I run MPD, but I have nearly 5000 albums so it still takes a while to decide, especially where the bands sit across genres. Otherwise its brilliant!
I actually knew the answer, and it IS ASIO. Back in Florida I had a dedicated Windows 7 PC for music playback, recording, production, MIDI, and general studio work. It had 3 different DAW's, a couple dozen software synthesizers, 3 different virtual guitar amp simulations, Foobar, J river, and of course WMP.
Any of the 3 DAW's pretty much REQUIRE ASIO if you want the timing between MIDI data and audio playback to match up, especially if there are several tracks of each. Otherwise the latency is so bad that real time recording some tracks while playing back others is impossible. Remember Simul-sync?
An audio interface that comes with it's own ASIO driver is strongly suggested. ASIO FOR ALL works on some setups, and sucks canal water on others. The ASIO driver is loaded at bootup and everything EXCEPT WMP picks it up as the default.
While in the temporary housing that PC became the only PC I used since I didn't have room for 3 PC's and it already had all my music on it. To make things more complicated I dropped the damn thing during the move into my new house. 2 of the 5 hard drives died, and something else isn't right, so I just made two new PC's.
One will again be used only for music and now video. The MOTU Micro Book II is good, but limited to two channels of 24/96 recording at a time, and doesn't do MIDI, so I am looking for a new interface that does 4 X 24/96 (or more) and MIDI, and costs less than $500. I'm currently thinking Steinberg UR44 at $300.
Speaking of Windows.....anyone taking the bait on the "free upgrade to Windows 10" ? All my real PC's will stay on 7 until they XP it. This POS laptop runs W 8.1, could 10 be any worse? And what happened to 9, OH, maybe they wanted to catch up to Apple. Or, maybe it's a way to kill 7 since they only support the last 3 OS versions?????
The code fragment
if(version.StartsWith("Windows 9"))
{ /* 95 and 98 */ } else {
causes the software to falsely detect windows 9 as one of the ancient oses. Apparently is often used, and the workaround is to skip the 9 in the version sequence.
Ha! You think that's bad, how about eBooks? What a rip-off.
For $10 I can go see a movie that costs over $100,000000 dollars to make. For that ten bucks I get a screen, sound system. a wobbly seat, sticky floor, AC or heat and a roof over my head.
But an eBook of the same story? I provide the screen, the room, the climate control, the roof over my head, the download bandwidth. But I pay as much or more than the film version. Why? Where is the overhead?
If you want a player that is really good at handling a large library, look no further than JRiver. Beside all its fancy features, it's really, really good at library management. And now it comes in Windoze, Mac and Linux flavors. What's not to like?
MPD is good because it runs on a headless server, all searching etc is done on the server. You run a client locally. I dont want to have to have a PC on to select my music!. I can use laptop, tablet or phone (anything with a browser).
Makes perfect sense now......another example of forward thinking by M$.....
Who would have thought that after using a semi obvious numbering system Windows 1.1 ........Windows NT 4.0, and leaving it for some dated versions that were usually about a year late, that they would return to numbered versions????
I'll do it on my laptop first, lab computer last (and only after I've ensured with my other computers that the transition is seamless).
I've registered for the free upgrade..then thought about it and wondered if its the road to pain..it says that everything will just work all the programs and everything..yeah right and pigs fly..🙄
It even says it can be done at a time of your own choosing..yes just as you log on for work..😀
I wonder if it comes with a choice of colour for the blue screen crash..along with a modified menu tab.
Click install and follow the on screen instructions...would you like to upgrade now..OK..DING blue screen..The computer will now reboot...
There seems to be a problem click next to flash your bios..😀
Ding..the system needs to reboot..click next to flash your bios..OK..it is impossible to install, windows will now wipe the hard drive..and attempt a clean install..
Well at least it running..ding the driver for the screen card is missing..try running this FixIt for the sound driver..The video driver is not supported..
Ding..blue screen..
Log on music is now Mars from the planets..Dah.Dah...Ding blue screen..
NB windows 9 is in an old pizza box in the parking lot behind Microsoft..
Regards
M. Gregg
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Haven't we heard that before....remember Vista????
Understand two gotchas.
With W10 you will no longer have the option to delay Windows updates until they are convenient for you, so the updates will happen when MS deems that they are most appropriate, say while you are recording a once in a lifetime musical event. Windows has updated important files and must restart now...
Anyone who uses Windows in a home studio already knows to unplug the Ethernet cord and turn off anti virus before a recording session. Many home recording forums say to NEVER connect your music PC to the internet PERIOD, however most of the DAWs now require it! Since Gibson bought Cakewalk from Roland they have migrated to a subscription model (sound familiar) which requires an internet connection. W10 on a home studio PC, no way.
W10 will also remove Windows Media Center (not WMP) which sucks for those of us who like the free DVR with program guide. WMC was included free in most versions of Vista and W7, but became a paid app in W8. No word from M$ as to what will happen to the program guide. I still have a Vista box that makes a perfectly good DVR and Youtube player.
George, have you ever played with any of the Linux audio recording and mixing tools? I don't know much about them, but I know a few people who use Linux for this type of work and they seem pretty happy with the tools. Maybe worth it to check it out.
The last Linux box that I built ran open SUSE 11.4, so that was a few years ago. It's in a box here somewhere. The DAW tools available at that time were a few years behind the technology available on Win and Mac.
I have been using the Cakewalk family of audio tools since Cakewalk 3.0 which was in the late 80's and ran on DOS! I have collected a zillion plug-ins an add-ons for it over the years. I guess I'm stuck in my ways now.
I also use Ableton Live since it for now is a one of a kind DAW catered toward live music performance.
Oh, I also ran GEM on DOS before "upgrading" to Windows 1.1......
I will always have Cakewalk's DAW (Now called Sonar) on a Windows box, although I may tinker with Linux again in the future, particularly for small stand alone systems. The Linux DAW world is now moving rather quickly and there are several new programs out there that are worth a look.
I have been using the Cakewalk family of audio tools since Cakewalk 3.0 which was in the late 80's and ran on DOS! I have collected a zillion plug-ins an add-ons for it over the years. I guess I'm stuck in my ways now.
I also use Ableton Live since it for now is a one of a kind DAW catered toward live music performance.
Oh, I also ran GEM on DOS before "upgrading" to Windows 1.1......
I will always have Cakewalk's DAW (Now called Sonar) on a Windows box, although I may tinker with Linux again in the future, particularly for small stand alone systems. The Linux DAW world is now moving rather quickly and there are several new programs out there that are worth a look.
This was the same advice I gave about measurement computers in my last AX article. If a DAW requires connection, either get a different DAW or record using something like Audacity or Reaper, then import the files into the DAW afterwards. That's an inconvenient workaround, and one reason I won't buy a subscription DAW.
Another approach; have a custom ACL on the inside interface of your firewall that denies all traffic outbound to the Internet from the DAW host PC, except the "call home" connections to the DAW provider's registration/verification servers. The DAW machine needs a static IP and the firewall needs to be configurable by the user. I run a PIX 515E at home, but this can be achieved with many of the standard "home routers" too, especially if flashed with DD-WRT or Tomato.
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I came to the DAW world from a DIY AAW. My first AAW was built with mixers, mic and guitar preamps, an old Ampex reel to reel and a Sony TC377. The Sony offered the unique ability to play back one track while recording the other. Then put the tape on the Ampex, play it back mixed to a single channel, recorded into one channel of the Sony while recording a third track into the other channel of the Sony. This was in about 1974. In 1978 I got a Teac 3340. The Ampex was sold, the Sony and Teac with some outboard gear made for an awesome DIY AAW. Several of us had similar setups and we had even written down rules for which tracks went where so we could work with each others tapes.
Digital came in the late 80's. It didn't work too well until the Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum 16 card appeared in the 90's. It did two channels of 16/44 and my AAW was no more! I had 2 PC's each with PAS16's, one even had two of them.
The DAW setup I had in Florida used an M-Audio Delta 1010LT PCI card which has 8 24/96 audio inputs, 8 24/96 audio outputs, and a 16 channel MIDI I/O. I have become rather accustom to recording audio while playing back MIDI or other audio. I still send Cakewalk files to friends in Florida so we can collaborate of some "music".
For now we use the time tested method of only plugging in the Ethernet cable once a month when Cakewalk sends us an upgrade email, and to do Windows updates at the same time. I will connect up to Ableton when they release 9.2. Overloud and Arturia are both overdue for upgrades too.
This thread is about digital music....we are still discussing digital music....its creation...in the digital domain. Once it leaves the guitar cable is becomes digital.....I just realized that I don't own a working guitar amp at the moment.....that will change in the near future.
Seems like the making digital music part of this thread really deserves a thread of its own and perhaps somewhere outside of the lounge? Just a thought..
windows 7 , internet connections , and music ....
I suppose a PC is "voodoo" to some.
It's a "toaster oven " to me or any that do not adhere to convention.
Win 7 is just server 2008 with much "fluff" (un-needed garbage).
It's out of the box "attack surface" is broad. All the typical "services" are
easy targets to social engineers.
Update services , remote registry ,security center - all bloated "scams".
you remove these major "attack surfaces" and windows is nearly hackproof
- you don't need antivirus and anti malware BS. Unless you are stoopid and
click/ download things...
To really do this , a "non-standard" version of windows is required. My W7-64
is not "normal". I won't elaborate , my wifes legal OEM W7 is the biggest,
bloated "dog in the house" (soon to be replaced). It's a ongoing problem , very
vulnerable OS ... indeed.
A legal W7 owner can make their OS "lite ...
RT Se7en Lite | Products This is not illegal .... You own (lease) the OS , make
a lite custom install for it.
A "lite" can have no WMP, IE , or any microsoft media interfaces. No updates ,
remote anything. Just the GUI/network / and kernel. NO way in (or out).
We all use 3'rd party browser (firefox/chrome) , 3'rd party audio , 3'rd party
everything. Don't allow the 3'rd parties to communicate - a private OS !!
PS - I use 400megs for my OS , normal user uses almost a GIG ! (for what ??)
Edit - on the audio end of this , just keep your dirty PC isolated from your audio -
run pc digital into a DAC - period. Totally outclasses my CD player , convenience
and SQ.
OS
I suppose a PC is "voodoo" to some.
It's a "toaster oven " to me or any that do not adhere to convention.
Win 7 is just server 2008 with much "fluff" (un-needed garbage).
It's out of the box "attack surface" is broad. All the typical "services" are
easy targets to social engineers.
Update services , remote registry ,security center - all bloated "scams".
you remove these major "attack surfaces" and windows is nearly hackproof
- you don't need antivirus and anti malware BS. Unless you are stoopid and
click/ download things...
To really do this , a "non-standard" version of windows is required. My W7-64
is not "normal". I won't elaborate , my wifes legal OEM W7 is the biggest,
bloated "dog in the house" (soon to be replaced). It's a ongoing problem , very
vulnerable OS ... indeed.
A legal W7 owner can make their OS "lite ...
RT Se7en Lite | Products This is not illegal .... You own (lease) the OS , make
a lite custom install for it.
A "lite" can have no WMP, IE , or any microsoft media interfaces. No updates ,
remote anything. Just the GUI/network / and kernel. NO way in (or out).
We all use 3'rd party browser (firefox/chrome) , 3'rd party audio , 3'rd party
everything. Don't allow the 3'rd parties to communicate - a private OS !!
PS - I use 400megs for my OS , normal user uses almost a GIG ! (for what ??)
Edit - on the audio end of this , just keep your dirty PC isolated from your audio -
run pc digital into a DAC - period. Totally outclasses my CD player , convenience
and SQ.
OS
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