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garrigus
Moderator
USA
8883 Posts |
 Posted - 07/26/2009 : 4:54:18 PM
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I've finally taken the next step in the PC DAW experience and moved on up to a quad-core machine. It is the top-of-the-line Creation Station rackXT from Sweetwater - a very powerful machine with an Intel i7 quad-core chip, 6 GB of RAM, 1.5 TB of drive space, etc.
My last DAW was also a Sweetwater machine and it's still working well. Oh, and yes, I still use it and no you can't have it.  But it's an older Pentium-D dual-core and showing it's age a bit in the amount of power it provides, so I figured it was about time to upgrade.
I'll be providing a wide range of coverage for this machine, including a special DigiFreq newsletter issue as well as some videos of my experiences with the machine. I'll provide links to all the content here.
In the meantime, feel free to ask questions, discuss, and post comments here...
Sweetwater Creation Station rackXT DAW PC Links:
* VIDEO #1: Sweetwater Creation Station rackXT DAW PC Unboxing
* VIDEO #2: Sweetwater Creation Station rackXT DAW PC Inside Look
* More pro audio videos: http://www.digifreq.com/digifreq/videos.asp
* Free music technology newsletter: http://www.digifreq.com/digifreq/
Also, here is a link to a picture of the rackXT in my home studio. You can see it inside my rackmount near the top. The other PC lower in the rack is my older Creation Station system... http://garrigus.com/?VSEBFig04
Scott
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Scott R. Garrigus - http://garrigus.com - SONAR X2 Power! - http://www.garrigus.com/powerbooks.asp
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar and Sony Sound Forge Power book series: http://garrigus.com/?PowerBooks
* Author of the Cakewalk Sonar ProAudioTutor video tutorial series: http://garrigus.com/?ProAudioTutor
* Publisher of the DigiFreq free music technology newsletter: http://digifreq.com/?DigiFreq
* Publisher of the NewTechReview free consumer technology newsletter: http://newtechreview.com/?NewTechReview |
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firefox
Gold Member
USA
1425 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2009 : 9:35:38 PM
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| Hehehe, I just knew it you got the i7 ..rub it in.. rub it in... that's one bad a$$ computer.. |
Edited by - firefox on 07/26/2009 9:37:11 PM |
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otto
Platinum Member
2299 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2009 : 12:25:14 AM
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| You mean you actually spend money on music gear??? |
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garrigus
Moderator
USA
8883 Posts |
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otto
Platinum Member
2299 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2009 : 9:51:27 PM
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My god, Garrigus in all of his glory. What the f***, what a freaking hairball you are!!! If you were smaller, I'd mistake you for our old persian cat, though he was a red tabby. If you had a western accent, your laidback countenance would be a perfect match to an old prospector. This video is like one of those Christmas present opening family videos, sans family. Where's the little girl in her pajamas joining you and going "YES YES YES" while pumping all fists in the air? I must say, I was practically dying laughing watching this thing. It's like a video of the first Martian encountered by the Voyager. I think you should require a similar length of video of anyone registering on this site, for all of us to see what each other is really like. Text messaging sure does strip out a lot of character and personality. This video ought to be titled "Scott Garrigus having an orgasm".
Ah, did that cover my thoughts on the video??? |
Edited by - otto on 07/27/2009 9:53:41 PM |
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garrigus
Moderator
USA
8883 Posts |
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otto
Platinum Member
2299 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2009 : 11:11:28 PM
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| Seriously, you have a good video presentation and could do instruction videos with no problem. You're ruining me with that computer as I'm just going to have to buy one of them at some point. I'm about 90% on my way to buying a Roland Fantom G, after pooh-poohing the thing like a fool when somebody mentioned the thing about a year or so ago here. 24 tracks of audio as well as a USB mouse, on top of a color screen and excellent synth features. Almost too much to resist. I just have to think what the future models are going to bring. Still waffling around though with the thought of a V-Synth GT too. So I can't make up my mind, and I could even see tossing in a Motif XS rack module too. Can't break my ties to hardware. I really do need a killer dedicated computer though. The brand you got is THE one to own IMO. I just don't yet do anything super ambitious with the computer apps. Still recording one track at a time, and so don't really need the huge power. I'm off-loading the tasks with a UAD-1 PCIe, so that helps keep my older computer still bringing it. |
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Jim Sturm
Moderator
USA
598 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2009 : 08:15:20 AM
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I'm still toying with the idea of building a dual quad Xeon...
-Jim
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Old Dog... New Tricks!
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garrigus
Moderator
USA
8883 Posts |
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firefox
Gold Member
USA
1425 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2009 : 1:33:50 PM
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| Hope you didn't scratch the table top sliding it around. |
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lawapa
Moderator
USA
2100 Posts |
Posted - 07/28/2009 : 8:41:19 PM
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quote:
I'm still toying with the idea of building a dual quad Xeon...
Man I'd buy tickets to see that puppy in action Jim
Congratulations Scott on your new toy/tool Bet it keeps you up late on a few nights. |
Love to make that music,as well I love to tweak,Make my own sample sets |
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garrigus
Moderator
USA
8883 Posts |
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firefox
Gold Member
USA
1425 Posts |
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Jim Sturm
Moderator
USA
598 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2009 : 09:20:13 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by garrigus
...How much do you think it would cost to put something like that together?
Scott
I usually use 3 grand as my target point. It seems like when the price curve hits that range, that's when I make it happen. That's what I did with my current dual Xeon system and the previous dual P3 system I had. Of course, now I could put a comparable system together for $1200 or even less, if I actually wanted to...
Right now, I'd probably still run a 32bit OS on it, so there's no need to go beyond 4Gb of RAM. I think the last time I checked, a silent, air cooled system would set me back about $3200. I'd really like to go liquid cooled though...
At this point, I'm still looking and planning. Mostly because (a) the current dual Xeon still kicks butt, (2) because I don't want to pay to upgrade my MOTU and UAD cards to PCI-E, and (iii) because I'll be paying 'spousal support' (VA doesn't call it alimony...) for another 12 years...
...but that's another story! :))
-Jim
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Old Dog... New Tricks!
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Jim Sturm
Moderator
USA
598 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2009 : 09:26:21 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Jim Sturm
...and the previous dual P3 system I had...
...but whatever happened to that old dual P3 system, you might ask? It sits in a closet, loaded with a 6Tb RAID5, running W2K3SERVER and acting as my backup server. I never throw anything away. I just find a new use for it.
Well, maybe with the exception of the wife...
-Jim
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Old Dog... New Tricks!
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Edited by - Jim Sturm on 07/31/2009 11:37:50 AM |
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otto
Platinum Member
2299 Posts |
Posted - 07/30/2009 : 10:42:10 AM
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| You put her in the closet, but she refused to stay there? |
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