Most desktop computers and laptops available today, such as ‘best laptops under 800 dollars,’ are very effective and ideal for a wide variety of applications.
Making / writing music in conjunction with a DAW is, of course, one of these applications. However, sooner or later, you will encounter challenges that will cause your job to be slowed or even impossible. With a few quick tweaks and/or purchases, you can significantly speed up your Windows or Mac machine, allowing you to create music without interruption. In reality, it can also assist you in reducing lag, which is the delay you can encounter while recording instruments.
4 effective tweaks for speeding up the system
Invest in a solid state drive (SSD)
SSDs are many times faster than hard disks because there are no moving parts. They are also quieter as there are not moving parts and they are cheaper. The biggest gain in speed is therefore in replacing your current hard disk.
Turn off background processes
Disable background processes and processes that start up when you start your system. Can be done by navigating to the start menu and starting the command ‘MSConfig’ You will then see which processes are running during the start of the operating system. It also helps if you switch off your firewall or virus scanner and disconnect the WiFi connection. while working with your DAW. In most cases you don’t need your internet connection when you are composing, editing or mixing. It does not cost you unnecessary ‘resources’.
Expand your system memory
If you use large sample libraries, you will see that your system memory increases significantly. It is recommended to install a minimum of 16 gigabytes of RAM memory in your PC or notebook. The price of memory fluctuates regularly, but is generally very affordable and will speed up your system tremendously.
Invest in an audio interface
There are still people who work with their computer’s internal sound chip. You will soon run into problems if you want to record audio. It is much better to invest in an audio interface or possibly an internal sound card. Even a simple audio interface will quickly sound a lot better than your computer’s onboard sound chip.
Direct monitoring
Another advantage of many audio interfaces, which is often overlooked, is that you can use the ‘direct monitoring‘ function on the interface. Do you play bass, keyboard or sing? Then you will experience no latency at all during recording when you enable this function. This also works perfectly for guitarists, unless you work with software amp simulators. You will only experience the dry, unprocessed sound of your guitar when you use this function. It works again if you use a hardware modeler like the Line 6 Helix. You can then ‘route‘ its output to the input of the sound card. You often see the ‘direct monitoring’ function in the form of a rotary knob or a switch on the interface.
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