KVR Audio

Ridan · Post by **Ridan** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 5:08 am

Greetings. I was wondering if anyone had any sound card recommendations for Windows 7 HP Omni? Was also curious if any windows 7 sound card would work with my type of system. I know little to nothing about sound cards. It all looks Greek to me..
My DAW can't seem to handle much of anything in terms of CPU. Even when ASIO4ALL is selected. If anyone can help recommend a reliable sound card that can handle heavy CPU it would be very much appreciated!
Am hoping not to spend more than $200, but if need be I can stretch it out a little.
Thanks!

bc

werp · Post by **werp** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 5:43 am

how about an external device such as Komplete Audio 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnhBfLK3oR4

planetearth · Post by **planetearth** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 5:47 am

The HP Omni All-in-One? Which processor do you have, and how much RAM?

The HP Omni wasn't made for audio, so your problem may not really be with your built-in sound card; it may be with the processor itself. That said, any entry-level, ASIO-based USB audio interface should be fine. An ASIO-based, USB audio interface will take much of the A/D and D/A conversion workload off of your CPU; and ASIO drivers are more efficient than ASIO4All or WDM (Windows) drivers.

Of course, you'll also want to make sure you have nothing else running on this computer when you're trying to do audio.

Steve

Ridan · Post by **Ridan** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 3:58 am

@Werp. Thanks. Looking into Komplete Audio 6 right now.Torn between that and M-track.
@Steve. My processor is AMD E-450 APU with Radeon(tm0 with HD Graphics 1.65 GHz. My ram has 4.00 GB (3.61 GB usable).
You said that any entry level ASIO interface should work. Would that include M-Audio M-Track? It says that it has 48 KHz. However my primary sound driver has 44100 KHz. Would M-Track make much of a difference in handling more CPU?

Thanks a lot for all of your help.

planetearth · Post by **planetearth** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 5:11 am

Ridan wrote:@Werp. Thanks. Looking into Komplete Audio 6 right <span class="skimlinks-unlinked">now.Torn</span> between that and M-track.
@Steve. My processor is AMD E-450 APU with Radeon(tm0 with HD Graphics 1.65 GHz. My ram has 4.00 GB (3.61 GB usable).
You said that any entry level ASIO interface should work. Would that include M-Audio M-Track? It says that it has 48 KHz. However my primary sound driver has 44100 KHz. Would M-Track make much of a difference in handling more CPU?

Thanks a lot for all of your help.

Yes, the M-Audio M-Track would be fine. The 48 kHz sampling rate is the highest that device will capture; other audio cards can go higher, but your computer won't handle the processing required for audio captured at 96 kHz. Of course, you can record at the CD audio standard of 44.1 kHz and save yourself some CPU cycles, some trouble and some time. Either way, the M-Track will take some of the workload off your AMD processor. However, I'm not sure if the Waves software that comes with it will work well on your computer, but it's free, so....

The AMD processor you have in that computer will become a problem soon, if you decide to do a few simultaneous audio tracks (or use even a few softsynths or effects in a project). That processor is only dual-core, and was designed for the "mobile" market and general, everyday Web browsing and e-mail usage. It doesn't have most of what you'd need for multi-track audio recording, because it simply wasn't designed for that.

One more thing to keep in mind about the M-Track is that M-Audio has no Windows 8.1 drivers for it, and is not planning any. That means, if you move to a new computer running the 64-bit version of Windows 8.1, you probably can't use the audio interface. There are 64-bit/Win 8.1 drivers for the M-Track Plus Mk II, but that costs more than the standard M-Track.

Steve

Kaine · Post by **Kaine** » Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:06 pm

As mentioned above,your setup isn't really powerful enough to be doing this sort of work on as the CPU you have pulls about 450 in CPU Benchmark results. For comparison the "U" class Intel mobile chip that I consider entry level for audio applications and "just" about runs Traktor smoothly scores about 3000 in the same test. My guess would be your sound solution isn't going to be the biggest problem here unless your going to be doing just a couple of tracks of audio recording with no effects processing at all in the box.

Ridan · Post by **Ridan** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 5:54 am

Yeah, definitely not just doing a couple of tracks with no effects. I've been using this computer for recording for a couple of years but most of that time I was using free vsts and effects..Those never seem to take up much CPU. So, for a while there I was able to have quite a few different instances of instruments and effects running. Though, lately I purchased software like Komplete 8, Alchemy, Project Bravo, etc. Those are the tools that can't even last for one instance on my computer. I'm going to give M-audio M-track a try first and if that doesnt work I'll just have to save up for a more suitable computer. Preferably not a mac. No offense to mac users.

Turello · Post by **Turello** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 7:16 am

M-Audio Fast Track Ultra (second hand)... A Little Monster!

planetearth · Post by **planetearth** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 7:18 am

Ridan wrote:Yeah, definitely not just doing a couple of tracks with no effects. I've been using this computer for recording for a couple of years but most of that time I was using free vsts and effects..Those never seem to take up much CPU. So, for a while there I was able to have quite a few different instances of instruments and effects running. Though, lately I purchased software like Komplete 8, Alchemy, Project Bravo, etc. Those are the tools that can't even last for one instance on my computer. I'm going to give M-audio M-track a try first and if that doesnt work I'll just have to save up for a more suitable computer. Preferably not a mac. No offense to mac users.

Hold on there, pardner!

The M-Audio won't help you with Komplete 8, Alchemy, or any memory- and CPU-hungry ROMplers or effects. Most of what Komplete, Alchemy and the others do to create the sounds is done in your CPU--not in the audio card. So a different audio card won't help you load more ROMplers, synths or effects. Only a faster processor and more (and faster) RAM will help you there.

Trust me on this--I've been where you are, with a relatively low-end, dual-core AMD processor (circa 2008). Until I upgraded the entire system, I was only able to run one Arturia synth or a couple of Tone 2 synths, even with 3 GB of RAM. On my new system (modest by comparison to some here), I have yet to reach a limit, even though I'm using the same 8-year-old E-MU audio card I had in the old system.

Don't throw money at the M-Audio card thinking it will help you with softsynths or effects. It won't. It will only help you play and record multiple audio tracks at the same time (converting analog to digital and back) without pops and clicks. I hate to be the bearer of bad news on this, but....

Steve

Ridan · Post by **Ridan** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 4:20 am

@Steve. Sorry it took so long to respond. Holiday season, you know.. Sadly I had already ordered m-audio m-track before i saw your reply. Although, it wasnt a complete waste as i needed a new interface for my guitar. Anyway, what you're saying is that I might as well buy a new computer? Is it possible to update a processor to make it faster? Sorry, I'm not computer savvy as you can tell. I'm going to start freeing up some RAM space soon. Hopefully that'll make even a tiny difference. Thanks again.

rod_zero · Post by **rod_zero** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 5:02 am

Ridan wrote:@Steve. Sorry it took so long to respond. Holiday season, you know.. Sadly I had already ordered m-audio m-track before i saw your reply. Although, it wasnt a complete waste as i needed a new interface for my guitar. Anyway, what you're saying is that I might as well buy a new computer? Is it possible to update a processor to make it faster? Sorry, I'm not computer savvy as you can tell. I'm going to start freeing up some RAM space soon. Hopefully that'll make even a tiny difference. Thanks again.

The problem with an all in one computer is that the Power supply unit maybe too limited to run bigger CPU, normally they put low energy consumption cpu's ont those systems to keep them from getting too hot.

You could try to change it if you find one with the same socket and similar temperature specs.

But if I were you I would save for some time to get at least a system with an Intel i5.

planetearth · Post by **planetearth** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 5:05 am

rod_zero wrote:
Ridan wrote:@Steve. Sorry it took so long to respond. Holiday season, you know.. Sadly I had already ordered m-audio m-track before i saw your reply. Although, it wasnt a complete waste as i needed a new interface for my guitar. Anyway, what you're saying is that I might as well buy a new computer? Is it possible to update a processor to make it faster? Sorry, I'm not computer savvy as you can tell. I'm going to start freeing up some RAM space soon. Hopefully that'll make even a tiny difference. Thanks again.
The problem with an all in one computer is that the Power supply unit maybe too limited to run bigger CPU, normally they put low energy consumption cpu's ont those systems to keep them from getting too hot.

You could try to change it if you find one with the same socket and similar temperature specs.

But if I were you I would save for some time to get at least a system with an Intel i5.

Yep. Unfortunately, Rod has the answer right there. Your upgrade options in the HP are quite limited, due to the design. Even if you found a more powerful processor that the motherboard could take, you may not have room for the fans needed to cool it. Also, updating the computer's BIOS to recognize the new processor and its capabilities may not be an option; HP tends to limit your access to BIOS updates.

Is it too late to put a new PC onto your list for Santa?

Steve

Ridan · Post by **Ridan** » Mon Dec 22, 2014 9:52 am

Well, Santa is broke this year, but he's saving up. So, basically all I need is a computer that has an Intel i5? I saw some fairly cheap ones on Ebay. Will any computer with Intel i5 be suitable for heavy CPU?

rod_zero · Post by **rod_zero** » Mon Dec 22, 2014 5:37 pm

Ridan wrote:Well, Santa is broke this year, but he's saving up. So, basically all I need is a computer that has an Intel i5? I saw some fairly cheap ones on Ebay. Will any computer with Intel i5 be suitable for heavy CPU?

Mostly, only check they arent named something like "i5 4500U", the "U" indicates its a low voltage processor which have a much lower speed.

planetearth · Post by **planetearth** » Mon Dec 22, 2014 7:32 pm

Ridan wrote:Well, Santa is broke this year, but he's saving up. So, basically all I need is a computer that has an Intel i5? I saw some fairly cheap ones on Ebay. Will any computer with Intel i5 be suitable for heavy CPU?

When you've found a system you're interested in, you can post a link to it on KVR, in the "Computer Setup and System Configuration" forum. People there will give you some insight on what you're looking at, once you tell them what your recording plans are. (If you're recording dozens of real-time audio tracks, that's one thing. If you want to use dozens of softsynths and effects, that's a bit different. Each requires something slightly different from the computer, but an i5-based system with 8 GB of RAM and a 7200 RPM hard drive should be fast enough for most anything you want to do.)

Steve

Sound Card for Windows 7 HP Omni?