this same issue in about six weeks myself. As I stated earlier I would prefer a rackmount, but it seemed that the case itself to do the job best ran over 1K (awesome case... just can't justify it).

as for cost, yes we know that not everyone knows how to build a computer, but for the cost, it's definitely a skill worth learning... I'm dead serious on that one since it will save you cash, and make life easier in the long run for your home studio Smile

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richgates · Guest

I totally agree Greg. Building a computer is incredibly easy. I am not the most mechanically inclined person in the world and yet I've built dozens of machines in my life.

It's funny now that I've moved to the Mac though. My days of building machines are behind me. Smile

Yoda117 · Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 1:54 pm Post subject:

different strokes for different folks Rich Smile

Actually, I'm thinking of what GP said... and I'm thinking that adding a Seasonic S12 PSU, using a Scythe Ninja w/ a good Core 2 Duo chip and replacing the fans with some Nexus or Scythe fans, a WD or Seagate quiet series, and an XFX passive Geoforce video card on an Asus PS5 would really give you a boost towards creating a quiet rackable computer.

toss in a wee bit of isolation and it might do the trick that GP was looking for,
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Blog - A man, a martini, and a lot of microphones

richgates · Guest

Zalman makes really quiet processor fans, and Enermax makes a nice PSU called the Whisper that I've had good luck with.

sdelgo · Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 5:57 am Post subject:

The quietest computer comes with the longest cables so you can place it in another room... from my experience Smile

Steve
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tackerman · Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 5:59 am Post subject:

If I put my computer in the other room it'd be in the shower. Laugh

sdelgo · Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 6:04 am Post subject:

Maybe some iso boxes will help...

http://www.custom-consoles.com/isobox.php

Steve
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Yoda117 · Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 5:46 am Post subject:

Hey Steve, those are good ideas and I've mentioned them in the past, but you're also looking at an additional $1400 (or more) for an isolated rack.

I think that having your own computer rack separate from the recording area is best (and it's what I do for my other rooms, but this one needs to be a bit different), but that's not always possible. What I'm planning on doing is using an old entertainment stand (rather small one actually) that I was recently given. Using foam for some diffusion, and keeping whatever computer I choose to build in there.

Of all the iso-racks that I've had or seen, the one that struck me as having the best cost-performance were the ones that came from KK Audio.

On a side note, for those considering a rack enclosure for their computer, make sure you take a good long hard look at the dimensions with the mobo in place. One item that is often overlooked is the size of the heatsink used for CPU cooling, and let's face it, even with something in a 4U enclosure, it'll be a tight squeeze with something like a Scythe Ninja or similar heatsink/fan CPU cooler. Add in some acoustical treatment to the top and it'll be pretty much impossible.

Now my question to all those prepping to build their own DAW is this... how many of you plan on using Win XP-64 and how many plan on just using the 32-bit version?
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Philadelphia based Voice Actor

Blog - A man, a martini, and a lot of microphones